Traditional Romanian cuisine is particularly known for its meaty dishes. Roasted pork knuckle, a variety of sausages, cabbages stuffed with pork, or savory meatballs (chiftale) are on the top of the menu. Alongside such dishes are often very simple salads, which are meant to offset the heavy entrées. Romanian White Cabbage Salad (Salatǎ de Varzǎ) … Read more
These traditional Romanian meatballs, called chiftele, are pretty unique, as well as being absolutely delicious. Most cuisines have their own version of ground meat rolled into a ball, but there are many regional differences in meatballs The ingredients and the spices in meatballs are a great indicator of the flavors that dominate a region’s cuisine. … Read more
Zacusca is a slow cooked eggplant and red pepper spread. This traditional Romanian dish is made in Autumn when its main ingredients, eggplants and gogosari peppers are in season. Gogosari peppers very similar to red bell peppers, which is what I use in this recipe. During our time in Romania, we came to enjoy having … Read more
If you love beets, beetroot salad is another way to enjoy this healthy delicious vegetable. Best of all, the recipe has only a few simple ingredients and is very easy to make. Beyond the beetroot, our favorite part of the salad is the addition of horseradish. It gives the salad a spicy kick and makes … Read more
Korean beef stew (or Korean braised short ribs) brings together many classic flavors of Korea. While there are many variations of the recipe, most combine spicy chili paste (gochujang), garlic, Korean soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine (among other ingredients). The resulting stew has a deep rich flavor with subtle hints of nuts, spice, … Read more
Cajun BBQ Shrimp is one of the many unique and ubiquitous foods for which New Orleans is known. The Crescent City has many famous dishes — Jambalaya, Shrimp Creole, Étouffée, Gumbo, as just a few examples. Seafood really shines here. Crawfish, oysters, and of course, shrimp, play leading roles in Cajun cuisine. This barbecued shrimp … Read more
Prawn Sambal (or Sambal Udang, Sambal Shrimp) relies heavily on one of Malaysia’s favorite ingredients, Sambal Sauce. The spicy sauce is a staple in Malaysian cooking. The very basic sauce, Sambal Oelek, is a paste made with fiery red chiles and plus a little salt and/or vinegar. Recipes for Sambal sauces vary widely from … Read more
Nasi Tomato (or Tomato Rice) is a flavorful Malaysian side dish. But with the complex mix of sweet and tart tastes in this dish, it can easily be served on its own. It is typically served with Ayam Masak Merah (which is a lightly spicy chicken dish simmered in a sauce with tomatoes). The combination … Read more
Don’t let the red color of this traditional Malaysian dish dish intimidate you if you aren’t a fan of spicy food. Some Malaysian dishes do have quite a bit of heat, but this dish (which translates from Malay to ¨Red Cooked Chicken”) gets most of its deep red color from tomatoes. The dish is often … Read more
When traveling through Malaysia and Singapore we became huge fans of Laksa. This creamy noodle soup is full of spicy exotic flavors, such as lemongrass and creamy coconut milk, that we have come to crave when traveling through Southeast Asia. We quickly discovered that we weren’t alone in our adoration for this deceptively simple noodle … Read more