Max Sanchez

Cooking The World: Bangladesh 🇧🇩

2026-06-03T14:32:22.189-06:00

By now I've already cooked a considerable number of countries, and that means I've equally already bought a considerable amount of spices and utensils. And while researching this week's dish, I realized that, precisely because of that, even though the list is a bit extensive, I only have to buy four of the ingredients on the list — and that makes my wallet breathe a sigh of relief for a moment. So without any further delay, let's start with this week's adventure: Bangladesh!

Country

Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the eighth-most populous country in the world and among the most densely populated, with a population of almost 176 million within an area of 148,460 sq km (57,320 sq mi).

Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial, and cultural centre.

The territory of modern Bangladesh was a stronghold of many Hindu and Buddhist dynasties in ancient history.

The Battle of Plassey in 1757 marked the beginning of British colonial rule for the following two centuries.

After a series of violent and tragic episodes for years, Bangladesh became a sovereign nation on 16 December 1971.

Nowadays, Bangladesh is a unitary parliamentary republic based on the Westminster system. It is a middle power with the second-largest economy in South Asia. Bangladesh is home to the fourth-largest Muslim population in the world. It maintains the third-largest military in South Asia and is the largest contributor to the peacekeeping operations of the United Nations.

It has one of the largest refugee populations in the world and continues to face various social challenges.

Cuisine

Bangladeshi cuisine, shaped by the nation's geographic location, climate, and history, is rich and diverse. The main dish is white rice, which, along with fish, forms the culinary base. Varieties of leafy vegetables, potatoes, gourds, and lentils (dal) also play an important role. Curries of beef, mutton, chicken, and duck are commonly consumed, along with multiple types of bhortas (mashed vegetables), bhajis (stir-fried vegetables), and tarkaris (curried vegetables).

Among the various spices used, turmeric, fenugreek, nigella, coriander, anise, cardamom, and chili powder are widely used.

Chosen Dish

This week I chose to prepare Beef Bhuna. It is a delicious, satisfying, and traditional Bangladeshi dish made with beef.

It is simple to prepare, with ingredients easy to procure, but at the same time it's rich in flavors and aromatic spices.

Ingredients

2 lbs (0.91 kg) beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 tablespoon garlic paste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Salt to taste

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

2–3 green chiles, slit

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

1 cinnamon stick (2-inch piece)

4 green cardamom pods

4 whole cloves

Getting Ready

One of the main ingredients of my last dish, from Bahrain, was Baharat, a mix of spices from the region. Well, this week something similar happens with garam masala.

Garam masala is an Indian spice blend. Garam means "hot" while masala means "spices," but it's not necessarily hot and spicy — the name refers to the warm flavors of its ingredients, such as cinnamon and cumin.

Same as Baharat, you can either buy it ready to use or prepare it yourself. And I think this is the better option since it is also easy to prepare.

There is no single definitive recipe for garam masala — there are unlimited versions since they change from region to region, chef to chef, and even from family to family, but after researching for a while, I chose this version:

Cumin

Coriander

Cardamom

Black pepper

Cinnamon

Cloves

Nutmeg

Heat all the spices together until they release their aroma, then blend them together.

That's all!

I found bottles of garam masala available on Amazon with one-day delivery… but I opted to make my own, which makes it more authentic and personal — and one of the goals of this challenge is to prepare as much as I can from scratch.

And let me tell you… it's in these moments when I'd love to share not only my words and pictures, but also the amazing, mesmerizing smells in my kitchen.

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the beef cubes with Greek yogurt, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground cumin, ground coriander, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, ground black pepper, and salt.

2. Mix thoroughly to coat the beef evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods, and whole cloves. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

4. Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until they turn deep golden brown. Adjust the heat as needed to avoid burning.

5. Add the marinated beef to the pot. Sear the beef on all sides for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned and the spices are aromatic.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes and green chiles to the pot.

7. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and the mixture thickens.

8. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let the beef simmer gently for 45–60 minutes, stirring every 10–15 minutes to prevent sticking. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a splash of water as needed.

9. Uncover the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the oil separates from the masala and the beef is coated in a thick, rich sauce. This bhuna process should take about 10–15 minutes.

10. Sprinkle garam masala over the beef and stir in the ghee. Cook for an additional 2–3 minutes to blend the flavors.

11. Taste and adjust salt if necessary.

12. Stir in chopped cilantro just before serving for a fresh finish.

The Result

After last week's not-so-amazing result, I'm so happy with this week's!

While cooking, my kitchen had a lot of different and strong smells due to the amount of spices this dish uses, so I was already expecting a spiced flavor — but when I tried it for the first time, I was still blown away.

It also amazed me how spicy it was and how that contributed to the final overall flavor.

I don't know what I was expecting since the ingredients call for two chiles, and when I was cutting them I realized they were super spicy. Because my girlfriend is not a huge fan of spicy food, I decided to use only one instead of two.

With the mix of spices and tomatoes I thought the spiciness would disappear — but it did not. However, I greatly enjoyed that it's not spicy for the sake of being spicy; it complements the flavor along with the rest of the spices, giving the dish a rich taste.

I really loved how this dish came out, both visually and in terms of taste — so much so that I'm actually very interested in trying it again, but prepared by a true Bangladeshi, so I can find out whether I nailed the taste and spices or what I missed. Hopefully someday not too far off.

What Did I Learn

Last week's dish also had a ton of spices, but as I already mentioned, it turned out not so great because of my rice… but with this week's, I was able to work again with so many different spices, some of them similar to what I used last week — and I loved the result so much that I now truly understand why, back in the 15th century, the Spice Trade became so important.

Back then, spices were used to add flavor not only to sauces but also to wines; they were even crystallized and eaten on their own as sweets.

In Mexico we also use a ton of spices. This dish actually reminded me a bit of the process of preparing Mole, a signature dish in Mexico that can sometimes have up to 100 ingredients. So I always took the use of spices for granted. But with this challenge I'm noticing that classic European dishes often use just salt and pepper, and that's it. And if I have a collection of spices and seeds, it's thanks to Arab and Asian dishes.

I'm not saying European dishes are bad — not at all. They're good and they reflect their culture. What I want to say is that spices can dramatically change a dish, and it is only now, when I'm closely working with so many of them, that I truly get why they were such a huge deal. So big, in fact, that they actually led to finding the route to our American continent ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hope I'm managing to transmit the enthusiasm I have when cooking, tasting, and learning new stuff every week, because this challenge is making me so happy — I'm enjoying every part of it, and I have no plans to stop cooking anytime soon.

And that's a good thing, because coming up next: Barbados!

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Or even better, I also have an Amazon Wish List!

Thanks :D

Cooking The World: Bahrain 🇧🇭

2026-05-26T14:52:50.772-06:00

By now it must be obvious to you, dear readers, that I'm enjoying this challenge because I'm learning and improving my cooking techniques. But something I haven't mentioned that I'm also enjoying is learning about the countries I'm cooking from.

There is culture, history, and geography behind every dish, and it's cool to discover those things, as well as write the extremely short country introduction that opens each post. For example, I discovered that the country I'm cooking from this week is actually an island country! Let's get started with: Bahrain!

Country

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia — as I mentioned in the opening lines. The country comprises a small archipelago of 33 natural islands and an additional 50 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which makes up around 80% of the country's landmass. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), making it the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore.

Bahrain was one of the earliest areas to be influenced by Islam, during the lifetime of Muhammad in 628. Following a period of Arab rule, Bahrain was ruled by the Portuguese Empire from 1521 until 1602. In 1783, the Bani Utbah and allied tribes captured Bahrain from Nasr Al-Madhkur, and it has since been ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family, with Ahmed al-Fateh as Bahrain's first hakim.

In the late 19th century, following successive treaties with the British, Bahrain became a protectorate of the United Kingdom. In 1971, it declared independence. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a semi-constitutional monarchy in 2002.

Bahrain is known as one of the first post-oil economies in the Persian Gulf, the result of decades of investing in the banking and tourism sectors. Bahrain is a member of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Cuisine

Much of the cuisine of Bahrain is a mixture of Arabic, Iranian, Indian, African, Far Eastern, and European food, due to the influence of the various communities present — Bahrain has been an important seaport and trading hub since ancient times. Rice is actually the backbone of most main meals.

The flavors feel more warm and aromatic rather than fiery — saffron, cardamom, rosewater, dried lime, and dates show up constantly. Compared to neighbors like Saudi Arabia or the UAE, Bahraini food has a slightly more pronounced Persian and Indian accent, especially in the use of tamarind and certain spice blends.

Chosen Dish

For Bahrain I chose a traditional spiced dish: Chicken Machboos. This one-pot chicken and rice recipe is made with fragrant basmati rice, tender bone-in chicken, and a blend of spices typical of the region. It's considered a family favorite since it's so hearty and easy to prepare — and what convinced me was all the spices in it.

Ingredients

2 thighs and 2 drumsticks

1 1/2 cups (375g) basmati rice

4 cups of water

2 1/2 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter)

1 1/2 onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves

4cm piece of ginger

2 tomatoes, chopped

200g cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeño, diced

1 tablespoon Baharat spice mix

2 large dried limes (Loomi)

1 bay leaf

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pinch of saffron

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 green cardamom pods

If you can't find Baharat ready to use, you can make it yourself — and it's actually pretty easy. These are the ingredients you need:

1 teaspoon green cardamom

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon dry lime (loomi)

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

Getting Ready

For this recipe, the tricky parts are the Baharat spice mix and the dried lime, called Loomi.

For the Baharat, you can buy it ready to use. I found it on Amazon, but it said it would take 2 weeks to arrive, so I decided to make it myself. I listed the ingredients above, and the preparation is nothing out of this world. You can either mix the already-ground versions or get whole seeds and cinnamon chips, heat them until they release their aroma, then grind and mix them.

I had to grind the dry lime, cinnamon, and black pepper. Everything else I already had ground and just mixed it in.

As for the Loomi — they're sun-dried limes, and while they're popular and widely used in that part of the world and basically all Arabic countries, they're not so easy to find on this side of the world. Again, I was able to find Loomi on Amazon, but it also took 2 weeks to arrive and was crazy expensive.

In this case you can substitute with lemon zest, or lime garnishes — which is almost the same thing since it's also dried lime, just already cut instead of being a whole dried lime.

Prerequisites

Wash and soak your rice for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

Preparation

1. Chop the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeño.

2. Mince the garlic and ginger.

3. If you got the loomi, poke some holes in it so it can better release its flavor.

4. In a pot, melt the ghee over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté them until they start to brown.

5. When the onions start getting brown, add the garlic, ginger, chopped chili, and half the cilantro.

6. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add one and a half tablespoons of the Baharat spice mix.

7. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, loomi, cardamom pods, turmeric, cinnamon, chili powder, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt to taste.

8. Add the chicken to the pot and cover with water.

9. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

10. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the pot. Adjust the water level to approximately 4 cups, making sure to keep the flavorful aromatics in the liquid.

11. Add the pre-soaked basmati rice, saffron, and remaining cilantro to the pot. Cover and let it cook for 15–20 minutes.

12. In a separate skillet with a little oil, sear the chicken pieces until nicely charred and browned.

13. Once the rice is cooked, plate it and place the seared chicken on top to serve.

The Result

Well… gotta be honest. This one was kinda bittersweet — figuratively and literally 😬.

This dish has two main components: the chicken and the rice. Let's start with the chicken.

I'm getting better when it comes to cooking chicken, not only in this challenge but also in my day-to-day cooking. So I'm pleased with how my chicken turned out. It was juicy, tender, and well-cooked. It absorbed the spices perfectly. In short: it was perfect.

Now, my rice…

Neither my girlfriend — my personal judge — nor I really liked it. While the texture was perfect and it was well-cooked, it literally tasted too bitter, mainly due to the dry lime.

I'm not sure if I used too much, or if it was because I used garnishes instead of actual loomi or lime zest. But at the same time, it seems like it's an expected flavor, because the recipes I researched do say the rice should have a nice, strong lime flavor. So it definitely checks that box.

Ultimately, I'm not sure if that's the actual intended flavor or if I messed up. Or maybe both are true ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Anyway, I did some research and found some techniques that can help reduce the bitterness — I'll try them, and if it works I'll give an update. I'm hoping it does, because it'd be a shame to write off a dish that looks this fantastic.

What Did I Learn

My biggest learning this week is that it's okay to fail. Life won't always be perfect, and this challenge is meant for me to learn, step outside my comfort zone, and try new techniques, new ingredients, new spices, and definitely new flavors.

Sure, it was a letdown when I tried the rice after all that time preparing and cooking it, only to find it wasn't what I expected. But it doesn't discourage me from keep trying. Especially this early in the challenge, with so many countries and dishes still ahead. There are failures to come, but also lots of successes.

While I try to fix my rice, I'm already getting ready for the next country. Another heavily spiced dish is coming next week when I cook something from: Bangladesh!

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Or even better, I also have an Amazon Wish List!

Thanks :D

Cooking The World: Bahamas 🇧🇸

2026-05-04T16:51:00.000-06:00

Eleven countries down, all starting with the letter A. Thankfully the alphabet has many more letters, and the world is even bigger! This week I'm starting countries with the letter B — and it's a longer list than A, with 17!

For this first country on the B-list, I go back to America to cook something from a country made up of islands: the Bahamas!

Country

That's right, The Bahamas — officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas — is made up of 3,000 islands, cays, and islets, and is located within the Lucayan Archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, just north of Cuba.

The Bahamas became a crown colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy. After the American Revolutionary War, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists there.

The Bahamas became an independent Commonwealth realm, separate from the United Kingdom, in 1973. Nowadays, the Bahamas maintains King Charles III as its monarch; the appointed representative of the Crown is the governor-general of the Bahamas.

Cuisine

Being a country made up of thousands of islands in the Caribbean, it's no surprise that most of the food includes seafood such as fish, shellfish, lobster, crab, and conch (pronounced "konk"). There are also many tropical fruits, rice, peas, pigeon peas, and pork.

Popular seasonings commonly used in dishes include chilies, lime, tomatoes, onions, garlic, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, rum, and coconut.

And for drinks, the most popular choices are coconut water on the non-alcoholic side, and rum on the alcoholic side — obviously.

Chosen Dish

This week I had to go to my backup dish because I wanted to prepare something with conch, as it's the most popular ingredient and one of the easiest to find in the Bahamas. That last part being the key: easy to find *in the Bahamas*… not in Mexico 😢.

I searched for conch everywhere I could, even at my ol' reliable local farmer's market — all with no luck.

This situation forced me to look for another ingredient that's popular AND easy to find in my city, and that also has a place in Bahamian cooking: lobster!

So this week I prepared cracked lobster with a side of rice & peas… which, surprisingly, were also hard to find.

Getting Ready

In past dishes I've had some difficulty finding ingredients, but I've always been able to push through. Sometimes I had to go to my local farmer's market, where it's easier to find more natural ingredients; other times I had to order through Amazon, and the longest I ever had to wait was two days. Even last week's dish called for pomegranate, and I was able to use powdered pomegranate to get the flavor!

But this week it was impossible to find two of the main ingredients: conch and pigeon peas 😔😢.

And even after I decided to swap conch for lobster, getting it wasn't easy either. I ordered my groceries online, and when the delivery arrived, the lobster tails were cancelled because they were out of stock. So I had to run to my farmer's market — and even then, they had to order them and had me come back to pick them up. Luckily, they were ready in less than two hours.

As for the peas… these aren't your regular green peas. Pigeon peas are bigger than lentils but smaller than regular peas. There were none at any of the markets I checked, and the fastest Amazon delivery would've taken a week and a half 😵.

Finally, after admitting defeat and doing some consulting, I was suggested to use split peas instead. I was able to find a 500g/1.1lb bag of dried split peas.

Ingredients

For the rice with peas:

1 can pigeon peas
2 small Roma tomatoes
1 onion
2 tsp thyme
1.5 cups long-grain rice
½ cup tomato paste
2 strips bacon
3 cups water

For the cracked lobster:

3 lobster tails
1 lb / 450g flour
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1½ cups heavy cream
Hot pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp paprika
Parsley to taste

Prerequisites

If you're using pigeon peas or split peas that are dried (like mine), soak them in water for a couple of hours before cooking so they're tender when it's time to use them. If your peas are canned, you can skip this step.

