Ethnic & International Foods Tips
Read these 7 Ethnic & International Foods Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Vegetarian tips and hundreds of other topics.
Vegetarian Thai Dishes
When it comes to eating and preparing vegetarian fare, International food recipes are easy to come by. Some of the best include Thai recipes. Many Thai dishes are prepared with grains, flavorful vegetables, and exciting sauces. Here is a mouth-watering recipe for flavorful Thai fried rice:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- ¼ cup diced baby corn
- ½ cup diced pineapple
- ¼ cup tomato, diced
- ½ cup kidney beans, boiled
- 1 tablespoon of coarsely chopped garlic
- ¼ cup diced long beans
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 green chilies, sliced into tiny pieces
To begin, heat the oil in a wok. Once the oil is hot, fry the garlic until it's aroma is released. Next, add the kidney beans, baby corn, long beans, and rice and stir-fry until everything is mixed evenly. Then, add pineapple and tomato. Season the dish with to soy sauce, salt and green chilies and serve hot.
Veggie Sushi
Vegetarian ethnic foods are at your fingertips on a daily basis. One of the biggest crazes in America today is sushi. Rest assured, you won't have to drive far to find a sushi dish near you as they are quite popular nowadays. When most people think of sushi they think of raw fish. The truth is, however, that there are many vegetarian sushi options. There are countless rolls that only contain vegetables. In addition, most Japanese restaurants offer a selection of meatless salads as well as vegetarian appetizers (like veggie tempura). See what your local Japanese restaurant has to offer. And, ask the waitress and chefs to suggest their favorite vegetarian dishes!
Scrumptious Indian Cuisine
If you were to travel to India you would find many a great vegetarian International dish. If you don't have the luxury of traveling across the world to seek out exciting vegetarian cuisine, however, you can easily prepare your own Indian dishes in your kitchen. A good bit of Indian dishes are meatless and all Indian cuisine is infused with flavorful and aromatic spices that infuse even the blandest of food items with flavor. Try this irresistible Indian recipe for potatoes and poppy seeds:
- Big potatoes peeled and cubed
- Tablespoons poppy seeds, roasted
- Whole dry red chilies
- Green chilies
- ½ teaspoons turmeric powder
- Tablespoons oil
- ½ cups water
- Salt
- Fresh coriander, chopped
To begin, grind the poppy seeds along with the green chilies and a few tablespoons of water to create a fine paste. Put aside. Heat half of the oil in a pan for about two minutes until extremely hot. Next, shallow fry the cubed potatoes in batches on medium heat until they are browned slightly. Then, drain on paper towels and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan you were using and add the whole red chilies and turmeric powder. Fry the ingredients briefly then add the poppy seed paste and fry for a little while longer on a medium-low heat for about five minutes until there is no oil on the pan's sides.
Finally, add the fried potato cubes and mix thoroughly. Then, add water and salt. And stir. Cover the pot and keep on low heat for an additional fifteen minutes (until the potatoes are soft). Garnish with the coriander
Middle Eastern Vegetarian Made Simple
Looking for fantastic vegetarian Middle Eastern cuisine? Look no further than your grocer's shelf to find a great International food dish. Fantastic Foods offers a convenient Falafel mix that is so easy to prepare that anyone could pull it off in minutes. Most large grocery stores and health food stores carry this item and many other International delights from around the globe. If you're going to make falafels, you can't serve them without the traditional Tahini sauce. Whip up this easy recipe and start serving:
- 1 cup sesameTahini
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Put all of the ingredients together in a food processor and process until you achieve the desired texture for the sauce.
Learn From Buddha
Looking for great vegetarian ethnic cuisine options? Think Chinese. Chinese food has long been affected by Buddhism. In fact, there is an entire line of Chinese vegetarian dishes that have been developed over the last 2,000 years. What's even better for vegetarians in America and China alike is that many Chinese restaurants specialize in Buddhist food. There are even some restaurants that have an entirely vegetarian menu yet incorporate mock “meats” that resemble meats found in common Chinese dishes into their entrees. You can get anything from fake chicken and beef to imitation squid and lobster. The only catch is that these restaurants tend to sell their meals at a slight higher price than your everyday run-of-the-mill Chinese restaurants.
International is Easy
If you don't mind repetition, one of the best ways to maintain a vegetarian diet is to find 3 or 4 dishes that you enjoy and to rotate them and cook them with slight variations. If you have a core menu you will always have meal options. International food, such as Chinese and Spanish cuisine, are among the easiest vegetarian dishes to prepare. Keep items like canned beans, salsa, frozen vegetables, cilantro, tortillas, taco shells, and soy crumbles around to make a wide variety of Spanish dishes. And, keep rice, frozen stir-fry vegetables, canned water chestnuts, and assorted Asian sauces around to prepare Asian cuisine at any time.
French Cuisine
Eating international cuisine when following a vegetarian and gluten free diet doesn't have to be a challenge. When at a French restaurant, consider ordering Salad Nicoise (without the tuna), Mesclun de Salade (Mixed Green Salad) Asperge a la Vinaigreet (Asparagus salad) or Artichauts a la Vinagrette (Artichoke Salad). Some salads may come with croutons (the French are big on bread) so be sure to ask your server to leave them off your salad! Many French restaurants also offer vegetable soups such as Bisque (Cream Soup) and Vichyssoise (Potato Leek soup) and vegetable stew (Ratatouille) as well, but they could be made with chicken or beef stock, so ask your server. Another option may be Les Omelettes (Omelettes), which can be made with fresh vegetables and cheese. Also, most French restaurants serve a cheese plate for dessert called Assiette de Fromage that you can order as an appetizer or as part of your main course. Finally, there are Haricots Verts (French Green Beans) and Pommes Frites (French Fried Potatoes). For fried foods, remember to ask your server if the fries are cooked in the same fryer as the breaded items -- if so, your fries could end up contaminated with gluten! Bon appetit!
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| Candi Wingate |
