As we continue to shelter in place, our wanderlust grows while the need to cook at home remains. Naya Traveler, whose “curated journeys” were the subject of a story in last June’s WAG, has come up with the perfect solution — “The Naya Recipe Book,” an online resource of popular, easy-to-prepare dishes from around the world. Herein we feature beef empanadas, an Argentine staple; Cambodian chicken mango salad; and Morocco’s mint tea, which is as much a ritual of hospitality and a way of life as it is a drink in that country.
So set that suitcase aside, grab your pots and pans and get ready to travel the world in your kitchen:
For more, visit nayatraveler.com.
Beef Empanadas
Ingredients:
For the Dough
Round puff pastry sheets
Water
For the Filling
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 eggs, boiled and chopped
2 pounds ground beef or finely-chopped beef shoulder
2 medium-sized brown onions, chopped
2 medium-sized red bell peppers, chopped and seeded
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup green olives, chopped and pitted
Directions:
1. Season meat with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add onions and cook at low heat until translucent.
4. Add chopped red pepper, cumin, paprika and sugar. Cook for several minutes.
5. Remove mixture from the skillet and set aside in a bowl.
6. Add tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and transfer seasoned meat.
7. Cook until browned, occasionally breaking up ground lumps.
8. Once the meat is cooked, stir in onion and pepper mixture.
9. Remove from heat and let sit until cool.
10. Preheat oven to 375° and take out dough to temper at room temperature for 15 minutes.
11. Once the filling has cooled, add olives and boiled egg. Mix well.
12. Arrange dough rounds on a nonstick work surface.
13. Add 2 tablespoons of filling to each round.
14. With finger or brush, brush water around the edge of the dough rounds.
15. Fold rounds over the filling and pinch edges to close.
16. Repeat with each round.
17. Transfer empanadas onto a parchment-paper lined oven tray.
18. Place in the oven and bake until golden brown for about 20 minutes. Rotate empanadas half-way through.
Khmer Chicken Mango Salad
Ingredients:
1 green mango, peeled and shredded
300 grams cooked chicken breast, shredded (Vegetarians, substitute tofu).
100 grams carrots, shredded
100 grams roasted peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1 lime
50 grams basil, roughly chopped
50 grams mint, roughly chopped
Green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
1. Heat a small pan over high heat. Place shallots and garlic to cook several minutes until charred.
2. Transfer garlic and shallots to a bowl and let cool.
3. Once cooled, peel (discard outer skins) and chop shallots and garlic. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, mix together the shredded mango, chicken (or tofu), carrots and peanuts. Add shallots, garlic, chopped basil and mint. Mix well.
5. Add juice from the lime (squeeze well, amount to taste), brown sugar, salt and fish sauce.
6. Serve on a plate, garnish with a bit of basil and peanuts.
Atay Bi Nana (Mint Tea)
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of loose gunpowder green tea
A handful of fresh mint leaves, washed (spearmint preferred)
5 cups boiling water
Sugar to taste (2-3 tablespoons)
Directions:
1. Put green tea in teapot.
2. Pour in boiling water.
3. Swirl gently to warm pot and rinse tea.
4. Strain out and discard water, reserving tea leaves in pot.
5. Add remaining 4 cups boiling water to tea and let steep 2 minutes.
6. Stir in sugar (to taste) and mint leaves. Steep 3 to 4 minutes more.
7. Serve in small heat-proof glasses, lifting the teapot high above the cup while pouring to aerate the tea.
Global spoonfuls
Usually, Traveling Spoon brings together travelers and vetted hosts for home-cooked meals. These days, the company is offering online cooking classes with its hosts across the globe. These private sessions — $25 for up to four guests in a household — are conducted over Zoom. Among them are empanada-making with Gabriela in Buenos Aires, handmade pasta with Cinzia in Florence and tajine (a kind of stew made in a special earthenware pot) with Chamsi in Casablanca.
For more, visit travelingspoon.com.
