Bougna: Kanak Yam and Seafood Curry

New Caledonian Bougna, a Kanak dish, featuring prawns and yams

This recipe is made with full shrimp (head on and not shelled) – combined with some yam, tomatoes, and onions simmering in some full fat coconut milk and topped with shredded coconut, served on optional banana leaves.

Otai: Tongan Coconut Watermelon Drink

Otai: Tongan Coconut Watermelon Drink - Mixture of coconut milk, coconut flakes, honey mango and smashed fresh watermelon

Sometimes, it’s not specific dishes that stand out in a cuisine. No, sometimes it’s the drinks that are the true stars of the show. For the Tongan cuisine, there are two drinks in particular. First, there’s ‘otai, or a delicious coconut watermelon drink, which is the focal point of the recipe for this post. And then … Read more

Caril de Caranguejo: Mozambican Crab Curry

The final plated dish of Mozambique Caril de Caranguejo - Crab Curry

There are some culinary mixes that simply work better than others. It could be a complementary set of flavor profiles or that one cuisine’s cooking method merges seamlessly with another’s ingredients. In these cases, two is definitely better than one. Mozambican cuisine, and caril de caranguejo in particular, is one such fortuitous mix. Drawing on strong … Read more

Pastel de Choclo: Chilean Corn Pie

Chilean pastel de choclo corn casserole filling with mushroom onion spices olives eggs and mozzerella topped with brown sugar

It’s amazing how food can serve as a proxy for identifying key cultural integrations. For the Chileans, the best available “yummy proxy” is none other than pastel de choclo. Drawing on key components from the different historical influences, this recipe represents far more than a corn pie for a fiercely proud population. And, given the taste of it, … Read more

Gaufres Liegeoises: Belgian Waffles

Belgian Waffles with berries on top

Even with all the preparation and research we do for recipes, even then we sometimes still underestimate the journey ahead. For these Belgian waffles (technically gaufres liegeoises), this proved to be exactly the case. These gaufres were intricate, confusing-but-still-manageable recipe that kept us on our toes the entire time. And still, we forged on, and the … Read more

Som Tam: Thai Papaya Salad

Som Tam: Thai Papaya Salad

We always enjoy exploring the dishes and recipes of Southeast Asian cuisines. From Laos to Thailand to Vietnam (and beyond), each cuisine offers an incredible diversity of taste brought into harmonious balance with one another. Som tam, however, might actually take this “balancing” characteristic one step further, and it all starts in the region from … Read more