One of the best ways to experience a culture is through its food. Now that globalisation allows people to travel to and live almost anywhere they could possibly desire, it is becoming easier to expand your palette without leaving your home town. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly easy to try the tastes of the world without even leaving your home. Below are just a few of the regional cuisines you can cook right now, wherever you are.
Greek cuisine
Greek food, like many Mediterranean cuisines, places emphasis on olive oil (instead of butter), lots of fresh fruit, vegetables and breads are used to compliment fish, moderate amount of meat, dairy products and red wine. Greek cuisine features mezze platters, where everyone shares small portions of fresh, simple dishes that are packed with flavour. Because of their simplicity, most Greek recipes are easy to follow.
Moreover, Mediterranean cuisines are renowned for being amongst the healthiest in the world. The variety of the diet and the importance of having lots of vegetables, a moderate amount of fattier animal products and a bit of red wine makes it one of the best diets for heart health and the prevention of Type 2 diabetes.
Cumin marinated lamb with spicy chickpea houmous
For the lamb:
2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
450 g (1 pound) lamb leg steaks (cubed optional)
For the houmous:
1 400 g tin of chickpeas, drained
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp tahini paste
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
Pitta bread to serve
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Dry-fry the cumin seeds, and crush them lightly with a pestle and mortar. Mix one tablespoon of the crushed cumin seeds in a bowl with the mustard, soy sauce and honey. Add the lamb, cover and leave to marinade for 30 minutes (or ideally overnight) in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to serve the dish, place eight or so chickpeas aside, and blend the remaining chickpeas with the garlic, lemon juice and tahini paste. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to blend. Gradually add the olive oil until it reaches the desired texture. Season the houmous with salt and pepper. Place it in a small bowl, drizzle with a bit more extra virgin olive oil, and top it off with the reserved chickpeas.
Pre-heat the grill to a medium-high heat and cook the lamb for about eight minutes, turning half-way through, or until cooked to your liking. Serve the lamb with the houmous and toasted pitta breads.
Indian cuisine
Anglicised versions of Indian food are so common that former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook once famously used Chicken Tikka Massala to illustrate how British culture is so adept at absorbing other influences, calling it a ‘true British national dish’. As he pointed out, the Massala sauce was added to the Indian dish Chicken Tikka because when the dish was developed, British people wanted their meat served in gravy or sauces.
Authentic Indian cuisine is becoming more commonplace as immigrants and natives alike seek to indulge in the real flavours of India. Madras curry is an interesting example of authentic Indian recipes. Whilst it is in fact an Indian dish, the name Madras curry was coined by British restaurants seeking to explain the dish’s origins.
Cauliflower and tomato Madras
1 medium cauliflower, divided into florets
100 g (four ounces) green beans
1 tbsp oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 tbsp medium curry powder
2 tbsp tomato purée
150 ml (1/4 pint) vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 ml (one quarter pint) single cream or yoghurt
400 g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
350 g (12 oz) tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and chopped
Boil the cauliflower and green beans in salted water until tender. Drain and set the vegetables to the side. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and fry the onion until it is softened. Add the curry powder, and cook gently for 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Stir in the tomato purée, stock, salt and cream/yoghurt. Add the chick peas and tomatoes, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cauliflower and green beans before serving.
Chinese cuisine
China is a huge, diverse country with many distinct regions, and what we consider “Chinese” food is usually the cuisines of the Szechuan, Shandong, Jiangsu and Cantonese regions. There are four other major regional styles of cooking in China: Anhui, Fujian, Hunan and Zhejiang. Altogether, these are known as the Eight Culinary Traditions of China.
Because of this varied cooking tradition, there are Chinese recipes to suit any diner. One of the most popular dishes is stir fry, in which you quickly fry fresh vegetables and thin strips of meat on a very high heat with a little oil and soy sauce. Stir fry can include just about any meat and vegetables, so it’s great for using up leftovers.
Chinese steak and vegetable stir fry
1 tbsp oil
450 g (5 oz) sirloin steak, cut into strips
1 red pepper, sliced
125 g (5 oz) sugar snap peas, sliced
175 g (6 oz) beansprouts
100 g (4 oz) asparagus tips
2 tbsp of Schwartz Easy Stir Fry Garlic, Ginger & Spring Onion (approx. ½ tube),
or 1 tbsp garlic paste,
1 tbsp ginger paste and fresh spring onions
1 tbsp soy sauce
Heat the oil over a very high heat, and add the steak. Stir it around the pan for two to three minutes, until the meat is browned. Add the vegetables, and stir fry for another two to three minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onion mix and the soy sauce. Stir fry it for one minute. Serve the stir fry with rice or noodles.