Easy Food’s favourite dishes from around the world

The Irish food scene has come a long way over the years, in ways of sharing the limelight with different cuisines from all over the world. Nowadays, you can tuck into your thick American-style pancakes for breakfast, followed by a tasty Mexican burrito for lunch and enjoy a red Thai curry for dinner, all without a second thought.

In honour of World Food day taking place on October 16th, we’ve decided to showcase some of our favourite Easy Food recipes from around the world, to help you experience these authentic dishes from the comfort of your own home.

Mexican

Mexican cuisine has really blown up in Dublin recently, thanks to the new burrito bars located on every street corner — and believe us, we’ve had our fair share. However, there’s so much more to this vast food group other than the acclaimed burrito. We particularly love chowing down on slow-cooked beef barbacoa tacos, accompanied by some fresh, homemade guacamole and pico de gallo salsa. Another side dish which we’re big fans of is Mexican street corn. Its more authentic name is elotes, which is essentially corn on the cob, slathered in a sauce of sour cream, lime juice and chilli powder, then liberally dusted with Parmesan cheese —yum!

Moroccan

When one thinks of Moroccan cuisine, you might think of meaty shish kebabs (brochettes), refreshing mint tea, light and flavourful couscous or, of course a tagine. Moroccan flavours can be difficult to emulate, but we think you’ll love the burst of spice found in this lemon, onion and olive chicken tagine; and this authentic Eastern mushroom and vegetable couscous.

Spanish

When we think of Spanish cuisine, we imagine ourselves dining out in a small, beach-front Spanish restaurant, sipping away at our peach and thyme sangria, while tucking into a deliciously perfect paella — oh, how we dream! It wasn’t easy picking favourites though, so we have to mention our love and admiration for baked patatas bravas, which are garlic potato cubes covered in a spicy tomato sauce; and homemade migas, which are a traditional Spanish breakfast that resemble nachos with cheese and salsa, only they have scrambled egg mixed through.

Thai

If you’re a bit of a plain sailing type of diner, Thai food can seem daunting. Do you go for your classic veggie Thai red curry or your can’t go wrong prawn pad Thai? Either way, you’re in for a tasty treat. One of our favourite Thai dishes that we must recommend is our tom yam kung, a hot and sour prawn soup. It’s super simple and quick to make, relying on a few powerful, oriental ingredients. You simply bring your stock to a boil, add your prepped veg and spices and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Throw in your prawns, mushrooms and shallots for three minutes longer. Add a squeeze of lime, a sprinkling of fresh chillies and serve with some chopped coriander— delish!

Indian

Indian food is one thing we think Ireland does right. There are so many good restaurants which offer a variety of delicious, authentic Indian dishes, right here on our doorstep — for that reason, we found it extremely difficult to pick a favourite. If we’re cooking a curry, then we love this creamy ruby chard korma recipe, this chicken tikka masala or a fiery beef vindaloo. If you’re entertaining, then you must make these baked sweet potato samosas, as they’re a delicious starter or side. A lesser known Indian dish of which we’re big fans would be this turkey kofta curry. Kofta is a type of meatball, which pairs beautifully in a rich curry sauce.

Chinese

Dumplings, bao buns, Chinese braised pork belly — some of our favourite foods right there! We can’t get enough of these steamed Chinese dumplings and will find any excuse to make them. While they can be a bit finicky to make, with the added task of having to make a dough for the wrappers as well as the filling, we absolutely guarantee that they are worth it! If you’re hosting a dinner party or having a few friends around, then these are a sure crowd pleaser.

French

We have to hand it to them — the French are responsible for some pretty tasty food! French onion soup and potatoes Dauphinoise are some of our savoury favourites, while homemade éclairs, lemony crêpes, creme brûlée and Baileys chocolate macarons are at the top of our sweet list. However, the pièce de résistance when it comes to French cuisine has to go to the classic baked Camembert. You simply can’t visit France without indulging in an obscene amount of cheese — end of story. This fool-proof recipe uses garlic and rosemary, bringing a taste of Paris into your everyday life. We recommend serving it with lots of crusty bread for dipping.

Italian

Italian food has definitely been around the block. When one thinks of going for a bite of Italian, they might think of either pasta or pizza — and hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. We love us some spaghetti with prawns, garlic and chilli, a classic lasagne or a perfect slice of authentically Italian pizza. We really like treating ourselves to some fresh, homemade cannoli, filled with a sweet cream cheese filling, or whipping up some garlic and herb olive oil dip, to pair with some toasted bread.

American

When it came to picking a favourite American dish, we had a lot to consider. Do we go for the deliciously crispy and spicy Southern fried chicken burger with honey mayo, or do we turn to our Philly cheesesteak subs? On a sweeter note, we do enjoy a thick slice of good ol’ pecan pie. It really was a struggle, however, we decided to play it simple and go with an old favourite, our American-style green bean casserole. It’s the perfect creamy and cheesy side dish for any big dinner, traditionally served at Thanksgiving or Christmas.