Bosnia

Bosnian Burek and Bosanski Lonac

I made these dishes on Tuesday, December 22. Both are national dishes of Bosnia. I made the burek, which is a meat-filled pastry, to bring as a dish to share at my friends Peter and Ryan's Christmas party. I made two pots of the Bosanski lonac (Bosnian stew): one for Andy and his roommate Mully, and one for my parents.

The burek was good. I cut the onions a bit too large, but that was my fault, not the fault of the recipe. Those who ate some enjoyed it. I would make it again. The lonac was also good, but a bit bland. There is not a lot of seasoning involved. I think it would be more interesting with some more pep.

Burek
Modified from the original:

Ingredients:
Dough
- 5. c. flour
- 1 1/2-2 T. butter, melted
- salt
- warm water

Filling-1 lb. ground veal
-1/2 lb. ground beef
-1-2 c. onion, chopped
-1 1/2-2 T. butter, melted
-2 egg yolks
-salt and pepper

Directions:
1) Mix flour, melted butter, salt and warm water to prepare the pastry. Knead.
2) Cut the pastry in four equal pieces.
3) Mix the meat, melted butter, chopped onions, egg yolks, salt and pepper together.
4) Roll the pastry out on the table until very thin and leave for few minutes to dry.
5) Cover the pastry thinly with melted butter. Put the filling at the edge of one side of the pastry and roll it up to create sausage roll like pastry.
6) Take the round dish and create the spiral with the pastry starting from the middle of the dish.
7) Bake 30 minutes on 375F. Before completely baked pour either double cream or butter melted in warm water over top.

Bosanski Lonac
Modified from the original recipe

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. beef, cubed
- 1 lb. lamb, cubed
- 1 cabbage, cut into bite sized wedges
- 2-3 carrots. peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
- 3-4 large tomatoes, cut up in wedges
- 3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut up in wedges
- 2 onions, cut up in wedges
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 green bell peppers, cut up in wedges
- 1/2 T. olive oil
- 1/2 T. vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 c. water
- 1 c. white wine

Directions:
1) Cut up vegetables in large pieces.
2)Cut meat in large, bite sized pieces.
3) Layer meat and vegetables in a large soup pot. (one layer of vegetables, one layer of meat, and so on).
4) Add white wine and water.
5) Cook until meat and vegetables are cooked, about 2 1/2 hours on low to medium heat.

NOTE: Do not stir this stew. Just let the vegetables and meat simmer together and they take care of themselves.

Bolivia

Bolivian Salteñas

I made this dish on Sunday, December 20 for Andy, my older sister Betsey and my parents. I chose to make this dish because it is the national dish of Bolivia. I guess in Bolivia it is usually eaten as a late breakfast meal. We ate it for dinner. It was a hit! Every bite was a little different: sometimes salty, sometimes sweet. I would definitely make these again, although they take a bit of planning because the filling has to gel overnight.

I made this almost a month ago and am just now getting around to writing about it. If I recall, the process was quite simple, even though there are a lot of steps.

Here is the recipe I used, slightly adapted from the original.

Salteña filling
(to be made a day ahead of time and left to gel in the refrigerator overnight)

Ingredients:-3 T. butter
-2 c. white onion, chopped
-1 1/2 cups gelatin (I dissolved 1-2 packets in 1 1/2 c. boiling water)
-1/2 c. canned red chile sauce
-salt and sugar to taste
-cumin and oregano to taste (2 - 3 teaspoons of each)
-1 lb. ground beef
-1 c. cooked peas (I used canned)
-1 c. potato, peeled, cubed and cooked
-1/2 c. raisins
-2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
-5 black olives (watch out for the pits)

Directions:
1) Fry the onions until soft.
2) When onions are soft, add the cumin, oregano, salt and sugar. Stir and fry for a couple of minutes.
3) Then, add the meat and continue frying. When the meat is browing add the chile sauce and cook a little while longer then remove and let cool.
4) When cool, mix the gelatin, potatoes and peas into the mixture. Refrigerate until the next day.