Preparation

For the rice & peas:

Dice two strips of bacon and cook them in a pan over medium heat until golden brown.
Dice two small Roma tomatoes and one onion, and mince two teaspoons of fresh parsley. Add these to the pan with the bacon and sauté until combined.
Add the pigeon peas, along with salt and pepper to taste.
Add approximately ½ cup of tomato paste and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, stir in 1.5 cups of long-grain rice. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 14–15 minutes, until perfectly cooked.

For the cracked lobster:

Cut open your lobster tails down the middle and remove the meat from the shell.
Cut the lobster meat into small, bite-sized pieces.
Place the pieces in a bag and pound them — this is exactly why the dish is called "cracked."
Add the dry seasonings: salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Cajun seasoning, crushed pepper, and black pepper.
Add a little oil and rub everything in well.
Squeeze some lime juice over the lobster, then pour the heavy cream over it.
Rub everything again so it's all coated, and let it marinate for about one hour.
Pour the flour into a bowl and season it with a bit of salt and pepper.
Chop a handful of parsley and mix it into the flour.
Add one egg to the marinated lobster, then lightly coat the pieces in the seasoned flour.
Heat oil over low-medium heat and fry the lobster until light brown, turning as needed.
Take out of the oil and let it rest on a rack to let the excess of oil to fall off.
Plate and serve hot — optionally with sauces like tartar, mayonnaise, or mustard.

The Result

This was an interesting week because it was the first time in this challenge that I cooked something from the sea — and also the first time I've ever worked with lobster.

But the real question here is… was it good?

😏

You know the answer. Yeah, it was good!

Although, to be honest, I'm happy with the result and my girlfriend and I had a great meal, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with my rice & peas — mainly because I couldn't find the pigeon peas used in the real thing, so I can't really call it a 100% Bahamian dish. On top of that, I didn't soak my dried split peas thinking they'd be small enough to soften while cooking. They did soften — just not quite enough.

In the end, the rice had a great taste, but not a perfect texture… if that makes sense. I'd love to give the rice & peas another shot someday, ideally with an actual can of pigeon peas!

As for the lobster — yeah, that one was perfect! Great seasoning, great coating, great flavor. While it wasn't my first time *eating* lobster, it was my girlfriend's, and I'm happy to report she loved it and now wants me to do more seafood dishes along the way.

What Did I Learn

I've been lucky so far to find the ingredients I need, or land on an approved substitute. But sometimes ingredients are just hard to get.

They're not impossible to find, but some things require more lead time for shipping or tracking down the right store. I think what I need to do is plan a bit further ahead, or even accept that not every dish on my list will be 100% authentic — because no matter how hard I search, there will be ingredients I simply can't find where I live.

On the bright side, this gave me the chance to work with lobster tails. Overall it was manageable — they're like a big shrimp and don't take long to cook — but that shell? Hard. Very hard.

For a moment I thought my knife needed sharpening because the shell wasn't budging… but even after sharpening, I still had to use some real brute force to crack it open!

Now I know how to crack a lobster for next time. And honestly? I hope there is a next time.

This is how I wrap up the first country with the letter B. Next, it's a trip to the Middle East to cook something from: Bahrain!

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Hey! Want to support me in this journey? I accept donations via Buy Me A Coffee!

Or even better, I also have an Amazon Wish List!

Thanks :D

Cooking The World: Azerbaijan 🇦🇿

2026-04-22T14:57:00.000-06:00

This week's post marks the first milestone of the challenge! This is the last country that starts with the letter A. And what a better way to close this first chapter than with: Azerbaijan!

Country

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a transcontinental country at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe.

The territory of what is now Azerbaijan was first ruled by Caucasian Albania and later by various Persian empires.

By the late 19th century, an Azerbaijani national identity began to emerge, and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918.

In 1920, the country was conquered and incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on August 30, 1991.

Nowadays, Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic. It has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), and the NATO PfP program.

Cuisine

Azerbaijani cuisine makes abundant use of seasonal vegetables and greens. Fresh herbs — including mint, cilantro (coriander), dill, basil, parsley, tarragon, leeks, chives, thyme, marjoram, green onion, and watercress — are popular and often accompany main dishes at the table. The country's climatic diversity and fertile land are reflected in its national dishes, which are based on fish from the Caspian Sea, local meat (mainly mutton and beef), and seasonal vegetables and greens.

Chosen Dish

Another tough decision this week. Azerbaijani cuisine relies heavily on dried fruits, and to be honest, neither my girlfriend nor I are exactly fans of dried fruits. Raisins and dried cranberries are my sworn enemies — and they show up in many of the signature dishes. So I had to search thoroughly for a popular dish that preferably avoids dried fruits. That's how I found: Beef Qutab!

Beef Qutab is a popular street dish that's easy to prepare, with various variations to accommodate different diets and preferences. There are vegan, vegetarian, and meat options.

A Qutab is basically a filled flatbread, and as the name of this version suggests, I'm preparing Qutabs filled with a mix of minced beef and a couple of herbs.

Ingredients

350g all-purpose flour
200ml water
Yeast
Salt
500g minced beef
1 grated onion
Cilantro
Spinach
Pomegranate molasses
Black pepper
Red chilli powder
Sumac
Turmeric powder

Getting Ready

I'm just getting started and I'm already running into two issues with the same root cause: pomegranate molasses is not easily available in Mexico. It can be bought, sure, but I'd have to order it from Europe — and shipping takes anywhere from 4 days to 2 weeks… if customs decides not to hold my package. And time is something I don't have in abundance.

Luckily, molasses can easily be replaced with pomegranate seeds… which brings me to problem number two: it's not pomegranate season, so fresh pomegranates are impossible to find.

So while searching for solutions and trying to find a store or vendor that could get me either fresh pomegranates or molasses, I found ground pomegranate!

It's pure, no-sugar-added pomegranate — dried and ground. It's supposed to preserve the flavor and benefits. So I hope I don't offend any Azerbaijanis by using ground pomegranate… but it's precisely because I want to do this as close to the Azerbaijani way as possible that I'm committed to using pomegranate instead of just leaving it out. So… sorry not sorry. 😄

As for the rest of the ingredients, they were easy to find at my local supermarket. 🙂

Preparation

Activate the yeast with warm water and let it sit for 5–10 minutes.
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and mix until the dough comes together.
Knead the dough until smooth, then let it rest for 1 hour. If the dough is too sticky while kneading, sprinkle in a little more flour.
Combine the minced meat, grated onion, pomegranate molasses, spices, minced spinach, and cilantro in a bowl and mix well.
After the dough has rested for at least an hour, divide it into 8 balls and roll each into a thin circle.
Spread 1–2 tablespoons of meat filling on one half of each circle, then fold and seal the edges.
Heat a skillet over medium heat, brush with oil or butter, and cook each Qutab for a few minutes on both sides until golden and crispy.
Brush with a little oil or butter and serve warm with yogurt or sour cream.

The Result

Well, it turned out better than I expected. I had doubts about how long I needed to leave it on the stove for the meat to fully cook without burning the bread. But the secret is to have a very thin dough and put enough filling to cover half of it — but not so much that it becomes too thick.

I have to admit that making circular dough is still not my strongest suit, but with eight dough balls to work with, by the third one they were starting to look acceptable.

And after they were cooked, buttered up, and spiced, I'd say the result was great.

I liked them, but I think they could've used a bit more salt. My girlfriend — the judge — said it was seasoned perfectly. Matter of personal taste, I think.

I also think this happened because the recipe was a bit hard to follow: not one recipe I consulted had exact amounts for the ingredients. Most of them just listed ingredients with nothing else, or used vague measurements. One even explicitly said the measurements were estimated.

After preparing them, I think the most important measurements are for the meat and water — which I was able to nail down after comparing a ton of recipes, and which I've explicitly included in my ingredients list above.

What Did I Learn

We have this idea that street food isn't healthy because it tends to be fast and therefore fatty. But this being my second street food recipe, I know that's not always the case.

Sure, fast and fatty street food exists — but that's not the norm. ☝🏼

For these Qutabs, the only fat required is a little butter after they come off the stove. It wasn't even needed to cook them. And while I went with the meat version, Qutabs can easily be made 100% plant-based.

I'm excited to see what other street food dishes I find along the way.

Another fun thing I learned is how to make round dough. 😜

Before this recipe, the only time I had to make round dough was for Australia's pies — and even then it wasn't hard because I used the aluminium dish as a cutter to get a perfect circle.

This time, I had to flatten it myself and actually give it the shape.

And I have to admit, the first two were… not round. 🥲😅

But from the third one on, I started to grasp it and got better. Not a perfect circle yet — but I'm close, and ready for whatever

comes next.

With this, I wrap up all the countries starting with the letter A! 23 more letters to go. See you next week to explore the Bahamas!

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Cooking The World: Austria 🇦🇹

2026-04-11T19:51:00.001-06:00

With 9 completed countries so far, I am very much enjoying this challenge. I'm as motivated — or even more — as when I started with Afghanistan. And I'm excited that I still have a long way ahead. Now, for my 10th country and dish, I go back to prepare another European country. This week: Austria!

Country

Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, of which the capital Vienna is the most populous city and state.

Austria, as a unified state, emerged from the remnants of the Eastern and Hungarian March at the end of the first millennium, first as a frontier march of the Holy Roman Empire, it then developed into a Duchy in 1156, and was made an Archduchy in 1453. Being the heartland of the Habsburg monarchy since the late 13th century, Austria was a major imperial power in Central Europe for centuries and from the 16th century, Vienna also served as the Holy Roman Empire's administrative capital. The Holy Roman Empire was dissolved in 1806, two years after Austria had established its own empire, which became a great power and one of the largest states in Europe. The empire's defeat in wars and the loss of territories in the 1860s paved the way for the establishment of Austria-Hungary in 1867.

After the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, Emperor Franz Joseph declared war on Serbia, which rapidly escalated into World War I. The empire's defeat and subsequent collapse led to the proclamation of the Republic of German-Austria in 1918 and the First Austrian Republic in 1919. During the interwar period, anti-parliamentarian sentiments culminated in the formation of an Austrofascist dictatorship under Engelbert Dollfuss in 1934. A year before the outbreak of World War II, Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany by Adolf Hitler, and it became a sub-national division. After its liberation in 1945 and a decade of Allied occupation, the country regained its sovereignty and declared its perpetual neutrality in 1955.

Nowadays Austria is a semi-presidential representative democracy with a popularly elected president as head of state and a chancellor as head of government and chief executive. Austria has the 13th highest nominal GDP per capita with high standards of living. The country has been a member of the United Nations since 1955 and of the European Union since 1995.

Cuisine

Austria's cuisine is derived from that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Austrian cuisine is rooted in the long-standing traditions of the imperial court kitchen ("Hofküche"), which evolved over centuries within the Habsburg monarchy. It is distinguished by its refined and well-balanced preparation of beef and pork, as well as by a wide variety of vegetable-based dishes.

In addition to native regional traditions, the cuisine has been influenced by Hungarian, Czech, Polish, Jewish, Italian, Balkan, and French cuisines, from which both dishes and methods of food preparation have often been borrowed. The Austrian cuisine is therefore one of the most multicultural and transcultural in Europe.

Chosen Dish

Again, I had a bit of trouble choosing which dish to prepare this week, mainly because I found the recipes too simple or similar to what I've already prepared. But ultimately I decided to go with: Wiener Schnitzel.

For a moment I thought it was too simple because it is similar to other dishes in the world, especially one we have in Latin America. For example, in Mexico and Argentina we have milanesas, and in Italy it is known as cotoletta alla milanese.

However, I realized two things: while all are similar, each has its own methods. For example, in Latin America, milanesas are prepared in oil, while the Wiener Schnitzel is done with clarified butter, or ghee. And second… I've never actually mastered the breading technique. Sure I've tried it, but every time it either falls off, looks weird, or is not breaded enough.

So why not take this opportunity to try again with another technique, while trying a signature dish from Austria?

Ingredients

6 veal cutlets
2 eggs
Salt
Wheat flour
Breadcrumbs
300g/10.58oz clarified butter (also named Ghee)

Getting Ready

Getting the ingredients is easy; however, it is worth mentioning in this step that you can either go the easy and fast route and buy the clarified butter, since it is common and easily available, or you can go one step further and do it yourself. I have to admit I went with the first option because of timing, but making my own ghee is something I'm definitely doing in the not-so-distant future.

However, if you want to make your own, here is a video you can follow.

Preparation

If necessary, use a sharp knife to trim away any remaining fat or gristle from the cutlets.
Place each cutlet between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer or mallet to pound them flat.
Set up two large trays or plates — fill one with flour and the other with breadcrumbs.
In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs.
Season the cutlets with salt to taste, then dredge them first in the flour, shaking gently to remove any excess.
Dip them into the beaten egg, ensuring they are thoroughly coated on all sides.
Place the cutlet in the tray of breadcrumbs, sprinkle a few more breadcrumbs over the top, and gently press down with your hands to ensure the breadcrumbs adhere firmly to both sides.
Shake off any excess breadcrumbs once more, place the cutlet on a clean plate, and repeat the entire process with the remaining cutlets.
Once the ghee is hot, place the first cutlet in to fry for 2–3 minutes per side.
As soon as it turns golden, flip it over; once golden on both sides, remove it and place it on a plate lined with paper towels.
Fry all six cutlets and serve immediately.

The Result

Yeah… you know what I'm gonna say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Another delicious dish, and a personal success. Not only because it's another completed country and it turned out looking nice with a great taste, but because it's also the first time my breading looks so nice and consistent.

A regular side for Wiener Schnitzel is potatoes. Looking online, I saw there is no exact way — meaning they can be fried, sliced, mashed, etc. In my case, I boiled my potatoes for 20 minutes, cut them, and then fried them with a little bit of ghee and salt.

As a second side I added some greens because, remember: always eat your veggies!

The only difference from the pictures I saw in the recipes I searched is that mine look a bit darker than they're supposed to, but I believe it's because of the type/brand of breadcrumbs I used. Even though they look darker, they are by no means burnt. And this is exactly why ghee (clarified butter) is used.

Ghee resists high temperatures and doesn't burn easily, unlike regular butter, which still contains milk and water. Clarified butter only has the fats — no milk or water — making it much more heat resistant.

If you have no ghee available, you can also use olive oil. It'll give you similar results. For both, the secret is that it has to be hot but not smoky.

What Did I Learn

Wiener Schnitzel sure is a simple and easy dish to make, and like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, it's very similar (98%) to Latin American milanesas — but that doesn't mean it's not a fun dish to prepare. Especially keeping in mind that what I'm preparing is something enjoyed daily in another part of the world. This in fact taught me how to improve my milanesa-making skills.

And second, there's more than oil in the kitchen. So far in all my dishes I've used oil, be it olive oil, palm oil, and even grapeseed oil; this is the first time I use a different fat, and I loved the different flavor it gives, and specifically being ghee, how it behaves at high temperatures. This is exactly what I'm enjoying the most: how to use new and different ingredients and techniques.

Next week I hit a milestone because it'll be the last country with the letter A. One more to complete the first letter of the alphabet… luckily I'm still nowhere near the end.
See you next week for: Azerbaijan!

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Cooking The World: Australia 🇦🇺

2026-03-31T12:19:00.001-06:00

New week, new country, new dish.

Keeping the momentum going, it’s time to cook something from a land down under… where women glow and men thunder. I hear there’s also thunder, so uhm… I guess we better run, we better take cover ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 🎶

Songs aside… this week I cooked a dish (and a dessert!) from the faraway land of: ¡ɐᴉlɐɹʇsn∀ 😉

Country

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It’s the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania.

It’s also considered a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates—ranging from deserts in the interior to tropical rainforests along the coast.

Australia’s written history began with Dutch exploration in the 17th century. British colonization started in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the late 19th century, multiple colonies had formed and eventually federated in 1901, creating the Commonwealth of Australia. Over time, the country gained full legislative independence, finalized with the Australia Acts of 1986.

