We Had An Entire 1,200 Year-Old Lost City All To Ourselves
Imagine being the last person to walk the planet, isolated as a refugee from an apocalyptic world, but simultaneously finding yourself in complete freedom and unity with Time and Space. Only then will you understand the whirlwind of emotional sensations that followed me on the winding route to the "Lost City", a remote and alien world surprisingly not too far from home.
The year 2020 has been nothing short of ominous, even downright catastrophic for those who have been directly victimized by raging pandemic, rising poverty, and a ruthless president. Having witnessed the harsh realities of life for many across the globe, I've always been told to count my blessings, a task that grew ever more challenging as daily life became more complicated, months of hard work more grueling, and all plans of respite quickly vaporizing. While I managed to keep my home, employment, and comfortable lifestyle, I began to realize that 2020 would certainly be the first year of my life that would rob me of my only true reason for existence - international travel. I began to silently suffocate behind my N95 mask, with the growing nightmare of being trapped for over a year in a country whose passport power had begun to diminish as fast as its integrity and prowess. I desperately needed physical stimulation and mental liberation away from the sickness of society, as well as the plague of politics. I needed an open space to clear my head. And this year, that place and adventure would have to be somewhere domestic.
The desert badlands of Bisti-De Nah Zin, en route to the remote Chaco Canyon
An alien landscape of forms and colors in the late afternoon
Trekking through a sandstorm with 65 kph winds
There's a story in American history that is never told in schools, from a time long before the arrival of colonizing Europeans and the "taming" of this wild land. In the legends of the native tribes of the Southwest, it is the tale of a Golden Age of humanity, when Man, Nature, and the Spirits walked the same earthly paths outlined by the gods with celestial orbs in the heavens. In more scholastic archaeological terms, this was the 9th-13th century age of the Ancestral Puebloan civilization, which created the most advanced and sophisticated society in pre-Columbian North America. A rich culture of star-gazers and engineers, they erected unrivaled masterpieces of urban and ceremonial architecture that easily evoke textbook images of imposing sandstone villages and precarious cliff-dwellings, all constructed without metal, machinery, pack animals, or the wheel. But by the time the currently predominant rival Navajo tribe had migrated into the region during the 15th century, the earlier civilization they had called Anasazi ("Old Enemy Ancestors") had all but entirely dissolved, its silent towers, temples, and towns abandoned to decay like skeletons left to vultures. Some say their decline was mainly due to dramatic climate change, while others claim it a consequence of socio-political turmoil. In any case, the doomed fate of their past eerily resembles the damned trajectory of our future.
While the ancient cliff-dwellings of Mesa Verde,
Colorado, have been made renowned worldwide, few have ever visited or
even heard of a greater indigenous metropolis (and UNESCO heritage site)
lying further to the south in the remotest and harshest desert terrains
of northwest New Mexico. But from my unconventional childhood
fascination with contemporary Pueblo tribes, along with their mystical
migratory ancestors, I had always known and longed to visit - or more
romantically, make pilgrimage - to the oldest, largest, and
holiest of Ancestral Puebloan cities, the forgotten spiritual navel of a
pan-Native American culture stretching from the American Plains to the
Valley of Mexico. Together with my timeless adventure partner, whose own
travel plans were also a victim of current circumstances, we finally
found time to set off for the fabled "lost city" in Chaco Canyon.
"Cliff Palace", the largest and most famous of dwellings in Mesa Verde
Channeling my inner indigenous vibe
"Square Tower House" boasts Mesa Verde's tallest structure at 8.5m
"Spruce Tree House" is known for its 3-storey facade of windows
In the blink of an eye, the clouds overhead darkened, the air grew frigid, and the white flakes began to fall. In an unpredictable region typically battered by arid windstorms and seared by scorching temperatures, the weather forecast predicted a purportedly rare and rather historic storm - for only one day, exactly when I planned to reach the ruins of the ancient city. Clearly, Nature was sarcastically trying to test my resolve. Checking the reports frequently, I nervously clenched my teeth as the snow began to pile and my visibility through the bleak desert landscape blurred to white. After days of driving, would we even be able to make it to the canyon in these conditions? The ruins are remote and in a barren wasteland, as Chaco Canyon is 110 km away from the nearest substantial town, with 30 km of rough dirt roads separating it from the only highway in the region. And as the temperature began to dip to 0°C, -5°C, and finally -9°C, the ice thickened to dangerous levels for virtually any vehicle. Painfully slow, we inched and skidded our way across the flat snow-engulfed badlands, the thought of our vehicle breaking down and getting stranded in a blizzard looming in the back of our minds. Our mobile phones lost reception, our GPS finally lost signal, but we semi-blindly pushed forward, as we had come too far to turn back. By the end of a stressful hour, towering buttes suddenly appeared like apparitions in the whiteness and we descended into a massive open canyon.
