After years of obsessively scouring restaurants, markets, and the internet at large, I imagine myself pretty well apprised of the general ins and outs of most global cuisines, at least well enough to possess a passing familiarity with some of their products. Every so often, however, I’m totally thrown for a loop, a reminder of how much there still is (and always will be) left to learn. Even in a city where seemingly all the finest fruits of world cuisine are readily available with a little searching, much of Africa, particularly the inner quadrants, remains a huge mystery to the culturally voracious shopper. Enter Adja Khady (I did), an importing and distributing operation catering to a fundamentally Senegalese clientele, but which also offers products from Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and many others. The resulting melange of West African languages printed on colorful bags and boxes made for a bit of initial confusion, but after a little snooping around (and some exhaustive follow-up research) I was able to suss out the proper uses for these ingredients, and even employ some of them myself. Also notable was the appearance of many French items, with a specifically Lebanese and Vietnamese bent, thanks to shared history of foreign administration and resultant cross-immigration of workers and soldiers between these places.
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Now, finally after several months of delay, presenting the third segment of India-Dex! At this rate the sixth installment (yes, there are six of these) will appear in roughly four years.
Malabari Macchi - Described as “coastal aromatic fish,” this dish appears to be a curry-ish preparation, although various sources alternately describe it as a fry, a banana leaf stuffer and a stew. Versatile, and once again I stress the word appears, since unfortunately this is another one for the “did not eat column.” “Macchi” is a word for fish (the North Indian equivalent to the local “meen"), which leaves open the possibility that “Malabar Fish” could actually be an imprecise umbrella term referring to several different preparations popular in this large coastal region. Manchow Soup - Another Chinese fusion item, and in my personal experience, the only one to hew closer to actual Chinese food than the sweetened-up fast-food variant. Somewhat akin to Hot and Sour soup, and thanks to the Indian appreciation for genuine heat, this one lands far closer to an authentic Sichuan version than most American attempts. Manchow in this case refers to the Manchu people (not an intentional pun, unfortunately), although I think the name of the soup points more to their dynastic heritage than anything else, especially considering the ever-prevalent Indian connection between royalty and fancy cuisine, something I imagine traces back to the influence of the Mughals. |
The coded language of snacks, sandwiches and seasonings, in NYC and beyond.
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