Today, Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, made up of six states and ten territories. It’s considered a middle power and is part of major international groups like the United Nations, the G20, the OECD, the World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Pacific Islands Forum, the Pacific Community and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Cuisine

Indigenous Australians traditionally lived on native fauna and flora, known as bush tucker. Since the 1970s, these ingredients—like lemon myrtle, macadamia nuts, and even kangaroo meat—have gained popularity among non-Indigenous Australians.

With colonization came strong British and Irish culinary influence. You can still see that today in dishes like fish and chips and the iconic Australian meat pie, which evolved from the British steak pie. Chinese migration also contributed, creating a unique Australian-Chinese cuisine.

Fun fact: Australia is also a major wine producer, especially in the cooler southern regions.

Chosen Dish

As you read above, kangaroo meat is actually quite common in Australia, and for a moment I seriously considered trying it…

But yeah—no luck finding it here in CDMX. Not sure if I was more relieved or disappointed.

So instead, I went with what’s considered an absolute Australian classic: the meat pie.

At first, I was a bit skeptical since it felt more like a British dish than an Australian one. But after digging a bit deeper, I realized Australia really made it their own—and it’s loved by Aussies everywhere. That was enough to convince me.

Getting Ready

This week I’m switching things up and putting the “Getting Ready” section before the ingredients—because honestly, the pie structure is the trickiest part.

Most recipes I found only explain how to make the filling and assume you’ll either buy the pastry or already know how to make it. Except one recipe—the one I ended up using—which gave three options:

• Make your own pastry

• Use frozen sheets

• Use refrigerated crusts

Since this is a cooking challenge, I went all in and made my own pastry. But I’m including all options so you can choose your own adventure.

Because the pastry is technically secondary (but also essential), I left its full instructions at the end instead of mixing everything together.

Ingredients

Pie Base – CHOOSE ONE:

• 1 1/2 batches homemade shortcrust pastry

• 3 frozen shortcrust pastry sheets, thawed (300g/10oz)

• 2 refrigerated pie crusts

Pie Lid:

• 3 frozen puff pastry sheets, just thawed (300g/10oz)

• 1 egg, lightly whisked

Filling:

• 1.25 kg (2.5 lb) beef chuck, cut into cubes

• 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

• 2–3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour

• 1 1/4 cups (315 ml) beef stock

• 3 cups (750 ml) dry red wine

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp ground black pepper

• 2 bay leaves

Prerequisites

None.

Just a note that, if you’re making your own pastry, you can prepare it while the filling simmers and cools—or even make it a day in advance and keep it chilled. Totally up to you.

Preparation

Filling:

1. Season beef with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Brown beef in batches, then set aside.

3. Lower heat to medium-high. Cook onion and garlic for about 3 minutes.

4. Add flour and stir well.

5. Gradually add beef stock while stirring. Then add wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and bay leaves.

6. Return beef to the pot, cover, and let it simmer gently.

7. Cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove lid and simmer another 30–45 minutes until the beef is tender and the sauce thickens.

8. Let the filling cool.

Pastry:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F.

2. Cut pastry rounds and place them into pie tins (don’t stretch them).

3. Line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.

4. Bake for 20 minutes, take them out and remove weights, then bake 5 more minutes until lightly golden.

Assemble:

1. Fill pies with cooled filling.

2. Cut puff pastry lids slightly larger than the base.

3. Brush edges with egg, place lids on top, and seal.

4. Brush tops with egg and cut a small slit in the center.

5. Bake for 30 minutes until golden and puffed.

6. Devour immediately (ketchup optional but encouraged).

Extra Surprise!

Why not finish things off with a dessert?

While looking up Australian recipes, I found something simple, nostalgic, and surprisingly fun: Fairy Bread.

Basically, the ultimate kids party snack… but honestly, adults can enjoy it too. I definitely did.

Ingredients:

• White bread

• Butter

• Colorful sprinkles

Preparation:

1. Butter the bread.

2. Add sprinkles (or press the bread butter-side down into them).

3. Slice into triangles and enjoy!

The Result

I don’t know if I lose credibility by saying this every week… but damn, it was good 🤣

And if I’m being completely honest, I was even more surprised by my homemade crust.

The filling definitely took its time, but it was very easy to prepare. The combination of wine, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce gave the meat such a deep, rich flavor. And it’s absolutely key to let it simmer for at least 1 hour 40 minutes—otherwise the meat won’t get that tender, fall-apart texture you’re looking for.

I’ve heard chefs say that the secret to a great dish is a great sauce… and this one proved them right once again.

As for the pastry—like I mentioned before—I made it myself, and wow. It turned out way better than I expected. It was buttery, firm enough to hold its shape like a proper pie base, but still soft enough to not feel dry or heavy. Honestly, it hit that perfect balance.

Putting everything together was incredibly satisfying. I decided to make small individual pies, and ended up with 17 of them—more than enough for me and my guests that day.

The only thing that needs some work on my side is properly measuring the dough and the container. Even though they were delicious and well-baked, some looked a bit weird because the top couldn’t fully cover them, or had parts where it was sealed on one side but slightly open on the other. But this was purely aesthetic and not a big issue.

Now, about the fairy bread… that was more for fun than anything else. When I first served it, my guests looked at it like “that’s it?”

But that’s kind of the whole point.

Yeah, it’s just bread with butter and sprinkles—but it looks fun, it’s sweet, and let’s be real… who doesn’t enjoy a simple piece of bread with something sweet/sugary on top?

I’ll definitely be bringing fairy bread back for random fun moments.

What Did I Learn

My favorite part of every post.

First of all, I’m starting to understand why flour has been such a fundamental ingredient in human history—and why it still is today.

By now, I’ve made several recipes that use all-purpose flour, and every single one has turned out completely different. That’s what makes it so fascinating. As long as flour is the base, it can become almost anything depending on what you mix it with—cakes, tortillas, pie crusts, sourdough bread… the possibilities are endless.

I used to think things like pie crust required some special kind of flour because I always bought them pre-made. But nope—turns out regular flour can do way more than I gave it credit for.

Another thing I learned is just how many tools exist to make cooking easier. For example, I discovered pie weights—used to keep the dough from puffing up or forming air bubbles while baking so the base stays flat.

And apparently, there’s a whole variety of them… even ceramic ones.

Moments like this make me realize how many kitchen tools I’m still missing. Luckily, there are workarounds—like using rice or dried beans instead.

But still… getting actual pie weights wouldn’t be a bad idea 👀

Enough being upside down—time to flip things back up and head to another European country.

We’re getting close to finishing the countries with the letter A!

Next stop: Austria 🇦🇹

Oh… and I didn’t forget! Here are the pastry instructions:

Ingredients

• 350g / 12oz plain flour

• Pinch of salt

• 170g / 6oz butter, cubed

• 5–6 tbsp cold water

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt, then add the butter cubes.

2. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs, with no large lumps remaining. Work quickly to avoid it becoming greasy.

3. Using a knife, mix in just enough cold water to bring the dough together. Start with 1–2 tablespoons and add more only if needed.

4. Gently knead the dough on a clean surface until it just comes together into a smooth ball. Handle it as little as possible.

5. (Alternative) Use a food processor: pulse flour, salt, and butter, then slowly add water until the dough forms.

6. Wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes before using.

7. Alternatively, roll it out immediately, line your tin, and chill the pastry case for 30 minutes before baking.

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Thanks :D

Cooking The World: Armenia 🇦🇲

2026-03-23T17:10:00.005-06:00

I’m really enjoying this weekly challenge. I know I’ve done only seven countries so far, but I’ve trying new techniques and some great food. And it’s a good thing I still have a long way to go, because I don’t want to stop anytime soon.

So let’s get started with this week’s journey and a couple of new dishes from Armenia!

Country

Officially known as the Republic of Armenia, Armenia is a state located in Eurasia’s South Caucasus region.

Geographically, Armenia is in a confusing spot. The South Caucasus region, where Armenia lies, sits between the continents of Europe and Asia. But going by the strict geographical demarcations of the world, Europe ends at the Bosporus in Turkey and at the border with Georgia in the Caucasus Mountain range. Based on that, Armenia is geographically part of Asia.

Politically, Armenia has good relations with almost every nation in the world, regardless of continent, except for its immediate neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Since the collapse of the USSR, political ties between Armenia and Europe have intensified. As it stands, Armenia is a member of several international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the World Trade Organization, the European Broadcasting Union, and others.

Currently, Armenia is a representative parliamentary democratic republic. The Armenian Constitution followed the model of a semi-presidential republic until April 2018.

According to the current Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of state and holds largely representative functions, while the Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises executive power.

Cuisine

Armenian cuisine is one of those ancient food traditions that brings together flavors from the Caucasus, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East all at once. It’s built around fresh herbs, grilled meats, and hearty grains.

A lot of Armenian cooking involves stuffing, puréeing, or frothing. Lamb, eggplant, and lavash (an iconic flatbread) are widely used. Fresh herbs are a big deal—used frequently in dishes or served on the side—and during winter, dried herbs are used instead.

Wheat is the backbone of the cuisine, showing up in all kinds of forms like bulgur, semolina, whole wheat, and flour. Fruits also play a big role. They’re not just eaten fresh or dried, but also used to add sourness and depth—for example: pomegranate, sour cherries, sumac, plums, and even apricots.

Chosen Dish(es)

This week, after voting took place, the results came back with two winners: one savory dish and one sweet one.

For the main course, I prepared Manti. These are thumb-sized dumplings stuffed with ground meat, accompanied by a spicy tomato or red pepper sauce. What makes these dumplings special and different is that they’re not boiled, but baked instead.

And for dessert—and actually the first dessert I’m preparing in this challenge—I chose Gata, a sweet, egg-rich bread. The magic of gata lies in its gooey center, a melt-in-your-mouth “custard” made of flour, butter, sugar, and sometimes walnuts, encased in a brioche-like dough. Perfect for tea after a good hearty meal 😌.

Ingredients

Manti

For the Dough:

• 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed

• 1 large egg

• 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons water, or as needed

For the Filling:

• ½ pound ground beef

• ¼ cup finely diced onion

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper

For the Broth:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, crushed

• ½ cup tomato sauce

• 2 cups chicken or beef broth

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Cayenne pepper, to taste

⸻

Gata

For the Dough:

• ¼ cup whole milk

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

• ½ cup sour cream, room temperature

• 2 tablespoons granulated (or caster) sugar

• 1 egg, room temperature

• 3 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

For the Filling:

• ¾ cup plain all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces

• ½ cup granulated (or caster) sugar

Getting Ready

For the manti filling, I decided to go with ground beef, but honestly, any type of ground meat works—even plant-based alternatives—and it can be seasoned to suit your taste.

As for the gata, it’s a simple recipe, but it takes time because the dough needs a long rest. Different recipes vary, but the general consensus is that it should chill for at least 6 hours at minimum, and up to overnight.

The recipe I followed suggests letting it rest for at least 8 hours, but recommends overnight. So the move here is to prepare the dough the night before, then make the filling and bake the next day. In the directions, this happens at step 6—so watch out for that.

Prerequisites

Technically, there are no prerequisites for this recipe—unless you decide to let the gata dough rest overnight.

If that’s the case, then follow gata steps 1 through 6 the night before. In my case, I prepared the dough at 7:30 pm, let it rest overnight, and even part of the next day.

I honestly don’t know what difference it makes letting it rest a couple of hours versus overnight, but if that’s the Armenian way, I’m not questioning it—I’m just doing it.

Preparation

Manti

1. Combine 3/4 of the flour, egg, olive oil, salt, and water in a bowl.

2. Mix with a fork (like when making pasta dough) until everything just comes together. Then use your hands to form a shaggy dough. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

3. While the dough rests, combine the ground beef, onion, parsley, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl. Mix with a fork first, then use your hands until well combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

4. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a cast-iron skillet with olive oil.

5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large, thin rectangle. Cut into strips, then into about 20 small rectangles (roughly 3.5 × 4.5 cm / 1.5 × 1.75 inches). Save any scraps in case you have extra filling.

6. Add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of filling to the center of each rectangle.

7. Lightly moisten the shorter edges with water, then pinch the ends together to trap the filling, forming the classic “little man in the boat” shape. Make sure they can stand upright and the dough at the ends is thin.

8. Place the manti in the skillet, leaving a bit of space between them—they’ll expand while baking.

9. Bake on the center rack for 40 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook the garlic until fragrant (20–30 seconds), then add the tomato sauce and stir. Add the broth and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

11. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

12. Pour the tomato broth over the manti and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Gata

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it reaches about 40°C (102°F). Pour into a bowl and whisk in the yeast until dissolved. Let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.

2. Add the sour cream, sugar, and egg. Whisk until combined and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the butter and use your fingertips to break it into pea-sized pieces.

4. Make a well and pour in the wet mixture. Mix with a spoon or spatula until combined—it will be slightly sticky. Turn onto a clean surface and knead just until it comes together into a smooth ball.

5. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1.5–2 hours, or until about 50% larger.

6. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Next day:

7. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and salt for the filling. Add butter and work it into small crumbs, then mix in the sugar. Set aside.

8. Roll the dough into a 40 × 30 cm (16 × 12 in) rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

9. Spread the filling evenly, leaving a small border on one long side. Roll into a log from the long side.

10. Seal the seam, place seam-side down, gently flatten, and chill for 15–20 minutes.

11. Slice into 8 pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and proof at room temperature for about 1 hour, until slightly puffed.

12. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Mix one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush over each piece.

13. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

The Result

Well, my manti didn’t exactly look like the pictures on the internet… but my gata did. Either way, both dishes exceeded my expectations in terms of flavor.

Let’s start with the manti.

Looks weren’t exactly their strong point. I expected them to puff up a lot more, and the baking dish I used was too big. On top of that, I thought I’d be making more, but I ended up with way more filling than dough, so I couldn’t make a nice circular pattern or have them all neatly side by side.

But hey—looks aren’t everything. And thankfully so, because they were incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Since they’re small, I could just keep eating them one after another like a snack. But don’t let their size fool you—because it’s meat and dough, they’re surprisingly filling.

I also expected them to be a bit complicated to prepare, but I was wrong again. They’re actually pretty easy to assemble. And since all the cooking happens in the oven, the most time-consuming part is just filling and folding each piece—which, honestly, doesn’t take that long.

And one more thing: don’t underestimate the sauce. It’s simple, but it really enhances the flavor of the meat and keeps the dish from feeling dry.

This one quickly climbed into the top spots for both me and my girlfriend.

As for the gata, it was also a really nice surprise. Before starting this challenge, I used to make more desserts and bake more than I cooked savory dishes, so I had a general idea of what to expect with dough… but I had never made something with a gooey center.

The process felt new—and honestly a bit weird. I even thought I was doing something wrong because it seemed too easy (😆), and I was preparing for the worst. But the center turned out exactly how it should: gooey and delicious.

What I really liked is that it’s sweet enough to clearly be a dessert, but not overly sugary. I’d describe it as discreetly sweet.

Also, quick tip if you decide to make it: the recipe I followed says to cut the butter into pieces and pinch it down to pea size, but other recipes recommend grating the butter instead—and it works great. If you look at my pictures, you’ll see I went with grated butter. Best move ever 😉

What Did I Learn

Will I get to a recipe where I don’t learn anything? Maybe. Time will tell. But this is not that one.

One of the biggest things I’m learning during this challenge is how important it is to stay organized—organizing my steps, ingredients, utensils, the kitchen before and after, and in this case, my timing. And honestly, it all comes down to reading the recipe carefully ahead of time… ideally a couple of days in advance.

Why do I say this? I knew the gata dough needed a long chill time, and I had already decided to go with the overnight option. So I was fully prepared to make the dough the day before.

But because I only skimmed the recipe, I completely missed that step 5 requires the dough to rest for about 2 hours before going into the fridge. So instead of being done by 9 pm, I ended up putting the dough in the fridge at 11 pm—tired and just waiting to finish that step.

So yeah… lesson learned. Read and understand the recipe beforehand so I know what I need to do, what I need to buy or prep, and how long everything will take. That way, no surprises.

With another country complete, it’s time to head down under and explore our fifth continent and ninth country: Australia!

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Argentina 🇦🇷

2026-03-09T16:41:00.004-06:00

One more week, and we’re staying in the same continent as last week, but we’re moving south into the first Latin American country. This week I’m cooking something from the land of beef: Argentina!

