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What does your family eat in a day if you are not British?

100 replies

Flauralaura · 30/04/2023 09:30

Just curious. Please tell me where you are from and what a typical day's meals would be in your household.

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TroysMammy · 03/05/2023 09:06

Fabulous and interesting thread. I'm now not looking forward to my weetabix for breakfast and then liver, mash and gravy for dinner tonight.

Kucinghitam · 03/05/2023 09:17

Love this thread! I'm jotting down recipes...

I'm Malaysian Chinese, DH is English. We eat a mixture of cuisines. But, family weeknight dinner favourites when it's my turn to cook are things like:

∙Most frequently it's steamed rice with a couple of dishes, typically one protein-based dish and one steamed/stir-fried vegetable dish.
e.g. Chinese-style omelette (containing onion/ tomato/ chilli/ prawn/ ham/ etc) or steamed egg custard (sometimes with minced pork) or tamarind eggs or slow-cooker herbal chicken/pork-rib stew.
∙Chicken/pork meatball juk (congee) made in the slow cooker
∙Hakka noodles, made with pork or turkey mince, I add a green veg like tenderstem broccoli into the sauce so it's an all-in-one meal.
∙Nasi goreng Malaysian style (fried rice, contains chilli and fermented shrimp paste).

Steamed Egg with Minced Pork (肉末蒸蛋)

If you need to whip together a meal in 30 minutes, but you also want something delicious and comforting, steamed egg with minced pork is a simple recipe that you need to try. Steamed egg

https://cookinginchinglish.com/steamed-egg-with-minced-pork/

RestrictiveCovenant · 03/05/2023 09:46

LightDrizzle · 02/05/2023 13:02

@RestrictiveCovenant - is there a Persian cook book in English that describes the techniques as well as the recipes?

These dishes sound fantastic. I’ve eaten Persian food but only in restaurants, never in a home.

I taught immigrants and asylum seekers English and while you shouldn’t stereotype nationalities, it just so happened that I never taught an Iranian student who wasn’t dazzling charming, polite, generous and lovely, and while I’m being a big racist I never met an Ethiopian student who wasn’t really studious, courteous and kind. I realise there will be Iranian and Ethiopian twats but my own limited experience has given me pro bias!

Food of life by Najmieh Batmanlij is pretty much the Persian food Bible.

There are some good recipes in the saffron tales by Yasmin Kahn, and in persiana by Sabrina Ghayour, though both have a mix of influences from other countries too.

Totally agree with you on the charming, polite and lovely front, it was one of the reasons I fell on love with my DP (though it can be a bit annoying when you need the brutal truth😬 it nearly kills him to tell me something isn’t good🤣 I have to drag it out of him). His uncle was the ultimate charmer, a genuinely lovely, lovely man.

Here’s the green bean stew recipe we follow (excuse my scrawl)...

What does your family eat in a day if you are not British?
What does your family eat in a day if you are not British?
RestrictiveCovenant · 03/05/2023 09:47

sashh · 03/05/2023 07:53

No Khoresh-e Ghormeh Sabzi?

One of the pizza places near me does some Persian food, I think they batch cook and freeze it but I don't care it is really nice food.

I actually went and bought a Persian cook book.

Oh and the bread, the bread is amazing.

It’s there in my post!😊

evtheria · 03/05/2023 10:04

@Kucinghitam 👋 hai!

We eat a range of cuisines every week, so non-British maybe 70% of the time.

In spring/summer Greek salad & proper bread is on the table nearly every dinner as a side.

Breakfast for DS and I is often fried rice (veg and egg, maybe a crab stick chopped up for him) and I love eating roti canai (you can find premade ones in the freezer at Asian shops) with a Malay style chicken curry, which should be more thin sauce than actual chicken for dipping. You can buy sachet mixes for this, as well.
I eat lunch alone at home on weekdays, so if it's not leftovers then:

  • spring rolls, either air/deep fried or the translucent Vietnamese style ones, DELICIOUS and one platter full is perfect for warmer weather
  • Greek pastitsio, similar to lasagne, with a hunk of feta and some rocket salad on side
  • hainanese/Singapore chicken rice, may look plain but is super fragrant and comforting, and the chilli sauce is crack
  • mee goreng, with veg and maybe some prawns
  • malay 'corned beef rice', which is definitely easy comfort food rather than anything to wow people with

There is also nearly always a plate of cut up fruit, often with a sprinkle of salt-sugar-chilli, or li hing mui powder.

sashh · 03/05/2023 10:29

RestrictiveCovenant · 03/05/2023 09:47

It’s there in my post!😊

Yes I have reread it now.

