Category Cookbook Club

Cookbook Club The World of Street Food

Like most of San Francisco, Parties That Cook can’t get enough of the latest trend: street food. So for this month’s cookbook club, we chose The World of Street Food: Easy Quick Meals to Cook at Home by Troth Wells and we feasted on flavors from Mumbai to Colombia’s Antioquia.

Ragda Patties (India) – In preparing this recipe, Mary stumbled upon a few ingredients she’d never used before and we’re sure glad she gave it a whirl! These delicious potato patties were filled with a mixture of peas, green chilies, cilantro and ginger and pan-fried to golden perfection.  They were topped with thinly sliced red onion and the ragda, made of chickpeas and potatoes. The tang from fresh tamarind was perfectly balanced by brown sugar and an array of exotic spices, including the most pungent spice in the pantry, asafetida. We agreed each dish would be just as good on its own.

Tagine (Tunisia) – Unlike a traditional Moroccan tagine, Michelene’s dish was more of a casserole. She couldn’t imagine how the ingredients would come together, but it turned out to be a group favorite. The mixture of cubed chicken, cannelloni beans and monterey jack cheese was flavored with cinnamon and paprika, topped with a layer of scrambled eggs and baked in a rustic clay dish until browned and bubbly. Luckily, Mich took it upon herself to add salt to the recipe even though it didn’t call for it!

Bandeja Paisa (Colombia) – Crissy was also intrigued by the sides suggested to accompany this simple dish of ground beef, tomato and lightly smashed kidney beans. Though she skipped the rice, fried eggs and arepas, the meat was served with fried sweet plantains and crispy bacon. The recipe could have been improved by the addition of a few spices, but the salty bacon and sweet plantains made for a tasty flavor combination.

Eggplant with Coconut Milk (Indonesia) – Bibby tried her best to stick to the recipe, but knowing better, she made a few necessary changes to this one. The recipe called to simmer cubed eggplant, tomatoes, chilies, shallots and garlic in water until tender before adding the coconut milk. Bibby fought her temptation to sauté the vegetables first and instead salted the eggplant first to remove the bitterness, boiled off extra liquid and finished the dish with a dash of fish sauce, lime juice, and cilantro. Her rendition was delicious served over Erin’s red rice.

Ha Gow, Potstickers and Sesame Buns (China) – Having forgotten her recipe over the weekend, Carolyn resurrected the situation with dim sum to-go from Wing Lee Bakery in the Inner Richmond. No complaints here! Though not found in the cookbook, we doused our dumplings with soy sauce and enjoyed the sweet and chewy sesame buns for dessert.

Hungry for more? Check out this great List of Street Food Vendors using Twitter on Serious Eats. Go on, track down Roli Roti or the Mobile Pho Truck and take to the streets!

Cookbook Club Bills Open Kitchen

Michelene chose Sydney-based restaurateur and chef Bill Granger’s Bills Open Kitchen as this month’s cookbook club selection.

The simple recipes resulted in effortless dishes and overall success for another Parties That Cook Cookbook Club.

Briget’s Onion and Feta Cheese Tart- The saltiness of the feta was the perfect counterpart to the sweetness of the caramelized onions in this hearty tart.  The recipe required a 425 degree oven; however Rosie would have lowered the temp just a bit to ensure a burnt-free pastry base.

Fresh Baked Beans- The crispy, fried prosciutto atop the baked cannellini beans, tomatoes, garlic and chili flakes was perfection.  Michelene thought roasted tomatoes would have been just as delicious in this simple and straightforward dish.

Beef and Mushroom Pot Pies- Beth whipped up a hit with these savory pot pies.  They were just as delicious the next day for lunch too!  The ready-made puff pastry made the dish a cinch to create.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chili and Basil- Maureen’s addition of orange went well with the salty fish sauce in this easy, chicken and green bean stir-fry.

Fish Burritos- I devoured my tilapia, cucumber salad and homemade lime mayonnaise burrito (more like taco) in practically one bite!  The clean, fresh flavors of Crissy’s dish were one of personal favorites of the afternoon.

Roasted Soy Chicken with Noodle Salad- Although Bibby did not love her chicken and egg noodle salad, we all devoured the sweet and savory dish.

Greek Salad with Pan-Fried Haloumi- Between the dry farmed tomatoes and salty, pan-fried haloumi cheese I was in culinary heaven.  Carolyn created such a delicious salad that I had to take some home for an evening snack.

Banana Maple Upside-Down Cake- Rosie’s delectable dessert was like banana bread turned up a notch.  Everyone agreed that it would make for the perfect breakfast, “Heat it up and add a slab of butter!” exclaimed Bibby

White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Ripple- I didn’t want to eat Bibby’s dessert because it looked too beautiful, but that feeling lasted about five seconds.  I’ve never been the biggest white chocolate fan, but this mousse was the ultimate sweet finish to another cookbook club meal.

Next month’s cookbook club can’t come soon enough, but until then join us in the kitchen at one of our cooking parties or hands-on cooking classes.  Cheers!

Contributed by Krystal Shih