Day 104: Madagascar and Mofo Sakay

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to enjoy a nice day in Madagascar. We are going to make Mofo Sakay, spicy fritters, also known as hot bread.
This is a traditional fried bread that combines the flavours of this beautiful country.

Mofo Sakay is really easy and quick to make.
For my recipe, I have combined a few videos with this recipe.
You'll need:

2-1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
4 green onions, thinly chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 c watercress, chopped
3 chilies, chopped
black pepper
oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Heat 1-2 cm of oil in a frying pan. Once the oil is hot, use a spoon to pour a bit of dough at the time. With the help of a wooden spatula, create some elongated shapes. Fry until golden brown. Repeat until you will have used up all the dough. Place the finished fritters on some kitchen paper to drain. Serve very hot.

I think the Mofo Sakay is a delicious finger food that takes almost no time to make. Moreover, it is quite filling.

Love,

Raffi

Day 103: Macedonia and Tavče gravče

Good evening, Raffies!

Tonight we are going to the country with one of my favourite flags: Macedonia!
We are making a traditional Macedonian dinner: Tavče gravče.
This dish is usually served on a Friday night and, since most Macedonians are Christian Orthodox, it is often meatless. It is said that every real Macedonian household serves Tavče gravče once a week.
This simple dish consists of baked white beans with chilies, pepper, onions and oil.

For my recipe, I have used this version. Since several photos showed a sausage on the beans, I decided to dig deeper and was able to find some loukanika to accompany with the dish.
I actually did not expect to like this dish this much, but I must say that it is delicious! And furthermore, it is really easy to make. You should try it sometime!

Love,

Raffi

Day 102: Luxembourg and Trout with Riesling sauce and Gromperekichelcher

Gudden Owend, Raffies!

Tonight we are finally having fish again! We are going to Luxembourg and enjoying some traditional Gromperekichelcher, potato pancakes, and some nice trout with a Riesling wine sauce.

First things first, when I was searching for a recipe, I had actually found a lovely recipe for hare, Huesenziwwi, but due to the heat and my accepting the fact that we would never be able to finish a whole hare in 2, I changed my recipe on Saturday, before going shopping.

To be honest, I did not expect the recipe to resemble German cuisine that much. While I was cooking, I realised that the Gromperekichelcher was very similar to the Rösti my mom used to make when I was a kid.

For the recipe:

500 g potatoes
2 shallots, finely chopped,
1 egg (might be two depending on the size of the egg)
flour
salt
pepper
nutmeg
oil for frying
q.s. parsley, chopped

Start by grating the peeled potatoes into a bowl. Add the shallots, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg and egg(s). Mix well and add enough flour to be able to shape burgers out of the dough. Fry the patties in a fry pan with oil. This will take approximately 3 minutes. Then flip over and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

For the trout (for 2 people):

2 cleaned trouts
2 shallots, chopped
1 tbsp juice of a lemon
q.s. butter
1 tsp flour
q.s. parsley
70 ml crème fraîche
100 ml Riesling white wine
100 ml fish stock
salt
pepper

Butter a serving dish for the oven, sprinkle the shallots on the bottom. Season the trouts with salt and pepper and place on top of the shallots.
Pour the Riseling and the fish stock over the trouts. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C.
Remove the sauce from the dish and in a sauce pan, bring to a boil. Add a table spoon of butter and crème fraîche. Reduce the heat and stir well. Dissolve the flour in the lemon juice and add to the sauce, while mixing well. If you do not wish to have any chunks, you can pass the sauce through a sieve (I like to have some pieces, thus I did not do this).

Serve the fish on a plate. Pour the sauce over the fish and place the Gromperekichelcher next to the trout.
Enjoy with some chilled Riesling.

I must admit that this recipe reminded me of my mom's recipes for trouts. Lovely! The sauce was delightful.

Love,

Raffi

Day 101: Lithuania and Balandeliai

Labas, Raffies!

