A Handful of Must-Try Dishes When Traveling in Brazil

Asha Pabla has worked for a number of leading textile and fashion companies in the United States. When not working, Asha Pabla enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures, especially through food. One of her most recent trips was to Brazil, which has a number of incredible traditional dishes.

When by the water, moqueca is a must. This fish stew features fresh tomatoes and onions combined with cilantro and one of two broth variations, one of which is flavored with annatto seeds, and the other which is a bit heavier with peppers and coconut milk.

For an appetizer, travelers should try pao de queijo, which literally means “cheese bread.” The bread balls are crispy on the outside and filled with cow’s milk cheese on the inside. Because the bread is made from tapioca flour, it has a unique, light texture.

People with a sweet tooth should find brigadeiro, which are chocolate truffles covered in sprinkles. Some variations come with strawberry in the middle. Another traditional dessert that is quite interesting is canjica, a bowl of white corn with condensed milk and coconut milk that is topped with a bit of cinnamon.

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The Traditional Northern Indian Dish Saag Paneer

A respected fashion designer, Asha Tabla has a passion for travel and trying out new types of local foods. Among the regions Asha Tabla has visited are Europe and South Asia, and she has sampled a number of cuisines across India. One of the distinctive dishes of the subcontinent is saag paneer, which originally comes from the Northern Indian state of Punjab and combines spinach with mild cheese. Preparing the dish begins with combining ginger, garlic, and chilies in a blender and puréeing them into paste that is placed in a skillet heated with ghee. After a half minute at medium high, spinach is added along with salt and stirred for a minute. The heat is then reduced to medium low in the pot and covered to retain moisture. After about 15 minutes, the mixture should be soft and creamy. At this point, add garam masala, heavy cream, cayenne, and the paneer and cook it for an additional 15 minutes. Saag paneer is typically served either with fragrant rice or a flat bread such as naan

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A former fashion designer, Asha Pabla remains actively involved with a number of nonprofit organizations, including the American India Foundation (AIF). Asha Pabla serves on AIF’s Board of Directors and is particularly interested in the organization’s Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI). Through MANSI, AIF provides individuals in rural and impoverished parts of India with the tools they need to identify and manage illnesses related to maternal and infant health. The program also equips villages with sahiyas, or trained health care workers. High-risk cases are deferred to nearby health care facilities while other illnesses are treated in the community to teach individuals how to deal with similar problems in the future. Since its inception, MANSI has had a major impact on the communities it serves. Newborn weight at birth has increased by nearly 100 percent and both infant and child mortality rates have decreased by more than 26 percent. The neonatal mortality rate is d

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Asha Pabla has worked as a fashion designer and manager in the textile and fabric industry for most of her professional career. An avid traveler, Asha Pabla has visited global destinations such as Europe, Sri Lanka, Barbados, and India. She also traveled to Brazil for the World Cup. The World Cup, sponsored by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), is a professional soccer tournament and the largest single sporting event in the world. FIFA, an international association based in Zurich, was founded in 1904 and works to administer and improve the professional sport of soccer. Founded in 1930 and held every four years, the World Cup pits teams from 208 members of the FIFA organization in a global competition. The format of the tournament includes a series of preliminary events, which take place over the course of three years. During these preliminary matches, teams compete to qualify for 32 spots in the World Cup tournament finals, which includes 31 at-large sp

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