A Visit to Mandu

Last weekend, I trekked a full five blocks to Mandu, a Korean restaurant located in Dupont and now also on 5^th and K, basically next door to my apartment. I first encountered Mandu at its Dupont location on July 17, 2010. It was the middle of my cultural exchange trip with South Korea and also the night before my birthday, hence the exact recall of the date.

I remember ordering, or rather having my Korean counterpart, Na Young, order for me, the chap chae, Korean noodles with vegetables. As with all real Korean restaurants, we were presented with our side dishes, or banchan which change daily, but always include kimchi (pictured below). This meal marked my first taste of Korean cuisine, my first sip of soju, and my first trying efforts at  chopstick (Chinese chicken fingers as a kid did not really require this skill early on, and chopsticks with sushi is easy to fake).

When I moved back to DC, one of the first restaurants I returned to was Mandu. Needless to say, my life excitement level  elevated to code amazing  when I learned of Mandu’s newest location on K Street. It was a no brainer that my restaurant of choice to interview on this staycation therefore was Mandu. I sat down with owner Danny Lee, whose mother Yesoon is the chef, and asked him about traditional Korean food and the challenges and successes of bringing it to America.

Korean food, as Danny puts it, is literally Asian soul (“Seoul”) food. The flavors are comforting and traditional. Over its long history, Korean food remains the same and stays true to what it has always been. While many other Asian restaurants sell themselves on a “fusion” platform, an “American Style” Kobe Cheeseburger anyone?, Mandu and Korean restaurants in general can only succeed by maintaining the recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. The menu therefore is straightforward and accessible to the first time Korean diner, or aged Korean foodie.

Mandu’s success lies in the fact that it has not loss focus on the ingredients of its ancestors. As a result, the cuisine remains clean, healthy, and authentic. However, while the food may be akin to Korea circa 300 years ago, the restaurant’s atmosphere is anything but ancient. My roommate and I kept remarking on how the décor reminded us of Urban Outfitters. With wood-paneled walls, flying lime green birds, and modern tunes, the restaurant maintains a hip and trendy vibe which makes it into a destination rather than a place upon which to accidentally stumble.

When I asked Danny about the food itself he offered many interesting insights. First, kimchi the staple of all Korean homes differs literally from kitchen to kitchen.  In the Korean countryside, cabbage is fermented for a long period of time, making kimchi sour. In Seoul and in Mandu however the cabbage is not fermented for quite as long and lacks the extreme sour bite, which makes it more appeasing to Americans. Danny also spoke of the aesthestic quality of the food and how color and texture play huge roles in balance and presentation. Finally, while the restaurant remains true to traditional Korean recipes, it makes sure to have fun with the banchan sidedishes as a way to open up the palettes of first time Korean eaters.

My final question, as always, was what should I make?! Danny suggested the two most popular dishes of bulgolgi and not surprisingly, mandu. Speaking of mandu, that is exactly how my visit ended, with a plate filled of yummy pork, shrimp, and vegetable dumplings. Yes please!

 

 

Bibimbap-ity-boo

I believe there are three types of travelers: one, those who eat American food no matter where they are; two, those that foray into new cuisines but still deep down cannot wait till they bite into a Big Mac; and three, those that immerse themselves into the food around them. Okay, somewhat of a biased description but I am undoubtedly in the third category.

I went to Korea this past summer as part of a State Department Youth Cultural Exchange. Most of the meals were planned for us, but for some, we were given free rein to eat whatever our little “Seoul’s” desired.  Every time we were allowed to choose, I continued to just want Korean food, and more specifically, my favorite dish of bibimbap.

Bibimbap means “mixed meal” and can really include anything you want. In general, it consists of a bowl of rice topped with an aesthetic assortment of sautéed vegetables. All food in Korea is traditionally placed in neat concentric circles or columns with an eye for complementing color and texture. Bibimbap is no exception to this plating.

In addition to vegetables, the dish may include some sort of beef (I made mine with pork), and it is always topped with a fried egg. As a side note, I enjoy this blog not only for the excuse to try different cuisines but also for the excuse to learn basic cooking techniques that I realize I definitely lack. In this meal, I may or may not have asked my roommates about the best techniques for frying an egg, hey, better late than never.

