Week 8 - Bosnia and Cambodia

My son sat with me as I researched for Bosnia and he liked the look of 'Kifle' a bread for breakfast, but I just could not fit it in with our hectic sport schedule at the weekend and early work times. However, as he asked for it, I have included it and will make it when things quieten down a little. If you recall, I have mentioned that we have given up meat for Lent except for whatever country we are exploring; so I found a meat dish that also required me to make some pita type bread to satisfy my son as I didn't not make the breakfast bread. Simple food, a little time consuming to make but we all enjoyed it. He also liked the fact that Bosnia has the last remaining jungle in Europe!

As for Cambodian food, it seemed to be a mix of flavours so I opted for this dish as I felt it would work. I didn't not use caramel sauce, instead I created my own version which we all enjoyed - although I think if you had too much of it, you would feel a little off. My son and I loved the stir fry veg, really tasty dish - one that was quick to do after swimming as well. We did find that Cambodia is the only flag in the world to feature a building, which is pretty handy to know for a quiz night!

Cambodia:
Kaw Sach Chrouk (Caramel Pork)
Bai lieng pale (Vegetables fried rice.)

Bosnia:
Lepinje (Pita Bread)
Cevapi (Sausages)


Lepinje (Pita Bread)
2 cups bread flour

2 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

water (about 1 cup, but only add enough to make the dough a slightly sticky texture)

1. Proof the yeast with the sugar and about 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. When the yeast is foamy, pour it into the flour with another 1/2 cup of water (approximately, stop when the dough is the right texture. You may need more or less water). Mix well. Your dough should be a little bit sticky.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for five minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and let rise in a warm place for an hour or so, or until doubled in size.
4. Put the dough back on the floured surface and punch down. Knead again for another minute, then divide into four balls. Brush with olive oil and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes.
5. Roll the dough balls with a floured rolling pin until they are roughly the thickness of an extra-thick pizza crust.
6. Transfer the dough to a greased baking sheet and brush with a bit more olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rest for another half hour or so.
7. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. When the dough has rested remove the towel and plastic and put it in the oven.
8. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Cevapi (Sausages)
1 tablespoon lard or 1 tablespoon butter

¹⁄₂ yellow onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 lb lean lamb

1 lb lean beef

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 tablespoons onions, finely chopped

1. Melt the lard or butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. During the last three minutes or so, add the garlic and keep stirring to prevent burning. Remove the onions and let cool.
2. Mix the ground lamb with the ground beef. Add the onion/garlic mixture, egg white and paprika and mix well.
3. Shape the meat into unappetizing looking little cylinders, which are the traditional shape. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
4. Pan fry the cevapi in a little olive oil until nicely browned.
5. To serve, cut the pita breads in half and make a pocket in each one. Stuff a few finely chopped onions inside the pita, then add the cevapi and top with a few more of the onions.

Both sourced from "Travel by Stove." blog (Accessed March 2017)


Bai lieng pale. (Vegetables fried rice.) 
   

Ingredients :

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 Cloves garlic, minced

1 Yellow onion, chopped

1 Cup frozen sweet peas

1 Cup frozen or fresh chopped carrot

A ¼ head of cabbage, chopped (I used bok choy) 

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Teaspoon salt

½ Teaspoon sugar

¼ Teaspoon black pepper

1 Teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce or to your taste(option)

4 Cups cooked Jasmine rice

Heat up a non-stick skillet or wok with high temperature.
When wok is hot, add oil, garlic, yellow onion, sweet peas, carrot and cabbage, stirs well.
Seasoning with soy sauce, salt, sugar, black pepper and hot chili sauce, stirs well.
Add cooked rice, stirs till rice fluffy hot.
Serve hot.

Source: http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/recipes/recipe185.html (Accessed 03/03/2017)


Caramel Pork Kaw Sach Chrouk
- Pork
- Brown sugar
- tin of sliced Bamboo
water

All I did was heat the sugar and stirred to form caramel, then added water and the meat and stir-fry it all up then put in the tin of bamboo. I served it all on jasmine rice. There seemed to be several recipes with various variations - most of which included hard-boiled eggs in; but I didn't do that bit.

Week 7 - Belgium and Burma (Myanmar)

Belgium; the land of beers (over 800 varieties), chips or French fries - they claim to have invested them and  waffles! They also have the lowest ratio of MacDonalds per person in the developed world - so maybe they really did invest the humble fry. I did not know that Burma was now Myanmar, which is appalling of me to admit, but admit it I do. Apparently it happened in 1989, when I was more interested in pop music and shoulder pads, but it was interesting to read about how it came about and the history attached to it.   Like America and Liberia is has not adopted the metric system of weight. Unlike America though, it is one of the few places where being a little plump is regarded as healthy!

We enjoyed the meals we had from both, although Myanmar was our favourite...

