BuzzEssen Foods

Shashlik

Shashlik (meaning skewered meat) was originally made of lamb. Nowadays it is also made of pork or beef depending on local preferences and religious observances. The skewers are either threaded with meat only, or with alternating pieces of meat, fat, and vegetables, such as bell pepper, onion, mushroom and tomato.

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Asian Cuisine

Uyghur Kawa Manta

Dumplings are a universally-beloved dish the world over, and while we usually think of ravioli as the meat-filled pasta of choice, elsewhere in the world they default to gyoza, jiaozi and manti.

Manti have made a fascinating culinary journey, starting with the Mongols and migrating to the Ottoman Empire in Turkey and from there spreading all across the Caucasus region and into the Silk Road nations of Central Asia.

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Afghan Cuisine

Kabuli Pulao

This ethereal mixture of rice and lamb, redolent of sweet and warming spices, is the national dish of Afghanistan. Kabuli pulao takes its name from Kabul, the capital of that land-locked Central Asian nation.

Kabuli pulao is special occasion food in Afghanistan. "Pulao" is a type of rice dish made with a special, two-stepped cooking process for the rice that is unmatched in yielding separate, fluffy grains with excellent texture.

While each step in the recipe is not particularly difficult, the dish does require several steps to complete. First you simmer the meat, then you caramelize the carrots and parcook the rice. These steps can be completed ahead of time. Then you can just layer the three components together and finish the cooking on your stovetop.

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Asian Cuisine

Uyghur Polo Pilaf

Polo (a Central Asian variant on the word pilaf) is a food staple found across Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and parts of northwestern China. The different peoples of each region have their own takes, and their own flavors, for the recipe. This recipe is for Uyghur polo, the variant of the dish found in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Uyghur food is on the whole closer in taste to Indian, Persian, or Mediterranean food than it is to conventional Chinese food.

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African Cuisine

Ofada Rices

Ofada rices are mostly blends, and usually contain Oryza glaberrima (African rice) as well as the more common Oryza sativa Asian rice, and may be categorized as either brown/red Ofada or white Ofada on the basis of unmilled seed colour. Grain size, shape, and shade vary.

Ofada rice is unpolished. As African rice is more difficult to mill and polish, some or all of the rice bran is left on the grain, strengthening the flavour and making it more nutritious. Brown ofada rices are often very highly aromatic, whereas white ofada rice is typically non-aromatic. They are also known for swelling in size when cooked. It is sometimes processed using fermentation, which adds an aromatic quality to the product.

Ofada rice is typically priced higher compared to other available rices, and it has been regarded as a sign of status symbolism by some people. In contemporary times, it is sometimes served at classy parties.

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African Cuisine

Alloco

Alloco, as it is called in Côte d'Ivoire, is called dodo in Nigeria, "Makemba" in DRCongo and kelewele in Ghana. It is a popular West African snack made from fried plantain. It is often served with chili pepper and onions. In Nigeria, it often serves as a side or can be consumed by itself. Alloco is widely considered as fast-food and is sold on the streets of Côte d'Ivoire. An area with many grilled meat and alloco food vendors in the Cocody neighborhood are named Allocodrome after this dish.

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African Cuisine

Kenkey

Kenkey is a staple dish similar to a sourdough dumpling from the Ga, Akan and Ewe inhabited regions of West Africa, Ghana to be specific, usually served with soup, stew, or sauce.

Though ‘Kenkey’ also known as ‘Kormi’ or ‘Dorkunu’ in the year 2000 was termed as one of the foods which cause cancer particularly liver cancer when not prepared well, according to a shocking scientific research published by the Chronicle, kenkey also has it’s health benefits as well.

According to the report, maize which is a major dietary staple was identified as the “villain” . The moulds which develop on the maize particles, because of delayed or poor drying process, contain a bacteria called aflatoxin, a proven cause of cancer.

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African Cuisine

Riz Gras

Riz gras, which translates literally to fat rice, is a rice dish with various infused flavors, most commonly including the standard Maggi cube, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and plenty of palm oil. However, if you go to the right restaurant, you can find upgraded versions of the dish that offer a good amount of toppings that make it a more of a true meal, rather than just flavored rice.

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African Cuisine

Sadza

Sadza is made with finely ground dry maize/corn maize (Mealie-Meal). This maize meal is referred to as hupfu in Shona or impuphu in Ndebele. Despite the fact that maize is actually an imported food crop to Zimbabwe (c. 1890), it has become the chief source of carbohydrate and the most popular meal for indigenous people. Locals either purchase the mealie meal in retail outlets or produce it in a grinding mill from their own maize.

Zimbabweans prefer white maize meal. However, during times of famine or hardship, they resorted to eating yellow maize meal, which is sometimes called "Kenya", because it was once imported from that nation. Before the introduction of maize, sadza was made from zviyo finger millet flour.

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