Serves 2-4 Ema Datshi is considered the national dish of Bhutan and it’s traditionally screaming hot! Use whatever chili peppers you like, from mild poblano, to scorching thai bird chilies. My blend of Anaheim and Serrano chilies is very hot, but you can reduce the heat by leaving out the seeds. In Bhutan they serve Ema Datshi over rice (pictured here with cracked red rice). My husband likes dipping corn chips into the cheesy goodness. I’d like to tell you he’s a fool but, really, the combination was excellent. Traditionally served with cracked red rice. Ingredients: 2 anaheim pepper 1 serrano chili 1/4 cup farmer’s cheese 2 cups grated monterey jack water as needed Method: 1. Slice peppers into strips, removing seeds if desired. 2. Cook in oil over medium heat until soft. (Cover your pot) NOTE: You must cover the pot or you will be smoked out. The spicy fumes as they fried in the oil literally sent daggers into our eyes and throats. Ava actually woke up from her nap, three rooms away, …
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Does Bhutan know something we don’t know? They’re awful happy! This video suggests rethinking happiness may be as simple learning from Bhutan’s culture, dragon king, and more … Enjoy!
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Happy Friday everyone! My Bhutanese Fun Facts got a little … er … racy this week. My apologies, in advance. I made every effort to keep things PG 13. Enjoy! When falling of a cliff is a good thing… In parts of eastern Bhutan it is forbidden to kill an animal. However, if the animal falls of a cliff and dies, then the meat can be consumed. Cooking is simple when the main ingredient is always the same… Most meals have chili peppers in them, which can be bought in abundance at the markets. You can’t smoke, but you can still get cancer… The sale of tobacco is banned in Bhutan (no other country in the world has done this). Instead they chew Doma (this is a blend of areca nut on a betel leaf with a sprinkle of tsune/lime – or calcium carbonate). Doma is chewed after eating to freshen breath. The crunchy concoction is often offered to guests and is considered an ice-breaker. Unfortunately, the blood-red juices cause cancer and other ailments. Want …
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The crimes of fruit salad are many: not ripe, over ripe, tart, bitter, warm, rotten … Because of these transgressions fruit salad has become the “Fruit Cake” of summer barbecues – a popular dish that only the brave eat. This week I made a Himalayan inspired Fruit Salad (just mango, red banana, and papaya) for our Bhutanese Global Table. In my interpretation, I decided to avoid the many pitfalls of regular fruit salad and serve it as elegant finger food. In this format each piece of fruit shone – sweet mango, earthy papaya and buttery bananas in the middle. Incredible. Pop one and you. can’t. stop. I dare you to try. But first: 5 Keys to a Great Fruit Salad 1. Never use pre-cut fruit. Ever notice how pre-cut fruit in plastic boxes tastes… fizzy? A tad chemically? The salad is an unsatisfactory blend of unripe cardboard fruit (usually the pineapple), mixed in with overripe, bruised, fungus fruit (often the grapes). Awful. Serve pre-cut fruit to a bitter enemy, if you must, but never serve the stuff if you’re …
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I’m not sure I stand a chance with Bhutanese food. You may find me with my head in a bucket of ice before this week is over. I’m originally from New England where we don’t “do” spicy. In fact, my strapping Oklahoman husband is the only reason I can eat anything remotely spicy. Just looking at him down so-called “hot” buffalo chicken makes me sweat (although some of that is because of the crush I had – and continue to have – on him). Year after year of his teasing has worn me down and I’ve graduated from mild to medium. Let’s just say I’m nervous. NOTE: This week’s Global Table is completely vegetarian. Recipes and photos will be up on Monday, as usual. Butter Grilled Poblanos [Recipe] Poblano’s stuffed with a generous pat of butter and grilled until soft and smoky Ema Datshi (chili pepper and cheese stew/curry) [Recipe] Firey hot chilies and cheese melt together in the beloved national dish of Bhutan Cracked Red Rice [Recipe] Himalayan rice with a reddish/pink hue and …
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The rugged mountain-country of Bhutan is nestled in the Himalayas, between India and China. This largely vegetarian country is known for eating chili peppers (called ema) and rice in abundance. Just reading about their food made me break into a sweat. They actually treat the chili pepper as a vegetable, instead of a minor spice component to a larger dish. In other words, in many cases, the chili pepper is the meal. To a Bhutanese, however, ema (chilli) enjoys an exalted culinary position. It isn’t just a food or a fad. It is the stuff of life. It is integral Bhutanese heritage and culture. It’s not just the vegetable; it’s the taste. A bowl of black dhal or a cauliflower sabzi in a diner in India is likely to contain some chillies, and would be considered very hot by most people there. But that, as every Bhutanese who has studied in India would vouch, is piddling compared with the blistering fury of a highland Bhutanese chilli. But it is not raw heat that makes Bhutanese …