Country

Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country located in the southern cone of South America, with a claimed portion of Antarctica. It is the second-largest country in South America, the fourth-largest country in the Americas, and the eighth-largest country in the world.

Argentina is a federal state subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city, which is the federal capital and largest city of the nation, Buenos Aires. And something interesting is that the provinces and the capital have their own constitutions, but all exist under a federal system.

Argentina is a regional power and retains its historic status as a middle power in international affairs.

Cuisine

Besides many of the pasta, sausage, and dessert dishes common to continental Europe, Argentines enjoy a wide variety of Indigenous and Criollo creations, including empanadas, locro (a mixture of corn, beans, meat, bacon, onion, and gourd), humita, and mate.

In the opening of this post, I mentioned Argentina is the land of beef because it has the highest consumption of red meat in the world, traditionally prepared as asado, the Argentine barbecue. It is made with various types of meat, often including chorizo, sweetbread, chitterlings, and blood sausage.

Chosen Dish

Just like for last week’s Antigua and Barbuda, I chose an easy dish. But it’s so representative of Argentina that… how could I not do it?

I prepared the famous asado, with four different types of meat. But what is an asado without the famous chimichurri sauce? Certainly not a real Argentinian asado ಠ_ಠ. So of course I also prepared some chimichurri to accompany the meat.

Ingredients

For the chimichurri:

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

• Black peppercorns to taste (15 are recommended)

• 3 tablespoons assorted dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, marjoram, basil)

• 50 ml (1.69 fl oz) red wine vinegar

• 100 ml (3.38 fl oz) hot water

• 3 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped

• 2 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper flakes or powder

• 150 ml (5.07 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

• 2 bay leaves, finely chopped

• A pinch of sweet or hot paprika*

• A pinch of ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon salt

*True Argentinian chimichurri is not spicy. However, I found that some chefs/families do add a little bit of spice. Up to you which version you want to prepare. I went with the traditional non-spicy one.

For the asado:

There are so many meats to choose from, and as much as you want to prepare. This week I chose these cuts:

• 1.88 kg (4.14 lb) asado de tira (also known as short ribs)

• 0.77 kg (1.7 lb) vacío

• 1.35 kg (2.98 lb) bife de chorizo

• 1.54 kg (3.4 lb) picaña

Getting Ready

Another easy dish to cook, but also another cooking technique.

The best—and honestly, the only way—to cook an awesome asado is on the grill. So I had to get my hands on one… thankfully my mom has one! So we organized a family reunion to have some Argentinian food.

As for the chimichurri, as delicious as it is, its ingredients are easy to find. The only thing I struggled with a bit was figuring out which vinegar to use, because virtually every recipe I consulted only mentioned “vinegar” and that’s it. I was this close 👌🏼 to using white vinegar when I found two different recipes that mentioned chimichurri is prepared with red wine vinegar. If anything, it can be substituted with apple cider vinegar, but preferably no substitutions! So… that’s what I’m using.

Prerequisites

Another beauty of the Argentinian asado is that unlike US BBQ that often include dry-rubs or heavy sauces, the meat has little to no seasoning. If anything, just sprinkle it with salt before taking it to the grill.

Besides that, there are no prerequisites for this dish.

Preparation

Chimichurri:

1. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the finely chopped garlic cloves, then pour in the hot water to rehydrate the herbs.

2. Add 10 to 15 black peppercorns and one tablespoon of salt, and stir well.

3. Add the vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

4. Let it rest for about 15 minutes, until the sauce reaches room temperature.

5. Chop the parsley and cilantro leaves, removing the stems, and add them to the sauce, stirring to emulsify the liquids slightly.

6. The homemade chimichurri sauce is now ready, although it improves after a couple of hours, during which the flavors will continue to develop.

Asado:

There’s really not much guidance here. Preparation is pretty much like any BBQ.

1. Fire up the grill.

2. Sprinkle salt on the meat, if desired.

3. Throw the meat and some vegetables on the grill.

4. Cook to your liking.

5. Enjoy with the previously prepared chimichurri sauce.

The Result

I did my asado on a Friday night with my fam, and it was the best way to spend a Friday night.

For starters, I prepared the chimichurri three hours before I started grilling so the flavors of all the ingredients could infuse together for a couple of hours before being ready to eat. And that was a great idea because the flavor was more intense than the moment I finished preparing it.

If I can recommend something, it is to make it one day before the asado so it’s fully infused.

Being in the same continent, I’ve had plenty of chimichurri before, so I can say with confidence that I got the texture and the flavor right.

As for the meat… I have to admit my favorite cut was the asado de tira (short ribs). They were more tender than I expected. Then the picaña, just because it’s one of my favorite cuts. The bife de chorizo was also fantastic, since it’s basically a New York cut. And as for the vacío, I liked that one a lot too because it doesn’t have too much fat, but I admit that I could have done something to it beforehand to make it more tender.

In the end, I’d say it was a success: great meat, a great sauce, and some grilled vegetables. Remember to always eat your vegetables!

What Did I Learn

Cooking is not only about nurturing the body; it is much more than that. Cooking is about bringing family and friends together. Enjoying not only the food, but the process of preparing, cooking, serving, and eating all together.

For me, being the one cooking, I feel so happy presenting my dishes and seeing the faces of those trying them — just like me discovering new flavors.

Cooking is not just eating food. It’s a whole experience that brings people closer.

For next week, I go back to preparing a European dish for the next country on the list: Armenia!

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬

2026-02-25T16:53:00.004-06:00

I know I’m still basically at the beginning of the list, but so far I’ve cooked dishes only from Europe and Africa. Well, that changes in this post because it is time to explore the first country in America (the continent, not the USA ಠ_ಠ). What better way to explore a new continent than with a Caribbean country: Antigua and Barbuda!

Country

Antigua and Barbuda is an archipelagic country in the Caribbean composed of two main islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and numerous other small islands. All together, they make up a country with an area of 440 km² (170 sq mi).

In 1632, it became a British colony. Independence was first proposed in the 1860s, and it became a fully independent country in 1981. Nowadays, Antigua and Barbuda is a member of the Commonwealth and a Commonwealth realm, being a constitutional monarchy with Charles III as its head of state.

According to the Human Development Index, it is a high-income country and one of the most developed countries in the Caribbean. It is also a member of the United Nations, the OECS, the Regional Security System, CARICOM, and the World Trade Organization.

Cuisine

The islands’ cuisine is mostly of European origin (UK and Portugal) combined with regional ingredients.

Some national foods include saltfish (cod), lobster (from Barbuda), ducana (a sweet dumpling made from sweet potatoes and coconut), and seasoned rice, similar to palau or arroz con pollo. Additionally, there are confections such as peanut brittle, sugar cake (made from coconut and sugar), fudge, and raspberry (a local drink), as well as tamarind stew (a sauce). The Antigua black pineapple is prized for its juicy, sweet flesh.

Chosen Dish

This week’s dish is simple because it’s basically grilled and does not require a lot of preparation, but I chose it because I feel it easily transmits the island’s flavors.

This week I decided to cook: pork chops with bananas and bacon.

Pork chops with bananas and bacon is considered to be a favorite of many meat lovers in the country. As the name of the dish suggests, this Antiguan delicacy comprises grilled or barbecued pork chops accompanied by bacon-wrapped grilled banana chunks.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops

• 3/4 tablespoon cumin

• 1 lemon

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 2 bananas

• 6 slices of bacon

• 1 can of beer (2 if you want to drink one) [optional]

• Salt and pepper to taste

Getting Ready

This week I’m glad I didn’t have to go hunting for ingredients I’ve never heard of before or research cooking techniques. It’s not that I don’t like it — I’m all for it, and I want to learn as much as possible and try many new ingredients. But at least for one week, I get to rest a bit.

This time, I was able to find all the ingredients at my supermarket with just one trip. And I’m going with the version that uses beer to give it more flavor.

For this recipe, I found that it can be cooked on a grill or in the oven. I don’t have a grill at home (yet), and I didn’t want to use the oven for this one because I wanted to achieve a flame flavor. So I cooked the chops on a volcanic stone griddle that I recently bought.

Preparation

In a bowl, mix the butter with the cumin, salt, and pepper.
Rub the pork chops all over with the mixture.
Put the pork chops on the grill and cook them over medium heat for about 7 and a half minutes per side.
Cook the bacon in a frying pan for a couple of minutes, long enough for some of the fat to render. Remove and let cool.
Cut the bananas into chunks about the width of the bacon slices. Sprinkle them with lemon juice.
Wrap the bacon around each chunk. Skewer each wrapped piece through the overlap in the bacon.
After the chops have been cooking for about 15 minutes, turn the heat down to medium-low and put the bacon and bananas on the grill.
Continue to turn the chops and the bacon-banana skewers. At this point, if you want, you can sprinkle the chops with beer.
When the chops and bacon are thoroughly cooked, remove from the grill and serve.

The Result

As I mentioned before in the preparation, instead of using a grill or the oven, I used a volcanic stone griddle. It was definitely different because it’s not a pan that only heats from the bottom up and doesn’t transmit any additional flavor. And it’s definitely not an oven, where the heat comes from all around and stays constant. In this case, the griddle was a cool and different way to cook because it gives the meat another layer of flavor, and it allows me to work with intense heat and flames that would normally damage a regular pan.

As for the dish, it wasn’t a complex one, but it turned out to be delicious and flavorful.

The mix of butter, cumin, and beer gives the meat a rich flavor. The bacon wrapped around the banana has that unique combination of sweet and salty crispiness, balancing the whole thing.

And while the original recipe does not include a salad, I threw in some leaves because, don’t forget to eat your greens!

This easy-to-prepare dish landed among my girlfriend’s favorite dishes, and in my top three… so far.

What Did I Learn

I don’t need to find and prepare a dish with a bazillion strange ingredients I’ve never heard of. At the beginning, I thought it might be too simple or too common. And yeah, it was simple, but not common.

Before this dish, I never thought of wrapping bananas with bacon. Or coating pork chops with a mix of butter and herbs. I believe what made this dish a success is that I tried new flavor combinations, and I love that.

The second thing I learned is that it’s always fun to cook with different techniques and instruments.

This was my first time cooking with the volcanic stone griddle because I just bought it almost two weeks ago, and it was really fun. It doesn’t need any oil, so I placed the pork chops directly on it and they didn’t stick. When pouring the beer, the flames grew, which not only makes it look cool, but also provides a different kind of flavor and temperature — and my griddle is not damaged.

For the next dish, we’ll remain on the same continent, but we’ll head south for the first Latin American country: Argentina!

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Angola 🇦🇴

2026-02-16T14:33:00.000-06:00

Another week, another dish to cook! Back to the big and diverse Africa. And this time, I prepared two interesting dishes. Let’s dig into: Angola!

Country

Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the western coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking country after Brazil and ranks seventh in Africa in both total area and population.

Angola has a lot – really a lot – of history, as it has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. After the 13th century, much of its territory was part of the Kingdom of Kongo. Portuguese colonization began in the 16th century (which is why Portuguese is spoken there today). Angola gained independence in 1975, but soon after fell into a civil-war which lasted until 2002.

Since then, Angola has emerged as a relatively stable constitutional republic. Its economy is among the fastest-growing in the world, with China, the European Union, and the United States being its largest trade and investment partners.

Cuisine

Angolan cuisine features several popular dishes, most of which are a fusion of indigenous African and Portuguese influences.

Staple ingredients include beans and rice, pork and chicken, various sauces, and vegetables such as tomatoes and onions. Garlic and other bold spices are frequently used. One of the most important staples is Funge, a type of porridge made with cassava flour.

Chosen Dish(es)

Speaking of Funge… that is one of the two dishes I prepared this week.

Funge is extremely simple. It’s a porridge made with just two ingredients: water and cassava flour. It’s not typically eaten on its own as a main dish, but rather served as a side for chicken, pork, or soups. That’s why I decided to prepare Funge — to accompany my second (and main) dish: Muamba.

Muamba is an aromatic chicken stew flavored with garlic, chili, vegetables, and cooked in palm oil.

Now, palm oil has had a bad reputation for a while — concerns about not being eco-friendly, saturated fat, and overall health effects. However, in recent years, that narrative has started to shift, with some sources even labeling it as “better for you than butter.”

I found my bottle of palm oil on Amazon, and after reading the label, I noticed it contains fats (as expected — it’s an oil), but no trans fat, cholesterol, or sodium. It’s 100% natural and contains no artificial ingredients.

And I’ve heard that in the U.S., it’s available at Trader Joe’s, which makes it even easier to find.

Ingredients

For the Funge:

450g (0.99 lbs) of cassava flour

½ cup of water (minimum)

For the Muamba:

1.59kg (3½ lbs) chicken cut into pieces

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp chicken bouillon powder

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup palm oil

4-5 garlic cloves, minced

2-3 onions, sliced

2 tomatoes, diced

1 whole hot pepper, pierced (Scotch bonnet is recommended; can be substituted with habanero)

230g–450g (½–1 lb) butternut squash, cut into large cubes

18–20 okra, sliced in half

2 cups chicken broth or water

Salt to taste

Getting Ready

From the list, I had a bit of trouble finding the cassava flour and palm oil since they weren’t available at my usual supermarket. Thankfully, Amazon saved the day with next-day delivery.

On the other hand, I was actually surprised at how easy it was to find okra — and relieved, because they’re essential to the dish. I read that okra is very popular and widely used in African cuisine, so I have a feeling it might show up again in a future recipe.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites for this dish!

If anything, just make sure your vegetables are chopped and diced before you begin.

Preparation

Funge:

Bring several cups of water to a rapid boil. The amount of water depends on the amount of flour used.
As the water boils, slowly add the cassava flour while continuously stirring. Add just enough flour so the mixture is thick but still slightly runny.
Stir and mash the mixture vigorously for 5-15 minutes to release the starch. At first, it will feel gritty, then it will become smooth and elastic.
Cover the pot and allow the funge to rest for 5-10 minutes. This lets the starch fully absorb the water.
Uncover and knead the funge briefly until smooth, then form it into balls or a loaf.
Funge can be served warm, at room temperature, or cooled.

Muamba:

Place the chicken in a large bowl and rub with lemon juice.
Add salt, garlic, thyme, white pepper, and chicken bouillon. Mix chicken with a spoon or with your hands until they are well coated, and then set aside.
Heat a large saucepan with the palm oil and canola oil, then add the chicken. Brown on all sides for about 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic, chili pepper, and smoked paprika. Stir for about a minute, then add the onions and tomatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent.
Add about 2 cups of chicken stock or water — or enough to cover the chicken. Add the squash as well.
Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens. It might take 20 minutes or more, depending on the type of chicken used.
Add the okra and continue cooking until desired texture is reached. This should take about 5 minutes, more or less.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

The Result

Two dishes mean, two results: “Amazing” and “eh… not bad, but let’s try again” – at least in my opinion.

This time I cooked at my mom’s house, so I was able to share it with more people than just my girlfriend and me.

The general consensus was that my Muamba was incredible! From the moment I started cooking it, I knew it was going to be different — and great — because of the foreign aroma the palm oil gave the chicken along with the mix of the other ingredients. I personally loved the okra, and I’d really like to explore more recipes with it. As for the rest of my family, they also enjoyed this new flavor. Plus, the chicken was tender, and the combination of spices made it incredibly flavorful.

As for the funge… I didn’t love it. According to the recipe and a couple of videos I watched, it was supposed to turn white at some point, but mine never did. It stayed a weird gray-brownish color. The texture seemed fine, but the color didn’t convince me.

However, my girlfriend loved it and said that while it maybe needed a bit more cooking time, it was exactly what she expected. And as for my family, they enjoyed it more when mixing it with the Muamba rather than eating it by itself.

So yeah – different opinions. And I don’t take this as a defeat. I take it as an opportunity to try again in other African country. At the end of the day, this is what this cooking challenge is for.

What Did I Learn

Something interesting I learned is that ingredients can really change the perception and taste of an entire dish. In this case, the three things that made me feel like I was truly preparing — and tasting — something African were the palm oil, the okra, and the butternut squash.

