FoodBlog’s Around the World Series: Asia in 6 dishes 🥢
We bet your travel bug is really kicking in right about now, with the Covid-19 pandemic hopefully dwindling away soon, travel plans could be in our near future… but till then FoodBlog’s Around the World Series will keep you hungry the way we know best… with food, food and a whole lot more food. Here’s Part 5 of the series… happy dreaming! 💯
You’ve probably realised how much we miss travelling by now. Those butterflies in your stomach as you’re about to land in a foreign country give you a new taste of life. Exploring a new culture through its cuisine is even more exciting. 🥢
But since we cannot do that right now, we’ll just stick to daydreaming about visiting our favourite cities and tasting new food, and writing about it. So here goes our next post in FoodBlog’s Around the World Series: beautiful Asia. 🌏
Japan 🇯🇵
Sushi and sashimi are probably two of the most commonly known Japanese dishes around the world. The Japanese are also known for their love of noodles, like ramen, soba and udon. But that’s not all that Japan is known for. 🍣
Hot pots are very common in this country. One of the most popular ones is sukiyaki, which basically translates to ‘cook what you like’, so ingredients in this dish may differ from one person to another. Usually it includes seared beef slices, vegetables and noodles in sukiyaki broth. This broth is made from sake, soy sauce, sugar and mirin rice wine. Sukiyaki is a perfect winter dish. If a snack or appetizer is what you’re looking for, yakitori is definitely a go-to dish. It is made up of small chicken pieces on a skewer, seasoned with a special sauce made of soy sauce and sake. 🍜
Vietnam 🇻🇳
Vietnam is bursting with dishes that have been around since forever. They are known to stick to their traditional recipes that, really and truly, are so delicious that they do not need tweaking. The national dish of Vietnam is pho, which is a warm broth of beef or chicken with rice noodles and a variety of seasonings. 🍲
Banh mi is also a widely popular dish in Vietnam. It is a crunchy baguette filled with meat, fresh veggies and a sweet sauce. They can also be served with eggs instead of meat, for those who lead a meat-free lifestyle. Another ‘banh’ is the banh xeo - a delicious savoury pancake made of shrimp, pork, turmeric and bean sprouts. 🥖
India 🇮🇳
This beautiful country has such a diverse culture across it, that its cuisine is also diverse all throughout. Dishes may vary from one city to another but one very common ingredient is rice. Rice is used to make the delicious masala dosa, a rice crepe that is commonly served with a potato and onion curry. 🧅
Hyderabadi biryani is another popular rice dish. The main ingredients are basmati rice, a meat that can be either chicken, beef or goat, onions, dahi (curd), and a variety of spices, including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and saffron. Doesn’t that sound amazing? 🍛
Israel 🇮🇱
Have you ever heard of the absolute deliciousness that is falafel? These chickpea fritters are the national dish of Israel and with good reason, too. They are loved around the world, not just in Israel. They are usually eaten with hummus, tahini, and salad, all stuffed in a warm pita bread. 🧆
Another Israeli favourite is shakshuka - a stunning dish that is basically eggs poached directly in a beautifully seasoned tomato sauce. There are some Israeli dishes that are also popular in Malta, like ful and sfenj (similar to sfineg). Isn’t it wonderful how cuisine travels so far across the world? 🍳
Lebanon 🇱🇧
Kibbeh is the national dish of Lebanon. This scrumptious delicacy is basically a mixture of bulgur wheat and minced meat (usually lamb) that can be consumed either raw, baked or fried. Sounds like the perfect comfort food! 😋
Sfiha is also widely popular in Lebanon. It is also known as lahm bil ajin, which can give you an indication of what it is if you’re Maltese. It is a type of meat pie wherein minced lamb, diced tomatoes and onions, olive oil, a variety of spices and yoghurt are served on top of a dough (similar to the appearance of a pizza). 🍕
Palestine 🇵🇸
This country is also home to a cuisine that differs across its cities. A widely used spice here is sumac, which is one of the ingredients in Palestine’s national dish: chicken musakhan. It consists of baked chicken seasoned with sumac and other spices, onions, and pine nuts, served on top of taboon bread (similar to pita bread in appearance). 🍗
Palestine is also home to the soul-warming maqluba. Again, if you’re Maltese, it gives you an indication of how it’s served (but not what’s in it). Maqluba is made of meat, fried vegetables, and rice, all cooked in a pot. It is then served upside down, hence the name maqluba. It’s not just cuisine that travels around the world, but language too! 🍚
We’ll feed your souls with so much more food next week, but till then fill yourself up with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of FoodBlog’s Around the World Series.
Asia is a humongous continent with a cuisine that, although different across countries, connects people. Have you ever tried any of these dishes? 🤤
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