Recipe Mutiny steals recipes from food blogs and recipe sites. Then we publish them. With credit (Naturally).
Monday, March 26, 2018
Universal Eats: Dumplings May Be the Most Perfect Food Ever
Chowhound’s Universal Eats is a new video series that explores foods that transcend cultures and borders around the world to globally to connect us all. Episodes will premiere every Tuesday on Facebook Watch, so be sure to follow our page to catch each installment.
The first episode focuses on a food that exemplifies this mission statement—dumplings. There are just so many variations of these amazing pocket-sized foods, and we couldn’t wait to discover them all!
As you’ll see in the video above, we turn to various chefs, food critics, and industry professionals to learn how and why dumplings became so ubiquitous over time. Watch these pros discuss every facet of this wondrous food. When you think about it, they pop up in nearly every culture and can be eaten in almost any context. From the fanciest dinner party appetizer to a greasy, late-night snack, dumplings are truly a miracle wrapped in dough.
Whether you’re chowing down on an Armenian manti, a Ukrainian pierogi or a Nepalese momo (just some of the variations we explore in the video), or arguing over whether or not a ravioli really qualifies as a dumpling, one thing can be agreed upon: These stuffed pockets of goodness are among some of the tastiest and heartiest foods around. Given their universal appeal, it soon becomes apparent that one of the oldest foods known to humans is also one of the best. Seriously, we defy you to find someone who doesn’t love dumplings in some form or another. It’s a near impossible feat!
Other installments of Universal Eats will document the rise of frozen desserts, porridge, colonial foods, and sandwiches, so be sure to tune in for those as well. In the meantime, polish off the last gyoza and get excited to dive into the delicious world of dumplings.
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What Is the Difference Between Mexican and Tex-Mex Enchiladas?
I was born in Texas. Whenever I reveal that the Lone Star state is my birthplace, I gain instant insider status as a qualified expert in all things Texas, including Tex-Mex.
Sometimes, I reveal the truth. It’s true that I was born in Amarillo. My dad was a Lieutenant in the Air Force and stationed there. But my parents eventually moved to Long Island in New York—when I was six weeks old! So, of course, I know nothing about Tex-Mex. Or Texas, for that matter.
Sometimes, I choose not to disclose the fact that I left Texas when I was an infant. It depends if it works to my advantage or not—like when I was recently sitting in a hotel lobby in NYC and a group of visiting Texans sitting next to me had a delivery of five of the best-looking pizza pies I’d ever seen. The smell of the pizza was a heady mix of garlic and pepperoni, and I couldn’t resist to lean in and proudly announce to this friendly bunch that I, too, was a Texan—and that was one of the tastiest slices I’ve ever had.
Now that I’ve gone full disclosure about my strong Texan heritage here’s what you can expect from a Tex-Mex or an Mexican enchilada. Both are hearty comfort food dishes—to enjoy wherever you’re from.
The Differences
Enchiladas were born in Mexico, dating to the Mayan times with humble beginnings as corn tortillas rolled around small fish. Today, an enchilada is a popular street food in Mexico, considered more of a snack food than a meal.
Tex-Mex is typically Mexican food you get north of the border (of course, there are also many authentic Mexican restaurants located north of the border, but you’ll find way more Tex-Mex). True to its name, Tex-Mex did get its start in Texas and, because Texas is big on beef (it’s big on everything), beef has a leading role in Tex-Mex enchiladas, whereas you’d never or rarely find beef in a Mexican enchilada. Instead of beef, expect queso fresco or white cheese to be folded into a Mexican tortilla (and maybe, just maybe, chicken or pork, depending on the region).
You’ll most likely use a flour tortilla in Tex-Mex enchilada recipe. When it comes to tortillas in Mexico, it’s corn, or maize, all the way. Never flour tortillas in Mexico.
Another big difference—the spice factor. In a Tex-Mex enchilada, cumin is the stud spice. In Mexico, cumin is never or rarely used, but chile peppers and cilantro are common. Order an enchilada in a Tex-Mex restaurant and you’ll get a much less spicy dish than you’d find in Mexico.
Another significant variation: in a word, cheese. A Tex-Mex enchilada will be blanketed with yellow/orange cheese like Cheddar. In Mexico, the cheese is a white cheese like cotija and it is tucked into the tortilla, rather than blanketed across the top of the dish. The Mexican enchilada might have a sprinkle of cheese on top.
