Spicy Hungarian Goulash with Sriracha

Bison Goulash with Nokedli and Roasted Cabbage

As one of Hungary's national dishes and a symbol of the country itself, goulash (Hungarian spelling: gulyás) is a pretty big deal to my Uncle Gyula.  No, not because his name looks like someone with dyslexia tried to spell goulash the Hungarian way, but because he's originally from Budapest.

After spending some time as a political prisoner in 1959, shortly after the Soviet tanks rolled into Hero's Square and Janos Kadar became a household name, Gyula managed to escape to America with some luck, a couple stolen bicycles, and possibly some divine intervention-- I mean, the man had to crawl his way through minefields with a spoon, for Pete's sake!

Gulyás simmering on stovetop

While America was a bit of an adjustment for my uncle (he was once kicked off of a public beach because he had a DIY swimsuit; skimpy by American standards), Gyula settled into life Stateside and is now enjoying retirement.  Unfortunately, he has not been back to his country of birth despite the fall of communism, so food and the occasional Magyar newspaper are the only remaining links to his own culture.

Gyula's stories about his escape and life under communist rule have always intrigued and inspired me.  For this reason, I decided I needed to feed the man some down-home Hungarian cooking.  Currently, Uncle Gyula enjoys his position as my official judge for anything Hungarian, barring cabbage.  As a child during WWII and an adolescent/young adult during communism, he says he ate enough cabbage in 19 years to last multiple lifetimes.

In regards to this particular recipe, it is worth noting that as some of the top consumers of capsicums in the world, Hungarians aren't afraid of a little fire in their food.  Therefore, I wanted to see how my homemade sriracha got along with an authentic gulyás.  The result: the Gyula approved recipe shared below. 

Super Simple Miso Soup

Red Miso Soup - Ready in Minutes

Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.  This is no secret to the Japanese, whose food is more often than not stupid simple, with an incredible depth of flavor.

These deep flavors mostly come from the use of umami, or savory flavors*.  Things like miso, soy sauce, mushrooms, and dashi-- staples in the Japanese pantry-- are all high in amino acids such as L-glutamate and 5'-ribonucleotides, which constitute the umami sensation.  Other foods high in umami include ripe tomatoes, beef, chicken, and fermented products such as fish sauce and certain cheeses.

Today, I'll be showing you how simple it is to create great flavor in only a matter of minutes with a favorite of mine: red miso soup.

Is It a Stew or a Pot? It's Both: Chicken Tajine

Spicy Chicken Tajine w/ Apricots & Walnuts

You know that harissa I had you make way back when on Tuesday?  Well, it'll come in handy if my take on a chicken tajine happens to tickle your fancy.

What's Green, Fragrant, and Consumed All Over Colorado? Chili, Of Course!

Colorado Green Chili w/ Candied Jalapeños, Tortilla Crisps, and Chipotle Pinto Crema

Surprised at the answer in the title?  You shouldn't be.  Green chili ubiquitous across the Centennial State.  What makes this chili so special?  Well, it's all about the chiles.

An Updated Classic: Spanish White Bean Stew

I don't know about you, but I'm a little bit bored of finding the same five to seven tapas at "Spanish" restaurants in the U.S.  If you've been to too many of these places, you might assume Spanish fare has nothing more to offer than tortilla española and patatas bravas.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  A country the size of Texas, Spain has so much regional culinary variation, limiting ourselves to paella and a handful of tired tapas is like saying you've tried Mexican food after only eating at Taco Bell-- it's just plain wrong.

If the chefs at our Spanish restaurants won't step their games up, it's up to us.   With this in mind, I decided to revamp a Spanish classic that much like the region it comes from, is well-known in Spain, but relatively obscure to the rest of the world.

Chicken Chettinad Masala - Not For the Faint of Heart

Although, I am a big fan of Indian cuisine, I'm not much of a fan of Indian restaurants (at least here in America).  First of all, most of them run buffets during lunch, which may be the only time you can get to them.  The quality of food on a buffet always takes a hit because of the large quantities prepared, and necessity to hold the food at a particular temperature to assure safety dries it all out.  Have you ever had tandoori chicken from a buffet that wasn't as desiccant as the Thar?  I know I haven't.

Additionally, the food served at most restaurants in America fails to deliver truly aromatic and flavorful dishes one expects from the Indian subcontinent for two reasons:

1.  Spices are expensive and Indian food uses a lot of them.  For this reason, a lot of restaurants cut back on the amount they use to reduce costs.  Your vindaloo might taste like ketchup, and your roghan josh will arrive to your table a deep red color from the paprika they used in place of the pleasantly piquant Kashmiri chiles, which create a burnt orange hue, not ruby. 

2.  Your curry is probably drowned in heavy cream!  Even if you aren't ordering korma or chicken makhani, the kind proprietors of your local Indian establishment have caught onto the fact that Americans love creamy, fatty foods, so they started throwing it into everything they make, further muting the essential spices.  

The solution to all of this is to make your own Indian food at home.  Desi people are a huge immigrant group in the U.S. and worldwide (England, the Caribbean, Spain).  Chances are there's an Indian or Desi grocery store near your humble abode.  This means you can get the necessary stuff to make proper Indian cuisine, probably saving money along the way, too. 

Not Your Amma's Rogan Josh

First, a disclaimer: In no way does this recipe claim to be an authentic interpretation of Kashmiri rogan josh, hence the title, "Not Your Amma's (common Indian term for grandma) Rogan Josh."

"Real" rogan josh comes from the Kashmir region of India, where they have Kashmir chilies (mirch/i).  These chilies give the dish its signature red color, but are not necessarily easy to procure in their whole form.  Ground kashmir chilli powder can be found in certain Desi groceries, however, "real" rogan josh is supposed to have the dried whole mirchi.  Paprika is also a common substitute in Indian restaurants due to its color and mild flavor. 

Pollo Tomatillo (Chicken in Tomatillo Sauce)

Summer is here and in about a month or so a lot of you are going to be so bored of chicken on the grill, you won't know what to do with yourselves.

The good news is that I'm here to prematurely ward off fatigue from America's favorite bird, and keep this mundane ingredient interesting with some pollo tomatillo, or chicken in a tomatillo sauce.