Tonight we are going to Lithuania and making some cabbage rolls.
This is a dish you find quite often in Germany, as well.  Usually, my grandma used to make them in the oven, though. The Lithuanian version is achieved by simmering the rolls on a low flame.

The recipe is quite simple. For my version, I used this recipe.

The flavour was delicious. The sauce mixed with sour cream was great!

Love,

Raffi

Day 100: Lichtenstein and Käsknöpfle

Ahoj, Raffies!

Today was a wonderful sunny day. The temperature was finally warm enough for a cold blooded lizard like myself to wear a summery outfit - yes, I am always cold and yes, having lived in Italy for a very long time, makes me incredibly weak to cold-ish weather.

We decided to go see the new Pirates of the Caribbean film this afternoon. It was great, as usual, even though not my favourite film from the series. What do you think? Have you watched it yet?

Anyways, today it's time for Lichtenstein with a dish that is not exactly perfect for the 33°C: we are making Käsknöpfle!
This dish resembles Spätzle, for those of you who are familiar with German cuisine.
The recipe is really easy:

600g flour
8 eggs
10dl water
salt
nutmeg

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes. By using a Spätzle grater, let the Knöpfle, little buttons, drip into the boiling salty water. Let them come to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Mix them with grated cheese (ideally Appenzeller or Sauerkäse, but any other strong flavoured cheese will work) and crunchy onions.

For those of you who do not have a Spätzle grater, here are some tips:

Three Ways to Make Spaetzle

Love,

Raffi

Day 99: Libyan Couscous

Hello Raffies!

Today we are going to Libya and enjoying some couscous!
First things first, I am a huge fan of couscous and love the North African cuisine.
My big dream is to get a real tajine..

Well, for this recipe, I have loosely followed this version and cherished the tips from the guys at the Arabic shop near my home.

The smell of the spices was already very promising during the cooking process. The result was great! A lovely dinner, followed by some typical sweets for Ramadan. As you might know, Ramadan, the month of fasting, is starting tomorrow. Therefore, at the shop today, there were a lot of freshly baked traditional sweets. How could anyone say no? I was even gifted half a watermelon!

Love,

Raffi

Day 98: Liberia and Chicken Palava

Good evening, Raffies!

We are at 100! 100 days, 100 countries, 100 flavour.. Thank you all for joining me on this journey and I hope you will keep on accompanying me on my journey around the world.

We are going to Liberia for today's dinner. Today's dish is going to be Chicken Palava. A simple and quick dish. For the recipe, I have used this version. To be honest, I felt that it was rather similar to the other dishes from the West African countries I have done so far. It was obviously delicious and I actually would have liked to eat up everything, but my stomach decided that it was enough.

Would you like to try it?

 Love,
 Raffi

Day 97: Lesotho and Chakalaka with pap-pap

Good evening, Raffies!

Wow, it is almost 100..it has been almost 100 days of different dishes and different countries. Thank you all for joining me on my adventure!

Today we are going to Lesotho and enjoying a simple dish: Lesothan Chakalaka with Pap-pap, corn meal and vegetable stew.

The dish is really simple: you make some polenta, pap-pap, with 2 cups of corn flour and 4 cups of water (depending on the flour, you might need to add some water) and salt. Boil it on a medium fire until it gets thick. Remember to stir it frequently to prevent it from burning.

For the vegetables, Chakalaka:

1 red bell pepper
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 carrot
2 chilies
salt
pepper
oil to fry

Finely chop all the vegetables. In a pan, fry the carrots in oil. After a couple of minutes, add all the vegetables but the tomatoes. When the vegetables are done, it will take approximately 5 minutes, add the tomatoes. Cook until you get a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pap-pap.

I must say that I thought the dish was really simple and nothing special. But then I tried it and was amazed by the lovely and delicious flavour. You should try it! It is really easy and quick to make.

Love,

Raffi

Day 96: Lebanon and Fattush and Kibbi

Good evening, Raffies!

Today is the usual day for late dinner..it is 21:30 and we are starting with our dinner..
We are going to Lebanon. This amazing country, that I haven't had a chance to visit yet, but I have been in love with its cuisine for a long time. It wasn't easy choosing a dish from my Lebanese cookbook.

