Western Asia Showdown (Part 2: India)

Western Asia Showdown (Part 2: India)

 

Also located in West Asia is the sizable nation of India.  Being such a large country means that there many different styles of cuisine, depending on the region.  Historically the food has been influenced by Arab, British, Persian, and Portuguese cultures and is widely known for its bold and aromatic spices.  Garam Masala is an extremely common blend of spices in Indian cuisine consisting of, black pepper, cloves, cardamon, cinnamon, and nutmeg, although there are many different variations of the Masala.  Just as in Afghan cuisine, yoghurt and mint accompany many of the popular dishes.  Contrary to popular belief, not all Indian food is necessarily spicy.  So let the eating begin!

Due to a continuing bout with the flu, I was forced to eat from the comfort of my home.  Luckily, Ekta, one of the better Indian restaurants in the city, delivers to my door!  (Note: I would not normally forgo the restaurant experience but I really had no other choice in this instance.  It is, however, the same food I would be eating in their dining room.)

To stick with the theme of “national dishes,”  I attempted to eat something that is common in Indian cuisine.  I also wanted some thing that was comparable to the Kabuli Palaw from my Afghan dinner.

So I chose to go with another rice based dish with lamb included: Lamb Biryani.

This delectable dish is cooked in a sealed pot and thrown into a charcoal oven to cook and is based on the famed Basmati rice.  This is a very popular version of long grain rice common throughout the region and found in many dishes.  This style is fluffy and lighter than most other rice varieties and has a slight hint of nutty flavor of it.  Mixed with large, tender chunks lamb, it does somewhat compare to the Kabuli Palaw.  However this dish has its own flavor profile.  Instead of raisins, carrots, and nuts, I detected hints of garlic, ginger, and even a dab of mint.  Once the infamous Indian aromatic spices hit my nose, I started salivating immediately!  There is just something about the scent of Indian food that hits me like no other can.

Now I needed a beverage!  “Grandpas cough medicine” seemed like the way to go with this flu bug nagging at me, but I wanted to stick with a mint flavored beverage to pair with the Indian food.  So what other than….a mint julep!   The mint did compliment the Biryani quite well, and the oaky undertones of the bourbon seemed to match up with the bold spices.

So who is the winner in this competition?  As I noted before, the two styles of food are similar in many ways, although they are not identical cuisines.  While the Biryani was an amazing aromatic dish, it was the surprising mixture of sweet and savory flavors in the Afghan Kabuli Palaw that made my taste buds stand at attention.  The Biryani was a bit too predictable while it’s competitor really took my taste buds on a ride.

Winner:  Afghanistan!

Western Asia Showdown (Part 1 Afghanistan)

Western Asia Showdown (Part 1 Afghanistan)  

 

The West Asian countries of Afghanistan and India are separated only by Pakistan.   While the two cuisines are similar, I wanted to know what each had to offer, so let the showdown begin!

We begin our showdown at Philly’s original (since 1991) Afghan restaurant Kabul Afghan Cuisine , BYOB of course.  Thanks to the geographical location of the country, it was a thoroughfare for vital trade routes, Afghan cuisine has been influenced by many cultures including Chinese, Mediterranean, Persian, and not surprisingly, India itself.  Locally grown wheat and rice are what most meals are based upon and typically include some form of nuts and diary product; usually yogurt.  Vegetarian dishes are popular, but lamb, as well as chicken are often highlighted in the meal, including but certainly not limited to kabobs.  Mint and paprika are popular garnishes for many Afghan dishes.

 

Since it is a BYOB, I had to come prepared with a tasty beverage to match, so I settled on mojitos for this meal.  Traces of mint can be found on many afghan dishes though usually as a garnish, and many people in Afghanistan can be found drinking mint tea at lunch time.  So naturally I thought, why not mojitos with dinner?  So I decided to make some mint infused simple syrup at home, and made a “to-go” kit with my mint leaves, limes, club soda, and rum to mix with my mint syrup.  Note:  You may get a few strange looks from the other wine-drinking patrons when you put a bottle of Bacardi on your table to mix mojitos.

I wanted to stick with what would be considered a “staple” dish in Afghanistan.  Rice dishes reign king in this country, and Qabili Palao (or Kabuli Palaw) is widely considered the most popular, perhaps even the “flagship” of Afghan cuisine.

Consisting of lamb hidden under a mound of brown rice, this dish is topped with carrot slivers, raisins, almonds, and pistachios.

