International Food

Name: Maldivian Tuna Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 50 grams diced tuna loin; 1 red chili (seeds out); 2 green chili (seeds out); 50 grams shallots; 1 small onion cut to thin slices; 30 grams garlic; 15 grams ginger; 1 rampe leaf (can be omitted); 3 curry leaves; 2 small cinnamon sticks; 4 cardamom seeds; 1 tsp fenugreek seeds; 1/2 tsp turmeric powder; 2 Tbsp ghee; 100 grams fresh grated coconut; 100 mL coconut cream (milk); 300 mL chicken stock; 300 mL fish stock; salt and pepper to taste

Foods from the 7 US Visa Banned Countries

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 4 Comments

I strongly believe in the idea of gastro-diplomacy. I think that we can learn a lot about our world, ourselves, and our relationships through sharing a meal. It’s a time honored tradition and one I truly appreciate. I don’t talk about politics here, even though I have strong beliefs (and a degree in international politics!) mostly because that’s just not what I want this space to be. But, I do have very troubled feelings about what is happening in my birth country. These were brought to new heights when the US enacted a travel ban on seven countries in late January.

Why was I so troubled? Aside from politics I simply know many of the things people are saying about why we need this ban are lies. I have many people who I consider friends and colleagues who are from each of the countries affected in this ban. We’ve shared parts of our lives, some more than others. It breaks my heart to know they are now being vilified. Whether or not the travel ban affects them, their countries and their honor has been slandered. So friends, today I’m doing what I can with food.

Each of the seven countries are included in this post, with a recipe from each that you can make at home. Why not have a global meal tonight. Learn about these places, the people and the cultures. Politics aside, do it simply to have a new experience. Invite someone over – even better invite someone you don’t know so well over. Bonus points if they’re an immigrant. We’re in this together, so let’s sit down and share a meal to start the real conversations.

Iran

Persian Jeweled Rice from Samantha of Little Ferraro Kitchen

Persian (Iranian) food is some of the best in the world. There are so many magical dishes in this country but I think they do rice better than anyone else. There are dozens of recipes and methods but this one is fairly straight-forward and simple with good results.

My personal connection? My favorite political science professor was from Iran and I’ve since met many other Iranians who have shared their country and cuisine with me.

Iraq

Samoon- Iraqi Flatbread from Tara for Multicultural Kid Blogs

Bread and the Middle East go hand in hand (that’s why there’s two bread recipes here!) These flatbread are unique and great to accompany any main dish. Make double just in case!

My personal connection? When we lived in the US a Christian Iraqi refugee family was resettled in our city. I took Arabic lessons from the matriarch of the family and they often came to our mosque to be around other Arabic speakers with familiar foods.

Libya

Boulou – Libyan Jewish Bread from Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen

North Africa has always had a Jewish population, due in part to the exodus from Europe in the 15th century. This loaf bread is good for sandwiches and even French toast if you aren’t able to use it all before it starts to dry up.

My personal connection? I met so many Libyans when I spoke with professionals about technology in Tunisia this past year. Their stories and experiences will forever shape my life and views of their country.

Syria

Syrian Fattet Djaj {Layered Chicken Platter} from Olivia of Olivia’s Cuisine

Syrian food is seriously some of the best on the planet. It’s got lots of flavor and different textures in each dish to really make eating an enjoyable experience. This is easy because it’s all in one dish but you’ll really appreciate just how good it tastes.

My personal connection? There are many, many Syrian refugee families in Morocco as well as Turkey where I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately. Their kindness and generosity is unbelievable.

Somalia

Somali Chai Tea from Abderazzaq of The Somali Kitchen

Tea or chai is important across the Middle East and Africa. Somalia is no different. This is a great winter drink along with some cookies or cake.

My connection? Thousands of Somali refugees were resettled in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area as well as a city not far from us in Wisconsin. We met many during our time living there.

Yemen

Malawach from 196 Flavors

This is another Jewish dish but from Yemen. Yemen once had a very sizeable Jewish population. This bread is similar to other folded breads across the levant and maghreb. This recipe is great and also includes ideas for what to serve with the bread. It makes for a great appetizer/tasting course.

My connection? I worked on a grant program in the mid 2000’s which hosted citizen exchanges between the US and Middle East. Yemen was one of the countries we worked with. I had the pleasure of meeting many wonderful people including activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman.