The cooking methods also differ. Tex-Mex enchiladas involve rolling or folding the flour tortillas around the filling and then smothering it in a gravy/sauce and cooking. The Mexican enchilada is first dipped in a spicy chile sauce (made from dried chiles and tomatillos), and then fried or grilled in oil slightly. It is then filled.
And, still going with that big theme, you’d expect the Tex-Mex version of the enchilada to be bigger than its Mexican counterpart. And, you’d be right. Tex-Mex enchiladas are bigger.
Tex-Mex enchiladas, like these beef enchiladas from Gimme Some Oven, are favorites for family dinner or a dinner party:
Gimme Some Oven
Get the recipe.
And, when you want to impress, try these more authentic Mexican enchiladas from Mexico in my Kitchen:
Mexico In My Kitchen
Get the recipe.
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San Francisco’s Japanese Tea Garden Looks Back to Look Forward
Situated at the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Tea Garden is intended as a quiet place, one where guests can experience the beauty and harmony of a traditional, Japanese style garden. Stroll the many paths where, even on the busiest days, nooks and crannies offer guests the opportunity to pause, breathe, and reflect. Towering overhead, Monterey pines (Pinus Radiata), originally crafted as bonsai when first planted in 1894, sway in the breeze, their long limbs a meditation on the intricate and precise skill of Japanese craftwork.
Into this studied landscape, complete with koi ponds and arched pagodas, a tea house sits, the nerve center of this contemplative environment. It is a place where guests can experience some of the flavors of a Japanese tea house, if not the meditative qualities of making their own tea. General Manager Tak Matsuba recently updated the infrastructure and the menu to make the tea house more welcoming, adding seats and eliminating dishes that meant long wait times for guests. Changing the teas served, however, meant changing tradition. “Rikyu was the Japanese monk that started the tea ceremony,” Matsuba said.
Much has changed since the 16th century when Sen No Rikyu, a tea master, designed the original tea ceremony which featured his mandate of rustic simplicity. Maintaining tradition is important but Matsuba looks to Japan, especially Kyoto, for new ideas to add tweaks to the expected tea house formula. First, he brought in newer pottery. The bowls are the same size as before but colors, like lavender and blue, and a smoother design, reflect a more modern sensibility. “Brown and green are more traditional,” said Matsuba.
Perhaps influenced by the general spike in interest around the flavors and traditions of Japanese cuisine and the steady push of matcha into tea culture, Matsuba recently undertook an effort to bring a traditional stone matcha tea grinder to the Japanese Tea Garden. “In Kyoto, they grind matcha by hand and serve. We do the same thing here,” said Matsuba. Certain teas are grown specifically for matcha. “They are incubated in the shade but get the heat of the sun,” said Matsuba. He works with an importer to source the tea designed for use in a traditional stone grinder.
More Matcha
About the length of an adult human forearm, the Tea Garden’s grinder stands tall on one side of the Garden’s gift shop. Matsuba disappears for a moment to find the traditional cherry bark-encased tin that houses the tender, grinder-bound leaves. Using a narrow spoon, he tips a modest amount of tea into a small hole at the top of the grinder, then carefully turns the wooden handle sticking out of the side like Popeye’s pipe. Puffs of green tea powder emerge from between of the heavy stone discs to then be captured in a stone gully that forms the bottom of the device. Matsuba uses a whisk made of bound horsehair (this, too, is dictated by tradition) to sweep the matcha into a glass cup.
The tiny amount of powder will not be enough for even a cup of prepared matcha. Knowing this, Matsuba, who grinds all of the matcha used on site for tours and V.I.P. events himself, does some of the production in advance, especially for large groups.
At the Tea Garden restaurant, visitors can taste their own freshly whisked cup of matcha. It is served with wagashi, traditional tea sweets. Other tea styles served in Kyoto and around Japan, such as Hojicha and Genmaicha, are served along with a selection of light snacks and treats (think tea sandwiches and miso soup). And, of course, the cookies made famous by the Tea Garden’s original landscape architect and caretaker, Mr. Hagiwara, are a perfect accompaniment for a cup of matcha. Grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables to savor the fresh flavor and the historic garden views.
See More San Francisco
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Pastelón (Puerto Rican Plantain “Lasagna”)
Pastelón, the Puerto Rican layered meat and sweet plantain pie, is one of those recipes that can divide families.
Being a “Nuyorican” (a Puerto Rican from New York), I found this to be true when my husband and I came together over our first dish of pastelón. As a native Puerto Rican, he argued that my version “wasn’t the real deal.”
It was as real to me as his attitude, so I defended my version tooth and nail!
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