I am fortunate enough to have the best little grocery store located near me with South Korean owners who have a wide variety of products in stock.  So lucky me, I was able to easily attain the very important gochujang, or hot pepper paste. This paste combines all flavors—hot, salty, sweet, savory, and sour, and offers a nice kick to each bite of food. I like spice because it makes me know that I am alive, and this paste surely does the trick.

This was definitely my number one dish I wanted to recreate on this foodstaycation and it was surprisingly simple. The majority of the work just depended on preparing the mise en place—julienning the vegetables, sautéing the ingredients, cooking the rice, frying the egg and assembling all together.  The primary ingredient to make sure to employ is sesame oil which allows for an overall pungent and flavorful dish. While bibimbap starts off looking pretty, it is meant to be stirred and mixed right away upon serving, so break out the chopsticks and enjoy.

Recipe (taken from Maangchi’s great blog, check out the youtube video!)

Ingredients:

• Cooked rice
• a package of bean sprouts
• a bunch of spinach
• 2 small size of zucchinis
• 5-7 Shiitake mushrooms
• fern brakes (kosari)
• 200 grams of ground beef (about half a pound)
• 1 small carrot, eggs
• soy sauce, hot pepper paste, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and vegetable oil

Recipe:
Arrange everything on a platter.

1. Cook rice. You can use a rice cooker or a stainless pot.
2. Next, you need to prepare a large platter to put all your ingredients on. Rinse your  bean sprouts 3 times and put them in a pot with a cup of water. Add 1 ts of salt and cook for 20 minutes. Drain water and mix it with 1 clove of minced garlic, sesame oil and a pinch of salt.
   Put it on the platter.
3. Put your spinach in a pot of boiling water and stir it for a minute. Then rinse it in cold water a few times and squeeze it lightly. Mix it with a pinch of salt, 1 ts of soy sauce, 1 clove of minced garlic and sesame oil. Put it on the platter
4. Cut 2 small size zucchinis into thin strips, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and then mix them together. A few minutes later, sauté them in a pan over high heat. When it’s cooked, it will look a little translucent. Put it on the platter.
5. You can buy soaked and cooked “kosari” at a Korean grocery store. Prepare about 2 or 3 cups of kosari for this 4 servings of bibimbap. Cut it into pieces 5-7 cm long and sauté in a heated pan with 1 ts of vegetable oil. Stir and add 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1/2 tbs of sugar, and cook them for 1-2 minutes. Add sesame oil. Put it on the platter.
6. Slice shitake mushrooms thinly and sauté with 1 ts of vegetable oil. Add 2 ts of soy sauce and 1 or 2 ts of sugar and stir it for 2 minutes. Add some sesame oil, and put it on the platter.
7. On a heated pan, put some oil and 200 grams of ground beef and stir it. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tbs of soy sauce, 1/2  tbs of sugar, a little grounded black pepper, and sesame oil.
   Put it on the platter.
8. Cut a carrot into strips, sauté it for 30 seconds and put it on the platter.
9. prepare eggs with sunny side up.
10. Put your rice In a big bowl, and attractively display all your vegetables and meat t. Place the sunny side up egg on the center.
11. Serve it with sesame oil and hot pepper paste.
12. Lastly, mix it up and eat!

Hey Sister, Seoul Sister

So far I have been good about navigating around Europe with Italy and Norway and even ventured a bit east to Turkey and Lebanon. To date, my food adventures have just required the plain old fork and knife—boring, right?

I think it’s time to exercise my hand muscles, and my appetite and venture forth—to South Korea. After all, who does not enjoy some good Seoul food in her life?

In comparison to Chinese and Japanese cuisine, Korean food is still carving its niche as a formidable global taste. Korea remains America’s closest Asian ally however our exchange of food is drastically one-sided. McDonalds, KFC, and even the California Pizza Kitchen flood the street signs of Seoul but I am willing to bet only so many Americans know what kimchi is, and an even fewer number have probably tried it.

