Stamford American Community Cookbook

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Table of Contents

A H B D I E J F C K G L Alfajores

Cucumber Salad

Aebleskiver

Curly Kale, Potatoes & Smoked Sausagess

Adobo sa Gata

Bakwan Jagung

Daddy Dave’s Chili

Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce

Drømmekage from Brovst

BIKO

Dutch Apple Pie

Hamantaschen (Funny Cookies) HART Waffles Hindbærsnitte Raspberry slices Irish Shortbread Islander Bread

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Bengali Stuffed Crepes Bhindi Masala

Easter Chocolate Cake

Jelly Doughnuts

Blini

Brigadeiros Ceviche

Challah Bread For shabbat

Char Kway Teow Cheese Spaetzle Chicken Pulao Che Chuoi

Chicken Tikka

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ciambellone Classico Coconut Bread

Creamy Salmon Soup Crepe

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Fairy Bread

Flammulina Velutipes Beef Roll

Karahi

Flødeboller Puff Cakes

Karniyarik Turkish Stuffed Eggplants

Fried Rice Gibanica

Glutinous Rice Gravlax with mustard sauce

Korean Kalbi Koshari

Lamingtons Lego Cookies

Mrs B’s Gumbo Ya-Ya

Lemon Slice

Great Grandma’s Albanian Stuffing

Longevity Peach Buns Lentil Soupi


M S Mango Pomelo Sago Magic Cookie Bars Mango Sticky Rice Mini Beef and Guinness Pies

Russian Vinaigrette Samosa Scotcheroos Soft Pizza

Mock Chicken Bharwa

Spambalaya

Multigrain Bread

Spinach Frittata

Musakhan

Strawberry Sponge Cake

Nasi Goreng Gila

Steamed Egg

N P

Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli & Garlic String Bean Casserole

Pandan Chiffon Cake

Sultan’s Delight

Paneer Briyani

Sweet and Sour Pork

Pão de Queijo Papaya Cream with Blackcurrant Jam Pomegranate Chicken Potato Cakes

T

Sweet Challah Bread Tarte Tatin Tavë Kosi Tea Scones

Q R V Quiche Lorraine

W Y

Texas Pulled Pork or Shredded Beef Tiramisu Tofu Chicken Burger Trofie al Pesto

Rose Dumplings

Russian Crepes with Cheese

Russian Olivier Salad

Shredded Veal Zurich

Style with Roesti Potatoes Waffles

Yorkshire Pudding


ARGENTINA

Alfajores By Ana Rojnica

Ingredients ●

1 cup of flour

2 cups of corn flour

1 cup of icing sugar

1 egg

220g of butter

1 tsp of vanilla extract

Dulce de Leche

Optional: shredded coconut

Preparation ❏ Mix the flour and the butter. ❏ Sift the icing sugar and corn flour. ❏ Add the egg. ❏ Add the vanilla extract. ❏ Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. ❏ Cut the dough in disks (2cm diameter) and place in the oven at 160 C on baking paper. ❏ Once cooled, spread dulce de leche to make a “sandwich” with two disks.

Notes Alfajores are eaten in Argentina as a snack at home or in recess at school. They go well with a “mate” (a traditional infusion), a cup of tea or coffee!

❏ Optional: roll the sides in shredded coconut.

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DENMARK

Aebleskiver

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cardamom

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

2 tbsp melted butter

Preparation ❏ Cook the apples in the melted butter with the spices and sugar over medium heat until the apples are tender (approx. 10 min). ❏ Remove from the heat and use as filling for the aebleskiver.Allow to cool and put aside for later. ❏ Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Mix egg yolks with the milk and the melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir till well blended.

Ingredients Apple Filling ●

2-3 tart apples, peeled, cored and diced (according to size)

Approx. 1/4 cup butter

2-3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

Aebleskiver Ingredient: ●

1 cup all-purpose flour

❏ In a separate bowl beat the egg whites till stiff, but not dry. With a spatula fold approx. 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter and finally fold in the rest of the egg whites until no white streaks remain. Now we are ready to bake the aebleskiver right away in the aebleskiver pan. ❏ Add butter to the aebleskiver pan and heat up the pan. When butter bubbles add 1 tbsp butter in the pan and add 1 tsp apple filling into the center. Finally add a little batter on top of the filling. ❏ Cook until the aebleskiver are browned on each side (approx. 3 min each side).

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❏ Turn with a knitting pin or a wooden skewer.

Notes

❏ Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Traditional Danish breakfast treat that's a cross between a pancake and a popover. Made using a special aebleskiver pan. Often served during Christmastime. Serve with confectioners sugar sprinkled over top. Maple syrup or jam are also delicious!

❏ Tip: Æbleskiver can be kept warm in the oven, and they can also be frozen. ❏ We hope you enjoy our Danish aebleskiver recipe for your celebrations, afternoon snacks or whenever you feel like having!

First step is to make the Apple Filling. The second step is to make the batter. Finally. we are ready to make the Æbleskiver!

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PHILIPPINES

Adobo sa Gata

Ingredients ●

1 lb (1/2 kilo) chicken, cut into serving pieces

1/3 cup vinegar

2 to 3 tp sobsy sauce

2 tbsp of crushed garlic

1/4 tsp pepper or 1 tsp peppercorn

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup coconut milk

chili pepper

1 tbsp oil

Preparation ❏ Combine vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and pepper (or peppercorn), and set aside. ❏ In a deep pan sauté chicken in oil. ❏ Add prepared sauce to the chicken.

Notes It sounds Spanish but Adobo is probably the most iconic Filipino dish you will ever sample. Its name comes from the word adobar, which means marinade, as Filipinos were pickling their food long before refrigerators came along to keep leftovers longer. The following recipe will transport you to the southern Philippine region of Bicol where coconut grows aplenty. Traditionally, adobo is best marinated from 30 minutes to overnight. But this recipe delivers the flavor in much less time. You’re welcome!

❏ Bring to a boil then simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. (Top up water if the sauce evaporates too quickly). ❏ Cover the pan and continue simmering until chicken is tender. ❏ Add coconut milk and chili pepper. ❏ Simmer for a few more minutes to thicken the sauce. ❏ Remove from heat. Transfer into a serving dish. ❏ Serve hot with fragrant white rice. (Red and brown rice is yummy too! Especially when slathered with adobo sauce.)

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INDONESIA

Bakwan Jagung By Dina S Snyder

Ingredients ●

2 cob of Corn

3 garlic

2 red onion

1 red chili (if you like spicy, you can add 2-3 red chilies)

6 spring onion leaves

salt and pepper (taste it)

4 tbsp of all purpose flour

1 egg

Preparation ❏ Take the corn grains only using a knife, set aside. ❏ Blend chili, garlic, onion with blender until smooth. ❏ Cut spring onion leaves in small sizes. ❏ Mixed corn grains, mixed chili, garlic, red onion and spring onion leaves together and then add flour, egg, salt and pepper. Mix until blended well.

Notes It is said at the beginning of the Qing Dynasty in Fuzhou, China, there was a boy who makes minced meat, mixed with vegetables and flour which is shaped round and then fried for his mother who was old and her teeth was not strong enough to chew on the meat so she preferred to eat vegetables. He then thinks of making a dish made from meat that can be eaten by his mother. This dish is called "gongwan" or "bakwan" which means fried round meat. When there was trade between countries, many ships from China anchored in Indonesia and later adapted by the Indonesian people.

❏ Fry in hot cooking oil and then serve once ready.

Ready in 20 minutes Serves: 4 people

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CHINA

Braised Pork

Belly in Soy Sauce By Dong Po Rou

Preparation ❏ This step is optional - burn the pork skin for a couple mins with a handheld burner – this helps remove hair (if any) and get rid of porky smell. ❏ Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch the pork belly for a couple minutes. This gets rid of impurities and blood. Then take it out, rinse. ❏ Cut your pork belly into 3/4-inch thick pieces, set aside. ❏ Over low heat, add the oil and sugar to your wok/pot. Melt the sugar slightly and add the pork. ❏ Raise the heat to medium and cook until the pork is lightly browned. ❏ Turn the heat back down to low and add shaoxing cooking wine, regular soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and water. ❏ Cover and simmer for about 1-2 hours until tender. Every 20-30 minutes, stir to prevent burning and add more water if it gets too dry.

12 ounces lean, skin-on pork belly

1 inch size ginger

❏ Once the pork is fork tender, if there is still a lot of visible liquid, uncover the pot, turn up the heat, and stir continuously until the sauce gets reduced to a glistening coating.

2 tbsp oil

❏ Transfer to a serving plate.

1 tbsp rock sugar (or granulated)

3 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

❏ It’s very important to the color and flavor of this dish that you have both kinds of soy sauce! You can find them in local Asian markets.

½ tbsp dark soy sauce

2 cups water

Ingredients

Serves: 4 people

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PHILIPPINES

BIKO By Kathy Ferrer

❏ Mix glutinous rice and water, and cook it in a rice cooker. (It will not be completely cooked like regular rice, which is intentional.) ❏ While waiting for the rice, combine the rest of the ingredients in a nonstick pot and cook over low heat to thicken. Stir the mixture constantly to keep the bottom from burning. ❏ Once the rice cooker stops and the coconut milk mixture has thickened, add the cooked rice to the pot. Mix well and keep stirring until all the liquid evaporates. ❏ Scoop the rice mixture and press onto a serving dish. Let it cool until firm enough to slice into bite-size pieces. Kain na! (Let’s eat!)

Ingredients ●

2 cups glutinous rice, soaked overnight to soften, rinsed till water runs clear before cooking

4 cups coconut milk

2 cups brown sugar

11/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup toasted desiccated coconut

❏ You can top off this Biko with some desiccated coconut toasted brown in a dry pan. OR you can reward yourself with a topping that traditionally accompanies this dish. Latik requires a few more minutes of stirring (maybe 30-40 more) but it is worth the wait! Boil 2 cups coconut cream in a large shallow pan. (The process will take longer in a deep pot, especially if you use coconut milk- which you can, but takes longer as it contains more water.) Once bubbly let it simmer. Stir constantly to avoid scorching the bottom. After a while oil will begin to separate from the liquid and soon curds will appear. Wait for the curds to turn dark brown. Voila-tik! Pour the oil through a sieve to collect the crunchy topping.

Preparation Serves: 10 people 9


USA

Bu alo Chicken Dip

Ingredients ●

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

½ cup Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Frank’s Redhot Buffalo Wing Sauce

½ cup creamy blue cheese dressing

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup diced green onion (for garnish, optional)

Preparation ❏ Preheat oven to 350o F ❏ Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. ❏ Spoon into shallow 1-quart baking dish ❏ Bake 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through ❏ Garnish with diced green onion

Notes This is a delicious way to get that traditional American buffalo chicken wing flavor. Everywhere I take this dish people ask for it again and again, but one time we ALWAYS have it is when we watch the Super Bowl. At home it’s on a Sunday evening, in Singapore it’s a Monday morning – a spicy way to start the day, that’s for sure!

❏ Serve with sturdy crackers or tortilla chips, toasted bread rounds or vegetable sticks (such as celery, bell pepper)

Serves: Never enough!

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INDIA

Bengali Stu ed Crepes By Sarmistha Roy

1/2 cup of milk (Incase one does not want to add milk can replace with coconut milk)

For the stuffing ●

1.5 cup of grated coconut

1.5 cup of khoa/mawa/dried whole milk

100g of date palm jaggery/raw sugar

2 tbsp of ghee/clarified butter (for frying crepe)

Preparation ❏ Take 1.5 cup water in a saucepan add date palm jaggery/raw sugar and bring it to boil. Keep the flame medium till it dissolve completely ❏ Switch off the flame, set the saucepan aside and let it cool. ❏ Sieve the rice flour and the all purpose flour in a deep bottom flour. Add semolina to the flour and mix. ❏ Now slowly pour the previously made jaggery/raw sugar water and make a lump free thick paste. ❏ You can add 1/2 cup milk to this and mix well.

Ingredients

❏ Cover this batter and let it stay for 30 minutes.

Batter for making the crepes

Prepare the stuffing

1 cup of rice flour.

2 cups of all purpose flour.

❏ If possible use a non stick pan and cook the grated coconut (1.5 cup) on a medium flame for 5 minutes.

2 tbsp semolina

25g date palm jaggery or raw sugar

1.5 cup of water

❏ Add jaggery/raw sugar (100g) to the coconut and cook for 5 minutes till the jaggery/raw sugar has dissolved completely.

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❏ Now add khoa/mawa/dried whole milk (1.5cup) and cook for 5 minutes over low flame till khoa is completely mixed with coconut and jaggery. ❏ Stir continuously to avoid lumps and to get a smooth, thick mixture. ❏ Remove the mixture in a separate bowl and let it cool.

Notes Bengali sweet stuffed crepe is a special dish to celebrate winter harvest. Back in the days harvested rice was freshly ground to make this delicacy in Bengal. Date palm jaggery (liquid version used in original recipe) is seasonal, available in winter months only. Hence in the making of this dish jaggery water is prepared to make up for the lack of liquid jaggery. Thanks to preservation, solid jaggery is available too so we can store and prepare anytime. With many changes in farming, rice is harvested many times a year but the tradition has lived on. This is a versatile dish, you can have for breakfast, snack or as dessert. This can serve 4/6 members in the family. Preparation time 30 minutes and cooking time 30 minutes (even for a beginner). I enjoyed sharing this recipe as it brings back many memories of watching my mother prepare and us children helping her so we could get generous helping later. Hope you enjoy making and eating it too.

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INDIA

Bhindi Masala

4 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 Juice of a lime

1 tsp crushed kasoori methi

4 to 6 tbsp of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

4 to 6 green chilies

0.5 cup yogurt, regular dairy or non-dairy yogurt

Salt (to taste)

Preparation ❏ Wash and pat dry the okra with a kitchen napkin (It should be completely dry otherwise they become chewy). Cut off the crown and tip, cut the okra into 1 to 2-inch pieces depending on how you like them.

Ingredients ●

500g Okra/lady finger/bhindi

6 to 8 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 medium onion, about 1 cup of finely chopped onions

4 medium tomatoes, about 1 cup chopped tomatoes

2 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

❏ Heat oil on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pan, add cumin seeds. Once the cumin seeds splutter, add finely chopped onions sauté until golden brown. ❏ Add ginger garlic paste, sauté until fragrant. You may also add some chopped green chillies if you like it spicy. ❏ Add chopped tomatoes, sauté until it starts leaving oil from the sides of the pan. ❏ Now add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin, and coriander powder. Sauté over medium heat for another minute.

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❏ Take the pan off the heat, add yogurt. Mix it well, then return the pan to heat and stir continuously until oil begins to separate from the sides of the masala.

Notes

❏ Add garam masala, crushed kasuri methi, salt, cook on medium-low heat for another 2 minutes.

Most if not all the ingredients can be sourced at local Indian grocery stores. Also, green chilies and chili powder can be managed based on how spicy you would like the dish to be. If you add all the green chilies then I recommend starting with 1 tsp of red chili powder and then increase the quantity once you have done a taste test.

❏ Add about 1/2 cup water, mix it well, let the gravy come to a boil. Skip adding water, if you want a thick consistency gravy. Check for seasonings, adjust salt if required.

Can be enjoyed with rice, roti or any other flatbread!

❏ Add the fried okra, mix well and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Squeeze in the lime juice now, mix well & garnish with finely chopped cilantro leaves. ❏ Serve hot with rice/ pilaf/ tandoori roti/naan or any other flatbread.

Serves: 4 people

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RUSSIA

Blini By Ekaterina Komyza

Preparation ❏ Beat together the sugar and the eggs. Stir in the salt, warm water or milk and mix well. Add the baking soda and citric acid. Mix. ❏ Add the flour using a strainer and keep stirring constantly. Add vegetable oil. Set the bowl aside and let it rest for 10 minutes. ❏ Melt a tablespoon of butter or you can use vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Use a ladle to pour a liquid dough on a pan and rotate your wrist, tilting the pan so the blini makes a circle and coats the bottom. The blini should be very thin. ❏ Cook the blini for about 30 seconds. Carefully lift up an edge of the blini to see if it's fully cooked: the edges will be golden and it should have brown spots and small holes on the surface. Flip the blini over and cook the other side for 30 seconds. ❏ Put them on top of each other

Ingredients

❏ Spread your favorite filling in the center of the blini, and fold in any shape you want: roll like burrito, fold like square or triangle.