 

This mixture of flavors was a new sensation for my taste buds.  The sweetness of the raisins mixed with the mildly buttery taste of the pistachios combined with the almonds and carrots all united with the brown rice and tender lamb lightly seasoned was unlike any fusion of flavors I have experienced before.  Hell, I don’t even really like raisins, but when added to a mishmash of different flavors like this, it was like a party in my mouth.  Not like the kind of party where everyone is wearing the same style of hipster glasses, but a very well balanced party where the different groups get along and live in harmony.  Consider the mojito the DJ of the party; it really brought everything together.  The light, minty beverage paired well with the flavorful rice dish.

I also had the pleasure of sampling my dining companion’s “Chefs Aushak,” which she described as “Afghan raviolis.”  While that sounds funny, I don’t think it’s that absurd of a statement.  Aushak are pasta dumpling stuffed with scallions smothered with a tomato based beef sauce, yoghurt, and garnished with paprika and mint.  If you think of the Yoghurt as (sour-ish) cheese, it really does seem like an exotic version of raviolis.  The common theme of using mint and paprika in Afghan dishes continues here giving these “raviolis” a distinctively Afghan Flavor.  Of course the mojito paired very well with this mint garnished dish.

Dismal lighting and my phone or “flashlight” had died 😦

After this successful meal it was time to move on to the regional challenger with a similar but more well known cuisine:  India

 

Thanksgiving Memories

Ah, Thanksgiving!  Being a traveler throughout the years has provided me many unique thanksgiving dinner experiences, but there is one in particular that stands out among the others.   After reminiscing with my fiance’ about our favorite thanksgiving, I’ve decided to share it with you.  (WARNING:  Some of the photographs in this post are a bit graphic.)

It was overcast but warm in Hanoi on that Thanksgiving day in 2010.  The happy hour beers at the hostel bar were disappearing faster than the granola supply at a Phish concert; after all, there were only 20 minutes left to enjoy them for $1!  I’m sure it’s no coincidence as to the timing of the sales pitch that came at that point.

Hostel employee:  “Hey, do you guys want to go to ‘snake village’?  A snake dinner and all the booze you can drink for $15.  Plus you can eat a beating snake heart.  Van leaves in half an hour.”

We maxed out the van’s capacity faster than you can say “Vietnam road sodas.”  Seemed like a better dinner choice than the Subway Cafe next door anyway.

Now, I’m not pretending that Vietnamese eat snakes for dinner all the time, because they don’t.  This was more of an attraction than an authentic Vietnamese meal.  Snakes for Thanksgiving is a good choice, end of story.

It was quite a welcoming when we arrived at the snake village, and by that I mean the shit show started right away.  For reasons that we were never able to determine, the host bitch slapped the vietnamese driver that had delivered us to the fine establishment, and then proceeded to start screaming at him like a mad man.  The angry man had a small mob behind him and I was pretty certain we were about to witness a Vietnamese knife fight.  In the end the angry mob subsided without any further violence, and we were escorted back to the snakes.

It was time for Thanksgiving dinner!  Many people cook frozen turkeys on this holiday but I prefer my meal be as fresh as possible.

Live snakes here.

First course:  the beating snake heart that we promised.  It tasted kind of salty.

I chose to forgo the knife.

Now it was time for some shots!  Shots of snake blood and bile that is.  Salty.

After a few more rounds of “shots” it was time to head to the dinner table for our Thanksgiving feast.  It was quite a unique experience celebrating this American holiday with Aussies, Brit’s, Kiwis, Norwegians and of course Vietnamese.  No one seemed to care what the holiday was about, it seemed like a good reason for a drunken feast!  A festive mood was in the air.

While the staff finished preparing the snakes who donated their hearts, we enjoyed several rounds of brown “snake whiskey” (rice wine and snake blood) poured out of reused vodka bottles.  It tasted kind of like muddy gasoline, but whatever.  Finally the feast began arriving with a variety of dishes, all based on snake meat of course.

They seemed to ease us into the meal by starting off with snake spring rolls which were perfectly crispy and had an amazing savory flavor, but it was hardly an “in your face” snake dish.  The stir fry that came next was a different story.

There was no question what you were about to eat for Thanksgiving this year.  But alas the stir fry was amazing and the snake meat was not obnoxious at all.  It was much less gamey than I was expecting, being a lighter tasting meat.  I hate to say it but…yeah, it kind of tastes like chicken.

Thanksgiving in Vietnam was a success!  It was a delicious feast and I had a mean buzz going.  There will be plenty of other Thanksgivings to eat turkey and stuffing, but this was a Thanksgiving that I will never forget.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Sushi in Philadelphia?

Sushi in Philly?  Not exactly what my west-coast-based pal was expecting when I told him about my dinner plans for this brisk Philadelphia night.  Most people don’t think of good sushi when they think of this city, but I was out to prove that such a thing did exist amongst the sea of cheesesteaks and roast pork.  An excellent change of gears from the usual greasy gut-bombs that most visitors consume upon their arrival to the city of clogged arteries brotherly love.  I was determined to break outside of the usual Philly food scene and eat some damn sushi!

