It’s time to announce the five winners of our 5th anniversary cookbook giveaway. But before I do, I’d like to say a big thanks to all of you who told us about your favorite Mediterranean and Asian dishes. Some of the dishes you mentioned we’ve never tried ourselves, and now we’re inspired to make them. And we were very flattered to find that many of your favorite Mediterranean and Asian dishes are actually from this site!

So here are the five winners, along with their answers to the question: “What is your favorite Mediterranean or Asian dish, and why?”

Molly said:
My favorite Mediterranean dish is actually stuffed grape leaves, whether I make them myself or get them at one of my favorite restaurants. Mainly, I love the combination of lemon, sweet onions, pine nuts, and grape leaves. I use a Greek recipe I’ve had for a long time. But… your falafel recipe is the best falafel I’ve ever had, either at home or in a restaurant. I’ve never seen another recipe that calls for soaked, but uncooked, chickpeas, and I think that makes the difference. Made in an electric skillet, they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, but not oily–just perfect with homemade hummus and pita. Mmmmmmm.

Kristen said:
My favorite Asian dish is the Thai Chicken stir-fry! I LOVE Thai food – the spicy and sweet combination of the sauce with the chicken and fresh veggies are awesome. The fresh twist of cilantro and crunchy texture of the peanuts make this absolutely DELISH!!!

Monika said:
My favourite Asian dish is Fried Rice. And the reasons why I like it are :
- it can be a wholesome dish in that you can add as many items as possible to the rice like various types of veg/meat/fish/eggs/tofu and that makes it versatile as well.
- it can be as economical/expensive as you want depending on the ingredients
- it is quick, easy and above all, EXTREMELY TASTY
- it can be eaten on its own without any accompaniment.

Diana said:
My favorite recipe is your Chakchouka! My father-in-law is Israeli, and he always makes this for us. On father’s day, I wanted to surprise him and make it for him instead, only I didn’t want to ask his recipe. Your Chakchouka turned out even better and everyone raved about it!

Brad said:
A favorite is tougher than I thought to come up with, but it came down to the Thai Red Chicken Curry. This dish is my favorite not just because of the rich blend of flavor, but also because of the enjoyment I get from preparing it. This is a dish I make usually when my wife and I have guests over for dinner, and I do the prep while enjoying a glass of wine with my guests present. I find that it always sparks great conversations about all the healthy fresh ingredients used, and everyone finds the scent intoxicating while its simmering. It takes some time to make so I only do it once or twice a month, but I almost find it therapeutic mincing, and chopping the garlic and fresh veggies. Everyone I’ve made this for loves it, and also thinks I’m some kind of gourmet chef (thanks for the very detailed instructions!)

Congratulations guys. Just let us know your postal address and we’ll send each of you a signed copy of The MediterrAsian Way.