350g all purpose flour

2 to 3 eggs (depends on size)

Serves: 6-8 people

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Notes

1 tsp baking soda

600ml milk or water

2.5 tbsp vegetable oil

Blini (russian thin pancakes or blini/bliny блины)

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BRAZIL

Brigadeiros By Luciana Goebel

Preparation ❏ In a small saucepan mix the sweet condensed milk, the cocoa powder, and the butter. ❏ Bring the sauce pan to the stove and heat it over medium-low heat. ❏ Cook it, mixing constantly (this is important, otherwise it will burn!) until it thickens. A way to know is to run your wooden spoon (or spatula) in the middle of the mixture. If it takes a while for the mixture to move, then your brigadeiro is ready! ❏ Reserve, letting it cool to room temperature. ❏ In a plate or bowl, spread your sprinkles. ❏ Once the brigadeiro is cool, grease your hands with butter and roll the brigadeiros into little balls.(In Brazil we usually use half a tablespoon as measurement, but you can make your balls as big or small as you'd like)

Ingredients

❏ Roll the brigadeiro balls into the sprinkles and place them in paper/foil candy cups.

1 can of condensed milk

Ready: 3 hours

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Serves: 25 brigadeiros

20g of unsalted butter, plus more for rolling balls

Good quality chocolate sprinkles (or any other type of sprinkles you like)

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PERU

Ceviche

3 cooked sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1 inch slices)

3 cooked corn in the cob (cut into 1 inch slices)

1 ají limo/Chili cut in thin slices for garnish

Preparation ❏ Wash fish, Cut in squares 1/2 inch thick. Keep it in a bowl with some ice in the fridge, while preparing the rest of the ingredients. ❏ Put the onions in a bowl filled with cold water and finely dice the chillies. ❏ Take out the fish, drain. Add salt, garlic, pepper, lime juice and some of the chopped cilantro. Mix with a spoon. Let rest 5-10 minutes. ❏ Taste the juices and adjust the salt if needed. Transfer to a serving plate and add the onion slices on top. Garnish with lettuce leaves, corn slices and sweet potato. Sprinkle some chilli and chopped cilantro.

Ingredients

❏ Enjoy immediately!!

2.2 lb filet of sole or any fresh, white tender fish

Serves: 8 people

3 medium red onions, thinly sliced

Notes

8 to 10 freshly squeezed limes

3 finely chopped aji limo/Chili

Salt and Pepper

1½ tbsp chopped cilantro

3 to 5 cloves crushed garlic

3 leaves of lettuce

Ceviche, also spelled Cebiche, is not only one of the most popular dishes in Peru and the pride and joy of all Peruvians, but as well the Peruvian National Dish with its very own National Day. A refreshing and light must-eat full of Peruvian flavor!

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ISRAEL

Challah Bread

For shabbat By Aviv Oshrit

1 egg

Sesame/poppy seeds

Preparation ❏ Sift the flour into a big bowl ❏ Make a small pit in the flour, put 1 tablespoon of salt and cover with flour ❏ Spread on the flour- sugar and dry yeast ❏ Start adding the water while kneading. Once you start having soft dough, add the oil ❏ Knead until you get soft and combined dough (6-8 minutes) ❏ Place the dough in an oiled bowl and Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until doubled (1-1.5 hours) ❏ Divide the dough to 3 or 4 pieces (depending on how big you want your challah to be) ❏ Make from each piece a 3 parts braid and let the challah braids rise in a warm place until doubled (around 0.5-1) ❏ About 20 minutes before baking, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 180 degrees Celsius

Ingredients ●

1kg white flour

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp dry yeast

4 tbsp sugar

2.5 -3 cups of lukewarm water

0.5 cup sunflower oil

❏ Brush the challahs with egg ❏ Spread sesame/poppy seeds on the challahs ❏ Bake the challahs for 30-35 minutes. Bake until the challahs are deeply brown ❏ Bete’avon! (means enjoy your meal)

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2 tbsp light soya sauce

Char Kway Teow

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp sweet soya sauce

By Sarah Audrea

2 tbsp water

1 tsp fish sauce

SINGAPORE

Preparation ❏ Heat up cooking oil in a pot. ❏ Add in minced garlic and stir fry until aromatic. ❏ Add in kway teow, slices of fish cakes and sausages. Stir to mix well. ❏ Add in a bit of water and the rest of the sauces. Stir to mix. ❏ Add the slightly beaten egg in the middle of the noodles. Stir quickly to mix until the egg is dried up. ❏ Add in bean sprouts and Chinese chives ❏ Stir well and off the flame.

Ingredients ●

Cooking Oil

1 pack of kway teow

2 Chinese sausages (sliced)

2 pieces of sliced fish cakes

75g bean sprouts

2 cloves garlic, minced

50g Chinese chives

1 egg, slightly beaten

Peeled prawns, optional

Bird’s eye chilli, optional

Lime, optional

❏ Serve hot immediately with slices of bird’s eye chili and lime (optional)

Notes Pork lard is traditionally used for this dish to produce an authentic flavour but it is usually substituted with any healthier cooking oil these days You could adjust the level of saltiness by reducing the amount of light soya sauce and fish sauce. A hot fire gives a wok hei (Cantonese for “smoky aroma”) essential to this dish which will produce the best flavours

Serves: 4 people 19


GERMANY

Cheese Spaetzle “Käsespätzle”

Preparation ❏ Combine flour, eggs, salt, water and mix to a firm, smooth dough using an electric mixer until it is smooth and detaches easily from the side of the bowl. Cover and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. ❏ Bring a large pot of water to the boil and generously add salt. Now pass the dough through a wide-holed sieve into boiling water. Alternatively, you can also use a special spätzle press. Make sure to make the spätzle in small batches and once it rises to the top of the pot and floats on the surface, remove the spätzle with a slotted spoon, rinse in cold water. ❏ In a greased casserole dish layer the spätzle and cheese alternately and sprinkle each layer with a little pepper. Finish with a layer of cheese and sautéed or crispy onions. Bake in the oven at 220°C for about 5 to 8 minutes.

Ingredients

Notes You can loosely translate Spaetzle as egg noodles.

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs

2 tsp salt

1 cup water

Spaetzle with Emmentaler cheese and fried onions is typical of the Baden-Wuerttemberg region of Germany.

2 tbsp butter

Accompanying the side dish is a green salad.

8 ounces grated cheese

fried onions

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PAKISTAN

Chicken Pulao

3 black cardamoms

5-6 whole red chillies

1 bay leaf

1 piece of nutmeg, break/chop into a rough quarters (optional)

2 pieces javetri/mace (optional)

4-5 whole green

Preparation ❏ Heat a very generous lug of oil in a pot big enough to cook your pulao in ❏ Add the onions and cook on medium heat till amber ❏ Now add the chicken and saute until the pieces are all white ❏ Add all the remaining pulao masala ingredients except the green chillies ❏ Mix well, saute on medium high heat for two minutes

Ingredients ●

2.5 cups basmati rice.

1.5-2 lb chicken (bone in, mixed pieces)

3 onions diced

1 tbsp garlic paste

1.5 tbsp ginger paste

2 tsp salt

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp whole black pepper

½ tbsp cumin seeds

1-inch piece cinnamon

❏ Let the masala come to a boil, then simmer on low until the chicken is done. The chicken releases it's own liquid so you shouldn't need to add any unless the masala seems like it will stick/burn. ❏ When the masala is ready the oil will have risen to the top and the chicken will be tender. This can take anywhere between 25-35 minutes depending on your chicken. ❏ Once the chicken is done add the rice, green chillies, and 3.5 cups of water to the pot along with 1.5 tsp salt ❏ Mix well and taste, it should be just a little salty.

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❏ Bring the pulao to a boil and cook partially covered until almost all the water has evaporated then close the lid completely for 5-8 minutes until the remaining moisture has absorbed and the rice is done. ❏ Gently fluff the rice from the sides and serve with your chutney/raita/achar of choice.

Notes Mace and nutmeg are entirely optional, but I do love the rich notes they add. If you don't have them handy don't worry. If you only have nutmeg powder add a level half tsp when the masala is done Please start with less salt and adjust according to your taste buds!

Ready: 45 - 50mins Serves: 6 people

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VIETNAM

Che Chuoi

Preparation ❏ Soak tapioca pearls in plenty of water (about 2-3 cups) for an hour. ❏ Peel and slice bananas into 3/4-inch thick slices. Set aside. ❏ Drain tapioca pearls. In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil, add tapioca pearls and lower the heat to medium low - medium. Cook and stir frequently to prevent scorching until tapioca pearls are almost clear, some may have a tiny white dot in the center (about 4-5 minutes). ❏ Add coconut milk and sugar, stir and cook until the tapioca pearls are all transparent and the mixture comes to a near boil. You can add more coconut milk if you want a thinner soup. ❏ Add banana slices, stir gently and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes until bananas are slightly soft and flavors come together. Taste and add more sugar to your liking.

Ingredients ●

1/4 cup small tapioca pearls or sago (about 1.75 oz)

5-6 bananas (about 16-20 oz)

1 cup water

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoons sugar

Unsalted roasted peanuts, slightly crushed or toasted sesame seeds

❏ Divide banana tapioca pudding into serving glasses and sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts or toasted sesame seeds.

Notes This is a simple dairy-free dessert from South Vietnam that’s so yummy warm that can be enjoyed anytime. We don’t really measure when cooking this so found the closest recipe to my Aunt’s. My family had acres of fertile farmland in Vietnam so this dessert always brings me back to my childhood and the lazy carefree days in the fields bountiful with fruit such as bananas.

Serves: 8 - 10 people

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INDIA

Chicken Tikka By Amrita Rekhi

½ tsp red chilli powder or paprika

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

½ tsp black pepper

Preparation Marinade Chicken ❏ To prepare the marinade, put the yoghurt in a mixing bowl. Then add lemon juice, coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste. Mix together all the dry spices and then add to the yoghurt. Mix everything well with a whisk and taste a little. Add more salt/ chilli powder, if required, to adjust the taste. ❏ Next, make sure the chicken is completely dry. Add the cubed chicken, onion and green pepper and mix well with hand to ensure that everything is well covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight, if possible.

Ingredients ●

500g of chicken breast (Boneless and cubed into 3”to 4” pieces)

½ cup (thick) yoghurt

1 onion cut into big cubes

1 green Pepper cut into big cubes

1 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp of ginger garlic paste

½ cup of coriander Leaves or parsley (chopped finely)

1 ½ tsp of salt

❏ Once the chicken is well marinated, it can be cooked by either frying or grilling in the oven. ❏ For frying add oil to a pan. Once the oil is hot, add 4-5 pieces of the chicken and vegetables at one time and fry on slow flame. Turn once and take out from the oil once the chicken is tender. ❏ For grilling, preheat the oven to 250 degrees C. Put the chicken on skewers, alternating it with the vegetables. Foil a baking tray and spray cooking oil on it. Place the skewers on the tray and grill for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is brown and tender. Halfway through, turn the skewers around to cook on the 24


other side. Remove the chicken from the skewers, sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with some chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy it with mint sauce.

Notes Chicken Tikka is a very popular dish from India, especially North India and is enjoyed throughout the year. It is usually served as an appetizer along with mint sauce or it can also be enjoyed for the main course with nan (Indian bread) or rice. The name chicken tikka means chicken cubes or pieces. The delicious taste of the chicken tikka comes when the chicken cubes are marinated well and then fried or grilled to perfection. It is a very easy dish to cook. It can also be made into Chicken tikka masala by adding the chicken tikka to a tomato-based gravy.

Serves: 3 people

25


USA

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies By Jennifer Wegner

Ingredients ●

1 C butter

1 C brown sugar

1 C white sugar

2 eggs (room temp)

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

2/3 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (I use minis)

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2 cups of flour (approximate)

Preparation ❏ Bring butter to room temp. ❏ Mix in the ingredients in the order of the recipe. ❏ Using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons, place cookie dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon pad.

Notes When do we eat it? Whenever we need a sugary treat :)

❏ Bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes. Let cool on a paper towel. ❏ Enjoy!

26


ITALY

Ciambellone Classico

Preparation ❏ Blend the eggs with the sugar until they are nice and creamy. ❏ Slowly add milk, then oil, and then the lemon zest. ❏ Add the vanilla sugar and the flour, little by little, making sure that it does not form lumps, and then add the baking powder. ❏ Carefully and generously butter a ring cake pan and transfer the batter in the pan. Bake it at 190 C (375 F) for 40 minutes. Do not open the oven to peek! ❏ Let the cake cool down first and then place it on a serving plate. Dust the cake nicely with icing sugar and enjoy it!

Notes

Ingredients ●

400g all-purpose white flour type “00”

250g sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup of olive oil

1/2 cup of milk

1 lemon (just need the lemon zest)

1 packet of baking powder

1 packet of vanilla sugar

Ciambellone is a ring-shaped cake, and many of us grew up with our grandma’s and mums preparing it for merenda (after school snack) or for breakfast. The one I am proposing below is the basic recipe, which can be customised by adding other ingredients, like chocolate, nuts, pine nuts and whatever comes to mind. I usually make it as simple as possible, exactly as my mother used to do. I usually use a mixer for this kind of cake, but my mother used to hand mix everything, so it is perfectly doable even if you do not own a food processor.

27


INDIA

Coconut Bread By Mangla Sachdev

Ingredients ●

1 cup of desiccated coconut

3/4 cup of sugar

1cup of self-raising flour

3/4 cup of milk

1/4 tsp of vanilla essence

Preparation ❏ Mix all ingredients together and place in a greased or silicone bread pan. ❏ Bake at 170 degrees for 30-40 minutes or till a skewer is inserted and comes out clean. ❏ Enjoy warm with butter!

Notes Coconut bread is enjoyed at breakfast

28


FINLAND

Creamy Salmon Soup

5-6 carrots diced into cubes

4dl cooking cream

750g charlotte potatoes diced in 2cm cubes

30g chopped fresh dill

Salt to taste

Preparation ❏ Begin your cooking by dicing carrots, potatoes, onions and salmon. ❏ Next, boil water and add fish stock cubes and black peppers. Once your stock is ready, add diced carrots and allow them to boil for about 5 minutes. ❏ Next, add diced potatoes and onions. Reduce to a simmer. When carrots, potatoes and onions feel cooked, add the cooking cream and salmon cubes. ❏ Continue to cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the flesh of the fish changes. Please stir gently to avoid breaking up the salmon and potatoes.

Ingredients ●

1l of water

3 cubes of fish stock. Please look for fish stock by Knorr and not Ikan Bilis (anchovies) stock that is different in flavour.

30 whole black peppers

2 diced onions

1kg skinless salmon fillets diced into 2cm cube

❏ Also, while you prepare your masterpiece, please avoid overcooking as potatoes can turn mushy. ❏ Just before serving, stir in chopped dill.

Notes Creamy Salmon Soup, locally known as Lohikeitto, is a simple bowl of deliciousness and one of the most popular home dishes in Finland. Salmon soup is easy to cook and goes beautifully with a dark and sweet Islander Bread topped with plain butter, smoked ham or a slice of your favourite cheese.

29


FRANCE

Crepes By Juliette Kinn

but make sure that the blender is big enough or divide all ingredients by half. ❏ Keep refrigerated for 1 hour. ❏ Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium. Lightly coat with butter. Quickly pour 1/4 cup batter into the center of skillet, tilting and swirling pan until batter evenly coats bottom. Cook until crepe is golden in places on the bottom and edges begin to lift from the pan, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Lift one edge of crepe with an offset spatula, then use your fingers to gently flip crepe. Cook on the second side until just set and golden in places on bottom, about 45 seconds. Slide crepe onto a plate. ❏ Repeat with remaining batter, coating pan with more butter as needed, and stacking crepes directly on top of one another. Let cool to room temperature before using, wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating up to 5 days, or freezing up to 1 month.