To do so, I ventured to the Northern Liberties section of the city to find a small BYOB (common in Philadelphia) sushi oasis named Koi.  Upon walking through the front door, I immediately felt like I had stepped out of Philadelphia and into Japan.  The friendliness of the staff reminded me why I missed Japan so much, these people were just so damn nice!  Even the slightly cheesy looking plastic furniture had the Japanese futuristic style written all over it, further setting the tone for our brief respite from the streets of Philly.

I intentionally avoided the pricey, upscale sushi joints in town, but still wanted some quality sushi.  I think I hit the jackpot!  I was blown away by what came to our table in our own miniature Japanese bubble in the middle of this gritty city.  The first order to arrive was the Red and White sashimi platter and the huge morsels of salmon, tuna and yellowtail made my saliva  glands kick into overdrive.  The sashimi was fresh, and just the right texture; this was good sushi!  The salmon pieces practically melted in my mouth, which rates on a pleasure scale somewhere between seeing my favorite band live, and surprise sex.

Mixing up a little, we decided to go with a Lobster Wasabi Roll containing cucumber, avocado, masago, lettuce and wasabi lobster.  This was a well put together roll and a great change from the sashimi.  It was interesting how the lettuce was used for a creative presentation in this roll.

We finished up the meal with a couple more rolls: a typical rainbow, and a spicy scallop roll.  Both rolls were reasonably priced but the quality was above average, with a succulent arrangement of fresh sashimi topping the rainbow roll and the perfect exhibition of flavor from the scallop roll.

One companion even got a “budget” combination platter consisting of nigiri and a tuna roll.  The nigiri pieces were some of the biggest I’ve ever seen in this country, but the freshness, texture and flavor is what really stole the show despite the generous portion size.  Focusing on fresh, quality fish appears to a priority here, and it really makes this (affordable) little slice of Japan special.

If you are ever in Philadelphia and need a respite from the well known blue-collar fare, or if you are just a fellow sushi fanatic needing to get your fix, Koi has got your back.  The friendless and attentiveness of the staff alone provide a great change of pace from this city’s stereotypically abrasive citizens.  And if anyone laughs at the notion of getting good sushi in Philly, rest assured that you will get the last laugh.

Pre-Game Manhattans

If there’s one thing I cant stand, it’s going out to dinner stone cold sober.  I mean seriously, I’m not going to meet up with the pope, I’m going out to enjoy myself!  That being said, I usually have a “pre-game” session  before heading off to enjoy dinner.  Being a big bourbon fan has naturally led me to a love affair with a classic cocktail called the Manhattan.

I’ve decided to share my favorite cocktail recipe with you so that you too can avoid dreaded sobriety when you head out to dinner.  Thanks to an instructional demonstration by Woody at Jerry’s Bar in Northern Liberties, I am able provide detailed instructions from a seasoned expert.  So the the pre-gaming begin!

1. The first step is to chill the glass.  I have done so here by filling the glass with ice water.  Allow that glass to chill while mixing the cocktail in another glass.  The 2-3 minutes it takes should be suffice.

2.  In the separate glass dump in 2 or  3 dashes of aromatic bitters.

 

3.  Add one teaspoon of cherry juice.

 

4.  Add 1.5 oz of sweet vermouth.

*NOTE: Woody is a seasoned expert and does not measure the vermouth.  I need the measurement to ensure consistency, especially by my third one.

 

5.  Add 3 oz of the bourbon of your choice.  I chose Bulleit Bourbon here.

 

6.  Stir the cocktail instead of shaking.  This allows the clarity of the cocktail to remain as opposed to being all cloudy from being shaken.

7.  Transfer to chilled glass.

8.  Add Cherry.

9.  Consume cocktail, rinse, and repeat.  Cheers!

Continental Showdown!

The battle of Asia!  One night after a few happy-hour-priced manhattans, I wondered: who would win in a culinary showdown between the Asian countries of China and Cambodia?  Szechuan Chinese from Han Dynasty, or Khmer style Cambodian cuisine from Khmer Kitchen?  Let the games begin!

Szechuan cuisine originates from southwestern China featuring bold spices and chili peppers, especially focusing on the distinctive flavor of the Szechuan peppercorn.  The cuisine is known to be spicy, and Han Dynasty doesn’t disappoint.

