Fusion Recipes

My kids are huge fans of BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches, so I experimented and came up with an Asian version.  I use homemade pickled vegetables in these sandwiches, reminiscent of Vietnamese Sandwiches and Sriracha Mayo to give it a little kick.  Feel free to omit the Sriracha.  This recipe can be made in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, so no need to babysit a pot on the stove. 

Great oven dish for a busy night.

This is a quick way to create a tasty baked variation of teriyaki pork. A great main dish for a busy weeknight or fast paced weekend. Requires some advance preparation for marinading for the best flavor.

This is a simple sandwich that my kids love in the summer, to celebrate the flavors of barbeque without actually grilling. Cooking time takes a few hours, but if planned ahead, an easy meal that requires minimal effort. If started 3 hours ahead of time, you may even start with frozen pork, as I often do. I also like this recipe, because it doesn't require any meat cutting. A large cut of pork, the way I get it from the store, works very well for this dish. You may also use a crockpot if preferred.

Beef Bone Broth is my favorite soup base.  It has so many layers of complex flavors, and with a pressure cooker, a breeze to make as well!

A quick tasty meal.

A tasty spiced beef taco filling with lots of fresh topping ideas.

Great way to warm up on a cold day.

One of my favorite Malaysian dishes is Beef Rendang. However, to make an authentic Rendang requires toasted coconut, blending and slowly frying the blended ingredients to a just-so perfection. Though I hope to make an authentic rendang sometime in the near future, my current schedule just doesn't allow for it right now. So I have improvised. Using lndian spice powders (garam masala) and unblended ingredients, I have tried to mimic the amazing fragrant braised goodness of authentic Rendang. Don't be put off by the number of ingredients - once you have them on hand, it's just a matter of placing it in the pot and simmering.  Feel free to substitute Beef with Lamb or Mutton or Pork.  And yes, like the original Rendang, it tastes better the next day.

I was inspired to create this recipe from a Burmese Pork recipe we found on memalee.com. I worked to make some minor changes to the original recipe so that it fit with our tastes and cooking style. I keep all vinegar used in the dish, I added potatoes, and of course, I added chili peppers. Unlike the curries that I grew up with, this curry is not overpoweringly spicy. It is a wonderful compromise between our spicy tastes, and our kids' mild preferences. This dish tastes much like a flavorful stew. Additionally, it goes very well with steamed rice. I frequently prepare this dish on weekends and then freeze it for use in meals on busy weekdays.

This is a super simple recipe , perfect for a weeknight meal or a quick meal to suit the busy holiday season.

This is a great dish to warm up on a cold winter's night, especially for those who like the heat of chilli without the heaviness of beans.  I recently updated this recipe with the addition of celery, carrots and bacon to give it a little more depth in flavor.   For an Italian twist, I serve it over some spaghetti and topped with fresh Jalapeno chilies.  A squirt of lemon juice over the top of the chili lightens the dish.

Simple and delicious. Great for a weeknight meal!

A classic one pot meal.

Great for a weeknight meal with a little planning.

This recipe is more of a stew, and the gravy adds to the flavor of the tacos. Because of the gravy there is no need for additional salsa to be added to the tacos.

This tangy and spicy authentic Eurasian curry comes directly from the Malaysian village of Portuguese Settlement in Malacca. It is bursting with the flavors of lemon grass, coriander, ginger, onions, garlic and vinegar. The perfectly tender potatoes completes the flavor infusion. This dish is usually served during Christmas and special occasions. It can be made with chicken or pork.

Curry Shepherd's Pie was a product of making my mash-potato-loving son enjoy his curried meal.  The curry and spice flavors works well beside the creamy mash potato.  It is one of the few dishes that all my picky family members can agree on and enjoy.

This lasagna is full of flavor with tomato sauce, béchamel sauce and cheese alternating with eggplant layers. A fusion of Greek and Italian tastes with a touch of Mexican spiciness.

Currywurst is a popular fast food in Germany. It is usually comprised of tomato sauce, bratwurst and curry powder. In my version, I add some mushrooms and onions to round out the flavors to be part of a sandwich. Great as a lunch or a picnic.