Korean food though is actually delicious, one of the most surprising and exciting cuisine I have ever tasted. As Korea continues to gain huge international traction as an economic power, it has responded by implementing huge initiatives to share its food with the rest of the world. In 2009 the Minister of Agriculture launched the “Globalization Strategy of Korean Food,” with the strategy of pushing Korean cuisine to be ranked as one of the top 5 in the world by 2017. The charge is led by First Lady Kim Yoon-ok, and in this staycation, my goal is just to help her out a little.

In general, Korean food is boiled, broiled, steamed, or pan-fried. Since I am still a pure American at heart, I clearly went for the pan fried dish as my first foray into Korean cooking. I was in Korea this past summer and one of my favorite starter plates was pajeon, or a Korean fried pancake (jeon). I enjoyed seafood (pa) jeon, but this time around, I kept it easy with zucchini jeon.

For this food adventure, I am reaching out to some of my friends I met in Korea and will soon be stopping by to interview a chef at a Korean restaurant that opened up right down the street, but for now I am sticking with this cool Korean food recipe blog I highly recommend.

This recipe was mad easy, and very tasty with the included soy sauce recipe. I like using chopsticks to cut the pancake apart; it gives me a greater sense of power and found survival skills. Only word to the wise would be to use tongs to flip the pancake. I went with the spatula, and somewhat failed on a full, complete flip…hence the more oblong pictured pancake.

Five minutes to make and in no time you will enjoy!

Recipe: Zucchini Pancake (from http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/hobakjeon)

Ingredients:

• Zucchini
• Salt
• Water
• Flour
• sesame oil
• vegetable oil.

Directions:

Pancake

-Julienne a small zucchini. Put 1½ cups of zucchini strips into a bowl.

-Add ½ cup flour, ½ ts salt, ½ cup water and mix it well with a spoon.

-On a heated pan, place about 2 tbs vegetable oil and put the batter on to the pan.

-Spread the batter evenly and thinly to make a large circular pancake.

-About 1 minute later, when the bottom part sets firm, add 1 tbs sesame oil on the pan, along the edge of the pancake.

-Tilt and shake the pan so that sesame oil spreads underneath the pancake.

-Cook another minute until the bottom turns light golden brown and crispy.
*tip: keep pressing it down with a spoon or spatula while cooking

-Turn over the pancake with a spatula, or flip it if you can (I COULDN’T!!)

-Add more vegetable oil if you want to make it more crispy. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

-Transfer the pancake to a large serving plate and serve with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

In a small glass bowl add 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs vinegar, 1 tbs chopped onion, 1 clove of minced garlic, and 1 sliced green chili pepper. Mix it up with a spoon.

Mutton Chops may be out, but Mutton Stew is so in

The streets of Washington, DC boasts the usual American fare, some Mexican cantinas, scattered Belgian bars, and several hole-in-the-wall Ethiopian spots. One cuisine however that is hard to locate on the menus of our nation’s capital is the focal point of this current staycation–Norwegian food.

Since I have enjoyed asking restaurant owners and chefs about various cuisines to date, the lack of Norwegian restaurants  presented a potential stumbling block for my Norwegian exploration.

Oh but wait…DC may not be like Disney’s Epcot with a Norwegian village, but we do have a boat load (literally) of foreign embassies, corresponding ambassadors, and most importantly, the associated chefs. Luckily, the Norwegian embassy located on Massachusetts Avenue employs one of the nicest men as its go-to haute cuisine expert, and I fortunately had the opportunity to ask him all about his native food.

Chef Jan-Erik Hauge enthusiastically exclaims that Norwegian cuisine is fun and evolving. Long gone are the days of simple peasant food. Now Norwegian chefs are ranked above average on the international stage, in fact, Norway is consistently one of the top three countries to win the World Famous Bocuse d‘Or Cooking Contest. In the Lyon 2011 competition, Norway took third (behind Denmark and Sweden, respectively) while the United States finished tenth.

[Awesome photos of Bocuse d’Or food entries]

So how does a native Norwegian describe his food?  Chef Hague says, “Norwegian cuisine comes from poverty, we used what we had, prepared it, and stored it as best we could (salty and cured). Norway got richer, as did the cuisine. A poor man’s creativity, with a rich man’s possibility.” As a result, we find food that is both local in ingredients and flavor but international in technique and execution.

