Turkey – Mercimek Köftesi, red lentil patties

Mercimek Köftesi are a Turkish cold dish, or meze, that consist of red lentils and bulgur patties that are served with lettuce leaves, and lemon juice. The lettuce leaves are used to enveloppe the köftesi and grab them without touching them. The patties are flavored with onions, cumin, tomato paste and a spread called biber…

Macedonia – Ajvar, the vegetarian caviar

Ajvar is a eastern european condiment made of red pepper, eggplant, olive oil and garlic. Originally from southern Serbia and northern Macedonia and popular in all Balkan countries, ajvar is traditionally prepared at home in September, then stored and consumed throughout the year. Ajvar is usually served as a condiment or spread on bread. The…

Italy – Chocolate risotto

Risotto is a culinary institution that doesn’t need any presentation. This creamy savoury classic recipe originated likely from northern Italy and resembles the pilaf rice recipe : first coating the rice in butter, then cooking it with some liquid. The technique differs by adding the liquid in small successive quantities until the rice is fully…

Nigeria – Ewa Dodo (Plantains and black-eyed pea stew)

Black-eyed peas (ewa) and plantains (dodo) are staple foods in Nigeria. Ewa is a street food and commonly eaten in Nigeria and other southern states, such as Lagos. The beans are cooked to be extremely soft, almost mashed. It is commonly eaten with a tomato sauce which is very spicy. I didn’t use any chilli…

Ecuador – Mote pillo

Mote pillo is a nice hearty corn and egg breakfast that I tried almost 15 years ago (!) in Ecuador. It is one of the typical dish of the city of Cuenca, in the southern part of Ecuador, where I spent a fair amount of time year ago while travelling. The recipe made such a…

Sudan – Mandazi

Mandazi is a sort of doughnut very popular as street food in East Africa. Its taste is not very sweet, which makes it quite different than other fried breads, such as doughnuts. It has most of the time a triangle shape, but you can also find balls and ovals. Mandazi’s dough contains coconut milk and…

Mexico – Green Pozole with beans and mushrooms

Green pozole is one of the best dishes I have tried since starting this blog. A bit sour and hot, a one pot dish, as I always fancy, not too spicy, and with lots of toppings to choose from! Everyone in the family enjoyed it and even asked for more, which, to be honest, is…

Japan – Jackfruit, avocado and shichimi tōgarashi onigiris

I grew up watching french TV in the 80’s. During that period, every single french speaking kid in Europe was religiously following a kid’s program called “Club Dorothée”. The funny fact about that show is that almost every single cartoon in it were japanese cartoons dubbed in french! I could relate with several aspects of…

Latvia – Sklandrausis (carrot pie)

Sklandrausis is one of the most typical Latvian dish. It is a sweet pie, made of rye dough and filled with potato and carrot fillings and seasoned with caraway seeds. The pies are traditionally eaten cold, and served tea or milk, and with skābputra, a sort of barley porridge with milk, but I assure you…

Guinea – Vegetarian Kansiyé (Peanut butter and lentils stew)

Kanziyé literally means in soussou “peanut water”. It is a rich stew made out of peanut butter, onions and tomatoes, and is one of the most famous cooked dish in Guinea. Although the traditional recipe uses beef. I chose here to replace the meat by green lentils. I find green lentils to be a good…