So, okay, I was lucky enough to be able to try some new (well, new for me) TV dinners thanks to some free coupons. I know it’s not like I’m buying frozen dinners made by Dragon’s Wok or whomever... but, you know, being American, and also being that I grew up in a multiethnic place, I love my various ethnic foods. I also realize that there are many times that these ethnic foods may or may not be the healthiest, if you need a low sodium, low carb, high fiber, high protein diet is not exactly attainable. But, it would be nice if these flavors were more authentic.
I was eager to try these new TV dinners, because it’s a grade or two up from their original & standard line. So, I figured that since they advertise it as a Market Place item, that it should be at least slightly more premium. One of the items I got was the Sesame Stir Fry with Chicken. Well. I was disappointed. Mike heated it up for me, eager for my opinion on this particular dinner, as it’s the perfect size for a light lunch. The veggies were steamed, and the chicken was probably also steam cooked, and the nice browning on the chicken like you see in the picture was just plain not there. The noodles were also chopped in 1/4” pieces, not long like the picture, and all of the stir fried sesame sauce was in the noodles. So, you have to mix it up, and mix it up good to even attempt to get the flavor spread out. At least the veggies were still a bit crisp, so the texture was good.
So, being that I grew up on authentic Asian food, since I did live in Japan the 1st 8 years of my life, as well as the fact that one of my best friends, Earnping and her family are Chinese, and have experience via owning a Chinese restaurant as well as the fact that they lived in other Asian countries and brought the recipes with them, the actual flavor of this TV dinner is so middle-white-America, it is so not authentic in flavor... NOT authentic flavor. I can remember that much from my childhood as well as from when I took the trip to visit Japan this past summer. My uncle, Masaki, is an awesome cook, and everything he makes is to delicious, I wish I could keep him and my aunt with me... I also don’t like instant rice, real Asian food starts with real rice and real noodles.
Thing is, there are so many of us who are wanting to eat healthier, but want to keep the authentic flavors, it’s not easy finding those options, if you don’t know how to cook the original. This is very disheartening, because I’ve tried the other ethnic type foods as well, such as the ravioli or lasagna, and those are so tamed down and put in a different direction, that the ravioli and lasagna is not authentically Italian anymore... My son Chad has loved Italian food since he was old enough to eat it, and at the ripe age of 8 months old (yes, months, not years), wanted that spaghetti sauce with tyke sized pasta, just right for a baby to eat. By the time he was 2, he was accustomed to homemade sauce, and refused any form of canned or jarred pasta sauce, insisting that he, “can’t want to like that”. My experience with Italian food is that my son’s dad, David is half Sicilian, whose grandfather came over from there, and Dave’s father grew up learning Italian before English, and learned how to cook from his family. I also learned how to cook this authentically Sicilian style spaghetti sauce with meatballs, lasagna, etc, and it was father-in-law approved, which made me very happy. On the same note as above, no instant noodles. Pasta starts with authentic semolina noodles.
At our house, it doesn’t stop with Asian & Italian food. We love Mexican food, as well, and I’d spent literally hours upon hours over the course of a couple of years to perfect my tacos, fajitas, guacamole, and Mike’s flautas. We all love food that is bursting with flavor, and Mike’s granddaughter, Selena, has a Mexican & Puerto Rican background as her dad knew how to cook excellent Mexican food, and her adopted dad knows how to make Puerto Rican food. I was happy as a homemade apple pie to hear from Mike that my Mexican food is in line with the food he learned how to make from his former sons-in-law. On another note, our housemate, another David, is Puerto Rican, and also has given us tips on how to blend flavors to make it match fuller to either custom way of making things.
I also learned how to make a lot of different Eastern European foods from a Serbian client, where I was taught how to make a fillo dough layered cheese mix, similar to lasagna layers, but has a cheese and sour cream base to the stuffing, from the Russian influences in that region. I also learned how to make Serbian stuffed cabbage rolls, which are different from what we are used to here, as well as the nuances that make the difference between Hungarian vs. Serbian goulashes, and paprikash, which is Serbian goulash with sour cream added. Fortunately, these Eastern European foods tend to be healthier in the first place, from the long standing farming industry. My maternal grandfather was the son of a 1st generation Hungarian American mother, and a Hungarian immigrant father. While I was much too young to appreciate it properly, that is where I picked up the flavors of Hungarian meals.
Thing is, I’m also wanting to learn about cooking American ethnic foods as well, along the line of Soul Food, to expand my horizons, and some creole foods as well. But, I am not experienced in eating these foods, much less knowing how to make them, and even if I google the recipes, I’d have no idea if they are authentic or not. Especially considering my inexperience, I could use some help, here. Another area of authenticity is Western European recipes, as well as the diverse foods of African cuisines.
So, I guess I am in a dilemma. I do not have the original or ethnic recipes for a lot of these types of food, such as Korean sweet & spicy beef, Thai ginger beef, Mexican style refried beans, Spanish rice, or some of these other delicious ethnic foods, I do not know how to make the authentic meal and then find a way to keep the integrity of the flavors while making it a healthier meal. Anyone have any advice, a recipe, or know anyone who could give me suggestions?
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