Ethnic Crock Pot Cooking Part 2
One thing that makes every culture unique is their food. Whenever you visit a new country, try their native fare at least once. You may even find that it appeals to you so much that you want to create them at home for a change of pace. Sometimes that can seem like a lot of work, but don’t be so sure. Slow cooking can be used to create many of those ethnic dishes. Let’s talk about Asian and American foods that can be cooked in a crock pot.
The United States has been called a “melting pot.” The country is a hodgepodge of people from all walks of life, races, nations, and religions. No where else can you go and find people who can prepare an authentic dish from several countries around the world.
There are some foods that can be termed “American” dishes. We were once a nation of meat and potatoes. Working hard all day tilling the land needed a filling meal to keep hunger away and energy levels up. Farms raised pigs, cows, and chickens for eggs, milk, and dinner. Meat was traditionally slaughtered and salted and stored right at home. So, what American meals can be cooked in a crock pot?
Pork, chicken, and beef dishes cook very well in a slow cooker. Pulled pork and chicken are favorite dishes in the South. Meat can be slow cooked in a bit of water and chicken broth makes a great water substitute for poultry. When the meat is tender and most of the liquid is gone, the meat can be “pulled.” This is done with two forks or two knives. The meat is teased apart or chopped with the knives. Barbeque sauce or a sauce with a vinegar base is then added to flavor the meat.
Slow cookers are great and probably best known for preparing a pot roast dinner. Searing the meat prior to cooking locks in the flavor and creates an essence that can be added to the water or broth that’s necessary to crock pot cooking. Potatoes, carrots, and onions go into the cooker with the meat and are then cooked for eight hours. Fresh ground pepper, a pinch of salt, oregano, and garlic can be used to season the meal.
Asian foods can also be adapted to the slow cooker. The rice or noodles can be cooked on the stove and the noodles added when the food is done cooking and ready to eat. Asian cooking makes use of fresh ginger, fish sauce, mushrooms, corn, Asian cabbage (bok choy), miso, tofu, noodles, and several spices. The taste can be mild and flavorful or hot and spicy depending on the preference of those consuming the meal. Peanuts are also employed in Chinese cooking.
All meats, including seafood, are common to Asian dishes. When adding seafood to a slow cooker, it is best to wait until the sauce and vegetables are close to being done before adding it. Seafood and fish cook quickly and can turn rubbery if overcooked.
To achieve a smoother consistency, sauces are thickened with cornstarch for these dishes. Adding fresh ginger gives Asian meals a lemony taste. Ground ginger can be used, but the taste will not be as distinctive. Soy sauce and sesame oil flavor soups and noodle dishes. Japanese miso soup or hot and spicy chicken with peanuts can also be fashioned for the slow cooker.
Ethnic foods can be adapted for the crock pot once you know the basic ways that each food should be prepared. As always, test your slow cooker with some ethnic dishes the first time when you are able to be around and monitor the entire cooking process. You just might be surprised at the ethnic dishes you can create in your crock pot.
One thing that makes every culture unique is their food. Whenever you visit a new country, try their native fare at least once. You may even find that it appeals to you so much that you want to create them at home for a change of pace. Sometimes that can seem like a lot of work, but don’t be so sure. Slow cooking can be used to create many of those ethnic dishes. Let’s talk about Asian and American foods that can be cooked in a crock pot.
The United States has been called a “melting pot.” The country is a hodgepodge of people from all walks of life, races, nations, and religions. No where else can you go and find people who can prepare an authentic dish from several countries around the world.
There are some foods that can be termed “American” dishes. We were once a nation of meat and potatoes. Working hard all day tilling the land needed a filling meal to keep hunger away and energy levels up. Farms raised pigs, cows, and chickens for eggs, milk, and dinner. Meat was traditionally slaughtered and salted and stored right at home. So, what American meals can be cooked in a crock pot?
Pork, chicken, and beef dishes cook very well in a slow cooker. Pulled pork and chicken are favorite dishes in the South. Meat can be slow cooked in a bit of water and chicken broth makes a great water substitute for poultry. When the meat is tender and most of the liquid is gone, the meat can be “pulled.” This is done with two forks or two knives. The meat is teased apart or chopped with the knives. Barbeque sauce or a sauce with a vinegar base is then added to flavor the meat.
Slow cookers are great and probably best known for preparing a pot roast dinner. Searing the meat prior to cooking locks in the flavor and creates an essence that can be added to the water or broth that’s necessary to crock pot cooking. Potatoes, carrots, and onions go into the cooker with the meat and are then cooked for eight hours. Fresh ground pepper, a pinch of salt, oregano, and garlic can be used to season the meal.
Asian foods can also be adapted to the slow cooker. The rice or noodles can be cooked on the stove and the noodles added when the food is done cooking and ready to eat. Asian cooking makes use of fresh ginger, fish sauce, mushrooms, corn, Asian cabbage (bok choy), miso, tofu, noodles, and several spices. The taste can be mild and flavorful or hot and spicy depending on the preference of those consuming the meal. Peanuts are also employed in Chinese cooking.
All meats, including seafood, are common to Asian dishes. When adding seafood to a slow cooker, it is best to wait until the sauce and vegetables are close to being done before adding it. Seafood and fish cook quickly and can turn rubbery if overcooked.
To achieve a smoother consistency, sauces are thickened with cornstarch for these dishes. Adding fresh ginger gives Asian meals a lemony taste. Ground ginger can be used, but the taste will not be as distinctive. Soy sauce and sesame oil flavor soups and noodle dishes. Japanese miso soup or hot and spicy chicken with peanuts can also be fashioned for the slow cooker.
Ethnic foods can be adapted for the crock pot once you know the basic ways that each food should be prepared. As always, test your slow cooker with some ethnic dishes the first time when you are able to be around and monitor the entire cooking process. You just might be surprised at the ethnic dishes you can create in your crock pot.
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