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My wife and I started something during Covid where we'd pick a random city in the world (there are websites that do this for you), look at the region's popular/
by comrade1234 2mo ago
My wife and I started something during Covid where we'd pick a random city in the world (there are websites that do this for you), look at the region's popular/common dishes and pick one to cook for the weekend. Most recent was Mirza Ghasemi: A smoked eggplant dish cooked with garlic, tomatoes, and eggs, from the Caspian Sea area.
We would also sometimes make flatbreads from the area but man is it messy to do in your own place with flour flying around everywhere. We do make the flatbreads sometimes but it's usually easier to just buy frozen paratha from the Indian store.
Biggest surprise - everything's stew.
- chucksmash 2mo ago> Mirza Ghasemi: A smoked eggplant dish cooked with garlic, tomatoes, and eggs, from the Caspian Sea area. That sounds good. Makes me think of hunkar begendi.
- parl_match 2mo agoeverything's stew. everything's a variation of the 4 easiest ingredients for humans to cultivate plus one or two local or regional specials garlic/onions: aliums that thrive in most climates rice: grass that can be drowned (to fuck off pests) eggs: per day, one chicken produces enough binding enzymes to thicken and modify a meal for 5-8 people veg/seed oils: cooking, flavor, etc and since that's in the caspian sea area, they also have a ready supply of tomatoes and eggplant from centuries of trading with asia
- elgenie 2mo agoTomatoes are a New World crop, so those come from the Colombian exchange rather than some sort of thousands-year-old Silk Road trading history.
- 21asdffdsa12 2mo agostew is also - the most forgiving dish regarding meats.. bad cut? Just stew it more.. this can go so far- that soldiers who where starving where used to cooking down the leather of boots and tournisters..
- zer00eyz 2mo agoI wonder how close that dish is to the Indian one Baingan Bharta (it lacks eggs).
- comrade1234 2mo agoIt's similar but the egg almost makes it like custard and the spice is only turmeric and some red pepper and garlic. It's more subtle.
- sakopov 2mo ago> Mirza Ghasemi: A smoked eggplant dish cooked with garlic, tomatoes, and eggs, from the Caspian Sea area. Eggplant is one of those incredible veggies that seemingly not a lot of people know what to do with. You can bake it on a grill or your cooktop stove to give it that amazing smokey taste. I often eat it as-is without adding anything else but pairing with eggs takes it to the next level. There is another dish from that same general region called Ajapsandali which is probably one of the tastiest breakfast meals you'll ever eat if you like eggplant.
- 5555624 2mo agoWhile I don't care for eggplant, I used to make an exception for Moussaka Pizza (eggplant and meatballs) from Waterford Pizza in Waterford, CT. (I believe they're still there; but, it's been 40+ years.)
- comrade1234 2mo ago> Ajapsandali I looked it up and that looks great. Kind of like vegetarian goulash with all of the peppers. And simple. I think we'll try this soon.
- piltdownman 2mo agoUnagi Don using Aubergine is one of the few vegan cheats that is arguably better than the original. Rukmini Iyer does a nice riff with a vegan traybake on a similar theme that's very easy to throw together https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/miso-aubergines-with-tofu-sesame-and-chilli/ https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/miso-aubergines-with-to...
- yubblegum 2mo ago> from the Caspian Sea area That's a funny way of saying Gilan, Iran. The dish was invented by (and is named after) Mohammad Ghasem Khan Vali, the governer of Gilan province.
- comrade1234 2mo agoI didn't see that anywhere. Is that like general Tso's chicken being from a chinese general?
- yubblegum 2mo agoNo, more like saying that a classic Chinese this is from "Eastern Asia area"