10 Delicious Recipes You Haven’t Heard Of

There are many delicious meals you can eat throughout your life, but sometimes, you might find your craving something unfamiliar, something new.  For those times when your tastebuds are feeling adventurous, these recipes will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied. These are fantastic recipes that you probably haven’t heard of. Get your kitchens ready, because you’ll want to make these recipes as soon as you can! 

1) Patatas Bravas

Patatas bravas is a Spanish dish with quite a bit of flair. They are most commonly served at tapas bars, known for serving smaller dishes similar to snacks or appetizers. This recipe requires a tablespoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of ground chipotle peppers, 2 quarts of water, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 bay leaves, 2 russet potatoes, and 2 cups of vegetable oil. 

To start, you should peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Mix your salt, pepper, paprika, and chili powder in a bowl and set it aside.  Follow up by pouring your water into a saucepan, along with paprika, cumin, and bay leaves. Bring the water to a boil and submerge your potatoes for about five minutes. Remove the potatoes, dry them off, and toss them in your spice blend. This dish goes great with some aiolis, like garlic or tomato.

2) Okonomiyaki

This Japanese street dish is fairly customizable, as its name partially means “what you want.” This savory pancake dish requires a fair amount of special ingredients less available outside Japan, but we highly recommend trying to find those ingredients to give this dish a try. You’ll want 1 cup of flour, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, a Japanese long yam (nagaimo/yamaimo), 3/4 cup dashi, 1 cabbage head, 1/2 pound of sliced pork belly, 4 large eggs, 1/2 cup tempura scraps, 1/4 cup pickled red ginger, and neutral cooking oil. 

Begin by mixing your flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Peel and grate the long yam, and add it to the bowl along with your dashi mixture. Once these ingredients are mixed thoroughly, they will need to be covered and let sit in a fridge for an hour. Core the cabbage, mince it, and slice up the pork belly. Remove your batter bowl and add 4 eggs, half a cup of tempura scraps, and 1/4 cup of red ginger, mixing them all well. Finally, slowly mix in the cabbage. Take this batter and put it into an oiled pan, where you’ll fry it till brown and crispy, add the sliced pork belly to the top. This is another dish that goes well with sauces. There is an okonomiyaki sauce, but this also requires some specific ingredients. Feel free to vary up what meats you add, because most foods go well in this pancake-like recipe.

3) Terrine

There are many well-known French recipes, but one quite overlooked is terrine. This is a meat dish, often served cold, and with various meats and games. The non-meat ingredients are 1 chopped onion, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon of whole allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, a bay leaf, 1/2 cup of heavy cream, 2 large eggs, and 3 tablespoons of brandy. You can use a variety of meats, basically whatever you desire, but some good choices are chicken liver, pork shoulder, ground veal, baked ham, and bacon.

Begin by cooking the onion in butter until soft, then adding garlic and thyme.  You’ll want to cool this bowl, and in the meantime, pulse the salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg, and bay leaf in a food processor.  Add the onions, cream, egg, and brandy, and mix.  You’ll pulse in your meats except for the bacon, which will be laid across the batter once its in a pan. Terrine should be baked in a water bath, in the oven at 375 degrees for about two hours.  This may be a harder dish to make, but the results are worth it. 

4) Salade Mechouia

This salad is a Tunisian recipe, unique among salads for the fact that it involved grilling. This recipe requires 4 tomatoes, 2 red bell peppers, 2 jalapeno peppers, 2 sweet onions, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander seeds, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar, and salt & pepper.

Start by using a grill to blacken and soften your tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Once they are charred on all sides, place them into a bowl and cover that bowl, allowing them to steam in their own heat for 15 minutes. Once that time is up, peel away the blackened parts, and chop the veggies finely.  Toast your seeds until they are fragrant, and then ground them into powder, which you will mix into the olive oil and vinegar. Then coat your veggies with this mixture, and your salad is ready to serve. It is often garnished with hard-boiled eggs.  Be warned, this is a spicy salad, but delicious nonetheless.

5) Chicken Bastilla

Another of our lesser-known recipes, chicken pastilla is a pie-like dish from Morocco.  This recipe needs 1 skinned chicken, with the fat removed and cut into pieces.  It also needs 2 chopped sweet white onions, 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon crumbled saffron, 3 sticks of cinnamon, 3/4 cup of butter, 9 eggs, a pound of warqa/phyllo dough, and 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. 

Start by mixing the chicken with spices, 1/4 cup of butter, onion, and oil in a Dutch oven. Cover it at medium heat, stirring it occasionally over an hour. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and let most of the liquid evaporate from the pot. Take out the cinnamon sticks. Separate the chicken from the bone, and place the meat into a bowl with the onion mixture from the pot. Take your remaining onion mixture and add it to a skillet with cilantro, simmering for a minute. Then, add in 8 of your beaten eggs. Oil a large pan, and brush melted butter onto your dough. Overlap 4 layers of the dough on the pan, buttering each layer. Cover this with chicken filling, then followed by the egg stuffing. Cover the top with another circle of dough, and fold the excess dough on the sides up to form the pie crust. Butter that edge, and spread a single egg yolk over the top of the pie. The pie is ready to be baked at 350 for a half-hour.  This giant dish should feel you well!

