These local dishes will mentally transport you to exotic locations with each bite

The pandemic forced many of us to postpone our travel plans this year, but we never stopped dreaming up ways to satisfy our wanderlust. Here, Miami’s top chefs share some of their favorite transportive recipes to help you taste your way around the world from the comfort of your kitchen.

The destination: Thailand

The dish: Chef Brian Nasajon’s Glass Noodles with Green Papaya Salad, Beaker & Gray

“After my honeymoon in Thailand, I needed to have that classic green papaya salad on the menu. My version brings life to the peanut and spicy/sweet profiles. The B&G papaya salad has a creamy peanut butter and fish sauce base and is coated in a spicy palm sugar glaze made with fresh garlic and Thai chilis.” - Chef Brian Nasajon

Ingredients

1 pack of glass noodles (vermicelli)

2 cups of green papaya

2 cups of chayote

2 cups of roasted salted peanuts

1 cup of mint

1 cup of basil

1 cup of cilantro

2 cups of chili vinaigrette

How to make it:

Mince Fresno chili peppers, jalapeños, garlic and shallots in a food processor. Then bring all the ingredients to a boil in a pot. Simmer for 5 minutes and let cool. For the salad, cook the noodles in half water, half white distilled vinegar until soft, then let cool. Julienne the papaya and chayote, and cut the herbs into very thin slices. Place all the ingredients in another bowl, toss well and enjoy.

The destination: Japan

The dish: Chef Yasu’s Toro Taku, The Den at Azabu Miami Beach

“Toro Taku is a combination of fatty tuna and pickled daikon radish. It might have started from one sushi restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan. In The Den, we use both fatty tuna and lean tuna for a good balance of fat and flavor.” - Head sushi chef Yasu Tanaka

Ingredients:

Half sheet of nori

Sushi rice

Wasabi

Chopped toro (mix with lean tuna for texture)

Chopped pickled daikon radish

Nikiri soy sauce

How to make it:

Chill the sushi rice and place it on the left side of the nori sheet. Dab wasabi onto the center of the rice, then spread the chopped toro on top. Nestle the pickled daikon beside the toro, add a few drops of nikiri soy sauce, and roll.

The destination: Greece

The dish: Chef Giannis Kotsos’s Stuffed Peppers, Meraki Greek Bistro

“I love this dish because it’s a perfect embodiment of Mediterranean cuisine and brings me back home. It’s simple, yet elegant.” - Chef Giannis Kotsos

Ingredients:

3 onions

6 tomatoes

3 peppers

1 ounce of Glacé rice

2 ½ cups of water

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Bunch of parsley

Bunch of spearmint

1/3 bunch of dill

Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Chop the onions, herbs and garlic and keep separate. Core the peppers and place them on a cooking tray, then core the tomatoes (save the insides for later). Heat oil in a pan on high. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until golden and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add and sauté the rice for 3-4 minutes until it absorbs all the liquid, then add the tomato paste. Add 1 ½ cups of water and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the tomato fillings and herbs (save some as garnish) and continue to stir. Spoon the finished stuffing into the cored peppers; add leftover stuffing to the cooking tray. Add 1 cup of water to the tray, sprinkle with oil, cover with aluminum foil and bake for an hour at 375°F. Remove the foil and bake for another 10-20 minutes until liquids evaporate. Sprinkle with oil and the remaining fresh herbs. Top with feta, if desired.

The destination: Italy

The dish: Chef Pietro’s Spaghetti Bottarga, Sardinia

“Spaghetti Bottarga is one of my favorite dishes to cook because it reminds me of my hometown of Orosei in Sardinia.” - Chef Pietro Vardeu

Ingredients:

8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

1 pound of spaghetti

2 bunches of Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/2 a cup

6 ounces of Bottarga (tuna or mullet)

Cherry tomatoes, halved

A peeler or small mandolin

Zest of 2 lemons

How to make it:

Boil 6 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons of salt. In a 12- to 14-inch sauté pan, heat the oil, red pepper, tomatoes and garlic on low until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat. Cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and pour into the oil mixture, adding parsley. Toss to mix well over medium heat and pour into a warm serving bowl. Shave the Bottarga over the bowl and sprinkle with lemon zest.

The destination: Peru

The dish: Chef David Lee’s Coconut Ceviche, Planta

“We make our own plant-based twist on the dish by using fresh coconut, then marinate it in a mixture of shallots, jalapeños, chili, lime juice and coriander. It tastes just like the real thing and goes perfectly with Miami’s hot summer days.”

- Executive chef and co-founder, David Lee

Ingredients

1-2 young Thai coconuts

3 shallots, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno, minced

2 tablespoons of Anaheim chilis, minced

20 coriander stems

Grey salt to taste

4 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

How to make it:

For the marinade, combine the shallots, jalapeño, chilis and salt until the mixture releases its juices. Stir in the lime juice and coriander. Clean and thinly slice the young coconut meat, and combine it with 2 cups of the marinade, a cup of lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Top with cilantro and corn nuts and add sliced avocado. Serve with tortilla chips.