Posts | Global Table Adventure

About the food of Suriname

Welcome to Suriname; welcome to South America. We haven’t cooked this part of the world in many months. And, in many ways, today might feel like we’re still somewhere else. That’s because Suriname’s food scene is all about fusion. A melting pot, of sorts. The food is at once typical of South America, but also laced with components from Indonesia, China, Africa, India, and even Europe. Surely, this is because of Suriname having once been a Dutch colony. Long ago, the Dutch connected the tropical rain forests and swampy flatlands of Suriname with these many regions of the world. Now, in the big cities, you can find everything from dhal, roti and chutney to creole stews and cassava breads… Can I just point out that many restaurants of Paramaribo, the capital city, serve curry and chow mein? So fun. Maybe you’d like a side of deep fried plantains and spicy peanut sauce to go with that [Recipe]? Sure thing. In Suriname, you’d be as likely to cool off with Goedangan (a coconut-laced cabbage salad) [Recipe]and a summertime sipper, like lemongrass infused …

Monday Meal Review: South Sudan

What is a celebrity? One definition is someone who commands “public fascination.” Could this be the profile of one such person? This week we shared our meal with a very special guest; someone who has actually traveled to South Sudan, slept in their huts, hunted in their forests, and enjoyed feasts while sitting at the right hand of the village Chief. I’d tell you when all this happened, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy. I’ve wanted to invite this man to our table for a long time, partly because he is so passionate about the cultures of the world, but also because anywhere he goes, he comes back with stories. Enough to fill a 450 page book, actually. Say ‘hello’ to Brian Schwartz. You might recognize him from his lengthy, insightful comments… He’s been sharing them from the very beginning of this blog. Without him, my adventures into Africa and parts of Asia would have been much quieter, but his memories (and music!) have livened up our stovetop travels … making me (and I’m sure …

Menu: South Sudan

“A man without money goes fast through the market.” South Sudanese Proverb This week we’re digging into a menu that shows off South Sudan’s love of peanuts, sorghum, and spinach. These three staples can be found in many forms throughout the tropical country, although we’ve used them in traditional recipes that will be accessible to most home cooks. And while we’re talking about spinach, can we talk about spring for a second? What on earth is happening? No, really. Tulsa is all kinds of crazy. I keep heading outside to plant my tomatoes and Mother Nature’s like “Just kidding. It’s still winter.”* At this rate, the farmer’s market will be my only hope for awesome produce. All recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week. Sudanese Tomato Salad [Recipe] Fresh tomatoes, green onion, and parsley, tossed with a spicy peanut lime dressing. Vegan. Peanut Stew with Beef & Spinach | Combo [Recipe] A hearty mixture of browned beef, spinach, and peanut sauce. This one will comfort even the bristliest of folk, on the …

About the Food of South Sudan

It is a rare thing to bite into a new country; so often we think of our geopolitical landscape as static. But countries are no more static than the mountains which shift and crack, and spew forth anew from the earth’s molten core. There are surges and separations, and somehow, from the same old earth, something new emerges. Which brings me to this week. South Sudan. The world’s newest country (as of July 9, 2011). She’s hot, tropical, and bursting with jungle and swampland. She’s been there all along, of course, but now she has both boundaries and acknowledgement. Villagers sink into her heat with abandon, removed from the flicker of tourists, pressed together in the common interest of survival. The food is simple, based on porridge made from millet (“wala-wala” or “awal-wala”), although more densely populated areas will also offer cassava fritters and sorghum flatbread (kisra) [Recipe]. Meat like goat, beef or chicken, might be grilled and served along with these starches, or it might be cooked down in a peanut and spinach leaf …

Monday Meal Review: North Sudan

If you could taste life, it would be salt of the earth, spice of the heavens. It would leave you thirsty, and yet it would quench you. When I see people sweat through complicated recipes to impress each other, rather that for fun, I wonder if they taste life… if they really drink it in. Because I’ve seen it. I’ve seen her. That girl who’s crying before a dinner party because she’s taken on a recipe that’s much too complicated. Or because she’s just splattered oil on her favorite blouse. Or she answers the door with flour on her face and doesn’t realize it until a glass of wine and two hours later. While her friends fill the walls of her home with effervescent laughter, her insides are writhe with stress, fear, insecurity. She’s wondering if everyone’s doing okay, without taking a moment to breathe for herself. To live. To take it all in. To taste life. I know, because I’ve been that girl. I recently read a cookbook review that claimed the author wasn’t sharing true “recipes” …

Menu: North Sudan

“Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fatted ox where there is hatred.” Sudanese Proverb I’m taking this proverb to heart. This week happens to be a simple week. We’re breathing easy with vegetables, grain, and tea. We’re making room for love in a busy, busy time. The end result? This is a quick menu, something that can be made on a weeknight… without stress or strain. Thankfully, North Sudan accommodated us easily (and I felt guilt-free about going so simple since we’ve made so many of her other favorite recipes during other Global Tables (for a list of them see our post from yesterday… you can click through to the recipes and try them whenever you like). All recipes and the meal review will be available throughout the week. Cucumber Salad | Salatet Zabady bil Ajur [Recipe] An easy, refreshing blend of cucumber, yogurt, and crushed garlic. Goraasa [Recipe] Soft, doughy flatbread leaved with baking powder. (vegan) Cinnamon Tea [Recipe] Find out why the Tea Ladies of Sudan call this their best-seller. P.S. I’m curious.. Do …