Belgium - Flemish Style Pork Chops
Myanmar - Mohinga (Fish Noodle Soup)
                  - Stir Fry

Mohinga (Fish Noodle Soup)
Purists will wince when they read this; but we do not like shrimp paste. So, I did not put it in this dish. also I could not get hold of tamarind or banana blossom. I did get some besan flour though. I used vegetable stock - which the recipe allowed.

We loved this, and when my husband ate his later on in the evening he ate it cod and really enjoyed it!

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 long red chilies, 1 finely chopped, 1 thinly sliced

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 cm-piece ginger, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, thinly sliced

1 bunch coriander, stalks and roots finely chopped, leaves chopped

2 tbsp ngapi (Burmese shrimp paste) (see Note)

1 tbsp tamarind pulp (liquid form) (see Note)

150 g banana blossom (see Note), thinly sliced

35 g (¼ cup) chickpea (besan) flour (see Note)

100 g (½ cup) chickpeas, cooked and crushed

750 ml (3 cups) fish or vegetable stock

400 g vermicelli rice noodles, soaked in cold water for 15 minutes, drained

250 g firm white fish (such as barramundi), skin on, chopped

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce

lime wedges, to serve

Instructions

Place oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add finely chopped chilli, turmeric, onion, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, coriander stalks and roots and ngapi, and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until softened.

Stir in tamarind pulp and banana blossom and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes until banana blossom has softened. Add chickpea flour, stirring to combine. Add chickpeas, then gradually stir in stock and simmer for 10 minutes or until soup has thickened. Add drained rice noodles, fish, tomatoes and fish sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes or until noodles and fish are just cooked.

Divide fish noodle soup among 6 serving bowls. Scatter over coriander leaves and thinly sliced chilli and serve with lime wedges.

Source: http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/burmese-fish-noodle-soup-mohinga (accessed 28FEB2017)

Flemish Style Pork Chops

This was ok, although on reflection I think I could have been more adventurous. I do not normally like pork, but I did enjoy it like this. If I did it again, I would make sure the chops were thicker and I would cook it for longer and slower to get more of a sauce.

4 thick pork chops (about 2 inches thick)
50 g – 1,75 oz. butter
4 large tart apples
2 tb lemon juice
1 small onion, sliced
4 crushed juniper berries
Salt and pepper
Sprigs of rosemary
5 sprigs of parsley
30 g – 1 oz. butter (to pour over)

Trim excess fat from the chops, season with salt and pepper and brown very gently on both sides in 50 g – 1,75 oz. butter for 10-15 minutes.

Put the browned, half-cooked chops in a shallow casserole, sprinkle them with the lemon juice, add the onion, parsley, juniper berries, and rosemary, and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the peeled and sliced apples over the chops and pour the melted butter over them.

Cover and cook in a medium to hot oven for 30-35 minutes or until the chops are cooked.

Serve directly from the casserole.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: A Taste of the Belgian Provinces, Enid Gordon and Midge Shirley (published by The Tuesday Group, rue Frans Merjay, 1060 Brussels).

Week 6 - Belarus and Brunei

Belarus is a pretty flat country, and apparently has about 11,000 lakes as a result it has no coastline and is bordered by 5 countries: Latvia, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania.  Brunei is both situated in the southern and northern hemisphere and is one of the smallest nations. Women still cannot vote, but everyone gets free health care - like the UK. |

We liked the food from both countries, but was surprised by the Babka from Belarus; that is something that will feature again in our household and it was so easy to do.

Belarus - Potato Babka
             - Mushroom Stroganoff
Brunei - Kurma
            - Stir Fry (although I loosely based it on various recipes, but added lime as flavour)

Potato Babka
I found these two recipes and combined them to make something which, was really tasty.  I didn't use sour cream, but crème fraiche instead.  Source: http://knihi.com/none/Belarusian_cuisine-en.html#chapter10 (accessed 22FEB2017)

Potato Babka, (pudding) with pork.
10 potatoes, 250 g pork, 1 onion, 1 tblsp flour, 1 tblsp fat, pepper, salt.
Grate the peeled raw potatoes, add the flour, salt, ground pepper, fried pieces of pork and onion. Mix the ingredients thoroughly, place in a greased stoneware pot and bake.

Potato Babka, (pudding) with mushrooms.
10 potatoes, 200 g fresh mushrooms, 1 tblsp flour, 2 onions, 2 tblsps sour cream, fat, salt.
Grate the raw potatoes, combine with flour and add the salt. Blanch the cleaned mushrooms, wash, boil and brown together with onion. Lay half the potato mixture in a greased skillet, then the layer of mushrooms with onions and the remaining potatoes placed on top. Smooth the surface of the potato babka, brush it with sour cream and bake. [I cooked mine for an hour] Serve with butter or sour cream.