Since the summer is coming, I decided to make something summery: Fattush, bread salad, and Kibbi.
For Fattush, I made my own pomegranate molasses, since I could not find any. The procedure is really simple: all you need is pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to the boil in a pan and let it simmer until is gets the consistency of syrup.

Well for the Fattush, as stated in my beloved cookbook, "Lebanese Cuisine" by Madelain Farab, you'll need:

1/2 loaf of Arabic bread
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c parsley
2 tbsp dried mint
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tbsp (or more) pomegranate molasses
2-3 small romain lettuce, torn into pieces
1-2 tsp sumac
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by tearing apart the bread into bit-sized pieces and toasting it until golden brown. In a bowl, mix the pressed garlic, salt, pepper, parsley, peppermint and sumac. Add lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and olive oil and mix well. You can also add one or two teaspoons of white wine vinegar, if you want to. You can add more lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and olive oil at the end, if you feel like it.
Add the salad, the cucumber, the tomatoes, the bread and the onions. Mix well and decorate with fresh peppermint and parsley.

As for my kibbi recipe, I have found this version that is somewhat similar to the recipe from my book.

Needless to say, I really loved dinner. The salad was refreshing and crunchy thanks to the bread. Whereas the kibbi made you want to eat one after the other, regardless of how full you were.

 Love, Raffi

Day 95: Latvia and (Speķa) Pīrāgi

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Latvia and enjoying some traditional pies. I have good memories of this lovely country and its delightful people.

Pīrāgi is a traditional treat that is served to celebrations. So, we decided to celebrate the lovely summery weather and the shining sun today.

As for the recipe, I followed the lovely Liva on Latvian Eats, who explained the procedure in detail. As for the pies, they were amazing and I even drank some of my Riga Black Balsam, which I have been hoarding jealously. I guess it is time to pay another visit to Latvia :)

Love,

Raffi

Day 94: Laos and Tham mak hoong (green papaya salad)

Good evening, Raffies!

Tonight is a big night, it's the ice-hockey finals and I am only able to write in between periods.
We are going to Laos today and since it has been a wonderful and sunny afternoon, we are going to enjoy some green papaya salad. This was the first time for me doing it all by myself and chopping the papaya.
Here is a video on how to chop a green papaya properly:

Since I had never done this before, it took me quite some time until I had shredded the whole papaya.

After that, it was really easy to finish off with the recipe. I followed this recipe for my salad. The taste was delicious, like the salads I had tried before, but I must say that the six chilies were hot. I really enjoy spicy food, but today this was really really hot, but delicious.

 Love, Raffi

Day 93: Kyrgyzstan and Oromo

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Kyrgyzstan and enjoying some nice steamed pasta. Somehow, this country has always fascinated me, especially because all I know about Kyrgyzstan comes from the countless documentaries I watched. The landscape looks so amazing..

Anyway, Oromo is a traditional dish in Kyrgyzstan. It basically is filled and steamed pasta. For the filling, meat is commonly used with onions and occasionally some vegetables.

Apart from taking ages to roll out the pasta, the recipe was pretty straight forward.
I used this recipe to help me out with the cooking. Since we are only two people, we halved the amount and decided to add some pumpkin and potatoes, simply because I had some pumpkin in the freezer waiting to be used. As I had read, I accompanied my Oromo with some yoghurt sauce.

After waiting for approximately 45 minutes for the Oromo to be steamed, I could finally enjoy my dinner, while watching the semifinals of the ice-hockey worldcup. Yes, I am a huge fan of ice-hockey, always have been.

But back to business, the Oromo was lovely and I really enjoyed the consistency and the flavour. It somehow reminded me of a big steamed dumpling. You should try it sometime!

 Love, Raffi

Day 92: Kuwait and Chicken Biryani

Good evening, Raffies!