I’ve always used the typical canola oil — and more extensively olive oil, coconut oil, grape-seed oil, and avocado oil — but this was my first time using palm oil. I knew it was different from the moment I opened the bottle and smelled it for the first time. It really brings a unique aroma and flavor.

The same happened with the okra and squash. I didn’t even know okra existed, and I had no idea what to expect in terms of flavor and texture. It turned out to be a delicious vegetable. If I had to compare it, I’d say it’s close to Mexican cactus. And while I had seen butternut squash before, this was also the first time I worked with it and tasted it.

This is precisely why I want to use recipes from locals and stick strictly to them. I might be missing the little tricks passed down through generations or learned by watching grandma cook… but at the end of the day, if I can use exactly the ingredients required and avoid replacing them with “something similar,” I can get closer to my goal: exploring other cuisines authentically.

Another thing I learned — which may be outside the cooking scope — is to take better pictures.

I’m in this journey to learn at least three things: how to cook, how to write, and how to take pictures. Those three are the things I enjoy the most, and I want to be better.

If you noticed, the pictures in this post are different from the ones in my last four posts. I don’t know if they’re better — I’ll let you judge that — but at least they’re different.

For the pictures in this post, I did’t use my iPhone and instead used my Sony Alpha 6100 camera that my girlfriend gifted me two years ago. I read about the basics of photography and practiced with a bowl of soup and some panoramic shots from the roof of my building, and got a small camera light for better lightning, just to level up my food photography and keep improving.

I saw different results than with the automatic mode of my phone and so far I’m happy… but I know I can improve in both my method to take pictures, and the aesthetic.

And just like the list of countries, this is also just getting started.

With this, it’s time to wrap up Angola and travel to a new continent. In the next post, I’ll explore the first country in America: Antigua and Barbuda.

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Andorra 🇦🇩

2026-02-06T15:51:00.005-06:00

I missed last week, which means I’m already running behind! But fear not because I’m back to put things back on track and continue our culinary journey, back to Europe. This time, we travel to a small territory tucked between Spain and France to discover: Andorra!

Country

Officially called the Principality of Andorra, it is a landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, located in the eastern Pyrenees of southwestern Europe, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south.

Andorra is the sixth-smallest state in Europe, the world’s 16th-smallest country by land area, and the 11th-smallest by population. It is not part of the European Union, but it is a member of the Council of Europe and the United Nations.

And if you’d like to travel there, it’s worth knowing that they speak Catalan–the official language–as well as Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Cuisine

Andorran gastronomy is mainly Catalan, although it has also adopted other elements from French and Italian cuisines.

It relies heavily on ingredients common along the Mediterranean coast, including fresh vegetables (especially tomato, garlic, eggplant, capsicum, and artichoke), wheat products (bread and pasta), Arbequina olive oil, wines, legumes (beans and chickpeas), mushrooms (particularly wild mushrooms), nuts (pine nuts, hazelnuts, and almonds), all sorts of pork preparations, sheep’s and goat’s cheese, poultry, and lamb.

Chosen Dish

For Andorra, it took me a while to decide which dish I was going to prepare, mainly because the vast majority of dishes use mushrooms and/or white cabbage–and my girlfriend hates both. There were also a couple of options that, while are not technically French dishes, are heavily French-influenced, and I didn’t want to feel (or give the impression) that I’m cooking a French dish in advance.

Ultimately, I went for Escudella! It is a national dish that is essentially a stew made with many different types of meats, vegetables, and carbs. The exact contents of escudella vary from chef to chef, but the most important component is the bone marrow bone, which gives the stew its intense flavor.

Because Escudella has a lot of ingredients and can be quite heavy, it’s most commonly eaten in winter– and with these cold days, it felt like the perfect dish to try.

Ingredients

0.75lb (340g) ground pork
½ ham steak
½ cup chickpeas
1 cup white beans
¼ head of white cabbage
1 package of prosciutto or Spanish jamón serrano
2 chicken breasts
9 cups of water (plus another 2 if needed)
2 bone marrow bones
¼ cup long white rice
½ cup shell-shaped noodles
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
½ tbsp garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Getting Ready

Usually, the bone marrow bones are already cut with the marrow exposed, but I couldn’t find them. Instead, my butcher sold me a pig bone, which was bigger than what I expected, so I only needed one. In the end, I think it worked just the same.

I also I replaced the shell-shaped pasta with bow tie pasta, simply because I somehow have a lot of packages of it in my pantry. The shape is different… but the taste is the same.

And while I mentioned that my girlfriend hates white cabbage, after I told her that almost every Andorran dish has either cabbage, mushrooms, or both, she agreed that I could include cabbage to stay true to the original recipe—as long as I cut it into big pieces so she could remove it if needed.

With these small adjustments and agreements, it was time to start cooking.

Prerequisites

For the chickpeas and white beans, remember that if you choose not to use canned versions and instead use them dried (like I did), you’ll need to soak them in water for at least 8 hours so they’re soft when it’s time to cook.

Preparation

1. In a large pot, pour in the oil and start heating it.

2. Roll the ground pork into meatballs and cook them in the oil for about 5 minutes, until browned.

3. Dice the ham steak and add it to the pot along with the chicken breasts and the bones.

4. Add 9 cups of water and bring it to a boil over high heat.

5. Once boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 hours.

6. Remove the bones and take out the chicken breasts to shred them.

7. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and add the remaining ingredients: chickpeas, white beans, cabbage, prosciutto, potatoes, rice, noodles, salt, pepper, and cumin. If needed, you can add 2 or more cups of water.

8. Increase the heat and let it cook for at least another 30 minutes, until everything is fully cooked–specially the potatoes and rice.

9. Serve immediately while it’s hot.

The Result

It turned out exactly how I expected–and that makes me happy.

It was thick, with a strong, delicious, foreign smell and taste. The combination of all the ingredients makes it hearty and very filling.

And the best part is that the person who said she didn’t like white cabbage… 😏 she liked it–and even asked me to add more so the stew would have more veggies. In fact, she’s now calling this dish her favorite so far in this journey.

Also, by the time I’m writing this, it’s been a full day since I cooked it, and this morning I had another bowl for breakfast. After resting overnight, the flavors integrated better, so it tasted even better the next day.

What Did I Learn

The best part of the post: learnings! This week there are only two, but even if there’s just one, as long as there’s something to learn, it’s worth it.

The first thing I learned is to double-check the grocery list before shopping—especially when the recipe has a lot of ingredients. This time, I made my list and ordered everything online, and two hours after the order was accepted and closed, I realized I had forgotten to add the ground pork… which is the very first ingredient used. So I had to run to the supermarket at 9 p.m., because my plan was to start cooking the next morning.

After this, it won’t happen again… I hope. I really hope.

The second thing I learned is that the farmer’s market is your best friend. Sure, the supermarket is convenient because they can deliver your order straight to your door, but sometimes it’s more expensive, a bit less fresh, and may not always have everything you’re looking for. In my case, they didn’t have the bone marrow bones, but a quick trip to my local farmer’s market solved that problem. They had them—cheaper and fresher. Plus, it’s local, and it’s always good to support the community.

One more dish is in the books. Now we return to Africa to prepare another new dish.

Coming up next: Angola 🇦🇴

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Cooking The World: Algeria 🇩🇿

2026-01-26T16:25:00.002-06:00

Time doesn’t stop, and if I don’t want to take an eternity to finish this challenge, I really have to keep cooking as often as possible. For this one, we travel from Europe to the big Africa!

Let’s cook something from Algeria.

Country

Algeria, officially the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, is located in North Africa, and it’s actually the biggest country in the continent, as well as the tenth-largest country in the world by land area.

Algeria has a rich history because it has been at the crossroads of numerous cultures and civilizations for millennia, like the Phoenicians, Numidians, Romans, Vandals, and Byzantine Greeks, just to mention a few.

Today, Algeria is a semi-presidential republic. It is a regional power in North Africa and a middle power in global affairs.

Cuisine

Algeria’s cuisine is rich and diverse due to interactions and exchanges with so many cultures and different nations over the years. It is based on both land and sea products, and overall it’s a mix of four main roots: Arab, Berber, Turkish and French.

Algerian cuisine offers a wide variety of dishes depending on the region and the season, but vegetables and cereals remain at its core.

Chosen Dish

It’s only the third dish and I already had some trouble choosing what I wanted to cook, in part because the cuisine is so diverse. I also wanted to try something that did not involve lamb—I don’t want to have flavor exhaustion so early in the challenge.

This week I’m cooking Mahjouba, a savory, spicy crepe filled with vegetables and lots of tomato.

The exact origins of Mahjouba are not precisely documented, but it is deeply rooted in Algerian culinary traditions. It is a popular street food and is often made at home for special occasions or family gatherings. This dish reflects the simplicity of Algerian cuisine, where basic ingredients are transformed into flavorful dishes through traditional techniques and local flavors.

What I liked about this dish is that it’s simple, meatless, and since it’s a street food, it really takes me deep into the culture–at least gastronomically. But at the same time, because it’s street food, I had a bit of a hard time finding a recipe, as there are so many variations. So I chose one that seemed to be the most popular and included a couple more ingredients than usual, like carrot (not every recipe uses carrot).

Ingredients

For the filling:

3 small to medium onions

2 Holland chiles (can be substituted with long green chiles, or as a last resort, jalapeños)

Tomato paste

Coriander

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of olive oil

For the crepe/dough

2 cups of semolina flour

1 cup of Water

Salt

1 teaspoon of olive oil

Getting Ready

I had to replace the Holland chiles with green serrano chiles because, believe it or not, I could not find that type of chile. In Mexico 🌶️. The land of chiles ಠ_ಠ. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but at least at my local farmer’s market and supermarket there were none.

Anyway, finding a substitute wasn’t hard. As for the semolina flour, Amazon saved me in this one. And as for the rest of the ingredients they were easy to get at my local supermarket.

Prerequisites

There are no major prerequisites, but I recommend chopping the onions and garlic, peeling and grating the carrots, removing the seeds and stem of the chiles, and chopping them along with the coriander. This is mainly to have everything ready to just toss into the pan, but it can also be done during the preparation phase.

Preparation

Let’s start with the dough, since it needs to rest for a while and it’s the easiest part of this already easy dish.

1. Put the semolina flour in a bowl, add one tablespoon of salt, and mix.

2. Add 1 cup of water.

3. Start mixing with your hands until it becomes elastic. Add water or flour as needed.

4. When the consistency is right, add one tablespoon of olive oil and keep mixing for a couple more minutes.

5. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes.

Now let’s move on to the filling.

6. Chop the onions finely.

7. Grate the carrots.

8. Remove the seeds and stem from the chiles, and also chop them.

9. Chop the garlic.

10. Open the can of tomatoes, put them in a bowl, and squeeze them with your hands. They should to be smaller, but not perfect.

11. Over medium-high heat, pour in the oil and add the onion, garlic, carrots, and chiles.

12. Mix for about 20 minutes, until the onion caramelizes.

13. Add 2 spoons of tomato paste and mix for 3 minutes.

14. Add the crushed tomatoes, coriander, salt, and pepper.

15. Mix until the whole mixture is semi-dry and thick. This should take around 45 minutes. Stir every now and then so it doesn’t stick to the pan or burns.

The dough and the filling are ready… time to put it all together and finish strong.

16. Grab your rested dough and separate it into 6 equal parts.

17. Pour some oil over your table and flatten the dough as thinly as possible. You can use just your hands, but using a rolling pin is highly recommended. If you don’t have one, I’ve seen people use a bottle.
It doesn’t have to be a perfect circle or square; it just needs to be thin, but not so thin that it breaks.

18. Put 2 spoons of filling in the middle of each dough piece (or as much as you want to add—who am I to restrict you?).

19. Close it by carefully bringing the ends to the center.

20. Over medium heat, add a little more oil to your pan and place the crepes in it.

21. Cook on both sides until they’re golden-brown. At that point, they’re ready to be served.

The Result

I’m not going to hold back… it was amazing!

I knew this recipe would be easy and tasty, but it turned out better than expected. I know it’s just the third dish and I’m basically just getting started, but this became my favorite dish so far.

And while overall it’s an easy dish, I did run into a couple complications. The original recipe I followed, for the dough, it only said to “add water”, with no cups or milliliters indicated. So I added a cup and a half because… why not? Well, that was a mistake. It turned out to be a lot of water so I had to keep adding flour to make it less runny. If the original guidance was to use just 2 cups of flour, I think I ended up using 4 or 4½ cups. So in the recipe I’m sharing above, I specify using only 1 cup of water. Subsequently, adjust as necessary, but that should be enough.

And when I say the dough has to be thin, but not so thin that it breaks… I mean it. I emphasize this because my first three crepes broke and looked terrible. I had to change tactics to avoid messing up the whole batch, and that led to the final crepes, which looked amazing. And even though the first three looked awful, they all tasted incredible. Proud of myself.

What Did I Learn

Oh boy… at the beginning, I didn’t think I’d learn much from such a simple dish. I’m glad I was wrong, because I did learn a couple of things.

The first one is that you don’t always need meat to have a great dish. This dish is 100% vegan–even the dough, as it doesn’t have eggs, milk, butter, or any other animal-derived ingredients. The filling is made entirely of vegetables. And both together taste amazing and the whole thing is surprisingly filling.

I ate three crepes because I loved them, but I was already full after two. And that’s great. I think here in the Western world we often have the idea that a great and fulfilling meal has to include meat, and that’s not always the case. This is proof that there are incredible dishes made only with vegetables.

Don’t underestimate street food. I also believe there’s an idea that street food is fast, greasy, and just meant to fill you up in a hurry, and therefore not nutritious. But this dish, as I mentioned at the beginning, is street food that tastes amazing (I won’t get tired of saying it), is healthy (maybe not like a salad, but better than, say, a burger or even a club sandwich), and while simple, takes a bit of skill to prepare. I’m sure that along the way in this challenge I’ll find more dishes like this that challenge the belief that street food isn’t good.

Food heals the heart. I have no proof, but also no doubt that this is a universal law. When you want to celebrate something, you go out to eat or prepare something nice. When you’re sad, you eat something comforting. In Mexico we have a saying when something scary happens: “un bolillo pa’l susto 🥖”, which translates to “a bread roll for the fright.” So yeah… after a scare, we eat.

You get the point: when there are intense feelings, food is almost always present. This week has been a bit rough and I haven’t felt so great, and for me, not only does food make me feel better, but the whole process of cooking does too. So this advice, more than for my readers, is for future Max: whenever you’re feeling down, cook.

And lastly this is something we–I–often forget: you can’t get to perfection without some failure first.

I don’t know if it’s always been like this, but at least nowadays we live in a time where we want immediate success. We expect to be experts right away, and and we want everything to be perfect.

In this case, I thought this dish was easy and I was confident I’d nail it 100% in the first try. But my first three crepes were awful. They broke, the filling spilled out when I put them in the pan, and I had to use way more flour than expected because I added too much water. I may have said the F word a couple of times and started to get frustrated because things weren’t turning out the way I imagined.

But I kept adding flour and mixing. I changed the way I was flattening and folding the dough. The whole thing took me waaaaay longer than I expected. But in the end, I was happy with the result. My crepes were delicious and beautiful. And it was all worth it.

I often forget that I’m not an expert at everything, and that’s ok. I need patience and perseverance. And in the end, it’ll be good and worth it. When cooking. When working. When living.

You can’t have a perfect crepe without failing a couple of times first.

And with this, I’m ready to go back to Europe, because Andorra is waiting with another new dish.

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Albania 🇦🇱

2026-01-14T11:24:00.001-06:00

The clock keeps ticking, and it’s time to continue with the second country on the list; we now go from the Middle East to Southeast Europe: let’s explore Albania!

Country

Officially known as the Republic of Albania, it is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, within the Mediterranean Sea. And even though on the map it may look small –compared to its neighboring countries–it has a wide range of impressive landscapes and climates.

Since its independence in 1912, Albania has gone through several major political shifts, transitioning from a monarchy to a communist regime before becoming a sovereign parliamentary constitutional republic that it is today.

Cuisine

Albanian cuisine is very much Mediterranean at its core, with olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and fish playing a central role.

