Ethnic Recipes

There are tons of great recipes out there, but here's the kicker, the ingredients are vastly different between here and other countries. I'm Hungarian and can make any of my recipes taste awful by using grocery store ingredients...to make my recipes taste authentic I'll use paprika from Hungary, the stuff from Mexico has a much different flavor. The sauerkraut must be fresh and rinsed. Canned or bottled (ick!!) is just to harsh tasting....most sauerkraut there is very, very fresh and has very little brine flavor.

I know that something that small shouldn't make that much of a difference, but it truly does. The best advice I can offer is to get a well researched cookbook for the region or entire country and read up on how the ingredients are prepared. My favorites are the Culinaria series. They go in depth on ingredients and give some recipes to try.

Then shop the ethnic grocery stores and have fun!!

I don't have any recipes but maybe you're looking at wrong...
I look for spices that I've tasted before. We've never done any traveling but if I've had something in a restaurant that I absolutely loved-any restaurant-I work hard to recreate it. If I had it somewhere special, I picture the place in my mind, how it made me feel, & keep seasoning w/what I remember from the food until I get that feeling.
The only recipes I've ever followed precisely are candy-everything else I add to.
Look in international grocers for spices from the countries you've traveled to & the foods you've eaten. Then picture the place you were, the feelings you felt & hopefully your cooking will mirror your experience better.

There are some excellent books out there. One that I have & love is Hot Sour Salty Sweet on southeat Asian. Definitely authentic.

http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Sour-Salty-Sweet-Southeast/dp/1...

I don't know about German, but I am sure you could find one by reading the Amazon reviews...

I like this recipe:
Chicken Tikka Masala from America’s Test Kitchen
This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice.

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Tikka

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat

Yogurt Mixture

1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh Serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (see note above)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

My mother is Filipina. We grew up with a lot of the dishes she made. My favorite was Lumpia (eggroll with meat basically). Though it is an easy recipe, it is time consuming. I hope you like it!
Chicken Egg Rolls
1 Whole chicken
2 cups Chicken Broth
1 med. Cabbage
3 large Carrots
1 med. to large Onion
3 or 4 sections of Garlic or Garlic Powder
½ cup of Veg. Oil
Cover chicken with water in large pot, season with salt and pepper.Boil until tender.
Meanwhile shred the cabbage and carrots.
Cut onion into small cubes (pieces)
When chicken is done remove meat from bones.Tear (by hand or cut with knife) chicken meat into small pieces.
Pour veg. Oil into Wok or large skillet.
Heat
Put Onion and Garlic in hot oil and soften onions
Add cabbage and carrots to skillet and heat until tender
Add chicken and chicken broth into skillet at the same time
Add sugar, salt and black pepper to taste
Cook for 10 to 20 minutes.
Drain off excess juice/broth.
Lay out lumpia wrapper and start rolling.Note: experiment on amount of chicken mixture is require for yourl umpia wrapper. Make one complete roll, tuck ends of wrapper and finish rolling.

(You can also eat the mixture by itself. We did that as kids. It's kind of like licking the bowl of a bownie mix. Makes a great & healthy meal. My Kids love eating the lumpia!)

Tricia Suko
www.Mamas2Mamas.com