Ingredients ●

6 eggs

50g sugar

100g melted butter

500g unbleached all purpose flour

1l milk

Preparation ❏ In a large bowl mix, sugar and eggs. Add flour, butter previously melted in the oven for 20 seconds and milk. ❏ Mix until smooth. You can mix for 30 secs in a blender for a smooth texture

Notes In France, crêpes are traditionally served on Candlemas, 2 Feb. This day was originally Virgin Mary's Blessing Day but became known in France as "Le Jour des Crêpes" (translated "The Day of the Crêpes). The belief was that catching the crêpe with a frying pan after tossing it in the air with your right hand while holding a gold coin in your left hand would cause you to become rich that year. The roundness, and golden colour from being fried in butter, of the crêpe resembles the sun and its rays.

Serves: 20 crepes 30


KOREA

Korean Cucumber Salad By Nancy Kwon

Ingredients ●

1 1/2 lbs Japanese cucumber

2 tsp of brown or white sugar

2 tsp of salt

1 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp of Mirin

1/2 medium red Onion

Parsley or coriander optional*

Preparation ❏ Wash and Peel the cucumber. Thinly cut the cucumber or use a simple mandolin. ❏ Sprinkle the freshly cut cucumber with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar and mix thoroughly. ❏ Let that sit at room temperature for 1 hour minimum of half hour. After one hour there will be excess water so drain. ❏ Cut the red onion very thinly and add to the salad along with the rest of the ingredients.

31


NETHERLANDS

Curly Kale, Potatoes and Smoked Sausages By Elsa Gianno

Preparation ❏ Put the potatoes in a large pan and add just enough water to cover. Add salt. Add the kale and any water that still clings to it, and place the sausage on top (if you are using a Dutch ‘rookworst’, do not remove the inner plastic wrapping). Cover the pan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. ❏ Melt 25 g butter in a frying pan and brown the bacon in it. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add a dash of water to the pan and stir the baked-on bits loose. Cook until you have a nice gravy. ❏ Drain the potatoes and kale. Mash them together. Add the remaining butter and milk, and beat until creamy. Stir in the bacon. ❏ Remove the sausage from its wrapping, if necessary, and place it on top of the mash.

Notes

1kg potatoes, peeled and quartered

1tsp salt

This is a typical lunch or dinner (Dutch usually eat a “warm meal” once a day) during wintertime, after some nice ice skating on the frozen river bordering the backyard of the house.

1kg curly kale, washed and finely chopped

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients

1 smoked sausage

75g butter

150g lean bacon in small strips

50ml milk

32


USA

Daddy Dave’s Chili By Dave

1 teaspoon of chili powder (more if you want it spicy, less if you need it mild for the kids)

1-2 teaspoon of dried coriander or a handful of fresh coriander.

1 glass of red wine (leftovers are fine)

Preparation ❏ Dice, then sauté the carrots and onion. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, when the veg is almost cooked. Transfer the sautéd veg to a slow cooker & stir in two cans of diced tomatoes plus the rest of the spices. Turn the cooker on high if you are in a hurry, lower if you have more time. ❏ Sauté the mince & garlic in the pan used for the veg. Pour this into the slow cooker when browned. Drain, then add the canned beans. Pour in the wine. Give the mix a good stir & put the lid on the slow cooker.

Ingredients ●

2-3 carrots

1 yellow onion

3-5 garlic cloves

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 can kidney beans

1 can chickpeas or pinto beans

350 g mince pork or beef

0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

❏ The mix needs to simmer for at least a couple hours. Cooking longer improves the flavor. Add water if/when needed. ❏ Serve over white rice, garnish with shredded cheese and/or plain yoghurt.

33


DENMARK

Drømmekage from Brovst By Iben Nagel

175 grams of coconut flakes

250 grams of brown sugar

1 dl milk

Preparation ❏ Whisk vanilla powder, sugar and eggs together until it is nice and airy. ❏ Mix baking powder with flour and flip it gently into the dough. ❏ Put butter and milk in a pot and heat it up gently, until all the butter has melted. Don’t let it get too hot. ❏ Mix the butter and milk with the rest of the dough and pour it in a pan (30x24 cm) with baking paper. ❏ Bake the cake in the oven for 25 min at 175 degrees. ❏ Prepare the topping by putting coconut flakes, butter, milk and brown sugar in a pot and heat it up until it boils while stirring. ❏ When the cake is done after 25 min, then take it out and turn the oven to 225 degrees.

Ingredients ●

300 grams of sugar

4 eggs

½ teaspoon of vanilla

280 grams of flour

3 teaspoons of baking powder

2 dl milk

64 grams of butter

Topping

125 grams of butter

❏ Pour the coconut mix over the cake and even it out. And put it back in the oven and bake it for 5 min. ❏ When the cake is done take it out and let it rest until it is cold.

Notes Use the bigger grated coconut flakes because then the topping becomes better and stickier. The cake can go into the freezer.

Serves: 8 people

34


35


NETHERLANDS

Dutch Apple Pie By Elsa Gianno

50g raisins

50g caster sugar (depending on how sweet the apples are)

3 tsp cinnamon

Preparation ❏ Mix flour, soft white sugar, vanilla sugar, butter, two thirds of the egg and a pinch of salt together. Knead to a soft dough until you can make a big ball out of it. Set one fourth of the dough aside for the top crust. Grease a springform pan (round cake mould) and cover completely with the dough. Press up the sides until the edges are 3 cm high. Press firmly. Prick holes in the bottom with a fork and cover with a thin layer of breadcrumbs.

Ingredients ●

300g self raising flour

150g soft white sugar (you can use a smaller amount of caster sugar and a bit of honey).

1 sachet vanilla sugar

175g cold butter in pieces (1cm by 1cm)

1 egg lightly beaten

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp of bread crumbs

1 kg hard tart apples peeled and chopped

❏ Preheat the oven to 175C. Mix the pieces of apple, raisins, sugar and cinnamon thoroughly and spoon into the springform pan. Roll out the remaining dough until ½ cm thick. Cut the dough into long strips of about 1cm wide. ❏ Place the strips on top of the filling, forming a lattice-work pattern. Seal the strips where they meet the edges. Glaze the top with the rest of the egg and bake until the pie is golden brown. ❏ It will take around 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the pie cool in the pan before removing the side.

Notes Apple pie is a famous Dutch recipe which the Dutch eat at birthdays.

36


GERMANY

Easter Chocolate Cake

75ml buttermilk

The Ganache ●

200g dark chocolate, chopped

300ml double cream

2 tbsp of golden caster sugar

Decoration ●

1 packet of Cadbury mini eggs

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 160 (gas mark 3). ❏ Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin. ❏ Put chocolate and butter in a medium pan. ❏ Mix coffee granules into 125ml of cold water and add to the pan. ❏ Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted. ❏ Beat 3 medium eggs with 75ml buttermilk.

Ingredients ●

200g dark chocolate, chopped

200g butter, cut into cubes

1tbsp of instant coffee granules

85g self raising flour

85g plain flour

½ tsp of bicarbonate soda

200g light muscovado sugar

200g golden caster sugar

25g cocoa powder

3 medium eggs

❏ Pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir everything to a smooth, quite runny consistency. ❏ Pour this into the tin and bake for 1hr 25 – 1hr 30 mins. If you push a skewer into the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit). ❏ Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cold cake horizontally into three. ❏ To make the ganache, put 200g chopped dark chocolate in a bowl. Pour 300ml double cream into a pan,

37


add 2 tbsp golden caster sugar and heat until it is about to boil. ❏ Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Cool until it is a little thicker but still pourable. ❏ Sandwich the layers together with a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smooth over any gaps with a palette knife. ❏ Decorate with the mini eggs. The cake keeps moist for approx 3 days.

38


AUSTRALIA

Fairy Bread

Ingredients ●

Store bought white bread

Spreadable butter

100’s and 1000’s sprinkles

Preparation ❏ Spread the pieces of bread generously with butter ❏ Pour 100’s and 1000’s into a shallow bowl. ❏ Dip the bread, butter side down into the bowl so that the 100’s and 1000’s coat the surface of the bread ❏ Cut the bread into triangles ❏ Serve

Notes Fairy Bread is a staple for all children’s birthday parties. This is a great special treat to have your children help you make. You can also use the chocolate sprinkles as a chocolatey alternative

39


CHINA

Flammulina Velutipes Beef Roll By Jialin Yu

Ingredients ●

400g Sliced beef

200g Flammulina velutipes (Enoki mushrooms)

Shallots

¼ cup Oyster sauce

¼ cup Soy sauce

1/3 cup Sugar

Preparation ❏ Wash Flammulina velutipes and cut off the roots ❏ Wrap a pinch of Flammulina velutipes in sliced beef, and fix with a toothpick. ❏ Pour water into the pot and bring it to a boil. Put in the beef rolls. ❏ Boil the beef rolls until they change color,add the right amount of oyster sauce,soy sauce and sugar,turn the fire to a low heat and simmer slowly about 3minutes.

Notes Beef rolls should be fixed with toothpicks. Just boil the beef rolls until they change color. Don’t cook them too long. Put in two tablespoons each of oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar,and taste it again. If it is too salty, you can add some water.

❏ Put the pan into the pan and sprinkle with chopped onions.

Serves: 4 people

40


DENMARK

Flødeboller Pu Cakes By JIben Nagel

20g of your own toppings ie, coconut, sprinkles, nuts

Preparation ❏ Roll out the marzipan on a table sprinkled with icing sugar, until the marzipan is about 4 mm thick and cut out 12-14 bottoms with a round sticker. ❏ Bake the bottoms for 7-9 minutes in a preheated oven at 175 degrees hot air until golden on the edge. Keep an eye on them. Let them cool on a rack on the kitchen table. The inside puff ❏ Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the grains, which are mixed with 250 g of sugar until evenly distributed. Put vanilla, sugar, water and glucose syrup in a saucepan and cook it up to 117 degrees. Use a food thermometer to ensure that the temperature is correct. It takes some time to bring it up to 117 degrees.

Ingredients ●

300g of marzipan

40g of icing sugar

1 vanilla stick, only the inside corns

250g of sugar

110g of glucose sirup

0,75 dl water

150g of egg white

3 tbsp of sugar

400g of dark chocolate

❏ Meanwhile, beat the egg whites with 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl, mixer or a food processor until completely stiff and forming peaks. ❏ Pour the warm sugar mass into the egg whites little by little, in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Whisk for at least 10 minutes, until it is a cool shiny cream bun foam. ❏ Put cream ball foam in a spray bag with a round tulle of 22 mm. or a large star style. ❏ Spray tops on the cooled cream bun bases, set aside for an hour on the kitchen table so they dry slightly on the surface.

41


Chocolate coating ❏ Finely chop the chocolate and put 1/3 of the chocolate in a water bath, where it will melt while stirring. Then take off the heat and stir in the rest of the chocolate until it also melts. Coat the puffs ❏ Place the puffs on a rack with parchment paper under the rack, and use a spoon to pour the chocolate over little by little. Alternatively, you can put the chocolate in a tall narrow bowl where the puffs can be dipped in one at a time. Make sure that all the cream ball foam is completely covered with chocolate and that the upper part of the bottoms is also covered.

Ready in 60 minutes Serves: 6 people

42


INDONESIA

Indonesian Fried Rice

3 tbsp Indonesian ‘kecap manis’ (sweet dark soy sauce) – you can buy it on any Asian supermarket

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

5 spring onions scallions chopped

6 eggs

1tbsp shrimp paste/chopped chili (optional, not recommended for kids)

Preparation ❏ Bring the water to a boil and pour in the rice (no need to rinse). Give it a stir so that the rice is covered by the water, put a lid on the pan and cook for 20 minutes on the lowest heat on your smallest burner. If you have a rice cooker, even better. Just put the rice and water into the rice cooker and wait till it cooks.

Ingredients ●

500ml water

300g long grain rice

4 tbsp vegetable oil/butter for better smell

3 shallots finely minced

¼ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic peeled and minced

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 heaped tbsp brown sugar

❏ After 20 minutes, take the lid off and spread out the rice onto a tray. Leave to cool, uncovered for 20-30 minutes (until room temperature), then cover with cling film/plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you're ready to use (make sure you use the rice within 24 hours). Usually I put the rice inside the refrigerator for the whole night for better texture, or you can use leftover rice – zero waste. ❏ When you're ready to make the rice, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large wok or frying pan until hot and add in the garlic, shallot and (shrimp paste and chilli if you like spicy). Heat for one minute until fragrant, then add in the oyster sauce, brown sugar, and soy sauce and heat for a further minute.

43


❏ Now add the rice to the wok and cook on a high heat. Use a spatula to ensure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan, move the rice around so that it's all getting reheated. Once the rice is hot (this will take about 5 minutes), push the rice over to the side of the pan and crack one of the eggs into the space. Make sure this bit of the pan is over the heat, fry the two eggs, giving a mix with the spatula until the egg starts to cook and look scrambled. Now mix the egg into the rice. Add the spring onions, a pinch of salt and mix it all together. Reduce the heat to low. Adjust the taste too.

Notes

❏ Add the remaining oil to a large frying pan and heat until hot, then fry the remaining four eggs until the white is crisp at the edges, but the yolk is still runny (you can baste the egg in the hot oil to make it cook quicker).

Serves: 4 people

This Cuisine basically is Indonesian comfort food. You can serve it as breakfast, for lunch or even for dinner because there is quite carbo there. This cuisine is perfect for you who have limited options of ingredients. You can put any leftover ingredients inside, sometimes I put leftover baked chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or any veggies left in the refrigerator. For instruction and ingredients, I only write the basic one because you can put anything inside.

❏ Divide the rice between four bowls and top each with a fried egg, then serve. ❏ PS: Depending on what are your ‘additional ingredients’ you want to put in, for raw ingredients such as raw chicken, raw shrimp, raw pork you put it before you put the rice so all of the spices and soy sauce will go inside. But if they are cooked ingredient such as leftover chicken or veggies, better put it after you put the rice (except hard veggies such as carrot better put it before the rice so it will become soft)

44


Gibanica By Ivanka Kovacevic

well after each addition. Add cottage cheese and feta cheese and mix well. Set aside. ❏ Heat oven to 350 F. Fold two sheets of filo dough in half and place in a lightly buttered 13x9-inch pan. ❏ Lightly brush the filo with melted butter. Spread with about 1/2 cup filling. Continue in this manner until all but three sheets of filo are left. ❏ Top with the last three sheets of filo and brush with remaining butter. ❏ Place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips and bake about 1 hour or until golden. ❏ Let sit 15 to 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving warm.

Notes

Ingredients ●

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

9 large eggs

2 1/2 pounds large-curd cottage cheese

1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled

1 pound filo dough, thawed

8 ounces (2 sticks) butter, melted

Preparation ❏ In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 3 eggs at a time, beating

Gibanica comes in two flavors. Sweet gibanicas are crusty layered pastries with many variations. Some are a little along the lines of a mille-feuille—better known as a Napoleon. Savory gibanicas can be very hearty, with layers of delicious pastry dough and meats, or they can be entirely meatless like this one. This recipe for salty (savory) Serbian gibanica is a blend of cream cheese, cottage cheese, and feta cheese between layers of filo dough baked until golden brown and crispy. Serves: 6 to 8 people Total time: 90 min | Prep: 30 min Cook: 60 min (depends on oven intensity)

45


TAIWAN

Glutinous Rice

Preparation ❏ Soak glutinous rice (preferred to soak overnight, or at least 4 hours) ❏ Soak dried shiitake mushrooms for 2 hours, and cut into thin strips, the same thickness as the pork belly. ❏ To cook, use a frying pan. Add oil, and stir fry dried shiitake mushrooms and dried shrimps till you can smell the fragrance. (roughly 2-3 minutes) ❏ Add pork belly in the frying pan together, continue to stir fry till the surface of pork belly is cooked. (Roughly 3-5 minutes) ❏ Drain the water of glutinous rice, and add in the frying pan. ❏ Add soy sauce to the frying pan, and continue to stir fry till the rice is gently covered by soy sauce. (Add extra water if too dry)

Ingredients ●

300g glutinous rice

5 dried shiitake mushrooms

2 tsp oil

1 tbsp dried shrimp

180-200g pork belly (thin strips)

2-3 tbsp soy sauce

1 spring fresh coriander for garnishing

❏ Transfer everything from step 4 to a proper steaming pan (better place a layer of baking paper), and place in a steamer. Steam for 60-70 minutes till the softness of rice is preferred.

