UPDATE: All new recipe videos for my continuing world cooking series can be found on my YouTube channel: The Cooking Khan Channel
WELCOME TO VOLUME 2 - For Volume 1 of Quarantine Cuisine, click HERE.
The
Year 2021 has more or less remained a continuation of 2020 - still limited to spending weekends in our homes. And what
can we do with this emptiness? We can still feed it!
Most of you will
claim to have only met me because food was involved. That is a fact of
which I am quite proud. I like to cook and I like to eat, both of which
are actually grave understatements. But cooking and eating is far more
than simply satiating one's self. It is an art. It is a history. It is a
culture. It is a religion. It is a journey. Is is an adventure.
If
I wasn't going to be able to travel this year, then I vowed to travel
through food... literally. My project is a fluid flow through a
different country or region each week, preparing a unique recipe (or
ensemble of recipes) that is not only technically educational and
gastronomically amazing, but also the special embodiment of an ethnic
group, cultural tradition, or culinary history.
Below are the
photos and minute-long videos documenting my adventure. Check back every
week for a new savory delight, with the latest episode at the top.
Ecuadorian "Ayampaco de Pollo" - Chicken And Palm Heart Cooked In A Leaf.
Having
recently eaten this classic Amazonian dish while out in the rural
Ecuadorian countryside, I decided to recreate it here at home over my
kebab grill. A dish originally attributed to the Shuar tribe in the
eastern jungles, Ayampaco has gradually grown in popularity among all of
the indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. It requires few ingredients
and can be cooked without any special utensils, which can be hard to
find in the wilderness. The actual leaf used by the Shuar is the long
slender "Bijao" plant (Calathea Latifolia), which is vaguely reminiscent
of a Bird of Paradise. Unable to acquire these leaves in the US, I
chose to use the closest substitute, banana leaves, to achieve the same
preparation, although the flavor Bijao imparts on the cooking chicken is
slightly different. Chicken pieces, palmito (heart of the palm tree),
onions, and tomato are mixed together with finely minced chicken and
wrapped in the leaves to form little bundles that are grilled over hot
coals to steamy perfection. Traditionally, the skin, cartilage, and even
bones of the chicken are also beaten to form a paste that is included
in the mixture. The resulting dish is similar in texture to a tamale,
despite no presence of flour, and stuffed with chicken wonderfully
flavored with herbs and New World vegetables. I've accompanied the dish
with typical sides of fried yucca root and a zesty Curtido de Cebolla
relish.
Jordanian "Mansaf" - Yogurt-Braised Lamb Over Spiced Rice
My culinary travels through the Levant this week have taken me to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where Mansaf proudly claims the title of being its national dish. As is typical of dishes taking their origins from the cuisines of nomadic desert tribes in the Arabian Peninsula, Mansaf is as Bedouin as it gets - large chunks of mutton, goat, or camel stewed and served over a large tray of spiced rice. Its distinguishing character, however, lies in its unique sauce made from a derivative of yogurt that imparts a distinct salty, savory, and tart palette of flavors. Many recipes, usually tailored for home cooks outside of the Middle East, call for the use of Greek yogurt as the sauce base, however, this is technically incorrect. True Mansaf uses jameed, or sun-dried balls of compressed goat milk (essentially, a solid form of fermented yogurt) that gives a completely different taste for which there is no liquid yogurt substitute. The most prized jameed comes from the city of Al-Karak, where I've seen them sold in large 500g spheres. Here in the US, I was luckily able to find a Persian equivalent, kashk, to use in this dish to attain the most authentic flavor outside of the Levant. Served over Egyptian rice and garnished with fried almonds, this dish is hearty and filling, robust in flavor, and filled with an assortment of textures and aromas that revive memories of dinners under a nomad's tent.
