It all started with an idle wish, while I was researching Street Food, that I could get Indian Aloo Gobi in a taco. It’s just one example of an international culinary icon that begs to be served in a grab-and-go form. Then I started to muse on other hitherto untried mashups…
A selection of Torpastas: An early neo-classic international street food mashup.
But what made up my mind to delve further into international mach-ups was a post I tripped over this morning about a new breakfast treat which I’m amazed no one has discovered before now: a Fried Egg Danish (see photo, top of page).
Loco Moco is a famous Hawaiian dish that consists simply of a mound of fluffy white rice with a fried egg on top, smothered in good old diner-style brown gravy. But an Asian fusion joint called Bake Sum, in Oakland, California, has updated and internationalized the classic by substituting a plain Danish Pastry for the rice and changing out the brown gravy in favour of a rich, thick cheese sauce. Bake Sum calls it a Loco Moco Danish. I call it a Loco Wienerbrøt, celebrating the Danish name for the pastry that everyone else calls ‘Danish’.
If you substitute a poached egg for the fried egg, you have a Danish Rarebit.!
Back to the Aloo Gobi…
Aloo Gobi is basically a stew of curried potatoes; a staple of everyday Indian cuisine. My vision for the Aloo Gobi Taco also includes a handful of fresh green peas and some shredded Tandoori Chicken, cradled in a folded Naan bread. Topped with a zippy chutney, if you choose. More like an Aloolupa, actually.
Another possibility is the Indian-Mex crossover I call the Refri-Tikki: a patty composed of Refried Beans, fried until golden brown on both sides and heated through to the steaming point inside. Eat them as is, or with melted cheese on top, or cradle in a warm corn tortilla topped with Salsa Cruda or Pico de Gallo, and grated cheese.
While we’re talking Tex-Mex…
There’s a great South African street food fave you’ll not find elsewhere. It’s called Bunny Chow – but it doesn’t involve bunnies at all. The thing is a hollowed-out unsliced roll or bread loaf filled with spicy, fragrant curried lamb or chicken. It’s believed to have been invented by Indian migrant workers. There were a lot of Indians in SA at one time, not the least of whom was a young lawyer, Mohandas (later, Mahatma) Gandhi.
I have a couple of versions of this mashup in mind; one stuffed with thick, meaty Chili, of course, and another stuffed with sizzling hot Fajitas ingredients. The Chili version I call Burro Chow. The Fajitas version I call Vaca Chow (employing the Spanish word for ‘cow’).
Segueing smoothly to Italian…
Which brings me to another nifty street food crossover I discovered a few years back. It was invented by the owner of Devine Pastabilities of San Diego, and the website describes it thus: “Our signature dish is called a Torpasta, which is a delicious Italian roll that is hollowed, perfectly toasted and stuffed with amazing Italian dishes.” A cross, you may have guessed by now, between a Torpedo Sandwich and a plate of pasta.
I first heard of this tantalizing hand-food watching one of those ‘restaurant detective’ shows which use hidden cameras to spy on employees who are suspected of perpetrating nefarious deeds – most often using the resto’s money or resources to make themselves a buck. In this case, an unscrupulous manager was using the resto’s patented signature concept to flog what he called a ‘Torpatty’, a chunked-up hamburger patty with the usual toppings, served in the same hollowed-out roll. You can imagine what happened when the resto owner found out! But you really should try the Torpatty concept for yourself. It’s just as good in its own way as the Torpasta, which you can also make easily at home.
This one’s already a classic!
They’ve been creating international mash-ups in Germany for – perhaps – centuries. The central European business and culture hub has been welcoming migrants from all over the world as long as anyone can remember, and all have brought their traditional specialties to the German table. The result has been street food neo-classics such as Currywurst.
It’s traditionally a Bratwurst that’s first boiled, then sliced into rounds, breaded and fried. The piping hot sausage is then drenched in tomato curry sauce and dusted with Curry Powder. It’s generally served with French Fries (which mash-up fans will recall are actually Belgian!) on the side, or a Kaiser roll.
Exercise your brain muscle
What can you come up with leveraging your own cultural roots and street food preferences? I say there’s a while new universe of international street food mashups out there just waiting to be discovered. The last culinary frontier? Boldy eat what no one has eaten before!
~ Maggie J.