Mushroom Stroganoff

To be honest, I didn't add the egg noodles, as I used it as a basis for a sauce to have with pork chops. Source: http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/day-16-belarus-mushroom-stroganoff.html accessed 22FEB 2017)

2 oz. dried dark mushrooms
1 qt. hot water
1 lb. fresh, firm mushrooms
1/2 medium-sized onion, minced
4 Tbs. butter
Pinch of thyme
salt
fresh-ground black pepper
1 generous cup sour cream
2 Tbs. brandy
2 Tbs. dry sherry

1 lb. wide egg noodles
3 to 4 Tbs. butter, melted
2 to 3 tsp. poppy seeds

Directions: Soak the dried mushrooms in a quart of hot water for several hours. Drain them, reserving the liquid. Wash the mushrooms thoroughly under running water, one by one, and trim off the hard stems. Cut the mushrooms in wide strips. Strain the liquid through several layers of
cheesecloth or through a paper coffee filter; there should be about 2 cups of it now. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan and simmer it until it is reduced by slightly more than half.
Meanwhile, wash, trim, and thickly slice the fresh mushrooms. SautГ©´ the minced onions in the butter until they are transparent, then add the sliced fresh mushrooms and toss over high heat until they have released their excess water and it is starting to evaporate. Season with a pinch of thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Add the soaked mushroom strips and reduce the heat to medium-low.
Gradually whisk the reduced mushroom liquid into the sour cream, and add this mixture to the mushrooms. Simmer gently, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sour cream sauce is slightly thickened and the mushrooms are tender. Stir in the brandy and sherry, taste, and correct the seasoning if necessary.
Boil the noodles in a large amount of vigorously boiling salted water until they are just tender but not yet soft. Drain them immediately and toss them with the melted butter and poppy seeds in a heated bowl.
Serve with the poppy seed noodles, and follow it with a tart, crisp salad.
Serves 6.

Kurma
Source: http://www.asian-recipe.com/brunei/brunei-meat-dishes.html (accessed 22FEB2017)
Ingredients

• 600 gms chicken
• 1 cup thick coconut cream
• 2 cup thin coconut milk extracted from 1 grated coconut
• 1/2 cup oil
• cardamoms
• 2 star anise
• 2 red chillies
• 3 cm piece cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• 3 cm piece ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsps kurma powder
• 6 shallots

Directions

• Pound 3 shallots and 2 cloves garlic together.
• Mix with kurma powder and 1 tsp water. Blend well into paste.
• Slice finely the remaining shallots and garlic.
• Heat oil and fry the sliced shallots and garlic with the spices until fragrant.
• Add in the blended kurma powder and fry further until oil separates.
• Add in the chicken and 1 cup water. Cook until the beef is tender.
• Pour in the thick coconut milk, bring to boil and pour it in the thin milk.
• Season with salt to taste and cook further over a low flame until the gravy is thick.
• Add in the large onion and red chilies. Stir once and remove from rice.

Week 5 - Azerbaijan

Only one country this week, as there were not enough non-European countries to do one a week for a whole year. So, once every four weeks, I just cover one country!

Well, this was interesting. I decided that I would do several dishes all together, but smaller sizes. The boys hovered over me as I dished up (does anyone else experience that!) and my son thought, delightedly, that we were having jacket potatoes of a sort when I got three wrapped up parcels from the oven. His poor face dropped, as did my husbands, when thy discovered they were stuffed apples! However, they all loved the meal - despite it looking far from appetising...

Azerbaijan has half the worlds mud volcanos. Mud volcanoes are one of the visible signs of the presence of oil and gas reserves hidden deep beneath land and sea in the Caspian region. Gas seeps are a related phenomenon and occur when a pocket, filled largely methane gas under the ground, finds a passage to the surface. One such famous gas seep is Yanardagh (Fire Mountain) on the Absheron Peninsula where a continuous fire burns along a hillside.

So, here is what we ate...

Dushbarra (Dumpling Soup)
Milk pilaf recipe (Südlü plov)
Stuffed apples recipe (Alma dolmasi)
Feseli, Flaky Flatbread

We had two meals
Milk pilaf recipe (Südlü plov) with fish and the rest on another day!

Dushbarra (Dumpling Soup)
Preparation time: 60 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serves: 6-7
Ingredients
For the broth
lamb bones
water
a few saffron threads soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water (optional)
salt, to taste
For the filling
200 g/8 oz minced lamb (or 100 g/4 oz minced lamb and 100 g/4 oz minced beef)
1 medium-sized onion
1/2 tspn turmeric
salt & pepper
For the dough
500 g/1lb 4 oz wheat flour
1 egg
1 glass water
To serve
dried mint or fresh coriander
grape vinegar
crushed garlic
Preparation
Peel and grate or finely chop the onion.
Mix the minced meat, grated onion, salt & pepper and turmeric.
Make a light dough from the flour, water, salt and egg.
Divide the dough into four large balls. Place the balls on a tea towel and cover with clingfilm. Leave to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1.5 mm/1/16th inch. Traditionally, a thin, light rolling pin is used. Add flour when rolling out if the dough is too sticky. The thinner the dough, the better the dushbara!
The rolled dough should be cut into strips and, in turn, the strips cut into squares 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm/3/5 inch x 3/5 inch. If the dushbara are too large, the meat will not cook in the middle. The best dushbara are those small enough to fit 10 to a tablespoon.
Put a pinch of filling in the middle of each square. Fold the corners together to make a square or triangular dumpling.
Bring the pan of stock to the boil. Add the water and soaked saffron threads (optional) and salt. Put the dushbara in the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer until the dushbara rise to the surface (usually around 15 minutes).
Serve the dushbara in bowls. Crumble dried mint or chopped fresh coriander over the surface of the dushbara. A mixture of crushed garlic and grape vinegar is served with the dushbara.

