Fusion anyone?

Fusion foods are aplenty. Hate them or love them, you surely can't ignore them, writes Vivek Phadnis

The creation of the masala dosa or sambar was historic and such dishes have never gone out of vogue. But if we look at the food scene in the last few years, there has been a revolution of sorts. And it appears to be happening at a faster pace these days. Take the humble dosa. A few years ago, it would generally be the masala, plain, onion dosa, and a couple of other variants. But creativity appears to be at an all-time high with the likes of paneer dosa, pizza dosa, gobi manchurian dosa, or dozens of other varieties that are available.

Experiments with food are going berserk. Indo-Chinese food was a revelation when it was introduced in Kolkata by Chinese immigrants. To put one of these dishes into a dosa is taking things to a whole new level. If gobi manchurian dosa is a revelation, what would you say about tandoori momos? The humble momo, originating in Tibet, now has a spicy and desi twist. Was the normal momo too bland for us or is it just that we want to Indianise foods that have foreign origins?

The good thing is no one seems to be complaining about such fusion preparations, though something like the gobi manchurian dosa has a few calories too many.

Creativity is not restricted to fast food. Any South Indian marriage feast typically has two kosambaris (salads). One is made with soaked split Bengal gram and the second one with green gram as the main ingredients. These days, the good old ‘Congress’ (spicy peanuts) is becoming the main ingredient and often replacing one of the traditional kosambaris. This is quite a shift from what used to be traditionally served. Even the much-loved French Toast has a completely Indian version. Instead of dipping the slice of bread into beaten eggs, it is dipped into dosa batter that has chillies, curry leaves, coriander, finely chopped onions, and tomatoes. This is obviously way off the original French Toast, but someone has been at his or her creative best. And it’s pretty tasty to eat as well. Something like the good old masala dosa will never cease to be a favourite. But the popularity of fusion food appears to be on the rise. In some ways, traditional foods are probably in danger of being diluted or slowly losing favour to the newer dishes as time goes by.

(The author takes refuge in food after a tiring day with cars and gadgets.)