Ethnic Food to Try - Part 1

Published January 14th, 2008

As promised in my previous article Food Around the World, I’m offering up some suggestions and descriptions of different international foods you can try.  I use the word “ethnic” loosely since it really depends on where you’re from and what you usually eat!  I really do believe that no matter where you live, there are a lot of similarities in what we eat, think of it as variations on a theme. 

I’ve put a lot of thought into what foods would be best for someone to try when wanting to broaden their food horizons with out scaring them off.  I don’t know if my perspective may be skewed since I live in Canada, where we have people from all over the world, and so plenty of different foods to try in any moderate-sized city, but here goes….

Samosas from India

These are delicious triangular pockets filled with potatoes, mild spices and often vegetables like peas or sometimes carrots and corn.  The dough that envelops them is  thick enough to hold it all in, but thin enough to still enjoy.  These delicious snacks or appetizers are usually deep fried and served with either a sweet or tart tamarind dipping sauce (it depends on the restaurant).

Sushi from Japan 

If visions of raw meat or seafood scare you, then how about trying vegetarian sushi first to see what it’s all about?  The black wrapper around the sushi is made of seaweed but has no offensive taste at all, it is then topped with a specially made rice, sushi vinegar, and then what ever fillings you like rolled into the middle of it.  There are common names for different veggie sushi rolls like avocado rolls, or cucumber rolls, but what exactly goes into each one is up to the sushi chef, all you have to do is check the menu or ask the server or chef.  Some common ingredients in veggie rolls are carrots,  asparagus, scallions, yellow, orange, or red peppers, cucumber, and avocado.  If you want to try some cooked meats or seafood, I have seen imitation crab, tempura shrimp, or cooked soft-shell crab also used.  You may see poppy seeds or sesame seeds stuck onto the rice–they are very tasty!  The other things that you will be served are thin pink strips of pickled ginger to eat with it, and soy sauce and green wasabi for dipping.  What you typically do is mix a small amount of the spicy wasabi (made of horseradish) into the soy sauce until you get the right level of spiciness.  You can either eat the sushi with chopsticks or your fingers.

Chow Mein and Lo Mein from China

Now I’m going to tell you about the “real” Cantonese Chow Mein.  If you live in North America, you may think those hard crunchy yellow bits in a bag are chow mein–but they’re really not.  Also, in restaurants I’ve seen chow mein that is all bean sprouts and no noodle–do not be fooled.  “Mein” in the Chinese word for noodle. “Chow Mein” simply means fried noodles.  So when looking for chow mein you should be looking for a soft pan fried yellow noodles covered in a delicious vegetable broth with various additions.  If you are a meat eater, chicken or seafood chow mein are popular.  If you are a vegetarian you can usually get it made with tofu and cashews.  You may have also heard of “Lo Mein”–same idea, the only big difference is that these noodles are prepared by being tossed in the sauce as opposed to on top.  In North America people have trended towards deeper fried and sweeter versions of Chinese food–please give the real chow mein a try–it may be a bit difficult to find depending on where you live–but it will be well worth the effort.

Satay from Southeast Asia

Satay is popular dish that is found in many countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and the Netherlands.  It consists of lightly marinated meat cut into small chunks and threaded onto bamboo skewers.  The skewers are then grilled over a wood, charcoal fire or other barbecue.  This is a food that can be found anywhere from street vendors to high end restaurants in Asia.  In North America, satay is often found in the appetizer section of the menu at most Thai food restaurants.  Any meat can be used, chicken or beef seem to be very popular.  Satay can be served with a variety of sauces, you may want to try a mild peanut sauce for your first time.  Satay can also be served with little bits of onion or cucumber.

Falafel from the Middle East

Falafel is a yummy deep fried ball or patty made of either fava beans, chick peas, or both.  The Falafel can be served on its own as a snack or more commonly is served in a pita as a sandwich.  Various vegetable toppings can be added such as tomatoes, parsley, onion, or cucumber.  The most common sauce is tahini (sesame seed paste with water and lemon added), but sometimes other sauces are available depending on the restaurant, you may also want to try a cucumber, garlic, and yogurt sauce if available.

This article is making me hungry.  Look for more articles along this theme over the next few months on this site, I’m working on some really interesting material that just may change the way you cook and eat.  Cheers to you for wanting to broaden your food horizons today!

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