Have you tried these famous international sauces?

This month we have embarked on a journey through the gastronomy of the world. We would like nothing more than to be able to discover other countries and cultures, but for now we have to settle for doing it from home. When you travel, especially if it is to an exotic place or a place different from your culture, the first thing you investigate is gastronomy . And one of the easiest ways to get in touch is through sauces.

These sauces of the world, as well as the ideas to accompany them, are very quick to prepare and combine all the flavor of different typical cuisines. From the spicy touches of Mexico, to the densest sauces of the countries that surround the Alps, passing through the sauces for Italian pasta or the fetish sauces of Asian gastronomy. With all these rooms, your palate will discover new nuances and combinations without leaving the home kitchen . Maybe it can be a good start to think about when the next trip can be made.

From Mexico to the world: guacamole and pico de gallo

Paleo guacamole

Avocado is such a nutritious and complete fruit that it has become a must in many kitchens. Its contribution of healthy fats is its main success, along with the ease of incorporating it into our daily diet. Beyond its use in toast or salads, one of the best ways to consume it is in a rich guacamole that is very easy to prepare. Salsa dates back to the time of the Aztecs, and it spread throughout the Americas as an accompaniment to numerous dishes. Your success? Simplicity and flavor.

3 medium ripe avocados
Half a cup of fresh coriander
Juice of a lime
Half red onion
Salt to taste
1 ripe tomato (optional)

Paleo Pico de Gallo

We recognize that we have a certain weakness for Mexican sauces because they are really delicious. They are great to eat with some seed crackers or with chicken and beef. They match perfectly! Pico de gallo is another of the quintessential sauces of Mexican cuisine, in this case with a touch of spice . It is also very simple to make, and its fresh ingredients like tomato soften the spicy flavor.

1 red tomato
A quarter of a red onion
1 jalapeño
Juice of half a lemon
1 handful of fresh coriander
Salt and pepper

Surely you are not able to opt for one of the two. You don’t have to choose. There are recipes like this grilled chicken that have both sauces as a side. You’ll tell us if you end up opting for one!

Transport to Southeast Asia: curry

Curry is not a sauce itself, but rather a spice that, in turn, is made up of a set of other spices. Among those raw materials that give rise to what we know as curry are basil, pepper, nutmeg, coriander or onion. A long list that, once combined, results in a mustard or reddish powder. In stores, curry can be purchased both in powder form and in paste form. And, from there, you can create a rich traditional curry sauce to accompany a delicious chicken dish or to give a different touch to a varied salad:

1 tablespoon curry powder
2 garlic cloves
200 ml of coconut milk
4 tablespoons of olive oil
200 ml of chicken broth
Sal
200 g of onion

This curry sauce can be used to accompany a simple quinoa dish, without the need to add chicken. It also works great with a mixed vegetable dish or to add extra flavor to a soup. And if we want to use it to accompany meat, it can be added to some meatballs or beef ribs. In general, any stew or stew that we prepare supports a teaspoon of curry.

In addition to the traditional ocher curry that we usually know, there is a typical variant of Thai cuisine which is the red curry sauce made with red curry paste with coconut milk . of other ingredients. In the photo above, we’ve used it to make a hot chicken zucchini zoodles soup.

1 tablespoon or 1 and a half red curry paste
2 tablespoons of Tamari sauce
400 ml of coconut milk
1 l unsalted chicken broth
Half a tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
A pinch of basil
1 lime squeezed
2 tablespoons grated ginger
A pinch of black pepper

My great Greek sauce: tzatziki

Tzatziki sauce is a sauce of Greek origin that is based on two main ingredients: yogurt and cucumber . Its preparation is very simple since very few ingredients are needed and the result is a very fresh and versatile sauce. It is used to accompany delicious chicken skewers or as a condiment for the traditional ‘gyro pita’ of Greek cuisine. But there are also those who use it as a sauce for pizza, or as a garnish for some ‘crudités’ or some seed cracker.

1 cucumber
Half a lemon
1 garlic
125 g organic yogurt
Sal

Thai cuisine: satay sauce or peanut sauce

When we think of peanut butter, the typical product that is used in the United States for some sandwiches or toast may come to mind. However, peanut butter is increasingly used in other parts of the world for its contribution of natural fats, proteins and other nutrients in peanuts. In Thai-style cuisine from Thailand, it is common to use it to prepare a sauce.

Half a cup of peanut butter
75 ml of vegetable milk
45 ml of Tamari or soy sauce
15 g of coconut sugar

Among the many recipes to which you can add a peanut sauce we have the typical pad thai thai , or the poke originating in Hawaiian cuisine. Plus, any grilled meat or salmon kabobs are suitable for a sweet and sour peanut sauce. It can even be used to prepare recipes as original as these healthy popcorn.

The best friend of Italian pasta: homemade tomato sauce

This is one of the most famous and common sauces on the list. A traditional Italian pasta dish needs a good tomato sauce. The ideal is to make it at home, since the pot sauce that is sold in supermarkets contains a high amount of hidden sugar that we do not even perceive when eating, in addition to added preservatives.

10 ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper (carrot and onion can also be added)
2 tablespoons of organic butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Salt and pepper

If you prepare your homemade tomato sauce with the idea of using it to accompany a pasta or rice dish, it must be taken into account that both have a high presence of rapidly absorbed carbohydrates that cause high blood glucose peaks. The quinoa or some spaghetti made from zucchini strips are a much healthier and more energetic option in the long term. Similarly, if you prepare the pizza-based tomato sauce, it is better to make the dough with quinoa or almond flour instead of wheat flour.

The successful sauce of Spanish origin: mayonnaise

In a salad, with a meat dish, in a hamburger, in a sandwich … How many meals can you add a tablespoon of delicious mayonnaise? The base of traditional mayonnaise is egg, oil and vinegar that are mixed until emulsified and obtain a kind of whitish paste. However, there are other recipes such as a vegan mayonnaise without egg .

1 cup of almond milk
Half a tablespoon of salt
1 cup of olive oil
A garlic clove
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
One tablespoon of mustard
150 g of cooked beet (optional if you want to make a veganese with beets that has a pink color)

Vegetable Mayonnaise Recipe: Beet and Natural Vegan

Travel to the mountains of the Alps: cheese fondue

And finally, we have selected this paleo cheese fondue so that you fall in the nets of that wonderful dairy that is cheese. Cheese sauces to accompany skewers of vegetables, meat or a few pieces of bread are very typical in cold countries. In fact, it has its origin in the areas of France and Switzerland close to the mountains of the Alps.

250 g of grated Emmental cheese
250 g grated Gruyère cheese
1 1/2 cups of dry white wine
1 clove of garlic

Recipes of the world (I): Quinoa and salmon sushi with peanut sauce