Please share your Asian/South Asian/Middle Eastern/North African Thanksgiving recipes!

[Anonymous]

For a south Asian turkey rub, try the usual desi flavors mixed in with butter - ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and some garam masala.

[Anonymous]

I make japchae for potlucks, you can also make it without meat, might work for you. I think this is better and less greasy than at restaurants. Plus you can make ahead.

https://mykoreankitchen.com/korean-glass-noodle-stir-fry-japchae/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

These are not “traditional” British. These seasonings are from the Imperial colonies.

[Anonymous]

I love these green beans with miso butter and have made them for thanksgiving: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-beans-with-miso-butter

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

These are not “traditional” British. These seasonings are from the Imperial colonies.

Doesn't matter. They've been widely used in British cooking for hundreds and hundreds of years. Those flavor combos are quintessentially English, just the way tomatoes and mozzarella is quintessentially Italian despite tomatoes coming from Central America.

[Anonymous]

OP you could pick one type and then swap out the traditional flavorings for those.

I actually do a turkey seasoning with soy sauce, orange, garlic ginger, salt and white pepper . Wasn’t trying to go Asian but tried a WS citrus turkey and read that soy sauce is great for browning, and just love ginger. If you want to go further mix in some Asian hot chili oil for heat and crushed Asian pears for sweetness.

Brussels sprouts, or green beans are great roasted or sautéed with sesame oil and Korean gochang sauce.

Indian could work too. Use a tandoori spice rub for the turkey, butternut squash with curry etc.

For African maybe season the turkey with berbere seasoning and ghee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

These are not “traditional” British. These seasonings are from the Imperial colonies.

I accept that food travels far and connects people and cultures but don't colonize my food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

These are not “traditional” British. These seasonings are from the Imperial colonies.

I accept that food travels far and connects people and cultures but don't colonize my food.

PP saying these things were at the original Thanksgiving just needs to check their history timeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love these green beans with miso butter and have made them for thanksgiving: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-beans-with-miso-butter

What kind of miso do you use? Red?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

These are not “traditional” British. These seasonings are from the Imperial colonies.

Doesn't matter. They've been widely used in British cooking for hundreds and hundreds of years. Those flavor combos are quintessentially English, just the way tomatoes and mozzarella is quintessentially Italian despite tomatoes coming from Central America.

+1

[Anonymous]

My Asian PT had some kind of roast. I think pork. Like ribs or pulled pork. You can make what you want. It’s your Holiday !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, what are you asking?

If you're asking how people celebrate Thanksgiving in, say, Bangladesh, and what foods they serve, then that's not a thing. (Every culture has gathering/party/holiday foods, though.) American Thanksgiving is an American holiday.

You can certainly make whatever you want for the meal, though. So whip up some pad thai or couscous. Go to town! That's all easy to Google or check out of the library.

If you just want to add some "flair" to typical Thanksgiving foods, I mean, curry is good on pumpkin or butternut squash, turkey with harissa? Like others have said, search Epicurious for "[major ingredient]" or w/e and scan for any turkey or potato or yam or corn dish that includes some of those flavor accents.

If you're asking what American people from those cultures serve at Thanksgiving, okay, that is the only question that makes more sense to crowdsource than to Google, so maybe that's what you're asking.

It's at least a specific question to which the answer is not obvious, but that's partly because it's not exactly a thing. Most people will serve a couple of American TG dishes-- usually a whole turkey, though some E/SE Asian people serve duck instead, mashed potatoes and maybe sweet potatoes or squash or something, prepared in a European/American style... and then serve whatever else they like from their culture. For ex, pancit, tagine, paratha, rice instead of potatoes or rolls, etc. Not too many Asian/MENA families have been in the US for more than 50-100 years, if that, so there's not a semi-standard "menu" for A Very Vietnamese American Thanksgiving or anything. Of course, I'm not sure there's a Very Jewish American or Very Polish American or even a Very Irish American Thanksgiving, either. It's more of a family by family thing. I guess there are region-wide traditions, and there is something of a Very Black American Thanksgiving (more likely to require mac'n'cheese, sub sweet potato pie for pumpkin pie), but even that varies widely.

If you want to serve a meal like a, say, Afghani American family would at Thanksgiving... like specifically with that idea in mind... That's a little odd to me?

