Don’t Miss These 8 Must-Try Lunch/Dinner Courses
Diners all around the world are flocking to hot fusion cuisines to try foods they’ve seen on social media. We’ve compiled a list of must-try fusion lunch & dinner options that are popular around the world. I have tried these dishes, and I have also become a big fan of these delicious treats.
These dishes are served in a lot of fusion restaurants, and many of them are easy enough to make at home. Here are some famous examples of fusion food mash-ups:
Spanakopita Lasagna (Greek + Italian)
Have you tried the spanakopita? For those who don’t know, this is a filo pastry-based meatless Greek spinach lasagna. Simple, light, and tasty!
Spanakopita is a beloved Greek culinary classic. As the title suggests, this is a filo pastry-based lasagna with spinach and feta cheese. You may enjoy it hot or cold, as an appetizer or a main course.
If you are a lover of feta cheese, this lasagna might be your soul mate. I can’t get enough of its creamy, salty, and soft texture. Fresh nutmeg is another component that makes this dish delicious, but finding fresh nutmeg while preparing it at home can be challenging.
The use of fresh herbs like parsley, dill, and mint makes Spanakopita especially tasty. Leek, sorrel, or chard are a few other veggies that go well with or can be substituted with spinach.
If you have a gluten sensitivity, I would advise avoiding restaurants that serve Spanakopita lasagna or making sure to request a gluten-free version of the dish. The good thing is that you may easily modify it to your specifications by making it at home.
It’s also rather pricey at the restaurant, so you should find out how to cook it cheaply and to the highest quality at home.
No need to worry, I’ll share my favorite Spanakopita lasagna recipe in my Recipes section.
Tandoori Chicken Burgers (India + US)
A desi crunch with a bedesi twist (a charming way to present the vibrant colors of Indian culture). I know you might not get all of this, but I’m talking about the Tandoori Chicken Burger.
It’s loaded with Indian spices like tandoori paste-marinated chicken, crunchy veggies like sliced cucumber and tomato with crunchy onion, and a calming and soft yogurt dressing with a twisted taste from fresh spices, all covered by a crunchy grilled bun.
I noticed that most restaurants in India served this delicious burger when I was there. However, I recommend preparing it at home because it’s super easy to make and can also be customized to your unique tastes and needs.
For example, if you want to avoid simple carbohydrates or make it healthier, you can substitute lettuce or cabbage for the buns.
Mexican Ravioli (Mexican + Italian)
Are you in a hurry?
Do you want to cook a wonderful fusion cuisine for your guests or family in a short amount of time?
Then pick this one: the super tasty, easy, and quick meal, Mexican Ravioli. Simply add ravioli, vegetables, sauces, and spices to a pan, top it with some cheese, and bake for a few minutes. It will only take about 20 minutes before your delicious Mexican Ravioli is ready to serve. For a unique twist, you can add some Mexican toppings of your choice. If you prefer not to add extra toppings, you can skip them.
This Mexican-Style Cheesy Ravioli Bake is a favorite evening dish that never fails to satisfy. It combines Mexican and Italian ingredients beautifully.
The Italian cheese ravioli is stuffed with beans, onions, peppers, scallions, cilantro, jalapenos, enchilada sauce, and cheese, resulting in an incredibly saucy and cheesy dish. Moreover, it smells terrific.
Greek Quesadilla (Greek + Mexican)
Another super easy lunch or dinner option that tastes heavenly as well is a Mediterranean and Mexican mashup, creating a perfect blend of amazing flavors.
You can make it at home in just a few minutes; all you need is some feta cheese, spinach, flour tortillas, red onion, black olives, ripe tomatoes, and some extra virgin olive oil. To serve, include some tzatziki sauce to complete this yummy dish. Personally, I am a fan of tzatziki sauce when I have Greek quesadilla, as I feel it enhances the dish. Don’t skip this part, but you can skip the black olives if you prefer.
I understand that some people don’t like black olives in their food, but no worries, it will not significantly change the taste. I mention this specifically because my husband loves Greek quesadilla, but he doesn’t like black olives at all. Even when I make pizza for him, I have to avoid using black olives.
