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Handheld foods offer great convenience and variety, here's a selection of snacks to serve up without compromising your fingers.
BENJAMIN LAW'S VERSION
Sang choy bow
Kathi rolls
Originating from Kolkota, West Bengal, the kathi roll is named as such because its initial form was paratha bread around a skewered kebab and kathi means stick.
The modern kathi roll is a filling wrapped in roti minus the skewers. The filling may include spiced, seasoned chicken or lamb, egg, paneer and other cheeses, vegetables and soya.
Falafel wraps
Lamb kathi rolls Source: Anjum’s Australian Spice Stories
A falafel wrap includes its namesake, a Middle Eastern deep-fried chickpea ball or fritter, in a pita or another flat bread such as an Iraqi samoon or a Levantine taboon. The wraps also often include hummus and vegetables.
FALAFEL WRAP RECIPE
Ultimate falafel
Gyros
Gyros is a Greek sandwich of roasted meat, tomato, onion and tzatziki wrapped in a warm pita. It's one of the most popular wrapped dishes around the world.
GYRO AND SHAWARMA
Gyro meatball kebabs with feta tzatziki sauce
Making the dish involves roasting meat on a rotisserie grill or spit and shaving off slices to add to the pita.
Shawarma
Like the gyros, Middle Eastern shawarma meat is shaved off a rotisserie or spit. However, the shawarma tends to be spicier and more complex compared to the more-subtle gyros.
The meat and vegetables are served in a cone-shaped pita or flatbread wrapping. Pickles and garlic sauce (toum) are sometimes included.
Ssam
Chicken shawarma. Source: One World Kitchen
Ssam, which literally means 'wrapped' in Korean, includes meat pieces wrapped with raw or blanched leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce and pumpkin leaves.
The dish is typically served with garlic or banchan (small side dishes such as kimchi), and ssamjang (a thick dipping sauce made of soybean paste, chilli paste, garlic, onion, honey and sesame oil).
Arem-arem
Ssam-style short ribs with shallot and ginger sauce Source: Adam Liaw
Eaten for breakfast or as a snack, Indonesian arem-arem are rice cakes with vegetables, tempeh (fermented soybeans) and minced meat wrapped in banana leaves.
Take heed – don't eat the wrapping. The banana leaf gives arem-arem a fresh aroma and flavour.
Lumpia
The Filipino spring roll, lumpia, can be fresh or fried.
Fresh lumpia or lumpiang sariwa consists of vegetables and sometimes cooked meat and shrimp wrapped in a soft, thick crepe-like wrapping. It's accompanied by a dipping sauce of soy, water, garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch.
Spring rolls resemble gold bars, signifying wealth and prosperity. Source: Macau Gourmet with Justine Schofield
Fried lumpia includes meat, bean sprouts or another vegetable filling wrapped in a spring roll wrapper. A spicy vinegar and garlic sauce goes best with this dish.
Taquitos
The taquito comes from Mexico and can also be referred to by other names such as tacos dorados, rolled tacos or flautas.
To build a taquito, a tortilla is filled with beef, chicken, pork or cheese and then fried. It explodes with flavour when paired with sour cream and guacamole.
Bocadillo de verduras
Bocadillo de verduras is a Spanish sandwich consisting of a broiled barra de pan (Spanish-style baguette) that's filled with vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, artichokes, tomatoes and salad greens.
For those wanting a heartier meal, add fresh cheese, goat cheese, salami and eggs.
POTATO ANYONE?
This is how the world serves its fries
Chip butty
Sure, the bread used in chip butty is pretty much just sliced bread; but the filling is what makes it fascinating.
A British favourite, the chip butty is a sandwich which has a filling of, you guessed it, chips and butter.
Fun to say, even more fun to eat.