6) Dal Makhani

This lentil-based recipe is known for being creamy and rich, originally from India. You’ll need 3/4 cup of urad dal, 1/4 cup rajma, 3 cups of water, 1 chopped medium onion, 2 chopped green chilies, 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste, 2 large tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 3 cloves, 3 green cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1 pinch of cinnamon, 1 medium Indian bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder, 3 pinches of nutmeg, 1/3 cup of low-fat cream, 1/4 teaspoon crushed Kasuri methi, 3 tablespoons of butter, and salt as desired. 

Begin the day before you’ll want to make this recipe, by letting the urad dal and rajma soak overnight. Once they’ve soaked for about 9 hours, you’ll rinse them again, and add them to the pressure cooker with the 3 cups of water. They should be cooked on high heat for about 20 minutes until soft and tender. Separately, you should blend your chopped tomatoes until they become a smooth puree. Now, the prep is done, and the actual meal begins. Melt your butter in a pan, and saute all your whole spices. Eventually add the onions, which will be sauteed as well. Add the ginger garlic paste until the aroma fades, following that with green chilies and the tomato puree. Then add a pinch or two of the chili powder and nutmeg powder. Next, you’ll add the lentils (urad dal and rajma) along with a cup of water. You’ll simmer this on a low heat until it starts to thicken, after which add the cream. Finish by adding the crushed Kasuri methi, and this recipe is ready to eat.

7) Mexican Corn Chowder

Chowder isn’t exactly an unknown dish, but a corn chowder might be something new for you.  To make this corn chowder, you will need a pound of chicken breast, 1/2 cup of chopped onion, 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 minced garlic cloves, a cup of hot water, 2 teaspoons of chicken bouillon granules, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 cups half and half cream, 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, 1 can of creamed corn, 1 can of chopped green chilies, 1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce, and 1 chopped tomato. 

Chop your chicken into 1-inch pieces. Brown the chicken and onion in butter, inside a Dutch oven. Once the chicken is no longer pink, add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the water, cumin, and bouillon, and bring the entire brew to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Next, stir in the cream, corn, cheese, chilies, and hot pepper sauce. Once the cheese is melted, add the tomato, and this corn chowder is ready to eat. It goes well with tortilla chips and chopped cilantro.  See which version of corn chowder you like better.

See Also

The Most Popular Eggnog Flavored Recipes For Winter

8) Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

This creamy soup is not only special for its warmth and flavor, but for its color! Using the right cauliflower and sweet potatoes turn this soup into a soft, soothing purple color. This recipe requires 4-5 cups of purple cauliflower florets, 2 cups of peeled, chopped purple sweet potatoes, 1 chopped onion, 1/3 cup sliced fennel bulb, 5 chopped garlic cloves, 2 large purple carrots, 48 ounces of chicken/vegetable broth, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Start by oiling and seasoning your cauliflower and sweet potatoes, getting them oven-ready. They’ll be baked for about a half-hour at 400 degrees, flipped halfway through. Add onions to a pot at high heat and sautee them. Stir in the garlic, carrots, and fennel. Next, add the cauliflower and sweet potatoes to the pot. Pour in about 7 cups of your broth, until all veggies are covered. Bring the soup to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to let it simmer for around 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to preference, and then use a blender to mix up the broth. You might need to do that in multiple batches.  After that, your soup is ready.  Serve with bread crumbs or other garnishes for a delicious meal.

9) Asparagus and Salmon Tart

This delicious pastry meal combines salmon and asparagus to make a hearty, fulfilling meal. You’ll need a pound of asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces, along with 1/4 cup chopped onion, 1/4 cup chopped sweet pepper, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 large, beaten eggs, 1/3 cup of half and half cream, 1 teaspoon dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 can of salmon, 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, and 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. 

Begin by steaming the asparagus for about five minutes and sauteeing the onion and peppers in butter. Combine the mayonnaise, eggs, dill, cream cheese, flour, cream, basil, and pepper.  Then fold in the salmon (deboned and drained), steamed asparagus, Swiss cheese, and onion mixture. Empty this batter into a greased pie pan and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Finish by baking at 350 degrees for thirty-five minutes, and enjoy this healthy yet delicious pie.

10) Koshari

Another street food recipe, this dish originating in Egypt.  While it requires a fair amount of ingredients, it is simpler to make. You’ll need two onions, one sliced into rings and another grated, salt, 1/3 cup of flour, 1 cup of cooking oil, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 can of tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 cups brown lentils, 2 cups rice, 2 cups elbow pasta, water, a can of chickpeas, and salt and pepper. 

Begin by tossing the onion rings with salt and covering them in flour. Caramelize the onions in an oiled skillet until they’re crispy. Set them aside for later. In an oiled pan, sautee the grated onions, adding the garlic and coriander after. Stir in the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt. When it thickens, add in vinegar, and set the sauce aside. In a saucepan, put the lentils and water in, bringing it to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook them for about 15 minutes, then remove them from the water and dry them. Soak the rice, then remove it and combine with lentils in a saucepan over medium heat, adding the salt, pepper, and coriander. A few minutes after, add water, which will be brought to a boil then down to low heat, until the water is absorbed by the lentils and rice. Cook the pasta according to instructions and warm the chickpeas. All the ingredients are ready, so just combine the crispy onions, tomato sauce, chickpeas, pasta, and rice/lentil mixture. Enjoy the meal!

Have you heard of these recipes before?  What is your favorite little-known dish? Let us know in the comments below!