Arabic Coffee shop

[al-Hasani]

Anyway I have heard that there are some quick and tasty vegetarian South Asian dishes, especially South Indian, that can be done fairly quickly if you have the ingredients (mostly spices and coconut) but which are tasty. As a student you often find yourself tired at night and sometimes you ought to make your own food. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy cooking and eating well (not always healthy) but sometimes I need new impulses from cuisines I am less familiar with.

From my knowledge, just like Arab and other ME cuisines, Pakistani cuisines takes a lot of time to prepare, even the simplest of breads, but there must be some dishes that are tasty but at the same time easy to prepare. They don't have to be vegetarian.

I ate Arab Cuisine on my visit to the States; both the Moroccan Restaurant & the some Arab Kiosk were terribly bland - You guys don't marinate the meat with much spices do you ?

The Lebanese barbeque, on the other hand, was nice !

And whats with the excessive use of Olive Oil ?

Strange because Moroccan cuisine is otherwise quit spicy even for South Asian levels. You must have been unlucky. Moroccan cuisine is amazing. It really is.

Olive oil is amazing and healthy but butter, milk and herbs are also used as a base for dishes. Coconut in the Southern Areas of the Arabian Peninsula - coastal obviously.

 

[Armstrong]

Anyway I have heard that there are some quick and tasty vegetarian South Asian dishes, especially South Indian, that can be done fairly quickly if you have the ingredients (mostly spices and coconut) but which are tasty. As a student you often find yourself tired at night and sometimes you ought to make your own food. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy cooking and eating well (not always healthy) but sometimes I need new impulses from cuisines I am less familiar with.

From my knowledge, just like Arab and other ME cuisines, Pakistani cuisines takes a lot of time to prepare, even the simplest of breads, but there must be some dishes that are tasty but at the same time easy to prepare. They don't have to be vegetarian.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of Indian cooking - Their Vegetarian is great but their Meat isn't that much even when they cook the same dishes as we do the taste is very different !

 

[jandk]

Partial one. But yeah, I have lived in Europe for half of my life and still do. Mostly France but now Denmark as you know.

LOL. I eat Arab cuisine from Morocco to Oman but not a much as I would have wished for!

I mostly eat Arab cuisine (ME basically), Southern European and sometimes South Asian and Chinese and other Asian cuisines. When I am not preparing food myself.

Which often ends in easy Mediterranean dishes and lots of boring pasta and sometimes fish (salmon mostly) and lots of cheese, diary products and yoghurt.

I don't get this fascination with so called Southern European food. Spanish food is not that good, neither is portuguese. Italian food is good. Greek is healthy but not that tasty. In French food, I like the crepes but French is Western European.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of Indian cooking - Their Vegetarian is great but their Meat isn't that much even when they cook the same dishes as we do the taste is very different !

Pakistani food is too oily

 

[Armstrong]

Strange because Moroccan cuisine is otherwise quit spicy even for South Asian levels. You must have been unlucky. Moroccan cuisine is amazing. It really is.

Olive oil is amazing and healthy but butter, milk and herbs are also used as a base for dishes.

Oh it was spicy at least as far as the appetizers were concerned but the chicken that came with the couscous wasn't & this was a pretty darn popular restaurant that we ate at !

Pakistani food is too oily

True but its also considerably more tasty - You guys cook Chicken the same way you cook Veggies !

 

[jandk]

Oh it was spicy at least as far as the appetizers were concerned but the chicken that came with the couscous wasn't & this was a pretty darn popular restaurant that we ate at !



True but its also considerably more tasty - You guys cook Chicken the same way you cook Veggies !

So you mean to say that Indian Punjabis cook differently from Pakistani punjabis? Highly implausible.

 

[Armstrong]

So you mean to say that Indian Punjabis cook differently from Pakistani punjabis? Highly implausible.

I dunno I haven't eaten what Indian Punjabis do or do not cook; probably the similar Chicken based dishes would be similar but the Mutton and the Beef would be fairly different !

