Making the most of multiculturalism- food.

[Riverman]

Right, it's 4:45 on a Friday morning and for some bizzare reason my mind has wondered onto making curry.

I feel blessed to live in a city that has many different cultures all living together, especially given the wide range of foods that are on offer. However, I do not really have the money to sample this food from takeaways.

There are many shops stocking various produce. From Polish to Jamaican to Malaysian, this city has pretty much everything. However, I'm absolutely bewildered by the array of produce when I visit the asian shop down the road. I barely know where to start.

I'm tempted to make a few curries. Can anyone recommend some quick curry recipes? The only meat I eat is fish, however I'm even thinking of cutting that out of my diet.

I managed to buy 900g of PRS soya chunks from the local asian shop for £1.39! Gonna take me ages to get through them. I have 10kg of rice....

hmm

Will try something fairly simple first, maybe lemon rice. I've bought some fresh lemon tyme from asda and will try and combine this with some asian stuff.

All suggestions welcome.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

It might not be quite what you have in mind, but I can recommend "Ken Hom Cooks Thai" as a good starting point. Thai cookery is easy yet impressive and flavoursome and can be cooked as everyday food or for special occasions without having to buy too many special ingredients. There are plenty of veggie and fish recipes too, though I must confess to aweakness for the red pork curry.

 

[ASC1951]

There are many shops stocking various produce. From Polish to Jamaican to Malaysian, this city has pretty much everything. However, I'm absolutely bewildered by the array of produce when I visit the asian shop down the road. I barely know where to start.

Great, innit? My first job was in Southampton in <cough> 1972 and in those days, like most places, it was fish and chips, or fish and chips.

There is a huge amount of information online, but if you want a book to look at, I strongly recommend Madhur Jaffrey's Eastern Vegetarian Cooking, which is a proper cookbook not just a list of recipes. You can get it s/h at lots of places including Amazon. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eastern-Vegetarian-Cooking-Madhur-Jaffrey/dp/022402955X/ref=ed_oe_p

One thing I also do is to buy things I haven't eaten before - last week it was ivy gourd fruit - then ask the middle aged woman on the till for a recipe, which is not like asking the checkout bunnies in Asda. No point asking Mr Important Proprietor, I find, because he expects his food cooked for him.

 

[jay clock]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Curry-Secret-Indian-Restaurant-Cookery/dp/0716020548

allows you to make curries at home that taste exactly like you find in your local takeway

 

[jimboalee]

http://www.cosmicchile.com/xdpy/kb/chile-pepper-facts.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2119566_use-ginger-as-antiinflammatory.html

http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/health-benefits-of-coriander.html

http://www.vegetarian-nutrition.info/herbs/cumin.php


Eat curry every day.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Curry-Secret-Indian-Restaurant-Cookery/dp/0716020548

allows you to make curries at home that taste exactly like you find in your local takeway

+1

Super book

You have to take time in preparing your sauce (or make a big batch)

 

[fossyant]

Thai food is fabulous - do try it yourself.

Also quick Chinese stir fry - stack of chopped veg, bit of soy sauce and oil...rice....sorted.....easy and fast.

I did a Thai Green Curry myself, home made, last week and it was great, and you can experiment with the strength if needed. OK mine was with chicken, but you can substitute with lots of chopped veg.....

 

[jimboalee]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Curry-Secret-Indian-Restaurant-Cookery/dp/0716020548

allows you to make curries at home that taste exactly like you find in your local takeway

I've been dining with Indian families for many years.

The mush you get from the takeaway is the 'McDonalds' of Indian, Bangledeshi and Pakistani cookery.

 

[chap]

Right, it's 4:45 on a Friday morning and for some bizzare reason my mind has wondered onto making curry.

I feel blessed to live in a city that has many different cultures all living together, especially given the wide range of foods that are on offer. However, I do not really have the money to sample this food from takeaways.

There are many shops stocking various produce. From Polish to Jamaican to Malaysian, this city has pretty much everything. However, I'm absolutely bewildered by the array of produce when I visit the asian shop down the road. I barely know where to start.

I'm tempted to make a few curries. Can anyone recommend some quick curry recipes? The only meat I eat is fish, however I'm even thinking of cutting that out of my diet.

I managed to buy 900g of PRS soya chunks from the local asian shop for £1.39! Gonna take me ages to get through them. I have 10kg of rice....

hmm

Will try something fairly simple first, maybe lemon rice. I've bought some fresh lemon tyme from asda and will try and combine this with some asian stuff.