For my next dish on this staycation, I asked the expert Chef about traditional and popular dishes. In addition to salmon, herring, and cod, pig and sheep are big protein sellers. Loaded with this information, I thought about what would be best to prepare cooking for dinner on a cool winter night? Answer: Mutton Stew.

Simple, basic, and delicious, mutton stew features chunks of cabbage, carrots, rutabaga, and of course, lamb. Easy-peasy: chop all the vegetables and lamb and let simmer with enough water and added spices for about an hour. After cooking separate the stock from the veggies and meat. In a separate pot, make the roux, and gradually whisk in the stock. Combine the soup base with the vegetables, add me some salt and pepper, and enjoy with some good comfort carbs—aka, bread or potatoes.

Apparently, this, or really any soup is a favorite of Ambassador Wegger Chr. Strommen!

Thank you Chef Hague for the suggestion! And next…I am so making the slow baked salmon you suggested!

Recipe: (from The Norwegian Kitchen by Aase Strmstad/ homecooking.about.com)

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1-1/2 pounds (700 g) boneless lamb shoulder meat, sliced or in chunks
• 1/4 medium cabbage, in thin wedges
• 1/4 small rutabaga, sliced
• 1 large carrot, in chunks
• 6-inch length (15 cm) leek, in chunks
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup (2 dl) water
• 2-1/2 Tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup (3/4 dl) flour
• Vinegar
• Sugar

–Melt the butter in the bottom of a pot. Add the lamb or mutton, then the cabbage, rutabaga, carrots, and leek. Sprinkle with salt, ginger, and pepper. Pour over water to cover. Bring to a boil and skim well.
-Lower heat and simmer, shaking the pot now and then so the meat will not stick, until the meat is tender, 60 to 75 minutes.
-Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Gradually add cooking liquid. Season with salt, pepper, vinegar, and sugar.
-Arrange meat and vegetables on a platter. Serve with sauce and boiled potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings

Fishing for some Fiskesuppe

Short days and dark hours in Norway apparently affect my own work habits on this blog (aka, I have been slacking). But am now back in business.

I love seafood more than anything and when I traveled to Norway a few years ago, one of my fondest memories was walking (and smelling) my way through the Bergen fish market (Fisketorget i Bergen). Bergen is on Norge’s west coast and is the second largest city after Oslo. Its importance is founded on fishing as it was the trading zone back in the day (the day being about 1100) for dried cod. Since that time, thanks to a winning combination of deep fjords and shallow coastal waters, Bergen continues to be the center of the Norwegian fish trade.

All recipes I found for fish soup involved making a fish stock with 2 pounds of fish heads and bones. Since I don’t generally have fish bones chilling out, I chose to short cut this step a bit by buying fish stock and poaching the fish in this. One thing from this short cut to remember though is make sure to include potatoes when making the actual soup in order to create more varied texture and taste. Overall the soup was crazy easy to make, got to love the simplicity of my Norwegian ancestors. My only warning would be that the soup is definitely fishy—a food adjective with a circular definition, but in this case the only word to really describe the taste.

Recipe (from BigOven.com)

Fish Stock

• ¼ c Parsnips, coarsely chopped
• ½ c carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 1 large potato, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 peppercorns, whole
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 celery stalk with leaves
• 2 lb fish trimmings
• 4 qt cold water

Soup

• ½ c carrots, finely chopped
• ¼ parsnips, finely chopped
• 1 lb halibut, cod, or haddock (I used cod!)
• ½ c leeks, finely sliced, whites
• 2 egg yolks
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tb parsley chopped
• 6 tbsp sour cream

FISH STOCK: To prepare fish stock, which will be the base of the soup, combine the ingredients listed under that heading (above) in a 4 to 6 quart stock pot. Bring to a boil, partially cover the pot, turn the heat low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing down hard on the vegetables and fish trimmings with the back of a spoon to extract their juices before discarding them. Wash the pot and return the strained stock to it. Reduce the stock to about 6 cups by boiling it rapidly, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Restrain through a fine sieve or through a double thickness of cheesecloth lining a regular sieve.