Trekking into the canyon through the historic -9C snowstorm
All alone in the canyon
The ethereal beauty of Chaco Canyon, with its colossal stone ruins dripping with sparkling icicles and cactus gardens coated in frosting, is a sight unlike anywhere I've ever beheld before. One could not ignore the otherworldly silence, the absolute stillness and sense of isolation enveloping the pristine canyon, a long-overdue detachment and escape from the collapsing country I was fleeing. Trudging deep into the wash through the powdery snow to the largest ruins at Pueblo Bonito, we came face-to-face with the magnitude and quality of these primordial communal constructions, a complex of over 800 rooms with some areas reaching a towering five stories in height, the tallest structures in North America until the 19th century. The masonry of fine sandstone bricks was perfectly fitted like delicate warm-hued mosaics, while simultaneously concealing sturdy walls nearly a meter in thickness, a perfect balance of elegance and strength for sacred edifices designed to stand through the passing of ages. As I stood among the largest stone kivas, the ubiquitous circular pit "temples", I could almost hear the faint voices of chanting ancestors, their healing songs wafting with the snowfall throughout open spaces that were once entirely concealed below ground in the "spirit realm". With the entire structure perfectly aligned to the cardinal directions, alongside special windows facing the magical path of the solstices, it felt paradoxically humbling and empowering to stand at the physical center of a civilization's known universe.
In the center of Pueblo Bonito, the largest and most famous of ritual complexes
Feeling indigenous at the ruins of Chetro Ketl
Approaching Pueblo Bonito through the snow
One of the massive kivas, or sacred circular pit temples used for ritual dances
Glimpse inside one of the sacred chambers, 4-5 stories in height
"Cawww!" The deafening silence was broken by a fluffy black raven, the only living creature in the canyon to cross our path all morning. Pieces of sweet bread from our simple lunch warmed the creature to us as it approached with more confidence and curiosity. As it flew off towards the imposing stone mesa that hovers above the ruins, we followed its path along the vertical cliff walls, which served as a veritable prehistoric gallery of intricately carved petroglyphs and exquisite rock art, a medley of anthropomorphic figures, lizard signs, and hypnotic spirals emanating the enigmatic energy of long lost stories. The trail ended at the site of another great ruin complex at Chetro Ketl, the black raven patroling us from its perch upon an immense stone wall overlooking an even larger kiva. It continued to follow us from ruin to ruin that entire afternoon. To view the entire complex from above, we hiked our way in the snow to the north, reaching the ruins of Pueblo del Arroyo and Kin Kletso, where a steep hidden trail began to climb a gigantic crack in the stone and scale the massive mesa. The route tightly tunneled its way up between two sheer rock faces, where it eventually opened onto a flat terrain dotted with snow-covered boulders, cactus gardens, and megalithic sheets of fine sandstone. Through a scene from a Martian snowstorm, we meandered along the perilous cliff edge overlooking the entire canyon, passing the foundations of sacred circular spaces and perfectly round hand-carved water basins hewn from the living rock. Our raven reappeared and flew to a stone on the very edge, faithfully calling us to view the entire honeycomb framework of the many ancient pueblos from 100 meters in the air. "Breathtaking" simply cannot sufficiently describe the sense of beautiful inspiration combined with blissful liberation that overcame me as my watery eyes gazed out over the shimmering winter wonderland with a native twist. The stresses of unending work, national division, viral outbreaks, and even the surrounding sub-zero temperatures all seemingly melted away into the snow.
It was nearly inconceivable to imagine that we had the entirety of a vast ancient city completely to ourselves, in pure uninterrupted solitude... something that few, if an, people could ever claim to have experienced before...
At that moment, the raven flew off, never to be seen again. It was as if our briefly adopted "spirit animal' had been specifically sent to lead us to this magnificent climax, a simple sign of gratitude for what little morsels we could provide. I had never before felt so intensely the veiled, watchful gaze of the ancestors.
The trail along the base of the mesa reveals ancient petroglyphs
Our raven "spirit animal" guides us to the edge of the mesa for a view of the Pueblo del Arroyo ruins
View of the immense Pueblo Bonito complex from 100m above
View of the Kin Kletso ruins from the cliff
For all the blessings bestowed upon us during our unique and magical time in Chaco Canyon, the ancestors apparently still had one last test of faith up their sleeves - getting out of the canyon. As the temperatures began to quickly warm from -9°C up to 1°C, the ice and snow on the dirt roads began to melt into a soggy slush of nearly impassable sludge. The rush to escape Chaco before potentially being stranded overnight without food nor heat in subzero temperatures immediately set in, as we floored the gas pedal in frantic attempts to plow through long deep troughs of sticky mud. Tires spun furiously as our filthy vehicle continuously struggled to gain enough traction to summit even in the slightest inclines leading up the mesas, the fear of imminent entrapment rapidly rising as the last 16 km of dirt road seemed to drag on into tortuous infinity. After an hour, and by sheer luck, we finally struck solid pavement in a relieving return to our own dearly doomed civilization, our own familiar ruins. But at least now, I felt I possessed a newfound outlook for this convoluted year.
Archaeological evidence has shown that the decline of the Ancestral Puebloan culture didn't result in their complete annihilation. Rather, small groups migrated in all directions away from troubled times and chaotic conditions in search of new opportunities to rebuild and renew, their descendants still living in the form of today's Hopi, Zuni, Jemez, Acoma, and Tewa tribes. From the natural world they knew and derived, they fully understood and accepted both the transience and impermanence of all things in Life, where everything is said to have its specific time. And while the modern world that we know may seem to be crumbling around us, the fundamental human spirit has always maintained an underlying, oftentimes unawakened tenacity to initiate meaningful change and move forward for the better. But before we can ever start anew, we first must learn to listen to the silence.
