Cultural Recipes

[BabyMine]

Our family loves eating food from other cultures. I love the different tastes. I can cook American and some Cuban. I am looking for anything that is not to involved, full of flavor, and from different regions or culture. I am trying to teach my children the world through food.

[m448]

I grew up in pockets of very varied ethnicities and like I tell people also being raised in a Dominican bubble within the American culture (first NJ and then south FL). So I grew up eating dominican food but also food from other countries from where my mom's coworkers originated. El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, etc.

Most of my faves do tend to be labor intensive (pastelitos, empanadas, pastel en hojas) but some of my dominican family favorites are not (habichuelas, etc.).

eta: I've also been doing lots of southern regional cooking since I married my husband about 10 years ago.

[BabyMine]

I love empanadas. My friend taught me an easy way to make them. I love also making ropa. Another friend taught me a shortcut with that. I still have yet to be able to make fried plantains

[jenny]

I'm Korean and can make a few Chinese-flavored dishes.

I have a great recipe for scallops in garlic sauce. You can subsitute any kind of protein if you don't like scallops. All you need is oyster sauce and chicken broth. If you're going to buy oyster sauce, you need to get the good kind that most Asians use. You'll find it at Asian grocery stores. It looks like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Oyster_sauce.jpg

I can also give you a very simplified recipe to make Korean bbq. You just need soy sauce and sesame oil. And I have a simple salad dressing recipe that uses soy sauce and vinegar.

[NN317]

Some Brazilian recipes that my MIL taught me (she is from Sao Paulo):

Bolo Cremoso de Fuba (Creamy Corn Cake)

Preheat oven to 350
Grease a 17x13 cookie sheet about 1 inch deep, set aside
In small bowl, sift together:
2 tbs white flour
1 c corn flour (very fine)
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Place following into a blender/food processor:
3 eggs
2 tbs cold butter
4 c milk (reserve 2 c for later)
3 c sugar
Blend for about 10 seconds, then add flour mixture. Blend for another 10-15 seconds, scraping sides to make sure well mixed. Now add to blender:
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c grated coconut
Reserved 2 c milk

Blend at low speed until well combined. Pour batter into prepared cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting.


Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

Preheat oven to 375
1lb package manioc starch (polvilho doce)
1 tsp salt
1 c water
1 c olive oil
6 eggs
1 c grated Parmesan
1 1/2 c grated cheese of choice (cheddar, pepper jack, etc)

Add starch and salt to mixing bowl.
Boil water and oil. Add to starch, mix well with mixer paddle on low speed. Let cool completely. With mixer on low add 6 eggs. Mix until well incorporated and dough is soft enough to drop with a spoon. Add cheeses, mix well. Let dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Make mounds with a teaspoon on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, or until tops start to brown slightly.

[m448]

I love empanadas. My friend taught me an easy way to make them. I love also making ropa. Another friend taught me a shortcut with that. I still have yet to be able to make fried plantains

which would you like to make the sweet ripe (maduros) or the green plaintains (tostones)? They are definitely easy to make but there are a few little tips that get passed down intuitively from generation to generation that escape the chefs kwim?

Empanadas and pastelitos are a lifelong love of mine and I'll eat them from any ethnic group. In fact, my mom was just here for a visit and she brought me fresh baked cuban pastelitos as well as a bunch of other stuff on the flight from FL to NC.

[MMMommy]

I love curries of any type--Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai. Love it. For Indian, I like using a Madras curry powder as a base or Patak's Red Curry Paste. For Japanese curry, I use the S&B Curry blocks. For Chinese, I use Lee Kum Kee's jarred curry sauce as the curry base. I usually saute fresh garlic and onion and add chicken/beef and sometimes potatoes and simmer in any of these curry bases. I serve over steamed white rice.

I also like to use Chinese oyster sauce when cooking stir fries. I like the Lee Kum Kee brand (bottle with the lady on a boat,not the one with the panda).

[mommy111]

I'm Korean and can make a few Chinese-flavored dishes.

I have a great recipe for scallops in garlic sauce. You can subsitute any kind of protein if you don't like scallops. All you need is oyster sauce and chicken broth. If you're going to buy oyster sauce, you need to get the good kind that most Asians use. You'll find it at Asian grocery stores. It looks like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Oyster_sauce.jpg

I can also give you a very simplified recipe to make Korean bbq. You just need soy sauce and sesame oil. And I have a simple salad dressing recipe that uses soy sauce and vinegar.