Milk pilaf recipe (Südlü plov)
My son did not like this, but we did. I served it with fish, and it was so lovely it really surprised us.
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 glass of rice
1 1/2 glasses of milk
75-100 g/3-4 oz of unsalted butter
50-75 g/2-3 oz of golden raisins
10 dates
5 dried apricots, separated in half (optional)
a few strands of saffron
2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
pinch of salt

Preparation
Put a few threads of saffron in a cup and add boiling water. Cover and leave to infuse.
Rinse the dried fruit.
Wash the rice and drain well.
Put the rice in a saucepan and add the milk, butter, salt and saffron infusion. Put the pan on a low flame.
Simmer until almost all the milk has been absorbed by the rice. When some two-thirds of the milk has been absorbed, add the dried fruit.
Place a well-fitting lid on top of the saucepan, covered underneath with a clean tea towel. The towel helps to absorb the steam. Turn the heat down as low as possible and leave the rice to finish cooking.

Stuffed apples recipe (Alma dolmasi)
Preparation time: 40 min
Cooking time: 30-45 min
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
For the filling
200 g/8 oz lamb or veal or a combination of the two
1 medium-sized onion
25 g/1 oz melted butter or 1 tbspn of vegetable or olive oil (butter is traditional)
a handful of chestnuts
1 tspn of ground cinnamon
1 tspn of allspice
a pinch of turmeric or a couple of strands of saffron
salt & pepper
6 large apples (dessert or cooking apples can be used; in Azerbaijani cuisine only dessert apples are used as cooking apples are not grown here)
2 dessertspoons of sugar or honey (or slightly more if using cooking apples) and 1 dessertspoon of lemon juice
1 glass (or more, depending on cooking time) of bouillon or hot water
Preparation
If using saffron, put the threads in a cup and add 1 tablespoon of boiling water. Cover and leave to infuse.
Pierce the chestnuts. Cover with water in a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the water and shell. Don’t take all the chestnuts out of the water at once, as they are difficult to shell when dry. Roughly chop the shelled chestnuts.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Put the minced meat, finely chopped onion, chopped chestnuts, spices, melted butter or oil and salt into a bowl and mix well with your hands.
Mix the honey and lemon juice in a saucer.
Wash the apples and pat dry with a cloth or kitchen paper.
Slice off the tops and set aside. Remove the cores and some of the flesh of the fruit to create a hollow for the stuffing.
Rub the inside of the apples with the honey and lemon juice mixture. This helps to prevent the apples from going too brown and to bring out the flavour.
Stuff the apples with the meat mixture, pressing the filling down hard. Put the tops back on the apples as lids.
Wrap each apple in foil (to help them keep their shape and moisture) and stand upright in a baking dish or ovenproof shallow pan.
Add half a glass of bouillon or hot water to the baking dish.
Place the dish in the hot oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes until the meat is cooked.
Pour the cooking juice over each apple before serving. Serve with fresh crusty bread and yoghurt (optional).

The above three recipes were adapted from ; https://www.azerbaijancuisine.com/category/azerbaijan-cooking/baking-recipes (accessed 16FEB2017)

Feseli, Flaky Flatbread
This was lovely, and great fun to make! I used my combination of spices...
source: http://azcookbook.com/2017/01/28/feseli-flaky-flatbread/ (accessed 17FEB2017)
Makes 2 flatbreads

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and work surface

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

Filling:

Variation 1: Simple Butter Filling

6 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee) or unsalted butter

Variation 2: Spiced Butter Filling

6 tablespoons clarified butter or unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground

¼ teaspoon coriander seeds, ground

¼ teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

¼ teaspoon anise seeds, ground

¼ teaspoon star anise (badyan) seeds, ground

¼ teaspoon saffron threads, ground to a powder with a mortar and pestle

¼ teaspoon turmeric

About 2 tablespoons clarified butter or unsalted butter, for frying

Instructions

1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the salt and water and stir with your hand until a rough ball forms. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks to your hands, add more flour. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into two equal parts and shape each into a ball. Work with one ball at a time and keep the other covered with a kitchen cloth.
3. Transfer one ball onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it into a disk. Sprinkle some flour on top. Using a thin rolling pin, begin to roll out the dough. Wrap the near edge of the dough around the rolling pin and roll the dough away from you. Flour the circle lightly between each roll. Continue rolling until you obtain a very thin 16-inch circle.
4. If you plan to use simple butter filling, melt the butter in a small pan and cool to room temperature. For the spiced butter filling, melt the butter in a small pan and combine it with the spices. Stir to mix and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Using a spoon, spread about 3 tablespoons of the plain melted butter or the spiced butter over the circle, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Gently roll the circle into a tight cylinder. Now, gently pull the sides of the cylinder to stretch it as far as it can go (this will thin the layers further). Next, holding one end of the cylinder with one hand, gently twist it (as if twisting a wet cloth) with your other hand a few times (this will yield a flakier bread).
6. Now, holding one end of the twisted cylinder with one hand, coil it with your other hand to form a tight spiral. Leave the spiral aside to rest for 10 minutes. Then, using a rolling pin, roll out the spiral into a flat 10-inch circle. Repeat the process for the remaining dough ball.
7. In a nonstick frying pan large enough to fit one flatbread, heat 1 tablespoon of butter (do this for each flatbread) over medium-low heat. Cook each flatbread on one side until it is golden, then turn to cook the other side, for a total of 7 to 10 minutes. Another method would be to cook, alternating the sides from time to time, to allow for even cooking, until both sides are nicely golden. Serve immediately.

Week 4 - Austria and Bhutan

Not a combination you would normally see alongside each other. But incredibly, both are landlocked countries, although Austria is nearly twice the size, and both are mountainous.

Austria
- Linzertorte (Or jam tart, as my son called it)
- Cherry Strudel
- Wiener Schnitzel

I used the recipes from a previous blog when we had travelled to Austria. Although I did a very simply Cherry Strudel. I had some frozen cherries, which I de-frosted and mixed with a tin of cherry pie filling. I then layered some bought filo pastry on the work top - two sheets with an inch overlap, then covered it in melted butter and repeated this until I had five sheets. Spread the cherry filling then rolled it up and baked for 30 -40 mins. It was lovely, so easy to do - my husband wanted custard with it, which we did and it scored a 10 / 10!

Bhutan
- Phaksha Pa (pork with vegetables)
Something wasn't right with this dish for my husband and I, although my son loved it!

- Ema Datshi (chilli cheese stew)
As I was going to serve this to a nine year old I slightly changed it. I stewed down some peppers, as well as the onions and tomatoes, and reduced the chilli content. I don't eat cheese and neither my son nor husband like feta, so I used a paprika cheddar, as I still wanted to get the 'kick' that this dish gives. It was still a strange combination for them, yet they loved it - despite it being quite hot (I had some, without cheese in)

- Momo Dumplings
I had fun and games with getting wonton wrappers. I looked into making them myself, but was a little afraid I wouldn't get them thin enough. I also explored substitutes and then made a decision. Now, the purists among you will not like this, but I decided to fuse Austrian and Bhutan cuisine. So, I used the filling from the momo dumplings, but used filo pastry and turned them into a savory strudel. I served it with the Ema Datshi and we all thought it worked brilliantly!

Phaksha Pa (pork with vegetables)
Source: http://ediblyasian.info/recipes/phaksha-pa (accessed 02/FEB/2017)

Ingredients • 1 medium onion [about 4 ounces, 110g], peeled and quartered • Fresh ginger, peeled and cut into a 1 -inch [2. 5cm] cube • 1 medium daikon or white radish [about 31/2 ounces, 100g], peeled, halved lengthwise. • 1 stick unsalted butter [4 ounces, 8 tbsp, 115g] • 1 pound boneless pork shoulder [450g], cut into 6 by 1/2 inch [15 by 1.25cm] strips • 1/2 cup water [120ml] • 2 tablespoons chili powder • 2 teaspoons salt • 3 large heads bok choy [about 3 pounds total, 1.3kg], stems removed and leaves cut into 1/2-inch [1.25cm] strips • 6 ounces dried pork [170g], cut into 3 by 1/2 inch [7.5 by 1.25cm] strips • 1 large fresh green pepper [about 1/2 ounce, 15g], seeded and cut into julienne strips

Directions:

Dice the onion reasonably finely
Slice the ginger and crush it in a pestle and mortar. Set aside. Slice the daikon with the thick [6mm] slicing disc.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the pork shoulder, onion, daikon, water, chili powder, and salt and simmer over low heat until the pork is just tender, about 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the bok choy in a saucepan of boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
Add the ginger, bok choy, dried pork, and chili pepper to the stew and simmer over low heat until heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes 6 servings [about 7 ounces each, 200g].