Plus its gonna be more like Lahoris & Indian Punjabis more than anything because the rest of Pakistani Punjab cooks in a different manner !

 

[al-Hasani]

I don't get this fascination with so called Southern European food. Spanish food is not that good, neither is portuguese. Italian food is good. Greek is healthy but not that tasty. In French food, I like the crepes but French is Western European.



Pakistani food is too oily

Well, I once frequented a bad Indian (maybe it was Pakistani since many Pakistanis in the ME or in Europe make Indian cuisine (maybe it is Pakistani in reality) restaurant and got a bad impression of Indian cuisine. That was in UAE many years ago. Then 8 years after or so I have tasted Indian cuisine at various restaurants in the ME, Europe, USA and most importantly privately. I would have been an immense fool (maybe I am) If I based my interaction with Indian cuisine solely on my first encounter with it.

French cuisine for instance is nearly a science in itself. You have thousands of dishes, regional differences, hundreds of different cheeses, wines, types of meat etc.

Mediterrenean cuisine is tasty because the ingredients are mostly natural, healthy, tasty and varied and fresh.

Try buy a French baguette (real one from a local bakery not from Carrefour or Walmart) get some authentic French or Italian cheese, some quality olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh tomatoes, olives and basil and you have a wonderful, quick, fresh and healthy breakfast or snack.

I mean it's a crime that I am even talking about Arab cuisine or pretending to know a great deal about it (not sure if I come across as such) since each Arab country has unique cuisine and big regional differences. I am not even qualified to judge Saudi Arabian cuisine completely. Let alone the entire Arab cuisine.

Also you very rarely get food that is made in foreign countries (in this case Moroccan cuisine prepared in USA) that is tastier than anything served locally in Morocco even at the cheapest of places - which are often the best and most authentic because that's where all the locals go while all the tourists in Rabat, Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech, Meknes etc. are overpaying greatly and the portions they pay for are usually smaller too.

That was long.

@jandk @Armstrong

 

[jandk]

Well, I once frequented a bad Indian restaurant and got a bad impression of Indian cuisine. That was in UAE many years ago. Then 8 years after or so I have tasted Indian cuisine at various restaurants in the ME, Europe, USA and most importantly privately. I would have been an immense fool (maybe I am) If I based my interaction with Indian cuisine solely on my first encounter with it.

French cuisine for instance is nearly a science in itself. You have thousands of dishes, regional differences, hundreds of different cheeses, wines, types of meat etc.

Mediterrenean cuisine is tasty because the ingredients are mostly natural, healthy, tasty and varied and fresh.

Try buy a French baguette (real one from a local bakery not from Carrefour or Walmart) get some authentic French or Italian cheese, some quality olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh tomatoes, olives and basil and you have a wonderful, quick, fresh and healthy breakfast or snack.

I mean it's a crime that I am even talking about Arab cuisine or pretending to know a great deal about it (not sure if I come across as such) since each Arab country has unique cuisine and big regional differences. I am not even qualified to judge Saudi Arabian cuisine completely. Let alone the entire Arab cuisine.

Also you very rarely get food that is made in foreign countries (in this case Moroccan cuisine prepared in USA) that is tastier than anything served locally in Morocco even at the cheapest of places - which are often the best and most authentic because that's where all the locals go while all the tourists in Rabat, Casablanca, Fes, Marrakech, Meknes etc. are overpaying greatly and the portions they pay for are usually smaller too.

That was long.

@jandk @Armstrong

Mediterranean food has its own niche I agree with you largely. They use a lot of fresh vegetables and the food is very healthy. Italian food is indeed very good. French food is also quite good. I mean I like their croissants, deserts, crepes, pastries. Arab food is quite good too. I attended a Lebanese--Moroccan wedding a few months back. It was an interesting experience with good food and culture (they had belly dancers ). In Europa, no doubt Mediterranean food is the best. I mean northern european and east european food is barely edible.

I dunno I haven't eaten what Indian Punjabis do or do not cook; probably the similar Chicken based dishes would be similar but the Mutton and the Beef would be fairly different !

