What are your Favorite Ethnic Foods

[ChefJune]

"Ethnic" Cuisine means different things to different people.

Based upon what I'm reading from your list, absolutely EVERYthing we eat in the USA is "Ethnic Cuisine."

What is it you are considering "Ethnic Cuisine?"

For instance, I don't consider Soul Food in that category. It's plain old American food. But if you're not Black or from the South, I guess you might think it's "Ethnic." I sure don't think of French cooking as "Ethnic!" nor Italian, which I grew up eating! so please clarify what you mean by "Ethnic" cooking

 

[Chopstix]

my favourite comfort food which I can't have anymore because of diabetes is my dad's potato with egg. I think it's filipino or spanish omelet.

slice up a bunch of potatoes like french fries. fry in med-low heat until just tender. not mushy or golden brown. if they stick together, that's good. Beat up a couple eggs with pinch of salt. pour over the potatoes. flip. serve hot. it should be more potatoey than eggy. yummm...

Hi Ehlcee, that's Spanish omelette if you're interested to know. I grew up in the Philippines and I tasted this for the first and only time at a Spanish restaurant in Manila. A Spanish friend took us there and did all the ordering. This friend was craving for this potato omelette dish. He was so happy eating it I guess it was also comfort food for him. I have a recipe for this dish in my Spanish Tapas cookbook...

 

[Chopstix]

"Ethnic" Cuisine means different things to different people.

Based upon what I'm reading from your list, absolutely EVERYthing we eat in the USA is "Ethnic Cuisine."

What is it you are considering "Ethnic Cuisine?"

For instance, I don't consider Soul Food in that category. It's plain old American food. But if you're not Black or from the South, I guess you might think it's "Ethnic." I sure don't think of French cooking as "Ethnic!" nor Italian, which I grew up eating! so please clarify what you mean by "Ethnic" cooking

It wasn't too clear to me too that's why I didn't answer the question posted... 'Ethnic' is a relative term, with connotations of being strange and exotic. Chinese and Filipino are considered in the West as ethnic but I grew up on both so they're not exotic to me. It's possible that I'll consider them under 'favorite food', but somehow I'd be unwilling to place them under 'favorite ethnic food'.

 

[lulu]

Everything IS ethnic food! In that it has a different ethnicity, and DC is international.

That's why I included by "home cuisine" on my list. On an international site we are all "foreign" and the food has different ethnicities. American food is as "ethnic" to me as, say Spanish food. American counts as ethnic!

 

[Chopstix]

Lest we forget, this thread is under the Ethnic Foods forum. DC is international but it is also U.S.-centric to an extent. This is just an observation, not a criticism.

 

[AnnieKyung]

My favourite ethnic food is vietnamese food. All dishes from this country have this tangy, exotic flavour, that makes the first bite often a bit weird. The aftertaste however make you want to have more. And the memory of each meal stays for years.
Favourite vietnamese dish is banh bao (steamed bun), sweet and fluffy on the outside, and meaty on the inside. Another favourite is springrolls. Both differ from simular dishes in asia, in the way meat in used raw, not pre-cooked, directly in the dough/wrapping (or at least thats the way I have learned to make them from vietnames people).

 

[Katie H]

Omigosh! How does it go? So much food, so little time. I like so many different types of cuisine, but I think Italian would top my list. There's something so seductive about all the wonderful sauces and flavors of Italy. Each region is a treasure chest.

My Uncle Bill's mother, Grandma Grillo, came from Sicily. She had 13 children and could cook the doors off any stove. I didn't care for spaghetti and meatballs until I had hers. After the first taste, I wanted to crawl into the pot. I don't know what she did to the meatballs but they were tender and delicately flavored. They were the size of tennis balls and were so good no one ever stopped at eating just one. I can still see the tray at the side of her stove piled high with them as she cooked them.

Her lasagna recipe has been passed down to other generations. Unfortunately, her meatballs and spaghetti recipe went with her to the Pearly Gates. St. Peter is dining well.

 

[boufa06]

Omigosh! How does it go? So much food, so little time. I like so many different types of cuisine, but I think Italian would top my list. There's something so seductive about all the wonderful sauces and flavors of Italy. Each region is a treasure chest.

My Uncle Bill's mother, Grandma Grillo, came from Sicily. She had 13 children and could cook the doors off any stove. I didn't care for spaghetti and meatballs until I had hers. After the first taste, I wanted to crawl into the pot. I don't know what she did to the meatballs but they were tender and delicately flavored. They were the size of tennis balls and were so good no one ever stopped at eating just one. I can still see the tray at the side of her stove piled high with them as she cooked them.

Her lasagna recipe has been passed down to other generations. Unfortunately, her meatballs and spaghetti recipe went with her to the Pearly Gates. St. Peter is dining well.

How about sharing Grandma Grillo's lasagne recipe with us?

 

[Katie H]

I'll do that this coming weekend. I'll have to type it into a Word document from the handwritten notes I have then I'll post it. It's yummy.

 

[Nicholas Mosher]

French Bistro Grub
Traditional Sichuan
Japanese
Ethiopian

I love the purity of flavor in French Bistro Grub and Japanese foods. I love the techniques of the French, Japanese, and Sichuan cuisines. The spice mixtures of Sichuan and Ethiopian foods are incredible. I personally like the simplest preparations from these cuisines. The one-dish/pot/wok wonders.

