World On Your Plate

We bring you five divine dish recipes from around the globe.

1. Pan Seared Red Snapper, The USA

This quick and simple dish from the USA makes a great main course. Season the dish as per your liking or just enjoy its mild flavor.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 fillets red snapper

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

¼ cup chopped scallions

1 tsp ground ginger

Method:

1. Rinse the snapper and pat it dry.
2. In a bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, scallions, and ginger
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
4. Coat the fillets with the marinade and place them on the pan.
5. Cook for a couple of minutes on each side.
6. Pour the remaining marinade onto the pan. Reduce heat and simmer for another couple of minutes, or until fish flakes easily to a fork.

Chef’s note: Serve the fish over a bed of buttered rice.

2. Menemen, Turkey

Menemen is similar to Shakshouka, a dish originated from North Africa, popular in the Middle East and North Africa. 

This striking dish from Turkey is a breakfast classic. It consists of eggs cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and onions making it a wholesome meal.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

A bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

4 eggs

½ – 1 tsp caster sugar

400 gm tomatoes, chopped

1-2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced

1 red or green pepper, halved, deseeded and sliced

2onions, sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

For the yogurt:

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 tbsp yogurt, thick and creamy

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the onions, peppers, and chillies. Saute until they begin to soften.
2. Now add the tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Reduce the heat and wait until the liquid reduces. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Using a spatula, create pockets in the mixture and crack the eggs into them. Cover the pan and let the eggs cook over a low heat until they set.
4. For the dip, beat the yogurt with crushed garlic and season. Sprinkle the menemen with chopped parsley and serve hot from the saute pan with a dollop of garlic-flavored yogurt.

Winter Special

“Only two things in this world are too serious to be jested on, potatoes and matrimony!”

Potato Potato

The humble potato is well loved across the world, and that’s not surprising, considering how versatile this starchy root is.

Here are three ways to eat your potatoes. These are all traditionally sides, but also good enough to be eaten by themselves.

3. Duchess Potatoes, France

Duchess Potatoes are a classic French side, and are, simply put, mashed potatoes elevate to a whole other level.

Serves: 10

Ingredients:

A pinch of paprika

4 tbsp cream (more if needed)

A pinch of garlic powder

A pinch of dried dill

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

7 tbsp + ½ cup melted butter

2 large eggs

1 ½ k potatoes, peeled, boiled till tender and cooled.

Method:

1. Preheat the over to 200℃.
2. Place the potatoes in a bowl with the eggs, seven tablespoons of melted butter, cheese, salt, pepper, dill, and garlic powder and mash well together.
3. Add the cream; start with three tablespoons, and keep adding until you reach the desired consistency.
4. Taste for seasoning, then fill the mixture into a pastry bag with a large star tip. Pipe out onto a greased baking sheet; you should get about 12 equal-sized mounds.
5. Drizzle the half-cup melted butter over the mounds. Sprinkle with paprika.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the outsides are golden brown. Serve hot.

Chef’s note: Take the time to pipe the potato mounds out artistically: it adds to the presentation.

4. Gamjajeon, Korea

After being introduced to Korea, potatoes have primarily been cultivated in the hilly areas of the Gangwong Province.

Gamjajeon (gamja = potato, jeon = pancake) is traditionally an easy dish made with just potatoes and salt and served with a simple dipping sauce.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

¼ cup chopped Asian chives (garlic chives)

¼ cup water

½ tsp salt

½ kg potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes

For the dipping sauce:

A pinch of roasted sesame seeds

1 tsp white vinegar

2 tbsp soy sauce

Method:

1. Blend the potato dices, salt, water and chives in a food processor to a puree. Pass the mixture through a strainer, reserving the liquid that drains in a bowl. Press the puree down with a spoon to make sure all the liquid has drained.
2. Let the bowl with the strained liquid rest until the starch has sunk to the bottom of the bowl. Carefully pour out the water, retaining the starch.
3. Mix the starch into your potato puree.
4. Heat a non-stick pan on high heat. Add a little oil, and then a spoon or two of the potato puree, so that it spreads and forms a disc about 2 inches in diameter. Continue with the rest of the puree.
5. Once the bottom start browning, flip the potato pancakes with a spatula.
6. Make a dipping sauce by whisking together the soy sauce and white vinegar, then topping with the sesame seeds.
7. Serve the pancakes hot with this dipping sauce on the side.

5. Riivinkropsu, Finland

A divine casserole of grated potatoes, this is humble comfort food that’s hearty and lines your insides, perfect for a cold winter day.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes, peeled and grated (divided usage)

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp rice flour

1 egg

1 cup whole milk or light cream

Method:

1. Butter a baking dish, and preheat your oven to 180℃.
2. Place the milk or cream, egg, flour, and salt in a medium bowl, and beat lightly. Once smoothly mixed, add the grated potatoes, reserving some.
3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and top with a layer of the reserved grated potato. This layer on top will get golden and crisp, adding another texture to your casserole.
4. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes. If your oven has a broil setting, broil the casserole for a few minutes to get an evenly brown upper crust. Serve hot.

6. Spanakopita, Greece

A dish from Greece, Spanakopita is a rich pie with cheese, onion and spinach stuffing, enveloped in crispy phyllo sheets.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups olive oil

100 g ricotta

250 g feta

3 tbsp flour

3 eggs, beaten

Parsley, chopped

Dill, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 kg spinach, chopped, blanched and drained

20 phyllo sheets

Method:

1. In a pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onions and spinach over a high flame for five minutes. Stir continuously. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. Place the spinach and onions in a large bowl. Add the dill and parsley and mix it well. Mash this mixture with a potato masher till the volume is reduced by half.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, except the olive oil, and mix well.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the first phyllo sheet. Brush it with oil. Repeat the process with nine sheets, creating a layer.
5. Spread the filling on the tenth sheet. Now place a phyllo sheet, lightly brushed with olive oil and repeat, the process with the remaining sheets.
6. Fold the edges and oil the surface of the last sheet. Press on the pie in decorative swirls. Use a knife to draw out portions on the surface.
7. Bake the stuffed sheets in preheated oven for about 30 minutes at 175°C until they are light brown.
8. Serve hot.