Tonight we are going to Kuwait. We are going to enjoy one of Kuwait's traditional foods: Chicken Biryani.
This dish can be found in several other countries. It actually originated in India and was brought over long time ago. Another traditional dish in Kuwait is Machboos, which we had already enjoyed for Bahrain.

The recipe I have used is this one, where you are explained step-by-step what to do.
You can find this dish with either mutton or chicken. For my version I have used chicken.
I started with the marinate a couple of hours before cooking. It turned out to be delicious. The meat was tender and the dried fruits gave this special note to the entire dish.

Have you ever tried chicken biryani?

 Love, Raffi

Day 91: Kosovo and Flija

Good evening, Raffies!

It is almost weekend and we are going to Kosovo!
And for the first time in my life I realised that I actually need a squeeze bottle. Flija is a typical layered cake, or pancake, that you can find in Albania and Kosovo.

Yes, it takes hours to prepare and a lot of patience in making the layers.
For my recipe, I have used this lovely version. Flija is traditionally cooked outside on a campfire and turns into a social activity, since the preparation takes around 3 hours.

The result is a very filling cake topped with honey or jam. I liked it, but I could only eat a small piece before exploding 😄

 Love, Raffi

Day 90: Kiribati and Palusami (Coconut creamed spinach)

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Kiribati. After having had a wonderful almost summery day here in Breda, Netherlands, we are going to enjoy some traditional food from Kiribati.

This was the first time I have ever bought corned beef in my entire life! The dish was really simple:
spinach, corned beef, a thinly chopped onion, a can of coconut milk, salt and pepper. Cook it in the oven for about 45 minutes at 180°C and you are done. Serve it with rice, taro or potatoes.

The dish is to be found all over the Central Pacific.Traditionally, you use young taro leaves, instead of spinach and wrap the ingredients in big taro leaves and steam the whole package. Unfortunately, taro leaves were not to be found. The result was creamy spinach with the salty flavour of the corned beef.

For some reason, corned beef reminded me very much of my cat's food. However, I must say that I enjoyed its simplicity.

Love,

Raffi

Day 89: Kenya and Githeri

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we have the usual late dinner. We are going to Kenya and are making what has become a traditional dish: Githeri. This is a very simple dish.
It is rich in proteins and gives therefore the energy that is needed.

For Githeri you'll need:

2 c beans (any type of beans work. You can also mix different types)
2 c corn
salt
pepper
water

Boil the beans and corn in a pot and adjust with salt and pepper.
If you want to add some colour, you can add some green or yams to the dish.

Although extremely simple, it was very tasty and warm.

Love,

Raffi

Day 88: Kazakhstan and Chak Chak

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Kazakhstan! We are going to make Чак-чак, Chak Chak. The name seems to have come from Tartar languages and means "one after the other".
This is a very popular and common dessert all over the former Soviet Union.
It consists of deep fried dough drenched in syrup. The shapes vary depending on the region. Usually they are balls in Kazakhstan and among the Tartars, whereas in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan they resemble short noodles or Cheetos.
Chak chak is usually piled up into a pyramid like shape.
Traditionally they were offered to visitors or travelers and were a treat for special occasions. Since the pyramid tends to get hard with the syrup, you usually cut pieces out of the pile.

The recipe is very easy and the result resembles a doughnut in flavour.
I must admit that I ended up eating a lot of them, just "one after the other".

Love,

 Raffi

Day 87: Jordan and Maqlubah

Good evening, Raffies!

Today we are going to Jordan and making a traditional Middle eastern dish: Maqlubah (there are several way of transcribing the word; you may find maklouba, makluba, maqluba...).
The word actually simply means "upside-down" in Arabic. And that's what it is: a dish that will be served upside-down to the way it has been cooked.

This was the very first time I made this dish all by myself. Usually, we made it at my mom's place and the was the one layering the dish and flipping it upside-down. So, I was really worried about the flipping part.

In the past, this dish was a leftovers dish. You would take what vegetables and meats you had left in your kitchen and recycle them to this cake-like creation.