SOUP: Again return the stock to the pot. Add the carrots, parsnips and fish. As soon as the soup reaches the boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes. Add the leeks and simmer 2 or 3 minutes longer. Remove from heat, lift out the fish with a slotted spoon and set aside on a platter. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with a wire whisk; then beat in about 1/2 cup of hot soup, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pour this back into the soup in a thin stream, beating continuously with a wire whisk. With a fork, separate the fish into flakes and add it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and reheat, but do not let the soup boil. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and spinkle with chopped parsley. If you like, garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream.

And an added food kicker…DC restaurants Taylor’s Gourmet and ChurchKey serve up some amazing risotto balls. Hence, with the excuse of America’s biggest eating holiday, aka the Super Bowl, I attempted these bombastic delights using  the risotto recipe below and adding a simple Mark Bittman flavor.

Recipe (From How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman)

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups cold cooked rice (risotto recipe in Italy section!)
• 3 ounces mozzarella, chopped
• 2 ounces prosciutto, minced (optional)
• 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• Neutral oil for frying

-Break one of the eggs into the rice and mix well. Form the rice into 2-inch balls. With your thumb make a small indentation in the center of each ball, fill with a little mozzarella and prosciutto, and reseal the ball

-Lightly beat the remaining 2 eggs. Dip each ball into the egg mixture and then the bread crumbs. Set aside on wax paper

-Put at least 2 inches of oil in deep pan and bring to medium-high heat. Gently slide the balls into the oil and cook till golden brown (my oil was a pinch too hot, so browned super-fast)

-Drain on paper towels and serve hot or room temperature

It’s Not Norway without Salmon

While the discovery of oil in the North Sea in the late 1960s may have greatly deepened the pockets of the relatively small Norwegian population, the added wealth hardly impacted the country’s taste buds. From Viking Pillages to notorious art theft, Norway historically has been a population with limited resources. As a result, Norwegian cuisine features simple preparations of raw and local ingredients…sorry, no souffles in this country. Despite the recent discovery of black gold, Norwegians remain wedded to tradition and have refrained from suddenly breaking out the “Grey Poupon“or sipping tea with their pinkies out.

In my opinion, Norway’s single most important international culinary contribution is undoubtedly salmon (although I will note that reindeer/Rudolph is a mighty tasty meal as well). Salmon in addition to cod, mackerel, herring, perch, and haddock is in abundance in this western most country of the Scandinavian peninsula and is prepared in a variety of ways: poached, grilled, smoked, pickled…the list goes on. Gravlaks, or salmon smoked with salt, sugar, brandy, and dill makes for an excellent accompaniment to rye toast, or in the States–a New York City bagel.

For my first dish, I chose to keep to follow the Norwegian way and keep life simple and straightforward by poaching salmon with dill and potatoes. Can you say “peasant food?” Poaching is simply the method of cooking in simmering liquid–generally water, milk, or wine. In this case I used water with some added herbs but have seen salmon poached in a wine mixture as well. Dill is an extremely prevalent in all Norwegian recipes and tastes exceptional with fish. According to the experts at Whole Foods, Dill comes from the Norse word “dilla” meaning “to lull.” It is definitely a flavor that remains with you, but in a pleasant way, as opposed to onion or garlic that require breath mints within at least an hour of consumption.

Potatoes make a great accompaniment to the salmon and are often seen in most Norwegian dishes. Boiled, fried, stewed, roasted–potatoes represent the Norwegian’s resourcefulness during times of scarcity.

This dish conveys comfort. I envision myself in a cozy cabin, surrounded by the dark and cold of the Arctic circle climate outside, curled up with this meal…and a glass of akavit.

