In our Asian supermarket, we were able to buy “holy basil”, which is usually difficult to find internationally. Italian basil and Thai basil are much easier to obtain. You have to cook pad ka prao with it. Without “holy basil”,…
Mujaddara
Mujaddara (مجدرة) is an ancient and simple dish of lentils and rice (or bulgur) of Arabic origin, particularly found in Middle Eastern cuisine. Another common spelling is Mejadra. We recommend always having some Baharat in the pantry, an Arabic spice…
Dolmades
We have already presented a Turkish preparation of stuffed vine leaves, Sarma. There we have also described how to handle the vine leaves. Now follows a Greek recipe: Spring onions, fresh herbs and lemon are indispensable. We like to supplement…
Sarma – stuffed grape leaves
Sarma, small roulades made of grape leaves (sometimes also other plant leaves) and rice, also with meat, are a typical Turkish starter. Very similar preparations can be found in many countries of south-eastern Europe and we will show an example…
Arroz meloso con camarones y sepia
In a paella, no liquid remains after cooking, the rice is then “seco”. “Meloso” means that the rice has remained slightly moister. If there is more liquid surrounding the rice in a dish, it is called “caldoso”. Each of these…
Karē Raisu – Japanese Curry
Karē (カレー), derived from the English word curry, is one of the most popular dishes in Japan, especially in households. It is mostly eaten with rice and is then called Karē Raisu. A Japanese curry is very different from other…
Arroz cremoso de verduras
In Spain, they love rice and grow a very excellent variety: Arroz Bomba. This is a round grain rice of the Japonica variety with short, pearl-shaped grains. Bomba rice can soak up a lot of liquid, and if you cook…
Chicken fricassee (or is it chicken blanquette?)
A very delicious and old cooking technique is fricassee (French: “fricassée”). A related method is the “blanquette”. In both cases, we are talking about dishes with a light, bound sauce, traditionally as a ragout with meat. But there is no…
Khichdi
COVID in the house again, so food with healing powers is needed. Last time, chicken soup was the remedy of choice, this time we are countering the virus with Indian cuisine. This ancient Indian dish is called “खिचड़ी” in Hindi…