Ingredients

The recipe for chisanchi at home is simple to prepare. The classic version uses different vegetables and spices for two servings:

• Bulgarian pepper: 1 piece of medium size;
• Aubergine: 1 aubergine;
• Potatoes: 3 medium-sized pieces;
• Sesame oil: 100 ml for frying;
• Garlic: 2 cloves;
• Sugar: 1 tsp;
• Greens: to taste.

To prepare sweet and sour sauce you will need:

• Soy sauce: 100 ml;
• Potato starch: half tablespoon;
• Sugar: 2 tsp;
• Apple cider vinegar: 2 tsp.

Cooking steps

A chisanchi recipe from Chinese cooking involves the following cooking steps:

1. First, the aubergine has to be prepared. It is washed and cut into random pieces. Then the slices are put in a separate bowl and salted. Leave for half an hour. The salt will remove the bitterness. Then the vegetable is thoroughly washed in a colander with plenty of water. Allow the water to drain;
2. Peel and wash potatoes. Cut potatoes into chunks;
3. Peppers are washed, stalked and seeded. Slice randomly;
4. Pour sesame oil into a pan. This will add a special flavor and unique taste to the vegetables;
5. All the vegetables will be fried separately. The potatoes are fried first. Put the potatoes in the frying pan with the oil and cover. Allow to fry for a minute, then stir-fry and fry until the potatoes are half cooked. Remove the potatoes and place on a plate;
6. Pour in the sesame oil and fry the bell peppers. Roast for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly crispy. Take the peppers out and put them on a plate;
7. Add a little more sesame oil and place the aubergines in the frying pan. Cook the eggplants for 5-7 minutes until they are half cooked. At the end, add sugar and other vegetables: bell peppers and potatoes;
8. All the vegetables are roasted on a low heat for five minutes;
9. Proceed to make the sweet and sour sauce. Mix the water, starch, apple cider vinegar and soy sauce. Add the sugar and mix well;
10. Pour the dressing over the vegetables. It is important to stir the vegetables continuously while pouring the dressing in, so that everything comes together evenly and there are no lumps;
11. As soon as the dressing has thickened, chopped garlic is added. Next fry the vegetables for no more than 10 minutes, otherwise everything will stick together and turn into mush. When ready, the potatoes should be soft and the pepper crispy;
12. After cooking, it is important to transfer the vegetables to a separate plate at once, otherwise the dish will overheat.

Chisanchi can be used both as a main dish and as a side dish. Chinese people pay special attention to the fact that pieces of vegetables should be large, because it is in this form they retain the richness of taste and better absorb the dressing. To make the dish look brighter, you can use different coloured bell peppers: red, yellow and green.

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The ancient Greek writer Athenaeus, in his famous book The Feasting Sophists, describes in detail a dish served in the house of the rich scholar and philanthropist Lorenzo at a symposium, almost exactly like modern souvlaki – meat, small pieces of lamb or goat meat, removed from small skewers after roasting on coals, wrapped in a thin bread tortilla along with cheese and dill.

Souvlaki were common in all Greek cuisines of the time and were prepared in different ways. The word souvlaki comes from “skewer,” which in turn comes from the Latin word Subulus. After the fall of Constantinople, vendors sold souvlaki and pies on the street in addition to fruits and vegetables.

The form of the dish changed with the arrival to Greece of refugees from Asia Minor in 1922. They came to Greece bringing their art and knowledge, including in cooking. The first refugee bakeries were opened in the neighborhoods of Piraeus and New Philadelphia, making souvlaki pies that had not existed in Greece before.

Andreas Zafirakis, one of the refugees in New Philadelphia, Souvlaki bought one of the most famous bakeries of the time and set up the production of pies(pita). Even today, his grandchildren in the same area are carefully and meticulously preserving the traditional recipe and technology for making pita bread.

In all cultures, souvlaki is above all social and class distinctions. It is a food for everyone who honors the indigenous traditions of cooking, respecting their origins. This delicacy like no other has been recreated, supplemented and developed in modern cooking.

Today it comes in unlimited forms: pork, chicken, lamb, beef, halloumi, suzuki and sausage. It’s easy to get confused by the different fillings – onions and parsley, we find it with potatoes, sauces, lettuce, cabbage, paprika, anything we can imagine.

Taste always stirs the imagination and brings us back to personal memories. So, mentally, I participate in a ritualized feast in ancient Greece. The lanterns with essential oils hanging from the poles can’t “handle” the aromas of roasted meat.

Friends begin to take seats on the couch, traditionally washing their feet. The harp and lyre enchant everyone with their first notes. Servants with amphorae full of fragrant wine enter the room. Sauces full of spices and herbs await to accompany the roasted lamb on a gourmet’s inimitable journey.

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For this dessert, I always make my own rice flour. For this purpose, wash round rice (approximately 100 grams), spread it on a towel. Grind the dried rice in a coffee grinder, and then sift through a fine sieve. The coarse particles of rice left in the sieve should be ground again, otherwise they will be unpleasant to feel in the dessert. Of course, you can buy ready-made flour, but I don’t like firni with it. Although the dessert is more delicate and silky, it is somehow unpalatable and unexpressive. If you make your firni with store-bought firni, you should take 100 grams of rice flour, if you make it with homemade – 80 grams.

Rice flour is added to cold milk, along with a pinch of salt, and boiled with continuous stirring over medium heat until it thickens. Add sugar, pink water for flavor (if you don’t have it, you can replace it with vanilla), and, after cooking for a few more minutes, pour it into small, shallow plates. The dessert must be stirred all the time, otherwise the flour will stick together into lumps that will feel unpleasant in the mouth.