Salteña Dough
Ingredients:-6 c. flour
-6 T. butter
-2 egg yolks
-1/2 c. milk
-1 T. sugar
-1 1/2 c. cool water
-1 tsp. salt

Directions:
1)Sift the flour into a bowl, add salt and sugar.
2) Melt the butter and add to the flour. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well and knead for 5 mins.


Making the Salteñas:
1) Roll out the dough into a sausage and cut into pieces large enough to roll into circles about 2 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.
2) Add filling to each circle, then top with raisins, egg and olives as desired.
3) Brush the edges of the circle with egg or milk and fold over to seal the Salteñas shut. Make an edge by pressing your fingers along the seal.
4) Place onto a well greased baking tray and glaze the Salteñas with milk or egg.
5) Cook for 20 to 30 minutes in a oven pre heated to 572F- until golden.
6) Leave standing on a cooling tray for 10 mins before eating.

Bhutan

Bhutanese Ema Datshi, Beef and Mushroom Tshoem and Red Rice

I made this dish for Andy and myself on Tuesday, December 8. We both enjoyed this dish, particularly the tshoem and rice. The ema datshi was a little spicy for our tastes, but still good. If you like really spicy fare, I would certainly recommend it. The tshoem, despite its inclusion of jalapeños, was not spicy at all.

Ema datshi is the national dish of Bhutan. I read that because Bhutan is surrounded by the Himalayas, there are not a lot of exports from the country. The chilies and cheese that the recipe calls for are therefore not readily available in the United States. The recipe called for green chilies of medium hotness; I felt that the closest would be jalapeños. The recommended substitute for the Bhutanese cheese was Danish feta. They did not have this at Kowalski's so I just used some feta made in Wisconsin. Not very authentic, but the dish was still good. As I said earlier, it was super spicy, and I even seeded half of the jalapeños. The spice comes from the seeds, so if you're wanting less spice, you could seed all of the peppers. This dish should be served with Bhutanese red rice.

Bhutanese red rice is imported from Bhutan. I found it at Kowalski's. To prepare it, I simply followed the package instructions. The rice is kind of firm and tastes a bit nutty. Andy and I both enjoyed it.


Tshoem translates to curry. I guess that originally "curry" just meant a thick stew; it didn't have anything to do with the spice. This was a really good dish. But then again, what wouldn't be good after being simmered in an entire stick of butter for two hours? It was rich, and the onions caramelized. Kowalski's didn't have any oyster mushrooms, so I used shiitake. This dish is also supposed to be served over red rice.

Ema Datshi (original recipe)


Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb jalapeños, cut longitudinally (into 4 pieces each)
- 1 onions, chopped longitudinally
- 1 3/4 c. water
- 2 tsp. vegetable oil
- 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1/2 lb. (Danish) feta cheese, cubed
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cilantro leaves

Directions:
1) Put chilies and onions in a pot with water. Add vegetable oil. Boil over medium heat for 10 minutes.
2) Add tomato and garlic. Boil for 2 minutes.
3) Add cheese and let it remain for 3 more minutes.
4) Add cilantro and turn off heat. Stir and cover. Let sit 2 minutes.
5) Serve with Bhutanese red rice.



Beef and Mushroom Tshoem (original recipe)


Ingredients:- large onion
- 1 lg. garlic clove, peeled
- fresh ginger, peeled and cut into a 3/4" cube
- 1 stick butter
- 1 lb. boneless beef chuck, cut into 1" cubes
- 1/2 c. water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 medium jalapeños, seeded and julienned
- 1 1/3 c. fresh oyster mushrooms, stemmed
- Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Coarsely chop the onion in a food processor, about 4 pulses. Set aside.
2) Drop garlic and ginger through the feed tube with motor running. Chop finely, about 10 seconds.
3) Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add beef, onion, water and salt. Simmer over low heat until just tender, about 1 hour and 50 minutes.

4) Add garlic, ginger and remaining ingredients. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.

5) Serve with red rice.