Plus its gonna be more like Lahoris & Indian Punjabis more than anything because the rest of Pakistani Punjab cooks in a different manner !

We both know that Lahori food is the best in Pakistan. It is famous. My grandfather was a professor in some college in Lahore before partition. He told us that Lahore was beautiful and had great food. Yes the beef is different because we don't eat beef but the goat and lamb and fish should be quite similar.

 

[al-Hasani]

Much of the Arab cuisine has great familiarity with Mediterranean cuisine where fresh vegetables, fruits, olive oil, olives, garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes, cucumbers, various cheeses, yoghurt, salads, nuts, own-baked bread etc. are stable ingredients. That's not strange given the geographic proximity or the fact that most of the Mediterranean Sea is actually bordering Arab countries directly.

Dates are also popular which is not used normally in Europe though.

For instance it's very common to see something called Meze in the Arab cuisine. Nearly every Arab country have similar appetizers or something similar that goes under local names.









It's eaten as appetizers/snack before main meals (nearly always containing meat) or as a breakfast.

The Arab cuisine is mostly not spicy, aside from Moroccan, Yemeni and some other cuisine on the Arabian Peninsula but rather mildly spicy. Still spicier than the European Mediterranean cuisines nearby, Iranian, Turkish and other nearby cuisines.
I would say that there is a bigger focus on herbs than spices but on the Arabian Peninsula and other Arab countries (Morocco for instance) it's 50/50.

Of course it's not as spicy as some South Asian cuisine. Don't get me wrong I enjoy spicy food (Mexican included here) but sometimes it can get too much and you can only taste the heat. That's not something I normally enjoy. Of course if one is used to spicy food mainly then other food can taste blend.

 

[jandk]

Much of the Arab cuisine has great familiarity with Mediterranean cuisine where fresh vegetables, fruits, olive oil, olives, garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes, cucumbers, various cheeses, yoghurt, salads, nuts, own-baked bread etc. are stable ingredients. That's not strange given the geographic proximity or the fact that most of the Mediterranean Sea is actually bordering Arab countries directly.

Dates are also popular which is not used normally in Europe though.

For instance it's very common to see something called Meze in the Arab cuisine. Nearly every Arab country have similar appetizers or something similar that goes under local names.









It's eaten as appetizers/snack before main meals (nearly always containing meat) or as a breakfast.

The Arab cuisine is mostly not spicy, aside from Moroccan, Yemeni and some other cuisine on the Arabian Peninsula but rather mildly spicy. Still spicier than the European Mediterranean cuisines nearby, Iranian, Turkish and other nearby cuisines.
I would say that there is a bigger focus on herbs than spices but on the Arabian Peninsula and other Arab countries (Morocco for instance) it's 50/50.

Of course it's not as spicy as some South Asian cuisine. Don't get me wrong I enjoy spicy food (Mexican included here) but sometimes it can get too much and you can only taste the heat. That's not something I normally enjoy. Of course if one is used to spicy food mainly then other food can taste blend.

Man you are making me hungry

Yes, spicy food is not always good. I usually try to mix it up. We live in a globalized world. Why contrain yourself to only one type of cuisine? Sometimes I prefer Mediterranean, sometimes Indian, Chinese etc... I'm in Canada so we have quite a variety of ethnic cuisines available. The most popular Arab dishes are probably Felafel and Hummus. I eat them often. The ME food I haven't tried are Iranian and Turkish. Although Iranian food bears some superficial similarity with Indian food (the names are sometimes the same), it does not employ use of much spices. Arab food is more popular here than Iranian. Indian/South Asian, Chinese, Thai, Japanese are the most popular non European cuisines in Canada (in no particular order).

 

[al-Hasani]

Anyway in Iran for instance the cuisine the Iranian Arabs eat is considered spicy, some even call it very spicy. In general the cuisine on the Arabian Peninsula (due to the ancient and historical trade with South Asia and South East Asia especially - where actually most of the spices come from) would be considered spicy by most people outside of Mexico and South Asia and certainly it can be considered mildly spicy. Some dishes even as spicy as in South Asia. At the other hand my impression is that dishes containing meat in the Arab world are not as spicy as the ones in South Asia. That herbs are preferred.

