Kyrgyzstan

 Welcome to Kyrgyzstan!  Try spelling that without using auto-correct...it's tricky!  Kyrgyzstan's main export is gold and precious stones, which I thought was interesting (thanks Handsome Husband for that nugget!)  There are several mountain ranges, and quite honestly, it looks like a beautiful place!  According to Google, Kyrgyzstan has a population of 6.59 million people, and  the capital is Bishkek.  The national dish is...

Beshbarmak!

What is that?  Literally translated, it is "five fingers".  Traditionally, this meal is eaten with your fingers.  Also traditionally, it is made with horse meat.  As horse meat is difficult to find in the Pacific Northwest, we opted for beef.  I did, however, use elk bone broth and elk fat in the meal (thanks again, Handsome Husband!).  Beshbarmak is a meat and noodle meal that is served with an onion and herb broth.  The noodles are like super thin lasagna noodles.  I did make several adjustments to the recipe, so I encourage you to look at the original recipe that is linked below.  Here's what I did:

BESHBARMAK

Sauce

1 large onion, sliced into very thin semi-circles

600 ml bone broth

Fresh parsley and dill (a small bunch), roughly chopped

Meat

1/2 pounds top sirloin, sliced very thin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper, to taste

Animal fat, for cooking (I used elk)

Noodles

300 g gluten free flour

1 egg

100 ml bone broth, room temp

1/2 tsp salt

To make the noodles:

1. Sift the flour into a bowl.
2. Add the salt to the flour.
3. Make a well in the flour, and crack the egg into the flour.
4. Add the stock to the egg and flour and work the dough until everything is evenly combined (dough should be quite soft.  If it is not, add more broth, 1 tsp at a time).
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
6. Take 1/3 of the dough and roll out on a well-floured surface to about 1 mm thick (mine were thicker because gluten free flour doesn't hold well when it is rolled super thin).
7. Cut into 1-2 inch rectangles.
8. Let the noodles dry on a floured surface for 30 minutes before cooking.

To make the sauce:

1. Take 600 ml of bone broth, add herbs, and simmer for about 15 minutes uncovered and reduce by half.
2. In another pan, use animal fat and sweat the onions until they are translucent.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour onions into broth and herb mixture, take off the heat, and cover with a lid.

To make the meat:

1. Heat animal fat in a pan.
2. Add bay leaf, meat, and sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper on the meat.
3. Cook to your liking.

To cook the noodles:

1. Heat bone broth in a stock pot until boiling.
2. Add the noodles and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

To plate and eat:

1. Arrange noodles on the bottom of a plate.
2. Add meat on top of noodles.
3. Pour onion sauce on top.
4. TRY eating it with your hands.  Give up, and use a fork!

(Source: Beshbarmak)

The verdict?  It wasn't bad.  I was surprised at the noodles.  I thought they would be like any other gluten free noodle - one that just falls apart and doesn't taste like much.  Surprisingly, the noodles held together very well.  I think  that adding the bone broth to the noodle and then cooking the noodles in the bone broth really helped as well.  It was a great challenge to eat this meal with your hands - it is very messy!  Forks are much easier.  Handsome Husband said he liked it, and could see how it was a comfort food.  We ended up adding a lot more salt, so that would be something to keep in mind as well.

ME

Taste of Beshbarmak (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 4

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Beshbarmak (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

Another one down! Please join us in Tanzania!

Cambodia

 Welcome to Cambodia!  the population is around 15.55 million people, and the capital is Phnom Penh.  The national dish is...

Samlor Kako!

It is a soup that has a curry base.  It was a bit challenging, as I made my own curry paste.  Finding some of the ingredients was a challenge!  I thought that a warm soup on a cool autumn day sounded great.  It didn't disappoint!  Here's what I did:

SAMLOR KAKO

Khmer Curry Paste

3 oz galangal

2 oz fresh ginger

2 oz fresh turmeric

3 oz lemongrass, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

10 kaffir lime leaves

4 tbsp avocado oil

Samlor Kako

2 tsp avocado oil

2 tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped

1 tbsp shrimp paste (original recipe called for fish paste - I couldn't find it)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp Khmer curry paste

1 lb chicken, cut into large pieces

3 lbs assorted veggies (I used Kabocha squash, grated green papaya, green beans, Thai eggplant)

6 Thai chili peppers

6 C boiling water

For the Khmer curry:

1. Peel the galangal by scraping it with a knife and cut into thin strips (I learned this is a GREAT way to peel galangal!!!)
2. Peel turmeric and ginger, and cut into strips.
3. Remove the thick center vein from the kaffir leaves and cut them into thin strips.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and fry all the ingredients until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Put the mixture in a food processor until a thick paste.

For the Samlor Kako

1. Cut all the veggies into pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the palm sugar.  Stir the sugar quickly until it is partially dissolved - do not burn.
3. Add the shrimp paste and mix well.
4. Add the meat, stir, and sauté the meat until it is coated and slightly brown in color.
5. Add the Khmer curry paste and stir to combine.
6. Add the fish sauce and salt.
7. Add the veggies and peppers, and mix well.
8. Add boiling water.
9. Stir, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes over medium heat.
10. Serve with steamed rice, if desired.

(Source: Samlor Kako)

The verdict?  This was very good.  However, while cooking it, it smelled terrible.  I would recommend leaving a window open.  Thankfully it tasted NOTHING like it smelled.  It took a long time to peel and cut all the veggies, so do that ahead of time!  The squash we used was a sweet squash, and it was very good in the soup.  Be careful of the Thai peppers - they look very similar to green beans!  We did try it with rice, but it really didn't add much to the dish.  It was a great, fall, comforting soup standing on its own.  I would add more chicken next time as well.  Overall, we really enjoyed this soup!

ME

Taste of Samlor Kako (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Samlor Kako (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

Another down!  Join us next time in Kyrgyzstan!