Around the World in Foodventures (Belarus: POTATO BABKA)

Just throwing this one in here for posterity.  I made it way back on November 8, 2025 while listening to Novoe Radio FM 98.4 Minsk, Belarus on radio.garden. -- but I never blogged about it.  I don't even know what recipe I followed.  So, it's just gonna be a few pictures for the record:

**********************************************************

This post is part of my "Around the World in Foodventures" project.
I originally wanted to expand my culinary horizons by making the national dish, or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal, from every country in the world.

After 3+ years, I decided to loosen those strict parameters but still eventually make something -- anything -- from each country.  I'll no longer be precious about landing on an official national dish or true signature food or something considered by whomever to be traditional or popular.  The foods might be chosen purposefully, just happen to be things I come across or see YouTube videos about, or actually need to be specifically researched.

Countries will be "visited" in no particular order, and there's no set schedule for posting.
I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it.

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone
else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Japan: NASU DENGAKU a/k/a Miso-Glazed Eggplant)

It has once again been a loooong time since I've updated this blog.

The original thrust of my "Around the World in Foodventures" project was that I wanted to expand my culinary horizons by making the national dish (or a popular recipe, or some other signature food or traditional meal) from every country in the world.

I don't know if chasing those parameters was maybe putting too much pressure on me to choose something that I thought was appropriately representative for each location, but I can say that I started to feel a bit of analysis paralysis.... and before I knew it, life got away from us and over three years had passed.

Well, I'm back -- still wanting to cook something from everywhere -- but now I'm loosening the "rules" that I operate within.  I'll still eventually make something, anything, from each country; but it isn't going to matter if it's an official national dish or true signature food or considered traditional or popular by whomever.

• Will I be methodical about it, proceeding in some particular order?
  Nope.
  
• Am I going to cook or post on any specific regular basis?
  Unlikely!
  
• Do the recipes need to be chosen purposefully and actually specifically researched; or can they be things I just happen to come across or see YouTube videos about?
  Not necessarily and any way will do 😁

But eventually -- one at a time, on whatever timeframe organically happens, and however the foods come to me -- I will hit all the places.

So far, as of this writing, I have culinarily visited and blogged about the following countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Croatia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, South Korea, Mexico, Myanmar (f/k/a Burma), North Macedonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Spain, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

That's 48 out of the 197 I have on my list.  I did not realize I was just about 25% through already!

So now, after all the fluff I just wrote and without further ado, I will return to my normal brevity -- simply presenting a photo of the food along with the recipe I wrote or followed:

Japan:
NASU DENGAKU a/k/a Miso-Glazed Eggplant

(cooked for our weekly potluck dinner)

Recipe adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt's.

INGREDIENTS

Items that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Any ingredients left white should be kept separate by itself.

For the glaze: 1/2 cup of White Miso Paste 2 Tablespoons of Sake 3 Tablespoons of Mirin 4 teaspoons of Sugar
6 approximately-six-inch-long Eggplants (I used what would probably be called Italian or American or small Globe eggplants, because that's what my market had -- these are all dark purple varieties; though you can certainly use Japanese or Chinese as the original recipe calls for, too.) Salt + MSG Neutral oil Sesame Seeds Scallions, chopped into small rings

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the Eggplants in half lengthwise, then use a knife to score them in a crosshatch pattern.

2. Season the Eggplants with Salt & MSG.  Set them aside for about 40 minutes to let some moisture get pull liquid out.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F.

4. Meanwhile, mix all the sauce ingredients together.  Set aside.

5. Use paper towels to blot the Eggplants dry.  Coat them on all sides with Oil, then bake until softened (about an hour).

6. Remove the Eggplants from the oven, brush the sauce onto their cut sides, and bake or broil again -- sauce side up -- until the sauce is bubbling and slightly caramelized.  (The timing here will depend on whether you bake or broil; and whether you do this Step 6 immediately after the first Step 5 bake, or -- like I did -- do the Step 5 bake one night ahead and then finish with this second bake/broil the next day.  Just keep an eye on them, and pull them out when the sauce is browned and bubbling 👍).

7. Garnish with Sesame Seeds and Scallions for serving.

**********************************************************

This post is part of my "Around the World in Foodventures" project.
I originally wanted to expand my culinary horizons by making the national dish, or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal, from every country in the world.