My kids love MaPo Tofu.  They love the saucy tofu dish over rice.  I have always enjoyed Gochujang.  So I decided to put the two together.  Gochujang MaPo Tofu has a sweeter flavor than original MaPo Tofu. It  tastes great over warm steam rice.  I've added fish sauce as part of this dish to add more dimension to the sauce.  I haven't tried it myself, but I think it will work well as part of a lettuce wrap.

This is a dish I make with leftover ham bone.  It is easy to make, flavorful and very much a comfort food, especially on cold days.  This recipe is Not a "creamy" Ham and Split Pea Soup, it's more of a "chunky" soup with cubes of veggies and ham interspersed throughout, Goes well on its own or served with warm toasted bread. 

Asian inspired and made with fresh tomatoes, this sauce tastes great served over any pasta. Light and hearty all at the same time, this dish was a comforting go-to meal in college when I had some time to spare.

This is a grown up version of the pasta sauce I used to make in college. I use fresh tomatoes in this homemade spicy pasta sauce. You can use frozen tomatoes if you prefer, without detracting from the taste too much. Canned tomatoes, however, I found doesn't have the tang that comes with fresh tomatoes. I decided to omit tomato paste to avoid masking the amazing flavors of the fresh tomatoes. Unfortunately, tomato paste also helps redden the color of the sauce, so omitting it causes the sauce to be less red. It's an easy sauce to make, so give it a try! Double the recipe and save some in the freezer. You' won't want to go back to store bought pasta sauce after you have tried this sauce.

A tangy and spicy curry made with readily available curry powder, with potatoes to thicken the curry and absorb all the flavors.

This sandwich is a great hot sandwich. It is spicy, as most Jerks are, but layered with sweet red peppers and sweet red onions.

The Korean Tofu Soon Soup is my inspiration here. I use the fermented hot bean paste, Gochujang to help flavor the soup.

One of my favorite things to do with leftover rice is to fry it. I saw the GoChuJang paste in my refrigerator and thought, why not? I love the complex flavors the GoChuJang lends to the fried rice. It's sweet, it's spicy, and rich all at once!

Jap Chae is one of my favorite dishes. I love the sweetness of the noodles. I'm used to having these vegetarian, but I added some meat to this recipe. And as I do in most of my dishes, I spiced it up, but feel free to omit the spice. Hope you enjoy it.

My favorite Korean dish - spicy pork served over warm steam rice with lettuce on the side to cool down the palate. My friend from Korea taught me to add the sliced carrots to add some sweetness to the dish.  Gochujang adds a complexity of flavors evident in most Korean cooking.

This lasagna recipe is somewhat different because I use precooked eggplant to mix into the meat sauce. I find that it makes the lasagna lighter than the usual meat lasagna, but a little heavier than eggplant layered lasagna. There is also some Asian infusion with the use of soy sauce and green onions to enhance the flavors.

This is a perfect dish to make when you have day old rice and a little bit of vegetables left over in the fridge. The proportions I use tend to have less rice than traditional fried rice dishes but I feel it just makes the dish more tasty!

A hawker favorite - thin egg noodles bathed in spicy seasoning sauce, served with blanched green vegetables, vinegar chilli and ground meat or chinese roasted pork (char sieu) with a side of wonton soup. A favorite local street food amongst locals in Malaysia.

This is a quick and easy meal, great for a weeknight. The tang of lime complements the mild spiciness of paprika. Feel free to substitute with hot chili powder to increase heat.

This is a quick and easy meal, great for a quick lunch. It works very well if using leftover Paprika Lime Pork for the quesadilla filling. In this picture, I added leftover mash potato to please my little customers. However this recipe works just as well with only Paprika Lime Pork and cheese as filling.

A Chinese and Italian fusion to create a quick and nutritious blend of pasta, meat and vegetables perfect for a weeknight meal.

A different way to serve sausages with bread from the traditional hot dog. Perfect when you have more people to feed than number of sausages on hand.

These noodles are great on cool day. My family tend to like tangy foods, so I increased the amount of vinegar used, which I find helps lighten the rich flavor of the sesame paste. I use cucumbers as a garnish in this recipe, which, in my opinion, also helps lighten the flavor and cools down the dish. Great for a hot summer day!