Palestinian "Knafeh Nabulsiyeh" - Cheese-Filled Pastry with Orange Blossom Syrup
What better way to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian freedom movement than through the pride of their cuisine? In light of the chaos this resilient people is currently enduring, I decided to take a respite from war and find mental peace in one of Palestine's most iconic sweets, a dessert I've spent decades eating but have never actually attempted to make. While variations of knafeh can be found across the greater Middle East, Balkans, and Caucasus, the renowned Palestinian version from the city of Nablus consistently wins the prize worldwide. For only using a handful of ingredients, preparing this dessert in the most authentic way feasible for a home kitchen was quite intensive. Nabulsi cheese is brined, and therefore needs to be soaked for 12 hours with constant water refreshment in order to draw out salt while maintaining flavor. A dash of food color usually yields the characteristic evenly-coated, neon-orange shell, however, I decided to opt for a healthier natural colorant using boiled annatto seeds. While all of the online "home" recipes conveniently bake the knafeh in an oven, I felt this was somewhat sacrilegious and chose to cook the pastry over an open flame, as is done in bakeries using large trays. It took great patience constantly turning the dish to evenly cook, and even greater intuition to prevent it from burning. In the end, the result was absolutely phenomenal - a crispy noodle crust concealing steamy cheese lightly sweetened with the essence of orange flowers. If this isn't enough of a reason to hand Palestinians their own country, I don't know what is!
Moroccan "Djej M'Chermel" - Tajine of Chicken with Preserved Lemon & Olives
With the Eid al-Fitr holiday just around the corner, this dish from the Maghreb (North Africa) region is a simple yet exceptionally flavorful classic that should certainly grace your Iftar tables. This well-known Moroccan version is also one of my most requested recipes, although there are also wonderful variations that can be found in neighboring Algeria and Tunisia. The tajine is the iconic cooking pot of the Maghreb, originally an ancient Amazigh invention of necessity for water conservation in the dry Saharan climate. Acting like a ceramic convection oven, its conical lid allows for the rise and fall of condensation derived solely from the meats and vegetables cooking within, resulting in wonderfully rich and undiluted braising that requires very little initial broth or liquid. This dish only requires three steps: the making of the unique Chermoula spice marinade, the braising of the marinated chicken, and the addition of the zesty preserved lemon rinds and salted olives. Remember not to add any salt to this tajine until the very end, if even needed, as the salt from the lemons and olives should sufficiently find balance with the spice and tanginess of the dish.
Tunisian Seafood Iftar - Octopus Salad, Stuffed Squid, and Spicy Fish Stew
This is Tunisian homestyle cooking at its finest, a perfect meal to break a Friday fast during the festivities of Ramadan. While it may seem reasonable to think of Tunisian dishes as simply being a part of the general North African regional cuisine - often characterized by flavorful tajines, fluffy couscous, and flame broiled meats - it would be a huge disservice to overlook the astounding array of seafood dishes that can be found along the country's 1300 km of Mediterranean coastline. Fish, shellfish, and crustaceans have played a huge role in shaping Tunisia's culinary history and traditions. With the help of my mother, we decided to demonstrate a few of these specialties. Chilled octopus salad (Slata Karnit), a specialty of the port of Mahdia, is a refreshing dish that also makes use of sweet tomatoes and red onion dressed with olive oil, lemon juice, cool peppermint and fresh parsley. Along the coast from Sfax to Gabes, stuffed squids (Kalamar Mahchi) are a delicacy typically prepared for special occasions; in this case, our stuffing included the squid's tentacles, rice, blanched spinach, hard-boiled egg, and a distinctly Tunisian "tabil" spice mixture. Finally, our seafood stew (Kabkabou) is a classic dish that builds upon a rich tomato-based reduction infused with the national chili paste "harissa", preserved lemon rinds, capers, and green olives. Served with buttery saffron couscous, all three of these dishes embody the robust and colorful flavors of a region where the Mediterranean meets the Sahara.
Tunisian "Makroudh" - Fried Semolina Cookies Filled with Dates & Orange Blossom.
As the sacred fasting month of Ramadan begins tonight for Muslims worldwide, I felt it would be essential to share a classic sweet that's guaranteed to bring festive energy to any Iftar (evening fast-breaking meal). While all of the North African countries have their particular versions of this date cookie, I can testify (only with a slight bias) that the most famous and celebrated Makroudh comes from Tunisia, and even more specifically, the ancient holy city of Kairouan. Fine semolina (durum wheat flour) is mixed with saffron-infused water to form a dough that is rolled out and stuffed with a paste of sweet juicy dates splashed with aromatic orange blossom water, spicy cinnamon, and rich green cardamom. Cut into diamonds or diagonals, the cookies are then deep-fried before being lightly tossed in a syrup of honey and saffron water. The result is a delectably firm and slightly chewy morsel where one piece is never enough!
