Iraqi Food

The year 2020 is almost done. A year where due to the Pandemic most of us were limited at the time to decide which new places to visit. There were some short moments where restaurants were able to serve food for dine in. I did use this short time to know different foods.

I was always curious about the culture in Iraq and whether the food there is like the food in other Arabic countries or is it different. which particularities are there.

A friend of mine recommended to visit restaurant Royal Mezgouf, an Iraqi restaurant located in the west end of Toronto. This restaurant serves real Iraqi food. You can read their web site. 

During my first visit I tried a dish called Kebab bel-Badhanjan (كباب بالباذنجان), fried slices of eggplant rolled and stuffed with kufta (Meatballs of ground meat with the shape of a cigar) and served with rice and a special tomato sauce. The taste was excellent. The presentation ot the rice, although a different rice, reminded me the Persian dishes I usually taste in different places of the city.

During my following visit, I tried the Royal Iraqi Kebab, a dish with 3 skewers of kebab made of ground beef and lamb. Visually this dish reminds me the Kebab Kubideh I have in Persian food. But the tastes are different. They are both served with rice, but the basmati rice used in Persian food is different than the rice used in Iraqi food. Iraqis use pickles as a side while Iranians prefer fresh vegetables. In both cultures they add sumac to the rice for seasoning.

The name of the restaurant, Mezgouf (المسكوف), is also the name of a typical Iraqi dish. It is fish based. Its carp grilled and slow cooked in firewood. I could see that it was served to someone else. This time I didn’t have the opportunity to taste it. I think next time if I go there with a friend I will request this dish to be prepared. If you are interested in this dish, please allow some time to cook it as it takes more than an hour to prepare it.

Back in February, before the lockdowns started, I had the opportunity to visit another Iraqi restaurant. It was the Sumaq Iraqi Charcoal Grill, located in Lawrence East. This is a small restaurant specialized in kebabs Iraqi style. You can read their website here 

During the only visit I could pay to this place, I had the Iraqi Kebab, which comes with 2 skewers of Ground lamb meat. It is served over rice and has a side of pickles and hummus. Like their name say, they use sumac for seasoning. This place is a good alternative for fast food. Unfortunately it is far away from my home and the current situation does not allow me to go there, but for sure this will be one of the places I will visit once life in Toronto goes back to normal.

Cooking from Home – Georgian Food

Long time ago, and in past articles, I expressed my admiration for Georgian food. I had the opportunity to taste it and at least in 2 articles I posted some of the dishes.

In 2017 in my article called "Georgian Food, My First Sight" that you can read here. I mention dishes like Khachapuri (ხაჭაპური), Chanakhi (ჩანახი) and the famous Georgian dumplings or Khinkali (ხინკალი).

In another article: “Multiculturalism in the Teahouse”, that you can read here. Now, in times when I cannot visit too many restaurants, I try to reproduce some of those dishes in my own kitchen. My interest in Georgian food, music and language, pushed me to try the dishes of that interesting country.

The first dish I tried was Kharcho (ხარჩო), one of my favourites and a dish I previously tried to cook. It is a traditional beef stew that contains rice, chopped walnuts and Cherry plum purée. You can add onions, chopped tomatoes and coriander. I used lamb instead (I have been lucky to find a nice boneless lamb leg for this dish). The way to cook it is not different from other soups, but there are 2 key ingredients that make this dish special: one is tkemali (ტყემალი), a cherry plum purée, that adds a special sour taste; and the other ingredient for a spicy touch is Khmeli suneli (ხმელი სუნელი), a typical cocktail of spices and a common ingredient in Georgian cuisine. You can find both in Georgian shops and in many fine Eastern European markets.

The Tabaka ( ტაბაკა) is a traditional fried chicken. A special characteristic of this dish is that the chicken is flatten and then cooked. It is best to work with a small chicken. Cornish hen also works. You cut the chicken from the chest (remove some ribs if possible) and then open the chicken and press over it to flat. Georgians use a typical frying pan that has a press integrated. You can use something heavy to keep the chicken flat while you fry it. Chicken can just be prepared with salt and pepper before frying, but other spices are ok. Then you eat it with fresh vegetables, rice and use tkemali sauce to dip.