I have steak in for dinner but I might get a take away now, or invite you over to cook for me.

LightDrizzle · 03/05/2023 13:35

@RestrictiveCovenant - thank you so much for sharing the recipe and for the book recommendations. I will act on both.

Kucinghitam · 03/05/2023 15:06

@evtheria Apa khabar? Dari mana? Grin

There is also nearly always a plate of cut up fruit, often with a sprinkle of salt-sugar-chilli, or li hing mui powder.

When I first met DH, he was very confused that I always recommended seasoning with salt if the orange or pineapple slices were too sour, but he's a total convert now! I also love li hing mui (we call it asam boi like the Malays) especially on guava 😋

steppemum · 03/05/2023 15:12

dh is Dutch and by preference he and his whole family stick to pretty similar meals.

breakfast -
bread (brown or granary) and cheese /cold meats (ham salami)
maybe a second slice with chocolate spinkles/jam
cup of tea /coffee or glass of milk
lunch -
two rounds of sandwiches with cheese on one and ham/meat on the other
never any tomato etc in the sandwiches
an apple (other fruit are possible)
glass of milk (yes this is adults too)

snacks -
one biscuit/piece of cake with tea mid afternoon

dinner -
cooked meal. If you have this at lunchtime then you have had your 'warm meal' and so you woudl have a 'bread meal' for dinner

typical
smoked sausage
mashed potatoes/carrots and onions

or
fried rice (Indonesian style)

or
fried meat, boiled potatoes and green veg.

dessert
yoghurt or 'vla' which is like flavoured custard.

PollyThePixie · 03/05/2023 15:16

A Sloppy Joe seems to be what we call in Scotland a ‘roll ‘n’ mince’

DressDilemma · 03/05/2023 15:18

I am British but of Indian descent. I am vegetarian (no eggs too) from birth due to religious reasons.
Breakfast - porridge, avocado on toast, toast with butter and jam, Indian dishes like poha and upma
Lunch - vegetarian salads, soups, leftovers from dinner with a small bowl of yoghurt
Dinner - curry (paneer/vegetables/chickpeas/red kidney beans, lentils) with roti, rice and pickles.

Bustard · 03/05/2023 15:22

DH is Malaysia and I am British. We eat a mix of western and Asian (less of a mix right now as I'm pregnant so have gone off a lot of things).

We eat a lot of rice and things that previously I would have cooked and eaten alone or maybe with a slice of bread (like a sausage and bean casserole) now I will make rice to go with it. We also always have a plate of cut fruit after dinner.

evtheria · 03/05/2023 16:19

@Kucinghitam ibu saya dari Sarawak (dad's English). Asam boi, that's what my mom calls it. I started saying li hing mui from requesting it in the Chinese shops here. And Grin at @Bustard because until I actually went to Hungary, I thought goulash always came with rice... no, it was just us!

Flauralaura · 03/05/2023 16:35

@PollyThePixie haha yes indeed! I'll have to start upselliing my mince rolls as sliders to the kids! Sounds so much cooler!

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Flauralaura · 03/05/2023 16:38

*sloppy Joes I mean!

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aibutohavethisusername · 03/05/2023 16:43

I love this thread. Thank you for sharing everyone.

AngryAndUnapologetic · 03/05/2023 17:12

So many great meals on this thread!

I'm British but have lived in Thailand for 5 years.

I've forgotten how to cook here after initially not having a western kitchen and then just becoming lazy... mostly we eat Thai, sometimes Indian. We buy most of our evening meals from the street/market or have them delivered from local outlets. (This is normal here!!)

Favourites include laab moo, which is minced pork with chilli, lime, and some sort of toasted rice hidden in it (called 'spicy meat salad' on menus but not a salad!), laab moo tod (laab turned into meatballs), som tam (spicy crunchy salad of shredded young papaya, some sort of green bean, carrot, maybe tomato, sometimes tiny dried prawns with the shell still on that you eat whole, in a spicy, limey sauce), tom yum soup (spicy, can be with chicken or prawns, can be clear or have coconut milk added), chicken/prawn fried rice, sundried beef or pork, khao soi (spicy, creamy noodle soup), massaman curry, penang curry, all the curries!