Serves: 3 to 4 people

46


NORWAY

Gravlax with mustard sauce

3 tbsp finely chopped dill

salt, pepper (if desired)

Preparation ❏ The middle part of the salmon is best suited for this dish. You will need a stainless steel or deep glass container for curing the salmon. ❏ Cut the salmon in two even pieces. Pat the pieces dry with a kitchen towel, and rub them with the mixture of salt, sugar and pepper, on the non skin side. ❏ Place one of the pieces with the skin down in the container, top with chopped dill, and cover with the other piece of salmon, this time with the skin facing up. Cover the whole dish with aluminium foil or cling film. ❏ Put something heavy on top of the dish to ensure that the salmon is packed together. ❏ Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Turn the salmon sandwich occasionally every 12 hours.

Ingredients ●

400-500g salmon (with skin)

1.5 tbsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp white pepper

A bunch of fresh dill

Mustard sauce ●

3 tbsp sweet mustard

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vinegar

1 dl soya oil

❏ After 3 days, scrape off the excess herbs and seasoning. ❏ The cured salmon should be kept refrigerated and sliced thinly. ❏ For the mustard sauce, mix all the ingredients except the soya oil in a small bowl. ❏ Stir the oil into the mix carefully, little by little, and mix in the finely chopped dill.Taste the sauce and see if you would like to add any salt and pepper.

47


USA

Mrs B’s Gumbo Ya-Ya

1 red & green bell pepper, minced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb. sausage, (usually andouille but can be any of your choosing)

1 tbsp Creole seasoning (Tony Chacere’s if you have it)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp crushed red chili flakes

3 bay leaves

Cooked white rice

Preparation ❏ Bring chicken, quartered onion, halved celery, peppercorns, 2 bay carrots, thyme sprigs, and 10 cups water to a boil in an 8-qt. saucepan. ❏ Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 35-40 minutes.

Ingredients ● ●

2 medium onions (1 quartered, 1 finely chopped) 3 stalks celery (2 halved, 1 finely chopped)

2 tbsp black peppercorns

1 (3 1/2-lb.) whole chicken

2 medium carrots, halved

2 sprigs thyme

16 tbsp unsalted butter

1 ½ cups flour

❏ Remove chicken; cool, then shred meat. Strain stock; discard solids and set aside. ❏ Heat butter in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. ❏ Whisk in flour; cook, stirring, to make a dark roux, 18-20 minutes. ❏ Add remaining chopped onion, celery, and bay, plus bell peppers, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring, until soft, 8-10 minutes. ❏ Add andouille, Creole seasoning, cayenne, dried thyme, and chili flakes;

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cook until fat begins to render from sausage, 3-4 minutes. ❏ Stir in 5 ½ cups of reserved stock (chill remainder for another use); bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring, until thickened, 8-10 minutes. Add chicken; cook until hot, 2 minutes more. ❏ Serve with white rice.

Notes Gumbo is a Louisiana dish served for lunch or dinner. This recipe makes 8-10 large servings. We generally serve for dinner and then have plenty for leftovers the next day. Many people add shrimp as well. We follow this recipe which keeps the spice down for the kids and add Tabasco after serving. I’d like to say this recipe is my own but I follow Mr. B’s gumbo ya-ya to the letter as this was our favorite when we lived in New Orleans. Serves: 8 to 10 people

49


ISRAEL

Hamantaschen (Funny Cookies)

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. ❏ In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the oil, vanilla and orange juice. Combine the flour and baking powder; ❏ stir into the batter to form a stiff dough. ❏ If the dough is not stiff enough to roll out, stir in more flour. ❏ On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. ❏ Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim or a drinking glass. ❏ Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. ❏ Spoon about 2 teaspoons of preserves into the center of each one. ❏ Pinch the edges to form three corners.

Ingredients ●

3 eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup orange juice

5 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

❏ Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Notes Funny cookies or Hamantaschen (the correct name of this cookie) is a Jewish triangular filled-pocket cookie, usually associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim (Similar to Halloween). The shape is achieved by folding in the sides of a circular piece of dough similar to a shortbread, with a filling placed in the center.

Serves: 24 people

50


NORWAY

Norwegian HART Wa es

Preparation ❏ In a large mixing bowl use a hand mixer to beat together eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy. ❏ Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined ❏ Add in sour cream and melted butter and mix until the batter is smooth. Let rest 20 minutes before making waffles. ❏ Heat a heart shaped waffle iron and brush with melted butter before you start. ❏ Serve and enjoy!

Notes Did you know that you actually can buy a heart-shaped waffle maker here in Singapore! The waffles are best served fresh and steaming hot, accompanied by homemade strawberry or blueberry jam and either sour cream or whipped cream. Or just simply add some sugar and dig in!

Ingredients ●

5 eggs

5 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 dl (400g) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

just a hint of salt

2 dl (200g) sour cream

100 grams melted butter

In Norway, Norwegian heart waffles are considered a tasty snack food. Children sell them by the side of the street, like lemonade. We serve them at huts out on the hiking/ski trails to give you sustenance to keep going. Mothers keep bowls of batter in their refrigerator to make snacks for their kids or unexpected coffee guests. And, most everyone has their own recipe. They are very characteristic of the things we love about the culture we grew up in, and they are something we frequently make for holidays, or just a delicious afternoon or evening snack.

Serves: 10 waffles

51


DENMARK

Hindbærsnitte Raspberry slices By Iben Nagel

1 tablespoon of freeze-dried raspberries

Sprinkles

2 tablespoons of finely chopped pistachios.

Preparation ❏ Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the grains, which are mixed with icing sugar. ❏ Put it in a bowl together with flour, almond flour, baking powder and butter. Knead well and add water little by little until the dough is fine and smooth. ❏ Put the dough in the fridge for an hour, after which it is rolled out on baking paper into a large square, which is baked in a preheated oven at 175 degrees hot air for approx. 10 min. ❏ Divide the dough in half and let it cool when it cools, the cake becomes more crispy and dry. ❏ Spread raspberry jam on one half, place the other half over and cut out.

Ingredients

❏ Garnish with icing, sprinkles or with freeze-dried raspberries and finely chopped pistachios.

150 grams of butter

200 grams of flour

40 grams of almond flour

Ready in 20 minutes

3 tablespoons water

Serves: 6 people

½ vanilla stick, only the inside corns

40 grams icing sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

250 grams of raspberry jam

Icing sugar and water

52


IRELAND

Irish Shortbread

Ingredients ●

250g cold butter

2 tablespoons of rice flour

½ cup of icing sugar

3 cups of plain flour

Preparation ❏ Mix all ingredients in a food processor until they come together. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour. ❏ Roll out onto a floured clean surface and cut into shapes (shamrocks preferred), using a cookie cutter. ❏ Bake at 160-180 deg in a fan assisted oven for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool on a wire tray. ❏ Dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!

Notes Irish Shortbread Can be eaten any time of the day, anytime of the year but mostly appreciated at Christmas time or St. Patrick’s Day

53


FINLAND

Islander Bread

Preparation ❏ Stir the yeast, salt, syrup, wheat bran, crushed rye malt and flour into the lukewarm buttermilk. Pour the mixture into two greased 2-litre tins. Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 1,5 hours. ❏ Preheat the oven to 175°C. Bake for 1 hour. Cover with foil if necessary. Bake for a further 30 minutes. Drizzle the loaves with syrup water. Bake for a further 30 minutes without the foil. The loaves might be fully baked at this point. If not, take them out of the tins, drizzle with syrup water and bake for a further 10 minutes. ❏ Cover and let cool on a wire rack. When cooled, wrap each bread tightly and store in a cool place for 2-3 days. If you are in a hurry, you can serve the bread the next day. The taste is irresistible!

Ingredients ●

1l (1030 g) buttermilk

75g fresh yeast

1 tbsp salt

3 dl (420 g) Scandinavian dark syrup (or light molasses)

3 dl (60 g) wheat bran

3 dl crushed rye malt

3 dl (165 g) rye flour

10 dl (650 g) wheat flour

For the drizzle: 1 dl (0,5 cup US) syrup water (half and half)

Serves: 2 Loaves

54


USA

Jalapeno Popper Dip

¼ cup diced green onion (for garnish, optional)

Topping

1 cup of crushed crackers (we like Ritz but any buttery, crumbly cracker will do)

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ stick of butter, melted

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 350F. ❏ Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Stir well. ❏ Using a fork, combine topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over the top. ❏ Bake for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. ❏ Serve with sturdy crackers or tortilla chips, toasted bread rounds or vegetable sticks (such as celery, bell pepper)

Notes Ingredients ●

6-8 slices bacon, diced and cooked crispy (optional if you want to keep it vegetarian)

2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise

4-6 jalapeños, deseeded and diced

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

This is an easier, creamier version of jalapeno poppers – the leftovers make fabulous omelet filling the next morning! A note about the jalapenos: If you like it very, very spicy, you can leave some or all of the seeds in (and adjust the quantity of jalapenos to your taste. I have served this at family functions and just sliced the jalapenos and put them on top instead of mixing in so that they would be easier to avoid.

Serves: Never enough!

55


ISRAEL

Jelly Doughnuts By Rachel Moffie

❏ Add the water slowly , oil and vanilla essence and keep kneading for 10 minutes ❏ Make a ball from the dough and oil a bit around it and put aside for it to rise for an hour ❏ Knead for a few minutes And put aside for rising for additional 30 min ❏ Cut baking paper into 15 square pieces ❏ Divide the dough into 15 small balls, dip each ball’s bottom into a bit flower and place on the baking paper ❏ Cover all the balls with a towel and put aside to rise for 30 min ❏ Warm up a pan with oil (around 5cm deep) ❏ When the oil is very hot, reduce the flame a bit, take the ball on the paper and place inside the oil, after it gets a golden color, pull the paper out and turn the ball over

Ingredients

❏ Take out and check that it is fully baked inside and Place on blotting paper

3.5 cups of flour

❏ Squeeze jelly inside and pour powdered sugar on top

1 Spoon of yeast

❏ Enjoy!

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup water

1/4 cup of oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Serves: 15 Doughnuts

Preparation ❏ Mix in a mixer or with your hands the flower , yeast, and sugar ❏ Add the egg and knead 56


INDIA

Karahi Paneer

Ingredients ●

Karahi/kadai masala:

4 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin / jeera

1 tsp black pepper

6 dried Kashmiri red chilli (typically not spicy, color and flavor)

For onion tomato paste:

4 tsp oil

6 clove garlic crushed

2 inch ginger chopped

2 onion sliced

4 tomato finely chopped

15-20 cashews washed

Kadai paneer gravy:

2 tbsp butter

2 bay leaf

2 green chilli slit long

2 tsp kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves

1 onion petals

1 capsicum cube

0.5 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 cup water

24 - 30 cube paneer

1 cup of crushed crackers (we like Ritz but any buttery, crumbly cracker will do)

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ stick of butter, melted

Preparation Making karahi/kadai masala ❏ Firstly, dry roast all the ingredients listed above from the karahi mix,fry till they turn aromatic. ❏ Allow to cool and coarsely powder them in a mixer. keep aside. Making tomato-onion paste ❏ In the karahi, roast 6 clove garlic and 2 inch ginger with 4 tsp of oil. fry for a minute ❏ Add 2 sliced onions (slit) and fry till golden brown. ❏ Add 4 chopped tomatoes, 6 cashew and sauté until soft and mushy.

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❏ Cool completely and blend to smooth paste without adding any water. Keep aside for later use. Now the rest ❏ In a large kadai, heat 2 tbsp butter and saute 2 bay leaves, 2 green chilli, 2 tsp kasuri methi till they aromatic. ❏ Further add petals of onion and cubed capsicum. Fry till they shrink slightly. do not cook completely to keep them crunchy.

Notes A karahi is a type of thick, circular, and deep cooking pot. Can be enjoyed with rice, roti or any other flatbread! All the ingredients can be sourced at local Indian grocery stores. Also, green chilies and chili powder can be managed based on how spicy you would like the dish to be. If you add all the green chilies then I recommend starting with 1 tsp of red chili powder and then increase the quantity once you have done a taste test.

❏ Add turmeric and chilli powder. Sauté on low flame till the spices turn aromatic.

Prep Time: 10 - 20 minutes

❏ Add blended tomato-onion and Karahi masala/paste and mix well.

Total Time: 50 - 60 minutes

Cook Time: 40 - 45 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

❏ Add salt to taste and adjust the masala to your taste. Mix well and cook for 5-6 minutes, cook till the masala/paste starts to release oil. ❏ Add ½ to 1 cup water adjusting consistency as required. ❏ Add cubes, paneer, cream and mix gently. do not break the paneer. ❏ Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or till paneer absorbs flavor. ❏ Recheck all the masalas, adjust to taste and mix well. ❏ Garnish with cilantro/coriander.

58


TURKEY

Karniyarik Turkish Stu ed Eggplants

Black pepper

Cumin

Vegetable oil to fry the eggplants

Sauce: 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1.5 cups water

Tomato & green pepper slices to top it.

By Gul Alic

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 180˚C / 356˚F. ❏ Take the stem ends off the eggplants and peel strips off with a vegetable peeler or a knife in a zebra pattern (this will help them hold their shapes better) ❏ Soak them in salty water for 10 mins (to get rid of the bitterness) and tap them dry with paper towel ❏ Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan with high sides and fry the whole eggplants on all sides ❏ Sauté the finely chopped onion, pepper and grated garlic in vegetable oil in a separate skillet

Ingredients ●

6 eggplants

250 g beef/lamb minced

1 onion fine chopped

2 green bell peppers

2 tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon paprika

4 cloves of garlic fine chopped

Salt

❏ Add in the ground beef and cook until it turns light brown ❏ Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, black pepper, salt and cumin ❏ Add in the tomato cut into small cubes and cook for 3-4 mins ❏ Place the fried eggplants on a baking dish ❏ Make indents in the centre to create space for the filling ❏ Distribute the filling equally among the eggplants

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❏ Place tomato and pepper slices on top ❏ Stir together the sauce ingredients and pour over the filled eggplants ❏ Bake until the tomato and pepper slices start turning brown. ❏ Bon appétit…

Notes Recommended using the smaller Asian-style eggplants. They tend to have a sweeter, milder flavour and softer texture than regular eggplants, and are a better size for Karniyarik. Recommended serving of the freshly baked Karniyarik is with rice and plain yoghurt on the side.

Ready in 30 minutes Serves: 6 people

60


KOREA

Korean Kalbi By Nancy Kwon

Ingredients ●

800g beef short ribs

6 tbsp Soy Sauce (Daesang Brewed Soy Sauce for all purpose)

5 tbsp Sugar(can substitute honey or fruit extract)

1/2 small Korean Pear or Apple coarsely grated

4 tbsp Mirin or Rice Wine

4 tbsp Minced Garlic

2 tbsp Sesame Oil

1/8 teaspoon of grounded peppers

Preparation ❏ Slice the beef into strips ❏ Mix all ingredients and add the beef. Marinate for ½ - 1 hour ❏ Saute the beef on a frying pan until caramelization appears but do not overcook. Can cook along mushrooms, onions and carrots. Eat them folded in lettuce.

Notes Kalbi is Short Rib, this recipe used US Prime Boneless Short Rib

Serves: 10 people

61


EGYPT

Koshari By Dalia Ehadidy

Cooking oil

Chili (optional)

Preparation ❏ Soak the chickpeas overnight then cook with some cumin and salt. ❏ Soak rice for half an hour then wash and set aside. ❏ Cut onion into small pieces and fry in a big saucepan till dark (almost black). Save some of the onions for garnish ❏ Add 3 cups of boiling water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 a tablespoon cumin. ❏ Add washed lentils. Cook for 10 min or until lentils are a bit soft. ❏ Add rice and stir. Lower heat. ❏ For the sauce sauté some garlic with tomato paste or purée, add salt, vinegar and cumin to taste. Chili can also be added at this stage.