Bermuda

Bermudian Fish Chowder

I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus; I was moving, and then it was Thanksgiving week. I couldn't take on this project in addition.

I made this dish on Tuesday, December 1st for Andy, my parents, my sister Betsey and her husband Cody, my sister Sarah and her boyfriend Kelley and myself. I chose this dish because it is the national dish of Bermuda. Other countries also have fish stew or fish chowder for their national dish; what sets Bermuda apart is the incorporation of Outerbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce (I ordered it online from Bermuda) any Bermudian dark rum (I couldn't find and Bermudian rum at the liquor store that I went to, so I just used some from the West Indies). This dish was a hit. All enjoyed it, except Betsey, who accidentally added too much rum to the stew at the table.

This dish is pretty hearty. I served it with some ciabatta bread, which was a nice inclusion. The recipe suggests that those eating the stew add dashes of sherry pepper sauce and rum. This added a sweet, more robust flavor. This was a simple, tasty dish. I recommend it.

We also had some authentic beverages! After doing some research on Bermudian beverages, Cody and Betsey brought ginger beer, and we made cocktails with that and rum. These were exceptional. They also brought some Heineken. Apparently, there are some microbreweries in Bermuda, but most residents just drink Heineken.

I got the recipe from Outerbridge's website.

Here it is:

Bermudian Fish Chowder

Ingredients:-4 quarts water
-1 1/2 lb. white fish (I used a mixture of catfish and tilapia)
- salt
-thyme
-bay leaves
-peppercorns
-ground cloves
-2 T. butter
-2 T. olive oil
-3 large onions, chopped
-8 stalks celery, chopped
-1 garlic clove, minced
-2 green peppers, chopped
-1 can (28oz.) whole tomatoes, chopped
-10 oz. vegetable stock (the original recipe calls for beef consomme, but two of my guests don't eat meat)
-1 c. ketchup
-1/2 c. chopped parsley
-2 T. worcestershire sauce
-2 tsp. lemon juice
-6 carrots, peeled and diced
-2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced
-2 oz. dark rum (the original recipe recommends Gosling's Black Seal Rum)
-4 T. Outerbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce
-freshly ground pepper, to taste



Directions:
1) In large pot (8 qt.), put water, fish, salt and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer 30-45 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or wok, melt butter and oil. Briefly sauté onions, celery, garlic and peppers. Add tomatoes (with juice from can) and vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
3) Transfer onion mixture to fish stock and add remaining ingredients. Simmer partially covered for 2 hours. Adjust seasonings.
4) Serve piping hot and pass around Outerbridge's and rum so people can add a few dashes.

Benin

Beninese Lamb in Peanut Sauce and Kuli-Kuli

I made this meal on Tuesday, November 10 for Andy and myself. I chose this meal because kuli-kuli is the national dish of Benin. I decided to make the lamb dish so we would have something of more substance.

The lamb stew is something that I could see myself making on a regular basis. It was hearty and savory. It also was quite simple to prepare (although it took a long time) and was also really good. The peanut flavor is really subtle. More than adding peanut flavor, the peanut butter serves to make the stew a little creamy.

The kuli-kuli is by far not worth the effort. It takes forever to crush the peanuts into a paste, and the result is a fried patty that tastes like crushed up peanuts. They ended up in the trash. The recipe calls for 2 cups of peanuts, but I got sick of using the mortar and pestle after about 2/3 cup.

Kuli-Kuli recipe, modified from the original

Ingredients:- 2 c. peanuts
- salt to taste

Directions:
1) Pound the peanuts in a pestle and mortar or grind to a smooth paste.
2) Add a little salt then collect into a ball and squeeze to remove any excess oil (add a little water if necessary).
3) Shape the pulp into rounds then heat the oil extracted (I couldn't get any oil from the peanuts, so I used peanut oil) from the peanuts until hot and fry the shaped balls in this until brown.
4) To serve, drain and serve cold as a snack or crushed on a salad.