The cooking traditions of the Albanian people are diverse, thanks to environmental conditions that make it ideal to cultivate nearly every kind of herb, vegetable, and fruit. Olive oil, in particular, is the oldest and most commonly used vegetable fat in Albanian cooking, produced since ancient times throughout the country, especially along the coasts.

Chosen Dish

This time, I went directly for the national dish of Albania: Tavë kosi. It’s a simple recipe of baked lamb and yogurt with rice, seasoned with oregano and garlic. The recipe originates from the Albanian city of Elbasan, and because of this, it is also known as Tavë Elbasani.

Ingredients

For the lamb:

600g Diced Lamb

20g Butter

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

70g Rice

2 Tsp Oregano

450ml (~2 cups) Water

2 Cloves Diced Garlic

Salt

Pepper

For the roux:

50g Butter

2 Tbsp Flour

For the yogurt cover:

750g Greek Yogurt

6 Eggs

Salt

Pepper

Getting Ready

I chose this dish in part because it’s such a representative dish of the country; because it’s not hard to prepare; and because I still had lamb left over from my Afghanistan dish and I didn’t want to throw away anything that could still be useful.

And if you read my last post you know I had trouble deboning my lamb. Well… that’s a problem no more!

My girlfriend saw my struggle and bought me a Japanese boning knife, so this was the perfect moment to put it to the test (spoiler alert: it’s awesome!).

Prerequisites

For this dish, there are no essential prerequisites. Just make sure that if your lamb is not yet cut into small cubes, this is the moment to do it, since it’s used right away.

Preparation

1. Melt the butter and add the oil to a pan.

2. Once everything is melted and warm, add the lamb. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it’s browned on all sides

3. Add the garlic, oregano, 300 ml of water, salt, and pepper. Stir, cover, and let it cook for 50 minutes. Stir every now and then to make sure the meat doesn’t stick to the pan.

4. By now, most of the water should have evaporated. Add another 150 ml of water, then add the rice, stir, and cover again. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until all water has evaporated.

5. Once the rice is cooked and no water is left in the pan, transfer the meat to a deep ovenproof dish or pan. Spread the meat evenly across the bottom and leave at least 2 inches (5 cm) of space on top for the yogurt cover.

Time to make the roux!

6. In a small pan, add the butter and, as soon as it starts to melt, add the flour. Keep everything over medium heat and keep mixing continuously for about 2 minutes to make sure it combines well and cooks evenly. Once ready, set it aside in a small bowl.

(Since it was my first time making a roux, I used this video as a visual guide.)

Yogurt cover!

7. In a bowl, add the eggs, yogurt, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

8. Add the roux and keep mixing quickly for about 2 minutes to make sure everything is well incorporated.

9. Pour the yogurt mixture over the meat and spread it evenly. Sprinkle a little oregano on top.

10. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes at 185ºC (365ºF).

11. The dish is ready when the top has risen slightly and formed a golden-brown crust. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

The Result

I have to be absolutely honest and say that it wasn’t perfect. But that’s not a bad thing, because with 197 dishes on the line, it was bound to happen sooner or later. My crust didn’t rise much, and the golden-brown color on my crust was barely noticeable, even though I turned the heat up. In the end, I took the pot out of the oven because I didn’t want to burn the rice or overly dehydrate the meat. Still, I’m not entirely sure what went wrong here.

But… that was the only fail! Other than that, it has an amazing color, and the smell of oregano is strong and unmistakably European.

As for salt–well, that’s still something I need to improve. It’s better than last time, but not quite there yet 🧂.

The meat was fantastic! It was even softer than in the mastawa dish, and I feel kinda proud about that.

What Did I Learn?

How to make a roux! Heck… let’s take a step back: I learned what is a roux actually is. Before this dish, I didn’t know what it was or what it was used for. The recipe I followed included instructions on how to make it, but I still searched on YouTube for a visual guide to make sure I was doing it the right way. And while I’m confident about how it turned out, I’m not 100% sure it was perfect. Still, if it shows up in a future recipe, I will at least have some experience.

Another important thing I realized is that I need measuring cups and a kitchen scale. It’s easier to follow a recipe when it uses “cups” and “tablespoons/teaspoons”, but with this recipe–which utilizes grams and milliliters–I had to rely on my “I think that’s about right”. And I’m afraid that might have messed up my yogurt crust. Since I’m just starting, I’d better gear up, because dishes are going to keep coming. Recommendations are welcome!

And lastly, the importance of having a tidy kitchen at every stage of the cooking process. Before cooking, so I know where everything is and don’t waste time searching and moving things around. During cooking, so I only have what I need at hand, without mixing it with tools I won’t use anymore—and so I don’t end up with a million utensils to wash. And after, again, because at that point I just want to eat what I made, I’m already tired, and a tidy kitchen is a happy kitchen. Plus, my kitchen is very, very small, so every inch of real estate matters.

With this, dish number two is complete. I’m far, far–far–from over, and I just want to keep cooking. Next? Algeria!

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking The World: Afghanistan 🇦🇫

2026-01-08T12:05:00.002-06:00

The challenge is set, and after considering the possible ways to choose the countries, in order to avoid taste fatigue and have a better control over which country goes next and which one I’ve already done, I decided to go with the simple alphabetical order. That brings us to the first country on the list — and the challenge: Afghanistan.

The Country

Officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, it is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central and South Asia.

Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces, further divided into districts. Kabul is the country’s capital and largest city, and overall it has a population estimated to be between 40 and 50 million people.

Cuisine

Afghan cuisine is mainly based on mutton, beef, and poultry served with rice and Afghan bread. Accompanying these are common vegetables and dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and whey, as well as fresh and dried fruits like apples, apricots, grapes, bananas, oranges, plums, pomegranates, sweet melons, and raisins.

Chosen Dish

For this first country, after researching the most popular dishes, how easy or hard it is to get the ingredients, and whether it contains something I don’t like (that’s why I didn’t choose Kabuli Pulao — even when it’s the national dish, it has raisins, and I don’t like raisins 😆), I decided to go with Mastawa.

Mastawa is a rice dish cooked with lamb, yogurt, chickpeas, and a pinch of spices.

Ingredients

700g lamb on the bone, preferably shoulder
2-3 medium onions
2 tsp turmeric
1 cup short-grain rice
500 g natural yoghurt
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp of dried dill
1 tsp of ground black pepper
1 can of chickpeas
Salt to taste

Getting Ready

Luckily, all the ingredients for this first recipe were not hard to find. I have a meat store near me that can ship to my home, making it super easy to buy the lamb.

Different recipes recommend using either lamb or beef, but lamb is the one used most frequently — and the dish is better known to be made with lamb. For those recipes that do use lamb, they also recommend different cuts; I decided to go with lamb shoulder, on the bone, because it’s supposed to be tastier.

Most recipes use 700 grams (1.54 lb) of meat, but my store only had sealed packages, so I had no choice other than buying one. To my surprise when it arrived, the package was 2.2 kilograms (4.85 lb). Not a problem, but it is way more than I expected. I guess I’ll have to cook more than I planned, just doubling the quantities ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

As for the spices, such as dried dill and black pepper, and the vegetables, I found them in my local farmer’s market.

With everything ready, it’s now time to get my hands dirty!

Prerequisites

Wash and soak the chickpeas for at least 3 hours (if using raw/not canned, otherwise you can skip this step).
Wash and soak the rice for 2 hours.
If your lamb is not already cut, debone it and cut it into small cubes.

Preparation (The fun part!)

Add oil to a pot over medium heat.
Chop the onions and add them to the pot. Fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the lamb cubes to the pot.
Chop 3 garlic cloves, add them to the pot, stir, and let everything fry for 3 minutes.
Add 2 tsp of turmeric, stir, and let it fry for 2 more minutes.
Add 8 cups of water.
Add the chickpeas, the ground black pepper, and salt (about 1 tsp is recommended, but adjust as needed), and stir.
Cover the pot and let it cook on low heat for 1 hour, or until the meat is cooked and tender.
You’ll know the meat is ready when it can easily come off the bone with your bare hands and little effort. At this point, add the rice and, if necessary, one more cup of water.
Let it cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat.
Add the dill and, if necessary, more salt.
At this point, you can either add the yogurt and carefully stir, or serve the dish with the yogurt on the side — sprinkled with dill.

The Result

The whole process took me about an hour and 40 minutes because I had to cut the lamb and deal with a minor issue with my stove, but overall it was fast and way easier than I thought.

And this is the final result:

As for the taste? I’ve been to Morocco, and my girlfriend has also been to Morocco and Egypt, so we know what Arabic food tastes like. And I’m happy — and extremely proud — to say that this first dish really does taste Arabic and foreign.

The flavor and texture of the lamb transported us back to our trip, and the smell of the spices was unmistakable. The turmeric, pepper, and dried dill are key to unlocking that Middle Eastern flavor. And while it took one hour for my lamb to be ready, as stated by the recipe I followed, take as long as needed — just make sure your lamb is super soft, because that’s essential for the success of the dish.

This pot will last us for a couple of days because the one I used was big, and definitely used more than 700 g of meat — but that only makes me happier.

What Did I Learn?

Oh boy… I was sure I was going to learn things in this challenge, like new cooking techniques, but I didn’t expect lessons to start appearing from the very first dish — and to be so basic!

I learned how to properly cut and debone lamb, thanks to my girlfriend and her forensic background 😆. Before this, I’d never had the chance to work with lamb or meat on the bone — a skill I’ll most likely use repeatedly during the course of this challenge.

I also learned the importance of soaking chickpeas before cooking so they’re soft, especially since this time I used raw chickpeas instead of wet-canned ones, which I usually go for. If I hadn’t done this, they wouldn’t have been soft and would have degraded the final eating experience.

Another thing I’ve had issues with forever is that I don’t use enough salt. For this recipe, the recommended amount was 1 tablespoon of salt, with more added as necessary… well, it was necessary to add more. Even so, I still had to add salt after plating.
I’ve noticed that I tend to underuse salt — not only with this dish, but pretty much every time I cook. So this has to change from now on. I need to stop being afraid of using salt!

And finally, when cooking with spices: open the windows. I cooked around 7 p.m., and since it was a bit cold, I only had one door open — but it wasn’t enough. My girl and I ended up with a case of excessive sneezing, which was easily solved by ventilating the house 😆🤧. Better ventilate since the beginning.

This leaves me excited for the rest of the dishes, and I’m only beginning!

Coming up… Albania!

Follow @MXBS13

Cooking the World: Challenge

2026-01-02T15:55:00.011-06:00

New year! That means new ideas, new challenges, a white canvas, and lots of opportunities to learn and create. And this time, I’m aiming high because I’ve set a challenge for myself that I’ve had in mind for a while: cooking the world!

Let me explain. You know I love food. Sometimes I like going out and discovering restaurants, and other times I really enjoy cooking for myself and for my loved ones. So this time, what I want to do is cook one dish from every country in the world. That’s a total of — at least — 197 different dishes.

Why?

And I ask… why not?
I know I mostly write about restaurants I’ve been to, and I think I’ve only written once or twice about something I cooked myself 🤔, but I genuinely enjoy getting my hands dirty in the kitchen. I’ve also been watching a lot of cooking shows, and while most of the time it doesn’t look easy, it does look fun and delicious.
And lastly, I don’t want to focus in a single type of cuisine or style. I want to learn different techniques, use ingredients I’ve never used before, try flavors I’ve only seen or read about until now, and challenge myself to finish this and be consistent.

Strategy and Duration

With 197 countries in the world (193 UN members + 2 UN observers + Taiwan + Kosovo), that means I have a lot of cooking ahead of me. After thinking about how to choose the next country or dish, I decided the best option is to go alphabetically. I’m adding the full list of countries at the end of this post, but I’m starting with Afghanistan and going all the way to Zimbabwe.

So… how long is this going to take?
Honestly, I’m not sure, but most likely more than a year.
According to my math, I’d need to cook about two dishes per week to finish in two years. But I don’t know if I can always cook two dishes per week because, well… life happens ¯\(ツ)/¯. That said, sometimes I might be able to cook two dishes at once, or even three in the same week, depending on how challenging they are.

In the end, what really matters to me is completing the whole list, no matter how long it takes. I don’t want it to drag on forever, though — if I cooked only one dish per week, it would take me almost four years, and that feels like too much. For this challenge, I’m choosing quality — and especially consistency — over speed. So it’ll take as long as needed… but definitely less than four years.

Choosing the Dish

I’m hoping this is the easiest part of the whole challenge. I’ll choose each dish after researching the most popular and well-known foods from the country in turn, how difficult they are to prepare (meaning I don’t need specialized tools or wild techniques like digging holes in the ground to cook), and — very importantly — how easy it is to get the ingredients.

If I’m doing this, I want to do it right, following recipes as they’re traditionally made in each country, not my own interpretation or what I’d like it to have. That said, recommendations are more than welcome.

Documenting the Journey

I’ll document the whole experience: getting the ingredients, the cooking process, the final dish, and the score given by my judges (aka my girlfriend, family, and whoever wants to stop by for a good meal and a good time).

And yes — there will be pictures.

And what happens after I finish the challenge?
Again… I don’t know ¯\(ツ)/¯
We’ll see when the time comes. For now, it’s time to gather my list of countries, check tons of recipes, and start hunting for ingredients around my city.

Please join me in this culinary adventure! I’d love to read your comments, recommendations, and words of wisdom.

Here’s the list of countries:

A
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Andorra
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan

B
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi

C
Cabo Verde
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Republic of the
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechia

D
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic

E
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Eswatini
Ethiopia

F
Fiji
Finland
France

G
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana

H
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary

I
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy

J
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan

K
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan

L
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg

M
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar

N
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
North Macedonia
Norway

O
Oman

P
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal

Q
Qatar

R
Romania
Russia
Rwanda

S
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Korea
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria

T
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu

U
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
United Kingdom (UK)
United States of America (USA)
Uruguay
Uzbekistan

V
Vanuatu
Vatican City (Holy See)
Venezuela
Vietnam

Y
Yemen

Z
Zambia
Zimbabwe

You can follow along my spreadsheet tracker in here.

And without further ado… let’s start with Afghanistan!

Follow @MXBS13

(The list of countries comes from Countries-ofthe-World.com )

One Slurp In… Yep, Instant Fav

2025-12-17T10:38:00.028-06:00

This time I'm in the Big Apple! A city that is wild, crowded, diverse as hell, and honestly… that’s the charm.

I'm lucky to be able to visit NYC🍎 at least twice a year, and since these are business trips, most of the expenses are covered by my company — including meals. So of course I take this opportunity to go out and explore restaurants and try as much food as possible (as allowed by budget 😜). Thanks to this I've had the classic hot dogs in Central Park, burgers, burritos, NY-style pizza (ooooooobviously), sweet treats (might actually do a post about one of my favs 🤔), sandwiches, Chinese… and I'm waiting patiently for next trip to keep on trying more — and maybe repeat a couple favs.
But for now let's focus on the current trip, my forth in a little over a year and I still have places to discover, and this time a restaurant came highly recommended by one of my teammates.
I'm actually surprised that I've never heard of this place before because it's really popular and apparently a culinary experience brought all the way from Japan to the middle of Manhattan (or Brooklyn, depending the location you visit).

The place

The restaurant is called Ichiran, and it originated in Japan, where it has 18 locations. In the US, it has three — all in New York: one in Brooklyn and two in Manhattan. One is near Times Square, and the second — the one I visited — is in Midtown, just a couple of blocks away from the Empire State Building. So my experience comes from this location, although from what I’ve read, the experience is pretty much the same everywhere.

This restaurant is often referred to as "every introvert's dream", and as an introvert myself, I can confirm this. The whole place is built around the concept of solo dining, but it's also perfectly okay to bring a date or a friend and sit in side-by-side booths. The host at the entrance makes sure to seat you together.
But in this case, I went alone.

Although it has a little over 40 booths, the restaurant is not very big; the booths are placed next to each other in a couple of rows, with the "kitchen" in the middle. That's why the queue — something I didn’t expect — forms outside on the curb. If you go, like me, in December when it's cold AF, or around May when it's rainy, you'd better bring a coat or umbrella because the lines can be long, and the wait anywhere from 5 to 35 minutes. But believe me… 👉 IT'S WORTH IT 👈.