Ingredients ●

2 cups of rice

1 cup black lentils

1 cup pasta

1 cup chickpeas

2 large onions

Tomato paste and/or tomatoe purée

Vinegar

Garlic

Cumin

Salt and pepper

❏ Boil pasta as usual then mix rice with lentils, chickpeas, pasta and sauce together. Garnish with fried onions kept aside earlier.

Notes Eaten for lunch throughout the year and also during lent

Serves: 6 people

62


AUSTRALIA

Lamingtons

For the icing ●

3 1/2 cups icing sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon butter (room temp)

1/2 cup boiling water

Preparation ❏ Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan (or rectangle pan works fine too). ❏ Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan forced). ❏ Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add egg, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. ❏ Sift half the flour into the cream mixture and stir to combine (use a mixing spoon). Add half the milk and stir to combine. Repeat again with remaining flour and milk.

Ingredients ●

125g butter (room temp)

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 3/4 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

2 cups desiccated coconut (or shredded coconut)

❏ Spoon mixture into pan, smooth out the top and bake for 30 minutes (but do the skewer test in case it needs a little more or less time). When you remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Cover with a tea towel. Best left overnight but if no time, once cooled, placed in the freezer which will harden up so less crumbs when you dip in chocolate. ❏ To make the icing, sift icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl. Add butter and boiling water and mix until smooth.

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❏ Cut the cake into 15 pieces – 5 rows of 3 (I use a ruler – really helps keep them uniform in size). Pour coconut into bowl and then you’re ready to dip. ❏ Either use 2 forks or a couple of skewers to dip into chocolate, shake off excess, and then roll around in coconut before placing on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch the chocolate. Leave to set for about 1-2 hours (I refrigerate at this point because of the humidity).

Notes This Australian cake was first invented in Queensland, with a recipe appearing in the Queensland Country Life newspaper as early as 1900. According to Queensland Government House, the lamington was created by the chef of the state's eighth governor, Lord Lamington, to feed unexpected visitors. Since 2006 it's even been honoured with its own National Lamington Day, which is on 21 July.

64


DENMARK

Lego Cookies

Preparation ❏ Put the flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a food processor. Dribble 1 tbsp water, and mix to form a dough. ❏ Place onto a work surface, and knead briefly to bring together, then wrap in cling wrap, and chill for 20 minutes. ❏ Once chilled, roll out onto a floured surface. Use a sharp knife, cut out rectangles to represent the Lego. ❏ Place onto a baking paper lined tray, and cook in an oven for approximately 12 minutes. These cookies will still look quite pale when they are done - don't overcook or they will be dry and crunchy. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Prepare the icing ❏ Mix a very small amount of water bit by bit to the icing sugar until a smooth thick paste has been made. Divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring to create different color.

Ingredients ●

175g plain flour

100g chilled butter, chopped

85g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

Assorted m&m minis

3/4 cup icing sugar

food colouring

water

❏ When cookies are cooled, spread a layer of icing on top and using the M&M minis, place onto the cookies to make them look like Lego. ❏ Allow to dry for an hour before serving.

Notes LEGO comes from Denmark and was invented in 1932 by a man named Ole Kirk Christiansen that made wooden toys. Two years later he named his company LEGO – which in Danish means LEG GODT and in English play well.

65


AUSTRALIA

Lemon Slice

90g butter softened to room temperature

5 tbsp extra lemon juice

3 tbsp desiccated coconut

Preparation ❏ Grease and line a 22cm x 32cm rectangular slice tin with baking paper. ❏ Crush biscuits and place into a bowl. ❏ Add coconut and grated lemon rind. Mix to combine. ❏ Add melted butter, condensed milk and the juice from 1 lemon to the biscuit mixture. Mix thoroughly until well combined. ❏ Press into the prepared tin and place into the fridge. ❏ In a bowl, whisk the icing sugar, butter and lemon juice in a bowl until creamy and 'frosting-like' - if the frosting is too thick, add a little more lemon juice.

Ingredients Lemon Slice Base ●

80g butter

250g (3/4 cup) condensed milk

250g biscuits plain sweet biscuits (like Arnotts Marie biscuits)

90g (1 cup) desiccated coconut

lemon juice and zest from 1 lemon

Lemon Frosting ●

360g icing sugar

❏ Spread the frosting over the slice, sprinkle with coconut and place back into the fridge to set completely. ❏ Cut into slices and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Serves: 20 people

Notes Australian’s love a slice as an alternative to biscuits (cookies). This is a deliciously buttery, sweet and tart slice. Perfect to enjoy with a cuppa.

66


CHINA

Longevity Peach Buns

Others ●

150g ready-made red bean paste

2g red food colouring

Preparation ❏ Mix all dough ingredients and knead together. Roll the dough long and divide into 50g each. Roll into balls. ❏ Divide the red bean paste into small pieces of 15g. Roll round. ❏ Take one portion of dough, flatten and fill with a portion of filling. Wrap properly and roll into a ball. Repeat until all dough is used up. ❏ Make a twist on top of the ball to make an oval shape with a point. Put on a small piece of baking paper. ❏ Put in a steamer and cover the lid. Leave for 20 minutes. ❏ Start with cold water, steam for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait for 5 minutes before opening the lid.

Ingredients Dough ●

300g plain flour

2g baking powder

40g sugar

2g instant dry yeast

15g oil

150g water

❏ Use a small dish to make a dent on the buns while they are hot. Dip toothbrush in red colouring. Brush to colour the buns.

Serves: 8-10 people

Notes The pastry is typically served at the birthdays of elderly people to celebrate their achievement in having reached old age.

67


EGYPT

Lentil Soup By Nesma Abdel-Sattar

Ingredients ●

4-5 cups of water

500g of well washed orange lentils

1 carrot cut into four pieces

1 potato cut into four pieces

1 onion cut into four pieces

2 cloves of garlic

chicken broth (2cubes)

2 spoons of tomato paste

1/2 cumin

1/4 pepper

salt to taste

Optional: cooking cream

Preparation ❏ Combine water, lentils, carrot, potato and onion and boil for 20 minutes. ❏ Wait to cool down then blend. ❏ Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, cumin, pepper and salt and heat.

Notes This dish is usually eaten in Ramadan when we break our fast and also on cold winter days!

❏ Stir in cream ❏ Enjoy!

68


CHINA

Mango Pomelo Sago By Kevin Wang

Ingredients ●

2 mangoes, cut out flesh

150ml coconut milk

200ml milk

50g white sugar

200ml water

50g sago

some pomelo flesh

Preparation ❏ Boil water in a pot, put in sago and cook for 10 minutes. Stir every now and then to prevent the sago from clumping. Turn off the heat and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. ❏ To make syrup, add water to the sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. Set aside until cool. ❏ Place mango flesh into the blender and blend into a puree. ❏ Combine milk, coconut milk and mango puree.

Notes The Chinese name of "mango pomelo sago" comes from the concept of dropping manna from a willow branch which makes people feel refreshed when they taste it.

❏ Pour in syrup and mix well. ❏ Add sago and pomelo. You can also add mango cubes to add texture to the dessert.

This dessert was said to be invented by Lei Garden in 1984 when it decided to set up its first branch in Singapore. Wong Wing-chee, the former head chef of the Lei Garden, invented mango pomelo sago as a new dish to make people feel cooler after having a taste of it.

69


USA

Magic Cookie Bars

Ingredients ●

1 stick of butter

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 6 oz package semi sweet morsels

3 1/2 oz flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation ❏ Melt butter in a 13in x 9in pan at 350 degrees. ❏ Layer remaining ingredients in order listed. ❏ Cover with plastic wrap or wax paper and press down lightly remove wrap/paper. ❏ Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees or until edges begin to brown. ❏ Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Notes A recipe handed down by my grandma and served in our family at Christmas time.

❏ Store at room temperature or refrigerate based on your preference. They will also keep in the freezer.

Serves: 24 squares

70


THAILAND

Mango Sticky Rice By Pakavadee Nakpresha

Preparation ❏ Rinse off glutinous rice 3-4 times until you get clear water, then leave it soak for at least 3 hours. Then steam it for approximately 20 minutes. You can use a steamer or rice cooker that has a glutinous rice function. ❏ Put some water in a pan then place an aluminium bowl on it (double boiler), pour coconut milk, sugar and salt. Mix it together until it dissolves. ❏ Put the sticky rice into the coconut milk bowl, mix it together, then cover it for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes mix it one more time and let it sit for another 10 minutes. ❏ It’s now ready to serve with sweet mango. You can also add vanilla ice cream to get a more sweet and creamy flavor. Toppings (optional) ❏ For the extra coconut cream, put in a pot on medium heat, and stir gently until it boils. Then put into a bowl to serve alongside your sticky rice mango.

Ingredients ●

1kg glutinous rice

600ml coconut milk

350-400g white sugar

20g salt

mangoes

❏ For the yellow mung beans, put a wok or frying pan on the stove on low heat, and dry fry the mung beans for a few minutes, until they start to turn slightly golden and get more crispy.

Notes This is a popular Thai dessert menu that is commonly made from late February to May because it’s mango season. It’s simple and delicious. Enjoy cooking!

71


IRELAND

Mini Beef and Guinness Pies By Erika Power

375ml guinness

250ml beef stock

salt (to taste)

5 (sheets) ready-rolled shortcrust pastry

1 egg, beaten lightly

Preparation ❏ Heat oil in a large saucepan, add beef and stir until browned. Add onion and stir until softened. Add flour and stir until mixture bubbles and is well browned. ❏ Gradually add Guinness and stock, stirring until gravy boils and thickens. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add caramelized onions, simmer, and stir occasionally for 30 minutes. Cool filling for 10 minutes then refrigerate. ❏ Preheat the oven to hot 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Lightly grease three 12-hole mini (1 tbsp/20ml) muffin pans.

Ingredients ●

1 tbsp vegetable oil

500g beef skirt steak, chopped finely

1 medium piece (150g) brown onion, chopped finely

150g caramelized onions, chopped finely

3 tbsp plain flour

❏ Using a 6cm pastry cutter, cut 36 rounds from pastry sheets, place 1 round in each of the muffin pan holes. Using a 5cm pastry cutter, cut 36 rounds from remaining pastry sheets. ❏ Spoon 1 heaped tsp of the cold filling into each pastry case then brush around edges with beaten egg. Top each pie with a smaller pastry round, press gently around the edge to seal, brush with remaining egg. Using a sharp knife, make two small slits on top of each pie.

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❏ Bake pies about 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Stand 5 minutes in the pan before placing on serving platters.

Serves: 8-10 people

Notes Great as a party appetizer, Beef and Guinness Pie brings together beef and Guinness, two of Ireland's most famous products. The long slow cooking of the filling creates not just perfectly tender beef, it also allows the flavor of the Guinness to permeate the meat and produce a thick, luscious sauce.

73


INDIA

Mock Chicken Bharwa

2 tbsp of Steamed Corn

½ tspn of Crushed Roasted cumin seeds

1 tspn Light soya sauce

1 tspn Mushroom/Oyster sauce

Splash of Dark soya sauce

1 tbsp of Olive oil

2 tbsp of Sour cream

Preparation ❏ Shred the mock chicken into very small pieces ❏ Pound the cashew nuts in a mortar and mix with roasted cumin seed ❏ Heat one tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan ❏ Add finely chopped garlic and chili and stir fry until it gets fragrant and change color ❏ Switch off the gas and immediately add light soya sauce, oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and basil leaves

Ingredients ●

50g of Mock Chicken

2 pieces of Bell pepper

2 pieces of Tomato

One handful of Basil leaves

½ piece Red onion

½ piece Green Lime

3 cloves of garlic

1 piece of Thai red Chili

8-10 pieces Roasted cashew nuts

❏ Add this stir-fried mixture to shredded mock chicken. Add chopped onions, corn and pounded cashew ❏ Squeeze half lime into the mixture and mix well ❏ Cut the Top portion of the tomato and bell pepper ❏ Using a splicing knife, remove the insides of the tomato and bell pepper, ready for stuffing ❏ Stuff the bell pepper and tomato with the ready mixture ❏ Preheat the air fryer at 180 degrees for 10 minutes. 74


❏ Air fry the stuffed tomato and bell pepper at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. (Keep checking occasionally) ❏ Remove from air fryer once color changes to brown ❏ Serve hot with a small portion of fragrant rice and topping of sour cream

Ready in 35 minutes Serves: 2 people

75


GERMANY

Multigrain Bread By Monika Kieslich

Ingredients ●

250g spelt flour

125g rye flour

125g wheat flour

1 fresh yeast

500ml Water

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp apple vinegar

150g sunflower seed

Optional: pumpkin seeds & oats to sprinkle into the buttered tin

Preparation ❏ Dissolve yeast in room temperature water. ❏ Mix all ingredients together. ❏ Fill the dough into a loaf tin. ❏ Put the loaf tin filled with dough into the cool oven. ❏ Bake the bread at 200 degrees for 60 minutes. ❏ Enjoy!

Notes

Serves: 6 people

In Germany bread is served usually for breakfast and in the evening as open sandwiches with butter, jam or cheese on top of it. Try also with smoked salmon!

76


PALESTINE

Chicken

Musakhan

6 chicken legs, bone-in, skin on (if you like, divide the legs to thighs and drumsticks. You can also use chicken breast pieces, if you prefer.)

By Shadia Saba

extra virgin olive oil

salt

1 tsp sumac

1 1/2 tsp of spice mixture above

Flatbread ●

extra virgin olive oil

6 yellow onions, chopped

salt

1 tbsp sumac, more for later

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp of spice mixture above

toasted pine nuts, about 1/3 cup or more to your liking

6 flatbread such as taboon bread, greek pita bread, or naan

Preparation Ingredients

❏ Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Spice Mixture

❏ Make the spice mixture in a small bowl, mix well.

3 tbsp allspice

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp coriander

1 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

❏ Prepare and cook the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and place them on a lightly oiled roasting pan. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, season with salt on both sides. Add 1 tsp sumac and 1 1/2 tsp of the spice mixture. Rub chicken with your hands, making sure to get the spices

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underneath the skin. Roast for about 1 hour or until fully cooked. ❏ Prepare caramelized onion mixture for flatbread. In a large cooking skillet, put 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, chopped onions, salt and the spices. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, adding a little bit of water (2 tbsp or so at a time) as needed, until the onions have softened and cooked completely (about 30 to 40 minutes). Remove from heat.

Notes Musakhan is traditionally served during the olive harvest to celebrate the olive oil pressing season, but it is definitely served year-round for family gatherings and more.

❏ Once chicken is cooked, remove from the oven. Pour any roasting pan juices into the caramelized onions. Cover chicken and set aside. ❏ Assemble Musakhan Flatbreads. Turn on your broiler. Dip the edges of each bread in the oil on the surface of the onion mixture. Arrange flatbreads on a large baking sheet. Spread enough of the caramelized onion mixture on the surface of each flatbread, leaving a small border around the edge (like pizza). Add a generous sprinkle of sumac and pine nuts. Place under the broiler briefly (2-4 mins), watching carefully, until edges and onion mixture are nicely browned. Enjoy! To serve Musakhan ❏ When flatbreads are ready, top each with a chicken portion and serve along with a side of olives and simple mediterranean salad.

Serves: 6 people

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1 tbsp sweet soy sauce

Nasi Goreng Gila

3 tbsp oyster sauce

3 tbsp tomato sauce

By Dini Makmun

4 cloves of garlic

1 white onion (cut thin)

white pepper, salt & sugar to season

INDONESIA

Preparation ❏ Place butter in a deep pan or wok, then add in garlic followed by onion until fragrant. ❏ Put garlic & onion on one side of the pan then put the 4 eggs, scramble until cooked then mix with garlic & onion. ❏ In the same pan, cook chicken cubes, followed with meatballs then sausages. Mix everything evenly. ❏ Add tomato sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce then season with pepper, salt & sugar. Mix all together. ❏ Add chicken broth, cover & let it cook.