Mouton aux Arachnides (Lamb in Peanut Sauce)


Ingredients:- 3 lbs. lamb, cubed
- 6 T. natural peanut butter
- 4 c. water
- 1/4 c. peanut oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 c. canned diced tomatoes
- 2 sprigs thyme
(- 1 T. powdered shrimp - I couldn't find this)
- 8 carrots, peeled and chunked
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 small cabbage, shredded
- salt to taste

Directions:
1) Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Mix in peanut butter and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, brown lamb in peanut oil. Add onions and cook until soft.
3) Add garlic, thyme, powdered shrimp and tomato. Season with salt and stir.
4) Add carrots and cabbage. Fry for 1 minutes.
5) Add peanut butter mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
6) Add sweet potatoes. Cook for 40 more minutes until vegetables are tender.
7) Serve on a bed of rice.

Belize

Belizean Rice and Beans with Meatballs

I made this dish over at Andy's new place for his roommates and us on Tuesday, November 3. For the first time since embarking on this project, there was calamity in the kitchen...

Rice and beans is the national dish of Belize. The original recipe that I found warned of there being issues with the bottom of the rice getting mushy and the top remaining crispy. On the same page, there is a link to another rice and beans recipe from a true Belizean, who said that her recipe has never failed. I tried that recipe...

The recipe was annoying to begin with, because I had to soak the beans for four hours, then boil them until tender. After this long time period, I was to add the rice. It didn't look like there was enough water in the pan, but I was also to add a cup of coconut milk, and I decided to trust the recipe. This was my first mistake. After it cooked for a half hour, it was clear from simply looking at it that the rice on the top was not cooked at all. I tasted it, and the flavor was good (coconutty), but the rice was not done at all. So, I added more water, and set the pot to simmer. Being impatient, as it was already 8:30pm, I turned the heat up to medium low instead of just low. Mistake number two. I went downstairs to watch some TV while I waited for the water to absorb. I came back up about five minutes later to the terrible smell of smoke. I singed the bottom of the rice, and since there was a lid on the pot, the result was al dente, smoke flavored rice and beans. Not so delicious, although clearly edible, as we all ate our portion, and Andy even had seconds. Still, not my finest cooking moment.

The meatballs were really good. They got a little dry, as I kept them simmering during the rice and beans fiasco. Despite this, they were flavorful. The bacon mixed in made a difference, as did the "gravy," which was more like simply the grease that the meatballs gave off while cooking plus some water and tomato paste. I would make these again.

Rice and Beans

Ingredients:- 1 lb. red kidney beans
- 6-8 c. water
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 4 oz. bacon pieces
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 c. coconut milk
- 2 lb. cleaned rice

Directions:
1) Wash the beans, then soak for four hours, using the 6-8 cups water.
2) Boil beans until tender with garlic, onion and bacon (about 30 minutes)
3) Season beans with pepper, thyme and salt.
4) Add coconut milk. Stir, then let boil.
5) Add rice to beans. Stir, then cover. Cook on low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and test tenderness. Add more water as necessary and simmer longer.

Meatballs modified from original recipe

Ingredients:- 1 lb. ground beef
- 2 oz. bacon, chopped
- 2 T. onion, minced
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch paprika
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 T. tomato paste
- 1 T. flour
- pepper and thyme to taste

Directions:
1) Mix ground meat, bacon, onion and all seasonings.
2) Shape into balls with wet hands.
3) Heat the oil and fry the meatballs, turning carefully to brown all over.
4) Add hot water to almost cover the meatballs, then stir in tomato paste. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Stir the flour to a paste with cold water; add and boil for 5 minutes to thicken the gravy.
6) Serve with gravy.

Belgium

Belgian Chicken Braised in Beer with Belgian Endive and Pommes Frites

I made this dish on Thursday, October 29 for my older sister Betsey, Andy and myself. I had made the chicken dish before, during my first go at this project. Of all of the dishes I made that time through, this was the most memorable. Although it is not the national dish, I just had to make it again because it was so delicious. The original recipe can be found here. One of the national dishes of Belgium is pommes frites. Apparently french fries were invented in Belgium! Who knew? I had never made homemade pommes frites before, so I decided to give them a whirl. Click here to read the original recipe.