Somalian "Bariis Iyo Googooyo Wan" - Grilled Lamb Chops Over Mixed Spiced Rice
Somalia is likely the world's most misunderstood nation. The last 30 years have not been kind to its image, with headlines quick to release stories of anarchy, piracy, terrorism, and famine. But what if I told you that Somalia was once an early beacon of African democracy, an ancient land of rich poetry and high culture, a melting pot of innovative music and cuisine? Try these fire grilled lamb chops and you'll understand. Somali cuisine is a truly eclectic conglomeration of ingredients that actually work together. As the dead center of historical maritime trade between Europe, Africa, and Asia, Somalia has been synthesizing ingredients from all who passed through over centuries. African flat breads can be found alongside Middle Eastern mixed rice dishes topped by meats cooked with Indian spice blends, frequently even gracing European pastas. Similar in preparation to biryani, Somali Bariis is a classic staple topped with lamb, goat, or camel. With Ramadan approaching, lamb chops marinated with Madras curry, Arabic baharat, and even Chinese soy sauce are a must. And one can never forget the banana, an absolute essential to be eaten with the rice, and the distinctive mark of authentic Somali food tradition.
Syrian "Kebab Karaz & Kibbeh" - Lamb Meatballs in Cherry Sauce & Fried Bulgar Croquettes.
As a crossroads between three continents, Syria has seen the passing of conquerors and traders
since the dawn of human history. The predominantly Levantine Arabic culinary scene has been influenced by a number of historical ethnic minorities, including the Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews. Two dishes that are specialties to the timeless city of Aleppo are "Cherry Kebab" and Kibbeh. A popular dish in the Armenian and Jewish diasporas, Cherry Kebab at first sounds like a bizarre combination, simmering fire-grilled kofta of lamb or beef in a reduction of fresh cherries and pomegranate molasses. The mix is in fact a surprisingly delightful blend of spicy, fruity, and tart flavors that make this type of kebab a refreshing summertime treat. Kibbeh, a national dish in both Syria and Lebanon, is a popular mezze (appetizer) consisting of croquettes made from cracked wheat blended with beef, stuffed with a meat filling, and then deep fried. The key to good kibbeh lies in the bulgur "dough", and practice makes perfect when it comes to preventing them from cracking as they're fried to a crispy perfection.
Iranian "Koofteh Tabrizi" - Giant Savory Meatball Stuffed with a Whole Hen
With the Norouz New Year mere days away, kitchens across
Iran, Central Asia, and regions historically under the Persian sphere of influence
will soon be bustling and bursting with dishes that can trace their origins to
the Achaemenid empire. While a variety of kebabs and khoresht (stews) are
certain to appear on family tables, one distinct regional dish has already made
it to mine this holiday. Koofteh Tabrizi, or Persian meatballs, are a treat
already well known for their large size and unique fillings, often a baseball
of ground beef mixed with rice and stuffed with anything from dried fruits and
nuts to hardboiled eggs. When a dear friend approached me to make them
together, I simply couldn’t refuse. But there was a catch – our meatball would
include not only dried fruits, nuts, and egg, but a whole cooked hen as well.
This football-sized variation is a unique creation from the rural northwestern
region bordering Azerbaijan, of which many Iranians are even unaware. One
meatball alone sufficiently fills five people, truly a dish fit for an ancient
celebration of Spring.
Azerbaijani "Shah Plov & Baliq Levengi" - Royal Lamb Pilaf and Stuffed Fish
Both
in culture and cuisine, the obscure nation of Azerbaijan is a Silk Road
in miniature, having fallen within the Middle Eastern, Persian, and
Caucasian spheres of influence over the millennia. Their food builds
upon the influences and ingredients of their neighbors, featuring plenty
of Turkish style kebabs and Iranian rice plates, as well as dried
fruits/nuts and fish recipes akin to Georgia, Armenia, and Russia. Shah
Plov and Levengi are their most iconic dishes. The former is a unique
mixed rice dish that is baked in a shell of lavash bread. Cutting it
open is often likened to cracking a treasure chest to reveal a bejeweled
rice filled with colorful fruits and savory lamb, a dish truly fit for a
"king" as its name implies. Levengi simply refers to something that's
stuffed, such as chicken, duck, or aubergine. However, I chose to do the
traditional fish, as is customary for Azeri people celebrating the
upcoming Norouz new year. The most typical filling includes ground
walnuts and a tart paste of either sour plum or pomegranate,
quintessential flavors of the Caucasus-Caspian region.
