Potluck Anyone?
With many students moving into the dormitories, it can be difficult to integrate into the ruthless student culture. Luckily, there’s a potluck in student housing almost twice a week. You’ll get to make so many new friends! Unfortunately, you have no idea what to cook. But don’t worry, I went around and collected some of the greatest recipes other starving, overworked students could provide. Here they are, exactly as they were provided to me.
Adobo
From the Philippines, María Clara gives us a classic Adobo recipe. Presented with the exact mindset she uses while cooking.
Yeah. The recipe can use any meat you want: you can use pork, beef, or even non-meat, like tofu, but I prefer chicken thighs. I usually marinate the chicken in the sauce. The sauce is made of 1 cup soy sauce, 1 cup vinegar, pepper, salt, a lot of garlic, and a bit of brown sugar or honey. Then, when you are ready to cook, pan-fry the chicken for maybe 3 minutes on each side, then pour the sauce into the pan. Oh also, put a laurel leaf, maybe even 2 of them. Usually, I add sriracha or chili flakes for that extra heat. ❤️ Simmer it until the sauce starts to blend. I like my Adobo a bit dry. ❤️ Eat it with hot steamed rice! Also, you can put boiled eggs on your adobo if you want, or potatoes, but it's too much for me so yeahhhh.
Ömmusnúðar
From under that one bridge in Selfoss comes a delicious Ömmusnúðar recipe by a local, Snæbjörn Máni Guðmundsson.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 250g butter/margarine
- 2 medium eggs
- Milk by need
Mix all the ingredients together until it forms a dough. Divide the dough into two parts. Roll the dough into a rectangle. Sprinkle sugar with cinnamon. Roll the rectangle up from the longer end. Cut into 1cm pieces and lay on a baking sheet. Bake in a 200°C oven until golden brown.
Allow to cool before serving.
Shortbread
From the Scottish Highlands, Maggie McThistle provides us with a delectably sweet recipe for Shortbread.
Ingredients
-12 oz Plain Flour
-8 oz Butter
-4 oz Caster Sugar
Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until it's nice and creamy. Stir in flour until the mixture becomes dough. Put the dough onto a baking tray (7x11) and pack tightly. Using a small rolling pin, give it a nice smooth finish. Make sure to prick the dough with a fork to give a neat pattern of lines across the surface. Place in an oven preheated to 170˚C and bake until it is done. Mark with a knife into the desired size or shape and leave in the tray for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire tray for cooling.
Gyoza
From a small town in the Tokyo greater area comes a juicy gyoza recipe from none other than Hanako Yamada.
Ingredients:
- Gyoza wrappers
- Ground pork or a combination of pork and shrimp
- Napa cabbage, finely chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Ginger, grated
- Soy sauce
- Cabbage
- Sesame oil
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Water
1. In a bowl, combine the pork, napa cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well to create the filling.
2. Place a gyoza wrapper in the palm of your hand and spoon a small amount of the filling into the center. Wet the edges of the wrapper with a little water using your fingers, and fold them in half, and pleat the edges to seal the gyoza. Continue this process until you've made as much as you want.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add vegetable oil. Place the gyoza in the pan in a single layer, making sure they're not touching. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottoms are browned.
4. Pour about 1/4 cup of water into the pan, cover with a lid, and steam the gyoza for about 5 minutes, or until the wrappers are translucent and the filling is cooked.
5. Remove the lid and let the gyoza cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the bottoms are crispy.
6. Serve the gyoza hot with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce and rice vinegar, garnished with chopped green onions or sesame seeds.
The Stúdentagarðar Special
From the forgotten bowels of Gamli Garður comes a recipe, not quite known. A Danish individual going by the nickname Fog.
Ingredients:
- An egg, two if you’re feelin’ brave
- Instant noodles
Cook the noods like you would normally. Follow the instructions on the box. If you’re a measurin’ type you can do that, otherwise just eyeball it. Once the food is cooked you gotta take it out usin’ a spoon. Get one with a lil’ strainer on the end make it easy for yourself. Once the noodles are in a bowl you toss the egg into the water in the pot. You gotta whisk it, FAST. Cuz if you don’t whisk right away it gets all chunky and gross. Once the water is all nice and orange, you pour it out into the bowl.
You had instant noodles, and now, you’ve got a gourmet meal.
Fog out. Peace.
That was all the international meals we had time for today. I truly do hope you enjoy your potlucks. And always remember, if you don’t know how to cook, you can always follow the instructions… or just bring soda. Someone has to be the soda person.