From The Viral Cucumber Salad To Instant Chilli Oil Noodles: 4 Food Trends That Reshaped Indians' Food Choices

Indian food trends have seen a major transformation with viral recipes that are reshaping everyday choices. Here's how these trends are influencing India's culinary culture.
Indian food culture has seen a huge shift over the last decade. With endless swipe-ups and a 30-second consumption pattern, quick format recipes have become all the rage. To keep it within that timeframe, it requires the recipe to be a hack or a quick, no-nonsense way to transform something simple into something incredible in the fastest way possible. That's where the birth of global trends like Dalgona Coffee took place, further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While comfort food like dal chawal and butter chicken continues to be favourites, India is now adopting these viral recipes in their day-to-day diet, some with that perfect desi twist.
The Viral Cucumber Salad Craze
Cucumbers are cool again! This viral salad that started on social media is the fastest way to transform a simple cucumber into an umami-filled, spicy, crunchy, and cool treat. It involves smashing cucumbers with a knife, tossing them in a bowl with a healthy helping of chilli oil, crushed garlic, sesame seeds and topping off with chopped fresh herbs. This one just hit the spot! It ignited nostalgia for Indians who have memories of eating masala kakdi, or cucumber with salt and red chilli powder on a hot summer afternoon.
Crispy Smashed Potatoes
Potatoes got the coolest shift from being the extra in Indian staple food, something that adds volume to a dish, to being the main hero after this trend. It's simple, quick, and customizable to no limit – simply boil baby potatoes, smash them with the back of a bowl and shallow fry them until golden brown. Season with salt, red chilli powder, and some lime and enjoy. India took this trend and made it their own with versions topped with chaat masala, tandoori masala, mayonnaise, and even cheese. Crunchy, quick, and filling, and the option to pair it with unlimited dips made this one a favourite from Diwali parties to cafe menus.
The latest, and seemingly most effective trend has been the rise of a thick chocolate bar from Dubai, a mad fusion of pistachio cream, shredded knafeh pastry and chocolate, that brought pistachios back to the centre of attention – from being a popular choice of kulfi, pistachio and chocolate have quickly risen in popularity among chocolate bar producers and home bakers alike. Indians took to making their own desified versions – with crushed up biscuits, brownies, and even experimental ones like motichoor and gulkand. Being a relatively new but visually appealing and very Instagrammable trend, who knows what versions we will see next?
Instant Chilli Oil Noodles
It's tough to find someone who hasn't experienced the instant chilli oil noodle trend. This recipe is one for the ages, and gives a Gen-Z twist to a millennial favourite – instant noodles. Talking about this trend, Sagar Merchant, the founder of Kaatil, said, 'Indians started innovating by replacing noodles with leftover rotis and parathas, to make the perfect desi-Chinese dish! Chilli oil noodles soared in popularity and are now a staple at many street food carts in India." Just a quick toss of boiled noodles topped with chilli oil, chopped spring onions, and peanuts, and you have an umami flavour bomb that will leave you craving for more.

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