Experiment, Experience & Enjoy Exotic Cuisine

What does Japanese, Chinese, Turkish and Greek food have in common? A way for you to enjoy all four cuisines for less than £10! Devika Jeet gives details…

Greek Salad 1 cup whole ripe olives1 head romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces200g Feta cheese125ml herb dressing1/2 each cucumber and red onion, thinly sliced3 tomatoes cut into wedges, or just use cherry tomatos Combine all the ingredients. Just before serving add dressing and toss.

Sesame Seed Chicken

500g chicken wing drummettes1/2 cup milk3/4 cup sesame seeds1/4 cup breadcrumbs1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, groundSalt & pepper

Place the milk in a small bowl. Place sesame seeds, bread crumbs, crushed pepper, salt and pepper in another cup and mix. First soak the chicken drums in the milk, and then cover them with the sesame seed mixture. Arrange them on the oven tray on top of parchment paper. Don’t let them touch each other, otherwise they won’t be crispy. Preheat the oven 400° F (200° C) and cook for about 45 minutes until the take a golden colour.

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Yummy Sushi

A large number of people from different nationalities are living together here in Cardiff. This provides us with an

opportunity to understand different cultures without having to travel around the globe. We can start this journey with our palates and enjoy the feast. Tasting new cuisines and experiencing a different ambience will help us travel around the city, visit new restau-rants and eateries, shop at unique super markets and learn to make new dishes all for less than a tenner.

Famous for its olives, this Mediterranean cuisine has much more to offer. “Greek food is very healthy and not very fattening. A meal is incomplete without a variety of salads. We use olive oil to cook and the food is not spicy,” said Iliana Premeti, a Greek marketing executive. Famous dishes are moussaka and souvlaki and the must have traditional dish is fasolada. Along with all the salads, meat is an important part of the diet. Restaurants in Cardiff are Agean Taverna, Hasapiko Greek Taverna and Aphrodite Greek restaurant.

With the migration of the Chinese popula-tion, this cuisine is famous around the world. Traditional Chinese cuisine is also based on opposites (yin and yang), whereby hot

balances cold, pickled balances fresh and spicy balances mild. “Most authentic Chinese food is cooked on real fire and not made in the oven. In China different minorities have their own food and customs; this provides a variety and different variations in the cuisine. Like in the southwest, food is spicy where as in the southeast the food is more on the sweet side. The Beijing roast duck is a must have,” said Yuheng Ren, an employee of the China China restaurant. Though Chinese food is very popular, all the ingredients are not very easily available in Cardiff. Supermarkets that cater to specific requirements are - BA Cash and Carry, Japanese and Korean shop, Global food shop and Dongo Jang Hang.

“Japanese food is very different from other cuisines. We emphasise and highlight the natural taste and beauty of the food. The aim of cooking is to retain the nutrients and not to change the flavour of the food,” said

Alwyn, executive chef, Zushi Japanese café and noodle bar. This cuisine has much more to offer than sushi and the food is usually low in fat. A bowl of rice and soup accompanies every meal.

Turkish cuisine is largely influenced from the Ottoman cuisine and can be described as a blend of Central Asian, Middle East and Bal-kan cuisine. Famous for Kebabs, this cuisine has a wide variety to offer. Discussing the popularity of the cuisine in Cardiff, Hakan, manager, Bosphorus Turkish restaurant said “I have been working here for 20 years and Turkish food has gained popularity over time. All the ingredients for the cuisine are easily available. Though there is an association of Turkish food with meats, we do have fish and vegetarian dishes. The meze starters are very famous.”

The four cuisines will help satisfy the cu-riosity and help you feel more connected to other cultures. These dishes are very differ-ent from each other and will make you open to new tastes. We will help you make a few simple but yet exotic dishes. Some interest-ing recipes are given below with a promise that all the ingredients are available at the nearest Tesco or Sainsbury’s.

“Beijing roast duckis a must have”

“Turkish cuisine is a blend of Central Asian, Middle East and Balkan cuisine”

Japanese Fried Wonton

20 wonton wrappers20 small cubes processed cheese8 shiso leavesVegetable oil to fry Cut shiso leaves in halves. Place a piece of shiso and a cube of cheese in the centre of a wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton wrapper in half diagonally, shaping into a triangle. Seal the edge well. Heat oil to 2000 C and deep-fry the won-ton until brown.

Chinese Sticky Cake

3/4 cup water1½ cups dark brown sugar1¼ cups rice flour1 egg2 tablespoons milk1/2 cup dates, chopped Grease a 7”cake tin. Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. Mix flour, egg and milk together in a bowl. Add the syrup and stir thoroughly until smooth then add dates and mix well. Pour the batter into the cake tin and steam for about 45 minutes, or until the cake starts to come away from the edge of the tin. Leave in the tin to cool, and then serve in thin slices.

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