I waited about 15 minutes, but once inside it's warm and the prize awaits.

The Menu

Once you enter, the first thing you do is order and pay using the tablets at the counter. Ichiran runs on a "order > pay > eat > go" system… and I kinda like it.

If you come to this place, you come for one thing: Ramen.

Using the tablet, you choose the kind of ramen you want: the classic tonkotsu ramen, veggie ramen (vegetarian), or a kids ramen (a smaller bowl). It shows the suggested preparation: medium dashi flavoring, medium richness (basically the ab oil content), medium or level one "spicy sauce," and medium-textured noodles. But all of this can be customized right there to be lighter or richer .

You also choose the desired toppings—seaweed, mushrooms, scallions, chashu, and soft boiled egg — as well as noodle refills, sides like a bowl of rice, desserts and beverages.

After selecting everything, you pay and get a ticket. Then you wait a couple more minutes to be shown to your booth. I was seated in booth 24.

Once in your booth, there's a little "window" in the front that opens when a server takes your ticket and brings your order. You never see their face — just their hands. According to Ichiran, "this creates a sense of mystery that enhances the flavors of the food." After they serve your bowl and extras, the window closes and only opens again if you call for assistance or once you leave so they can clean. So you're left alone in your booth to enjoy your meal.

The Dish

Well, it's obvious I ordered ramen ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Specifically I ordered the classic tonkotsu ramen with the recommended toppings and preparation.

This is how it’s served.
From that moment the experience begins: you take in the smell and warmth, peel the egg, add the toppings… and the next and last step: bon appétit — or more accurately, どうぞお楽しみください！ (bon appétit in Japanese 😜, pronounced “dōzo o tanoshimi kudasai!”… if Google Translate isn’t lying).

I like ramen, but it's been hard to find a really good restaurant. I don’t know if ramen is difficult to prepare or if I’ve just had bad luck, but the places I’ve tried haven’t been great.
There's one I really like in Mexico City, but I have to be completely honest: while it's delicious and a personal favorite, it definitely has that latin touch — they offer at least six types of ramen, some with lime, some spicy, and the way they prepare the meats it's not 100% Japanese style. I love it, but it's not actually the real deal.

But after my first spoonful of broth and noodles at Ichiran, I realized two things in that exact moment:

That's the real deal
Instant fav

I went with the recommended preparation because, well, it's recommended for something, they know what they're doing and if the chef that's the best way to enjoy it, I have nothing to argue against that.
The verdict: it was perfect! If anything next time I'd add a bit more spiciness, but that's purely a personal preference — remember, I'm Mexican 🌶️. Other than that the broth was perfect, the noodles had a nice tenderness, and the toppings make the whole thing a party of flavors. And with the cold of the season it was perfect to warm me, it felt like a hug from the inside out.
I wish I had ordered a noddle refill for a couple reasons. First, because it was so delicious I didn't want it to end. Second, because for first-timers it's actually recommended "to sample different noodle textures in one sitting"; this because the noodles get more tender by the second absorbing the broth, changing both the flavor and texture. Good thing to know for the next time.

Closing

It's not a fancy restaurant, and the menu is not extensive. In fact if you go to Ichiran you absolutely know what you want and what you will order. But like I said a couple of lines above — and trust me — it's absolutely worth it!

Next time I go back to New York, it’s a serious candidate for a repeat visit… or a must-go if I’m taking someone with me.

As for the price, it's not exactly cheap, but it's not super expensive either, and still worth it. For my ramen and a soda, I paid $37.02 including tax. Oh, and another curious thing: the restaurant doesn't accept tips, so you pay the marked price on the menu, tax, and that's it. I really hope the staff is well paid because it's a popular place.

Until the next dish 👋

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Bem vindo ao Brasil, o que você quer pedir?

2024-08-06T14:57:00.001-06:00

It seems like I write in here once every few years. At this point, I will not deny it; it’s been ages since the last entry! Will this change? Maybe. Maybe not.

But this time, I felt the need to write for a while about my experience and some delicious food I’ve tried recently.

Context: I’m in São Paulo, Brazil. My company sent me for training/learning/meeting the team. To be honest, I don’t really know why they sent me as I didn’t have a specific task or agenda. But who cares? It’s an all-paid 1-week trip to another country! Who says no to that? Not me, definitely.

This is my first trip to South America, and also my first long-haul flight. Everything’s fine, as I mentioned, all-paid for, and I’m excited and ready to get to know this new country and culture.

One thing though… I don’t speak Portuguese beyond “obrigado” (thank you) and “tudo bem” (everything alright). How am I going to survive? I have one week to discover that.

My flight arrived on Saturday at 7 a.m. The initial shock is that the airport signs and ads are all in Portuguese, but being a tourist site, of course, it has English translations. Not that bad… yet.

When I got to customs, the officer never spoke to me or raised his sight to see me; he just took my passport, stamped it, and let me through.

Once I stepped outside the terminal and to the street, things started to get a bit more complicated; now I had to hail an Uber to get to my hotel. And for added security, I had this option for the driver to request a PIN number to verify my identity. Luckily, before the flight, I quickly reviewed how to pronounce numbers, and thankfully, they’re similar to Spanish; but then he proceeded to say something I can only assume it was the address to confirm it was correct, because of the whole sentence he said, I only caught one word, and it was the name of the street; so after a shy “sí”, I was on my way to the hotel.

After an hour of car travel and being amazed by everything surrounding me, I got to the hotel where somebody spoke Spanish, kind of broken, but Spanish. The problem is that it was 9 a.m. and my room was still not ready. And worse, after a 9-hour flight and a 1-hour drive, I was starving! But also scared because I honestly don’t know how to communicate.

But hunger is stronger than any other feeling.

After a quick Google Maps search, I decided to leave my luggage in storage and head to a small local place a couple of blocks away and try my luck… and local cuisine.

The place

It’s called “Novo Sabor 2 Lanchonete” (New Flavour 2 Cafeteria). Located in Av. Santo Amaro, 341 - Vila Nova Conceição, São Paulo - SP, 04505-000

I was drawn to it by the pictures I saw online, and honestly, I was kind of disappointed when I saw the menu and nothing that I had seen online was in there. However, I was hungry and already there. I could not understand more than half of the menu, but still.

The dish

It took me over ten minutes to decide and constantly checking Google Translate and Google Lens, but at the end I found something I wanted to try: a “beirute com presunto, queijo e ovo” (beirute with jam, cheese and egg). And to drink, a traditional zuco de açai (açai juice).

What is a beirute? I discovered it in that moment.

As you can see in the picture, it is not a complicated dish. The beirute is a Brazilian sandwich hailing from São Paulo and it’s influenced by Levantine cuisine. It is made with “pão sírio” (Syrian bread or pita bread), and the filling always goes in between two pieces of the bread, not into the pocket.

Originally, it was stuffed with roast beef and vegetables, but nowadays it is prepared with various other fillings, like mine.

In this case, it has lots of ham, cheese, a fried egg, homemade mayonnaise, and a herb and spices mixture.

For breakfast, it tastes great, and it’s not complicated to either prepare or find to order.

The flavours that stood out for me were the mayo and the ham. At this point, I don’t know if Brazilian food tends to be more salty and spiced, but at least these two ingredients were. And not salty in a bad way, that I couldn’t enjoy them. No, I mean it in a way that it’s a flavour not as light or tending to be more sweet like Mexican mayo.

This contrast of flavours made me even more aware I was far away from home and ready to try more food!

Now, you can’t have breakfast without something to drink! And what better than a zuco de açai (açai juice)?

Pronounced ah-sigh-EE, they are berries that look a lot like grapes, and their flesh and skin are packed with plenty of vitamins and other nutrients. They’re in fact known as a superfood because of all its benefits.

Not a bad start for a whole week ahead of me.

After a nice, warm, and filling breakfast, I went back to my hotel and was able to finally check in, get a room, and sleep for a while before heading out for more food and adventures. But those are stories for a new entry!

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September calls for a chile!

2021-09-21T01:20:00.005-05:00

September is an important month in Mexico because it’s when Mexican Independence is celebrated, and while this happens only on September 16th, the whole month is full of typical food and dishes available only in this period. For example the famous “Chile en Nogada”.

What is a chile en nogada?

Yeah… it’s no secret that we, Mexican love chiles, and this one is amazing.

It basically is a poblano chile stuffed with picadillo topped with a walnut-based creamy sauce called nogada (hence the name) and pomegranate seeds.

What is picadillo? Another Spanish word for another dish, made of shredded meat, aromatics, fruits and spices.

All this together make up the perfect chile en nogada.

This is in general words what it is, you can always search for a recipe online to see what exactly has, and maybe try to prepare one.

Or… you can search for a place that prepares chiles en nogada just like I did this weekend.

The Place

Searching online we found this place called “Casa Tijuana Project” near Tijuana’s soccer stadium.

It is a small place, which feels more like a home because of how small it is and the cozy decoration.

I liked how every table was different from one another.

The menu is not too big. It is actually simple, but creative and from what I read, it keeps changing through the seasons.

This time we were seated on the newly renovated second floor.

The Dish

Obviously, I had chile en nogada as the main dish, but before I get to that, I first got a soup I’ve been craving for a while.

I ordered a Mexican noodle soup or sopa de fideos in Spanish.

This is also a classic Mexican dish and every Abuela knows how to make it. It’s just the pasta in a tomato and chipotle broth, and this version also had northern potatoes and a piece of dry meat.

It did not disappoint me.

And the star of the evening:

Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this recipe is not hard, but it’s tricky due to the ingredients for the picadillo inside the chile, and those to make the sauce.

It also takes skill to prepare the inside of the chile so it is not spicy.

I can confidently say this Chile was perfect. It wasn't spicy at all, the stuffing had the right ingredients, the sauce on top was sweet and not too liquid. And the best, the size was more than perfect, in fact, it was bigger than expected.

While I arrived at this place because I was searching specifically for a chile en nogada, my experience was great and delicious that it left me wanting to come back and try something else, because sadly the chile en nogada was a season special dish and last Sunday was the last day available in the menu for this year.

But the rest of the menu certainly looks amazing…

Fun fact: this dish is tied to the independence of Mexico since it is said they were prepared for the first time to entertain the future emperor Agustín de Iturbide when he arrived to Puebla after the signing of the Treaty of Córdoba.

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Jumping the border!

2021-08-16T17:37:00.011-05:00

When it is mentioned that someone is jumping the border the first image that comes to mind is somebody trying to cross from Mexico to the US, but not in this case, it is the opposite.

I lived in San Diego for almost a decade, and I loved every moment of it. But life changes and I had to go back to Mexico… luckily I didn't have to go far. I simply crossed the border and I am now in Tijuana.

Although I am not new to the region, I don't know much in Tijuana, even when I lived that close for years. But something I know for a fact is that Tijuana is the city where you can find the best food in all of Mexico. The mission now is to find it ;).

The Place

I'm starting with a recommendation. It arrived to me through TikTok and a co-worker mentioned the place. I saw part of the menu and it got me intrigued.

This place is called "El Rooster - Tijuana Food Joint" and as you'd expect they serve mainly chicken. Well, dishes with chicken as the main ingredient… but I'll go into that in a sec.

It is located in a new plaza next to the airport in the Otay area. There is plenty of parking, so no problem there, but the place per se is small.

It has 4 small tables on the inside, and one large shared table on the outside.

Upon arriving they'll ask you if you want to wait for an indoor table, and they'll give you a call as soon as one is available, or if you prefer the outdoor bar. This time, we were sat at the outdoor table.

The Menu

As I mentioned a couple lines above, the main ingredient is chicken. You can find wings, chicken strips, nuggets, boneless, and three kinds of burgers: regular breaded chicken, spicy, and cordon bleu.

There is also a waffle sandwich, which is a chicken breast with cheese, an egg and bacon in the middle of two waffles.

If you want something else other than chicken you can find a pulled pork BQQ sandwich, or the classic beef burger, single or double.

Obviously, they have fries. Cheese fries or BBQ fries.

No place is complete without fries <3.

The menu also offers a burger box, which is a box with one burger of each available in the menu. And a sampler box which includes a bit of everything.

As complements, they have mac and cheese with bacon, and flaming balls, which are mac and cheese balls, but breaded with flaming hot Cheetos… yeah, I'm coming to this.

And to drink, you can order a soda or the special pink lemonade they prepare there.

I strongly suggest you get the lemonade. Personally, I loved it.

What I ordered

I love spicy food, and I love Cheetos. I don't think anyone is surprised to know I ordered a spicy chicken burger and the flaming balls.

The burger, oh yeah it's spicy, the chicken is tender and juicy, comes with pickles, cheese and cabbage salad. And if it wasn't spicy enough, it also includes spicy sauce. Be warned, this burger while delicious, is very spicy 🔥🔥.

Coming back to the flaming balls, again, as I mentioned they are fried mac and cheese balls. If you haven't tried them or seen them, it's literally a fried ball, and when you bite it's all mac and cheese. It's a simple dish.

What makes them different is the fried outside which is done with Cheetos flaming hot. Not much to explain here, better if you take a look:

Warning, they're also spicy, but as spicy as the Cheetos are. And, as you can see they're served with Cheetos.

The order has 5 balls which make it perfect to share with at least two people.

My girl ordered the cordon bleu burger which is not complex either, it's a cordon bleu chicken breast between bread, pickles and cabbage salad.

A nice touch we didn't expect is that they throw two chicken wings as sides.

And finally the lemonade, pink lemonade. I can't express enough how much I loved it. We both loved it. It has the perfect combination of sweetness and sourness. It's made in the restaurant ensuring it is not a regular Minute Maid beverage, and it's always fresh.

I'm seriously thinking of going back with my half-gallon bottle to get it filled with lemonade before I head to work 🤔.

Experience

The food was great and fresh. It's vast and well-served, with great quality overall. But I also need to mention the service.

You go to the bar to order and pay, and go back to your table, but the waiters around the place are incredible.

As you'd expect they're asking if you need something else if the food is tasty and ready to help if you require it, but the difference is felt with their attitude, and little details when talking to you or bringing your order, how they make you feel. They even threw an order of mac and cheese with bacon as a courtesy.

A curious thing is that they do not accept tips, they tell you it's their job to make you feel welcome and comfortable, and instead, encourage you to drop a like in their Facebook Page or a follow in their Instagram account.

That's why I make this distinction, great food, great service. What else can you ask for?

Oh, and one more thing to take into account: I don't know if that's how they work regularly or their machine wasn't working, but take cash with you! They don't accept cards… or at least this weekend I went they weren't accepting cards.

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All aboard!!

2021-08-09T21:12:00.020-05:00

I had to make a quick stop at Mexico City and Instagram knew exactly where to send me. Well, it didn’t exactly show me, but it showed my girl and she knows those things that make me easily excited.

By now you should know I love food, and I hope this is the same reason why you read me. But sometimes the place is as exciting as the food served in that place. This time I was more excited for the place than the food, but it was equally delicious.

The place

Located inside “Parque Interlomas” in State of Mexico, we have “Train Bistro”, and as you may imagine from the name, the theme is all about trains!

According to the webpage description, it has the looks of a train station from Europe in the 40s. The whole thing feels as if you were inside a train station, the seats resemble train station benches, some tables made out of luggage. But this isn’t the best part.

What makes this restaurant so cool, and unique in the whole American continent is that it has several computer-controlled trains that go from the kitchen, stretch throughout the whole restaurant, there are five bridges, and the tracks end at each table. Yes, the trains deliver the food.

With that single sentence I was sold and I had the urge to go.

How it works?

There are still waiters in the place, but they will take your order, occasionally ask how everything’s going, and bring those things that a train can’t deliver. Other than that, once you choose what you want to drink and your meal, it’s only a matter of waiting for the train to arrive. It automatically stops at your table, and once everybody takes their dish/drink, it slowly backs up and returns to the kitchen.

What about the food?

The restaurant defines the style as casual gourmet, which basically means: the food you can find in any other regular restaurant, just presented nicely.
For example, for breakfasts, it offers the classics: fruits bowls, pancakes, chilaquiles, enchiladas, bagels, and eggs. For entries, potatoes in different forms, soups and creams, and salads. For the main dish, they have pizzas, sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs.

