Prerna Mistry
Its 2018, and the latest trend in the culinary world seems to be fusion food right from matcha lattes to Manchurian pavs, you have a varied range of such meals being catered by swanky hotels as well as local food vendors. As people are more aware of different cuisines and are more travelled and informed, there is an evident competition within the food business to one up each other with unique menu options among which, some of them also go on to become signature dishes as well. These foods have now become the talk of the town and with social media, the presentation and flavours have garnered a lot of interest amongst every foodie. Here are some of such foods that have been creating a buzz in the recent times.
- Vegetable Manchurian and Manchurian Pav:
Deep fried flour balls mixed with onions, carrots and cabbage served in a delicious broth of chilli and soya sauce, is like the perfect blend of Chinese and Indian cuisines. A mouth watering dish, it can be devoured on its own or with some vegetable fried rice for a delicious meal. Besides this, Manchurian rolls and Manchurian pavs have been gaining a lot of attention. Manchurian rolls are simply flatbreads stuffed with Manchurian balls and vegetables and added sauces and similarly Manchurian pav is a pav or bun stuffed with Manchurian balls and served with a dollop of mayonnaise on top. Both these dishes are a must try as not only are they unique but are also drool worthy as well.
- Poutines:
Move over basic fries and wedges and make way for Poutines. This Canadian potato dish, authentically made with fries, cheese curds and brown gravy is starting to see many variations for the dish in India. Today there are many outlets that sell poutines with options such as schezwan, cheese, barbecue, margherita and even pav bhaji poutines as well. It is a super popular food among young people today. Possibly 2018’s top food, you must poutine this dish in your list of foods to try.
- Matcha:
Right from teas to lattes and macaroons and cupcakes this famous Japanese green tea powder has been matcha in the news. The (literal) green tea is packed with antioxidants and is great for health as not only does it detoxify, it also boosts metabolism, prevents diseases, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar and also is very soothing for mind and body.
- Golgappa Shots:
Of course, it can be argued that it is the basic pani puri/golgappa recipe but what is interesting here is the concept of it being served as shots with the chutneys in the shot glasses and the stuffed puris served on top of the glasses.
- Samosas:
One of the most iconic snacks in India, samosas are generally made as crispy flour shell stuffed with potato and other vegetables. However, these days many variations of this traditional dish are available such as Chinese noodle samosas, corn and cheese margherita samosas and paneer chilli samosas to name a few.
- Idli/Dosa:
These south Indian delicacies are not just limited to steamed idlis and plain dosas served with sambar and coconut chutney. Today you get awesome fusion options for the same with schezwan idlis, chilli idli, pasta dosas, spring dosas as well as cheese burst dosas, palak paneer dosas and avocado dosas as well!
- Pizzas:
This Italian feast is not just limited to margheritas and pepperonis, today, in India you can get funky pizza options such as pav bhaji pizza, butter chicken pizza, paneer tikka masala pizza and shahi paneer pizza as well. These unique twists make this dish appealing to everybody with varied taste buds.
- Burgers/Sandwiches:
These versatile foods are customisable as per your tastes and nowadays you can find many combinations and varied flavours as well such as Aloo tikki burgers, chicken tikka burgers, masala veg club sandwich, paneer cheese sandwich, paneer bhurji sandwich and even chocolate sandwiches to cater to your sweet tooth!
- Beverages:
People nowadays are experimenting with fusions and flavours even when it comes to beverages. Some of the popular ones include chai lattes, spiced coffees, turmeric latte as well as milkshake menus including options like paan milkshake along with items such as freakshakes.
- Desserts:
Every great meal includes a great dessert. Today there are endless options when it comes to indulging in these sweet treats. Some of the unique dessert trends include Rasmalai cupcakes, Oreo pakodas, Gulab Jamun cheesecakes and chocolate paans.
