won’t you Comoros over here?

CHOO CHOO. Here comes the ignorance train!

Here’s one of those instances that this project reminds me how much I don’t know anything about anything. Well, about the world. I was totally unaware that Comoros was a country. An island nation off the coast of eastern Africa, to be specific. Well, it’s a few islands, to be more specific.

thanks, africantravelresource.com!

To be fair to me, it’s pretty far away from New York, and not particularly large—719 square miles, according to Wikipedia. For reference, the “New York City area” is about 400 square miles. New York state is over 49,000. So.

BUT LEARNING IS COOL. So now I know. I also know that it’s a largely Arab-African nation, and is totally unsurprisingly a former French colony. This mix impacts a lot of things, like governance: Islamic law + Napoleonic Code + local customary traditions. And also FOOD!

Which is why we made Riz des Iles (Island Rice), which is basically a curried rice and fish dish. Fish. Curry. French name. It’s kind of perfect. And it was pretty tasty!

Quick tips: 1) You have to cook rice, and cook & mash a potato before you do the real cookin,’ and 2) Always remember to taste the seasoning, because really these are just suggestions and I hate to think of you eating bland curried rice and fish. I mean.

the stuff

2 cups COOKED white rice
2 -3 filets of fresh fish—we used perch!
oil for frying
2-3 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 potato—you’re going to boil then mash
1 ¼ cups of water
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp curry powder
½ tsp coffee powder—I dunno. Who has coffee powder? But it sounded interesting, so we just put a splash of coffee dregs *big shrug*
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 corn cob worth of kernels—really, cut them off the cob. truly better than frozen!
salt & pepper, to taste

the moves

1. Cook the rice (I’m not gonna explain how on that one).
2. Boil some water and throw in the potato until it’s fork tender. Remove & MASH.
3. Cut the filets in halves or thirds if they’re big, throw a little salt & pepper on ‘em, and fry them in a little bit of oil for a couple minutes each side, until they are browning.
4. Throw in the shallots, garlic, and mashed tater, and let them get happy together for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the water and all the spices & coffee powder/coffee powder substitute and mix it up, so it gets all stew-like. Mmmm. Fishy stew.
6. Throw in the rice & corn and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the cilantro, simmer for 10 minutes, taste for your salt & pepper levels, smell how awesome it smells, then dish it into bowls to SHOVE INTO YOUR FACE.

mmm, gloppy curry stuffs!

thanks, worldatlas.com!

Cambodia has run amok

First, here is an amazing temple in Cambodia that you may have seen before:

thanks, cambodiahouse.com.au!

Ok. For this post, I’m going to shift from my usual dabble into history and current affairs as relates to food, because something happened on the way to Cambodia. And that something… is epic failure.

And it’s important to talk about your failures.

It goes like this: You’re doing some things out of your comfort zone. So that means there are things that you aren’t familiar with, have never had. And that’s ok. But sometimes… it leads to feelings of nausea and scarring.

We both enjoy coconut, we really do! Sometimes it’s too sweet, but that’s usually in a candy or dessert setting. So a fish recipe—especially one called AMOK—that involves some coconut and spice sounds awesome. But, my friends… have you ever had coconut cream?

Several recipes we researched involved using a whole ton of it. Like, 1-2 CUPS. So we thought—ok! Let’s try this coconut cream. New things! And I stand by that decision-making, in general… but every once in a while it backfires. Our first batch of this was inedible. The cloying sweetness was enough to induce gagging. After more than two bites, my stomach was so upset and disgusted by the sweet… it had to be dumped. No way would I ever eat another bite. And I was not alone: it was SO BAD.

I don’t know if somehow along the line we got our products confused and ended up with a sweeter product than the recipe intended. I don’t even think coconut cream is SUPPOSED to be super sweet. Maybe we just picked a terrible brand. I’m not sure. But I’m pretty positive when we tried again, and left out the coconut cream, the results were SO MUCH BETTER. Edible, and even tasty.