So, nothing extraordinary or something you may not expect, but still, it’s nicely presented, it has great flavour and feels fresh… and come on, it arrives on a train!

You can check the full menu on their webpage.

What did I have?

This visit we had the “Cubos Mikado” to start, which are a mix of breaded cheeses chipotle mayo and carrots. And as the main dish, I ordered a pulled pork sandwich. And for dessert, a cinnamon roll which comes with red fruits and a chocolate bunny.

Again, nothing too fancy, but it was tasty and fresh. The meat in my sandwich was soft as you might expect from pulled pork.

This place is not really for trying something different, it’s about having a nice experience. I loved the theme and was fascinated by the trains running across the whole place carrying drinks and food, so if you have kids they’ll love this place 100%.

And of course, you can buy train sets before you leave.

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Peanut butter and… beer?

2021-06-30T22:05:00.001-05:00

You read that right. Peanut butter and beer. Well… more like, peanut butter flavoured beer.

Let me explain.

Before anything else, sorry for being away for months, but the pandemic does not allow going out and explore new places, and there have been a lot of changes around me recently ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

But worry not this blog is not dead, and definitely, ~~thankfully~~ I'm not dead either.

But now that vaccines are rolling out and life seems to slowly get back to "normal", I took a trip to an old favourite BBQ restaurant with my girl.

I like this place because it has the basic BBQ dishes: ribs, pulled pork, BBQ chicken, loaded baked potato…

But today I'm not going to talk about this restaurant or the food.

My girl has built-in like a peanut detector. Saying she loves peanuts is an understatement, and somehow she found the only bottle which read "peanut butter" in a fridge full of different labels and cans, all local and imported beers.

Not gonna lie, the concept looked interesting but we didn't know what to expect.

It does not feel like you're drinking peanut butter. For that matter open a jar of PB and take a spoonful.

That being said, if you like peanuts and PB, you'll love it.

How can I describe it? 🤔🤔

The first thing you taste is the bitterness of beer, a stout dark beer. And then you feel the clear notes of peanut butter.

It is not sweet, obviously, but it leaves a pleasant taste.

I know there are beer purists who do not like combinations like this, and that's ok. I respect you, so pass on this post.

But for the rest who might find this interesting here are the details:

The Brewery: 🍻

Inspecting the label, the company behind this amazing combination is "Belching Beaver" and it is located in Oceanside, CA.

It has 4 locations in San Diego, the main brewery located in Oceanside; a pub called "Pub980" which I'd love to go to; a tasting room in Northpark; and a Tavern&Grill.

All those locations serve Belching Beaver creations.

Beers: 🍺

As of today, I've drunk only the Peanut Butter Milk Stout. And according to the label and their website, this is the beer that put them on the map.

This beer has competed and won in different competitions since 2014.

But this isn't the only option.

They offer a nitro version of the Peanut Butter Milk Stout, which if you don't know what it is, a nitro beer contains 70% nitrogen and 30% carbon dioxide, generating cascading effects and smooth carbonation you can't develop in regular carbon dioxide beer.

Haven't had this one, but should have the same flavour but smoother bubbles.

There is another option, which I'm very much interested in trying. It's called "Viva La Beaver" and its description says it is loaded with notes of creamy peanut butter, cinnamon, Mexican chocolate and coffee.

This one is recommended as a dessert beer (the first time I hear of this term).

There are other more traditional, or should I say, more Californian beer styles like IPAs and Pale Ales, mango or honey wheat flavoured.

And for those looking for lighter drinks, they also have a collection of fruit-flavoured hard seltzers.

The complete list of what they offer, more pictures, and descriptions can be found on their website.

Where to buy?

As long as you are in California, it is not hard to get a pack because they offer delivery straight from their webpage.

If you're outside California or prefer to pick a pack by yourself you can also use the Brew Finder.

This beer is something I did not expect but became one of my favourites.

Definitely, something you can only find in weird Sunny California!

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Round piece of heaven

2020-07-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

I am not visiting as many places as I would like to, because you know, we are still in the middle of a pandemic ~~stay home!~~
But there was once place I've been craving for a while, and sadly I am not in the Uber Eats service area, so I had to mask up, and go early.
I've known this place for a few years, and I love its desserts.

The Place

It's called "Donut Bar", and it is not hard to guess what they sell.
In case you didn't catch it, they sell donuts. But it's Donut BAR because on weekends they also serve… beer. At least in the primary location.
The original and first location is in San Diego's downtown:

Then they opened the second one in Las Vegas, and recently the owner opened the concept to franchise it, so in the last year and a half, more or less, they opened 5 new locations, which you can see on their website.

Today I went to the one in Eastlake, Chula Vista, because it's the closest to me.

All locations open every day: Monday thru Friday at 7am, weekends at 8am. They close supposedly at 2pm, but actually close when they are sold out, which happens before noon.
On weekends they open again in the evening, they call it the encore, to offer more donuts and the beer bar (at least in the Downtown location).

This place has become famous over the years because of all the flavours they offer. Check some of their Instagram photos:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑 🥇 (@donutbar) on Jul 9, 2020 at 3:48pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑 🥇 (@donutbar) on Jun 24, 2020 at 7:53am PDT

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A post shared by 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑 🥇 (@donutbar) on May 25, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

My all-time favourite is the maple-bacon one:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐓 𝐁𝐀𝐑 🥇 (@donutbar) on Jul 5, 2020 at 8:14am PDT

You can see a lot more deliciousness on their official Instagram page.

The Chosen donut…s

This time I was welcomed by a new one I haven't seen before. The apple crumble donut with bacon 🤤🥓

The bread genuinely tasted like apple and cinnamon. It has bits of apple complementing the experience, and of course, bacon on top (life's always better with bacon!).

And took a second donut for tomorrow's breakfast… or tonight's dinner, depending on my will power.
This is the "Homer" because it looks like the iconic donut from "The Simpsons":

What makes these donuts great are a couple of things. The size, they are enormous, they're a bit bigger than my hand and trust me, I have no princess's hands.
Their freshness, all donuts are prepared the same day in the morning, and they sell out every day. It is guaranteed you will eat a fresh, recently made, thick but soft donut every time you go.
And even when you see a lot of colours and decorations, they're not overly sweet. Obviously, they're sweet, but in the right amount. They do not come close to how sweet are the, for example, Krispy Kreme ones. Those are sugar with some bread.
These have a perfect balance.
Except the one filled with whipped cream… can't defend that one. But even that one has fresh strawberries, so it's not bad at all.

These are my favourite donuts in the world, and everyone who I've taken there shares my opinion.
A few copies have popped out, but they come nothing close to the original. If there's one location near you, you must try them. And better go in the morning because they really sell out fast.

This place has an 11 out of 10. Easily.

Stay safe and remember to stay home if you don't need to go out.

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Fries? Yeah! Buddha fries

2020-05-31T23:28:00.003-05:00

Another weekend of not going out. After all this time I should be eager to go out... but honestly I’m very happy at home. Not working, not dealing with anybody... just me, my bed, and Silicon Valley’s last season.

With this plans, obviously I’m not cooking today. In the morning I barely had enough strength to make a quesadilla for breakfast. Dinner? Nope, that’s too much.

By now, I know almost all the restaurants near home, and the fact that I wasn’t sure what I wanted to have did not make the search easier. I just needed sustenance.

After browsing Uber Eats for a while, I found a dish that caught my eye, from a place I hadn’t notice before.

The Place

Remember the “torta” entry where I mentioned how Uber Eats showed one thing, but Maps showed another? (if not, you can read that entry here).
Well, something similar happened with this place.

According to Uber Eats the place is called “MJ’s Fusion Deli”, but according to their receipt it’s 805 South Burrito 🤔.
But I’m going with the first one because this time it does appear in the map as “MJ’s Fusion Deli”.

Again, can’t talk about the place because it’s closed for dine-in. I can say that, from what I see in the pictures it’s not fancy. You order, and sit (or take-out because pandemic).
And as you can see from the map above, it’s practically in front of a Collage, so it’s gotta be popular among students.

The Dish

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but this caught my eye.
It’s called “Buddha Fries”. By now you should now I love fries and potatoes. I may even have a serious problem with potatoes. So, the word fries got my curiosity. What got my attention were the rest of the ingredients:

It comes with fries, of course, two eggs, two meats to choose, cheese, Asian salad, house sauces, and seaweed sesame seeds. For an extra bucks you can add shrimp and make you fries Cajun style.
For my order I went with regular fries, spicy red chilli pork, and MJ’s special chicken. Eggs, scrambled of course.
This seemed to be no ordinary “carne asada fries”. This is what I got:

I have to admit the portion is generous indeed. Also, I find awesome that there’s more meat than fries.
You know I love fries, but usually these kind of dishes have fries and some meat. With this one, it’s meat and some fries. That’s great value for my money.

As you can see, there’s salad at the very top, both meats are evenly distributed, the eggs are in the back corner, and the fries are at the bottom, which improve their flavour because of the juice the meats drip.

Now, final verdict: it’s ok. It was something different and I appreciate that. I might even order again, but with different meats to mix up things. I also think it’s a nice mix between American food and Asian cuisine. But at the end it’s fast easy food. Its location is perfect, because it’s great for busy students. A quick, not expensive, well-served meal. And for lazy weekends, it was great.

I know these are hard times, but it’s cool to order from your local restaurants every once in a while. We are all in this together, and if we don’t spend locally, our communities will have a much harder time than it is right now.
Plus, it’s always cool to try new dishes. You could find a hidden gem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

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Rajitas against boredom!

2020-05-24T15:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being away for so long, but as you know, these are strange times.

On the one hand, all restaurants here in San Diego remain with heavy restrictions, and not all offer delivery. Actually, one of my favourite restaurants is entirely closed, no takeout nor delivery. On the other hand, I’m still working at my office; due to the nature of my work, I could not do home-office. Well… the celestial court decided against it, but I’m not going into that discussion. Worry not, I’m taking my precautions, and after work, I head directly to home.

Therefore, I’ve had few chances to continue writing. I haven’t tried new restaurants, or I order my favourites from my regular restaurants, and the point of this blog is to explore new places and dishes, and at this moment it’s kinda tricky.

I also don’t have enough time to cook elaborate stuff. For my lunch, I usually do quick and easy stuff. Sometimes I even cheat a little and buy pre-cooked food ready to just heat.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy cooking. This is why this weekend I set myself the mission to prepare something good.

What you will need

I’ve been craving some rajas con queso for a while, so, why not do them myself? They’re delicious and easy to prepare. And yeah, it's a Mexican dish.

Just a side note before I continue: I’m working with what I currently have. If you search for other recipes or pics, you’ll see them differently. Still, while I know the recipe I used today is not perfect and definitely not the classic one, it distracted me for a while, and it was delicious.

That being said, the essential ingredients are:

Chile Poblano
Onion
Garlic
Cheese
Cream
Corn

Chilito poblano 👌

That’s it! Nothing too hard to find. Unfortunately, I do not have corn or cream, but it’s still a pretty tasty dish.

Hands-on!

The first step is to roast the chiles. Make sure not to overburn them, but the whole surface needs to be well roasted.

The next step is crucial: Once they’re entirely roasted wrap them in a towel and put them inside a closed plastic bag for at least 10 minutes. This is for the chiles to “sweat”, and it will then be easier to peel the outer skin.

Note: Sure, you can make the rajas without peeling them, a coworker of mine does it like this, but trust me, peeling them make them way better.

After roughly 10 minutes, you can take them out of the bag and peel them completely.

Once ready, it’s moment to cut them into rajas! “Rajas” translates to slices (that’s why it’s rajas con queso, it literally means slices [of chile] with cheese). In this step, you should also cut the onion in smaller slices. Again, in my case, I don’t have fresh onions, so I had to use dehydrated chopped onions, not ideal, but better than nothing.

Once it’s all cut, put the rajas, onions, garlic, and corn along with a bit of olive oil, and salt it as desired on a skillet. All vegetables need to be fully cooked before you add the cream and/or cheese.

Once the rajas are tender, lower the heat and add the cream. Stir until it’s well blended, and finally turn off the heat and add the cheese. The recommended cheeses are asadero, Oaxaca, manchego or jack. Your choice. Today, I used jack cheese. Again, stir until it’s blended.

And now the best part… serve and enjoy!

Conclusion

During these times, if you don’t have much to do, take a moment to cook something, it can be relaxing and/or can be a new skill. Like this, there are tons of easy and delicious recipes to try. You can even create something new.
Don’t worry about the result. I have to admit that at first, I thought to skip this entry because I didn’t have all the ingredients and does not look like the traditional rajas con crema y queso. But I really enjoyed the process, it definitely looks tasty, and yeah, it was. And I needed an excuse to write 😉.

Be safe, get creative, and Bon appetite!

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Torta: quarantine edition

2020-04-18T16:00:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but you know... can't go out right now. At least not to discover new restaurants and dishes.
Still, it's good to order delivery or take out to support local restaurants, and let's be real, there's a moment when you just don't want to cook for at least one day.
And that's why I did this week. I went to Uber Eats and searched for something other than burritos or fries.

The Place

The location of this place it's kinda confusing because it does not appear in Google Maps and does not have a webpage. But it obviously appears in Uber Eats.
It's called Buckaroo Foot Long Tortas, and it's in National City, CA.

It seems like it's two restaurants operating in the same location because if you search for the address, you get "Chamango"... but honestly, that doesn't matter as long as I get some good food and it's delicious.

As you can get out of the name, the main dish in this place are tortas. Most of them are the traditional ones, nothing too fancy.
For example, ham torta, chicken torta, turkey torta, even veggie torta.
Of course, they also offer other things but mainly to complement your torta, like fruit salad, regular salads, and esquites (more on that shortly).
For beverages, there are juices, smoothies, water and sodas. And that's pretty much it.
Sorry I can't talk about the location or the interior, but I didn't go this time.

The Dish

For a couple weeks I've been craving specifically for a milanesa torta. I couldn't do it at home because either I did not have the correct bread, or the supermarket was out of the beef required to prepare the milanesa (hate you all who are overstocking, it's just a health crisis, not the end of the world! ...yet), and then I found this place online! It had exactly what I wanted! So, a milanesa torta was the chosen dish.

Don't know what a torta is? Well, it basically is a sandwich, but what makes a torta, a torta, is mainly the bread which in Mexico is known as "pan telera", or torta bread (duh). This is a telera:

Then the primary ingredients in a torta are, besides the bread, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, jalapeños, onions, avocado, and the main protein, in this case, it was milanesa... oh, and I took out the onions and avocado (because team #NoAvocado).

And what is a milanesa? Just breaded beef. This dish is typical of south and central America (the continent, obviously, don't be a nationalist moron). By itself, it can be pretty good and tasty, but put all these ingredients together, and you get one perfect torta.

What I like about this place, and why I liked this torta, it's that it really is prepared the Mexican way. It has the right ingredients and nothing more. No yellow cheese or any other Chicano-us inventions.
No, if you're looking for something like the real deal, this is the place. In fact, I want to order again from this place and try other tortas.

For the side, I also got another great dish; while I love fries, it wasn't time for fries. A Mexican dish deserves a Mexican side: esquites!

Esquites are a popular, and delicious, snack in Mexico. They're also known as "elote en vaso" (corn in a cup). The corn grain is generally boiled in water and then toasted, but it needs to be in a cup.
What's great about it is that it can be prepared in different ways, for example with lime and chile, mayonnaise and cheese.
Fun fact, the word esquites comes from the Nahuatl word ízquitl, which means "toasted corn".

The verdict: It was great. I satisfied my craving, and I appreciate the fact that this place prepares it the Mexican way, as it must be.
I can't give it the 100 grade because it still not Mexican, but it's pretty close. At least this place just became one of my favourite eateries because I love tortas (c'mon, who doesn't).
I also liked and appreciated that they don't charge you extra for those essential ingredients. In other places, they charge you extra for jalapeños! That's crazy.
I'm definitely ordering from this place again, and I think it will be sooner than later.

So, if you are in the San Diego, National City, or Chula Vista area, you can definitely order from its place through Uber Eats. Or you can go and order for take-out.
Remember to stay safe, stay home, and support your local places as much as you can.

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