As predicted, the chicken dish was quite tasty. The braising makes the chicken incredibly tender: fall off the bone tender. The beer and brown sugar make a sweet, savory sauce, which is the perfect complement to the tartness of the endive. All three of us enjoyed this dish very much. I was more than happy to devour the leftovers.

Pommes frites are rather time consuming, but good. They taste, well, like french fries, because they are. Not much to report here...

I also bought a sampler pack of Belgian beer to braise the chicken in and to enjoy with dinner. Belgium makes good beer.


Without further ado:

Pommes Frites


Ingredients:-3-4 c. vegetable oil
- 2 lbs. Idaho, russet or Yukon potatoes, peeled, rinsed and dried
- salt

Directions:
1) Pour enough oil into a pan to reach halfway up. Heat to 325 degrees.
2) Cut potatoes 1/2" wide and 2 1/2"-3" long. Dry on a clean dish towel. Divide into 1 c. batches.
3) Fry 4-5 minutes per batch, until potatoes are lightly colored, but not brown. Potatoes should then sit at room temperature until right before you wish to serve them.

4) When almost ready to serve, heat oil to 375 degress. Fry in 1 c. batches, 1-2 minutes, until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Do not cover, or they will get soggy.
5) Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Chicken Braised in Beer with Belgian Endives


Ingredients:- 4 large Belgian endives, bottoms trimmed
- 2 T. lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 4 lb. chicken, skinned and quartered
- 1/3 c. flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 2 T. butter
- 4 tsp. brown sugar
-1/4 c. minced onion
- 1/4 c. water
- 1/2 c. Belgian dark ale or beer

Directions:
1) Split the endives down the middle, lengthwise. Carefully cut out the hard white core in the center without cutting through the bottom of the endives.
2) Toss endives with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Marinate while completing other steps.
3) In heavy 4-5 qt. casserold or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.
4) Meanwhile, dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
5) Add dark leg parts to oil and saute, turning on occasion for 5-7 minutes until golden. Remove, then add breast parts and cook the same way. Remove all chicken pieces from pot.
6) Discard the oil, but keep the drippings. Add butter and melt over medium heat. When butter is golden brown, add endives and sprinkle with brown sigar. Saute over medium high heat, turning on occasion for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown and glistening. Add any remaining lemon juice, along with onions, and saute, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until softened.
7) Set chicken leg parts over endives, including any juices, and add water and beer. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, turning the legs once. Add the breast parts, pressing the chicken into the endives as much as possible. Cover and simmer gently for another 35-40 minutes.
8) Remove chicken and endives from the pot. Place on a serving platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
9) Boil the liquid down until about 1 c. remains. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10) To serve, pour sauce over chicken and endives.

Belarus

Belarusian Mushroom Stuffed Draniki, Machanka and Blinéyk

Oh my gosh, this one was so good!

I made this meal for Jennifer, Andy and myself on Tuesday, October 20. The national dish of Belarus is latkes. Draniki is a version of potato pancakes. I found the other recipes in a search for a delicious latke recipe. I think that this meal might be my favorite; Andy said it was in his top five, and Jenn loved it too.

The dranikis were a ton of work. In total, they took 4-5 hours to prepare. Although 3 hours of that was soaking mushrooms, it is still a pretty involved process. The potatoes are a pain to shred, and I had to fry the draniki one at a time because of the size of pans that I have. Almost as soon as potatoes are shredded, they turn orangish-brown. But don't be alarmed by this, because, strangely, as soon as they hit the pan, that orange color goes away, and they become regular potato color. Andy and Jenn really liked the dranikis; I thought they were good, but not great. This might have been because of the amount of time it took me to make them, and also because of the amount of oil that I saw them absorb. If I were to cook this meal again, I'd probably leave the draniki out, simply because they were time consuming.