After 3+ years, I decided to loosen those strict parameters but still eventually make something -- anything -- from each country.  I'll no longer be precious about landing on an official national dish or true signature food or something considered by whomever to be traditional or popular.  The foods might be chosen purposefully, just happen to be things I come across or see YouTube videos about, or actually need to be specifically researched.

Countries will be "visited" in no particular order, and there's no set schedule for posting.
I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it.

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone
else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or
contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Barbados: CASSAVA PONE)

Cassava Pone is a gelatinous sweet treat found in many Caribbean countries, and there are about a million different recipes for it because everyone’s mother, auntie, uncle, and grandpa each have their own version.  This speaks to how flexible of a recipe it is and how forgiving cooking it can be, which is why I decided to try two different varieties….one traditionally dairy-full with only coconut included, plus another vegan version with some common additions (pumpkin, sweet potato, and raisins) as well.  And they both happen to be naturally Gluten Free.

These recipes are adapted from Alicia’s Pepperpot.  I essentially followed her exact ingredients, proportions/measurements, and method -- other than the part where I added pumpkin, sweet potato, and raisins to the vegan version.  Here we go…..

INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

(for Traditional version) 2-1/4 cups grated cassava root    * you can grate it by hand or use a food processor to mostly puree it 1/4 cup grated coconut    * I used storebought pre-grated, frozen coconut – completely thawed 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 Tablespoons softened butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1.5 cups evaporated milk (this is one 12-ounce can)

(for Vegan version with Additional Fruits & Veggies added) 2-1/4 cups grated cassava root 1/4 cup grated coconut 3/4 cup brown sugar 3 Tablespoons vegan "butter" 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1.5 cups coconut milk

1/2 cup grated pumpkin    * I used canned pumpkin puree 1/2 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato 1/2 cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In one bowl, combine the Traditional version ingredients (cassava, coconut, brown sugar, butter, extracts, spices, and milk).  
3. In another bowl, combine the Vegan version with Additional Fruits & Veggies ingredients (cassava, coconut, brown sugar, vegan "butter," extracts, spices, and coconut milk).
4. Stir each one (with separate spoons, of course) until they're all well mixed.
5. Add the pumpkin, sweet potato, and raisins to the Vegan bowl -- and stir to combine.
6. Pour each mixture into its own greased baking pan, and bake for probably at least an hour until golden to slightly dark brown, set/no longer wobbly in the center, and starting to pull away from the edges of the pan.*

* The smaller pan you choose, the more time it will need to bake because it will be thicker.  I used an 8" x 8" pan for the traditional dairy-full version, and a 9" x 13" pan for the Vegan version with Additional Fruits & Veggies added.  Because the latter had extra ingredients but was in a larger pan, both pans ended up with about the same depth of batter.  So, I baked them each for an hour and a half.  The traditional dairy-full version turned out denser than the Vegan version with Additional Fruits & Veggies added, and I think I probably could have baked both of them a bit longer -- but both were delicious and perfectly good the way they turned out, with definitively distinct flavor profiles.  Taste-wise, I personally preferred the traditional (but don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean there was anything wrong or bad about the Vegan version with Additional Fruits & Veggies added).  After spending the night in the fridge, both versions firmed up and were even better.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Mediterranean Style Quinoa Salad

I went to a potluck-style crafting gathering yesterday.  After Googling for ideas, this quick and easy salad is what I came up with to bring, based on wanting to use ingredients I already had at home and only buying minimal new/additional things (the only thing I had to go out and get were the lemons).  And it's vegan if you put Honey in that category.

INGREDIENTS
Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

For the Quinoa: 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil 1 cup of Tri-Color Quinoa 1.5 cups of Water

For the Salad: 1/2 cup of Carrots, cut into ~1/2” matchsticks 3 Scallions, chopped 1.5 cups of cooked Pinto Beans, completely cooled (or one 15-ounce can) Note: Pinto Beans are what I had cooked on hand. You really can use any beans you like, or chickpeas. 1.5 cups of Arugula, roughly chopped 3/4 cup of small-chopped Broccoli 2 Tablespoons of chopped Fresh Parsley 2/3 cup of Raisins 1/3 cup of Sunflower Seeds

For the Dressing: 1/2 cup of Olive Oil 6 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice 2 Tablespoons of Honey 4 cloves of Garlic, minced 1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper 1/2 teaspoon of Cumin 1/2 teaspoon of Chili Powder 1/4 teaspoon of Smoked Paprika 1/4 teaspoon of Cinnamon Up to 1/4 teaspoon of Nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil in a medium pot, then toast the Quinoa in it for 3-5 minutes (stirring occasionally).