Ingredients ●

1.5 cups of cooked overnight rice (preferred for better tasting, but I used quinoa in the pic)

4 beef/chicken sausages (cut small, not too thin)

5 meatballs (cut 1 into 3 pieces)

200g chicken fillet (cut into small cubes)

4 eggs

1 cup of chicken broth

2 tbsp butter/margarine

❏ Place rice on each plate, then pour the mix on top of the rice.

Ready in 20 minutes Serves: 4 people

Notes For extra hotness, my husband & I will add chili sauce into the mix. To justify its name (crazy fried rice) you can add whatever ingredients you want to make it crazier!

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SINGAPORE

Pandan Chi on Cake By Sabrina Lim

300g sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 165 degree celsius. Have ready a dry, ungreased 23cm round chiffon cake pan. ❏ Snip pandan leaves into short lengths with scissors, then blend with 100ml water in a mini chopper or food processor for a few minutes until reduced to a grassy pulp. Transfer pulp to a muslin bag or fine sieve and squeeze for juice. Measure out 115ml of pandan juice (if not enough, make up the difference with water) into a bowl, add coconut milk, egg yolks, and vegetable oil and whisk until smooth. Set aside. ❏ Sift cake flour into a large bowl. Add all but 3 tbsp of the sugar, baking powder and salt, and whisk well to blend, then add egg yolk mixture and whisk until smooth.

Ingredients ●

30 pandan leaves

100ml water

75ml plus 1 tbsp thick coconut milk

7 egg yolks

125ml vegetable oil

225g cake flour (such as Softasilk) or top flour

❏ In a clean, grease-free bowl, beat egg whites with cream of tartar at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 3 tbsp of sugar, beating just until stiff peaks start to form. Fold egg whites into batter in three additions, folding just until incorporated (a few thin white streaks are okay). Pour batter into pan, level surface with spatula, and bake for 55 to

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60 minutes. Cake is done when an inserted thin skewer comes out clean. ❏ Invert cake onto a rack and leave to cool upside down in the pan. When completely cool, cut around the edge and base with a thin-bladed knife to release the cake from the pan. Slice to serve.

Notes Crowned Singapore’s national cake by broadcaster CNN, most Singaporeans probably do not need further convincing of the pandan cake's inherent awesomeness. It is suitable for any occasion, as good for a tea time snack as for a birthday celebration. Soft and light, it is popular with young and old. (Seriously, you do not need teeth for this.)

Ready in 90 minutes Serves: 8-10 people

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INDIA

Paneer Briyani By Smita Singal

400g paneer

For Cooking Rice ●

1 cup basmati rice

2 cloves

2 cardamom pods

1 bayleaf

1/4 tsp of cinnamon powder

salt to taste

1 star anise

For Saffron Milk ●

1 tbsp warm milk

few strands of saffron

For Cooking Briyani

Ingredients For Marinade ●

1 cup Hung curd (or any curd that doesn’t leave water)

2 tbsp ghee/oil

1 bayleaf

a piece of cinnamon

4 cardamom pods

5 cloves

2 thinly sliced onion

2 slit green chili

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 thinly sliced tomato

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp kashmiri chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

2 tsp kashmiri chili powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp amchur/dry mango powder

salt to taste

A handful of kasuri methi

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Preparation

❏ Cook for about 10 minutes on low flame.

❏ Soak basmati rice for 20 minutes.

❏ Paneer biryani is ready to serve with yogurt or Raita.

❏ Soak saffron in warm milk. ❏ In a wide bowl, add hung curd, turmeric powder, kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, amchur/dry mango powder, salt, kasuri methi and mix well. ❏ Add paneer cubes and mix gently. ❏ Marinate the paneer for 30 minutes. Cooking Rice

Serves: 4-6 people

Notes As it takes a long time to prepare it, It can be eaten either for lunch or dinner. The dish itself is a full meal.

❏ Boil the water in a deep pot add soaked basmati rice, whole spices (clove, cardamom pods, bayleaf and cinnamon), salt, star anise, and mace. ❏ Cook the rice. Cooking Briyani ❏ Heat ghee/oil in a deep pot add whole spices (clove,cardamom pods, bayleaf and cinnamon), onion and green chili. ❏ Saute the onion till it turns golden brown. ❏ Add ginger garlic paste, tomato and saute for about 5 minutes. ❏ Now add turmeric powder, kashmiri chili powder, salt, coriander powder, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Saute for a few minutes. ❏ Then add marinated paneer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. ❏ Now add the cooked rice and spread it evenly. ❏ Add the saffron milk, mint leaves and coriander leaves. ❏ Cover it with foil and close the lid.

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BRAZIL

Ingredients

Pão de Queijo

500g tapioca flour or tapioca starch

120ml sunflower oil

By Sonia Evangelista

200ml milk

200ml water

1 tbsp salt

250g cheddar cheese, grated

100g parmesan, grated

2 eggs

Preparation ❏ Boil the milk, water, oil and salt and pour it in a bowl over the tapioca flour mixing with a spoon or using a mixer (hook) until it forms a dough. Let it cool for about 15 minutes. ❏ Add eggs and parmesan and cheddar cheese. ❏ Use the mixer or your hands to knead the dough until it is well incorporated.

Notes If the dough is too sticky, let it cool in the fridge for 1 hour before making the little balls. Don’t open the oven before 20 minutes.

❏ Grease your hands with a bit of cooking oil and make little balls and place them on a tray with baking paper. ❏ Bake them in a preheated oven at 190 degree celsius for about 20-23 minutes.

Ready in 60 minutes Serves: 30-35 cheese bread

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BRAZIL

Papaya Cream with Blackcurrant Jam

Ingredients ●

300g papaya (peeled without seeds)

3 scoops vanilla ice-cream

2 tbsp blackcurrant jam

By Paula Blasi

Preparation ❏ Combine the papaya and ice cream in the blender. ❏ Blend until the mixture has turned into a smooth cream. ❏ Transfer the cream to individual dessert bowls. ❏ Drizzle blackcurrant jam on top of the cream and serve immediately.

Ready in 5 minutes Serves: 3 people

Notes For an "alcoholic" version of this dessert, replace blackcurrant jam with blackcurrant liqueur (a.k.a. Crème de Cassis).

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excess fat, cut into medium size pieces, patted dry and salted

IRAN

Pomegranate Chicken By Negin Pirasteh

2 cups chicken stock

2 tbsp plus 2 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

salt

Optional: 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils for garnish

Preparation ❏ Toast and grind the walnuts: You can toast the walnuts in one of two ways. You can either spread them out in a single layer in a large skillet, and toast them on medium high heat, stirring frequently until lightly toasted, OR you can spread them out in a single layer in a baking rimmed baking sheet, and toast at 350 degrees in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients ●

1 to 2 large yellow onions, chopped

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 cups walnut halves

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs and/or breasts, trimmed of

❏ Once toasted, remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, put in a food processor or blender until finely ground. ❏ Brown the chicken pieces on all sides: In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. ❏ When the butter has melted, pat the chicken pieces dry again and place the chicken pieces in the pan, working in batches if necessary to not crowd the pan, and cook until golden brown on all

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sides. Sprinkle the chicken with salt while they are cooking. ❏ Sauté the onions: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the chicken from the pan, set aside. Add a tbsp of butter and a tbsp of oil to the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add chopped onions to the pan and sauté until translucent, stirring occasionally to release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Notes Make your own pomegranate molasses by simmering 1 cup of pomegranate juice until it reduces to 5 tbsp of syrup.

❏ Add chicken and stock: Return the chicken pieces to the pan with the onions. Pour 2 cups of chicken stock over the chicken and onions. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. ❏ Add ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, spices, cover and cook: Stir in the ground walnuts, pomegranate molasses, sugar, and spices. Cover and cook on very low heat for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so to prevent the walnuts from sticking to the bottom of the pan. ❏ Remove from heat and adjust sugar/salt to taste. At this point the chicken should already be tender. ❏ Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve over parsi pulao or other favorite rice.

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2 hours Serves: 6-8 people

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200ml double cream

Quiche Lorraine

3 eggs well beaten

pinch ground nutmeg

By Kate, Gabin & Garance Chastant

salt and pepper

FRANCE

Preparation ❏ Put 175g plain flour, 100g cold butter cut into pieces, 1 egg yolk and 4 tsp cold water in a food processor or a bowl. Using the pulse button, process until the mix binds or mix with hands. ❏ Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 23 x 2.5 cm loose-bottomed, fluted flan tin, easing the pastry into the base. ❏ Trim the pastry edges with scissors (save any trimmings) so it sits slightly above the tin (if it shrinks, it shouldn’t now go below the level of the tin). Press the pastry into the flutes, lightly prick the base with a fork, then chill for 10 minutes.

Ingredients For The Pastry ●

175g plain flour

100g cold butter cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

For The Filling ●

200g pack lardons smoked or unsmoked

50g gruyere or emmental cheese

200ml crème fraîche

❏ Put a baking sheet in the oven and heat the oven to 180 degrees. Line pastry case with foil, shiny side down, fill with dry beans and bake on the hot sheet for 15 minutes. ❏ Remove foil and bake for 4-5 minutes more until the pastry is pale golden. If you notice any small holes or cracks, patch up with pastry trimmings. You can make up to this point a day ahead. ❏ While the pastry cooks, prepare the filling. Heat a small frying pan, tip in 200g lardons and fry for a couple of minutes. Drain of any liquid that comes out, then continue cooking until the

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lardons just start to colour. Remove and drain on a paper towel. ❏ Grate the cheese. Scatter the fried lardons and the cheese over the bottom of the pastry case.

Notes Let the quiche settle for 4-5 minutes, then remove from the tin. Serve freshly baked, although it’s also good cold.

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Serves: 6-8 people

89


GERMANY

Potato Cakes By Ivonne Shbaita

Ingredients ●

3 lbs potatoes

2 onions

2 eggs

salt, pepper

Preparation ❏ Peel and wash the potatoes. Grate potatoes and strain through a cloth. ❏ Chop onions finely and add to the potato mixture. Season mixture with pepper and salt and add eggs. Blend well. ❏ Portion mixture with a small ladle and fry in hot oil on both sides until golden-brown. ❏ Traditionally, they are eaten with applesauce or sour cream with herbs.

Notes Potato pancakes are so popular in Germany that we have more than 40 names for them. They are known as Reibekuchen, Kartoffelpuffer, Rievekooche, Grumbeerpannekuche and so on and so on. They're another German comfort and street food and popular all year around: from the spring festivities to the Christmas markets.

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CHINA

Rose Dumplings By Mari Chiong

32 sheets dumpling wrappers or gyoza skins

1/3 cup water

2 tbsp oil (not olive oil)

For The Dipping Sauce ●

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp chili oil or sesame oil

Preparation ❏ In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients together and mix until thoroughly combined. ❏ Using your finger, rub the left side of a dumpling wrapper with water. Lay another dumpling wrapper near the center so that it overlaps, sealing tightly. Repeat with 3 more wrappers. ❏ Scoop a big spoonful of filling onto the middle of each dumpling wrapper making a thin line. Dab each end with water to seal.

Ingredients For The Filling ●

8 oz ground fatty pork

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp grated garlic

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp chopped scallions

❏ There are two ways to fold this. Wet the edges of the wrappers and fold each wrapper over from bottom to top, ensuring that the edges are overlapped, sealing tightly if you want it closed. Or wet both ends only and you can choose to leave the top open by folding the bottom wrapper just below the top like my photos. ❏ Gently roll the dumplings from one end to the other, starting from one side, creating a flower shape. Repeat with the remaining dumpling wrappers and fillings to create 8 rose dumplings in total. 91


❏ Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the dumplings to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Add 1/3 cup of water to the pan and cover with the lid. Steam for minutes 5 minutes on low. ❏ Remove the lid and turn back up to medium high to dry up the water for another 1-2 minutes. ❏ Remove the dumplings from the pan and serve with the sauce on the side. To make the sauce combine all ingredients and mix.

Serves: 8 dumplings

92


RUSSIA

Russian Crepes with Cheese By Larisa Sushkina

1 cup all-purpose flour you can use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose

2 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

For The Filling ●

8 oz package cream cheese at room temperature

16 oz small curd cottage cheese

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup raisins

powdered sugar for serving optional

Preparation ❏ Put all of the ingredients for the crepes (in the order that they are listed) in a blender and blend until well combined. ❏ Melt a dot of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat (2 skillets make the process go faster).

Ingredients For The Crepes Batter ●

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 cup milk

4 large eggs

4 tbsp unsalted butter melted. Plus more to sauté.

❏ As you are pouring into the skillet, swirl the batter to evenly coat the bottom. If you get any small gaps, you can fill them with more batter. Depending on the size of your skillet; add about 2-3 tbsp of batter. I use a small ladle. ❏ Once the bottom is lightly golden (about a minute or less) flip the crepe using a sharp edged spatula to easily get under the crepe. Let the other side get lightly golden and plop the crepe out onto a cutting board. ❏ Repeat with remaining batter; you may not need to dot with butter after the first time if your skillet is a good one (and remember there is butter in the 93


batter). Don’t stack hot crepes on top of each other. Once they are just warm or room temp, they can be stacked.

Don’t panic, my first crepe never turns out nice so I wolf it down to conceal the evidence! For The Cheese Filling ❏ In a colander, rinse the cottage cheese with cold water and drain well. ❏ Mash the cream cheese, cottage cheese and sugar with a potato masher until well combined and creamy. Cottage cheese will still be a little lumpy. ❏ Using a spatula, spread 2 generous tbsp of cheese filling on each crepe. ❏ Sprinkle with about 15 raisins. ❏ Roll the crepe into a log and cut in half.

Notes The origins of this traditional Russian dish, which recently celebrated its thousandth birthday, can be traced back to ancient times. Its ancestor was made from oat jelly; a hungry traveler wishing to warm the composition up on the fire probably got distracted by something very amusing, leaving the jelly to fry and thus creating the first blini. Since then blini have changed, but not dramatically – they are now made not only from oats but also wheat, rye, buckwheat and barley. When the dish is eaten: blinis can be savory or sweet depending on the filling or condiments they are served with, thus making them a healthy breakfast, a perfect snack or a satisfying dinner. During “Pancake Week”, which is celebrated during the last week before the Great Lent, blinis is consumed any time of the day.

Refrigerate crepes for up to one week if they aren’t being served. To Serve ❏ Melt about 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet and sauté the rolled cheese crepes on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. They don't take long to sauté. Be careful not to burn them. ❏ Dust with powdered sugar (optional) and serve with sour cream or jam on the side.

Serves: 10 people

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RUSSIA

Russian Olivier Salad By Larisa Sushkina

Ingredients ●

2 medium chicken breasts (or use store-bought rotisserie chicken)

3 medium/large russet potatoes, peeled

3 large carrots, peeled

2 cups of thawed frozen peas

5 large eggs, boiled and diced

2 cups baby dill pickles, diced

mayo, salt and pepper to taste

Preparation ❏ Cut chicken breasts in half and place in a medium saucepan, cover with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and let rest until cool enough to handle then dice. If using rotisserie chicken, remove skin and dice the chicken meat. Place in a large mixing bowl.

Notes Traditionally served on New Year or any big celebrations. The salad was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, the chef of Hermitage, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became popular with Hermitage regulars and became the restaurant's signature dish. The zealously guarded recipe was stolen by an employee and later sold to many publishing houses.