Ema Datshi (chilli cheese stew)
Ingredients

• 250g of chillies (green and of medium hotness)
• 1 onion chopped longitudinally
• 2 tomatoes
• 250g Danish Fetta cheese
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely crushed
• 3 leaves of coriander
• 2 tspoon vegetable oil

Directions
Cut chillies longitudinally (1 chilli = 4 pcs). Put these chillies and chopped onions in a pot of water (approx. 400 ml). Add 2 teaspoon vegetable oil. Then boil in medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add tomato and garlic and boil for another 2 mins. Add cheese and let it remain for 2-3 mins. Finally add coriander and turn off the heat. Stir. Keep it closed for 2 mins. And then you are ready for a treat of good Ema Datshi. Serves 3. As always, serve with a generous portion of red rice or polished white rice, along with some other dish.
Note: The cheese that is actually used cannot be found outside Bhutan. They are a local farmer’s cheese with a unique texture that doesn’t dissolve when put in boiling water. None of the Bhutanese outside Bhutan that I know have found a good substitute yet. Other’s have suggested “farmer’s cheese” or a mixture of various kinds of cheeses. This dish is VERY HOT.
Contributer: Kunzang Namgyel. kn15@uow.edu.au

Momo Dumplings

source: http://www.mytaste.com/click/index/2591407/food.com (accessed 05FEB2017)

Ingredients                

Yield 4 dozen dumplings                                                                      

For the dumplings

¹⁄₂ lb yak meat or ¹⁄₂ lb beef, ground

¹⁄₂ onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 ounce Chinese wine (xiaoshing)

2 teaspoons flour

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, finely minced

1 (12 ounce) package wonton wrappers

1 few large lettuce or 1 cabbage leaf

For the dipping sauce

¹⁄₄ cup soy sauce

¹⁄₄ cup rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon chili oil

1. With your hands, thoroughly mix the ground meat with the onion, garlic, xiaoshing, flour, soy sauce and jalapeno.
2. Lay out a few of the wonton wrappers and spoon a small amount of the filling into the center of each.
3. Fold the wonton wrapper in two and then pinch the edges to make a tight seal.
4. Line your steamer basket with the cabbage or lettuce leaves.
5. Add the dumplings (don't let them overlap) and steam for 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, mix the dipping sauce ingredients.
7. Serve the dumplings hot with the dipping sauce.

Week 3 - Armenia and Bangladesh

Well, my nine year old son picked an Armenian recipe out of a cook book we had. It was fiddly to do, but he loved it - as did the rest of us. I served it usually with the Bangladesh dish 'dolma' and it worked, in a strange way...

He also liked the fact that it had never frozen in Bangladesh, due to its low laying and tropical terrain and its national animal is a tiger! Apparently all children in Armenia are taught chess at school - that's pretty interesting and they are passionate about wine and apricots; not a bad combo. It sounds an amazing country, and one that will go on my bucket list.

Armenia - Manti
Bangladesh - Dolma
Bangladesh - Balushahi (a cross between a welsh cake and doughnut!)

Armenia - Manti

I made a pasta dough, but other recipes used an egg.
1 1/2  cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon oil
1/4 cup water

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 pound ground lamb (or beef or both)
1 small onion, shredded or grated
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp red pepper powder or paprika
pinch black pepper
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup oil or melted butter to brush on the mantis

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:
2 cups water or beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon red pepper paste (can use a few drops of tabasco sauce instead or red chili sauce)
pinch of salt and black pepper and paprika
2 cups yogurt
1/2 tsp garlic paste with salt
1 tablespoon red pepper powder (Aleppo pepper) or sumac or a few drops of chili sauce


1. Combine the meat with the spices and grated onion and parsley; set aside in a bowl covered in the fridge.
2. Make the manti dough; place in a mixer bowl the flour, salt, spices and add the water and oil mix until the dough is smooth, moist but firm. Roll it up in plastic wrap, set it aside for one hour or two. When ready to make the manti, roll it out as thin as possible and cut it into small squares, about 3-4 cm in size. According to some website you can get special rolling pins. I just rolled out the pastry, thinly and cut it to size. It took some time, but I had the radio on, so it was good time!
3. Place a small amount of meat filling on each square and pinch both ends simultaneously so that the dumpling looks like a tiny boat. Grease a pan and place each manti side by side on the pan. Gently brush the top of the manti with the melted butter or oil (or spray oil on the surface)
4. Preheat the oven to 350F and roast the mantis until they take on a golden color.