Uyghur "Laghman" - Hand-Pulled Noodles with Spicy Lamb and Vegetable Stir-Fry.
Most
people have never heard of the Uyghurs until recently, given the
controversial human rights abuses against this ethnic minority by the
Chinese government. Politics aside, this ancient Turkic people have
lived for centuries on the geographic and cultural "Silk Road"
intersection of Central Asia, a crossroads that clearly reflects in
their cuisine. Alongside Middle Eastern style kebabs and breads are East
Asian concepts including noodles and dumplings, making Uyghur food the
world's original "Eurasian Fusion" and their noodles the likely
ancestors of what would eventually evolve in the Mediterranean as pasta.
Laghman is a "national" dish for these nation-less people, consisting
of hand-pulled noodles topped with a lightly sauced stir-fry of sliced
lamb and vegetables. Uyghur noodles are similar in taste and texture to
Chinese "La Mian" pulled noodles, but far less difficult to make (as
compared to my earlier Tibetan "Thukpa" recipe). Unlike La Mian, this
technique doesn't rely on additional ingredients for improving dough
elasticity, but rather consecutive work and rest periods that allow the
dough structure to recover as the noodles are stretched. The spice
palette for this dish is also a wonderful fusion, using cumin and
coriander seed paired with Sichuan peppercorn, dried chili, and soy
sauce. The result is a delectable plate of lightly chewy noodles coated
in rich savory toppings that leave a good kick.
Sichuan "Gong Bao Ji Ding & Cong You Bing" - Kung Pao Chicken & Scallion Pancake
The
Asian markets are bustling during the Lunar New Year holidays, but one
jovial white woman stood out in a sea of black hair. While in checkout,
she excitedly exclaimed how she was going to try making her favorite
Chinese dish for the Year of the Ox - Kung Pao Chicken. I looked into
her cart and thought to myself, "That's so adorable...but you won't find
that in Chengdu". She had far too many ingredients, and I realized that
she was making the Americanized version of the dish, which adds veggies
like bell peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes, alongside a questionable
sauce. I knew what I had to do as I left the line and went back into the
market. Authentic Kung Pao (technically, "Gong Bao") only needs three
main ingredients - chicken, scallions, and peanuts. The characteristic "málà"
flavor derives from only three essential elements - dried red chili,
Sichuan peppercorn, and a distinct sauce incorporating soy, sugar, black
rice vinegar, and Shaoxing rice wine. I'll let the video clip show the
rest. To accompany this cult classic (which actually gained bigger
popularity outside of China), I've made scallion pancakes from scratch,
frying them to golden crispy perfection that unfolds hidden layers of
onion-ey 5-spice goodness on the palette. Sichuan cuisine is one of
China's most popular contributions to the culinary world, and for
obvious reasons!
Once
the largest nation on the continent until it divided in 2011,
Sudan/South Sudan is where the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa
converge, both culturally and culinarily. The northern Arabs and the
southern African tribes, as well as their Ethiopian neighbors, have all
contributed towards the eclectic amalgam of dishes that define a shared
Sudanese cuisine. I decided to represent both nations with two dishes.
The first is a popular Arab-influenced lamb stomach stew using an omasum
("book" tripe) that delectably melts in a spicy tomato-based broth. The
second is a classic indigenous-style mashed aubergine salad that uses a
classic East and South African ingredient likely to surprise most
people - peanut butter! While many people might initially scoff at the
idea of mixing peanut butter with fried vegetables, this odd combination
adds a nutty creaminess that wonderfully compliments the richness of
the spiced aubergines. If you like both hummus and baba ghanouj, then
the flavor palette of this chunky "dip" is absolutely for you.