We do still eat pizza, pasta, sushi etc. I've only had 3 roast dinners in 5 years - twice on Sundays at restaurants and once I cooked a Christmas dinner. My kids had no idea what pigs in blankets were!

We can get food of any type here, so if we fancy it we can get it. There's a place nearby that has food trucks with Thai, Indian, Persian, Greek, Chinese, American (smoked meat place, grilled cheese place, burger place), Jamaican, Mexican etc!

Very occasionally I buy something like a tin of Heinz tomato soup, which costs the same as 3 whole meals from the market!!!

dottypencilcase · 03/05/2023 21:23

Pakistani family:

Breakfast: porridge, cereal/muesli
Lunch: sandwich, pasta, etc.
Dinner: curry and chappati
Snacks: fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate.

Fiddledeedeeee · 03/05/2023 22:31

brownbeauty80 · 02/05/2023 11:48

I am a British born Indian. Husband is india born
We eat Gujarati food in the evenings unless we r going out then it's whatever..
Weekdays r rushed but weekends I spend more time in the kitchen and make the traditional breakfast lunch n dinners...
dhokla
Khaman
Khamni
Patra
Paturi
Aubergine potato curry
Chickpea curry
Chicken curry
Daal bhat

Pls feel free to ask for recipes... I'm also a chef with my own catering business.. Smile

Aloo paratha 🤤
Had it for breakfast in India and absolutely LOVED it.
Is it difficult to make? I’d be so grateful if you could share the recipe!

Cece92 · 03/05/2023 22:48

@BritishDesiGirl chicken Karachi and chapatti is my favourite. My ex is British Pakistani and would make it for me every weekend when he was off or he'd make chicken/ prawn biryani and we would have 2 days worth of lunch and dinner. One of my best friends is British Pakistani and brings me rice to work once a week, her, her mum and SIL take turns on the weekly rice so I get some every week and asked to rate whos is best 😂 hate to say the exes is best. He still brings me some when he makes it 😂

Flauralaura · 04/05/2023 07:38

@AngryAndUnapologetic oh wow! Your food markets sound amazing! I don't think I would ever cook at home either if I had those options on my doorstep!

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TiredOfCleaning · 04/05/2023 13:03

Oh this thread has made me very very hungry.

@evtheria I was lucky to spend alot of holidays in my childhood in Singapore and developed a deep and continuining love for Hainanese chicken rice. I tried to make ti years ago but never captured the glorious subtle flavour properly. I might try again.

Kucinghitam · 04/05/2023 14:30

evtheria · 03/05/2023 16:19

@Kucinghitam ibu saya dari Sarawak (dad's English). Asam boi, that's what my mom calls it. I started saying li hing mui from requesting it in the Chinese shops here. And Grin at @Bustard because until I actually went to Hungary, I thought goulash always came with rice... no, it was just us!

Oh cool, is your mum from Kuching? Grin I have never been to Sarawak, but I would love to visit one of these days. My family are from Penang and KL.

@TiredOfCleaning You can buy Hainanese chicken rice flavourings in a packet (sorry I can't remember the brand but it is widely available in Asian supermarkets in the UK) and you put it in your rice cooker with rice, water, chicken pieces. Another trick is to use corn-fed chicken, gives a closer resemblance to the silky texture that is characteristic of the best pak cham gai.

Somethingsnappy · 04/05/2023 14:35

Wonderful thread! Thank you everyone for the delicious ideas!

TiredOfCleaning · 04/05/2023 18:35

Kucinghitam · 04/05/2023 14:30

Oh cool, is your mum from Kuching? Grin I have never been to Sarawak, but I would love to visit one of these days. My family are from Penang and KL.

@TiredOfCleaning You can buy Hainanese chicken rice flavourings in a packet (sorry I can't remember the brand but it is widely available in Asian supermarkets in the UK) and you put it in your rice cooker with rice, water, chicken pieces. Another trick is to use corn-fed chicken, gives a closer resemblance to the silky texture that is characteristic of the best pak cham gai.

ooooh thank you. Smile i shall hunt this down and I shall definitely make it. It's probably in my top 5 favourite dishes of all time. (And Char Kway Teow is deffo in the Top 10).

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