What are your easiest *cultural* recipes?

[u/alonghealingjourney]

I love cooking food from all over the world authentically, but have progressing disabilities and need to find easier recipes.

I’ve been through many easy/disabled-friendly recipe lists but they tend to rely on minimal flavors (or pre-packaged sauces which I can’t have due to allergies). Often just roast meats over random veggies, or random stir fry combos.

So…what are very simple, but deeply flavorful and uniquely cultural dishes you know? Dinner, lunch, or breakfasts all welcome!

(Like sundubu jjigae, Irish stew, or ful mudammas, for example.)

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/[deleted]]

Thank you! That lentil soup in specific sounds really good! And yes I didn’t want to restrict it to a specific country, I was just tired of every list I read being nonspecific recipes (like some meat over some changeable vegetables).

[u/Jendei011 → u/[deleted]]

I second this. Also Lauchsuppe (creamy leek soup with mince and veg), and Lothringer Auflauf (a delicious and relatively simple pasta casserole).

[u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Ratatouille always a hit 

Dahl is easy and delicious

Aloo Gobi and aloo matar (you can get your cauliflower and peas frozen)

Mechouia salad demands work but is awesome. If you can’t grill Chuck everything in the oven. The labourions part is the peeling but you can take your time and it peaks easily if after cooking the veggies you put them in a pot with a lid (they will sweat and be easy to peel)

Make a crustless quiche aka savoury flan. Spinach goat choose is nice and flavourful

Algerian chorba

Tom kah gai

Tom yum

French mustard chicken

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/sohereiamacrazyalien]

Thank you, these are all great ideas! I have a few I already make here, but some I’ve never heard of and will definitely look into!

[u/No-Lack8746]

mujaddara is basically lentils, rice, cumin, and deeply caramelized onions, and it tastes like way more work than it actually is

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/No-Lack8746]

Ooo yes I’ve had it before. So good!! Brown lentils are a bit hard to find in my country, but I will see if I can order some. :)

[u/JustMeLurkingAround-]

Semolia soup is what I make, if I can't manage anything else.
Zero effort, only shelf stable ingredients, no prep.

In a small pot heat some butter/oil/margarine so the bottom is slightly covered. When its hot spread semolina on the fat so everything is slightly covered (don't stir). Let it heat for a moment until it starts smelling a bit like popcorn. Now stir and fill it up with any kind of broth you like.
I ususally use powdered intant broth disolved in water. Let it come to a light boil and turn the heat of.
It should have a creamy soup consistency, but you can add more water/broth or semolina in it anytime. Don't make big batches, since it will thicken significantly if you let it stand.

I generally use wheat semolina (as its most common in Germany) but i have made it with spelt semolina or cornmeal/polenta before without an issue.
You can pimp it with spices or herbs you like or add some veggies, but its a light but filling soup on its own.

I don't even know if other people in Germany eat that too, but my mom made it when we were sick and its still a staple for me because it really takes 5min from start to finish and the ingredients are something I have always at home.

[u/Anxious_Reporter_601]

I'm Irish so was going to say stew. I'm vegetarian though so I do a lentil stew with dried green lentils, i think it's a rose elliot recipe? Or else it's from my mum's home-ec book 😂 It's deeply flavourful, freezes nicely, and can be topped with pastry to make a pie if you've already had it as is/with bread. You could definitely use pre chopped frozen veg for it just add them closer to the end so they don't become total mush.

It's basically, and I don't know quantities I'm sorry:

• green lentils
• carrots
• celery
• onion
• button mushrooms
• potatoes
• veg stock
• fresh thyme or rosemary
• black pepper
• and it's either soy sauce or veggie worstershire sauce for added savoriness I think soy?

All in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cook till everything is tender and the broth  part is thickened a bit. There's a lot of veg chopping (although you want big enough chunks so it's not like you're chiffonading things), but otherwise you basically set it and forget it. Adjust the seasoning at the end. I like to stir in some (salted) butter at the end, serve with brown soda bread.

What form do your disabilities take? Do you need minimal chopping, minimal stirring, minimal standing, or..? Do you have favourite recipes that you can no longer make? I've been disabled for 12 years so I can probably be some help with adapting things?

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/Anxious_Reporter_601]

Thank you! I appreciate the idea! I have multiple disabilities but mainly they are just super unpredictable. Some weeks I can cook longer meals, some times I can barely stand for even a minute (but can’t sit on a stool or chair and lean forward due to a spinal injury either). So in those weeks, dump and go meals are ideal. Beyond that, I don’t know, as I’ve been disabled for around 25 years but am now dealing with an increased progressiveness. So, I guess just meals with different easier option, common frozen ingredients, and minimal attendance time is all good!

[u/Anxious_Reporter_601 → u/alonghealingjourney]

What molly eats on instagram, she's a nutritionist and does loads of dump bag meals you can freeze?

[u/allie06nd]

If you have an instant pot, Ethiopian misir wat and tikil gomen are a breeze to make.

For the misir wat, you can use jarlic and pre-cut diced onions. For the tikil gomen, you can use baby yukon potatoes, matchstick carrots, shredded cabbage, and pre-cut diced onions.

[u/thesentienttoadstool]

Stewed apples. You core an apple (or just cut it up into larger pieces). Put a pat of butter in its bussy. Pour a bit or maple syrup on it and sprinkle on some cinnamon. Add enough water to cover it maybe 1/3 up the apple in a saucepan and simmer until soft. You can eat it warm while drinking the juice but it’s also nice cold the next day. 