Other day I tried Shkmeruli (შქმერული), chicken in a cream base sauce. You take some pieces of chicken and fried them in oil until brown. Then chicken is baked while the same oil used for fry crushed garlic and milk (You can use cream). Then you add this mix to the chicken and bake it for half hour. You can use Coriander and parsley to serve it and then eat with rice.

Recently I tried a dish called Chakhokhbili (ჩახოხბილი). A traditional Georgian stew made with chicken and tomatoes. Perhaps the greatest difference between this stew and other chicken stews with tomatoes is the use of Khmeli suneli to season. I enjoyed it anyway with rice.

Fooding in times of Pandemic Part II

Since Ontario was placed in state of emergency due to the outbreak of COVID-19, I have been unable to visit restaurants and meet with my friends, gathering in different places where I can try new dishes. Restaurants in Ontario are allowed to work as far as they can provide options of Take-out or Delivery. In my last article I wrote about the options I found using different apps for food delivery. 

But this was a time to try new things in my own kitchen.

One of the dishes I like from the Cuisine of the Philippines is Kaldereta. It’s a stew usually served with goat, pork, beef or chicken. Vegetables usually include potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. I prepared my own version using pork and chicken and served with thin rice noodles.

My workmates have seen me eating mushroom pasta, a simple dish very easy to make. I just stir fry the mushrooms with garlic, parsley and some spices like dried oregano and crushed chilies.  Time to time I add other steamed vegetables.

Pasta dishes do not need to be complex. I found that a traditional pasta dish in Rome is “Cacio e pepe”, where you just add cheese and black peppers. Cheese can be Pecorino or Parmesan.

Rabbit is one of my favorite meats. I had the opportunity to find it in one of the supermarkets I have recently visited. I like to prepare it in the oven. First, I take the pieces of rabbit and I stir fry it with onions in oil and wine. Then I put it in a tray with potatoes and bake it. When ready, I like eating it with rice.

I do not often prepare desserts. But this time I found the time and opportunity. I read about a simple recipe of Riz au lait (French rice pudding). You can read good recipes on the internet. I use risotto grains for best results. To make something different, I added saffron, giving it a nice yellow color. What you see as decoration, these are apricot seeds.

Fooding in Times of Pandemic

Since Ontario was placed in state of emergency due to the outbreak of COVID-19, I have been unable to visit restaurants and my work in this blog has stopped. 3 months has passed since I posted my last article. But my adventure have not stopped, it is just that I changed my strategies.

Restaurants in Ontario haven’t been able to provide dine in services. But they are allowed to work as far as they can provide options of Take-out or Delivery. And restaurants have been working hard to keep their businesses ongoing and to offer their culinary products to a population locked down, willing to do something different (I should say instead: “willing to eat something different”).

Using different apps for food delivery, I have found new options. Here are some of the outstanding ones that have brought different tastes to my time at home:

Little Tibet

Those who know me, they also know about my preferences for Tibetan food. For reasons related with my schedule, I haven’t been able to visit more places that offer this kind of food in recent times. But in a time that I do not have to worry about how to go to a specific place to be on time to enjoy a nice dish, a search for Tibetan food was a must. Little Tibet was in the list of options available. This is a restaurant that serves traditional Tibetan food, but they offer some additional options such as Mongolian or Indian dishes. 

I asked for food from this place a couple of times and they never disappointed me. I had the opportunity to enjoy the extraordinary flavors and fragrances of the exotic Tibetan cuisine.  

I leave here a picture of one of my orders: at the right we have Phing-sha, a stew made with beef, potatoes, dried mushrooms, and glass noodles made of beans. This dish, usually spicy, came with a steam rice service.  At the left, there is a service of Momos, the Tibetan style dumplings. In Toronto, they are usually filled with beef, chicken or veggies. They can be steamed or fried. I ordered steamed chicken filled Momos.