NB I didn't do the rest of this, as I served it with something else. However, I have included the full recipe:
5. Meanwhile, heat the water, red pepper paste and tomato paste which will be used to baste the manti, making sure the mixture is almost boiling; pour the sauce all over the manti and reinsert in the oven. Leave in the oven for about 10 minutes or so or until the manti have absorbed the sauce almost entirely. Meanwhile, whip the yogurt and garlic with a fork till smooth and pour into a saucer to serve alongside. 
6. Serve with yogurt and a dash of red pepper powder or sumac or a few drops of chili sauce on top of the yogurt sauce.
The sauce etc is from: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/manti/ (accessed 03FEB2017)


Bangladesh - Dolma
Source: https://www.banglarecipes.com.au/tomato-dolma-tomator-dolma/ (accessed 27JAN2017)

400 grams mince meat

6-8 tomatoes(small size preferable)

1 and ½ tbsp. finely chopped onion

1/4 cup onion paste

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp chilli powder or to taste

½ tsp black pepper powder(optional)

2-3 green chilli chopped

1 bay leaf

2 cardamom pods

½” cinnamon stick

2 tbsp breadcrumbs

½ cup milk

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

This is the recipe from the web, however I cooked my tomatoes in the oven and then made a separate tomato sauce with a tin of toms, and the spices cooked it down for about 40mins, then added some milk and continued cooking. The tomatoes took about 30mins in a medium oven to cook; as I didn't want all the fat from the meat in the dish. It was delicious....

1. Use a sharp knife to slice the top off each tomato. Use a teaspoon to scoop out seeds and flesh and set aside.
2. Mix mince, chopped onion, chopped green chilli, ½ tsp ginger paste, coriander leaf, bread crumbs and ½ tsp salt together; stuff each tomato and make kofta(meat ball) with rest mince mixture.
3. Heat the oil and add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon stick.
4. After a minute add onion paste and sauté 2 minutes.
5. Add ginger, garlic, chilli powder and salt; cook till oil is separated. Add milk and bring to boiling point.
6. Add sugar and pepper; give a stir and stuffed tomato and meat ball in the gravy.
7. Cook in under closed lid 6-8 minutes or till you get your preferable gravy consistency.
8. Serve Tomato Dolma / Tomator Dolma with rice, polau or even with paratha / roti.

Bangladesh - Balushahi

Source: https://www.banglarecipes.com.au/balushahi-2/ (accessed 27JAN2017)

Ingredients

Flour(maida) – 1 and 1/2 cup)

Ghee – 1/3 cup

Baking soda – 1/2 tsp

Greek yogurt – 1/3 cup

Sugar – 2 cups

Mace – 1 flake (optional)

Oil – for fry

Mawa for garnishing

1. Make sugar syrup with sugar, ¾ cup water and mace and keep aside.
2. Sift flour and soda bicarbonate into a large bowl
3. Add ghee to flour mixture and crumble it.
4. Add the beaten yogurt and knead into a soft dough (use as much yogurt you need to make soft and pliable dough. Don’t make smooth dough). Cover the dough with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least half an hour.
5. Divide the dough into 18-20 equal portions. Make the dough balls, balls will not be smooth and will have cracks all around; make a deep dent in the centre of the balls.(check the picture)
6. Heat enough oil on medium heat. Gently slide in the prepared dough balls (don’t overcrowd as Balushahi will expend to about 1-1/2 time and they should not overlap.) and deep-fry on low heat. Frying in low heat is very important; otherwise it will not be cook inside.
7. Turn them over twice and fry till they turn golden. Take out fried Balushahi’s over layered of paper towel so it can absorb the extra oil.. It will take about 10-12 minutes to fry each batch.
8. Soak Balushahi in the syrup all around for 5 minutes and remove them. Garnish them with mawa and Mouthwatering flaky Balushahis are ready (though I will prefer to wait 2 hours before serve Ballshahi).

Week 2 - Andorra and Bahrain

Andorra isn't that much smaller than Bahrain, however the population size is enormous!

We liked our meals from both these countries and were surprised along the way...

Andorra: Escudella (stew)
Andorra: Cunillo (Rabbit stew)
Bahrain: Muhammar (sweet rice) dish

Bahrain - Machboos (chicken with rice)

Andorra: Escudella (stew)
source: http://travelbystove.palfreymedia.com/andorra-recipes-escudella.asp (accessed 23JAN2017)
This was lovely, although I didn't put in the pasta.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry white beans (I used a 16 oz package of the small white ones)
• 1 ham bone
• 1 marrow, bone
• 3 chicken thighs (the recipe called for 1/4 of a chicken, but boneless-skinless is so much easier)
• 14 ounces raw pork sausage, rolled into balls
• 1 thick ham steak, cut into chunks
• 1/2 head green cabbage
• 1 large white potato, cut into large chunks
• 1/4 cup uncooked rice
• 1 cup pasta shells
• 1 cup canned garbanzo beans
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Roll the raw sausage into one- or two-bite sized balls.
2. Rinse the dry beans in cold water.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausage balls over medium heat.
4. Dice the ham.
5. Put the beans, sausage, ham, chicken and bones into the pot with 8 cups of water.
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered for two hours. The chicken should be very tender, almost falling apart.
7. Remove the bones and bring the remaining stock and meat back up to a boil (if there isn't a lot of liquid you can add more water).
8. Add the cabbage, potato, rice, pasta shells, garbanzo beans and salt and pepper.
9. Cook for another 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and rice are tender.