The machanka was very simple to make and incredibly palatable. The pork was tender and succulent from being simmered in the beef stock. I could also taste the butter that the pork was browned in. The sour cream sauce was rich, but not too heavy. It complemented the pork perfectly. I could not get enough of this stew. I could eat this meal every single day.

We used the blinéyk like tortillas, filling them with the machanka. These delicate pancakes are buttery and sweet. They were also very easy to make. While making the batter, don't be concerned by how thin it is; it is supposed to be that way. These crêpe-like blinéyks would be good filled with other meats, as well as berries, or simply topped with powdered sugar, jam, butter, or brown sugar.

In writing about this meal, I'm sad that I sent the small amount of leftovers home with Andy! I want to eat it all over again.

Without further ado, here are the recipes, clarified from the originals:

Mushroom Stuffed Draniki

Ingredients:- 1/2 oz. dried mushrooms (I used chanterelle)
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- salt
- 4 baking potatoes
- 2 tsp. flour
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- oil for frying (I used vegetable)

Directions:
1) Soak mushrooms in cold water 3-4 hours.
2) Pour water with mushrooms into a saucepan and boil for one hour. Remove mushrooms from stock and mince finely. Reserve 1/2 c. stock.
3) Meanwhile, fry onion in a little oil (I used canola) until caramelized.
4) Add mined mushrooms and 1/2 c. stock to onion and mix well.
5) Peel and shred the potatoes and wring them out.
6) Add flour, egg, salt, and pepper. Mix.
7) Shape the potato mixture into small balls, flatten with your hand, put a little bit of the mushroom mixture on top, and cover with more potato mixture. Flatten into patties.
8) Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat).
9) Place in over for a few minutes and serve.


Blinéyk

Ingredients:
- 1 c. flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 2 c. milk
- 4 T. butter

Directions:
1) Blend flour, egg, sugar, salt and 1 c. milk until even.
2) Add remaining milk and blend well.
3) Heat up a small griddle over medium heat and grease with a spat of butter.
4) Pour 1/4 c. of pancake mixture on griddle and cook until the edges of the pancake start to turn inward. Flip and cook until done (about 2 minutes per side).


Machanka


Ingredients:- 1 lb. pork (I used sirloin), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 T. butter
- 1 c. + 2 T. beef stock
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 T. flour
- 1 c. sour cream
- 2 bay leaves
- salt to taste

Directions:
1) Melt butter in a saucepan and brown pork.
2) Meanwhile, sauté onion in a bit of oil (I used canola).
3) Add 1 c. stock, bay leaves, onion and salt to pork. Cook over medium to medium high heat for about 20 minutes.
4) Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, sauté the flour for a couple of minutes. Add 2 T. beef stock and mix well.
5) Add sour cream and salt (to taste) to flour mixture. Mix well and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes.
6) Heat oven to 350 degrees.
7) Put pork mixture in a baking dish, cover with sour cream sauce, and bake in oven for about 20 minutes.
8) Serve with blinéyk.

Barbados

Barbadian Flying Fish with Cou Cou

I made this dish on Wednesday, October 14 for Andy and me. Fried flying fish with cou cou is the national dish of Barbados, according to both wikipedia and the website from which I got the recipes. The meal was simple and delicious. Andy commented, "I could eat that fish every night of the week."

I had made cou cou before when I cooked the meal from Antigua and Barbuda. I suppose that this is not surprising, considering how close the two nations are to each other. The instructions for the Barbadian cou cou were clearer than those for Antigua and Barbuda, and I think that showed in the final product. The cou cou actually maintained the shape of the bowl as it was supposed to. The texture is odd; it is sort of like grainy mashed potatoes. The flavor is pretty bland. We found it best when paired with the fish.