WELCOME TO VOLUME 1 - For Volume 2 of Quarantine Cuisine, click HERE
The Year 2020, if we all survive it, will certainly be a year to go down in history as one of the worst in our lifetime. Aside from the tragedies of a raging pandemic and catastrophes of a renegade regime, this is also the heartbreaking year that I never flew anywhere. As someone who in their entire life has never spent more than 365 consecutive days in any one country, you can imagine the sense of emptiness I'm feeling from this veritable imprisonment. Confined to our Covid-free homes, what can we do with this emptiness? We can 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 video links documenting my adventure.
German "Weihnachtsgans" - Christmas Goose, Potato Dumplings & Red Cabbage
It's
the chilly winter holidays and, when in Germany, nothing could be more
heart-warming and stomach-filling than the traditional roasted goose.
This massive 4 kg bird was prepared in the typical way, stuffed with
citrus fruits and savory veggies and carefully roasted/basted for 2.5
hours to reach juicy perfection. Goose is a firm and tasty fowl that
pairs well with essential German holiday sides, including Kartoffelklöße
(potato dumplings) and Rotkohl (red cabbage salad). Despite Germany not
holding culinary fame relative to its neighbors to the south, this
simple but hardy meal certainly does not lack in flavor or the essence
of holiday spirit!
Sri Lankan "Isso Kariya" - Spicy Giant Prawn Curry
Sri Lanka often gets lost in the shadow of its larger Indian neighbor, however, this island nation retains a culture and cuisine that is distinct within South Asia. It's paradisiacal coastlines boast a rich array of marine life and seafood, the gastronomic focus of a diverse menu of colorful curries employing smokey spices, tropical herbs, and creamy coconut. This dish in particular makes use of several special ingredients that feature regularly in the repertoire: roasted curry powder (different from India's Madras masala), curry leaves, moringa (a supposedly nutritional "superfood"), and pandan. As a result, Sri Lankan style curries are highly aromatic in addition to packing good heat. While this recipe traditionally calls for tropical bamboo lobsters (pokirissa) that are unavailable in the US, I found that imported Bangladeshi giant prawns make a wonderful substitute, their sweet and firm flesh pairing well with creamy coconut milk, zesty lime, and fiery green chili.
Uzbek "Palovi / Plov" - Rich Rice Pilaf with Lamb and Carrots
The international concept of "pilaf", referring to any form of spiced rice with various meats or vegetables that's cooked in a broth, originated in Central Asia with ancient Iranian and Turkic nomadic peoples. The earliest mixed rice dishes of the Steppes eventually spread in all directions over the centuries, historically paving the path for the kabsas of the Middle East, the biryanis of South Asia, and even later European paellas and risottos. This recipe is not only a tribute to the national dish of Uzbekistan, but an ode to a great-grandmother of all modern pilaf-style rice dishes, a fundamental meal without any complex ingredients that can easily be thrown into one pot and cooked over a fire. Traditionally cooked on the streetside in giant metal cauldrons called kazans, palovi can slightly vary across regions as well as among neighboring countries like Tajikistan (osh), Afghanistan (pulao), and Turkestan (polu). However, is it typically cooked with mutton/lamb, with the rice layer prepared directly on top of the meat by constantly stirring to adequately absorb the broth and spices. A unique feature of palovi is the use of a whole garlic bulb buried directly into the rice, which undergoes an hour of low heat steaming that leaves its grains both plump and moist.
Vietnamamese "Gà Nướng
Đất Sét" - Village Aromatic Chicken Cooked In Mud/Clay.
Imagine going into your kitchen with a raw chicken and coming out with a piece of pottery. This rustic preparation, often found in the jungle villages of the Mekong River delta of Vietnam, derives its origins from ancient China to the north, however, variations have spread throughout rural Southeast Asia. Legends say that a Beggar who stole a chicken from the market avoided getting caught by the city guards after quickly wrapping the bird in some leaves and burying it in a pile of mud near an outdoor fire pit. When he returned later that evening to reclaim his hidden prize, he found the bird had accidentally baked in the solid mud mass. Upon breaking it open, the most juicy, tender chicken he'd ever tasted was discovered inside. It was then that the nearby passing Emperor noticed the savory aroma and, after inviting the Beggar to recreate the dish, commanded that "Beggar's Chicken" be included on the palace menu. While the backstory may be myth, the description of a moist, juicy, aromatic chicken is absolute truth. Tender meat that falls right off the bone, flavored with 5-spice, lemongrass, and chili paste - this is indeed a chicken dish worth hiding from everyone else. The process, which requires banana leaves and 2 kg of natural clay, may not be readily available to every kitchen, but if you can get ahold of these unusual "ingredients", I highly recommend this fun recipe from my father's homeland!
Saharan Berber "Madfouna" - "Desert Pizza" Cooked In The Sand
Found across the southern desert regions of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, this ancient Amazigh and Bedouin recipe was born out of the necessity for nomads to eat in a landscape with limited resources. The beauty of cooking this classic stuffed bread lies in the absence of an oven or any crucial cookware, relying solely on fire and sand to bake. As coals are created by burning wood or shrub kindling, a wheat dough is prepared on site and stuffed with the filling of choice, before being buried in the sand and covered with a layer of hot embers. After around 40 minutes, the bread is dug out and scraped with a knife and rubbed with cloth to remove any sand particles, while the coal-charred top is popped off to reveal a steamy, savory, smokey "pizza" inside. Truly a satiating and magical meal, whether you're weekend camping or weeks-long caravanning from Mali to the Mediterranean!
