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Enjoy unique flavours from around the world

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Published: July 14, 2017

Street food offers cheap and cheery meals to indulge in and remember fondly from vacations. Local cookbooks make good souvenirs that allow you to make those dishes at home.

Strawberry Lassi

A lassi is a refreshing yogurt drink available in every market in India. It can be plain with a touch of honey but the most popular is mango lassi. For a local twist, enjoy this strawberry lassi.

 Add strawberries, cardamom and honey to a blender, then puree. Add yogurt, cream and ice cubes and blend until smooth. To make a thinner lassi, add milk. Serve immediately and garnish with mint leaves.

Strawberry lassi.| Sarah Galvin photo

Peruvian Ceviche

    Ceviche is common throughout Central and South America and each country has their own version. Tiger milk is an acidic mixture for marinating and cooking raw fish.
  • Tiger milk
  • 2/3 c. fresh lime juice 150 mL
  • 2 cloves garlic smashed
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro leaves 15 mL
  • 1/2 small red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 c. bottled clam 125 mL
  • juice (optional)
  • kosher salt
  • dried red chili flakes
  • Set a fine-mesh sieve over a small bowl. Puree first four ingredients and four large ice cubes in a blender until smooth. Add onion, pulse about four times. Strain liquid into a medium bowl. Stir in clam juice, if desired, and season with salt. Cover and chill.
    1. Ceviche
    2. 1 small sweet potato
    3. 1 ear corn, husked
    4. dried red chili flakes
    5. 1 lb. raw firm white 500 g
    6. fish or shrimp
    7. 1 small red onion, quartered and
    8. thinly sliced, divided
    9. kosher salt
    10. cilantro leaves
    11. dried crushed chilis

 

Peruvian ceviche. | Sarah Galvin photo

Pour water into a large pot fitted with a steamer basket to a depth of one inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil. Add sweet potato and corn, then cover and cook until just fork-tender. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Cut kernels from cob. Reserve 1/3 cup (75 mL) kernels and save extra kernels for another use.

Place shrimp, two-thirds of onion, leche de tigre and four large ice cubes in bowl. Stir well. Let marinate for two minutes. Remove ice, then fold in potato and corn. Season with salt.

Using a slotted spoon, divide ceviche into small bowls or onto plates. Drizzle with tiger milk and garnish with remaining onion and cilantro.

 

Beef Tamales

    1. Making a big batch of tamales is like making a batch of perogies. It is labour intensive and a good project for two or three people. Make the filling the day before so things move more quickly.

      Tamales freeze well and can be reheated easily in a microwave or by steaming. They are also gluten-free and can easily be made vegetarian.

    1. 4 c. instant corn masa mix 1 L
    2. 4 c. lukewarm water or 1 L
    3. broth
    4. 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
    5. 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
    6. 1 1/3 c. lard or shortening 325 mL
    7. 6 lb. pork butt r< oast 3 kg
    8. 1 bottle hot red salsa
    9. 1 pkg. dried corn husks

    Indonesian chicken satay. | Sarah Galvin photo

    Rub pork roast with cumin and salt and put fat side down in a roasting pan. Cover with tin foil and crimp edges so the steam will be sealed inside. Roast at 400 F (200 C) for four hours.

  2. After each hour, turn the roast over. When fully cooked, let cool and then shred the meat with two forks. Add enough sauce to moisten.
  3. Soak corn husks for two hours or overnight in warm water. Make a few strings for tying the tamales by tearing pieces of one of the husks. Mix shredded meat with enough salsa to moisten.
  4. In a deep bowl, combine the masa, baking powder and salt. Pour broth into the masa and work it in to hydrate the masa. In a small bowl, beat vegetable shortening until fluffy, then add it to the masa and beat.
  5. When you are ready to wrap, take two corn husks, with the widest part meeting together and glue with a little masa. Place about 1/4 cup (60 mL) masa and smear into a square and place two tablespoons (30 mL) of beef filling in a strip down the centre of the masa.
  6. Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion with strip of husk to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. After they are all rolled and tied, steam them.
  7. Put steamer insert in bottom of a deep pot and fill with water to just reach bottom of steamer insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks. Stand tamales in steamer basket. Insert crumpled pieces of foil between them to keep tamales upright.
  8. Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

    Indonesian Chicken Satay

          • Satay Sauce
          • 1 c. unsweetened 250 mL
          • coconut milk
          • 3/4 c. roasted salted 175 mL
          • peanuts
          • 1/2 c. water 125 mL
          • 1/2 c. finely chopped 125 mL
          • onion
          • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 30 mL
          • 2 tbsp. soy sauce 30 mL
          • 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar 30 mL
          • 2 cloves garlic
          • 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 5 mL
          • flakes
          • 1 tsp. fish sauce 5 mL
          • 1 tsp. peanut oil 5 mL
          • Chicken
          • 1/2 c. unsweetened 125 mL
          • coconut milk
          • 1/4 c. soy sauce 60 mL
          • 2 tsp. red wine vinegar 10 mL
          • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 30 mL
          • 2 tbsp. grated peeled 30 mL
          • fresh ginger
          • 4 tsp. coriander 20 mL
          • 2 crushed garlic cloves
          • 2 lb. skinless boneless 1 kg
          • chicken breasts cut
          • crosswise into
          • 1/4 inch slices
          • 16 10-inch bamboo 25 cm
          • skewers soaked for
          • 30 minutes in water

          Make sauce by pureeing first 10 ingredients in blender until smooth. Add sauce to a saucepan and simmer until thickened and reduced to about two cups (500 mL). Stir occasionally.

          It can be made a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate and reheat.

          To prepare the chicken, add first seven ingredients to a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate one hour. Thread chicken onto skewers.

          Transfer 1/3 cup (75 mL) sauce to a small bowl and brush it over the chicken. Bring rest of sauce to simmer over low heat. Grill chicken until cooked through, turning frequently and basting with sauce from bowl, about six minutes total.

          • Transfer skewers to a plate, serving satay sauce alongside.

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