Emulate Your Foodie Travel Discoveries at Home In Three Simple Steps #foodietravel #makeitathome #foodietravelmemories

One of the main types of features at The Weekend Gourmet is dining out and travel. With the COVID-19 pandemic, our dining out and foodie travel adventures have taken an extended hiatus. I was just remarking this weekend how much we miss traveling -- and I've been sharing some of our favorite #foodietravelmemories on Instagram. One thing we also love to do is re-create some of our favorite foodie travel dishes at home! Today, our correspondent is sharing some great tips for emulating your favorite foodie travel discoveries at home. This post may contain affiliate links.

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If you love nothing more than scratching your wanderlust itch in your quest to savor new taste sensations...and discover new cuisines...chances are that you’re feeling a little frustrated at the moment. With the COVID-19 pandemic has come limitations on our travels. We once took for granted hopping on a plane and flying to far-off locations like Venice, New York, or Tokyo. Now, we have to make do with staying local and enjoying our time at home. While this can definitely take some getting used to, you have to consider how you'll solve your gourmet cravings. To help lift your spirits, you should try to emulate some of your favorite foodie travel experiences at home! Read on to find out how.

Go to Smaller, Specialty Supermarkets

Maybe you want to make that wonderful som tam salad you enjoyed on the beaches of Koh Samui in Thailand. To do so, you'll need to source green papaya. This isn't the most common ingredient here in the United States...let alone your city. That most likely means you need to venture out of your comfort zone and head to a Thai supermarket. Doing so may mean traveling a little, but you can stock up on enough authentic ingredients to keep you going for months. The same goes for other elusive ingredients. For example, if you need to purchase exotic spices, head to an Indian supermarket. If you need some silken tofu, there’s no better place to venture than the Chinese grocer.

Let Someone Else Do the Hard Work

In this coronavirus era, we don’t want to have to think too long and hard about what we're going to eat. However, for a foodie, it can be challenging to make do with basic dishes every night. Instead, let somebody else bring an array of exotic ingredients to you! With the abundance of affordable meal kits now flooding the market, you can pay a company to deliver mouth-watering ingredient boxes fresh to your front door. Along with these prepped ingredients come recipe cards. All you need to provide are a few kitchen essentials...and you can easily recreate some of your favorite vacation meals in the comfort of your own kitchen.

It’s All About Flexibility

Sometimes, you won’t be able to source an ingredient locally no matter how hard you try. For example: if you adored the eel ramen you had in Kyoto, chances are you won’t be able to find the same seafood delicacy at home. You shouldn’t give up on recreating the flavors of this dish just because you can’t make a 100% authentic recreation. Go with whatever similar ingredients you do have on hand! Investigate authentic recipes and utilize the unique flavor combinations of miso, fish sauce, and yakitori. Substitute the eel for red snapper, monkfish, or cod. With a few minor changes, you can create the same flavor profile...with a different protein.

Emulating your favorite dishes from across the globe should be something fun to do while you're unable to travel. If you're keen on eating well and maintaining your love of exotic flavors, follow this guide and enjoy some gastronomic feasts from the comfort and safety of your home!