Ethnic dishes | Imamother

coconutbutter

Tue, May 01 2018, 5:42 am

DH and I love trying foods from different cultures. We love spicy, we love trying new things...now I would like to start cooking some myself.

I live in a very Charedi area in Israel so the groceries do not carry any special spices or ingredients.

What are some dishes I can make with the usual things I have that are simple and delicious?

Teomima

Tue, May 01 2018, 6:22 am

There's a lot of good Indian food you can make with little more than chili flakes, curry spice (any blend, even basic Israeli brands, will do), and coconut cream/coconut milk. I've found Asian sauces for stir fries to be even better when made from scratch (some combination of fresh garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, chilli flakes, and orange juice is my favorite). And next time you're in Jerusalem, stock up. There's a LOT you can find.

ProudMommy3

Tue, May 01 2018, 7:26 am

Really yummy sefardi lentils & rice (I can't remember the name right now... maybe someone else can): saute 2 onions till brown, add 2 c. green lentils, 2-2.5 c. water, salt, pepper, & cumin to taste. Simmer till tender & water almost absorbed. Serve over rice (I do white rice bc we found that brown rice combined w/ lentils had to much fiber for everyone's stomachs.) Yum!

top mom

Tue, May 01 2018, 7:36 am

ProudMommy3 wrote:

Thanks for posting this recipe my daughter loves it and I was searching for a good recipe!
Will try it soon

SuperWify

Tue, May 01 2018, 9:06 am

This is the best fish ever. Even DH who hates fish eats it. You can mix up the flavors or make it more spicy with a jalapeño pepper, depending on your taste. Using fresh ingredients-garlic, parsley ect- make a big difference.

Moroccan Fish:

Onions sliced
Olive oil
Salmon
Garlic
Fresh parsley chopped finely
2-3 overripe beef tomatoes cut into cubes
Red or green peppers sliced thinly
Carrots
Potatoes
1/2 cup marinara sauce
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Basil

Sauté onions in olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic. When browned add tomatoes then the rest of the vegetables. Cook on low for 3-4 minutes. Pour sauce, spices and chopped parsley. Mix well. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Add water so it shouldn’t burn. Salt and season the salmon. Place in the center of your pan and cook on low for another 45 minutes.

cbg

Tue, May 01 2018, 4:35 pm

My parents were born in Cuba.
I grew up on Cuban cuisine
It's not spices, but very yummy

Congris - rice and black beans mixed
Platano Frito Maduro - Sweet fried plantain
Tostones - Double Fried Salty plantains
Marquita's- Plantain Chips (these are different then the store bought)
Bistec Empanizado - Breaded thin steak
Tamales Cubanos (kosher version)
Yucca con mojo y ajo- Yucca root
Yucca Frita- Fried Yucca - made from left over Yucca
Kimbombo -Okra made Cuban style with butternut squash cubes and
plantain balls
When I think of more I'll let you know

BTW- rice and lentils is called Menjedra
It's sometimes served with yogurt and cucumber slices.
I usually make this during the 9 days.
My grandkids (they live in Brooklyn) have this in school every Friday for lunch.

WhatFor

Tue, May 01 2018, 4:59 pm

CBG- I love everything on your list, although I don't think I've ever had kimbombo (but LOVE okra).

OP- by "ethnic" did you mean "non-ashkenaz"? Because I feel like even gefilte fish or potato kugel can technically be classified as "ethnic" although it's less unique in mainstream jewish culture.

FranticFrummie

Tue, May 01 2018, 7:45 pm

WhatFor wrote:

I'm going to guess that ethnic means non-Western cuisine.

If you have someone coming from America to visit you, have them bring you spices from an Indian food store. Rami brand has a KSA heksher on it.

cbg

Wed, May 02 2018, 5:53 am

WhatFor wrote:

Kimbombo is okra, the big ones, made in tomato sauce. My mom adds to eat small cubes of butternut squash and plantain balls. Basically she cuts the very ripe ( it needs to be black) sweet plantain in 4, Leave The Skin On, and boils it until it becomes soft. Then she lets it cool a little, peels, mashes, and forms into balls. This she adds to the okra 10 minutes before its done.
I've made it on Shabbat, and guest love the choices.

Funny story, my kids use to call okra the vegetable with couscous inside. Very Happy

etky

Wed, May 02 2018, 6:57 am

CBG, your Cuban cuisine sounds delicious and exotic but I don't think that the mainstay ingredients (plaintain, yucca etc.) that you mentioned are easy to find or available at all in Charedi or even non-charedi areas in Israel. Maybe the okra dishes though...
Majadra is a very common dish in Israel as is Chreimeh (spicy fish) and variations on it so I'm not sure that that is what OP was aiming at.
I second Teomima's suggestion of Indian food. It's 'different' enough from the typical Ashkenazi/Mizrachi cuisine that we enjoy here but the ingredients are not that difficult to find.
Maybe Mexican dishes can be another avenue to explore.

Teomima

Wed, May 02 2018, 7:55 am

etky wrote:

If anyone sees plantain or yucca in Israel, I'd love to know!

As for Mexican, definitely a good idea. I recently discovered Yachin, the Israeli brand of canned goods, makes a canned kidney bean in chili sauce (not a new product, I just never bought it before for some reason) and it's DELICIOUS! I've been adding it to chollent, chili, burritos, etc. It's a great and easily accessible Israeli product that can add a lot of flair and would work well with Mexican food.