Bored with steak and potatoes? Think global and click to EthnicGrocer for a supply of what it calls "low-key but flavor-packed" goodies to spark your taste buds.
At the site, click on "explore countries" to find out what they find tasty elsewhere -- and how you can enjoy it at homes. Head for Poland and ponder bigos, or hunter's stew, a concoction of meat, sauerkraut and mushrooms that is described as the Polish national dish.
Click on "China" and you can consider a meal of bean sauce sweet Szechuan -- or read on, and learn how to get "harmony and balance" into your food, Chinese style. For those familiar with Vietnamese cookery, there is nuoc mam, the unique fish sauce that the peasants there use like ketchup and which is described as "very pungent," an understatement if ever there was one.
The EthnicGrocer's database includes a wealth of recipes and local food lore from Greece, India, Korea, Mexico, The Philippines and Turkey, among others. Or click on "Rice Rules," to learn the scores of ways that rice is used as a staple in kitchens around the world -- complete with cooking methods, recipes and shortcuts.