This trip to Han Dynasty was for a solo lunch so the meal would be simple.  Simple at this restaurant is not synonymous with bland!  I ordered a bowl of the famous Dan Dan Noodles and a delightful autumn themed, bourbon cocktail.  The hint of applejack mixed with cherry undertones of a traditional manhatten were a wonderful combination for this fall day.  The “simple” bowl of noodles were astoundingly delicious erupting with nose tingling flavor.

This is a flour noodle based dish featuring ground pork, sesame paste, and the legendary Szechuan peppercorn oil amongst the perfectly balanced ingredients.  The marriage of simple noodles with the explosive flavors of of southwestern China made for the perfect lunch on a mild fall day.  Han Dynasty offers spiciness levels ranging from 1-10, but offers a recommendation for each dish.  I took the recommended level 6 for this meal and I thought it matched the meal quite nicely (although, truthfully, I find most  “spicy” dishes to be too mild for my taste in this country).

The challenger in this competition is brought to us from Cambodia in the form of Khmer cuisine from Khmer Kitchen.  Cambodian food is often overlooked because of the popularity of neighboring Thai and Vietnamese cuisines.  While the three country’s cuisines are similar, Cambodia does not rely on the use of chilies in their food nearly as much and always has been influenced by Chinese and French cooking.

Upon the insistence of the server, I ordered a chicken curry stew that was on special that night.  The curry flavor was milder than that of Thai cuisine, and had a subtlety different flavor.  However it blended flawlessly with the tender chicken and perfectly softened potatoes.  Truly a brilliant fusion of flavors in a carefully crafted stew.

Additionally, I could not pass up an order of some Cambodian mussels.

These mussels were bigger than I usually eat but somehow the large chunks of meatiness tasted magnificent with the Khmer spices placed on top, as opposed the the mussels soaking in a broth.

So who is the big winner?!  Well it certainly wasn’t an easy choice, but I feel that the bold spices of Han Dynasty’s Szechuan cuisine wins this Asian showdown.  The simplicity of the flour noodles combined with the tongue-tingling flavors (I’m a sucker for the Szechuan peppercorn) made for a perfect Asian lunch on a fine Philly day.  Han Dynasty is a superb option to whisk your taste buds away to the far east.

So Join me for the next continental showdown, you never know where your taste buds might lead you!  Is there a particular continental showdown that you would like to see?  Just leave a comment below!

WTF is going on here?! A brief explanation.

Perhaps I drink a little too much whiskey when I go on my culinary adventures.  That may have been the case that one dark and rainy night in Cambodia when I purchased my sack (yes sack) of “whiskey” from a roadside stand that serves primarily as a gasoline stand for the throngs of motorbikes clogging the streets.  Oddly enough, the gasoline came out of reused liquor bottles, and the whiskey was ladled out of a 55 gallon drum.  Khmer food will never be the same without that sack of whiskey.  That sack of whiskey may also be the reason why neither my companion nor I could figure out why he was kicked in the balls by a 10 year old boy who wasn’t wearing any shoes.  I just hope our friendly tuk tuk driver was alright after his share of the sack.

Whether it’s snake blood/bile shots with my 7 course snake dinner in Hanoi, bottles of soju with my spicy bulgogi in Seoul, dangerously smooth Flor de Caña rum with my arroz con pollo in Nicaragua, or endless saké shots and fresh sushi in Japan, I tend to treat my culinary exploration as an adventure.

As a boy growing up in a military family, I got used to moving to a new place every so often.  This set me on a path for a life of travel and bred a nomadic spirit that lives on to this day.  I loved seeing new interesting places and trying new and unfamiliar foods.  I”ll never forget the first time I bit into a juicy, fresh Hawaiian pineapple when we lived on Oahu.  The sweet juices running down my face were like a gift from the Hawaiian gods themselves.  Moments such as this became a regular occurrence in my life.  So it continued, and 30 or so countries later I still find the wanderlust overwhelming, and my desire to try new foods is as strong as ever.

Now my home is in Philadelphia, but my wanderlust (and thirst) persist.  I now seek out exotic foreign foods that are available right here in Philly.  This town is about more than just typical cheesesteaks (do try the Ethiopian cheesesteak at Gojjo)  and there are a plethora of restaurants in this city offering culinary delights from around the globe just waiting to be discovered.

I want the smell of basil and fish sauce to take me back to “the land of smiles.”  I will let the berbere in my kifto grab me by the nostrils and transport me to unfamiliar locales in east Africa.  Whisked away to the Ukraine with vodka and varenyky on Tuesday, then off to sunny Costa Rica on Thursday with empanadas and rum on Thursday.  There is no good reason to remain static in this town.

With enough strong booze and a taste bud-driven sense of wanderlust I will continue to travel to far away lands through culinary exploration.  So grab a drink and join me as I adventure around the world without ever leaving city limits!