Notice that I am by no means any expert but just speaking about the facts that I know about or personal experience.

I can tell you that here in Denmark then most of the restaurants that sell Indian cuisine are actually managed by Pakistanis chefs. So I might actually have mostly eaten Pakistani cuisine during most of my time here in Denmark without actually noticing. But I have also eaten at restaurants that had Indian chefs. Both from the South and North.

Some of the common Arab spices. The photo is from Morocco:



Spices from Yemen:



This got me thinking. Since many of the spices are actually from South East Asia is Indonesian and other South East Asian cuisine then very spicy? Unfortunately I have not eaten much South East Asian cuisine other than mostly soups and I have to say that they were quite spicy and I otherwise have no problem eaten spicy food.

@Indos @Wahhab2701 please elaborate.

I even ate some of the strongest chills in the world alone (it was a test) and I managed not to puke although it was some of the worst 5-10 minutes in my life. You can buy those chills here in Denmark at a shop called Netto for not more than 2 dollars. It was a Habenero chili. I never drank that much milk that quickly!

Habanero - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Just search on Youtube and write "Habanero Chili Challenge".

In general I really like South Asian cuisine but I have told that before.

I am passionate about food in general. Finding a wife that is able to cook food well is very important for me.

 

[jandk]

South east asian food is heavily influenced by South Indian food. I know that Thai food has similar kinds of curries and uses a lot of spices. Thai food also uses a lot of coconut based products in their food. You should really try Thai. It's awesome.

 

[al-Hasani]

South east asian food is heavily influenced by South Indian food. I know that Thai food has similar kinds of curries and uses a lot of spices. Thai food also uses a lot of coconut based products in their food. You should really try Thai. It's awesome.

LOL. I was just going to write a little essay on Thai cuisine and it's connection to nearby Indian/South East Asian cuisine. It's great indeed but I prefer South Asian cuisine maybe because some of the dishes in the Thai cuisine are alien while I can always (nearly always) detect similarities with South Asian dishes.

They eat a lot of poultry and especially chicken in Thailand from what I have tasted and seen.

Chinese cuisine is also interesting but I am not that familiar with it. It has big regional differences too. I imagine that the Southern Chinese cuisine is more spicy while the Northern one is more blend or "boring" if you like. Depends on what you prefer.

What I am interested in is the cuisine of Indonesia and Malaysia and how hot it is compared to certain hotter Arab cuisines, Mexican cuisine and South Asian cuisine.

Anyway form what I have seen then Mexican cuisine is hotter than South Asian on some fronts. What is your opinion about that?

Some of those very hot chills (the hottest on earth actually) are native to the Americas.

Or how about something like Burmese cuisine? Never tasted it but it must be great as well. Some kind of Chinese, Thai, Bengali, Indian, ME blend of some short.

Anyway got to make some food. Dying of hunger.

 

[-SINAN-]

I have some Turkish roots. Probably ottoman intermarriage. Little connection, not much. Although largely a Palestinian family.

Whose is Turkish in your family ?

The ME food I haven't tried are Iranian and Turkish.

You won't be able to compare cuisines after eating Turkish foods.

 

[al-Hasani]

@Armstrong @WebMaster @jandk

Can you recommend some quick recipes that are easy to make but which are still tasty.They don't necessarily have to be vegetarian dishes. I normally eat a lot of meat and seafood so it would even be positive if the dishes contained some kind of meat or seafood.

I live in a fairly big city (Copenhagen) close to the city center so there is no problem with buying South Asian ingredients and spices. I even have a Pakistani living in the same flat that I live in.

I am not necessarily talking about main dishes but something along the lines of the Arab Meze or just snacks in general. Also what type of breakfast do you mainly eat? Is it also just bread and mostly dairy products and vegetables with either tea or coffee?
I remember one reading about some South Indian dish (vegetarian) that was easy to make but which contained beans, coconut and chilies?