Sudan

Cucumber Yogurt Salad from Sasha of Global Table Adventure

To be fair this isn’t a dish I really thought of when I thought of Sudan. Knowing that it is a very arid location with little refrigeration traditionally speaking, dairy dishes didn’t come to mind. However, versions of this dish appear across the region and so it’s not completely misplaced. Serve this as a starter or side dish.

My connection? My first real job out of college, my boss was Sudanese.

I hope that you too take time to make some of these dishes and explore each of these cultures who have so much to offer us.

Make It: Maldivian Tuna Curry

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki Leave a Comment

I promised on Instagram and in my last post about our cooking class that I would share the recipe to make this easy tuna curry recipe from the Maldives. The most surprising thing to me was just how fast it was made. When I think of curry I think of something that has lots of ingredients and needs hours to simmer and get all the flavors to work together. Not so in this case.

For me, there were too many onions in the dish, I would have added about half but I don’t really love the texture of onions in my food. Other than that it’s perfect.

I am starting to really like whole pieces of tuna, especially when it’s fresh and doesn’t have the smell or taste of the canned stuff. What can I say I grew up in the middle of the rural Midwestern US, canned tuna was as exotic as it got. I don’t think I ever saw a whole tuna fish until I was an adult!

So if you can’t be in the Maldives, you may as well bring a little bit of the Maldives to you!

Maldivian Tuna Curry

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

50 grams diced tuna loin
1 red chili (seeds out)
2 green chili (seeds out)
50 grams shallots
1 small onion cut to thin slices
30 grams garlic
15 grams ginger
1 rampe leaf (can be omitted)
3 curry leaves
2 small cinnamon sticks
4 cardamom seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 Tbsp ghee
100 grams fresh grated coconut
100 mL coconut cream (milk)
300 mL chicken stock
300 mL fish stock
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Blend the grated coconut into a smooth paste.
Bled the chilis, shallots, garlic, and ginger to a smooth paste in a blender or with a mortar and pestle.
Heat ghee in a pan and fry the shallot paste until it's fragrant, add the curry leaves, rampe, cinnamon, cardamom, fenugreek, and sliced onion.
Saute for 12 minutes over moderate heat, allowing onions and shallots to brown nicely.
Stir in blended coconut, then chicken and fish stock.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer the sauce.
Cook on reduced heat for 10 minutes, add the coconut milk and simmer until it begins to thicken.
Add the tuna pieces and cook until tuna is just cooked through.
Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Want to try some other dishes from the Maldives? Check out some of these!

Maldives Cook has a bunch of Maldivian recipes for all courses

Global Table Adventure has three Maldivian dishes that are easy and delicious!

You could try this breakfast recipe of Mas Huni from Saveur.

This sambal recipe (lots of Sri Lankan influence) might be just perfect for a spice lover!

We were guests of Centara Resorts during our time in the Maldives. They kindly shared this recipe from their kitchens. We hope you love it as much as we did!

Tunisian Tajine

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 2 Comments

Today’s guest post is from Sarah of Curious Cuisiniere. She put together this Tunisian tajine that is a far departure from the Moroccan version! You can find more great recipes on her website!

We loved Amanda’s idea to get other bloggers around the world together to create dishes from the Arab world for Ramadan. And, we are incredibly excited to be sharing a recipe from Tunisia with you today.

I’ll be the first to admit that we didn’t know much about many of the countries on the list that Amanda gave us. But, each of the countries we researched from the list had one thing in common: an incredibly unique and proud food culture. It made us want to dive even more into the cuisines of this area because it is a wealth of flavors and dishes that, in the States, we haven’t been exposed to.

Take the recipe we’re sharing with you today. When we hear the word tajine, we think about the Moroccan stew that is cooked in a vessel by the same name. However, in Tunisia, tajine refers to something completely different. In fact, it is more of a spiced quiche or fritatta that is served cold as a finger food or appetizer.

The Tunisian tajine starts with a mixture of meat, onions and spices that is sautéed. A starch is added (potato or bread crumbs) and then, off the heat, it is combined with fresh parsley and a mixture of beaten eggs and cheese. Then, it is baked until firm.

The spices in the meat fill the house with a wonderful aroma while it bakes. And, while it is traditionally served cold, we couldn’t wait and dove right into the dish while. We loved the combination of chicken and potatoes with the light creaminess of the eggs and cheese. With such unique spices, this would make a wonderful brunch dish here in the States, when you’re looking for something a bit different than the standard egg and bacon breakfast bake.