Recipe (from Norway-hei.com)

Ingredients: 3 salmon fillets First, pour water into stock pot, and bring up to boil. Add following to stock pot: 1-tablespoon salt 5-6 whole peppercorns 2-bay leaves 1-medium onion quartered 1-tablespoon vinegar  Preparation: Simmer for 10 minutes Turn heat to low Add fillets, cut-up. Cover with lid. Simmer for 10-minutes. Turn heat off and let fish rest in stock until you are ready to serve the meal. Remove fillets with fish spatula. Strain stock and freeze for soups and sauces. Yogurt Dill Sauce, a great companion: 1/2-cup plain yogurt (lite sour cream can be used) 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumbers 1 sprig dill – diced 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1/2-teaspoon apple cider vinegar 1/2-teaspoon honey 1/4 teaspoon paprika Lemon slices and fresh dill for garnish

A Quick Jet Set to Istanbul: Back to Basics, Traditional Cuisine

What better way to learn the food of a new country than to cook with expert chefs in the area? My friend Christine and I did just that by signing up for a cooking class at Cooking Alaturka with Chef Feyzi. Although Feyzi did not really speak English (there was an assistant chef to help translate and explain the dishes) he was hilarious and constantly making jokes, like telling Christine it was necessary to put her ear up to the Turkish coffee grinds before making the drink…she fell for that one. In addition to the cooking class, I dove, mouth first, into the traditional cuisines by reading up on regional specialties and making sure to order as many different dishes as possible. One of my favorite local food experiences was in Beyoğlu (the modern part of the city) at Çiçek Pasaji, an old flower market that is now renovated to include about eight or so different restaurants. When you walk in, men at the front of house encourage you to stop at their respective restaurants while clarinet and violin musicians travel throughout all the taverns, playing music for lucky (or not so lucky tables).

The expert of the Turkish kitchen: Chef Feyzi. He walked us through five different courses of excellence, featured below.

Ezogelin corbasi: Red lentil and bulgur soup with dried mint and chili pepper. You can taste history when tasting this soup. It is featured on all menus and delivers a flavorful and vibrant punch the frequently used spice of Turkish chili flakes.

Zeytinyağlı taze fasulye: Green runner beans cooked in olive oil with onion, garlic, and tomato. The beans, similar to the dish I featured on my Lebanon staycation, are part of a whole host of vegetables dishes that are cooked in olive oil.  The five basic ingredients—salt, sugar, lemon juice, olive oil, and water are added a deep sautee pan and layered with vegetables. While the Turkish do like to lather up their food with sugar (I went through a solid four cups of sugar when making Baklava…), this dish only requires a pinch of sugar in order to balance the acidity of the lemon juice.

Kabak mücveri: Zucchini (courgette) patties with herbs and cheese                                      What happens when a potato latke meets a Turkish kitchen? The chef cheats on the potato with zucchini to reveal a love affair of courgette patties and garlic-yogurt dip. I approve.

Hünkar beğendili kuzu: Lamb stew in tomato sauce on smoky eggplant puree. The eggplant takes sometime to prepare as we thoroughly smoked them over a grill and painstakingly peeled the skins off once cooked. When peeling, it was essential to scrape the peels for any eggplant flesh in order to ensure as much of the smoky taste as possible.

İncir tatlısı: Walnut-stuffed figs in syrup. From my American eyes, this dish represents the fig before it met the newton. It was absurdly easy to prepare and looks pretty elegant as well (green pistachio dust was a big plating ingredient).

The Egyptian Bazaar (Spice Market) was built in 1600 and financed by Egyptian goods, primarily spices, hence the name. The market features shop after shop of mounds of spices and Turkish delight from which to choose. We spent a solid two hours searching the shops, smelling the spices, and tasting whatever was handed to us. Many of these spices–cardamom, chili flakes, saffron, sumac, etc. highlight typical Ottoman cuisine. Check out some additional pictures of my Turkish tasting adventure below.

Iskender Kebab My reason for ordering this dish was two-fold: one, the dish is famously Turkish and two, the dish is basically just a massive piece of lamb. This dish was invented by the Ottoman İskender Efend and features a huge, thin slice of lamb served over pieces of broken bread and flavored with tomato sauce and yogurt…

…I downed it all.

