5 international recipes

Hello everyone! This time I am going to share 5 typical recipes from different countries so that you can try and share them with whoever you want. I have already mentioned in several blog entries that one of the things that I most liked to make (because I love to eat) were international meals, where each person cooks something from their country and they share it with the others. It is a good way to discover new recipes, try different flavours and spend a nice time with friends.

Another one of the possible options is cooking all together and then eating what you have made. Family that cooks together stays together and so do friendships. You will have a really fun time and you will see how food tastes better when you have prepared it while being happy, laughing and putting in lots of love and patience.

Some of the recipes that I am going to share are vegan and the others I veganised myself, although if you want to eat the traditional version you don't have to do any more than change the ingredients or look it up on the internet.

5 international recipes

Hummus

Hummus is a vegan recipe which comes from the Levant. From my experience, both vegan and non vegan people love it, it is a great option for a snack or starter for a meal. Another good thing is that it is a very healthy recipe. Today it is very international and you can buy it in most supermarkets, but it is always more delicious when it is homemade.

The original recipe includes tahini which is a kind of paste or cream of toasted sesame seeds, but when I make it at home I don't usually add it and it is still really good.

The ingredients for a big tub of hummus are:

- 500 grams of cooked chickpeas.

- 3 tablespoons of tahini

- Salt, pepper, cumin, paprika

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- Juice of half a lemon

- 2 cloves of garlic

It is a very simple and quick recipe The most simple option is to use a tin of pre-cooked chickpeas, although you can also leave them to soak the night before and cook them yourselves.

The first step is to put them all in the blender and blend them. Once that is done, you can try it to be able to know if you should add more salt or any other ingredient. You can save it or eat it straight away; I like to serve it with paprika on top and accompanied with toast, pitta bread or bits of bread.

The recipe for hummus can be made with lots of different variations and different flavours, only adding the ingredient of whatever you want the flavour of the mix to be. Some of my favourites are beetroot hummus, roasted peppers, peas, carrots, avocado... Another option is making hummus with lentils instead of chickpeas.

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Quesadillas and guacamole

Guacamole is another one of the most famous vegan recipes around the world. It is from Mexican, it is very easy to prepare and you can use it in lots of recipes. Like hummus, it is possible to buy it in practically every shop or supermarket, but the homemade version is the best and even more so if a Mexican person makes it.

The ingredients for a big pot of guacamole are:

- 6 ripe medium avocados

- One big tomato or two small ones

= One medium red onion (you can also use a white one)

- Salt

- Bit of olive oil

- Lime juice and a bit of chopped coriander.

- If you want it spicy, you could add a chopped chilli or jalapenos.

The traditional recipe includes lime juice and coriander, but I don't usually have these ingredients at home and when I make guacamole I don't add them, but it still turns out really well.

To start, in the dish which you are going to serve the guacamole in, mash the avocados well until they reach the desired texture, but that they still have little bits. After, chop the tomato and the onion, add them and stir Then, season it with the oil, salt, chilli if you want and sometimes I add some black pepper. Here we add the lime juice and the coriander. Stir everything really well and then it is ready to be stirred.

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There are many ways to eat guacamole and you can even use it for more elaborate recipes. The most well-known option is to eat it with nachos or tortilla chips, or with bits of toast and bread. My Mexican friend made it for us with some quesadillas.

To make the quesadillas, you have to use flour or corn tortillas and heat them in the pan for around a minute on each side. Later, add cheese and then fold them in half. You can also add pre-cooked vegetables. Leave them until the cheese melts, flipping them over every so often so that they don't burn.

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Noodles with vegetables and tofu

This is one of my favourite dishes and it is from Asian origin. You can make it with lots of different types of noodles: rice, udon, tagliatelle... My favourite ones are udon and traditional noodles. In Mercadona they sell rice noodles which are really good, split into portion sizes.

The ingredients that I usually use (they vary depending on what I have) for a portion are:

- A portion of rice noodles

- Half a courgette, half an onion, a clove of garlic, a medium-sized carrot, a handful of mushrooms

- Half a block of plain tofu split into chunks

- Soy sauce, salt, black pepper, ginger, spice is optional

In a small pan, put the noodles in to cook in boiling water, making sure to not go over the cooking time because they could end up soggy. At the same time, fry the vegetables and tofu in a pan with olive oil. When the vegetables were almost done, add the drained noodles (I like to leave a bit of water so that they have a bit of a broth). Mix them well to spread the flavour and add a decent-sized amount of soy sauce and mix it until it is all the same colour (depending on your kind of soy sauce you will have to add more or less).

Then add spices to taste and leave it on a low heat for around 5 minutes. Add more water if you want it more brothy.

Coconut milk curry and basmati rice

This recipe is Indian and is now very popular in other countries. There are several ways of making it changing the ingredients according to your preferences, but I am going to tell you how I make it.

I always like having it with basmati rice and I put it on to cook whilst I am making the rest of the recipe. If you want to save it and you don't want it to clump, the trick is to stir a bit of olive oil.

The ingredients that I use vary depending on what I have at home, but normally I add a carrot, half an onion, half a courgette, four mushrooms, a bit of fresh ginger, a leek and a tomato.

Once everything was fried, I add a spoonful of curry seasoning and another one of tumeric, mix it well until the colour and flavour has all spread. After they add 250ml (half a glass) of vegetable broth or water and another glass of coconut milk. Add salt and pepper and leave it on a medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and it has the right texture.

To serve it, I love serving it on a big plate with half rice and the other half curry. You can also serve it in two different bowls and put the curry on top.

Bruschetta

This recipe is very easy and you can have it as breakfast, a starter or a snack; it is Italian and it doesn't take long to make. The original recipe is vegetarian because it has mozzarella, but you can make it without that or you can change it for vegan mozzarella.

The first step is cutting a loaf of bread in slices the width of a finger. Put the slices on a baking tray with baking paper until they are toasted on both sides. While they are cooking, chop around 3 tomatoes (the amount varies depending on the bread you have prepared) and season them with acid, salt and basil.

When the slices are toasted, take them out of the oven and rub them on one side with a garlic clove. Finally, put the chopped tomatoes on top and it is ready to serve.

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