So, remember, kids:

the stuff

2 lg fish fillets, cut into hunks (pick a hearty white fish)
½ tbsp lemongrass, minced
½ tbsp ginger, minced
½ tsp turmeric
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
½ tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp red curry paste
the tiniest bit of coconut cream (maybe. I mean… if you want to.)
2 lg kaffir lime leaves, 1 sliced
1 long red chili, thinly sliced
rice! (you should know how to make some rice)

 the moves

1. Combine the lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, garlic,salt, sugar, fish sauce, shrimp and curry pastes, and 1 lime leaf in a food processor situation and process that up til it’s a nice paste. THIS IS GOING TO SMELL AWESOME.
2. Heat a frying pan large enough for the fish over medium heat. Add the paste, stir it around for a couple minutes and breath in the delicious fragrance!
3. Add the drop of coconut cream (I will probably skip this forever. I don’t think I can ever eat it again) and bring to a simmer, then remove and put in a large-ish bowl to cool.
4. Toss the fish in the mixture. Yum.
5. Start making some rice. I’m not going to tell you how to do that.
6. So here’s the trick: you want to make little fish bundles with the banana leaves (make sure they are washed!). Take a nice sized (big rectangle!) banana leaf (it should be able to fold over a whole piece of fish and create a bundle)—put half the fish stuffs in the middle of the leaf, top with some lime leaf and chili, fold up the ends to meet and secure with toothpicks.* Repeat with another banana leaf and the rest of the fish.

*Let’s be honest. I made this part up. In that, I’m sure there are many people out there who would actually know how to wrap food in a banana leaf for cooking. Clearly, we are not those people. But I got the idea—we want a bundle of yum to steam the fish in. So… do what you can, and when you get the chance, ask             someone who actually knows what they are doing!**

**As another side note, if we had a bunch of money, this is what we would spend our time doing—getting people to show us how to execute all of these techniques.  For now, we rely on traveling when we can, and near harassment of strangers from other countries for the sake of food fact finding.

7. Steam the bundles over med-high for about 15 min, or until the fish is cooked through. If you have a real steamer, the good basket ones, woohoo! We have a metal thingy but we made it work. Anyway, when it’s done, serve over rice.

Also, we kept that coconut cream around for goodness knows what reason, considering there is no way either of us will voluntarily eat it again. Probably ever. He even still has trouble if something calls for “coconut milk” or “coconut water” just by association. I mean. Look: this experience obviously scarred us both. It’s not fair, because EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS but the coconut cream is a recipe for awesomeness. Fish? Curry-stuffs? What is not to enjoy? I’ll tell you what: coconut cream.

I didn’t even take pictures, I guess, the failure was so epic. Oh well. Here’s a map:

thanks, pepfarv.gov!

bajan fantastically finger-lickin’ fried fish: weekend in barbados

Welcome to Barbados Part 2: The Fishening.

thanks, barbados.org!

Today’s special guest is one I’m particularly excited about, mostly because of its extreme level of deliciousness. Please welcome to the show… Bajan fried fish!

*wild applause*

Ok, but seriously, folks: this is a great, simple recipe. It’s based on traditional recipes for weekend cooking, using flying fish, which YES, is a real thing, and the national fish of Barbados, but also one that’s not in the greatest shape environmentally-speaking. So, we turned to our trusty friend, mahi mahi, for an assist. This is usually served with coo coo. I would leave out the coo coo. [shudder. to be featured in Barbados Part 3: Goop Riddance.]

 the stuff

12 pieces of mahi mahi, deboned and clean and stuff
juice of 2 limes, all squeezed out
2 tbsp of salt
3 tbsp (or more) Bajan season (check us out here for a recipe)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup flour & 1 cup bread crumbs, mixed together
oil, for frying (fry me up! unnecessary aside!)

the moves

1. Soak the fish, just barely covered in water, with the lime juice & salt, for like 5 minutes. Remove & pat the fish all dry like a baby bottom (ew?).
2. Season liberally with the Bajan blend—make sure you rub it all over, getting into any crevices and such.
3. Dip each piece into the beaten eggs, dredge lightly in the flour & breadcrumb blend.
4. Heat your oil in a fry-suitable pan, and fry the fish for about 3-4 min each side. You want goldeny brown deliciousness and mouthwatering aroma.

mmm, frying “flying” fish!