Kebab Pizza (Turkey+ Nordic Countries)
My favorite cuisine any time is Turkish kebabs. Turkish kebabs and pizza are two of my favorite foods, so when these two are mixed, I’m in bliss.
Interestingly, Middle Easterners were the main creators of kebab pizza in Sweden throughout the 1980s. When the magic happened, kebab pizza became one of the most popular foods in Sweden.
Kebab pizzas are slightly different from other pizzas. They require French fries and fresh lettuce or cucumber to complete the meal. The kebabs are typically made with beef, but you can substitute it with chicken if you prefer. The kebab sauce, which is created with yogurt or sour cream and tastes amazing, is the main attraction of this pizza. Onions, tomato sauce, cheese, and fefferoni peppers, are included on the pizza.
You can find this pizza at various fusion restaurants, or you can even make it yourself. It takes a bit of effort, but the result will amaze you. Once you try this delicious pizza, I promise you will fall in love with it and it will quickly become one of your go-to options for a fun dinner treat.
Falafel Burger (Multicultural Fusion)
I have solutions for your top three problems: being vegan, craving a burger, and wanting a healthy and delicious meal. The answer to all three is a falafel burger.
A falafel burger is an excellent choice for vegans because it is made with ground chickpeas or fava beans combined with herbs and spices and made into a patty. It’s a plant-based alternative to typical meat burger. A falafel burger is extremely delicious.
Biting into the crispy golden shell to uncover a vibrant green core is the finest part of eating falafel. Yes, the smooth green color is because it is made of fava beans rather than the common chickpea that most other countries use.
An authentic Egyptian falafel is always green, and Egyptians often break a falafel in half to show the color. However, if you cannot find fava beans, you can definitely use fresh chickpeas, which will have a similar taste to fava beans. Just make sure not to use canned chickpeas.
The blend of aromatic herbs and spices gives falafel burgers a distinct and savory taste. You can customize your burger with toppings such as fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and a variety of sauces, adding even more deliciousness to the mix.
A falafel burger is not only vegan, but also a nutritious food alternative. Chickpeas are high in protein and fiber, both of which are essential nutrients for a healthy diet. They also include several vitamins and minerals, making them a healthy choice.
Thai Red Curry Risotto (Italian + Thai)
Red curry plays an amazingly versatile role in different dishes. When you add some red curry and coconut milk to ramen, it takes the taste to heavenly heights.
Now, imagine Thai red curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, shrimp, and arborio or other short-grain white rice combined with amazing spices in one dish. The outcome is a dish that will make you love its calming flavor. You can also replace shrimp with seafood or mushrooms and use seafood broth. My love for risotto began when I tasted creamy mushroom risotto. I remember ordering this dish twice in one dinner at a restaurant in Italy because it was incredibly delicious.
After that, I experimented with making at least 8 to 10 types of risotto with different flavors within two months. Some of them were made following recipes, while others had my own fusion twist. I will share those recipes with you in my recipes section.
Ramen Carbonara (Italian + Asia)
A 15 to 20-minute package of creamy, flavorful goodness awaits you with this Ramen Carbonara dish. It’s like a little flavor bomb exploding in your mouth. Packed with crispy, salty bacon, a delightful egg-based cheese sauce, and tender ramen noodles, it’s hard not to fall in love with this dish.
Italian carbonara and Korean Shin Ramen are combined to create Ramen Carbonara. The flavors combine flawlessly to provide a creamy mouthfeel with a hint of spiciness.
The taste is refreshing, light, and creamy, without the need for cream in the recipe. Just a few ingredients will create this creamy flavor bomb: parmesan cheese, egg, ramen, bacon, and some basil for seasoning. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and you’ll taste the magic.
Please note that this is not a traditional carbonara recipe, as it does not include eggs, egg yolks, parmesan cheese, or Romano cheese. However, it is made in the style of carbonara with Asian flavors and ramen.
Give this recipe for Creamy Ramen Carbonara a try! Once you’ve tried it, you’ll be in love and want to make it again and again.
