"American Food" in China?

[red_des]

Hi all

Comments

[noire]

I'm from New England, so my first thoughts were regional. So much of our cooking is regional, after all (and Southern food certainly DOES count!) I thought of corn chowder, baked beans, corn bread, zuccini bread, pumpkin muffins, butternut squash (though that often does come out mushy.) Maybe butternut squash and apple soup, which is a great favorite just this time of year?

[red_des]

You're right about American regional food. I think I may focus on some simple southern recipes, with some seasonal influences. The soup sounds tasty; do you have a specific recipe?

[noire]

I don't use a specific recipe. What I do goes something like this

[red_des]

Thank you!

[thisbluephoenix]

the most american thing i can think of is hamburgers and fries. that would go well with coleslaw! a big delicious veggie burger with lots of toppings, hot crispy fries....?

[red_des]

Roasted potatoes or fries would definitely be a good idea! Thanks!

[sweetveg]

chef chloe's mexicali sliders are sooooo delicious. i've made them five or six times for my family and they think it tastes better than a cheeseburger :) for the side i baked sweet potato fries - nothing crazy.

[red_des]

That recipe looks amazing. Not sure I can pull it off here (avacadoes cost about $5 each!!!), but I'll definitely save it for when I go home :9

[supermelanie]

When I think American food, I think traditional Thanksgiving meal. I would do some kind of fake meatloaf, gravy, mashed potatoes (or mashed cauliflower/parsnips/whatever your preference is), a sweet potato dish, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, green beans... mmmm. Now I'm hungry. :)

[red_des]

I'm hungry now too D: I miss American food so much!

[heathergalaxy]

My suggestion is to focus on Native North American cuisine rather than the cuisine of the colonizers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_cuisine Corn, most beans, peppers, potatoes, squash, etc. all come from Americas. While you can do lots of stuff, if you're less familiar with it think Thanksgiving type food. I'd think some sort of cornbread, mashed potatoes, succotash, and pumpkin pie might go over well.

[the_moogie]

This. Start with items that are indigenous to the US.

[briasoleil]

I agree. Too often, we overlook the cuisines of North America's First Peoples.

I'd also suggest bannock with a vegetable stew of some kind. And what about introducing fruit that is native to the Americas? Saskatoons, choke cherries, huckleberries; I would research fruits and vegetables native to the Americas. (Btw, chocolate is native to the Americas.)

Over the years, I've made a dish called "Indian Pudding" with great success. It uses corn grits, hazelnut butter, non-dairy milk of your choice, currants and maple syrup. It could be a not that sweet dessert or a breakfast/brunch dish.

I'm not sure how common wild rice is in the US, but it's fairly common in Canada. It's a bit trickier to cook but has a lovely nutty taste.

I love Gumbo aux herbes, aka Gumbo z'herbes.

[red_des]

Wild rice is pretty common in the US; not sure if I can find it here, but I can certainly check the supermarket. I think it might be interesting for her to try something different from the traditional Chinese white rice.