Indian, or rather India-inspired food is everywhere. , Photo credit: Getty Images / iStock
“We’re taking you to an Indian restaurant!” As a frequent traveler to foreign shores, this is a sentence thrown at me with alarming urgency and frequency. This is also what I dread to hear the most.
I hear it from friends I’m meeting. I hear it from relatives whose houses I’m crashing at. I hear it from business associates I meet with. Everyone automatically assumes that as a food and travel writer I must be lacking and loving Indian food. So much so, that I need to be force-fed a few times as soon as I get off the plane.
While he seems to have found the ‘prem’ part in place, the ‘miss’ bit is taking it forward. I mean, why would I be excited to eat ersatz, localized versions of some of Indian cuisine’s greatest hits, when I get to taste the infinitely better-executed originals at home? please spare me those gloopy, sweet ‘chicken’ vindaloos (It’s always the pork in the spicy-sour Goan original) and those mild, spinach-leaves-substitutes’ mustard greens,
But that’s not to say I haven’t been keen to try various Indian-inspired, though not entirely indigenous, preparations – local dishes are often based on shaky Indian bases and vaguely Native Flavors.
Ali Aslam and Chicken Tikka Masala
Ali Ahmed Aslam of Scotland is said to have created the chicken Tikka masala, As the de facto national dish of the UK that has nothing to do with traditional Indian cuisine, it was created by Aslam at the Sheesh Mahal in the early 70s. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Twitter.com
The recent passing of Scotland-based Pakistani restaurateur Ali Ahmed Aslam has brought the oft-debated chicken back into the spotlight Tikka masala, As the UK’s de facto national dish has nothing to do with traditional Indian cuisine, it was created by Aslam in the early 70s at his (then) modestly small curry house Sheesh Mahal in Glasgow, Scotland. They Invented It by Putting a Creamy, Tomato-Based Sauce in a One-Two Tandoori Cock Tikka One diner complained the pieces were too dry and floury.
While on the subject of curry, whenever I find myself in Japan, I can’t resist a craving for well-made katsukare Also known as katsu curry. It is made of a pork cutlet called tonkatsu It is served with a portion of Japanese rice and coated with a thick curry sauce with a mild, sweet flavor. I soon learned that curry was introduced to Japan in the late 18th century when the Indian subcontinent was under colonial rule by the British Empire. However, it was not until the early 20th century, when curry was co-opted by the Japanese Navy and Army to feed soldiers, that the dish began to become popular with regular Japanese folk.
Popular Oxtail and Peanut Sauce Dish do-do There is an homage to Indian curry in the Philippines. , Photo credit: Getty Images / iStock
Interestingly, the curry-military relationship is also something I witnessed during my recent trip to the Philippines. The very popular Oxtail and Peanut Sauce dish do-do Here’s another tribute to our very own curry. It is believed that homesick Indian sepoys from southern India who settled in the Philippines during the British occupation of Manila improvised their dishes with available ingredients. they called the dish first do-do which has now taken shape do-do, And guess what it’s always served with? A sour fruit and vegetable pickle is simply called atchara,
Also Puran Poli, Chole Bhature and Malabar Porotta
And just like spice-free atcharaAnother iteration of the fruit-vegetable pickle originates from the island of Mauritius known for its large Indian-origin demographic. Called AtcharIt’s the perfect condiment to add to a serving Dhol Puri, Known as the national street food of Mauritius and is similar to a savory version of the Maharashtrian sweet Puran Poli (and nothing like North Indian Dal Puri), reportedly of Bihari origin, this pancake-style flatbread comes filled with cooked yellow peas that have been mixed and flavored with turmeric and cumin. A ubiquitous, on-the-go snack, one can find it for purchase at almost every street corner. It is always served in pairs, and wrapped with bean curry, Atchar and various sauce, a sweet copy of Dhol Puri Also used to scoop the Mauritian version of Kheer,
Doubles, which is similar to India’s Chole Bhature, is a breakfast staple in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. , Photo credit: Edmond Gall / Flickr.com
Also served in pairs and hence the name, ‘doubles’ are a breakfast staple in the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. Consists of two small pieces of fried dough called shower Curries that are filled with chickpeas, served with tamarind sauce and a super-hot sauce made from Caribbean Scotch bonnet peppers. dish – what I thought was the same as our own Chole bhature – First built in 1936 by Imamul Deen and his wife Rasoolan in Fairfield, Princes Town. Interestingly, the name ‘doubles’ originated in 1937, when Deen’s customers insisted that he make orders for their unique treats a “double”.
Still in Trinidad and Tobago, there is another Indian-inspired dish with a wacky name and resemblance. a replay of our own Malabar parottaThe just stop is a flaky Paratha Which the cook breaks with his hands after frying on the griddle. Thus, the flatbread is left to resemble a torn-up or “busted shirt”. Ribbon-like pieces of which I was made to dip into a spicy chickpea and potato curry and eat with Trini-style mango…well, here we go again, Pickle,
Mumbai-based writer and restaurant critic passionate about food, travel and luxury, not necessarily in that order.