Wait a little while for the top to “grab” and sprinkle the dessert with cinnamon. Cinnamon is a mandatory ingredient in this dessert; without it, a firni is not a firni. No oriental housewife gives her guests a firni without decorating it with beautiful cinnamon patterns. And every drawing and every pattern is a meaningful symbol of ancient Turkic shamanic mythology. If the grape pattern on the dessert is a wish for wealth, the diamond pattern is a wish for sons and offspring. This is such an interesting dessert. Would you like to make one too? What would you wish for yourself and your guests? What symbol would you put on your firni?

Step 1
To make firni we will need: milk, rice flour, salt, sugar, rose water and cinnamon for sprinkling the dessert.

Step 2.
First we have to arrange the plates, since we will have to act quickly. Take the plates flat and small.

Step 3
Now prepare the dessert. Cooking utensils should be taken with a thick bottom. Rinse the bottom of the pan with water and pour in cold milk.

Step 4
Pour a pinch of salt and rice flour into the milk and stir. Place over medium heat and with continuous stirring, cook the mixture until thickened. This will take 10-15 minutes.

Step 5.
Once the mixture thickens, add the sugar and rose water. The mixture will become slightly liquid. Place on the heat and simmer again until thickened. The finished dessert has the consistency of greasy sour cream.

Step 6.
Once the mixture has thickened, remove the pot from the heat and quickly pour onto plates, as the dessert sets quickly.

Step 7
Allow the firni to cool slightly, although it can also be eaten hot.

Step 8
When the cooled dessert has “grabbed” the top, decorate with cinnamon as the fancy suggests.

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If the origin of this food product is controversial, the etymological aspect is equally controversial. Some associate it with “civichi,” a term in Quechua that means fresh or tender fish. However, other theories suggest that the word cebiche comes from the word cebo, which meant food or delicacy. Arabic culture also has its place in the etymological origin sentences, so that cebiche would have come from the Arabic word sibech, which means sour food. So, what do we call it, ceviche, sebiche, ceviche, or ceviche? The fact is that the Royal Spanish Academy claims that all four terms are valid, as it is called differently depending on the region.

This recipe usually consists of white fish marinated in a sour juice, such as lime or lemon juice, and accompanied by some typical local gastronomic ingredients, such as corn, sweet potatoes, onions or leche de tigre (tiger milk). However, there are many varieties, depending on the region. In coastal areas, it can be made with ingredients such as clams, black oysters or mackerel. Not far behind are the mountainous regions, where river fish such as trout or mait are used to make it. It is undoubtedly one of the star dishes of Peruvian gastronomy, and when cold, it is a real treat during the summer months.

But it’s not only in the Andes that you can find ceviche dish. In Mexico, for example, the spicy aspect plays a more prominent role thanks to ingredients such as chilies and the introduction of other foods such as avocados, tomatoes, shrimp or corn pancakes. There are also Ecuadorian and Chilean versions of ceviche made with traditional ingredients from those regions.

What all these recipes have in common is, on the one hand, the importance of citrus fruit in the preparation, which was once essential to preserve food, and on the other hand, the consensus that this dish is considered a delicacy and one of the star dishes of Latin American gastronomy, regardless of its origin.

In 2004, the National Cultural Institute declared ceviche a cultural heritage of the nation, and its National Day is celebrated every June 28. This date was established in 2008 in order to promote and disseminate Peruvian ceviche both nationally and internationally.

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In China itself these products are practically not consumed, except for the Chaoshan cuisine, in which they prepare a New Year’s salad yuisheng of raw fish. The Taiwanese-Japanese historian Ting Xiongxing says that the Chinese stopped eating fish and meat raw after the epidemic of the 11th century.

Try the traditional Korean dish sannakchi, pieces of live octopus in sesame oil.
How to eat live octopus in Wando
You often hear that Koreans eat dogs, but in practice it’s far from the most exotic dish you can try in South Korea. The country is located on a peninsula, and many cities and towns have access to the sea, so seafood is an important part of Koreans’ menu.

One of the non-trivial Korean dishes is sannakchi. It is a live octopus cut into 3-4 cm pieces and seasoned with sesame oil. The pieces move, sprawling off the plate and clinging to your tongue as you eat.

Sannakchi is usually served as an appetizer with the Korean alcoholic drink soju, which is analogous to our vodka, but less strong. Therefore, the best place to try octopus tentacles are proletarian eateries on the coast in non-tourist places, where Korean workers relax after a busy day. Here both the octopus will be fresh and the prices are small.

In Wando, especially on the waterfront, there are many small restaurants that serve fresh seafood. Go into any and ask for sannakchi. You can show the word written in Hangul (Korean alphabet) on a piece of paper to make it convincing. By the way, Koreans are genuinely happy when Europeans appreciate their national cuisine.

5 facts about sannakchi

1. the octopus is killed right before the dish is cooked. Its complex nervous system allows its tentacles to contract even if its neurons don’t send muscle signals, so the pieces move around the plate while it’s being served.
2. The suction cups on the tentacles remain active: it is important to take extra care when eating sannakchi. Sometimes they allow pieces to stick to the mouth or throat, which can lead to airway constriction. This is especially dangerous for people who have had a hot beverage beforehand.
3. In 2008, there was a dangerous incident in South Korea. Im Mo, 49, was eating an octopus in a bar when its tentacles blocked her airway. The woman was taken to the hospital, where she had the pieces removed with a laryngoscope and forceps.
4. Octopus meat resembles squid. There is nothing specific in its flavor, just sweet notes. Savvy foodies order sannakchi just to tickle their nerves.
5. Despite the danger, the dish is served in Korean bars as an appetizer for alcoholic beverages, such as soju, which is a less strong likeness of vodka.

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