We made this list knowing fully well that most people would be grossed out by at least one weird combination. However, these are all tested and we can, therefore, confidently say that they are incredibly and weirdly delicious. The combinations range from childhood guilty pleasures to happy accidents in the kitchen. One thing you’ll notice is that each component has a balance of flavours whether it be sweet and salty, spicy and sweet or tart and salty—this is the key to creating a magical combination.
#1 Avocado + Chocolate
This combination is admittedly not as scary as the others. Avocado is a relatively plain tasting fruit (yes, it is a fruit) that can unsurprisingly take on many flavours. Chocolate is intense, sweet and earthy and can easily benefit from the taming given by the avocado. This combination is mostly found in vegan ice-creams or mousses as avocado is a great substitute for cream. The avocado is supremely smooth and carries chocolate extremely well. Try these avocado and chocolate brownies!
#2 Mango + Chilli
This is another combo that is not that weird when you really think about it. We’ve all had chow and Picarindo so, the idea of a sweet mango sprinkled with smoky, spicy chilli powder is not the most insane thing. The only difference is that we recommend using ripe, sweet mangoes as this is when the combination truly shines. The sweetness tames the spiciness of the chilli—similar to tamarind and chilli in Picarindo. The combo creates flavours that bounce off of every point in your mouth. For even more intense flavour, we recommend squeeze lime juice and sprinkling salt on your mango.
#3 Apples + Cheese
Apple and cheese, in its many forms absolutely works. The sweetness of the apple along with the tart, saltiness of the cheese is an easy mix of flavours to get behind, however, further than that, the texture of the apple and cheese makes this combo even more enjoyable. In its uncooked state, the apple is crisp and the cheese is creamy. When cooked, like in grilled cheese, the apple becomes almost pasta-like and even sweeter while the cheese melts to become indulgently creamy. We love Brie or Cheddar cheese with apple slices. If making a grilled cheese, go even further by sprinkling cinnamon and sugar over the apple before grilling—it intensifies the flavours even more. It’s the snack you never knew you craved.
#4 Instant Ramen + Sour Cream
We are now getting into very weird combinations. Instant ramen is a well-loved, salty and quick meal. There are many ways to dress it up—eggs, chives or pepper, however, you’ve probably never thought of sour cream. Preferably use the oriental flavour of instant ramen (it works best with this flavour), make as usual and then, spoon into your bowl. Mix in one teaspoon of sour cream—the ramen should turn the colour of a milky tea. The tart but creamy sour cream adds a new dimension of flavour into the instant ramen. The ramen isn’t extremely creamy but instead, the sour cream mellows out the spices and creates a more wholesome meal.
#5 Condensed Milk + Tuna
We admit that this one doesn’t sound even kind of good. However, the value is in the sweetness of the condensed milk. We’re not saying to dollop condensed milk onto your tuna and this is also most definitely not going to work in every dish made with tuna. When making tuna casserole or tuna salad, adding a very tiny bit of condensed milk adds just the right amount of sweetness and creaminess to perfectly balance the flavour of your casserole or salad. The effect is similar to adding honey or white granulated sugar except for the fact that condensed milk just works better.
#6 Soda + Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk combined with soda is a combination hailing straight from most of our childhoods. A personal favourite was Coca-Cola and evaporated milk but, many others delighted in red soda, lemon-lime soda and even cream soda mixed with evaporated milk. It made the soda obviously creamy but also more indulgent. The drink was still fizzy but milky and sweet. It was similar to a liquid milkshake or float but, without the ice-cream. In fact, years ago, red soda ice-cream was made with condensed and evaporated milk—sounds like heaven to us.
#7 Watermelon + Feta
Sweet, refreshing juicy watermelon combined with the salty, sharp bite of feta cheese is actually a match made in heaven! Both elements also have different textures as the watermelon is juicy and crisp and the feta is crumbly but creamy. Together, they melt into each other to create a harmonious bite filled with textural perfection and explosive flavour. With a simple drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper, you’ll have a winning side dish on your hands. Utilise the combo in a salad or as a vegetarian skewer.
#8 Macaroni And Cheese + Jerk Seasoning
This combination is not extremely weird but also, hardly thought of and untraditional. Whether it’s the jerk seasoning paste or powdered seasoning blend, this combination is extremely easy and doable. You can use it with either boxed macaroni and cheese or a homemade version. Add in your jerk seasoning towards the end but ensure that the spices get a chance to develop in the macaroni and cheese. We recommend adding in the spice about 3 minutes before the dish is finished. The result is a spiced and aromatic, jazzed-up macaroni and cheese. This dish is a great option for vegetarians or those fasting from meat as you can easily forget there’s no meat in the dish.
#9 Pizza + Honey
This combination separates the pineapple-on-pizza lovers from the the haters. If you’re a lover, you’ll be head over heels for this combination. A drizzle of honey over your pizza balances the usual dominant salty and savoury flavour. It especially works great when there are jalapeños and/or olives on the pizza as you then get a sweet, spicy and salty flavour combo. Another great way to utilise honey on pizza is to drizzle it over the crust which, let’s face it, is basically plain bread. It becomes a yummy, sweet and salty bite. This combination is so good, we actually dare the pineapple-haters to try it.
#10 Vanilla Ice-Cream + Soy Sauce
Vanilla ice-cream is just so, vanilla. Even if you love it, you must admit that it is the most boring ice-cream flavour. However, once you drizzle soy sauce over a scoop, it turns into a complex, delicious and exciting flavour. Soy sauce is not only salty but, it also has notes of earthiness which play well with vanilla ice-cream’s sweet but almost perfume-like flavour profile. It has a similar effect as salted caramel in that the salty soy sauce makes the sweet vanilla ice-cream’s vanilla bean flavour shine even brighter.