Sichuan Style Beef Noodle Soup is one of my favorite noodle soup dishes - and if you know me, you know I like noodle soup.  It's a spicy comfort food that is perfect on a cold day.  If you have the time to make homemade beef bone broth, your mouth will thank you.

A thick and rich gravy of beef and mushroom over buttery noodles - A classic Russian dish with a twist.  Here I add some tomato along with crushed chilli peppers.

This is a spicy version of a Hong Kong Style Pork with Tomato Sauce,  I simmer the pork with the sauces to cut out a step, and also increase the flavor infusion of the pork in the tomato sauce.  I use a couple of non-traditional ingredients in this recipe, star anise and fish sauce, both of which I believe has accentuated the flavor of the dish.  I hope you enjoy the changes.

A fusion of Indian samosas and Jamaican patties. The filling is made with potatoes instead of bread crumbs that is commonly used in traditional Jamaican patties. The potatoes make the meat filling tender and moist.

This recipe is a meat and potato recipe with a dark gravy; usually served over warm steamed rice. What makes this dish diffferent from the other ones I've posted, is the use of taucheo (preserved soybean paste commonly found in Malaysian dishes). Though it looks similar to other dark meat and potato dishes, the soybean paste gives it an additional dimension of flavor. Traditionally made without the chilli peppers, I find that the chilli peppers adds another layer of flavor, but certainly feel free to omit it, if preferred. It is also traditionally made with onion and garlic blended into a paste for use in the dish, but in the interest of time, I have omitted this step. I have found that using chopped onion and garlic doesn't take anything away from the flavors of this dish. This recipe can also be made with chicken.

A very moist, slightly spicy meatloaf recipe topped with a slightly sweet glaze - perfect for a Sunday night dinner.

A mostly traditional shepherd's pie but with a slight spin.

This is a perfect dish to make when you have day old rice and a little bit of vegetables left over in the fridge. The proportions I use tend to have less rice than traditional fried rice dishes but I feel it just makes the dish more tasty!  Sriracha sauce adds the spicy and subtle sweetness to the dish.

This Italian Asian fusion recipe combines pasta and sausage with Chinese ingredients such as soy and Sriracha sauces. It was a hit with my family, and ready in a pinch!

Moist meatballs topped with a mushroom gravy served over a plate of buttery noodles.

Taiwanese food has always had a hold on me.  I love the strong flavors.  Being keen on strong flavors, I've increased the amount of spices used. Also being a fan of noodles, I added noodles to the Braised Pork dish to make Taiwanese Braised Pork Noodle Soup.  It is a great dish to warm up with on a cool winter's day.

This dish works perfectly on a cold winter's day. It does a great job warming up from the inside. Spicy, rich, sweet and salty, the many layers of flavors goes perfectly with a simple boiled egg and some blanched greens. This recipe yields about 6 bowls of noodle soup. If time is a limiting factor, feel free to substitute with dry garlic, onion and ginger powders.  I recently updated this recipe using soybean paste instead of hot bean paste, since it would be easier to adjust the heat according to taste.  I use homemade Sichuan Chili Oil to add heat, both while cooking and in the bowl.

Tikka Masala has such a creamy, rich and spicy flavor, it is a wonderful dish for so many different fusion dishes.  A fusion recipe itself, it was developed in India as the British colonized it.  As part of a lasagna, it contributes a wonderful full-flavor of spice, but yet rich and creamy with a tomato base, like the original lasagna.  To make it an easier recipe, feel free to used store or restaurant-bought Tikka Masala.  If using store bought, just follow the directions on what to add to make a tikka masala sauce for your lasagna. My recipe below uses garam masala to simplify the spices, which you can purchase at the store, or make at home using this wonderful garam masala Allrecipe by KitchenBarbarian.

This is a hearty soup that can be cooked in a pressure cooker or stove top. Fresh spices (i.e. ginger, onion, garlic, hot chili pepper, lemon grass) can be replaced with dry powdered versions if more convenient. It very much reminds me of an American Style beef stew except with a stronger spice flavor, thanks to the cinnamon, star anise and lemon grass. Great meal to warm a cool night.

A savory meat dumpling that can be served in a soup, as a crispy appetizer or as a side to noodles.