Cuisines – Page 6 – The Kitchen Tourist

Puerto Rican – Pastelón Plantain Casserole

A wonderful family recipe from my friend Iris – the “structure” is similar to lasagna or moussaka and many other layered casseroles from around the world, but the flavor is completely unique, the faint sweetness of the plantains contrasting with the richly seasoned meat filling.

Sri Lankan Favorites: Pineapple Curry

This unusual, colorful dish is one you can mix up in 10-15 minutes (depending on how fast you chop an onion). If you keep canned coconut milk and pineapple on hand, this is also an easy pantry dish, though it does taste extra special with fresh pineapple.

Sri Lankan Favorites – Fish Cutlets

This recipe works nicely as an appetizer or as a quick main dish. It can be made ahead (mostly) or put together at the last minute. It’s cheap, versatile, and delicious. Of course it’s becoming a regular at our house.

Quick & Easy Indian: Chana Masala

A deliciously tangy chickpea curry that’s easy to make with canned ingredients and tastes great hot or cold.

St. Patrick’s Day: Corned Beef and Irish Soda Bread

This meal displayed both the strengths and the weaknesses of our family’s approach to food. It was successful in that we planned ahead and the results were tasty, healthy, and visually appealing. Unfortunately we all were depending on inexplicable telepathy to make the preparation details clear to my sister, who who was left to execute…

Christmas Feast #2: Tropical Salad

If I saw this recipe in a fru-fru cookbook or trendy cooking magazine I probably would not have tried it. I sometimes suspect recipes like these of being designed by a food editor to photograph well without much thought for the flavor combinations. But I’ve tried several unusual salads from this cookbook before and always found…

Indian Dinner – Stuffed Plantains

I normally associate plantains with Puerto Rican cooking, where they are served with most meals as tostones, fried twice to soften their starchyness and mashed flat the final time so they can be crispy all over and – if they’re at their best – smeared with a bit of mashed garlic, salty and crusty and…

Indian Dinner – Coconut Dhal

Dhal is a staple side dish in both Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines, as simple and ubiquitous as mashed potatoes in the US. I like this Sri Lankan version because the coconut milk adds a lot of creamy richness to it and it includes several versions for people who like it spicy or mild.

Indian Dinner – Spinach Raita

Raita is a standard side dish designed to offset the spiciness of many Indian dishes. It can be made with fruit or vegetables, but the base is always yogurt. It’s like a savory version of the whipped topping & marshmallow “salads” you find in American church basement dinners – it’s creamy and light, but not…

Indian Dinner – Aubergine Mushroom Curry

One of my top favorite curries that’s got lots of rich veggies and tastes even better when made ahead – cooking the eggplant in the oven brings out a lot of flavor with little bother.