The original recipe for the flying fish required flying fish (not surprisingly). Unable to find flying fish in Minnesota, I went in search of haddock, halibut, or flounder. I found Alaskan halibut, but it was $18.99 per pound. I went the cheaper route with some Ecuadorean tilapia. I reasoned that Ecuador is closer to Barbados than Alaska anyway, plus it saved me $11. The recipe is incredibly simple, and the result is delicately flavored fried fish. The lime flavor really comes through. I really enjoyed this fish, and will probably make it again, as the ingredients (with the exception of flying fish) are very common.

Here is the recipe for the cou cou, interpreted from the original:

Bajan Cou Co

Ingredients:
- 4 okras, thinly sliced
- 4 c. boiling water
- 2 c. cornmeal
- 2 c. cold water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 T. butter

Directions:
1) Cook okras in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, mix cornmeal and cornmeal together until a smooth paste is made.
3) Once okras are soft, lower the heat, add salt and cornmeal mixture, and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes fairly stiff. Cou Cou is done when it breaks away cleanly from the side of the saucepan.
4) To serve, butter a bowl; turn the mixture out neatly onto it, shaking the bowl so that it takes on the shape of the bowl. Turn it out on a serving dish; make an indentation in the top and place a knob of butter in it.

The recipe for the fried flying fish:


Bajan Fried Flying Fish
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. mild white fish
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt
- juice of a large lime
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp. fresh chives, minced
- 1/2 tsp. ground marjoram
- 1/3 cup onion, minced
- dash hot pepper sauce
- 1/3 c. flour
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 c. corn flakes crumbs
- oil for frying (I used canola)
- 2 limes, quartered

Directions:
1) Place fish fillets in a shallow plate or dish; season with 1 tsp. salt and lime juice. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2) In a small mixing bowl, combine garlic, chives, marjoram, onion and tabasco together.
3) Drain and pat fish dry with paper towels. Rub onion mixture on fillets.
4) Mix flour, cayenne, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Place the egg mixture in a separate shallow bowl and the corn flakes in a third.
5) Dredge the fillets in flour, then dip in egg. Then, coat with the corn flake crumbs.
6) Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cook fillets for 3 minutes on each side.
7) To serve, garnish with lime wedges.

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi Chicken Masala Biryani

I made this dish on Tuesday, October 6. Biryani is the national dish of Bangladesh. It was difficult to find a recipe because there are many different versions of biryani and it seems that recipes for the Bangladeshi version are the least available on the internet. I was only able to find one recipe; some of the directions are vague, and I was unable to find some of the spices included, such as onion seed and black cumin seed. I read that Bangladeshi biryani is supposed to be very spicy; mine was not. This is perhaps because I didn't cut up the serrano peppers. I also felt that it was bland; this may be because I was using some really old spices or maybe because I didn't take my allergy medicine and my sense of taste was therefore compromised. At any rate, Andy, Tony, Lindsay and Mully all enjoyed the meal, and it is perhaps Mully's eating of one of the serrano peppers from the dish that caused the Twins' Cabrera to get the home run last night that tied up the playoff game with the Tigers during the 7th inning. The menfolk tend to get a little superstitious while watching sports...

I don't really feel like I can comment much on the flavor, as I thought the meal was bland. I do like the masala flavors that came through (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, cumin, coriander, sugar), but I wish they had been stronger. The dish reminded me of Afghanistan's national dish, qaboli palau, but I found the chicken in the Bangladeshi dish a more boring flavor than the lamb was in the Afghani dish. If I were to make this again, I would not use giant pieces of whole chicken, but instead use chicken breast cut up into smaller chunks, much like the lamb was in the palau dish. I had difficulty getting the larger breast pieces to cook all of the way through, which was annoying. Also, smaller pieces would make the dish more uniform. Plus, it would be easier to stir. The real flavor star in the Bangladeshi dish was the caramelized onions we put on top of the rice (I took the pictures before I topped the rice with the caramelized onions...). If you choose to make this dish, be sure that you caramelize the onions, don't just brown them.

