When it comes to global influences on
food, the digital age has made the world feel a lot smaller. The best recipes
from chefs in other countries are now accessible, as are the local ingredients
they use to create their most fabulous dishes. Check out these six must-try ideas
from bloggers who specialize in their home country’s cuisine.
1. Quick & easy Bibimbap - South Korea
When Kim Sunée traveled to her birthplace
in South Korea on a research trip, she was delighted by the cuisine, how it
could be both rustic and beautiful, and how eager people were to share it. She
founded Kimsunee.com soon after. She loves what modern Korean-American cooks
are doing with the cuisine, infusing familiar dishes with what she calls
“Korean sass.”
Quick
& easy bibimbap
A fave ingredient: Gachujang
Slightly sweet but spicy; this fermented
Korean hot-pepper' paste is a complement to. soups, stir-fries and marinades;
it also makes a great dipping sauce.
Price: $5.50 for 100 grams
Website: hmart.com
2. Curry-leaf mojito - India
Indian food has a reputation for being
complicated, but Delhi-horn Monica Bhide aims to disprove that on her blog, A
Life of Spice (monicabhide.com).There, and in her latest cook hook, Modern
Spice, she shares authentic Indian recipes, such as egg curry and cumin rice
with peas, that come together in minutes with a few supermarket staples. It
seems walking away from a high-paying engineering job to pursue food writing
was well worth it.
It
seems walking away from a high-paying engineering job to pursue food writing
was well worth it.
A fave ingredient: Fresh Curry Leaves
Unrelated to the spicy powder that probably
comes to mind when you think of curry, these aromatic leaves have a bright,
lemony flavor that's hard to replicate.
Price: $2.25 for a 0.75- ounce bag
Website: ishopindian.com
3. Roasted cauliflower with za’atar - Israel
Beth Ebin recognized that Israelis home to
some of the freshest, healthiest, most vibrantly flavored food even before
Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks hit the best-seller list here in the U.S. She has
enjoyed many Friday-night Shabbat meals since packing up and moving from New
York to the Negev Desert in southern Israel with her husband, daughter, and
three dogs, and she established BethMichelle.com in 2011 to share her knowledge
of what is truly a melting-pot cuisine.
Roasted
cauliflower with za’atar
A fave ingredient: Za’a tar
This zesty herb blend usually made with
oregano, thyme, sumac, and sesame seeds - has many uses in Israeli cooking: as
a condiment for dipping pita, as a dry rub for meat, and dusted over hummus and
Labneh (a thick, sheep’s-milk yogurt). It’s just as good sprinkled over roasted
vegetables.
Price: $3.89 for eight ounces
Website: penzeys.com