Care to share? We love Korean BBQ and Asian flavored salads here :D

[lil_acorn]

very simple and easy chinese dish that my kids love. It's a variation of MaPo tofu. Cook 1 lb ground pork until cooked through; drain. Chop and cook 1 red pepper (can add in any veggies like squash, peas, etc too). Throw pork back in - add a tablespoon of black bean & garlic sauce & ~1/2 tsp of soy (will need to play around with this as I never measure) & some water & cubes of firm tofu (throw tofu in the end so it doesn't break up when you're stirring in teh black bean sauce). Heat through. At the end stir in a cornstarch / water slurry to thicken up the sauce. Done when it boils/thickens. Serve over white rice.

[Andi98989]

I made these the other night and we really liked them. How authentically asian they are I have no idea ....

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Asian-Turkey-Lettuce-Wraps

[geochick]

I'm Korean and can make a few Chinese-flavored dishes.

I have a great recipe for scallops in garlic sauce. You can subsitute any kind of protein if you don't like scallops. All you need is oyster sauce and chicken broth. If you're going to buy oyster sauce, you need to get the good kind that most Asians use. You'll find it at Asian grocery stores. It looks like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Oyster_sauce.jpg

I can also give you a very simplified recipe to make Korean bbq. You just need soy sauce and sesame oil. And I have a simple salad dressing recipe that uses soy sauce and vinegar.

Will you please post these?

[BabyMine]

Thank-you everyone.
:thanks:
These are yummy keep then comming.

[SASM]

No reccs as I just do typical Italian. Just wanted to thank you for the thread...eagerly awaiting some good recipes! I, too, am in the same boat...LOVE good flavorful ethnic recipes that are simple as there a NO decent ethnic restaurants in my area. :(

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I'm Irish, so our food, stinks. Soda Bread is good, though....

[jenny]

Care to share? We love Korean BBQ and Asian flavored salads here :D

If you can get to a Korean grocery store, buy bulgogi meat (thinly sliced beef) or kalbi meat (thinly cut spare ribs). If you don't live near one, then thinly slice sirloin steak.

1 pound beef thinly sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 onion thinly sliced
4 tbls. sesame oil
4 tbs. sugar

Throw everything in together and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes. The meat should look a bit dark, so if it doesn't, add a bit more soy sauce and sesame oil and sugar to compensate. Grill over open flame.

Salad recipe:
1 head red leaf lettuce, washed. Don't chop it a lot, just pick the leaves off the steam and chop once in half and put in bowl
add some sliced english cucumbers and slice some scallions

dressing:
2-3 cloves of minced garlic
1/3 cup of soy sauce
3-4 tablespoons of sugar
3-4 tablespoons of white vinegar
1 tsp of paprika or red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp of sesame seeds

Mix the dressing together and taste. It should taste a bit tart, so if it doesn't, add a bit more vinegar and sugar. Add desired amount to the salad. You don't have to use all of the dressing. But add it at the last minute b/c the vinegar will wilt the leaves. But it tastes delish, especially with grilled bbq.

[jenny]

Will you please post these?

Scallop in garlic sauce

Get some scallops or shrimp or snapper or whatever protein you like
Chop up a red bell pepper
chop up a few scallions
3-4 cloves of garlic minced

Saute everything in a pan, add a 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
Add 3-4 tablespoons of oyster sauce

make a cornstarch slurry and add it to the sauce to thicken

that's it.

I also love adding some green beans to a fry pan with garlic and adding oyster sauce and stir-frying everything together.

[boolady]

These all sound great. Thanks! I'm just going to assume that no one's really interested in my grandmother's German/Pennsylvania Dutch recipes; however, I'll be happy to post one for pickled red beet eggs if anyone's interested. (They're actually great!)

[m448]

Jen don't assume that. I find merit in all cuisines different from my own. Growing up an "ethnic" night for us and a treat for my sis was when my mom made a typical american meatloaf instead of a dominican style one and mashed potatoes with gravy instead of our typical rice LOL.

[BabyMine]

Jen, I am interested. Please share.