Sicilian "Cannoli" - Sweet Ricotta Filled Tube Pastry With Pistachio
Special Guest cooking collaboration featuring my Italian friend, Luca M., revisiting a recipe for this classic Sicilian dessert that nearly stumped us two year ago. Even despite having his mechanical pasta maker breaking mid-recipe, we were still able to salvage the dough with good "grandma-style" manual labor that made this delicious sweet even more rewarding! Cannoli (technically plural in Italian) are iconic symbols of the southern island of Sicily. The difficulty of this pastry lies in the formation of their fragile "shells", with a dry dough mixture painfully kneaded and rolled into highly thin sheets that are carefully fried around metal tube molds. They are then filled with a sweet and tart sheep ricotta garnished with pieces of chocolate, pistachio, or candied fruit. The combination of warm crispy pastry and cool smooth filling makes for a delightful contrast that keeps you coming back for more.
For being such a tiny island nation, Jamaica's influence on World culture and cuisine has surely not been small. Two words instantly come to mind: Reggae and Jerk Chicken. While I can't serenade quite like Bob Marley, I certainly can whip up a decent Jerk marinade, which attributes its packed "punch" to the Scotch Bonnet pepper, a member of the fiery Habanero chili family. Additionally, classic Jerk marinades balance this hot kick with piquant allspice, floral thyme leaves, and sweet brown sugar. Historically, the chicken would be slow barbecued over green pimento wood, however the tradition of the past century employs 190 liter oil drums, sawed in half and filled with charcoal. To complete this street food platter, I've included a typical tangy Jamaican cabbage slaw, this one in particular using fresh mango, as well as fried "Festival" dumplings of sweet cornmeal infused with vanilla.
South Indian Hyderabadi "Dum" Biryani - Saffron Rice with Spiced Chicken
Spiced rice dishes of South and Central Asia are as diverse as they are unlimited. But despite the multitude of plovs, pilafs, and pulaos that stretch from Turkey to Sri Lanka, none have achieved quite the same level of international recognition as the Indian biryani. Yet even within the subcontinent, there are countless regional varieties. And of these, most would accept that the "king" of biryanis can be found in the south-central city of Hyderabad, where "Dum Biryani" is an institutionalized culinary treasure. Dum-style cooking allows the rice and choice of meat to proverbially "breathe" in its own rich juices and spiced aromas to achieve an enhanced flavor and proper moisture. This is traditionally done by cooking in a pot with a dough-sealed lid that locks in the high pressure of savory steam. Although one should be careful to ensure good sealing technique, since the goal is to achieve a bomb biryani rather a biryani bomb. Hyderabadi biryanis are highly aromatic, making use of mint, coriander, saffron, and delicately floral kewra water to infuse basmati rice cooking together with spiced chicken or mutton. Finally, caramelized onions and fresh lime complete the sweet and tart combination of this one-pot rice dish that colors the eyes as much as the tongue.
A friend had asked me if I ever planned to cook American food. At first I didn't understand - what exactly is "American" food? Surely, I wasn't going to devote a Cooking Khan episode to the mundane hamburger. Does America even have a cuisine to call its own? Why yes! It occurred to me that there have been people cooking here since prehistoric times, lots of indigenous North American tribes whose ingredients and techniques reflect the diverse terrain and climate of the US & Canada. I couldn't represent all of the distinct cultures in one episode, but I decided to choose three main tribes/regions - Ojibwa from the Midwest plains, Navajo from the Southwest deserts, and Haida from the Pacific Northwest forests. The Ojibwa deer stew (Jibakwan Washkesh) is a wonderful amalgam of New World ingredients, including tender venison with acorn squash, wild mushrooms, and essences of juniper berries and pure maple sap. Navajo fry bread (Dah Díníilghaazh), a fluffy fried dough comfort food, has now become a pan-Indian classic found at every powwow gathering. Finally, my favorite cooking experiment was homemade Haida smoked salmon (Chiín), which I cured for 24 hours, dried for 1 hour, and then smoked over hickory wood for an additional 5 hours in a kebab grill rigged up to imitate a miniature smoke-house. The savory flavor and rich texture were absolutely worth the painstaking wait!
Japanese "Sukiyaki" - Savory and Sweet Sliced Beef and Vegetable Hot Pot
To think that the Japanese only eat sushi would do a great disservice to the innumerable soup and broth-based dishes they have perfected. While the likes of miso, ramen, and shabu shabu have reached mainstream status worldwide, one simply cannot leave out my all-time favorite hot pot meal - sukiyaki. A blend of savory soy sauce, sweet mirin, and light sake meld together into a delicate umami-rich broth that glazes tender slices of beef and an array of earthy mushrooms and fresh greens. This one pot meal, typically cooked and eaten at the table characteristic of nabemono dishes, is paradoxically both light and filling, perfectly balanced as is expected of all things Japanese. I chose to prepare this in the Kanto style, which lightly stews the condiments in dashi stock and warishita sauce, with the use of udon noodles at the end of the meal to soak up the remaining juicy goodness.