PRO TIP: Don’t splatter yourself with hot oil. Just… don’t.

Serve with coo coo [shudder again], I guess. If you insist. But truly—this is some yummy, simple, delicious fried fish, so that’s pretty awesome.

thanks, naturalhistoryonthenet.com!

bangladesh? i hardly know her!

(bang… ladesh… get it?! Yeah, yeah, moving along…)

thanks, wikimedia.org!

Bangladesh is practically made to produce delicious. And I am totally biased due to my love of South Asian cuisine. Located nestled under India and chillin’ on the Bengal delta hanging next to the Bay of Bengal, it’s part of regional Bengal, which I have read is one of the most densely populated areas of the world. And it is delicious!! You have the spices and the water and the fertile land, oh my!

I won’t get too much into the nitty gritty, but probably about NO ONE would be surprised to hear that Bangladesh has had some strife in its struggle for independence—British India, then Pakistan, it’s a sad and familiar story of struggle, poverty, famine, etc etc. A resistance movement. A lot of fighting.

Let’s instead talk SPICES. Because that’s an important part of the culture—so. Many. Delicious. Spices. Spices, fish, and rice are staples in Bangladeshi cuisine. And mustard oil! My new favorite. Sounds like we have ourselves the making of a machher jhol—fish and a curry gravy. YES PLEASE. This traditionally Bengali dish is a great, aromatic balance of many spices and complimentary flavors. It’s notable from some other styles of curry because you fry the fish in mustard oil before preparing the gravy. It’s amazing! Getting the perfect balance is an art form, but really, when you’re starting out the gate with this array of delicious flavors, it’s kinda hard to make something that doesn’t taste good!!

Serve it up with some naan which we’ll go over next in Bangladesh round 2 and… wow. Just wow.

the stuff

for marinating:
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
8 fish fillets (we used red snapper! tilapia would also be cool and do-able to find)

then:
mustard oil for frying
2 – 3 potatoes, peeled & chopped into chunks (or not peeled, which I personally like…)
1 onion, roughly chopped
1- 2 inches fresh ginger, roughly chopped
4 – 5 cloves garlic
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 cardamom pods, bruised
bay leaf
2 green chilies (you can chop ‘em up little, or just slice them, depending on which kind you choose and how hot you want)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp unsweetened yogurt
salt, to taste
fresh cilantro, for garnish
rice! (Mmmm basmati. As much as you need. Don’t forget to cook it. I’m not going to tell you how.)

the moves

1. Wash your fish, pat it dry, and put it in a flat dish where you will cover it with happiness: marinate in lime juice, turmeric, & salt, to be exact. For like half hour. YUM.
2. When it’s all happy and marinated, heat up a large frying pan. Throw in some mustard oil (this was the best part—mustard oil is AWESOME). Fry on each side til slightly brown/goldeny, then set aside.
3. Throw in the potatoes (add more oil if ya need) & cook until about half done/getting golden-ish. Set aside on a paper towel.
4. Blend the onion, ginger, and garlic into a paste in a blender or food processor OR WITH YOUR BARE HANDS. Whatever it takes. A DELICIOUS PASTE, holy banana.
5. Add some more oil to the pan, throw in mustard seeds, cardamom, and bay leaf, and cook for like 30 seconds, til starts to brown and/or pop. Throw in your chili pepper and cook for another 30 seconds-ish.
6. Add your paste to the party, and cook for about 4 minutes.
7. Add tomatoes, coriander, cumin, and yogurt. Cook for about 10 minutes, until it looks kinda glossy from oil separating.
8. Add 1.5 cups water and the pre-semi-fried potatoes, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and let it all get happy til the potatoes are tender.
9. Add the fish back in, cook for 3 minutes. Give it a taste for salt, seasoning, etc. It’s probably magical by now. Just sayin’.
10. Serve over rice, garnish with delicious delicious cilantro, and shove a whole ton of it into your food hole.