All suggestions welcome.

The best vegetarian food normally comes from the Sub-Indian Continent. Probably due the diversity of vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, and the high incidence of vegetarians...and many that couldn't afford meat.

Start with something simple like Daal, then work your way up, I would ask the owners of the local stores (assuming they are Asian, or have Asian heritage), from what it seems, there are some vital components which lay the foundation to many curries. These include:

• Onions
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Tomatoes

Fry these together, and add in other ingrediants for a make-shift curry - obviously somebody with a connection to the culture would be able to set you off on a better footing. I would recommend food from Goa, excellent Sea food. Bangladesh also has a varied and impressive culinary diet (great Mangoes as well).


Jamaican food is wonderful, very spicy too. I think the most famous type known here, which is rising in prominence, is Jerk foods (Chicken, Lamb, Goat...Vegetables?) Whilst I am not sure that they really cater for Vegetarians as such, so many vegetable based foods are made there that I'm sure that you could be more than happy to get by with those, or to find a suitable meat replacement such as mushrooms, or cheese.

Arabic foods generally tend to have loads of vegetarian products, afterall everyone loves humous I would recommend giving a few of these a try and because of the expansive history of Arabia, as with Britain and the empire, their range is further enriched by traditional foods from former and current 'colonies' ranging from Spain to Libya, from Sicily back to Saudi. Morrocaan foods are an excellent way to sample Arabian influenced traditional cuisine, especially now they are popular here. Alternatively, try the food of Sicily.

The diversity of West African foods is also immense, at the moment it would appear that Ghanaian food is taking off in parts of London, I would recommend perhaps trying their Palm nut soups, Yams, Sweet Potatoes, and Plantains. In general, again most of the food has meat, although the coastal regions across many West African countries obviously feature seafood (or that which the Chinese, French, and Russians haven't depleted through illegal deep-sea trawling.) Obviosuly, the tastes vary form region to region, across the countries e.g. many parts of the South East Ivory Coast dislike Crabs. For the nearest approximation to these foods, try Portugese, Spanish, and some Italian foods (generally the hotter ones).

In Europe, I would recommend many Nordic dishes, they do wonderful (and not so wonderful) things with Herring, their foods are in general rather heavy but can be very light as well. The Polish seem to take some influence from this, although I am not the biggest fan of their dishes (not to say that some are not very nice.) Most of the Scandinavian dishes are pretty simple to make whilst tasty (a good combination) although I do not remember coming across many Vegetarian dishes since Pork seems to feature very prominently, esp. in Danish cuisine. Although you can buy very good Lingenberry jam from Ikea I am told, so you can have that with a more heavy vegetarian equivalent. Finland is famous for its bad food, but that is just Scandinavian snobbery. I would imagine that Canadian food is similar to Finnish, as they have a lot of traditional fare featuring fish and game. I would give it a try.

Finally, I would recommend you give American food a try. Traditional American grub is non-pretentious, good honest food. You must remember that as an occupied country of immigrants,and given its history, this country has a hugely diverse and inspired range of food. Everything from the hamburger (Jewish) to Southern to Creole food exists here, and each could take several books to get down on paper.

There is great influence and food everywhere, you are lucky to have access to it all.

 

[chap]

I have no agenda with this post, but I would also recommend that you discover British cuisine. We are more than Fish and Chips, and Steak Pie. Obviously the Empire has meant that we have at our arsenal one of the most diverse range of products (put that in your pipe France) however if you look at the food that defines the country (traditional) and improvise with more up-to-date ingredients (our food was known for its blandness) then you can get some impressive variations.

Since you are a pescatarian, this rules out my recommendation of buying quality meat from an actual Butcher (as opposed to the vapid rubbery blocks sold in the supermarkets) or Game. However, this does open up the more Coastal produce, especially Scottish grub, from Cullin Skink, to the now clichéd role of Smoked Salmon (try it once but it ain't much of a reflection on the national character, perhaps a hundred or so years back Smoked Salmon would be common-place in parts - like Oysters - but it is pretty much a delicacy.) Many parts of the country are known for the Mushroom picking, and if you go to the right stores you can find some great varieties, also from the West Country, try Perry (not a food but damn good.) In London, try some Cockney garb such as Winkles and Jellied Eels, although don't over indulge as they are becoming endangered. In York...drink Tea.