2. Add the 1.5 cups water to the pot with the Quinoa and bring it to a boil.

3. Once it's boiling, remove it from heat, cover, and let stand for 15 minutes until the water is all absorbed.  Then cool it completely.

4. While the Quinoa is cooking and cooling, you can combine all the Salad ingredients in a large bowl.

5. Also, put all the Dressing ingredients into an airtight jar -- and stir and shake well to combine.
6. Finally, mix together the Quinoa, Salad ingredients, and (about two-thirds of) the Dressing.  Taste and add more Dressing if you desire.

We really liked this salad.  Next time -- and there *will* be a next time -- I might try adding in some Sumac, too.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

** You'll also never find ads here. **

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below or

contact me directly using the form near the top of the right-hand column.

Around the World in Foodventures (Bangladesh: DHOKAR DALNA)

Upon a cursory review, there were several Bangladeshi dishes that caught my eye (and at least one other that I definitely want to make, but I think it will come up for other counties as well). This one, though -- fried lentil cakes in a warm, spicy, tomato based sauce -- literally made me say “ooh, that looks good.” So, here we are.

Dhokar Dalna is a lentil curry, but made in an unusual way. The root word “dhoka” means “cheat/betrayal/deception,” and is apparently used in the name of this dish either because you can’t readily discern what ingredients are in it; or because families eat this on days when they are following a vegetarian plan, sort of fooling themselves into believing it’s meat. Not only is Dhokar Dalna vegetarian, but it rarely (in an effort to maintain a Sattvic diet) contains onions or garlic. Because I don’t want to be too wordy here, I’ll let you delve more into these research rabbit holes if you so choose.

Onward to my recipe, which I wrote as an amalgamation after consulting various sources….

INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your cooking process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

3/4 cup of split Bengal Gram Dal/Chana Dal 1/4 cup of Matar Dal (yellow split peas)

Spices For the Lentil Cakes (measure out into a Mortar & Pestle) -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and finely chopped    * 2 Green Chilies, stems removed    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 1.5 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric    * 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida    * 1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon    * 1/8 teaspoon Cardamom    * 1 teaspoon Nigella Seeds

Spices for the Sauce -     * 1 inch of Ginger, peeled and grated    * 3 Green Chilies    * 3 large Bay leaves    * 3 Cardamom pods, cracked    * 1/2 Cinnamon Stick    * 5 Cloves    * 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder    * 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder    * 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds    * 1 teaspoon Salt    * 2 teaspoons Sugar    * 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder    * 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

1.5 - 2 cups of Water 2 medium Potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

1/2 teaspoon of Garam Masala Powder 1 teaspoon of Ghee

1 Tablespoon of All Purpose flour 4 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil, divided 1/4 cup of shredded Coconut 2 Tablespoons of Roasted Peanuts, crushed Vegetable Oil (enough to pour about 1" deep in your frying pan) 2 medium Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Lentil Cakes

1. Wash all the Dal in water a few times, until the water runs clear.  Then soak it for at least 6 hours, or better yet overnight.  Drain off the water.
2. In a mortar & pestle, create a paste from the Ginger, Green Chilies, and all the Lentil Cake Spices.  Divide this paste in half.
3. Using a minimal amount of water (no more than 1/2 cup), grind the drained Dal into a smooth paste along with with one-half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste.  Also mix in the All Purpose Flour.  I did this step in a food processor -- much easier!
4. Heat 2 Tablespoons of the Mustard Oil in a frying pan, and add the other half of the Ginger/Green Chili/Spice paste, as well as the shredded Coconut.  Saute all of this for a minute or two -- to toast the spices and the coconut, wake it all up, and remove any rawness.
5. Now, add the Dal paste and the Crushed Peanuts to the frying pan, cooking and stirring until it dries out and forms a dough ball.
6. Remove from the heat, and spread the dough out onto a greased surface (cookie sheet, roasting pan, whatever).  Aim to make it about 1” thick all around.  Put it in the fridge to cool.
7. Wash your frying pan because you're going to need it again.
8. Once the dough cools completely, cut it into 16 diamond shape pieces (or, really, any shape you want).
9. Heat about 1" of Vegetable Oil in the frying pan to 300-350°F -- and fry each lentil cake (turning over as needed) until crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside.  (You can test it like a cake; meaning a toothpick or knife should come out clean and without any dough sticking to it).  Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through (I didn't do it this way, but I'd guess 2-30 minutes at 350°F).
10. Set the cooked lentil cakes aside and make the sauce....