So here it goes:

1 chicken
1 aubergine, sliced
1 onion, sliced
2-3 tomatoes, sliced
3 c rice, washed
1 cauliflower, trimmed into florets
1 tsp nutmeg
4 saffron threads
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp cumin powder
5 whole cardamon pods
water
salt
pepper
oil to fry
coriander to garnish
pine nuts to garnish

Salt the slices of aubergine and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Start by cutting the chicken into pieces. Fry the meat in a pan with oil. Add the spices and fry for a few minutes until brown. Add the water and cook for about 10 minutes.
Set aside the chicken and put the broth into a separate bowl - you'll be using it later on.
Now using the same pan, add oil and fry the aubergine until soft. Remove and set aside.  In the same pan, also fry the cauliflower until golden. Set it aside.
Now in a casserole with a lid start by greasing the inner surface either with butter or oil. Now lay the aubergines at the bottom. On top, layer the tomatoes, then the onions, the cauliflower, the meat and the rice. Add the broth you had previously set aside. And cover the ingredients with water. The water has to be approximately 2 cm over the ingredients. If you want a more spicy version, you can add another teaspoon of cumin, another 5 cardamom pods, saffron, nutmeg and pepper. Adjust with salt, cover with the lid and bring to a boil on high heat. Boil for 5 minutes and then lower the heat. Let it simmer for 30 minutes. Switch the fire off and let it rest for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid.
Now take a big plate and put it on top of the casserole. Flip the pot around so that the plate is now underneath and the pot on top. Remove the pot. Now you have your finished Maqlubah!
Garnish with pine nuts on top and some fresh coriander. Serve immediately.
You can serve it with a yoghurt sauce or plain.

My verdict? Well, I wish all leftovers ended up being that cool! The taste was lovely and the dish way very very filling.

Love,

Raffi

Day 86: Japan with Oyakodon (親子丼)

Konbanha, Raffies!

Today we are going to my adopted country. The country I came to know and love also thanks to my husband.
Now that I do not live in Japan anymore, I miss this wonderful country. Obviously, finding the right ingredients for Japanese cuisine is not always that simple.

Most of you will probably know that Japan is the overall country of fish. I must say that I myself was surprised to find out that there were a lot of meaty recipes too.

Therefore, for my world food challenge, I have decided, together with my husband, to make his favourite childhood dish: Oyakodon (親子丼). This dish literally translates "mom and child". It is a dish with eggs, chicken and rice. A typical dinner in Japanese households and a favourite among children.

For Oyakodon you'll need:

4 tbsp dashi*
4 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 chicken breast
4 eggs
2 c sticky rice

Pour dashi, mirin, soy sauce and sugar into a small pan and bring them to a boil. On medium heat, cook the chicken breast well. In the meanwhile, slightly mix the eggs in a bowl. Once the chicken is done, add the eggs to the pan. Cook for approximately 2 minutes. The eggs have to be cooked but still soft. Place the rice into 2 small bowls. Pour the chicken and egg mixture on top and garnish with sesame seeds and nori.

* For the dashi, you'll need 1 l of water. Bring the water to a point where it is almost about to boil, by building small bubbles on the bottom of the pot. Add a piece of kombu and smimer for about an hour. Add a tablespoon of katsubuoshi and simmer for another hour.

Furthermore, we are making Miso-shiru (豆腐とわかめの味噌汁), miso soup with wakame and tofu.
You'll need:

1 l dashi*
1 pack of tofu
2 tbsp miso
1 tbsp wakame

Bring the dashi to a boil and add the tofu and the wakame. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Switch the heat off and add the spoon of miso. Gently move the spoon to dissolve the miso.
Serve the soup at the end of the meal.

* For the dashi, you'll need 1 l of water. Bring the water to a point where it is almost about to boil, by building small bubbles on the bottom of the pot. Add a piece of kombu and smimer for about an hour. Add a tablespoon of katsubuoshi and simmer for another hour.