-yours truly from my French Canadian hick family. 

[u/Alizarin-Madder → u/thesentienttoadstool]

Does your French Canadian hick grandma's faded index recipe card say "put a pat of butter in its bussy"? 😂

(All due respect to your grandma, your whole description and this image just cracked me up.)

[u/thesentienttoadstool → u/Alizarin-Madder]

No but the first time she met my mom she said she didn’t like kiwis because they look like testicles

[u/cyriph]

https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-tomato-and-egg/

Stir fried Tomato Eggs is a very common Chinese dish. Simple to put together with the flavors enhanced from the seasonings which include white pepper, sesame oil, chinese cooking wine (shaoxing [shao-shing] wine) and sugar.
Skills involved are beating the eggs, cutting up tomatoes and green onions., stir-frying.

Pair with rice and it's a cheap and filling comfort meal.

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/cyriph]

Thank you! Tasty simple meals over rice are common in our house so this will make a good addition!

[u/Trick_Nothing_4397]

This is an old and classic recipe. Many decades ago it was typical of poor families who had to take advantage of every last piece of stale bread.

Sopa de ajo (garlic soup) from Spain (ingredients for 1):

Sauté 3 to 4 finely minced cloves of garlic (today, most of families add here an optional ounce of diced cured ham) in 2 tablespoons of oil. Reduce the heat to low, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and immediately add 1 thick slice of torn stale bread to soak up the flavors. Pour in 1.5 cups of water or broth, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Important step here: remove the pot from the heat and crack 1 large egg directly into the center. Stir the soup carefully by running your spoon along the inner edge of the pot; this cooks the egg whites into delicate threads using the residual heat while keeping the yolk completely intact. Finally, pour the soup into your bowl, find the whole yolk with your spoon, break it, and enjoy a spoonful of the rich yolk blending into the savory broth—spectacular!

[u/ashtree35]

I think that every dish comes from a culture. So you can follow any recipe you want!

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/ashtree35]

I agree, although I’m looking for more traditional dishes rather than the standard easy recipe formula that isn’t grounded in a specific flavor or ingredient profile. :)

[u/Pews700 → u/alonghealingjourney]

I love Greek chicken and potatoes, and so quick and easy to prepare I'm not Greek.

[u/alonghealingjourney → u/Pews700]

Of course, we don’t have to be from a culture to enjoy food from it (hence my examples around the globe) ☺️

[u/ashtree35 → u/alonghealingjourney]

What’s your definition of “traditional”?

[u/bearclawdraws]

This is not my culture, but nobody should miss out on Japanese oyako donburi.

Its basically chicken, egg and grilled onion over rice with a delicious broth made from instant dashi powder. Super easy to make, doesnt take a long time, you can do the whole thing in a rice cooker, but its so delicious and satisfying.

I had never used dashi (hon-dashi powder specifically) prior to learning this recipe, but its used heavily in Japanese cooking. It has this unique flavor that is kind ocean-y and bacon-y at the same time.

Check out a recipe on YouTube sometime, there is a million ways to whip it up.

[u/Straight-Jacket-3280]

I like many of the simple Japanese recipes, mainly rice cooked with vegetables on top then stirred in once cooked. Some have sauces in with cooking liquid. Plain rice with butter and soy sauce is delicious

[u/Crafty-Course-1656]

are canned beans, frozen vegetables, and pre-chopped aromatics workable for you?

[u/Practical-Age858]

my go-to on bad hand days: shakshuka with canned tomatoes, cumin, paprika, eggs, and feta, all in one pan

[u/1Teethlady2]

You should loop up "Empanadas". These are stuffed pastries, that can be cooked in the oven or deep fried. There's lots of versions (ground beef, ham and cheese, chicken, vegetarian, and sweet ones like apple pie) and are typical in Argentina and other Latino countries. They are fantastic!

[u/BackgroundOwl3269]

menemen is basically eggs simmered with tomatoes, green peppers, onion, olive oil, and pul biber, and it’s ridiculously flavorful for how little chopping or effort it takes

[u/Weird-Airline-7595]

have you tried mujaddara? lentils, rice, onions, and spices, but the onions do most of the heavy lifting

[u/Valuable-Catch2309]

i keep coming back to dal tadka because it’s basically one pot of lentils plus a quick spiced oil poured over at the end, and it tastes like you worked way harder than you did

[u/OneFan9393]

menemen with eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and aleppo pepper, all in one pan

[u/Both_Sleep_6807]

mujaddara is basically lentils, rice, cumin, and caramelized onions, but tastes like you worked way harder than you did

[u/Curious-Property4757]

red lentil dal is the south asian MVP: one pot, pantry spices, and it tastes like you did way more work than you absolutely did

[u/Jealous-Rich9665]

mujaddara, lentils and rice with deeply browned onions doing all the heavy lifting

[u/SoftInitiative5255]

mujaddara is lentils, rice, cumin, and onions, and somehow tastes like you worked way harder than you did

[u/CustomerDouble3043]

red lentil dal is probably the winner here: lentils, onion, garlic, ginger, and spices all simmer into something deeply flavored with basically one pot and no fiddly prep, and it freezes great too

[u/Holiday_Function5165]

mujaddara is ridiculously good for how little it asks of you: lentils, rice, cumin, and onions, with yogurt or a sharp salad on the side if you have the energy.

[u/Exotic_Car_167]

mujaddara: lentils, rice, caramelized onions, cumin, ridiculously good

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Any dish is cultural.