Visit nearly any market in West Africa and you’ll find cooks producing skewers laden with Beef Suya. Traditionally served with fresh cut vegetables, as pictured above, Suya often is paired with Jollof Rice. Popular acclaim has elevated the pair to become, more than anything else, Nigeria’s national dishes. With good reason. A flavorful coating dusts… Continue reading Smoke Wisps through the Sunshine
From the Source
Sure, readers have offered suggestions before, enriching these pages in the process, but when one of you suggested a dish she savored while living in Thailand, schedules were rearranged to give it a try. Come on, Southeast Asian cuisine, and a personal recommendation at that? Absolutely! Originally, this week was slated to bring a dessert,… Continue reading From the Source
Rainbows of Rice
It’s simple, really. Start with plain white rice, nothing special, and choose a direction, savory or sweet. Rice is wonderfully versatile, and readily lends itself to nearly every imaginable culinary impulse. Oh, and for an intriguing twist, choose a color to match each variety’s “mood.” More about this shortly. The yellow course, plotted above, follows… Continue reading Rainbows of Rice
Unusual Spot for a Beer
Today the journal visits Armenia for the first time, and tries one the cuisine’s most prominent dishes, Tarragon Lamb Shanks. Providing instruction, a site dedicated to that country’s cooking, Hegnineh, suggests a surprising addition to the lamb shanks’ braising liquid – a whole bottle of beer! Although Armenia borders Turkey and is geographically, and to… Continue reading Unusual Spot for a Beer
World’s Longest Street
It must be, to make it all the way from Madrid to Mexico City. Churros are gloriously of that street, offered at roadside stands throughout the Spanish-speaking world (and in a few fortunate outposts beyond), delighting pedestrians with crunchy bursts of sweetness. To those unfamiliar, think of a cinnamon donut, except crisper and lighter. Absolutely… Continue reading World’s Longest Street
Shreds of Evidence
Signs of springtime become more prominent with every passing day. As the soil warms and sunshine returns, asparagus emerges and returns to our plates. Sure, it’s available throughout the warmer months (and frozen, year-round), but it’s only at peak, fresh and perfect, now, in spring’s all-too-brief interval between ice and sizzle. That’s what this journal… Continue reading Shreds of Evidence
Yes, Absolutely!
When a country labels one of its culinary creations Aromatic Black Tiger Shrimp with Fresh Garden Vegetables, the kitchen had better draw people with enticing scents. Fortunately, today’s entry fulfils that mission, and then some. Actually, calling the aroma “enticing” understates its appeal. “Intoxicating” would be more accurate. Consider what goes into the sauce that… Continue reading Yes, Absolutely!