❏ Peel and finely dice carrots and potatoes. Place carrots and potatoes into a medium pot and cover with water. Add 1 tsp salt and bring to boil. Continue cooking uncovered for 10-12 minutes or until tender then rinse with cold water and drain. Transfer to paper towels to remove any excess water. Transfer to a mixing bowl. ❏ Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl, stir in mayo, salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 8-10 people

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RUSSIA

Russian Vinaigrette By Larisa Sushkina

1 tbsp white vinegar

1/2 cup small onion, finely chopped

Preparation ❏ In a medium pot, boil beets for 1 hour or until tender. Or use canned beets which don’t require any cooking. ❏ In a separate pot, boil potatoes and carrots for 30 minutes or until tender. Don’t overcook the potatoes. ❏ Drain the vegetables and let them stand until they cool to room temp. ❏ Dice pickles, beets, potatoes, carrots & finely dice onion. Place diced beets in a separate bowl. ❏ Mix beets with 1st tbsp of sunflower oil separately, so that beets coloring will not get on the other ingredients as much. ❏ Mix together beets and the rest of ingredients with the 2nd tbsp of sunflower and 1 tbsp of vinegar. If desired, add more sauerkraut or pickles to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serves: 10 people

Ingredients

Notes

3 medium beets or 2 cans of beets, drained and peeled

3 medium potatoes, peeled

3 medium carrots, peeled

1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained

The dish is consumed any time of the year but especially popular during the Great Lent. Originally, the term vinaigrette denoted any mixture of diced cooked vegetables dressed with vinegar. Later the meaning changed to any mixed salad with beetroots.

3 medium pickles

2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil 96


INDIA

Samosa By Amrita Panwar

Samosa Filling ●

3/4 medium potatoes

1 tsp of cumin seeds

2 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1 tsp of finely chopped ginger

1 chopped green chili

coriander leaves chopped

3 tbsp of green peas (I use frozen which I soak in warm water for 10 minutes)

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp amchur, dried mango powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder, or add more to taste

3/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Optional: 1 tbsp of raisins and cashew nuts

Preparation ❏ In a large bowl, mix flour, carom seeds, and salt together. ❏ Add oil and then start mixing the ingredients with your fingers.

Ingredients Samosa Dough ●

2 cups of all purpose flour or 250g maida

50ml oil to mix in flour

5 to 6 tbsp water to knead the dough

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp carom seeds

❏ Rub the flour with the oil until the oil is well incorporated in all of the flour. Do this for 3 to 4 minutes, you don’t want to rush this step. ❏ Once done, press some flour between your palm- it should form a shape (& not crumble) – means oil is enough and well incorporated. ❏ Now, start adding water, little by little and mix to form a stiff dough. ❏ Don’t overwork the dough and don’t knead a soft dough. It should just come 97


together and form a stiff dough. I used around 6 tbsp of water here. ❏ Cover the dough with a moist cloth and let it rest for 40 minutes. I usually soak a paper towel in water and then squeeze out all the water and then cover my dough with that. ❏ Boil potatoes until tender then peel the skin and mash it. Set aside. ❏ Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, and crushed coriander seeds.

flour with water so that it forms a nice glue. ❏ Now bring the two ends of the straight edge together and pinch them to form a cone. ❏ Pinch the pointed ends to make it a perfect cone shape. ❏ Fill the samosa with the potato filling, around 1 to 2 tbsp. Don’t overfill the samosa.

❏ Let the seeds sizzle for a few seconds and then add the chopped ginger and green chili. Cook for 1 minute.

❏ Now again apply water all around the circumference of the cone as you have to seal it. Pinch the opposite side (side opposite to where you pinched to form the cone) to form a plate.

❏ Add the mashed potatoes and green peas to the pan.

❏ Now pinch the edges and seal the samosa.

❏ Mix everything together. I use my potato masher to combine the spices and seasonings well with the potatoes and peas.

❏ Your samosa is now ready. Repeat with remaining dough. Always remember to keep the filled samosa covered with moist cloth while rolling and filling the others.

❏ Add coriander powder, garam masala, amchur, red chili powder, coriander leaves and salt. Then mix well. ❏ Once done, remove the pan from heat and let the filling cool down a bit. ❏ Once the dough has rested, give it a quick knead. Then divide the dough into 7 equal parts of around 60g each. ❏ Start working on a piece of dough, keep the remaining dough balls covered at all times with a moist cloth or else the dough will dry out. ❏ Roll one dough ball into a circle-oval kind of shape, around 6-7 inches in diameter and then cut it into two parts. ❏ Take one part and apply water on the straight edge/side. I usually mix some

❏ Now heat oil in a deep frying pan on low heat. To check if oil is ready, drop a small piece of dough into the oil. It should take a few seconds to come up to the surface. That means the oil is ready. ❏ Drop the shaped samosas into the oil. ❏ Fry on low heat. After around 10-12 minutes, the samosa will become firm and light brown in color. ❏ At this point, increase the heat to medium and fry until it gets nicely browned. ❏ Don’t overcrowd the pan, fry 4-5 samosas at a time. And each batch will take around 20 minutes.

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❏ Enjoy hot samosas with coriander chutney or sweet tamarind chutney along with hot tea (chai).

Serves: 8-10 pieces

Notes This Indian dish is a vegetarian snack with spicy potato filling and is very popular in Northern India. I read that it originated in the Middle East and later introduced in the time of Delhi Sultanate Rule, Delhi has a wide range of ruling Kings, so the taste of the food has always been a subject of creativity with different flavours and spices combined.

99


USA

Scotcheroos

Ingredients ●

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups of rice krispies cereal

1 packet or 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 packet or 1 cup butterscotch chips

Preparation ❏ Place corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. ❏ Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter, mix well. Add rice krispies cereal. Stir well until coated. Press mixture into a 13x9x2 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

Notes This dessert (cookie bar) can be made any time of year or for any occasion. It is my Grandma's recipe and was always requested by everyone in our family. She would make scotcheroos for each of her children and grandchildren's birthdays, special occasions, picnics and family gatherings. It wasn't a celebration if Grandma's scotcheroos weren't there.

❏ Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. ❏ Spread evenly over cereal mixture. Let cool until firm then cut into squares.

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ITALY

Soft Pizza By Elsa Gianno

Preparation ❏ In a bowl, combine water, yeast and sugar then leave it until the mixture foams on top. In a food processor (it is important to work with the plastic blade or the dough hook) mix the flour and salt then add the yeast mixture until a soft ball forms. ❏ Cover the bowl with a plastic foil, leave in a dark and warm place (for example in the oven at 40 degrees). Let the dough rise for about 2 hours. ❏ In the meantime, prepare the tomato sauce (passata) with some oil, salt, sugar and oregano herbs and let it simmer. ❏ When the dough has risen, put oven paper on the oven tray, spread some olive oil on it then roll and spread the dough equally in the oven tray. ❏ Spread the tomato sauce on the rolled dough. Leave the rolled dough in the oven for 30-60 minutes at 50 degrees. ❏ After that, turn the temperature up to 200 degrees for another 20 minutes.

Ingredients ●

500g all-purpose flour

350ml warm water

7g dry yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp olive oil

oregano

mozzarella cheese

❏ Take out the pizza, spread it with mozzarella or any kind of ingredient you like, put back in the oven for 7 minutes and serve.

Notes Pizza is best to enjoy all year-round and on every occasion or time of the day but the Italian tradition is to have pizza for dinner as a main course.

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USA

Spambalaya By Michael Griesbach

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp paprika

1 chopped red capsicum

small basket of cherry tomatoes

300g basmati rice

800ml chicken stock

salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation ❏ Heat a large frying pan until hot, add the oil and the chopped SPAM® and let it sizzle and fry until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. ❏ Add the butter then add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened but not browned. ❏ Add chili, cherry tomatoes and the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Then add the red pepper and fry until softened.

Ingredients ●

1 tbsp olive oil

1 can (340g) of SPAM®

12 large shrimp (peeled and veined)

50g butter

1 large onion (white or red)

2 chopped cloves of garlic

2 chopped chili peppers

1 tsp cajun seasoning (can substitute with another spicy blend)

❏ Add the rice and stir well so that it is coated in all the spices, then add the stock. Bring it to boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just cooked. ❏ Add the SPAM® and shrimp, cook for 4-5 minutes or until warmed through. Season to taste and stir carefully.

Notes Eaten at any time of year, but quite popular for Mardi Gras parties in February.

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GREECE

Spinach Frittata

Ingredients ●

20oz frozen chopped spinach

3 eggs (can use 4 eggs where you use whites only for 2 of the eggs)

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp oil (I use olive oil)

3 tbsp bread crumbs

8oz of small curd low or nonfat cottage cheese

8oz of feta cheese (crumbled)

By Jessica Simpsson

Preparation ❏ Place spinach in a large bowl and let stand until thawed. DO NOT DRAIN. ❏ Add all ingredients (save 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top before it goes into the oven). ❏ Pour into a lightly greased pan, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown.

Notes

❏ Allow to cool and cut into serving portions.

This is a family recipe that has been handed down from my grandmother, Tillie, whose family had come from Rhodes Greece. This is most often served as an appetizer and can be eaten all year-round.

Serves: 10 people

103


UK

Strawberry Sponge Cake By Millie Tan

Ingredients ●

8oz self raising flour

8oz butter (unsalted)

8oz caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preparation ❏ Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. ❏ Whisk the butter and sugar until light and creamy. ❏ Add 1 egg at a time making sure to mix it all in before adding the second egg. ❏ Add in half the flour, whisk it all in then add the other half. ❏ Add the vanilla essence. ❏ Divide the batter into two sandwich tins and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. ❏ Take out and leave it to cool on a wire rack. ❏ Add butter cream and strawberry jam to one half before putting the other half on top. Dust with icing sugar if you like.

Notes To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer into the middle and if it comes out clean then it is done. You can add fresh strawberries to the top too!

Ready in 20 minutes Serves: 8 people

104


CHINA

Steamed Egg

Ingredients ●

3 eggs

Seasonings ●

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

a few dashes of white pepper powder

1/2 tsp rice vinegar

Others ●

250ml water

chopped spring onion (optional)

Preparation ❏ Crack eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork. Add water and whisk again. ❏ Add seasoning and mix well, then pour into a deep steaming plate.

Notes Soft, smooth and tender steamed egg is a comforting food for lots of Chinese children and a time-saving dish for house cooks. We love to steam a small bowl of egg and serve it as a side dish or make a large bowl and share with the whole family.

❏ Place into a boiling steamer. Reduce to medium-low heat, cover with a lid and steam for about 7 minutes or until the egg mixture has just set. Garnish with chopped spring onion if desired.

Serves: 1-2 people

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CHINA

Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli & Garlic

1/2 tsp salt

Preparation ❏ Wash the shell carefully with a brush. ❏ Place the shell one by one on the steamer, steam for 1 minute till the shell slightly opens. ❏ In a large bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water and soak the vermicelli until soft. ❏ Take the shell out of the steamer. Remove scallop meat from the shell. ❏ Place a fitful amount of vermicelli on the shell firstly and then place the meat back on the shell one by one. ❏ Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a pan, add chopped chili pepper and garlic into the pan, heat until aroma. Remove the pan off the fire and add soy sauce, salt and sesame oil. Mix well to make the garlic sauce oil. ❏ Drizzle a spoonful of the garlic sauce oil on top of the prepared scallops. ❏ Bring the water to a boiling. Place the half-shelled scallops back into the steamer, continue to cook for 4 minutes.

Ingredients ●

12 fresh scallops

30g of bean vermicelli

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp chopped chili pepper

1 tbsp light soy sauce

❏ Transfer out and lay in serving plates. Serve HOT.

Ready in 20 minutes Serves: 4 people

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USA

String Bean Casserole By Celeste Holliday

Ingredients ●

4 cans of green beans

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

4 oz softened cream cheese

1 whole bag of mozzarella

1 tbsp minced garlic

6 oz fried onions, plus some extra for the top

white pepper to taste

seasoned salt to taste

Preparation ❏ Mix the soup, cheeses and garlic together, and sprinkle the seasoned salt and white pepper throughout ❏ Heat in the oven on 350 degrees for 25 minutes ❏ Add fried onions and beans and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes ❏ Remove from the oven and top with the extra fried onions ❏ Serve and enjoy!

Notes It is the dish everyone is expecting on the Midwest American holidays, but it is so easy to make, you can serve it any day. Created by Campbell Test Kitchen Manager Dorcas Reilly in 1955, its creamy, smooth sauce and unmatchable flavor combined with its simplicity makes Green Bean Casserole. It has been a favorite for over 60 years.

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ALBANIA

Great Grandma’s Albanian Stu ng

Ingredients ●

16 slices stale white bread

250g butter

1 cup walnut halves broken into smaller pieces (not as small as chopped walnuts)

1 cup raisins

3/4 cup extra fine sugar

By Krista Murphy

Preparation ❏ Tear up the bread slices (including the crusts) to 1 inch pieces and set aside in a large bowl. Best to tear by hand using care not to crush the bread too much. ❏ Add raisins, walnuts and sugar to bread and mix well. ❏ Brown the butter. Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Bring butter to boil and watch carefully, stirring constantly until butter turns brown. Once brown, add bread mixture and turn off heat immediately to prevent burning.

Notes Tear the bread pieces the day before to aid in the drying process since stale bread works best. Bread edges should be a bit dry to the touch, but not completely dry.

❏ Mix well, using a wooden spoon, work the bread into the browned butter (this will count as your arm workout for the day!). You might worry that there is not enough butter….there is, keep working until all bread has absorbed the butter. ❏ Add more sugar to taste, if necessary and serve warm.

Ready in 30 minutes Serves: 8 people

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1 1/2 cup of water

Sultan’s Delight

1 tbsp salt & pepper

By Gul Alic

3-4 medium sized aubergine

75g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

1 1/2 cup of warm milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese

TURKEY

For Aubergine Puree

Preparation Braised Lamb ❏ Heat butter in a pot and saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Then add the dice lamb meat. When browned on all sides, add sweet pepper. Stir for a few minutes. ❏ Add tomato paste and stir for another couple of minutes. ❏ Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

For Braised Lamb

❏ At this point add the hot water and let simmer until meat is tender for approximately an hour. Add more water if needed.

Aubergine Puree

Ingredients 500g trimmed/boneless diced lamb (2cm pieces)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp butter (approx. 50g)

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 tbsp tomato paste

❏ Grill aubergine whole without peeling them by holding over a flame and turning slowly until the skin looks burnt and the aubergines are soft to the touch, or prick skin in several places and set in a hot oven. ❏ When the skin begins to break and the inside pulp feels soft, set aside the aubergines until they are fairly cool.

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❏ Then slip off the skin; discard sacs containing seeds and chop up pulp; put pulp in a saucepan. ❏ Mix lemon juice with pulp and simmer until very soft, stirring often (10-15 minutes). ❏ Meanwhile, melt butter, add flour to it and allow flour to brown. ❏ Beat the butter and flour mixture into the aubergine. ❏ Slowly add several tablespoons of hot milk and continue beating until mixture resembles mashed potatoes. ❏ Lastly add several tablespoons of grated mozzarella cheese and cook several minutes more. To Serve ❏ You have 2 choices: serve the whole lot in a large platter or divide everything into individual plates. Whatever you go with, pour the smoky aubergine puree onto a plate and top with the braised lamb. ❏ Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top to decorate and serve with bread.

Ready in 2 hours Serves: 4 people

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HONG KONG

Deep Frying

Sweet and Sour Pork

1 cup corn flour

2 1/2 cups oil

By Joey Wong

Sauce ●

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp garlic, crushed

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

2 slices canned pineapple

2 tbsp white caster sugar

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp ketchup

Preparation ❏ In a bowl, combine all marinade ingredients with the pork. Marinade for at least half hour. ❏ Place the corn flour in a large bowl and toss the marinated pork chunks until well coated. ❏ Heat the oil and deep fry the pork pieces for about 3-4 minutes until the coating is golden brown and the pork is cooked throughout. Set aside.

Ingredients Marinade ●

1/2 lb pork shoulder butt, chopped into bite size pieces

1 tsp salt

1 tsp corn flour

1 egg

❏ For the sauce, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the oil. ❏ Sauté the garlic until fragrant, then fry the peppers until softened. ❏ Add in the pineapple and warm thorough. ❏ Add the sugar, vinegar, and ketchup, stir. Bring the mixture to a boil.

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❏ Add the pork to the frying pan and coat everything evenly with the sauce. Serve when hot.

Serves: 3-4 people

Notes Sweet and sour pork is a dish of deep-fried pork, often stir-fried with pineapple and bell peppers then covered in a brightly colored sauce, is possibly one of the best-known Cantonese dishes. It is called gu lou yook in the local dialect. Yook means "meat" but the first two words seem to have been made up for phonetic reasons. Cooking with a combination of vinegar and sugar is not unique to the Cantonese - in fact, almost every Chinese cuisine has its own version of sweet and sour sauce.