Baklava The French make life interesting by taking the great concept of macarons (which I gladly consumed during my layover in Charles de Gaulle airport) and adding a variety of flavors (chocolate, coffee, rose, pistachio, vanilla, olive oil, passion fruit…). Similarly, the Turks take the divine but baklava and provide a whole variety of choices. Baklavaris, as they are labeled, appear consistently through the streets of Istanbul and feature this phyllo dough treat with walnuts, pistachios, cashews, almonds, and chocolate. Some are layered squares while others are cylindrically wrapped around the nut filling. All, however, are amazing and a necessary finish to every meal.

All in all, the Turkey jet set was a food success and I was lucky to enjoy the full taste of the country by actually traveling there. Now, however, back to DC chilling and onward to my Norwegian staycation…

A Quick Jet Set to Istanbul: Street Food

As I previously mentioned, this past week I took a brief vacation from my Norwegian food venture in order to actually vacation to Istanbul. Although no longer a staycation, I made sure to try as much traditional Turkish cuisine as possible (at some points, it was mind over matter to finish that last bite of Baklava), take plenty of pictures, and learn about all the varied dishes and ingredients. From cheap and delicious street food, to basic home dishes to new and modern twists on traditional cuisine, I made sure my vacation on the Bosphorus included tasty accompaniments to all the historic mosques and steamy Turkish baths (hamams).

Street Food:

I am highly intrigued by street food. While Americans follow their twitter for the latest food truck location or may stop for a standard hot dog or New York style pretzel once in awhile, Turks live off the myriad food options that exists on the carts of the narrow streets and the banks of the Golden Horn.

I knock the NY pretzels, but the Turks had a similar variation of a huge, salty piece of sesame bread —Simits.

Almost every other store front contained this glorious image of a massive spinning piece of meat. Döner kebabs consist of thin slices of meat (generally chicken such as the picture above or, my favorite, lamb) carved to-order from a large rotating spit. The kebabs were ridiculously cheap (about 3-4 Turkish Lire, or $2) and served in pita or half bread (fresh Italian-like bread) with toppings of tomatoes, pickles, potatoes (which was actually just random bits of french fries) and sauce. A şiş (pronounced shish) kebab consists of cubed meat and was generally available at any restaurant. My favorite şiş kebab was the patlican (pronounced pat-lee-jan), or eggplant and lamb kebab.

This picture, taken on the first day of half-conscious, jet legged exploration represents not only my first taste of Turkish cuisine but also my first “oh my God (or for Turkey, Allah) this is amazing” bite of food. Balik Ekmek translates to mean fish with bread and was sold near the Galata bridge which traverses the waters of the Golden Horn. The fish, generally a type of mackerel, is as fresh as you can get and served with mint, onion, lemon juice and sometimes tomatoes. Like the kebab, you can buy this filling lunch for roughly $2.

If the fishy taste of mackerel from the Balik Ekmek does not require you to pop a breath mint quite yet, be sure to have some Altoids on hand after tasting street stuffed mussels. Located both near the water and intermittently throughout the city, these mussel vendors would cater to customers by opening the shells and squirting lemon juice on the mussels to be enjoyed on the spot. I went over to take a picture of the stand and was offered a free tasting. The texture of mussel and rice together makes for an interesting surprise.

I love free samples and there were plenty to be had in Turkey, especially of the bite-sized Turkish delight treat (pictured above). In 1777, Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir, confectioner to the Ottoman imperial court invented this chewy concoction, which he initially flavored with rosewater and sugar icing and named rahat lokum, “morsel of contentment.” In the 19th century the treat traveled westward to Britain and was aptly named Turkish delight. The  treat comes in different flavor varieties and consists mainly of honey, molasses, water, flour, and nuts (walnuts, pistachios, or almonds). My favorite delights were hands down coconut with chocolate and pistachio.

A Brief VACATION from this Norwegian STAYCATION

Over the past couple weeks, I have experienced a whirlwind of events and Norwegian cuisine exploration has suffered, my apologies. One of these events has been a change of jobs. Before starting my new employment, I have decided (very last minute) to jet set with a friend to Istanbul–partly for the history, mostly for the food!

When I return in a week, I will make sure to post all mouthwatering food pictures with appropriate descriptions as soon as possible!

Upon my return, I also look forward to continuing my Norwegian food posts. So far I have spoken with my northern relatives, lined up an interview with a DC based, Scandinavian restaurant, and will soon be speaking with the chef for the Norwegian Ambassador!