For the Sauce

1. Heat the other 2 Tablespoons of Mustard Oil in the frying pan.
2. Add the Ginger, Green Chilies, Bay Leaves, and all the Sauce Spices -- and lightly saute for just a minute or two until any raw smells dissipate.
3. Add in the Tomatoes and cook (stirring) until they get mushy (starting to look like spaghetti sauce).
4. Pour in the Water and the Potatoes.  Cover, and simmer (10-15 minutes) until the Potatoes are cooked through.
5. Stir in the Garam Masala and Ghee.
6. Finally, place the lentil cakes into the sauce, spooning some over the top so that each cake gets a little moistened -- and let it all simmer together for a couple of minutes until the lentil cakes are heated back up and have absorbed some sauce.
7. Serve immediately, because the cakes are somewhat delicate and can start to fall apart the longer they sit in the sauce.

This was quite delicious (the cakes were even pretty good all by themselves, plain, before going into the sauce).  Also, it really did mimic meat sauce as pieces fell off the lentil cakes and made the sauce a little lumpy.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (Bahrain: KHANFAROOSH and SHARBAT ZAFRAN)

The national dish of Bahrain seems to be Machboos, but I already made that for Qatar. So I perused some lists of other popular Bahraini foods, and settled on diving into some dessert and drink for this round of foodventuring.

Khanfaroosh are little donut-like cakes with saffron, cardamom, and rose; and Sharbat Zafran is a sweet, lemony drink with a similar flavor profile.  It proved fairly difficult, though, to find hard and fast methods for for either, so after studying a bunch of videos and written recipes (most not in my native language), I concluded that Khanfaroosh dough can be made with varying amounts of milk, eggs, and spices -- all to personal taste or family tradition, I suppose; and Sharbat Zafran is basically akin to an Arnold Palmer (in other words, it's kind of like a mix of sweet tea -- in this case, saffron tea -- and lemonade) with various ways to get to that final product.  Here's the amalgamation of what I learned and tried --

KHANFAROOSH INGREDIENTS:

Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white should be kept separate by itself.

¼ cup of Rose water 2 pinches (~1/2 Tbsp.) of Saffron 1.5 teaspoons of Cardamom Powder

2 eggs 4 ounces of Milk ½ cup of Sugar

1 cup of All Purpose Flour 1 cup of Rice Flour 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder

Oil for frying Sesame Seeds

KHANFAROOSH INSTRUCTIONS:

(Makes a dozen donuts)

1. Steep the Saffron and Cardamom Powder in the Rose Water for about 15 - 20 minutes.
2. Preheat about 1" of oil in a frying pan, to 350°F.
3. Meanwhile -- whisk the Eggs, Milk, and Sugar together in a large bowl.
4. Strain the Rose Water into the bowl with the Eggs, Milk, and Sugar -- being careful to leave behind as much of the Cardamom Powder as possible (you've already extracted its flavor, but don't necessarily want its color in here).
5. Now add the All Purpose Flour, Rice Flour, and Baking Powder -- and mix it all together.  (Your final dough will be pourable, a little runnier than pancake batter.)
6. Use a 1/4-cup measure to pour dollops of the dough into the hot oil, and fry.  Spoon some hot oil over the top of each donut, and turn over once or twice -- sprinkling on sesame seeds as you go along.  The dough will puff up.
7. Remove each donut from the oil when golden-brown, and set on a cooling rack to drain.

SHARBAT ZAFRAN INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of Sugar 4 cups of Water

1/4 teaspoon of Saffron Threads 3 Cardamom Pods (this would be 24 - 30 seeds, if you can't find whole pods) 2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice Basil Seeds (optional) Rose Water (optional)

SHARBAT ZAFRAN INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Break the Saffron Threads up in a mortar and pestle.
2. Combine the Sugar and the Water in a pot, and boil (stirring occasionally) until the Sugar is all dissolved.
3. Take it off the heat, add the Saffron to it, and set it aside to steep and cool. *
4. Meanwhile -- break open the Cardamom Pods, scrape the seeds into the mortar and pestle, and grind them up.  Add them to the pot after it's about halfway cooled.
5. When it's all totally cooled, add the Lemon Juice and stir to combine.
6. Serve in glasses with ice....either as-is, or rimmed with some lemon juice, sugar, and/or lemon zest.
7. If you want to use Rose Water, add it to each served glass just a couple drops at a time, to your liking (it's a strong flavor!).