Tunisian Tajine

[tasty-recipe id=”29924″]

Making Brodetto in San Benedetto del Tronto

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 1 Comment

Grandpa Pope had a very “special” chicken soup he would make whenever my grandma left on a vacation. It was a recipe no one else wanted to share, no matter how he might try to pass it off. Everything went in the pot and he loved it. Grandpa had grown up with an immigrant father and mother and was born during the Great Depression.

His dad had left Sicily as a teenager, like many immigrants, because there was no work. The enclave he found in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was a world away from the warm winds of Sicily. Other immigrants from northern regions like Abruzzo and Marche brought their own stories and traditions to the area to create a little Italy, not unlike the Finnish immigrants who had done the same. I grew up on stories over homemade bowls of pasta and red sauce. My aunt took a twisted sense of pride in teaching us naughty words in Italian as we got older. Shortly after M was born, my grandpa passed away , there would be no more of his famous soup.

Rimini Italy

Even though my heritage is mixed like most Americans, I’ve always felt a strong attachment to Italy. So my first trip to Italy was truly something I’d been waiting my whole life to experience. Did the stories I had heard have a glimmer of truth in them? Was the food I had always thought to be Italian, truly Italian or just the Americanized version? Most of all, would I feel some attachment to this place?

Marche is a region of Italy which borders the Adriatic sea. It’s south of Venice and north of Rome in central Italy. The region is a mixture of coastal cities and mountain towns. It’s no surprise fishing has been a huge part of the culture for generations. In San Benedetto del Tronto we would learn to make brodetto, a fish stew that is a specialty of the city.

The stew has a practical history. Sailors often ended up with fish that broke and therefore couldn’t be sold. Instead of tossing them aside they would save them and then make a stew with the cast off pieces. It’s meant to serve a lot of people, you don’t make brodetto for two. There are different versions across the region but what sets this one apart is the use of vinegar in the recipe. There’s one rule that’s for sure – 13 varieties of fish must be used.

There is no set recipe for brodetto, the recipe has been passed down orally in each family generation to generation so there are many variations. You’ll have to toy with the recipe a little bit to make it your own but here’s the basics to feed 12 people.

Start with a gigantic size pan- this one fit over two burners, turn the heat on and warm it up. Then pour in 1 liter of olive oil and 2 sliced onions. Fill another pot with water and turn it on until the water boils. Once the oil begin to bubble and onions begin to soften add a few handfuls of small octopus. They must be small! Cook until they begin to brown and then add a few ladles of the boiling water to the pan.

The octopus will begin to turn red, then add a few handfuls of cut up squid. Cook until they are tender and easy to break.

Into the pan you’ll then add 1 liter of white wine vinegar and 1 bottle of white wine (you can leave out the wine if you prefer). Cut up 2 red and 2 green bell peppers and quarter 12 green tomatoes. Add the vegetables to the pan. You’ll then add several ladles of the boiling water to cover everything or as the chef says “make it swim!” Leave this to cook for 20 minutes.

Now it’s time to add the rest of the fish. Everything should be cleaned, scaled, and spines removed. The toughest fish that need the most time to cook should be placed at the bottom, followed by more tender fish closer to the top. Cover with more water. Once all of the fish are in the pan, do not move again. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, It can then be left to sit for a little while before serving hot with plenty of bread.

Traveling in a hijab I am never sure how people will respond. Sometimes I am just like everyone else, and other times I may as well be a four headed alien. When we went back to taste the brodetto after visiting a local museum I wasn’t feeling well. My blood sugar had dropped and I asked to please have something sweet to drink as soon as we sat down. The chef quickly came back with a Sprite and asked if there was anything else he could get me.

I tasted the brodetto with everyone else but it was just too much fish for me. I didn’t want to be rude or have anything special made but he quickly went back to the kitchen and brought a plate of fresh ravioli and sauce for me. He continued to check on me throughout lunch and even came with a special dessert. Sure, it could have just been the makings of a great chef and host at work, but I caught a wink he sent my way after he was certain I was ok and in that moment I felt my grandpa was there with us. Besides how could he have known ravioli were my favorite if grandpa wasn’t there watching out for me?

Italian Seafood Stew

Ingredients (to serve 12)

1 liter olive oil
2 onions sliced
1 green tomato per person
1 green and red tomato each per every 6 people
1 liter white wine vinegar
1 bottle white wine
2-3 handfuls small octopus
2-3 handfuls squid
assortment of other fish and/or rays
salt and pepper to season at the end as needed.

I visited the Marche region of Italy in conjunction with a press tour offered by the regional tourism board and their #ilikemarche campaign.

