Wait, this tastes familiar

What happens when a recipe crosses borders? These 10 dishes originated in India but developed fresh flavours, names and identities in their new homelands

- Taranna Khetpal

1 Khow Suey Idli (Myanmar).

Nattukottai Chettiars (Tamil bankers and merchants) established tiffin rooms in Rangoon, Burma, in the 19th century. Locals loved the cloud-like steamed rice cakes, but didn't stop at sambar and chutney. They dunked mini idlis into rich coconut curries, added fried garlic, shallots and chili oil, and topped it up with Mohinga, their legendary fish soup.

2 Peera (Guyana). Nearly 188 years ago, 2.4 lakh indentured Indians boarded ships for British Guiana, to labour on sugar plantations. No airport fits, no matching luggage, no custom passport covers. But they did carry their food histories in their hearts as they crossed the ocean. One recipe was for the famed Mathura peda. But fresh dairy was scarce, so they used condensed milk and local sugar, and shared it among themselves. Eventually, peda picked up a Caribbean accent and became peera.

3 Doubles (Trinidad and Tobago). In 1936, Mamool Deen and his wife Rasulan Ali, both descendants of Indian indentured labourers in South Trinidad, sold their only goat to escape poverty. They bought a bicycle and sold curried chickpeas on soft turmeric-spiced bara, a type of bhatura. The base was Indian, the toppings local: Tamarind, mango, and pepper sauces. A glow-up for chhole bhature.