[Raidra]

Our favorites are Ethiopian. Most of the dishes are like spicy stews and can be done in the crockpot. I don't have any specific recipes.. I just Google whenever I feel like cooking something Ethiopian. We make up a bunch of imitation berbere (a spice) ahead of time and we store it in the freezer. Ethiopian food is great because you eat the food with injera, which is sort of like pancakes. You really can't make authentic injera here because it's a fermented batter that requires special flour, but there are some 'okay' recipes out there involving club soda. ;)

Now I'm hungry..

[cvanbrunt]

There is a great cookbook that is just what you are looking for. It's called "The Greatest Dishes! Around the World in 80 Recipes" by Anya Von Bremzen. We are big pacific rim fans and the same author has another fantastic cookbook called "Terrific Pacific". Included are lots of great stories about eating in the region. Another source for great recipes and cultural lessons are the cookbooks by a couple who travel the world with their children, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. My favorite is "Hot Sour Salty Sweet. A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia. "Flatbreads and Flavors" and the "Seductions of Rice" are also great. Their books are beautiful just to flip through, as well. A couple other "worldwide" cookbooks that I have and like are "All Around the World" by Shelia Lukins and "The Best Recipes in the World" by Mark Bittman.

[marit]

Here is my contribution to the thread:

Israeli Salad:

3 Persian cucumbers (the small ones, if you can't find it get one english cucumber)
2 tomatoes (I use the ones on the vine)
1 small green bell pepper (the dark green one is most suitable)
red onion (maybe about a 1/2 - 1/3 of a small one)
finely chopped Italian parsley and cilantro (cilantro - optional)

Cut everything to small cubes (the smaller the better)

juice from one fresh lemon - squeezed
olive oil (preferably one with a strong tasting one like a Greek or Syrian, not Italian)
salt and fresh ground pepper

Other possible additions:
grated radishes
scallions instead of red onion or regular yellow onion
add some mint leaves to the chopped herbs
grated carrots
feta cheese
sunflower seeds
spicy chili pepper instead of bell pepper

Enjoy!

[Meatball Mommie]

I absolutely love ethnic foods of all kinds and am pretty willing to try anything...too bad I live in a non-ethnically diverse area and have a somewhat unwilling partner (well, he has finally tried sushi, and does love spicy food - mexican and thai, so not that bad).

I grew up in a family who cooked "Eastern European" - my grandmother was Polish but she cooked for my Romanian/Hungarian grandfather. The only thing of hers that I can successfully make is Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. For anyone interested, they are quite tasty and can be made as Stuffed Bell Peppers instead.

I'm bad with measurements because I have made it so many times and just "do it"...I'll try to give some as I write...

Filling:
-cooked white rice (ok, I use brown rice, but I will admit it's better with white)
-ground pork (sometimes my mom would use ground pork/beef/veal combo since the grocery store had that more often than just ground pork)
-salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, parsley (fresh if you have it)

Other stuff :)
-1 head of cabbage (choose one that is light for its size)
-2 large cans (14 oz? ea) of crushed tomatoes

As far as measurements go, one package of meat (so about 1 - 1-1/2 lbs), a couple of cups of cooked rice (more rice than meat, you can always save leftover rice and make fried rice!) - plenty of the spices & herbs

Mix the filling ingredients all together but don't handle too much as that will toughen the meat. Set aside.

Take head of cabbage & cut the core of the cabbage out. Put in a pot of water to cover the cabbage and bring to a boil. Boil until the cabbage is slightly tender (ie. you can make a roll with it, but not mushy). Peal the 1st 2 leaves off and save on the side, then carefully peal a leaf off the head and remove from pot. Place on counter and add meat/rice filling. You will wrap these egg-roll style. I put the filling semi-close to the edge that is opposite the cut core. I then fold that part over the filling, fold the side over and roll. At the end I stuff the other side into the filling to secure (hope that make sense, it would be much better with pictures!).

Get a casserole and place the 2 outside cabbage leaves that you reserved into the bottom. Take crushed tomatoes and pour some onto the leaves. Then stack all the cabbage rolls into the dish, while putting some sauce in between and then on top. Cover and bake in a 350 oven for about an hour and a half.

Definitely more of a winter dish, but I'm craving it now :)