Here is the recipe, slightly modified from the original:

Ingredients:
- 3.2 lbs chicken, cut into 8 pieces (the original called for only 2 lbs., but I couldn't find any that weight)
- 1 c. plain yogurt
- 4 bay leaves
- salt to taste
- 1 c. milk
- 1/2 tsp. saffron
- 3 c. basmati
- 5 c. water
- 4 pinches onion powder
- 5 serrano peppers
- 12 whole peppercorns
- 3/4 c. butter
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 5 whole cardamom
- 1" whole cinnamon
- 8 whole cloves
- 5 medium chopped onions
- 2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
- 2 tsp. garlic paste
- 3 tsp. red chili powder
- 3 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 c. cashews
- 1/2 c. raisins

Directions:

1) Marinate chicken pieces with yogurt, two bay leaves and salt.
2) Heat milk and soak saffron.
3) Bring rice, water, onion powder, serrano peppers, 2 bay leaves and whole peppercorns to a boil in a covered saucepan. Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
4) Melt butter in a pan. Add sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.
5) Add three chopped onions, ginger and garlic and fry until light brown (this takes longer than you might expect).
6) Mix red chili and coriander powder in a little water and add cumin. Add to butter mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
7) Put remaining 2 onions in a frying pan with a bit of oil. Caramelize over medium heat.
8) Add marinated chicken pieces and cook until oil starts separating out (10-15 minutes). Add sugar and salt as required.
9) Add cooked rice mixture. Add saffron soaked milk. Add cashews and raisins. Mix properly.
10) Cook over very low heat for 10-15 minutes.
11) Serve hot, with caramelized onions as a garnish.

Bahrain

Bahraini Prawns in Tomato Sauce with Muhammar

And yet another success!

I made these dishes on Monday, September 28 for Andy, Jennifer, Mike and me. I chose the muhammar because it is the national dish. I made the prawns in tomato sauce so that we'd have something to eat with the rice. I absolutely loved this dish. I highly recommend it to you all. It is not difficult to make, either!

I ended up using 16/20 shrimp instead of prawns. Neither Kowlaski's nor Whole Foods had any prawns. While I recognize that prawns and shrimp are technically different, the difference is very subtle. I also wasn't sure what the original recipe meant by "prawn masala powder", so I bought some garam masala powder. I think that it was this spice that made me love this dish so much: that and the fresh tomatoes that came from Andy's parents' garden. The sauce was sweet and savory at the same time. I can't even begin to explain how good it was.

The muhammar is the national dish of Bahrain. It translates to "sweet rice dish." Even though the recipe only calls for 2 tablespoons of rosewater, its presence is very noticeable. At first bite, I felt like I was eating rice flavored with perfume, which I guess I was in a way. Andy thought that the rice tasted like Trix cereal. What I found, however, was that the rice was the perfect accompaniment to the prawns in tomato sauce. I would not recommend it alone though.

Prawns in Tomato Sauce
Serves: 6

The recipe as I made it, modified from the original:

Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. fresh shrimp (as large as you can get), shelled and de-veined
- 2 c. fresh chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 3 T. tomato paste
- 3 T. oil (I used 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. of canola oil because I ran out of the former)

Directions:
1) Put the shrimp, tomatoes and green pepper into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.
2) Add the salt, garam masala, turmeric, tomato paste and oil. Decrease heat and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.
3) Serve with muhammar.

Muhammar
Serves: 6

The recipe as I made it, essentially copied from the original:

Ingredients:
- 1/4 tsp. saffron
- 2 T. rose water
- 3 cardamom seeds, cracked
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 c. water
- 2 c. basmati rice
- 1/4 c. butter
- 1/2 c. sugar
- salt

Directions:
1) Soak saffron, cardamom and cloves in rosewater; leave aside to steep.
2) Lightly salt water and bring to a boil. Add rice; boil to half-cooked, about 8 minutes. Drain.
3) Stir sugar through the hot rice.
4) Heat the butter in the same pan the rice was boiled and add the sweetened rice. Sprinkle the rosewater mixture on top.
5) Cover the rim of the pan with a clean dishcloth and place lid on tightly.
6) Cook over very low heat for 25 minutes.
7) To serve, top with melted butter.