While
forms of these dishes can also be found in neighboring Russia, Poland,
and Romania, cabbage rolls and boiled dumplings are national icons of
Ukrainian cuisine, which epitomizes the fusion of Slavic, Eastern
European, Caucasian, and Ottoman flavors. Cabbage rolls are typically
stuffed with a grain and meat mixture using either fresh or pickled
leaves, before being baked in a savory tomato-based broth. The warm,
melt-in-your-mouth texture of these rolls is further complemented by
aromatic notes of dill weed and caramelized onion. Identical to Polish
pierogi and distantly related to Russian pelmeni, Ukrainian boiled
varenyky can be stuffed with a variety of savory or sweet fillings, of
which farmer's cheese ("tvorog", similar to cottage cheese) is one
popular version. It is typical to drizzle them with melted butter and a
dollop of fresh sour cream. Varenyky holds immense importance to
Ukrainian identity and history, its distinct moon shape playing a role
in ancient pagan rituals that predate the arrival of Orthodox
Christianity. Both of these delectably filling dishes were designed for
cold winter evenings!
Tunisian "Kouskousi Belalouch" - Couscous with Vegetables and Braised Lamb
What
rice is to Asia and bread is to Europe, couscous is the classic staple
stretching from Morocco to Libya. These tiny hand-rolled grains of
semolina flour have been eaten on the edge of the Sahara for millennia,
often with braised meats, fish, or vegetables cooked together with the
couscous or separately in a tajine. Unlike the 5-minute, boiled water
couscous found in western supermarkets, authentic couscous is prepared
via consecutive steamings in a "kiskaas" over 3-4 hours using the
aromatic vapors of the accompanying stew cooked simultaneously below it.
In between steams, each grain is flavored with saffron water and
fluffed with salted butter. The couscous is often further enhanced by
broth spiced with harissa, Tunisia's national chili paste, which has
recently been submitted as a UNESCO intangible heritage contribution to
world cuisine.
If
you ask an American what Colombia is known for, you'll likely get a
product that is white, powdery, and illegal. But almost anyone in Latin
America would likely give you another type of powdery substance, yellow
in color - masa. And from this corn flour dough, Colombia put itself on
the gastronomic map of amazing street foods through its diverse array of
empanadas and arepas. In essence, both are forms of masa stuffed with
delectable ingredients and either fried or grilled. While Spain and the
rest of South America have their versions of empanadas, Colombia is
known for using masa de maiz and frying them rather than wheat flour and
baking. Arepas are distinctly Colombian and Venezuelan, grilled masa
patties that have been eaten by pre-Colombian natives long before even
the empanada was introduced from Europe. Their closest culinary relative
is the Salvadoran pupusa. Found in restaurants and street stalls
throughout the country, both "dumplings" are stuffed with either meat
or cheese and eaten with different hot sauces and salsas, of which the
tangy Ají Casero is one of the most famous.
A
quintessential Turkish street kebab that takes me back to Istanbul
summer nights as a kid. Whether using ground lamb or beef, Beyti is a
comfort food that packs a lot of flavor into a little roll. The spicy
tomato sauce combined with a dollop of rich garlic-infused yoghurt melts
with the savory fats of a juicy kebab to create the perfect palette
party. Served with a light cucumber salad, olives, and a fire-roasted
pepper / tomato combo.
French "Canard à l'Orange" - Roasted Duck in Sweet and Sour Orange Sauce.
An
iconic dish in the French "cuisine bourgeoisie" style, duck à l'orange
harks back to medieval times following the flow of oranges from China
along the Silk Roads to Italy and Spain, where it was incorporated into
local duck recipes by the time of the Renaissance. From Tuscany, the
dish found its way to France through the royal kitchen of King Henri II,
via his wife Queen Catherine de Medici. As oranges were an elite food,
it wasn't until the last century that duck à l'orange became a dish for
affluent city folk, the current recipe popularized by renowned chef René
Lasserre in 1945. The art and labor of the dish lies not in the duck,
but rather in the preparation of the unique sauce, relying heavily on
the mixing of a super reduced stock with a perfectly balanced gastrique
(sugar deglazed with vinegar). This is then infused with the juice of
bitter Bigarade oranges and sometimes Cointreau liqueur. In this
version, I have chosen to roast a whole duck rather than simply pan-fry
the breasts. The result was a heavenly balance of sweet and tart citrus
flavors that elevate the typically medium-rare fowl. Served with a side
of haricots verts, buttered pasta, and homemade Crème Brûlée.