Thai "Pad Thai" - Bangkok-Style Pan Fried Noodles in Tangy Tamarind Sauce
I've had so many requests this year for my classic Pad Thai recipe. As a national dish in Thailand and ranked one of the world's most popular foods, I grew up very particular about this meal and its preparation, especially given my close interactions with Thai street food vendors. There are things that must be said about Pad Thai prepared in western countries. First, the generic version you'll find in virtually any Thai restaurant is the Bangkok style. But there are in fact also Northern, Central, and Southern styles, with slight differences in the sauce and specific local toppings. Hence, Pad Thai can come in a variety of shades, flavors, and textures - though tamarind and palm sugar are secret sauce essentials. Second, the classic Bangkok style is never "orange" in color, contrary to what some Thai restaurants alter to make the dish more appealing to white people. Third, the original Bangkok style at first only used seafood and tofu, however, the addition of chicken has become widely accepted. Finally, Pad Thai is not something usually made at home, as it requires a great deal of ingredients and preparation time despite only taking 15 minutes to cook. It is cheaper to take it from the street, where it can literally cost only a few dollars.
With a majority Muslim population, Bangladesh is one place in South Asia where you can get beef, with this classic dish from the Chittagong area well known throughout the country. This preparation is remarkable in that it uses no less than 15 different spices, added in particular combinations, and at specific times during the slow roast. The true technique doesn't add any water to braise the beef to tenderness, relying simply on the meat's internal moisture and the oil released from the spices. The end product is a "dry" curry with rich, caramelized flavors highly reminiscent of Indonesian rendang (minus the coconut milk). To compliment this meal, I've added homemade Bakorkhani biscuits, a quintessential street snack of Old Dhaka made from successive layers of flour and ghee folded into each other before baking. They are truly amazing with chai!
Tibetan "Thukpa" - Hand-Pulled Noodle Soup with Ground Buffalo
There's a reason why noodle-pulling is an art that takes years to fully master, as I quickly realized during one of the most challenging cooking techniques I've ever attempted. With influences from ancient China, Thukpa is a Tibetan word describing any form of noodle soup, of which there are countless different varieties spanning across Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Indian Himalayas. The version I've prepared reflects one form I've eaten in Tibet proper, of which there are two types: Thenthuk (fatter flat noodle) and Gyathuk (thinner round noodle). Without going into the complicated science behind noodle-pulling, I will simply testify that achieving a balanced dough with nearly the right stretch consistency and without fragility was a frustrating trial-and-error process that took nearly 3 hours. After endless and exhausting kneeding, and plenty of broken noodles later, I finally resigned myself to something literally in between Thenthuk and Gyathuk - a fatter round noodle, about the size of Japanese Udon. Despite being slightly larger than what I was aiming for, I'm nevertheless thoroughly satisfied with my novel noodle-pulling attempt, especially given how difficult it is for all who try it! And the finished product was nevertheless delicious, with just the right umami flavor and textural chewiness to accompany a rich meaty broth - perfect for freezing mornings on Mt Everest. I will certainly be experimenting with more wheat noodle-pulling, possibly for future Chinese and Japanese delicacies!
Nepalese "Yak Chili & Shapaley" - Spicy Stir-fried Yak and Yak Fried Pastry
For
anyone unfamiliar with the yak, it is essentially a giant hairy
Himalayan buffalo-like beast, distantly related to the bison. It is also
a staple meat found in the diets of many Nepali, Sherpa, and Tibetan
ethnic groups inhabiting the cold mountainous regions of South Asia. Yak
Chili is a variation of the ubiquitous Chicken Chili, an Indo-Chinese
influenced wok-fried dish that can be found all over the country and was
a popular dish with the Gorkha soldiers. Accompanying this dish is the
fried Shapaley, which also includes ground yak filling and is a common
Kathmandu street food originating from Tibetan refugees fleeing China. I've tied off this ensemble with a nice hot cup of freshly brewed Nepali chai.
Burmese "Mohinga" - Aromatic Fish Soup with Rice Noodles
The
odds of you knowing anything about Myanmar are low. As for their food,
likely even less. But here I will introduce to you a part of the world
that has largely remained obscure, with an amazing cuisine that
literally blends the best spices, flavors, and textures of India, China,
and Southeast Asia. Mohinga is the Burmese national dish, a rich
curried fish soup over rice noodles with essences of lemongrass and
ginger, all topped with an array of condiments. Traditionally, the
fleshy core of the banana tree is added, however due to availability, I
used the banana's flower instead, adding a delicate floral twist. This
soup is usually eaten as a hardy breakfast, with its broth thickened
with roasted rice flour. Leftover fish tails are perfect for this
recipe, as the fish is mashed into a paste with spices and herbs before
fusing with homemade seafood broth. Typical toppings include fish cake,
egg, coriander, chili flakes, and crispy fried split-pea fritters.
I've
received a lot of requests for my preparation of this Punjabi classic,
which first debuted in its current form at Delhi's famed Moti Mahal
restaurant shortly after India's independence. It's quite a laborious
preparation when done properly, involving an array of different
marinades and masala mixes that meld a smokey fire-grilled chicken tikka
with a delectable tomato based gravy infused with butter. The secret to
a silky restaurant-quality sauce is double straining, which is totally
worth the straining of your arms. Many confuse this dish with Chicken
Tikka Masala, which is a similar concept of Indo-British origins, though
this is creamier and also predates the latter. Finally, to compliment
the heat of spice, a freshly blended mango lassi on ice. No sugar added
because I know my way around the King of Fruits.