Andorra: Cunillo (Rabbit stew)

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/andorran-cunillo-rabbit-in-tomato-sauce-499353 (accessed 23JAN 2017)

I must admit, ours looked much nicer the photo suggests!

1 rabbit jointed (about 1.5kg) or you can use chicken thighs

¹⁄₄ cup white vinegar, about

1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 onions, sliced

500 g crushed tomatoes or 500 g chopped tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

250 ml white wine

120 ml water

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Wash the rabbit and rub with a little vinegar then joint and cut into about 15 serving pieces.
2. Add olive oil to the base of a large cast iron casserole dish and fry the rabbit in this until nicely browned. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Add the garlic, onion and tomatoes to the pan and fry gently for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Now add the white wine and water and increase the heat so the mixture comes to a boil.
5. Reduce the volume by about half then add the rabbit and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
6. Reduce to a simmer, cover securely and cook gently for about 90 minutes, or until the rabbit is tender.

Bahraini Muhammar (sweet rice) dish

source: http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-bahraini-muhammar-sweet-rice-dish-304145 (accessed 23JAN2017)

This is one of the most famous Bahraini dishes. It is a sweet rice dish which is typically served with fish. I just wanted to add: this recipe calls for 6 cloves, HOWEVER, I think it REALLY ONLY NEEDS 2 cloves! I did 3 cloves, for two of us and it was fine.

This was our surprise, I did it with Cod, as this fitted in with Andorran food too, as well as peas and oven cooked cherry tomatoes in olive oil and basil. Really nice.

Ingredients                                  

Servings 6                                                                                                                                                                                            

2 cups basmati rice, washed

¹⁄₄ teaspoon saffron

2 tablespoons rose water

3 cardamom pods, cracked

6 cloves (see Note above!)

1 cinnamon stick

¹⁄₄ cup ghee or ¹⁄₄ cup butter

¹⁄₂ cup sugar

1. Soak together saffron, cardamom, cloves, and rosewater; leave aside to steep.
2. Add rice to 6 cups of lightly salted boiling water: boil to half cooked - about 8 minutes; drain.
3. Stir sugar through the hot rice.
4. Heat the ghee or butter in the same pan the rice was boiled and add the sweetened rice. Sprinkle the rose water mix on top.
5. Cover the rim of pan with a cloth or paper towels and place lid on tightly.
6. Cook over very low heat about 20-25 minutes. Transfer to serving platter.
7. Top with melted butter.Directions

Bahrain - Machboos (chicken with rice)

Source: http://www.daringgourmet.com/chicken-machboos-bahraini-chicken-rice/ (accessed 23JAN2017)

"Chicken Machboos, or Machboos ala Dajaj (“spiced chicken and rice”), is the national dish of Bahrain, a small island country in the Persian Gulf neighbored by Saudi Arabia and Iran.  Machboos is similar to Biryani (from the Indian subcontinent) and Kabsa (from Saudi Arabia), all with varying cooking methods, ingredients, degree of spiciness, and assembly.   But all three are essentially meat and rice dishes."

Ingredients

• 2 large onions, diced
• 3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon baharat (see recipe below)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• A combination of chicken thighs, legs and breasts (about 3 pounds)
• 1 hot green chile, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 5 large cloves or garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 large roma tomatoes, diced (or 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, juices drained)
• 2-3 dried limes (loomi), several holes punched throughout each one
• 5 green cardamom pods
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon (about 2 inches long)
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 2½ cups chicken stock
• 2 cups basmati rice (soaked for at least 15 minutes, then rinsed and drained)
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• Rosewater for sprinkling (optional, but recommended)
• For the Homemade Baharat:
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches long)
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon green cardamom seeds
• 1 tablespoon paprika powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• For the Baharat:
• Set the paprika and nutmeg powders aside. Place all remaining ingredients (whole seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves) in a small frying pan and dry roast over medium-high heat, tossing regularly to prevent scorching, for 3-4 minutes or until very fragrant. Transfer to a spice or coffee grinder and let cool. Add the paprika and nutmeg and grind all the ingredients to a fine powder. Store left over baharat in an airtight jar.

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the chicken pieces on both sides until the skin is brown and crispy. Transfer the chicken to a plate and leave the remaining oil in the Dutch oven.
2. Add the ghee (or butter), reduce the heat to medium, and fry the onions until starting to brown, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Add the ginger, garlic, and green chile pepper and saute for another 2 minutes.
4. Add the baharat and turmeric and cook for another minute.
5. Return the chicken pieces to the Dutch oven along with the tomatoes, dried limes, cardamom pods, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt. Add the chicken stock and stir to combine. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for one hour.
6. Add the cilantro, parsley and drained rice and stir to combine. Return it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until the rice is done and has absorbed the liquid.
7. Transfer the chicken and rice to a serving dish (either leave the chicken pieces tossed in with the rice, or place the chicken on top of the rice), and sprinkling with 1-2 tablespoons of rosewater (optional).
8. Serve with a green salad and yogurt raita.