7 Delicious Foods From Different Countries Around The World

Different Foods From Different Countries Around The World

The country next to each food is where I tasted it and took the photo.

Vietnam

The Vietnamese ‘Pho Ga’, my favorite soup in the world.

You can judge how good a Pho soup is by how much concentrated flavor is packed in the broth while still retaining a clean, uncloudy, clear broth. I like my Pho without Sriracha hot sauce or Hoisin sauce....I really enjoy the purity of the chicken broth without anything to hide its flavor and aroma.

There are 2 very important steps to a clear but intense broth - 1) parboiling the chicken to get rid of the impurities 2) charring the ginger and onion for a naturally sweet, robust flavor.

A note on fish sauce - I prefer the Three Crabs brand. Choose a fish sauce light in color...it should look like brewed tea. Anything darker than that (looking like Coca Cola) is inferior quality. Three Crabs fish sauce contains gluten, please check labels if you are making GF substitutions.

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole organic chicken (4-5lbs)

1 whole onion, unpeeled and cut in half

3-inch chunk of ginger, unpeeled(A) Broth spices

2 tbl whole coriander seeds

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

2 tbl sugar (or rock sugar)

2 tbl fish sauce

small bunch of cilantro stems only, tied in bunch with twine(B) Accompaniments at table

1 lb dried rice noodles (about 1/4" wide)

2 cups bean sprouts, washed & tails pinched off

cilantro tops - leaves and tender stems

1/2 cup shaved red onions

1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Sriracha hot sauce

Hoisin sauce

sliced chili

DIRECTIONS:

Place ginger and onion on a small baking sheet. The top of the onion should be about 4" from the oven's heating element. Set to broil on high for 15 minutes. Turn the onion and ginger occasionally, to get an even char. The skin should get dark and the onion/ginger should get soft. After cooling, rub to get the charred skin off the onion and use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices.

In a large stockpot, fill with water and boil. With a sharp cleaver, carve the chicken breast meat off and reserve. With the rest of chicken whacking hard through the bones to get sections about 3" big. The more bone that is exposed, the more marrow that gets in the broth (translation: rich, flavorful). You can even whack several places along the bone just to expose more marrow. When the water boils, add chicken sections (not breast) and boil on high for 5 minutes. You'll see lots of foam and "stuff' come up to the surface. Drain, rinse your chicken of the scum and wash your pot thoroughly. Refill with about 4 quarts of clean, cold water.

Add chicken, chicken breast meat, onion, ginger and all of (A) in the pot and cover. Turn heat to high - let it come to boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Prop lid up so that steam can escape. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts, shred with your fingers when cooled and set aside (you'll serve shredded chicken breast with the finished soup). With a large spoon, skim the surface of any impurities in the broth. Skimming every 20 minutes ensures a clear broth. Simmer a total of 1-1/2 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and or sugar.

Strain the broth, discard solids. Prepare noodles as per directions on package. Ladle broth, add shredded chicken breast and soft noodles in each bowl. Have (B) ingredients set at table for each person to add to their bowl.

***

Jordan

On the trip to our neighbours in Petra – we had a little stop to try the local Hummus.

This basic hummus recipe calls for using canned garbanzo beans. I’ve made hummus using dried beans, soaking them, cooking them, etc. but the results just weren’t as good. The canned beans actually mash up pretty well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 garlic cloves, mashed and then minced

2 15-oz cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed

2/3 cup of tahini (roasted, not raw)

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pine nuts (toasted) and parsley (chopped) for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1 In a food processor, combine the garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, 1/2 cup water, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add salt, starting at a half a teaspoon, to taste.

2 Spoon into serving dish and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.

Serve with crackers, raw dip vegetables such as carrots or celery, or with pita bread. You can cut the pita bread into thin triangles, brush with olive oil and toast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven to make pita chips with which to serve the hummus.

Makes about 3 cups.

***

Mexico

Original Mexican EMPANADAS !

INGREDIENTS:

1 eggs

1 lb ground pork

2 purple onion (chopped)

1/3 tsp chili powder

2 tomatoes (diced)

1 pkg empanada (disk, thawed)

2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt together. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; stir the water in, about 2 tablespoons at a time, just until you can gather the dough together. Knead the dough a few times in the bowl, then scrape it out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough in quarters, and cut each quarter into thirds to make 12 equal portions. Roll the portions into balls. Cover the dough balls with a cloth, and allow to rest while you make the filling.

Mix the pumpkin, 2 eggs, 1 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together until smooth. On a floured surface, roll each dough ball out into a thin circle about 6 inches across; spoon about 1/3 cup of filling into the center of the dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling to make a half-moon shaped pie, and crimp the edges of the crust together with a fork, leaving little fork lines in the dough. Gently lay the empanadas onto the prepared baking sheets. Brush the top of each pie with beaten egg.

Bake in the preheated oven until the filling is hot and the crusts are shiny and browned, about 20 minutes.

***

Italy

The BEST pizza I had in my entire life. Italy is a zillion levels above the rest of the world, it seems.

An Italian's Classic Pizza Dough

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

3⁄4 cup cool water

1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast

1⁄4 cup warm water

3 cups flour

2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl combine salt, honey, olive oil, and cool water.

Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine warm water and yeast. Allow to proof for ten minutes.

After proofing combine honey mixture and yeast in one large mixing bowl.

Add flour, one cup at a time, into the combined liquid mixture. Dough is an art - depending on your paradigm you may want to work this with your hands, add a T of water if it is dry.

Place dough ball on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Place dough in covered buttered (melted) bowl and allow dough to rest for 30 minutes. A slightly warmed oven (90 degree) is great.

Divide into two equal sized dough balls.

If using a pizza stone, place stone in oven and preheat oven to 450 for at least ten minutes.

Roll out into two pies and add your favorite sauce and topping combinations.

***

Montenegro

Organic grass-fed Montenegrin beef liver. It comes with fresh tomato sauce and is beyond amazing.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. Rain Crow Ranch Grass Fed Beef  Liver Sliced

¼ tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. buttermilk, or as needed to cover liver slices

2 Tbs. butter

¼ c. olive oil

3 Vidalia onions, sliced into rings

2 c. all-purpose flour, or as needed 

2 Tsp All Season salt

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Gently rinse liver slices under cold water, and place in a medium bowl. Pour in enough buttermilk to cover. Let marinate for several hours or overnight.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. I prefer a heavy cast iron skillet.

3. Separate onion rings, sprinkle with the sugar, salt and pepper (to taste). 

4.  Sauté onions until soft or caramelized.  Remove onions from skillet and set aside.  Add the olive oil to the skillet. 

5.  Season the flour with All Season salt or a favorite salt blend adding salt and pepper to taste.  Put it in a shallow dish.  

6.  Drain the liver from the buttermilk and pat dry.  

7.  Dredge the liver in flour to coat.

8.  Heat the oil and place the coated liver slices in the pan. 

9.  Cook until nice and brown on the bottom. 

10.  Turn, and cook on the other side until browned. 

11.  Add onions on top of liver and reduce heat to low. 

12.  Cook 10 minutes, or until tender.

***

Nicaragua

Nicaraguan beef HEART, a nutritious source of cholesterol and healthy saturated fats to boost testosterone levels.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp sherry
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
4 large sweet onions, cut crosswise into 1/2″-thick slices
1/2 cup chimichurri (recipe below)

DIRECTIONS:

Lay the beef on a cutting board with the long side facing you. Holding a sharp knife parallel to the board, cut the beef through the side lengthwise into 4 flat, even slices. Place each slice between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with the side of a cleaver to a thickness of 1/4″. Season each slice with salt and pepper and place in a 13″x9″ baking dish.
In a small bowl, combine the thinly sliced onions, parsley, garlic, sherry, bay leaves, and red-wine vinegar. Mix, and pour over the meat. Cover and marinate for 15 minutes, turning once.
Preheat the grill to high.
Coat the sweet onions with nonstick spray. Place on a grill tray and grill for 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned. Turn carefully with a metal spatula. Transfer to a platter.
Drain the beef and discard the marinade. Grill the beef for 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, or slightly longer for medium. Arrange the beef on top of the onions, top with chimichurri.

4 servings

Chimichurri

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 small onion, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
4-8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-5 tbsp white-wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, starting with just 3 tbsp of the vinegar. Whisk to mix. The sauce should be highly seasoned; add more salt and vinegar, if desired. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

2 cups

***

France

Roasted SNAILS I had in an Alsacian village. They were so good I finished the whole thing in a minute.

INGREDIENTS:

24 escargot, canned with shells (if possible, try to buy petits gris)

12 tablespoons lard or unsalted butter, or a mixture of both, at room temperature

2 shallots, large, very finely minced

3 cloves garlic, very finely minced

1 celery, medium rib, very finely minced

3 tablespoons parsley, minced fresh Italian (flat-leaf)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

salt, to taste

black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Drain the escargots in a colander and rinse well under cold running water. Drain again and blot dry with paper towels. Melt 3 tablespoons of the lard in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, celery, parsley, thyme, curry powder, and salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are soft and translucent but not brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. 

Preheat the grill to high. 

Whisk the remaining lard into the cooled vegetable mixture, then place a portion of the mixture the size of a hazelnut in each escargot shell, using the tip of a butter knife. Insert the escargot in the shell and fill with some of the remaining vegetable mixture, placing each snail as it is filled on a baking sheet or platter (see Note). 

When ready to cook, place a vegetable grate or wire cake rack on top of the grill grate. Arrange the snails, open side up, on the rack and grill until the filling is bubbling and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the snails to plates and serve at once. 

Note: The recipe can be prepared to this point up to several hours in advance. Refrigerate, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until ready to grill.

***

Source of information: http://regevelya.com/foods-around-the-world/

http://steamykitchen.com/139-vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup-pho-ga.html

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hummus/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mexican-pumpkin-empanadas/

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/Mexican-Style-Empanadas-1094433?columns=4&position=1%2F66

http://www.food.com/recipe/an-italians-classic-pizza-dough-184812

http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-beef-liver.asp

http://www.weheartfood.com/2007/07/nicaraguan-churrasco.html

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/662/Escargots-Grilles-Grilled-Sna95199.shtml