Street Cafe

Photo and graphics by Equalizer.

So I have traveled a lot, not to all the places that I would love to visit, but a good deal of them. I still don’t feel content. I feel there is a lot more that I want to see. I the world is small yet big. It is made small through the eyes of the media. If you want to see a place you can see it in the comfort of your home. Experiencing it is another issue. There are intangible things like culture, which no one can portray accurately. You have to be physically present to feel it, sense it, and experience it. Experiencing the food, for me is one of the most important things on my agenda. Food stalls have always enticed me to try the wonderful things on offer, but I rarely do, as are there legitimate health concerns from such places. The problem is that such food stalls serve very unique food items, only to be found there. All I can do is observe and try to emulate. Instead, for some of the dishes I will develop my own interpretation of the food.

• Indonesian Chicken & Beef satay - on Sambal fried rice (Nasi Goreng)
• Pad Thai Noodles - with shrimp, deep fried tofu, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts, garnished with cilantro.
• Fritas - Cuban street mini burgers topped with potato sticks.
  
• Pommes Frites - Fresh cut crispy twice-fried potatoes with crispy roasted onions and fresh mayonaise.
• Pizzetta- Italian mini pizza topped with sundried tomato pesto, olive tapenade, and shredded asiago cheese.
• Albondigas - Spanish meatballs cooked in a spicy tomato-red pepper sauce with saffron and slivered onions and served in a claypot.
• Moqueca - A Brazilian fish stew. A speciallty of the African , Indian, and Portuguese influenced region of Bahia made with garlic, parsely, corriander, peppers, coconut milk and palm oil.
• Shanghai Noodles - wok fried with black bean sauce, soy, ginger, garlic and green onions.
• Japanese Tsukemono - Assorted Japanese pickles served with fried rice.
  
• Morrocan Lamb Tagine - with prunes and served with a rustic Berber bread and a side of spicy harissa.
• South Indian Dosai - Crispy wafer thin crepes filled with masala infused fried potatoes and spicy coconut chutney.
• Chicago style Hot Dog - with chopped onion, relish, chopped tomato, mustard, and pickled peppers, with a side of fries.
• Egyptian Koshari - Rice with lentils topped with macaroni and fried onions and topped with a tangy tomato sauce.
  
• Apple Tarte Tatin - A French caramelized apple upside-down tart.
• Lebanese Kanafa - Baked fine semolina with kashkaval cheese and topped with sweet syrup.
• Bahraini Halwa - A jelly-like sweet made with sugar, saffron, cardamon, and a whole lot of exotic ingredients, best served warm. (The Omani version is darker and spicier)