Crock Pot Ethnic Cooking

It used to be that you had to go to a special store to find ethnic spices and foods. They were more expensive, but of great quality. Today, ethnic cooking is acknowledged more and just about every grocery store has an ethnic section. Still, to find the best variety for crock pot meals, it is a good idea to visit an ethnic market.

Foods that are most common to the climates in those countries dictate the types of dishes that are produced. It is no wonder that Asian dishes include so much rice. Rice paddies produced this cheap main staple of the diet. In poorer countries where meat was scarce heavy vegetables like potatoes, beets or turnips became the staple of choice for filling meals.

When it comes to ethnic foods, often times each dish tells a story. Indian dishes are filled with aromatic spices that are earthy and hot. Indian dishes are many times vegetarian, but you will find they may also include chicken or seafood. In India, the cow is sacred so you won’t be seeing any beef in recipes from India.

Carrots, potatoes, lentils and onions, along with chicken, will be the base for many Indian slow cooker dishes. Slow cooking these items can take between six and eight hours. Meals are seasoned with curry, ginger, saffron, cumin, and turmeric. Fruit juices like lime and lemon are also used to flavor Indian dishes.

Mexican is another ethnic food that can be a delicious treat when it comes from the crock pot. As most of us know, Mexican foods are spicy. Spices are used to enhance the flavor of the food and in Mexico, the hotter the better. Hot chili pepper varieties that most wouldn’t even dare to taste are welcomed in a Mexican dish.

With Mexican food, sausage, chicken and beef will be the main meats. They also can contain a bit of pork. Beans such as black beans, navy beans and garbanzo beans are present in these dishes as well. Believe it or not you can make chili or taco filling in a crock pot to serve as a family meal. Brown the ground beef before adding it to a slow cooker. Chicken or selected cuts of beef can be sliced into strips before cooking in a crock pot.

Tomatoes and peppers are diced or sliced for many Mexican recipes. Onions and garlic are also good for flavor. When it comes to spices, cumin, cayenne pepper, cilantro, black pepper and chili powder add great flavor to crock pot meals. Fresh vegetables and herbs make the flavors more noticeable as well. If you have to use canned beans for instance, try to select fresh herbs and veggies to balance out the taste.

All ethnic food may not be to your liking, but it’s worth trying at least once. You may find that the taste agrees with you and giving you even more meals to add to your crock pot recipe file.

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