 

[Ishbel]

I still find it odd to think that I have to post Scots recipes as 'ethnic'.... It's my local cuisine, mixed with tastes from all over the UK.. but to foreigners, I know that would be unusual food. Mind you, many, many British dishes (like German and Italian and Irish and... (add your ethnic grouping in here!) have been subsumed into Australian, New Zealand, South African and even US cuisine.

As Lulu said. We are ALL ethnic peoples on here....

 

[shpj4]

Ishbel - I love my friends from Israel because they make all their favorite dishes and I really enjoy them.

I have a neighbor from Russia who is always cooking something for me. I am not exactly sure of the ingredients but Vera says that they are dishes that she learned to cook in Russia.

 

[T-roy]

Sushi / Japanese and lately Ahi Poke which is Hawaiian / Japanese.
Local favorites would be Thai & Vietnamese.

 

[TATTRAT]

forgot to mention Miss Sylvia's Fried chicken and waffle. it is like heaven on a plate. savory "Belgium" waffle, a pile of greens, and a mound of fried buttermilk chicken...add a glass of iced tea, I am in P-I-G- Heaven!

 

[Gossie]

GREEK: Spanokopita
CHINESE: MeiFun, Steamed Dumplings, ok, just about anything Chinese
FILIPINO: Chicken Adobo, Pancit Canton, Tosino, Paksiw na Pata
MEXICAN: Empanadas
AMERICAN: STEAK!
ITALIAN: Just about anything

I've probably forgotten something, but what the heck, I like food, so it's hard to list. LOL

 

[college_cook]

I have a hard time thinking of certain foods as ethnic as well. For example, when someone mentions French food I don't think of that as ethnic, but I think of lots of butter and cream, really rich food, prepared with some intricate techniques. When someone mentions Italian food I think about pasta. I suppose its because certain ethnic foods have become so ingrained into American food culture that it doesn't really seem so much ethnic as it does "normal".

As for the ethnic foods I do enjoy, I would have to say that Mexican and Asian top my list, in that order. I really love the strong flavors that you can encounter in Mexican cuisine, whether it be through fresh fruits and vegetables or the robustness of spices. And there's just something heavenly about biting into some expertly prepared quesadillea or fajitas, carnitas, the list goes on!

 

[Katie H]

Grandma Grillo's Baked Lasagna

I plowed through my lasagna notes sooner than I'd anticipated. It's a good thing I finally have this clearly written. My children will appreciate it. Especially my sons. They love this lasagna.

So here it is, boufa06.

GRANDMA GRILLO'S BAKED LASAGNA​

(Serves 12)​

​

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. parsley flakes, divided, or appropriate amount of fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. dried basil or appropriate amount of fresh basil
3½ tsp. salt, divided
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes
2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste
10 oz. lasagna noodles
3 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese slices


Open tomatoes and pour, with juice, into a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until the tomatoes are uniformly chunky.

In a large skillet or sauté pan, cook sausage until browned and crumbly. Drain all fat. (At this point I put the sausage into the food processor fitted with the metal blade and chop it evenly.) Return the sausage to the pan. Add garlic, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, basil, 1½ teaspoons salt, tomatoes and juice, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.

Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.

While sauce is simmering, prepare lasagna noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and place noodles on a clean dishtowel and pat dry. Cover with a towel until ready to use.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons parsley flakes, and Parmesan cheese. Mix to blend all completely.

To assemble lasagna, lightly grease or spray lightly with vegetable spray a deep 9- x 13-inch baking dish or lasagna pan. Place a layer of noodles on the bottom of pan. Spread ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles, next cover with mozzarella cheese slices, followed by half the tomato sauce mixture.

Repeat layers. Cover tightly with foil and bake in preheated 375º oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and arrange triangles of mozzarella cheese on top. Recover with foil and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. The standing time allows the lasagna to set up slightly, which will make it easy to cut into squares.

Enjoy!

 

[ChefJune]

yum! Thanks, Katie!!!!

French food I don't think of that as ethnic, but I think of lots of butter and cream, really rich food, prepared with some intricate techniques.

Interestingly, that is only food from a very small region of France -- Normandy -- OR really bad, touristy food! French food is not really about "intricate" techniques, but very specific ones, which translates to the casual American style as "intricate." Good French food is almost as simple as good Italian food.... and it is also about fresh, local ingredients.

We've learned a lot about regional Italian food over the past 10 or so years, but for some reason, Americans aren't really interested in the regional food of France, until about 10 years ago when Provence became "hot." Go firgure!

 

[lulu]

When I think of the food of the region in the south of france that was our summer home for many years I think of simply beautiful meals. Simple being the operative word. My mother and my sister and her kids left for there today, and on sunday they will go to my favourite restaurant where I know what they will eat, its a no choice menu that changes seasonally but the same things are served this autumn as were searved ten years ago. Among the seven courses of simply prepared food will be a mushroom tart, a crisp green salad, and perfectly roasted duck. Not fancy or intricate but perfection!

I think that patisserie and restaurans in Paris are fussier, just as are many in London, Milan and many major cities where good food vies with fashion to retain custom.

Butter, cream, and rich food have their place, but I am grateful for that!

 

[Ishbel]

And some of the local cuisine of various areas of France is amazing.... not just the provencal stuff... what about Languedoc or Alsace (bit heavy for my tastes!) or....... the choices are endless!