Balochi "Sajji & Kaak" - Nomad Style Fire-Roasted Lamb Leg with Stone-Baked Buns
The cultures surrounding the Persian Gulf are experts at cooking with bonfires. Similar to last week's Iraqi fish, we can see a similar technique of "vertical grilling" used by the Balochi people, who occupy the Baluchistan region that includes parts of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Sajji is their most iconic form of method, a bare-bones desert technique of impaling either mutton or chicken next to roaring flames and slow roasting for hours. I recreated this setup in miniature out on the patio with a kebab grill and Koobideh skewer to roast a lamb leg marinated in a special spice mix that includes the magic ingredient of Amchur (dried ground mango). Accompanying the meat is traditional Balochi "stone bread", which quite literally involves forming a baked bun around a searing rock.
Iraqi "Masgoof" - Fire-Grilled Fish Marinated in Tamarind and Baharat Spices
Dubbed
a national dish in the birthplace of human civilization, Masgoof is a
Mesopotamian classic that has a history of at least 5000 years. The term
refers to the unique preparation - slow grilling a butterflied river
carp vertically impaled on wooden rods for about an hour next to the
fire. While using pompano in place of fresh water fish, I was able to
recreate the basic cooking setup using a kebab grill and bbq basket. The
marinade traditionally includes tamarind, imparting a tart floral
essence that wonderfully blends with fire-smoked spices. I chose to
serve the fish upon neighboring Iranian "barbari" bread, accompanied by a
typical stewed tomato sauce and Iraqi "amba", a pickled mango chutney
of ancient Indian origins.
Pigeons
and fava beans have been eaten in Egypt since the era of the pharaohs,
literally thousands of years. But while many Western nations view
pigeons with disdain as dirty urban pests, in the Egyptian countryside
they are cleanly raised in special mud brick towers and allowed to fly
freely. This classic recipe stuffs them with spiced rice mixed with the
rich flavor of chicken liver, before braising and flash frying to crispy
perfection. I chose to accompany the bird with a side of stewed fava
beans and tomatoes, a national hardy breakfast dish, as well as a glass
of chilled sweet karkadeh, or hibiscus tea.
Tuscan "Cinghiale In Umido Con Olive" - Wild Boar Stewed in Red Wine with Olives
Wild
boar is a specialty in the Toscana region of Italy, where it is often
hunted in the rolling hillside forests and prepared in a variety of ways
using fresh aromatic herbs and plenty of wine. I had the pleasure of
staying on a friend's farm outside of Florence one Christmas when a
heavy red chunk of this tasty game meat was brought over. In this
recipe, the meat is first soaked in wine, rosemary, and juniper berries
to neutralize its gamey essence, before being gently simmered for a
couple hours to yield a wonderfully savory and tender morsel that goes
well with fresh bread for "scarpetta".
At
the heart of North African cuisines, there are countless varieties of
tajine, or slowly braised stews prepared in their iconic, conical pots
over traditional coal braziers. Of the many complex combinations of
meat, fish, or vegetables that can be simmered to savory perfection,
handmade ground lamb meatballs (kefta) are a staple of every household, a
relatively simple recipe that always evokes the essence of a Berber
mother's warm embrace.
Ecuadorian "Cuy Kanka" - Roasted Guinea Pig with Fried Potatoes and Onion Relish
From
Ecuador to Chile, guinea pigs have been a protein source for the
indigenous civilizations of the Andes mountains for millennia. The Incas
often prepared them for sacred festivals, or in my case, for this
Saturday's Summer Solstice. I dressed this guinea in a "horno típico"
style with a homemade marinade of Ají Panca paste, achiote butter, and
Amazonian honey, before cooking over coal and pine wood for a rich
smokey flavor reminiscent of what I had for Christmas in Cusco.
Catalonian "Conill Al Forn" - Baked Rabbit with Potatoes and Fresh Herbs
This
home-style dish of simple ingredients yields a remarkably complex
flavor pallette, where earthy Iberian countrysides meet the tangy, salty
Mediterranean. Sweet aromatic herbs of rosemary and thyme bathe well in
tart chardonnay with savory garlic and popping pepper. A popular
alternative to chicken, rabbit provides a lean and light meat that pairs
well with a good Spanish wine.
Arabian "Gahwa Khaleejiya" - Traditional Bedouin-Style Coffee
A little demonstration on the traditional art of coffee making, as performed by the Bedouin tribes of the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf-States. From roasting to grinding to brewing, each step is structured and ritualized, producing a rich cup of Arabica graced with notes of cardamom and saffron. Arabian coffee, the second oldest art form after the original discovery of coffee by neighboring Ethiopians, is drunk medium-roast and in small quantities at a time. It is always poured with the left hand and cups always served with the right. There are even special gestures and protocols for both the brewer and the guests when engaging in this ancient hospitable ceremony.
Macedonian "Drob Sarma" - Balkan Style Lamb Liver Loafs in White Wine
Lamb
livers are a popular folk food in the Southeastern European region, and
the dish by this name actually comes in a variety of forms. In
Bulgaria, it's cooked as a casserole, whereas this version of sauteed
livers wrapped in lamb lace fat graced with sour creme follows styles
typically found in Macedonia and Serbia. The influences of Ottoman
Turkish spice, Greek wine, and Slavic dairy perfectly encapsulates in
this rich and savoury recipe the Balkanic crossroads of empires.