 

Velkommen til Norge: Food Memories at Christmas Time

At the crux of all holidays lays the fundamental assemblage of family, communion, and food. My Grandma was the matriarch of all three of these qualities and brought to each holiday an element of class, eloquence, humor, and love. While she was never one to hide her emotions or feelings, she more often expressed her continual devotion to her family and friends through the careful preparation of food. Molasses cookies, raisin bran muffins, and chocolate chip cookies would await us at every visit and always be the welcomed guests at any family gathering. Even simple endeavors such as grilled cheese sandwiches and blueberry pancakes never tasted so right compared to when Grandma made them.

A number of the meals I remember her making were quintessential American meals that she mastered through years of practice as a mother of five, a grandmother of ten, a great-grandmother of two and a mentor of many.  However, the one international cuisine I will always associate with her is the food of the northern hinterlands, and not so coincidentally, the location of my next “staycation”—Norway.  In truth, my Grandma’s side of the family was from England but she married a man with Norwegian heritage and incorporated that cuisine to the plates on the dinner table and the pages of the family cookbook. Pickled herring, smoked salmon, and scrambled eggs are just some of the foods with Norwegian connotations but no Norwegian food spells Grandma quite like Julekaka—a Christmas cake that year after year appears on our table.

This bread of cardamom, fruit candy, raisins, and icing has become as much of a staple of the holidays as the carols sung at church and the presents under the tree.  I always observed from afar as my grandmother and subsequently mother crafted this bread; however, this year I decided to become an active participant and asked to learn the recipe as well as the history of this special dough.

So there my mom and I were, a few days before Christmas, ingredients all on the counter, and my grandmother aware of our current undertaking. My mom explained to me that this recipe came to the US with her grandmother, who upon moving to Brooklyn and coping with her husband’s desertion and five kids to raise, would make the bread at night as a way to earn extra income during the day.  It makes sense that the recipe is loaded with family history as it takes some tender, love and care to prepare. First, gradually mix the ingredients. Let the dough rise. Then, kneed the ingredients. Let the dough rise.  Finally, bake the ingredients and add some sweet icing. While my mom and my attempt did not aesthetically duplicate my grandmother’s past successes (my mom swears the yeast rising has presented difficulty for years), the taste and sentiment was inundated with grandma and she was delighted to hear of our combined efforts.

Food is a binding force and this Christmas, my Grandma’s Julekaka recipe connected me to her hands—which she always noted looked just like mine, “except for a few additional kinks and wrinkles.” This Christmas Eve when she passed away, a million memories and thoughts rushed to my mind. However, upon tasting the Julekaka the next morning, I instantly felt solace in the fact that through the simple ingredients of flour, eggs, and cardamom, I would always be able to connect with her.  I know that next year despite all that has changed, Grandma’s Julekaka will once again, without fail, appear on Christmas morning.

Recipe

Julekaka Yule Bread (from Family recipe and John Grieg Forlag’s What You Have Eaten in Norway)

• 1 ½ lbs all-purpose flour
• 4 ½ oz butter
• 3 ½ oz sugar
• 1 tspn cardamom
• 1 ½ oz yeast
• ¾ pint milk
• 4 oz seedless raisins
• 4 oz candied peek

-Mix flour, half the sugar, half the butter (melted) and the cardamom in a bowl. Warm the milk slightly and add to the dry ingredients together with the yeast. Beat the dough thoroughly with a large wooden spoon until smooth and even (we used a Kitchenaid Mixer). Put to rise about 20 mins. Add the rest of the butter, the sugar, raisins and peel, and put to rise again for another 20 minutes.

-Divide in two and knead each portion on a lightly floured board in the shape of a long sausage. Turn in the two ends to the middle of the sausage, rounding the cake as you do so, so that it is a solid round mass.

-Stand in a warm place to prove for a further 15 minutes. Brush with beaten egg. Bake for 45-60 minutes in a hot oven (350 degrees).

-Let cool and add icing recipe of choice (we would switch it up every year, but food and wine offered a good recipe to follow this year).