About the food of North Sudan

If you wander through the deserts and hot winds of Sudan, you’ll be rewarded with a collection of richly spiced and lemon-laced foods, and even cooling cucumber and yogurt salads [Recipe]. You’ll recognize many dishes traditionally enjoyed by the Sudanese from our previous Global Table meals, such as ful medames (also enjoyed in Egypt), kofta, and basboosa (beloved throughout the Middle East). That basboosa cake? It’s soaked with lemon and rosewater syrup. I could eat that every day for the rest of my life and be a very happy woman. Like Ethiopia, flatbreads are incredibly popular in Sudan. Diners enjoy their meals with a wide range, including injera, sorghum crepes (kisra), and Gorraasa (simple flour and water flatbreads) [Recipe]. When you’re done eating, you might trouble one of the Tea Women for a spot of cinnamon tea [Recipe]. They sell it right on the side of the road… so don’t hesitate! Just be sure to keep an eye out for an impending haboob… otherwise known as a sandstorm of such intensity that it can blot out the sun. Phew. …

Monday Meal Review: Sri Lanka

It all started about a month ago. While watching our new Sri Lankan friend, Iyona, prepare a dozen or so platters for Ruby’s 40th birthday party, I noticed how little she measured. Anything. Nothing. Ruby seemed completely relaxed. Un-phased. (P.S. I’m pretty sure she’d pass for 22, right?!) Anyway. Back to the cooking. It was a dash of this. A heap of that. Cook it a while. Don’t forget to stir. That was the extent of her instructions. I’ve seen many people cook with similar abandon (my mom included), but I typically struggle with the desire to control the flow of the ingredients. So often, this is because I want you to be able to make these dishes at home. I have to include exact measurements to make sure you are successful. BUT, this is not the way of the world. MOST of the world doesn’t measure. And here’s the kicker. Somehow, some way, the food comes out just as good as if they had. So, a month later, when I cooked the meal for a few …

Fun Easter Recipes from Around the World

I always know when it’s Easter. My daughter is surrounded by a sea of plastic eggs. Jelly beans and skittles show up in the oddest places. But sometimes I want something a little less commercial. A little more homemade. And a whole lot delicious. Here are my three favorite Easter recipes from our Global Table Adventure… they are perfect for a fun afternoon of baking with your family, or go fancy and make them for brunch. 1. Easter Cookies, a.k.a. Figolla from Malta [Recipe] These lemon zest infused sugar cookies are stuffed with a marzipan filling, then iced. I love these so much, I even made them for a friend’s wedding. They are such a conversation starter, and it’s nifty they come from a tiny island in the Mediterranean (can we all just shut our eyes for a moment and just… go? 2. Romanian Easter Bread, a.k.a. Pasca [Recipe] Take everything you love about brioche and combine it with cheesecake. In spirit, anyway. This Romanian bread is gorgeous and would make excellent Easter Brunch (just …

Menu: Sri Lanka

“When the dogs bark at the moon, the moon is not brought down because of it. “ Sri Lankan Proverb I love this proverb. Sometimes we forget how much we shine, because of the “barking” all around us. Sometimes we listen to that barking, rather than listen to the truth of our own reality. The fact is: a little barking can’t bring you and me down, no more than it can bring the moon down. Remember that, friends… you are beautiful. Keep on shining. The noise can’t drown you out. And while you’re shining, try this beautiful, vegan Sri Lankan feast. All recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week. Quick White Dal Curry [Recipe] Masoor Dal with garlic, onion, turmeric, pandan (aka rampe), curry leaf, and a splash of coconut milk. Sri Lankan Yellow Rice | Kaha Bath [Recipe] The most haunting combination of rice, coconut milk, pandan, curry leaf, and turmeric. If I could eat this every day of my life, I’d be one happy girl. Coconut Roti [Recipe] You’re just three ingredients …

About the food of Sri Lanka

This week our kitchens take us to the small, pear-shaped island country called Sri Lanka. She’s just southeast of India, loaded with tropical hills, mountains, and a fresh, dreamy sort of ocean breeze. She was once known as “Ceylon,” a name which can still be found in the tea that grows abundantly on her slopes. Between the crocodiles, monkeys, and elephants, her lush forests hide coconut trees, one of the staple ingredients in Sri Lanka. [dropshadowbox align=”right” effect=”lifted-both” width=”600px” height=”” background_color=”#ffffff” border_width=”1″ border_color=”#dddddd” ]Fun Fact: Did you know the elephant is the national animal of Sri Lanka?[/dropshadowbox] So beautiful… My friend Ruby’s husband is from Sri Lanka and I got to sample several homemade dishes recently and fell in love with their use of coconut.* It is no exaggeration to say that coconut is in nearly every recipe. In fact, a fascinating article was just posted about the Sri Lankan coconut and its uses on Splendid Table. From coconut roti (a flatbread also found in India) [Recipe], to yellow rice [Recipe], to dal [Recipe], the creamy milk and …

Monday Meal Review: Spain

The more I need to laugh, the more I hole myself up in solitude. Does that make me an introvert? This week I holed up… major. I watched my paella turn canary yellow while my husband and daughter played in the yard. The trees were budding. The birds were singing. But I stood in my windowless kitchen. I stared into the paella as it plumped up. I wondered if I could drink in the steam coming off the rice, and whether or not it would conjure up the most honest sort of happiness. Can food do that? Because, if it can, I want to eat it. Surely Spanish food can. The truth is, I was so scared I’d mess up the paella, when my neighbors said they were too busy to join us, I decided not to invite anyone else over to try our Spanish Global Table. It just seemed easier to live a bit in the shadows. You see, I’ve been working on my book to be published by National Geographic in 2014… writing …