The best way to get-- or already have-- this information is to have friends and family that come from these cultures. If you don't, then no wonder your question is so opaque and confusing. I have some doubt you're even clear on what you're asking.

I'm not saying this is you, but it reminds me of people who ask how Jews celebrate Christmas. Hmmm... that example is too obvious and too religious. Maybe it's like when someone asked my Indian American cousin what toppings Indian Americans order on their pizza. He was like, uhhhh... pepperoni? Did they expect him to say okra? Or paneer?

+1, pretty common to make a straight-up turkey and then other non-WASP-y stuff for the sides. So for example my Jewish inlaws do chopped liver appetizer, matzoh ball soup, "regular" turkey with gravy, a salad, and sweet potato pudding. And they don't like pie so they serve cake. To them, chopped liver and matzoh ball soup are holiday/celebration foods no matter the holiday. My Jewish parents, on the other hand, pretty much only eat Jewish foods on Jewish holidays - except bagels and lox which are an anytime thing. So they served plain turkey, potatoes, and stuffing on Thanksgiving. But also they didn't like to cook and turkey was a holiday food so for many years they served it (minus stuffing) on Passover as well!

NYT Recipes has many interesting turkey recipes, if you are looking for turkey with non-WASP flavorings. If you want to depart from turkey entirely they've got that covered too.

Tradition is what you make it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

Of course it’s a Thanksgiving feast if that’s how it’s designated. What’s with the provincial insistence that it’s your food or bust? I’ve never had oyster dressing or cornmeal dressing or green bean casserole but if someone tells me that’s their thanksgiving food I don’t tell them that it isn’t everyone I know eats corn muffins and Pepperidge farm stuffing. If someone serves me lo mein on thanksgiving then that’s Thanksgiving. Heck I have vegan friends who serve an elaborate pasta spread on thanksgiving. Are you going to tell them they don’t celebrate properly because they don’t eat turkey?

[Anonymous]

My family is part Cuban. Fried plantains and white rice with black beans appear every holiday. To be honest, one of my kids likes these better than mashed white potatoes.

I went to an Italian American thanksgiving once and the grandmother made lasagne. It was better than the Turkey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well Thanksgiving food is going to be pretty much overwhelmingly English flavors, aka rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. because that's what the pilgrims ate.

You can do your own thing on Thanksgiving and have ssambap for example, but it's not going to be Thanksgiving food. just like you could celebrate Cinco de Mayo with beef lo mein or St Patricks Day with injera but it's not gonna really be the holiday.

But... make whatever you want. If you like this food so much you should probably already have a list of go-to recipes from these places, so I'm not gonna post my go-tos. Treat it like a normal Thursday if you're going this route.

Literally none of the flavors you posted are English. Rosemary is mediterranean. Thyme is mediterranean and North African. Cinnamon is South Asian. Nutmeg is Asian. The pilgrims did not eat that stuff. They ate what the native Americans ate. Your eurocentric view of the world and history is so limited

Actually these are the most traditional English flavors and seasonings. The holiday was started by the pilgrims, and the dishes reflect it.

But by all means, no one will care at all if you dont do a Thanksgiving and put out some lo mein and go to town. No one will care. Literally no one. It just wont be a Thanksgiving feast. But whatever. Do you.

Of course it’s a Thanksgiving feast if that’s how it’s designated. What’s with the provincial insistence that it’s your food or bust? I’ve never had oyster dressing or cornmeal dressing or green bean casserole but if someone tells me that’s their thanksgiving food I don’t tell them that it isn’t everyone I know eats corn muffins and Pepperidge farm stuffing. If someone serves me lo mein on thanksgiving then that’s Thanksgiving. Heck I have vegan friends who serve an elaborate pasta spread on thanksgiving. Are you going to tell them they don’t celebrate properly because they don’t eat turkey?

It's not "my food or bust". It's about the roots of a holiday. As PPs point out, you serve certain types of food at certain holidays. You dont serve beef bourignon to celebrate St Patrick's day, you serve corned beef and cabbage. You serve a buche de noel on Christmas, not on Easter. You serve potato pancakes at Hannukah, not on Cinco De Mayo. It's really not that complicated.

I mean if you want to go rogue and throw a bunch of random sh** on the table, have at it. But it aint the holiday. And that's that. And no one will care regardless, unless they had the misfortune to be invited such a weird occasion.