(Jewish Group) 4 Hanukkah recipes from across Asia that meld local cultures with Diaspora traditions

[Behind the Aegis]

Asian-Jewish cuisine is a complex tapestry.

Jewish communities have existed across Asia for longer than many might assume, especially near major historical trade routes in places such as India, Singapore and Indonesia. Other communities developed during and after World War II. Some were part of or assimilated into local cultures, while others blended culinary traditions from other lands with the cuisines of their new homes.

So what do Jews in various parts of Asia eat on Hanukkah? Jews hailing from India, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan spoke to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about some of their go-to holiday recipes.


From left: Brod goreng, corn fritters and negi latkes. (Screenshot from YouTube/Beqs Kitchen/ Rosita Goldstein/Jeremy Freeman)

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Recipes for the following are included in the article: Tokyo, Japan: Negi latkes, Singapore/Indonesia: Deep-fried corn fritters, Gujarat, India: Vegetable patties with coriander chutney, and North Sulawesi, Indonesia: Brod Goreng. Has anyone tried these?

[MyMission]

1. Those Brod Goreng donuts are appealing

Easy recipe, and not full of spice.

The other recipes look interesting, and I love Indian and Asian food, but as an American Ashkenazi Jew I tend to prefer foods I grew up with on the holidays.

For Chanukkah we didn't do jelly donuts, but latkes were abundant, usually with apple sauce and sour cream. My mom made the best latkes!
My dad liked borscht, and it was usually served on most holidays. He'd pour 1/2 jar in blender, add ice and sour cream, and it became a pink, frothy, semi-sweet drink, which I still enjoy. Drinking borscht and eating latkes is a good Chanukkah memory.

Maybe I'll try to make those donuts later in the week. I have other cooking to do for the holiday, for a pot luck supper and first night celebration on Sunday.

Thanks for sharing this interesting article.

[Mosby]

2. I ran across this recipe, sounds really good.

Last edited Fri Dec 16, 2022, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/cheese-latkes/#.Y5h9BFjtdUY.twitter

ETA:

Of course we associate potato latkes with Hanukkah, but in reality latkes descends from Italian pancakes that were made with ricotta cheese. The first connection between Hanukkah and pancakes was made by a rabbi in Italy named Rabbi Kalonymus ben Kalonymus (c. 1286-1328). According to The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food by Gil Marks, the Rabbi “included pancakes in a list of dishes to serve at an idealized Purim feast, as well as a poem about Hanukkah. After the Spanish expelled the Jews from Sicily in 1492, the exiles introduced their ricotta cheese pancakes, which were called cassola in Rome, to the Jews of northern Italy. Consequently, cheese pancakes, because they combined the two traditional types of foods–fried and dairy–became a natural Hanukkah dish.”

Potato latkes are a more recent Ashkenazi invention that gained popularity in Eastern Europe during the mid 1800?s. A series of crop failures in Poland and the Ukraine led to mass planting of potatoes, which were easy and cheap to grow. But before potatoes came on the scene, the latke of choice was cheese.

In honor of Judith and the history of Hanukkah, give these cheese latkes a try. They’re super easy to make and they’ll melt in your mouth. Imagine cheesy blintz filling made into a fluffy little pancake. So creamy and delicious! Use full fat, high quality ricotta for best flavor results — if you’re on a diet, lowfat will work, too. Top them with a little something sweet like honey or agave nectar. Knowing the history behind the latkes will make them taste even better!

https://www.pbs.org/food/features/history-of-latkes/