You’re welcome.

thanks, galdu.org!

Andorra the Explorra? (I’m sorry.)

So, Andorra’s pretty small. Like, super small! Just chillin’ over in the Pyrenees. To help us better understand this tiny wonderland, I uncovered some Fun Facts to share:

Fact #1 – Andorrans have the 7th highest human life expectancy in the world.
Fact #2 – There are approximately 100 Jews in all of Andorra.
Fact #3 – Andorra has over 2000 shops – more than one for every 40 inhabitants.

Look at dem Pyrenees! Thanks, LonelyPlanet.com

A “micro-state” wedged between Spain and France… sounds delicious (and kinda dirty). 85,000 people live there. Know how many people live in Staten Island, the least populated NYC borough? Over 470,000.

The coolest thing about Andorran cuisine is that it’s super Catalan – Catalan with its own twist, which I can certainly dig. I love the Spanish influence, and of course when a kick-butt fish stew is involved, I’m IN. So, suquet de peix it is!

We’re basically talking about a typical and flexible fish stew that starts with that Catalan magic called sofregit: that’s when you start out by lightly frying a bunch of delicious smelling things (aromatics) to get a bangin’ flavor base. Use this concept elsewhere, it’s awesome. Also awesome is ending the recipe by adding a picada, which is a delicious and also aromatic herby sauce. Drooling yet?!

the stuff

3 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
2 – 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
~1 lb waxy potatoes, sliced (you can peel if you want, but I like the rustic-osity skin)
½ cup dry white wine
1.5 cups fish stock
¾ tsp sugar
½ lb white fish fillet cut into chunks (like 1-2 inch chunks) [side note: we actually ALSO threw in some red snapper because the fish market had some awesome never-frozen snaps on sale. But this is a peasant dish, meant to be versatile and accommodate whatever you got laying around, so go with it!]
½ lb raw, peeled & cleaned prawns

for the picada
10 blanched almonds (eh… I threw in a generous handful…counting is for suckers)
2 – 3  large cloves of garlic, peeled
½ tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped flatleaf parsley

the moves

 get your sofregit on!

1. Heat the oil in a wide, deep pan, put in the garlic and tomatoes and cook, stirring often, over a medium heat until the tomatoes are reduced and extra delicious (~10 min).

now let’s get the stew a-cookin.

1. Add potatoes and wine, and enough stock to cover the potatoes.
2. Add salt, and sugar, and simmer covered, over low heat for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

while that’s doin’ its thing, let’s get this picada going

1. Fry the almonds and garlic (the whole cloves) in the oil until both are slightly brown, then drain on a paper towel.
2. If you’ve got a mortar & pestle, YES! You are in better shape than me Use it to crush and grind this & the parsley yum into a paste. A food processor (which I also lack) or a blender will do, also. Add a ladle of stock to dilute it a bit.

back to the stew!

1. Put the fish in the pot-o-delish. I like to lay it in nicely and try not to disturb too much, so the fish doesn’t flake apart and you keep the big chunks. Cook 3 – 4 min.
2. Add prawns & picada. Cook that deliciousness until the prawns are cooked (turn pink/not translucent).
3. STUFF IT IN YOUR FACE.

I freaking love fish stew. Have I mentioned that a million times yet? And this one is simple, but flavorful, and highly adaptable. Winner.

Next up we’ll zip on over to Angola. Don’t. Miss. Angola.

Thanks, ilike2learn.com!