Mongolian "Khorkhog" - Nomad Style Stone-Cooked Mutton with Veggies
Disclaimer: Don't eat the stones! With simple and hearty ingredients reflecting a rugged life on the wild Steppes, this dish certainly does not lack in flavor - earthy, savory, meaty. Fresh salted mutton with sweet carrots and spicy peppers all pair well with a shot of vodka to battle freezing Gobi temperatures. Even Genghis Khan conquered the world's largest empire on this legitimate form of "Mongolian Barbecue". Easy to make and only requires patience... and stones that won't explode in the fire, as I quickly learned.
Fijian "Kokoda & Ikavakalolo" - Pacific Ceviche and Coconut Bass with Taro Leaves
Typical
of cuisine from the tropical South Pacific, Fijian food is fresh,
light, and healthy. While both typically made with fresh white fish, I
chose to give these dishes a gourmet boost - wild Indonesian tuna loin
for the cool lime and refreshing "ceviche", as well as a massive Chilean
sea bass steak for the stew, its mildly sweet buttery texture perfectly
complimented by the unique earthy aromatics of taro leaves simmered
like a melting Melanesian spinach. Feeling nostalgic for that island
life!
Georgian "Khachapuri & Satsivi" - Sulguni Cheese Bread and Walnut Sauce Chicken
What
could be more satisfying than savory, fluffy, cheesy dough with a
steamy soft-cooked egg? Cheese breads in all their forms are a staple of
the cool, mountainous Caucasus region between Eastern Europe and the
Middle East. Georgian cuisine also frequently makes use of nuts and
fruits, its most iconic dish taking the form of stewed chicken coated in
a creamy sauce of ground walnuts, aromatic herbs, and homemade broth.
Both of these recipes are taken from my stay in a village home on the
Georgia-Chechnya border.
Just a sampler of some of many types of kebabs that can be found sizzling over coals in Iran and Turkey. "Chenjeh" is beef sirloin steak marinated in Persian saffron and onion. "Adana" is ground lamb mixed with chili pepper and various Turkish spices. The both pair nicely with a refeshing Shirazi salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. Special thanks
to my collaborator Najmieh for spending a lovely Sunday helping me whip up an amazingly savory, smokey, and tender Middle Eastern meat-fest!
Mexican "Mole Poblano" - Chili Chocolate Chicken
A cult classic sauce of smokey chili peppers, savory herbs, and spiced chocolate ... yes, chocolate, the "Food of the Gods" for ancient Mesoamerican civilizations! Hailing from the Puebla and Oaxaca regions, Mole is famous for obvious reasons. Taking a solid three hours to blend and "purify", this rich and delectable sauce is remarkably complex in flavor, incorporating the best of spicy, nutty, and lightly sweet, highly reminiscent of the meat and fruit tajines. And no, Karen, it doesn't taste anything like dipping chicken in Nutella.
East African "Matumbo Na Mabenda" - Stewed Tripe with Okra and Fried Plantains
Variations of these dishes can be found all across the Swahili coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Stewing tripe (beef stomach lining) is a long process, but yields wonderfully rich flavors and textures, especially when using a special meat masala I brought straight from the markets of Zanzibar. Typical sides of fried Matoke (sweet plantain) and Ugali (maize flour porridge) compliment this rich ensemble!
Palestinian "Maqloubeh" - "Upside-Down" Chicken and Veggie Rice
There
are many variations of this dish, which also spill over into Syria,
Jordan, and Iraq. This version keeps to the classic Levantine vegetables
of fried eggplant and cauliflower, along with a topping of crunchy
almonds and caramelized onions. Everything is layered in a pot then
flipped upside-down before serving, hence the dish's name.
Greek "Moussaka" - Lamb and Eggplant Casserole with Bechamel Topping
Three hours pass by quickly when you're surrounded by savory ground lamb, fried eggplants, and creamy bechamél. Though a lengthy dish to prepare, with at least three individual steps and an assembly, Moussaka is worth the time and effort. Salting the eggplants to remove bitterness and frying them gives a more authentic caramalized flavor, however, a more health conscious alternative would involve baking the eggplant slices. As a heavy dish, it stands well enough on its own, however a refreshing Greek salad makes for a nice accompaniment.
Afghani "Mantu" - Steamed Lamb Dumplings with Yoghurt and Lentil Dressing
Everything that takes time usually yields the sweetest rewards. Any Afghan house will tell you this when it comes to the art of making Mantu dumplings. A culinary legacy from the Silk Road trade with neighboring China, Mantu also builds upon a Indian-influenced spice palette and Central Asian meat and dairy foundation. In many ways, this dish not only delivers an unbelievable array of flavors, but also represents an edible microcosm of Afghanistan's rich history as a literal crossroads of Near and Far Eastern cultures.
Brazilian "Moqueca de Peixe e Camarao" - Tropical Fish and Shrimp Stew
This
dish has everything: sweet coconut mixed with zesty lime and a hint of
chili pepper that gives any fresh fish a Capoeira kick in the fin! There are a variety of Moqueca dishes that change based on region and even village, but the concept of fresh bell peppers, tomatoes, and a spritz of coconut milk tends to be the unifying ingredients to grace the seafood of your choice. The final flavor touch to add true Brazilian authenticity to this dish (and also give its characteristic orange color) is red palm oil (Aceite de Dende).