* Optional at this point (or even after it cools at least halfway) is to add some Basil Seeds.  I didn't have any nor felt like hunting them down this time, so I chose to skip this.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Around the World in Foodventures (The Bahamas: CRACKED CONCH)

Hi!  It's been a minute.  But here I am, back with the next installment of my Around the World in Foodventures journey; this time bringing The Bahamas.

We first ate fried conch in Miami (close enough to The Bahamas to make sense) at a hole-in-the-wall place called Conch Town USA.  Recommended to us by a friend, it was so good that I consider it one of those "chasing the dragon" places.  Meaning, it's the standard by which I will forever judge any and all fried conch....and who knows if another can ever live up to it in my heart.  Still, when I found out that Cracked Conch is the national dish of The Bahamas, there was no question I would try making it.  It's nothing fancy, but it does take some technique.

So after consulting several videos and recipes online, and reviewing my notes from that delicious day in Miami -- here's what I did to create my own Cracked Conch that hits those traditional, spicy Bahamian flavors while also bringing in notes from Conch Town USA (i.e. what I guess were the flavors in their dipping sauce):

INGREDIENTS
Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

1 pound of trimmed and cleaned Conch Meat

4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 4 Tablespoons Lime Juice

1.5 cups Buttermilk 1 teaspoon Onion Powder 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/2 of a Habanero pepper, seeds removed, minced     (The recipe I learned from called for Goat pepper flakes, which is made     from Habanero; but after trying multiple retailers I couldn't get actual     Goat pepper flakes.  So an equivalent amount of fresh Habanero felt like     a good substitution; it will serve the same function.)

1 cup All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup Cornmeal A pinch of Kosher Salt Your favorite Spicy Cajun Seasoning (amount to your taste)

1 Tablespoon Honey 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard 2 teaspoons Key Lime Juice A small pinch of Kosher Salt A small pinch of Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the conch meat into strips.  Toss them around in the combined lemon and lime juice to "wash" it, then rinse it off with water.
2. Pound the rinsed conch meat pieces until they're pretty uniformly flat; when they shift from tough to tender, it will be pretty easily visually noticeable.  (You can do this inside a plastic bag, between two pieces of plastic wrap, or however else you normally pound meat.)  You now have "cracked" conch meat -- so called not because it's addictive, but because it needs to be tenderized like this before cooking.
3. In a bowl, combine the Buttermilk, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Kosher Salt, and Minced Habanero.  Stir in the cracked conch meat and marinate it (covered) in a refrigerator for 30+ minutes.
4. While the meat is marinating, mix together the All Purpose Flour, Cornmeal, Pinch of Salt, and an amount of Spicy Cajun Seasoning to your liking.
5. In another bowl, whisk the Honey, Mustard, Key Lime Juice, Kosher Salt, and Sugar together to form a dipping sauce.
6. Now, measure out into a pot, enough oil that you'll be able to deep fry the conch without it touching the bottom. The temperature to aim for should be just enough for a light sizzle, somewhere between 250-275°F.*
7. Remove the conch meat from the buttermilk mixture, shaking off as much as possible.  Dredge each piece in flour immediately before gently and safely dropping them into the oil.  (You don't need to cook them all at once; you can do it in batches, or just one or a few pieces at a time.)
8. Fry until they turn just barely golden beige (not brown).* This will only take a couple of minutes with small pieces (and they will continue cooking/browning a smidge after you remove them from the pan).
9. As you cook, you may want to scrape any spice residue off the sides of the pan, or skim out any bits that are floating about.  This will minimize all that stuff sticking to/"staining" your gorgeous pieces of fried conch.
10. Fried Cracked Conch is traditionally served with any combination of Hot Sauce, Tartar Sauce, Ketchup, or Pickled Onions -- but because I'm looking to mimic what we had in the restaurant, I'm choosing the Key Lime Honey Mustard.

* If you cook them too hot or too long, you'll end up with a final product that is either rubbery and/or too dark in color.

