Category: Cooking

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make South Sudanese Lamb and Collards from Nyatiem Lual (read the recipe and see the photos).

My road to collard green enlightenment opened up, of all places, at the checkout at T.J.Maxx. The cashier’s beauty was captivating. She was at least six feet tall, her skin the color of black-brown mascara, and her smile a shade of light unachievable by dental work. She was twenty-four and extremely nice. After my inquiring about the origins of her accent (South Sudan), and introducing my project (Immigrant Kitchens), she offered to teach me how to cook her favorite dish from home. A couple days later, I got a text. Nyatiem Lual: “Hey would you like to have a goat meat?” I felt like I’d just won a trip to Africa.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Mexican Chili Pepper Soupk from Azminda Cancino Garcia (read the recipe and see the photos).

Well into her 30’s with two kids and a husband, Azminda was still being ribbed by her father for being a bad cook. “You need to learn,” he said in Mexican Spanish, “You won’t always have your mother and your sister to do it for you!”

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Burek from Sanja Bukarac (read the recipe and see the photos).

Once the top of the burek was crispy and golden brown, she served slices on small plates and glasses of kefir with spoons in them. She instructed me to take a bite of the burek and then a spoonful of plain kefir. I was hesitant. Plain kefir? Straight? It was delicious! So this is what plain kefir was made for! Since the pressure is on this week for love, I might suggest making burek and remembering as we eat it: if we are with loved ones and not being shot at, life is good. And if you’re looking for love, it can’t hurt to visit the dentist.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Russian ravioli from Yulia Converse (read the recipe and see the photos).

My friend’s family only eats meat that he hunts: duck, venison, and moose. Because prime cuts on these animals are so few, ground meat is usually what the family has to work with. I guess I was feeling sorry for them. What’s for dinner? Chili. What’s for dinner? Sausage. What’s for dinner? Chili. What’s for dinner? Sausage. After my latest cooking lesson in an immigrant’s kitchen, I wanted to bust down that family’s door and rescue them, crying, “How about some Russian ravioli?”

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Lomo relleno from Jenny Sanchez (read the recipe and see the photos).

Lomo relleno is a classic Christmas and New Year’s dish in Nicaragua. I’ll admit, I was scared when I saw Jenny putting what looked like a lot of weird stuff in the pan together — and you will be too when you see the ingredients list – but I’m telling you, it works. Lomo relleno gets the award for being the most unpredictably delicious party feast ever encountered.

In the latest entry on Immigrant Kitchens Lindsay Sterling learns how to make Vietnamese Beef Stew from Quang and Minh Nguyen (read the recipe and see the photos).

I learned this stew from two brothers from Cam Ranh, Vietnam. Their names are Quang and Minh Nguyen. The soup’s name is Bo Kho, but they pronounce it Ba Kah. Their mother used to stay up until midnight making it so she could sell in the morning in front of their house. People in Vietnam eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at parties and everyday. After a couple months of eating Kix, Grape Nuts, and Special K, the brothers called their mom in desperation and had her tell them over the phone how to make the soup.