Chinese "Bei Jing Cao Ya" - Peking Roasted Duck
This
was the longest and most technical dish I've ever prepared. Spanning 5
days, while using hooks, prongs, and even a bicycle pump, this recipe
aimed to achieve its famous crispy amber skin and succulent flesh via
pumping, blanching, roasting, and frying. Since I don't own a
traditional Chinese hung oven, this particular preparation was more of a
combined Beijing and Yanzi River styles, while served in the Cantonese
style using steamed buns (didn't have time to make the Northern
pancake). This was such a rewarding culinary adventure, cooking a one
thousand year-old classic!
Sharja's Special Sahara Style Lamb Leg for Eid Holiday
Kicking
off the Islamic feasting holiday of Eid with 3kg of Moroccan chermoula-roasted lamb leg. Chermoula is a spice rub that varies across North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), but generally includes a medley of freshly roasted and ground "family secret spices", parsley, cilantro, olive oil, chili, and plenty of garlic. Served over a bed of caramelized
onion saffron rice, toasted fruits/nuts basmati, and juicy Medjool
dates. Served on a giant communal platter as is customary of the Saharan nomads!
Despite being a disputed territory of both India and Pakistan, there is no dispute when it comes to acknowledging that the biggest and most elaborate dishes in the region are part of the traditional Wazwan, a multi-course feast that is the foundation of Kashmiri identity. Of the innumerous dishes available, I decided to pick two classics - a ground lamb skewered kebab and a biryani rice dish that, in true Kashmiri style relative to other South Asian biryanis, is bedecked in glittering fried nuts, berries, and fruits that add a touch of sweet to the spice.
Malaysian "Mee Kari" - Spicy Seafood "Laksa" Soup
If
Jesus lived in Southeast Asia, he'd rise again just for Malaysian style
Laksa in all its savory seafood goodness, made here entirely from scratch. Laksa is a general term for a number of related noodle soup dishes that are found throughout the night market stalls of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. They are usually a colorful affair, filled to the brim with an array of vegetable and seafood toppings to accompany your choice of fish or chicken. The broth can either be of a coconut curry base or a sour asam, however, the essence of a good Laksa broth comes from slowly simmering shellfish.
Cambodian "Amok Trey" - Curried Fish in Banana Leaf
A national dish and unique to the Khmer ethnic group, Amok Trey is a spicy creamy delight that even comes in its own little eco-friendly package. Eaten since the times of the great empire at Angkor, fish is lightly doused in a rich coconut curry based sauce before placed upon a banana leaf "boat" of spinach-like greens and steamed to perfection.
Of Ethiopia's amazing variety of stewed dishes, Doro Wot has become one of the most famous internationally. It is also one
of the most time-consuming to make: 4.5-5 hours for the simply for the stew itself, which is literally reducing a giant pot of chopped onions and spices into a dense and rich caramelized sauce. That also doesn't include 3 days
fermentation time for the Injera, the iconic "bubble crepe" that serves as a universal medium for picking up and eating Ethiopian dishes. Making Injera by hand was an
interesting experience that almost flopped, but eventually worked
surprisingly well for my first time. I later learned I accidentally
tried the most difficult recipe - using nearly 100% teff flour - which
is something even most restaurants here don't do. Nevertheless, I'm glad
to keep things authentic!
Thai "Kaeng Kari Kai" - Yellow Chicken Curry Cooked in Coconut
Every foodie already knows and loves a good Thai yellow curry. But how many people have had it cooked village style - entirely by hand and directly in the coconut itself?!
If anyone has mastered the art of stuffing vegetables, it is most certainly the Turks, from peppers, tomatoes, and zucchinis, to even grape and cabbage leaves. But of all the "stuffers" in their culinary repertoire, the greatest prize goes to the eggplant. Karniyarik, meaning "split belly" from the motion of slicing into the vegetable, is a Turkish classic that involves stuffing spiced ground beef into a plump friend eggplant and baking until every savory bite literally melts in your mouth.
Spanish "Paella de Mariscos" - Mixed Seafood Saffron Rice
Paella is sooo amazing that I already wrote a whole separate blog entry for it. You can read about it here: The Perfect Paella
Tunisian "Marqat Alakhtubut" - Spicy Octopus Tajine
A personal recipe that fills you with family nostalgia. The beauty of Tunisia is that it straddles both the Mediterranean Sea and the vast Sahara desert, building upon the fresh seafood ingredients and traditional Berber nomadic culinary techniques of both worlds. This octopus tajine is straight-foward and delicious; a quick dunk into boiling water, followed but a slow braising simmer in a rich tomato-based broth of Arabic spices, peppers, and lemon.
Peruvian "Anticuchos" - Grilled Beef Hearts
I
once spent the winter holidays in the Andean foothills of Peru. One of
the most memorable moments was going with friends down the back alleys
of Cusco on Christmas Eve to get an amazing street food that is iconically Peruvian - Anticuchos. These juicy beef heart kebabs are lightly marinated in spices, vinegar, and Aji Panca, a typical paste and sauce made from an indigenous Andean red pepper that is essential to Peruvian cuisine. While many Western cultures are quick to throw the heart away, it should be known that heart is simply another type of muscle meat, high in protein but lean on fat, and simply delicious when grilled over wood fire.
Indonesian "Rendang Daging" - Coconut Curry Glazed Beef
Rendang is sooo delicious and complex, it even has its own personal blog entry... which you can read about here: Ultimate Beef Rendang