The verdict?  These came out pretty good, but -- unsurprisingly -- did not match the quality we had from Conch Town USA.  I definitely could've tenderized some of the pieces more than I did; possibly by washing in the Lemon-Lime mixture more or marinating in the Buttermilk longer, or maybe just pounding better.  And although my Key Lime Honey Mustard was delicious, it didn't give us that OhEmGee feeling that Conch Town USA's sauce did....so I'm guessing I didn't nail that part.  The real issue for me here, though, is the amount of work it took (and waste it created) to trim and clean the conch meat, which we had purchased with shells and "innards" already removed (see this, this, and this).  I'd estimate that at least 30-40% of the weight we bought went into the compost bin during this process.  For these latter reasons only (the time/work and waste -- due in my estimation to the fact that the conch we were able to purchase around our home were much smaller than those shown in the videos/what one would be able to get nearer to the Caribbean), I am unlikely to attempt this dish again; that is, unless I can get my hands on some larger specimens (which I will keep my eye out for because we have a friend who'd be very happy if I could perfect this recipe).  I do also wonder if larger conch just have more flavor and/or are already more tender to begin with.  In conclusion, as we like to say, there are just some foods that are better when someone else makes them for us....and this (for now) is one of them.  I guess we'll have to go to Miami again, or The Bahamas.

This post is part of my project: "Around the World in Foodventures" (I decided I want to expand my culinary horizons even further by making the national dish or a popular recipe, or some signature food or traditional meal from every country in the world. Maybe it'll happen alphabetically, or by region, in random order, or something else. I figure if we can't (yet?) travel everywhere, we at least have the luxury of being able to taste it. It’ll be fun and interesting, but obviously, will take a long time to get through -- as I'll only be doing it once a week or so at most. I am chronicling the journey here.)

“If I’m an advocate of anything, it’s to move…Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” --Tony Bourdain

Thai Mango & Carrot Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

We're using up freezer-stash Mango today.  Here's what happened --

INGREDIENTS*
* Things that are grouped by color in my ingredient lists can be measured out into bowls together while getting your Mise en Place, to streamline your process as well as minimize the number of things you'll have to clean later. Anything left white/un-highlighted should be kept separate by itself.

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 medium-to-large Onion (chopped)
• 5 cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of Ginger (peeled with a spoon, and minced)
• 4 medium-to-large Carrots (cut into rounds)
• 1 Red Bird’s Eye Chili (roughly chopped)
• 1 stalk of Lemongrass (cut into segments short enough to fit into your pot but large enough that you will be able to easily find them later)
• 3 Mangoes (peeled, flesh removed from core, and chopped)....or ~4 cups frozen mango chunks
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
• 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• A few fresh grates of Nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground White Pepper
• 4 cups Vegetable Broth
• 8 Makrut Lime Leaves (bruised)
• 1 can of lite Coconut Milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat the oil in a medium-to-large pot, and then sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, chili, and lemongrass over high heat until the onions just start to take on some brown color.
2. Add in about 2/3 of the mango and all the spices, and cook on high heat for just a few minutes to develop those flavors – then tip in the vegetable broth, toss in the lime leaves, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and let it all simmer together for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
3. Remove the lemongrass and lime leaves from the pot and toss in the rest of the mango and the coconut milk.
4. Using a stick/immersion blender, work the soup until it’s completely smooth. (Alternatively, you can accomplish this process in a regular blender – you’ll just have to pour the soup back into the pot afterwards.)
5. Return the lemongrass and lime leaves to the pot, and bring it all back up to temperature -- tasting and adjusting any spices you wish as you go.
6. Serve with an optional garnish of fresh cilantro, maybe a tiny sprinkle of extra nutmeg, or even some additional chilies if you're feeling spicy. (The lemongrass and lime leaves aren't meant to be eaten – but if you really, really want to….)

NOTES:

• I leave the Lemongrass and Lime Leaves in the soup as it sits, so they can continue infusing their flavor -- even when storing any leftovers.
• The soup will likely get a little spicier the longer you store leftovers in the fridge or otherwise, as the Bird's Eye Chili will also keep doing its thing.

This post is an original recipe that I created from scratch.

My goal is to share my love of food simply -- without all the fluff (unless it's Marshmallow Fluff!), long winded stories, excessive and repetitive photos, or incessant rambling that I see on other blogs.  I personally tend to skip over all that, just scrolling straight to the bottom in hopes of finding the recipe right away.  Therefore, I hope you appreciate the brevity above.

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