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Entertaining tip: If the food is going to be spicy, invite people who can take the heat! Sounds like a no-brainer, but little details like this are important. Not knowing your guests’ preferences can turn a great night into a total buzz-kill. “Oh, I didn’t know you don’t like spicy food!” “Oops, I had no idea you were allergic to shellfish.” “What do you mean, you are vegan!?” “What does kosher mean?” “Oh, you don’t approve of drinking alcohol with lunch?” See what I mean? Awkward, awkward, awkward. Bangladeshi food is intensely spicy both in heat and flavor. That’s why it was important to find a guest who could appreciate this. As a hostess it is so more much fun to watch people enjoy the experience you created for them, rather than “fake” enjoyment. Thankfully my husband and our friend Joe (from Joe’s Burger Search) enjoys sweating over their meals. Joe likes hot food so much that he actually makes his own habanero hot sauce in his kitchen, simultaneously creating a 15 foot wide cloud of homemade …
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Serves 8-10 This sweet custard reminds me of rice pudding. The man who taught me all about how to make this dish told me that the mixture should neither pour off the spoon, nor stick too much to the spoon. I love directions like that – they make sense! Anyway, if you want to increase this recipe, or decrease it, use this guideline: for every cup of vermicelli, you need 4 cups milk. Ingredients: 3 oz roasted vermicelli – about 2 cups (about 1/2 the package pictured) 8 cups milk pinch of salt 4 cardamom pods, cracked 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup himalayan raisins (or golden raisins) 1/8 cup thinly slivered almonds Method: NOTE: Roasted vermicelli is made of wheat flour. I found it at our local Indian market (Laxmi Spices of India 5555 East 41st St, Tulsa). 1. Cut vermicelli into 1 inch pieces with scissors, taking care to not fling pieces all over the kitchen. Just go slow and you should be fine. 2. Add vermicelli to a large pot with milk, salt, …
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Serves 4 We made this flavorful dish with salmon which became incredibly tender after an overnight marinade and gentle steaming. Although not very spicy, the mustard sauce reminds me of wasabi. Ingredients: About 1 1/2 lbs of fish pieces or 4 fish filets (salmon or trout are ideal) 1 large leek, cleaned and sliced thin (only white and medium green, not dark green parts) 4 green onions, sliced thin For the sauce: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated (about 1 Tbsp) 2-6 green chilis (4 = Medium Hot) 1 tsp cracked mustard seed (Rai Kuria) 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp salt 1 15oz can diced tomatoes 1 Tbsp mustard oil Method: For the sauce: 1. Put all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Puree. (or use an immersion blender). 2. Add sauce and fish to a casserole. Sink fish into the mixture and cover completely. Let marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 3. Heat a little mustard oil in …
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Serves 4 The haunting spice of the panch phoron (fennel seed, mustard seed, black nigella, golden fenugreek and brown cumin seed) really makes this dish unique. Panch phoron is not blended into a powder. Instead the seeds are added whole, creating a subtle crunch. Very tasty variation on spinach. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 green chili peppers 1 small onion sliced thinly 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp panch phoron 1 lb chopped, frozen spinach 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Method: 1. Heat the oil in a skill over medium-high. Add chili and toast for 2 minutes. 2. Add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and panch phoron. Spices will start to pop and crackle when ready. 3. Add spinach, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to meld. Spinach Bhaji | Palong Shaak Bhaji) Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe The haunting spice of the panch phoron (fennel seed, mustard seed, black nigella, golden fenugreek and brown cumin seed) really makes this …
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Serves 4 The curry sauce is fire-hot (I was sweating while eating), however the potatoes do not absorb the heat so you can easily control how much chili you get in a bite. To make this dish more mild, adjust the amount of chili powder (or remove this spice completely). NOTE: This recipe makes a LOT of curry sauce, so you could freeze half of it and save for another dish if you wanted to – unless you think you’ll sop it all up. Ingredients: 20 baby red potatoes For the curry: 1 small onion, chopped 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1 tsp grated fresh ginger 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp cumin powder 1/8 tsp ground clove 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp red chili powder (Lanka guro) (this is VERY hot, adjust according to your tolerance) 1/2 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp salt Aromatics: 2 Tbsp mustard oil 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 2 bay leaves 1 cinnamon stick 4 cardamom pods 2 cups water Method: 1. Boil potatoes in salted water until almost cooked. Drain. …
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This short slideshow of travel photos will give you a peek into beautiful Bangladesh! 🙂
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