Last but not least, we have maguro-sarada (まぐろサラダ), fresh tuna salad.
You'll need:

4 stalks of nira
1 fresh tuna filet
3 tbsp miso
1 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp mustard

Start by mixing the miso with the sugar in a bowl. Add the mirin gradually and keep on mixing. Further add the vinegar and mustard and mix well. Dice the tuna in 1 cm squares and chop the nira. Mix all the ingredients together and serve with rice.

And I was lucky enough to find my beloved umeboshi! These are sour plums that have been pickled and that you eat together with rice. I have ben a big fan ever since I first discovered them!

Now that my stomach is full, I miss Japan and really want to go back at least for a trip..

Love,

Raffi

Day 85: Jamaica and steamed fish

Good evening, Raffies!

Finally, it is time for some fish!
We are going to Jamaica and making steamed fish!
This is a dish, where you can put in whatever vegetables you have at home.
As for the fish, most of the time you use red snapper, or at least most recipes I checked used it.

For my dish, I have followed this simple recipe.
The recipe is easy and quick to prepare and the result is lovely! The flavour of the fish is really intense and it combines perfectly with the veggies.

I'd love to enjoy it on a sunny beach in Jamaica :)

Love,

Raffi

Day 84: Italy with Linguine al nero di seppia and Caponata

Ciao, Raffies!

After this wonderful almost summery day, we are going home! We are going to my other home country: Italy.

A serious Italian meal consists of: antipasto, primo, secondo e dolce - appetizer, a first course, usually pasta, risotto, gnocchi or tortellini, a second course, usually fish or meat with salad or vegetable and/or potatoes and a dessert. We are skipping the second course today and I must say that I feel awful because of it.

Within the infinite recipes I know and I can think of, I decided to make something maybe less known. Today we are making Caponata, a Sicilian dish, often served as an appetizer.

Actually, I know the recipes by heart. But, I initially learnt how to cook Caponata thanks to my marvellous Sicilian cookbook, La Cucina Siciliana by Eufemia Azzolina Pupella, Ed. Bonechi.

For Caponata you'll need:

4 aubergines, diced
2 onions, chopped
100 g ripe tomatoes or canned tomatoes
2 big stalks of celery, sliced
50 g capers
200 g olives, sliced
olive oil to fry
salt
pepper
1 c vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Start by chopping the aubergines, salting them and placing them in a sieve. Leave them to rest for approximately two hours.
If you are using the capers that are preserved in salt, place them in a bowl with hot water for about 10 minutes. Rinse them well.
In a skillet, heat the oil and sauté the onion, olives and capers. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Leave it on medium heat, until it turns into a dense sauce.
In the meantime, boil the celery in hot salty water for about 5 minutes. Rinse the celery.
In a separate pan, fry the aubergines, after having washed them in order to remove most of the salt. Add the celery and fry for 5 minutes. Now add the aubergines and the celery to the sauce and stir well. Cook on medium heat for another 5-10 minutes. Now add the sugar and vinegar. My experience was that, depending on the vinegar I used, the amount varied slightly. You should have a sweet and sour flavour. Adjust with salt and pepper. Decorate with some fresh parsley and serve either hot or cold.
This is usually a common starter in Sicily, but you can also serve it together with meat.
Depending on the season, the ingredients may vary. You can also use pumpkins or zucchini, for instance.

As Primo, we had Linguine al Nero di Seppia, which is pasta with squid and its ink. The dish is very easy. You'll need:

2 squids with their ink sacks (otherwise you can buy two already cleaned squids and separately, two packages of ink)
400 g canned tomatoes
400 g linguine
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c white wine
water
olive oil
salt
pepper

Start by frying the onion and garlic in a pan with some olive oil. Add the sliced squid. Adjust with salt and pepper and simmer with the wine. Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the ink and stir well. You might need to add some water.
In the meantime, boil the linguine. Mix the linguine with the sauce and garnish with some fresh parsley. Remember to use a napkin while eating, to prevent everything from getting black.

To be honest, I think I will be making a lot of Italian dishes again, after this challenge. There's just so much I have to share :)


Love,

Raffi