In 2017, I published an article about Tibetan food. You can find it here. 

Qinthai Cuisine

This is a Chinese restaurant located in Toronto west. It has a variety of Chinese and Thai dishes. There are dishes based on chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian. Unlike other Asian restaurants, they do not offer pork dishes, but at the same time, they do not advertise their food as being Halal. 

I ordered a couple of times from this restaurant. Every time I ordered from here, food has been tasty, well presented and simple. It has been a good option for Asian food delivery during this times.

I leave here a picture of one of my orders: it is Salty and spicy pepper squid at the left, a classic dish offered in many different places in Toronto. On the right side, Cantonese fried rice. This dish contains chicken, but I remember that other options are open when ordering online.

Big Slice

This place specializes in Italian food. It offers diverse options of Italian food (the family that created this place came from the island of Sicily). It’s the only place here mention that I visit previously and I found it always full of customer dinning and tasting their dishes that are simple and delicious.

But what I like the most is their Pizzas. That is something remarkable, considering that I am not a big fan of local pizzas (Something anyone who knows me from Toronto can confirm). But their pizzas remind me the tasty ones that I had in different places in South America, where countless of families emigrated from Sicily, and later they created their own restaurants and eateries making Pizzas and other Italian dishes a popular option in many more countries. (I have to say that as of today, I have never been to Italy).    

There are different options of Pizzas, and you can create your own whether you order online or you have the opportunity to eat there one day.  

I leave here a picture of a Classico Pizza with Prosciutto (Ham) and Mushrooms. 

I do not include pictures of other places, but I have to thank places like Mustafa restaurant, where I ordered once, and I included in this blog a visit to this place. You can read the article here. 

A special mention for Sultan Mediterranean grill, a small take away place for kebabs in Saint Claire and Bathurst, the only place I went for take away during this time. Their kebabs and falafel are well cooked and their taste is excellent.   

Mongolian Grill

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet some friends and the chosen place was one I wanted to visit for a long time ago. The name, Genghis Khan Mongolian Grill. Many people just refer to this place as Mongolian Grill.

This place is an all you can eat restaurant that offers a unique selection that includes meats, vegetables, desserts, and fruits.

But Mongolian Grill is not like other buffet-style restaurants that offer a selection of prepared foods, but this restaurant also offers a different buffet where you can pick your own ingredients, as much as you like and combine them how you want while their staff of specialized chefs will cook them immediately for you.  Their chocolate fountain is also something we must mention about this place that offers an extraordinary experience with Asian cuisine.  

Pictures will tell you the rest of the tale. Enjoy them: 

 Prepared food from the Buffet

  Meat and Dumplings

Meets to be cooked, you can choose between beef, pork, lamb, chicken

Chefs in Action!!!

Food cooked from scratch. I love this combination. 

 

 With my friends 

 

Taiwan Style Fried Chicken

In March of last year, I published an article about Eating Chicken in Toronto. For this article, I made a selection of different places and their styles to prepare Chicken. But the Food movement in Toronto is always changing and it is very difficult to cover it all in one single article. When I was hanging out with Anna, she showed me a different place, where chicken is prepared as in Monga, Taiwan. Honoring this place, the restaurant adopted the name “Monga Fried Chicken” 

Fried Chicken is one of the most popular snack foods in Taiwan. Monga Fried chicken consists of chicken fillets marinated with honey and dipped in batter and fried. The idea of thick pieces is to keep the juices even when it is fried at high temperatures.  In this place, the Monga chicken is presented in 5 flavors: in the picture below, we can see one of our selections: Misty Chicken accompanied with Large fries and Fruit juice (we recommend to try their selection of natural juices.

We tried the Chee-z, a chicken fillet with a slightly spicy flavor and covered by melted cheese. I loved this one.

But following the Chinese tradition, they offer also a selection of Baobao (from Mandarin, Bāozi or 包子 which is the name of the steam stuffed bun). I decided to try the classic version, filled with pork belly and pickled vegetables.

Anna and I, enjoying a nice meal. Thanks for the suggestion