Preparing for Eid: Freezer Cooking with Simmer Sauces

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki Leave a Comment

All across the city people are making preparations for Eid, including our family. The sheep have started to find their way into city markets, small stalls are popping up to sell charcoal and bundles of straw for the sheep. There are plenty of advertisements marking the holiday, new clothes for sale, and people looking to gather the last little bit of money to go towards their sheep purchase. (Note: if you’re visiting Morocco right now, bargain hard! Most vendors want to make a sale, any sale right before this holiday.) Eid in Morocco is very different than Eid in the US where the holiday lasts one day and often times people make many adjustments to have even a small celebration.

One of the biggest differences here is that the holiday lasts three days and often times butcher shops are closed for up to a week after the holiday. All butcher shops. Yes, you can still get meat from grocery markets but it can be a hassle. Instead I learned last year to prepare ahead of time. I’ve shared before how much I like using freezer cooking for Ramadan prep, well the same is true now for Eid too!

Saffron Roads’ Simmer Sauces are a great time saver and we love everyone of their flavors. I didn’t think it could be any easier to use them than simply mixing them in but I also have added them to my freezer cooking routine now too. Since they are so easy to use as is, why would you want to include them with freezer cooking? I find that by mixing them with meat before freezing it, the flavors can really marinade well. You can achieve this by leaving them in the refrigerator for a few hours too but this saves me time. I simply label the bag with which sauce I’ve used and freeze it! To make it really easy, purchase some Ziploc freezer bags and use a bowl to set your bag in so that the contents don’t spill.

When you’re ready to cook you can thaw (or place frozen) in a skillet and finish cooking. You also could put it in a slow cooker to cook while you’re at work. One recipe I recently made with diced up frozen I marinaded with the Korean Stir Fry Simmer Sauce is fried rice. You’ll love it! Feel free to use any vegetables you have on hand either fresh or frozen. While I opted for chicken, you can use beef or lamb too.

[tasty-recipe id=”29918″]

After you make this a few times you’ll be whipping it up all the time! I love using this as a way to get rid of leftovers and get my kids to eat lots of vegetables and protein without complaining. You can use several different simmer sauces with the same recipe for a little different flavor.

How do you prepare for Eid? It’s almost here!

Make Your Own Pasteis de Nata

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 5 Comments

There are few things that I enjoy more than dessert when we travel. Ok who am I kidding, I love dessert anytime! In Portugal the one dessert I heard about over and over again was pasteis de nata. These egg tarts are maybe the most famous culinary tradition Portugal has made. One friend described it to me ahead of our visit as “imagine a cupcake meets custard” umm yes! There’s no need to twist my arm.

The most famous bakery making pasteis de nata is Pasteis de Belem and we of course stopped there (more than once). But if I’m totally honest even when I bought these at the grocery store they were delicious. So the only real problem was that once we left Portugal there would be no more. While you can’t replace the ambiance of walking down the streets of Lisbon while eating a hot pastry, I think you won’t complain when these come out of the oven.

The good news is that these are not all that hard to make. You’ll need to have some puff pastry on hand which can easily be purchased. You’ll also need lots of eggs. If there’s something the Portuguese love it’s eggs in desserts – there’s loads of them! Other than that you might be surprised at how easy these are to make!

I’m still deciding if it’s a good or bad thing that I know how to make these now. It might increase my consumption again! But you should make them for your next party or special event. They’re just as easy as cupcakes but you’ll really wow the crowd!

Pasteis de Nata

Yield: 24 pieces

One of the best desserts to come from Portugal, you won't be able to eat just one!

Ingredients

6 tablespoons of cornstarch
4 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract
1 3⁄4 cup white sugar
2 cups milk
12 egg yolks
2 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
Cinnamon and powdered sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
Lightly grease 24 muffin cups
Roll the pastry and cut into squares approximately the size of a glass coaster.
Line the muffin cups with the pastry squares - It doesn’t have to be neat.
Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl.and whisk them together - set aside.
In a saucepan, mix the milk, cornstarch, sugar and vanilla together
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken.- approximately 5 mins.
Slowly whisk about 1/2 a cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks.
Gradually add the egg yolk mixture back to remaining milk mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
Cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, or until thickened - roughly the consistency of sour cream.
Fill the pastry-lined muffin cups with the custard mixture and bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the pastry crust is golden brown and filling is lightly browned on top. The egg custard will rise while in the oven - don’t panic! It will deflate again when out of the oven.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Serve and enjoy!

« Previous Page