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ISRAEL

Sweet Challah Bread By Jonathan and Maya Silver

1 egg for brushing and sesame seeds for garnish

Preparation ❏ Mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl. ❏ Fit the mixer with a kneading hook and knead the dough for about 5 minutes. ❏ Add the oil and the water and continue kneading at slow-medium speed for another 5 minutes until the dough forms into a ball. ❏ Cover the bowl and allow it to rise for about 1 1/2 hours until the dough doubles its size. For a braider challah: Divide the dough into 4, 6 or 8 parts. Roll each part into a log about 25 cm (10 inches) long and braid them into a plaited loaf. ❏ Cover with a towel and allow to rise for another 45 minutes. ❏ Preheat the oven to 18o degrees. ❏ Brush the challah with the egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds on the top. ❏ Bake for 15-20 minutes until the loaves are golden-brown.

Ingredients ●

3 1/5 cups white flour or bread flour

1 tbsp of dry yeast

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp of salt

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup of tap water

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145g sugar

Tarte Tatin

10 apples

2 tbsp sugar, for sprinkling

By Kate, Gabin & Garance Chastant

Preparation

FRANCE

❏ Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. ❏ To make the pastry, let the butter soften to room temperature and put it into a mixer on low speed. Pulse for 2 seconds before adding the egg followed by the water. Mix for a few seconds and then add the salt and the flour, keeping 2 tbsp aside to add later in case the dough is too sticky. Work fast because the gluten in the flour makes the dough go elastic. ❏ Stop the mixer before the dough turns into a ball. Flatten the pastry and shape a circle about 15cm wide. ❏ Place the pastry on a plate, wrap it in cling film and leave in the refrigerator for 1 hour (minimum) to 24 hours. This lets the gluten relax and when you roll out the pastry it stays flat.

Ingredients For The Tarte Tatin ●

110g unsalted butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tbsp cold water

pinch of salt

195g plain flour, sifted

For The Caramel Apple Filling ●

55g unsalted butter

For The Caramel Apple Filling ❏ Cut the butter into little bits and scatter on a 25cm baking dish. Shake the sugar over it and add 2 tbsp of water to keep it from crystallising. Caramelise the sugar by placing the dish on a medium heat. ❏ Meanwhile, peel the apples, cut in 2 and remove the core. Cut them into 4 big pieces. ❏ Once the butter and sugar have caramelised take the pan off the heat.

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❏ Place the pieces of apple vertically on top of the caramel in the baking tin, taking care to fill the gaps with more pieces so they stick together in a solid mass. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of sugar over the apples. Put the dish back on a heat diffuser for 15 minutes at a medium heat until the caramel starts bubbling up through the apples.

Notes You can also use shortcrust or puff pastry from the store.

❏ Roll the pastry out and place over the apples folding it in at the edges. Make 3 or 4 holes with a knife and 1 in the middle to let steam out when baking. ❏ Bake for 20 minutes and then let it rest for 15 minutes. It is important that you do this otherwise the apples will fall apart when you turn it over. Take a dinner plate and put it over the baking tin. Turn it over. Slowly remove the baking tin. Serve lukewarm with vanilla ice cream, heavy cream or whipped cream.

Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 60 minutes Serves: 6-8 people

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ALBANIA

Tavë Kosi By Vangjeli Artjola

For The Roux ●

50g butter

2 tbsp flour

For The Yoghurt ●

750g greek yogurt

6 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Baking The Lamb ❏ In a large pan melt the butter and olive oil together then add the diced lamb. Brown the lamb on a medium heat, this will take around 5 minutes. ❏ The juices should have nearly all boiled away so another 150ml of water should be added along with the rice. Mix altogether, bring to the boil, place the lid on and leave for just 10 minutes. It’s advised to check at around 8 minutes – you want the liquid to be evaporated with just a moist coating of oily water left over the lamb and rice.

600g diced lamb

❏ Place the lamb and rice into a casserole dish, the mixture should fully cover the base and have at least 2 inches spare for the yogurt.

20g butter

Making The Roux

2 tbsp olive oil

70g rice

2 tsp oregano

450ml boiling water

2 cloves diced garlic

❏ In a small saucepan melt the butter over a medium heat and then add two tbsp of flour while continuously stirring for 2 minutes. The roux should not be thick but not too runny, the colour will darken slightly. Pour the roux into a bowl and keep to one side.

salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

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Making The Yogurt Mixture ❏ In a mixing bowl add the yogurt, eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix together then add the roux continuing to mix fast for a minute to ensure the roux and yogurt are thoroughly combined. ❏ Pour the yogurt mixture over the baked lamb and rice and sprinkle on a little oregano.

Notes Tavë kosi is a national dish in Albania. It is a casserole dish consisting of lamb meat and rice that's been seasoned and topped with kos, Albanian soured milk made from goat's or ewe's milk. The dish dates back to the 15th century and originates from the town of Elbasani, but today it is enjoyed throughout Albania and Kosovo, as well as Turkey, where it's known under the name Elbasan tava.

Cooking ❏ Place on the bottom shelf of the oven on 180 degrees for 35 minutes then move it up to the middle for a further 10 minutes. The Tavë kosi is ready when the yogurt has risen up high and a golden crust forms. ❏ Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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IRELAND

Tea Scones By Tracy McMahon

Ingredients ●

250g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

60g margarine

30g castor sugar

1 egg

50ml milk

Preparation ❏ Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. ❏ Rub in the margarine. Mix in the sugar. Add beaten egg and sufficient milk to make a soft dough. Reserve a little egg for brushing. ❏ Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly. ❏ Cut into rounds using a small fluted cutter.

Notes Irish Tea Scones can be eaten any time of the year or anytime of the day. Mornings for breakfast, afternoon snack or evening tea.

❏ Place on a greased baking tray. Brush with a little of the reserved beaten egg. Bake at 200 degrees in a fan assisted oven for 10-12 minutes. ❏ Serve hot, split with butter or with jam and cream. ❏ Enjoy!

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USA

Texas Pulled Pork or Shredded Beef

4 tsp mustard

1/2 green bell pepper/capsicum, chopped fine

1 large white onion, chopped fine

7oz canned la costena chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

cumin and cilantro to taste

By Ben Daniels

Preparation ❏ Cut meat into chunks about the size of a pint glass. Place in a 3.2l slow cooker. Add the next 10 ingredients and onion. No need to mix it first. ❏ Place a folded kitchen towel over the lid to keep in some of the steam. Cook on High for 30 minutes. Then cook on Low 10 hours or overnight. Or cook on high for 5 hours if in a rush. ❏ Remove meat and shred using 2 forks. Return to the slow cooker on Low. ❏ Add chipotle peppers. For Texas spicy, blend them up with their sauce and mix it into the shredded meat. For less spicy, add the whole peppers and then remove them before serving.

Ingredients ●

2kg pork butt or beef rump - as lean as possible

2 tsp salt and black pepper

4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed

6oz canned plain tomato paste

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

❏ Before serving, taste and add cumin until perfect. Serve with bread rolls or baguettes.

Notes Pulled pork sandwiches are a favorite at every BBQ or get together with friends. The dish is a perfect mix of American and Mexican flavors representing all Texans.

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ITALY

Tiramisu By Francesca Tonon

Ingredients ●

250g mascarpone cheese

3 eggs, separated

60g sugar

200g savoiardi or lady fingers “biscuit tiramisù”

200ml cold espresso coffee or strong coffee

4-5 tsp sugar for the espresso coffee

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Preparation ❏ In a bowl add the sugar to the egg yolks. Beat well until the mixture is light and creamy. Add the mascarpone, a spoon at a time, and beat well. ❏ With clean utensils, beat the egg whites until stiff. ❏ Add the whipped egg whites into the mascarpone mixture very carefully. ❏ Melt the sugar in the hot espresso, pour it into a soup dish and let it cool.

Notes The 21st of March is not only the first day of spring, but it’s also the day during which we celebrate the Tiramisù. We are glad to embrace this tradition by preparing our classical recipe of the Tiramisù. By serving a spoon of this creamy dessert, we are bringing a taste of Italy abroad, which is particularly important in this period when we miss our home country more than ever.

❏ Quickly dip each lady finger in the espresso, one at a time. Line the bottom of a square form (approximately 20 cm square), with a layer of espresso-soaked lady fingers, top with 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture. Repeat with another lady finger layer, then finally the remaining mascarpone. ❏ Chill in the fridge for about 4 hours, dust of cocoa powder and then serve!

Serves: 4-6 people

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USA

Tofu Chicken Burger By Nancy Kwon

Ingredients ●

1lb ground chicken

1 cube of firm tofu, all the water squeezed out on clean kitchen towel

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

oil for cooking

Optional: 1 tsp of fish sauce and mushrooms or other vegetables, finely chopped

Preparation ❏ Combine all ingredients well in a bowl, especially the tofu. Divide them into 6 equal portions and roll them into a ball. Flatten slightly. ❏ Heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan and cook until golden brown and cooked thoroughly.

Notes Kids don’t need to know it has tofu in the chicken burger!

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ITALY

Trofie al Pesto By Simona

Preparation ❏ Blend the first 5 ingredients in a mixer and the pesto is ready! ❏ Place the semolina on a clean kitchen table, add a pinch of salt and as much water as needed to obtain a homogeneous and elastic dough. Add a little at a time. Then knead the dough for ten minutes and then leave it to rest for about 30 minutes, covered with a kitchen towel. ❏ In the meantime, boil 6 small red potatoes in water with a bit of salt. Cut them in small pieces of about 1cm. Cut the beans into small pieces (about 1cm). ❏ From the ball of dough, take a little piece, the size of a marble, and with the palm of your hand roll the pieces of pasta on the pastry board, obtaining twisted dumplings, with the thinner ends of the central part. ❏ Bring a large pot of water to boil, then season it with salt until it is as salty as the sea.

Ingredients ●

2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan-reggiano cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/4 tsp salt, add more to your taste

400g semolina (durum wheat)

6 small red potatoes

1 cup fresh green beans

❏ Drop the green beans and the homemade trofie into the boiling water for about 4 minutes, then drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta's cooking water. ❏ Place the pesto and the boiled potatoes in a sauté pan, add the pasta and the beans to the pesto, but do not heat the sauté pan! Toss to combine, and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. If needed, add a small amount of the pasta cooking water to make the pesto thinner and more liquid.

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❏ When the pasta is completely covered with the pesto and vegetables, place the dish into a warmed serving dish, and serve to your guests or family.

Notes The Trofie is a “primo”, meaning the first course in italian. It is usually heavier than the antipasto, but lighter than the second course that may include different types of meat or fish. Pesto is derived from the Italian verb “pestare”, to grind or crush. The true pesto comes from Genova, capital of the region Liguria in north-west Italy. The season of fresh basil is summer, but people are usually preparing multiple portions and freezing them, in order to have pesto available during the rest of the year. Each sauce has its own type of pasta in Italy. Trofie are typical for pesto.

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SWITZERLAND

Shredded Veal Zurich Style with Roesti Potatoes By Nicole Joye

Shredded Veal In Mushroom Sauce ●

560g top round of veal cut into thin 1-inch size

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

all-purpose flour for dredging the veal

50g sunflower seed oil

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp finely minced white onion

200g sliced mushroom caps

120g dry white wine

160g prepared demi-glace sauce

80g sour cream

40g heavy whipping cream, lightly whipped

2 tsp finely chopped parsley

Preparation ❏ For the Roesti, place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the water and let them cool – in fact, it’s best to cook the potatoes the day before making the Roesti. Let the potatoes cool and dry at room temperature up to 24 hours.

Ingredients Roesti ●

600g yukon gold potatoes

50g unsalted butter

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

❏ To make the Roesti right before cooking the veal, peel the potatoes and grate them on the largest holes of a box grater. Heat the butter in the two small sauté pans over medium heat; divide the shredded potatoes between the pans (two 8-inch diameter non-stick sauté pans for the Roesti; plus a larger one for the veal) and season with salt and pepper. Use a silicone spatula to 124


gently ease the potatoes into two evenly round cakes, without compressing them, while they’re cooking. When they’re golden on the bottom, flip them over and cook on the second side. Or slide to a plate and invert the pan to the plate, then invert the Roesti back into the pan. Cook briefly on the second side, then transfer to a low oven to keep warm while cooking the veal. ❏ For the veal, season the veal strips with salt and pepper and dredge with flour. Heat the oil in the pan until very hot, then add the veal. Cook the veal, tossing, until the veal starts to color. Slide the veal into a bowl.

Notes Zuri Geschnetzelts Mit Roesti - Shredded Veal Zurich Style With Roesti Potatoes, is the quintessential Zurich dish, this is available everywhere from the fanciest restaurants to the buffets in the train station. To prepare the dish successfully, have the pan very hot and don’t crowd the meat in the pan – it’s better to cook it in batches than to have it turn watery while it’s cooking. Prepare the Roesti first and keep them warm in a low oven while you cook the veal.

❏ Melt the butter in the same pan and cook the onions until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. ❏ Add the white wine and allow to reduce, then add any accumulated juices from the meat and the demi-glace. Add the sour cream, heat through, but do not allow to boil. ❏ Off heat stir in the veal, then quickly fold in the whipped cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. ❏ To serve a portion, slide half of a Roesti cake to a warm dinner plate and spoon a quarter of the veal next to it. Sprinkle the veal with chopped parsley.

Serves: 4 people

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BELGIUM

Wa es By Julia and Charles Houssa

Ingredients ●

500g butter

480g sugar

520g flour

7 eggs

vanilla extract

Preparation ❏ Melt the butter in a pan on low heat. ❏ In a large bowl whip the sugar and eggs. ❏ Slowly add the flour with a sieve to the sugar and egg mixture. ❏ Add a few drops of vanilla extract. ❏ Add the melted butter. ❏ Allow batter to rest for 12 hours in the fridge. ❏ Using a waffle maker, add one tbsp of batter for one waffle.

Serves: 24 waffles

Notes We have many kinds of waffles with the Brussels and the Liège waffles being the best known. This recipe of 4 quart waffles is the one most families in Belgium make at home. People normally eat them cold and they should keep in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. It’s pretty common to make a big quantity on a Wednesday afternoon (as it’s a half day school), so kids get some for their afternoon snack at home, or snack at school the following days.

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UK

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients ●

140g plain flour

4 eggs

200ml milk

oil for cooking

Preparation ❏ Heat the oven to 230 degrees ❏ Take a 12 hole non stick muffin tin, drizzle oil to cover the bottom of each muffin hole then put the oiled tins in the oven. ❏ To make the batter, tip 140g of plain flour into a bowl and whisk in 4 eggs until smooth. ❏ Gradually add the milk to the batter, beat the mixture until there are no lumps. Add salt and pepper. ❏ Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully pour the batter into the oiled holes. Before you add the batter the oil must be very hot!

Notes The humble Yorkshire Pudding is traditionally eaten on a Sunday with a British Sunday Roast, which includes roast meat, roast potatoes and a variety of vegetables. I was brought up in Yorkshire and a Sunday wasn’t a Sunday without a Yorkshire Pudd on the table!

❏ Put the tins in the oven undisturbed for 15-20 minutes, until the puddings are puffed up and golden brown. ❏ Enjoy straight from the oven or can be frozen to have another time.

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TURKEY

Zucchini Fritters By Gul Alic

Ingredients ●

4 medium zucchini

1 cup finely crumbled feta cheese (optional)

3 eggs

1⁄3 cup flour

7-8 spring onions

3 tbsp dill weed

3 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp baking powder

4 tbsp frying oil

Preparation ❏ Grate the zucchini and squeeze its juice. ❏ Chop dill, onion, mint and parsley. ❏ Mix them with grated zucchini. ❏ Stir in eggs, flour, cheese, salt, pepper and baking powder. ❏ Mix all to form a batter, you can add some more flour if necessary. ❏ Heat the oil in a frying pan. ❏ Drop a large tbsp of batter into hot oil and fry each side until golden brown. ❏ Serve immediately with garlic yogurt.

Ready in 25 minutes Serves: 4 people

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