Turkish comfort food is everywhere on the menu at Agora near Dupont Circle in Washington.

Winter Comfort Food: International Style

Chilly days, long nights—we all need a little comfort food. So, what are the international equivalents of America’s beloved chicken pot pie or beef stew?
Local (international) chefs weigh in.

In the age of “Top Chef,” where food is not merely sustenance, but a deconstructed palette of ingredients that are rebuilt into a piece of art rivaling one from Picasso’s synthetic cubist period, I occasionally crave simplicity.

Simplicity like the meals my mom used to make: pot roast, chicken fricassee—anything thrown in a pot with some broth and slow-cooked to just about melting. Comfort food.

This is an American version, though, and comfort food in, say, India, has to be different. Or does it? We talked to a few chefs who preside over some of the best international kitchens in town (and an American one, too) to see what comfort food means to them and how you might try their version on for size.

Turkish

Chef Ghassan Jarrouj

Agora (1527 17th St., NW; 202/332-6767; agoradc.net)

Turkish comfort food—called refah or konfor—includes “home-style dishes like meat stews with rice and roasted lamb with vegetables and potatoes,” says Jarrouj. Yogurt-based dishes are also a key part of the refah equation in Turkey, including cacik, which is yogurt seasoned with cucumber, dill, vinegar, garlic and olive oil; alinazik, eggplant puree with yogurt and ground meat; and yaprak dolma, meat-stuffed grape leaves served with yogurt.

Jarrouj’s personal comfort: The dishes his mom used to make, such as yaprak dolma, alinazik and iskender, thinly sliced beef or lamb basted in tomato sauce.

What to try at Agora: Any of the aforementioned dishes, as well as kasik salata, a diced tomato, cucumber and feta salad, dolmades (tomatoes stuffed with rice, pine nuts and Swiss chard) and Ottoman rice.

Spanish

Chef Javier Romero

Taberna del Alabardero (1776 I St., NW; 202/429-2200; alabardero.com)

“Our comfort food is like anybody’s comfort food—it’s the food you had growing up,” Romero says. Obviously, the differences in Spain’s comida casera (“home meal”) are the ingredients and culture. “Some of our basic ingredients are olive oil, garlic and wine,” he says.

Romero’s personal comfort food: “I remember my parents preparing gachas, which is a stew made with simple ingredients that are inexpensive and easy to make, like flour, Spanish chorizo, pancetta, garlic, sweet peppers and water.”

What to try at his restaurant: Judías pintas empedradas con crujiente de bacon. Sounds elaborate, as all things do when spoken in a romance language, but it’s a simple red-bean and rice stew with crusty bacon.

Indian

Chef Vikram Sunderam

Rasika (633 D St., NW; 202/637-1222; rasikarestaurant.com)

There are many varieties of Indian comfort food, or rochak khana (translation: something you like; your favorite). “Food is regional, so it will vary from the north to south to west to east,” Sunderam explains. “If you’re in the southern part of India, it could be things like dosa, which is rice and lentil crepes, or idli, which is a steamed rice dumpling.” Robust food satisfies people of the north. Their go-to dishes include a kind of burrito called paratha stuffed with gobi (cauliflower) or an onion filling. Lassi, a yogurt-based drink, also is a favorite. Along the coastlines—Mumbai or Goa—it’s fried fish, or fish or shrimp curry. Sunderam also cites snacky items—samosas and wada pau, the Indian version of a veggie burger—as comfort food.

Sunderam’s personal comfort: Home-cooked, simply cooked vegetables with rotis with a little spice (cumin seeds, green chilis and ginger) and any form of lentils (dal).

What to try at Rasika: Asparagus uttapam. “It’s basically the same batter you use for dosa, but a dosa is like a bread and uttapam is more like a pancake. We put some sliced asparagus with mustard seeds and curry leaves on top of the pancake, cook it and serve it with coconut chutney,” says Sunderam.

Louisianan

Chef Jeff Tunks

Acadiana (901 New York Ave., NW; 202/408-8848; acadianarestaurant.com)

Technically, it’s American food, though it’s so original you might feel like you’re in another country. And as far as Jeff Tunks is concerned, Louisiana cooking is the last true, distinctly American regional cuisine. “There are so many iconic dishes from that area, but there’s a joke that there are 300 restaurants in New Orleans serving six recipes,” Tunks says. He admits there’s a little truth to that, and the benchmark dishes that fall squarely into comfort-food zone are etouffee, gumbo and jambalaya. Based on the regional style in which they are cooked (Creole, Cajun, Acadian), flavor and consistency will vary, but their essence is the same: one-pot meals that stick to your ribs.

Tunks’ personal comfort: Meatloaf and scalloped potatoes; homemade chicken and noodles served over mashed potatoes. (It’s a Midwestern thing.)

What to try at Acadiana: Biscuits with cream cheese covered in pepper jelly (served at the beginning of every meal). Also, the roasted duck served with collard greens over dirty rice, a home-style Creole dish. “The rice is a real old-school country thing. We grind chicken livers and gizzards for the base.” And of course, gumbo.