Party Tonight in Quezon City

Must be quite the occasion, as today introduces not just one, but two types of lumpia,  a Filipino egg roll of sorts typically served at parties and at other celebrations.  There’s the classic pork, carrot and water chestnut variety, pictured above on the right, and a newer crab, pineapple and ginger version from Hawaii, which…

Good Noodles Take Time

All the more so when they’re prepared in a dining car galley gently swaying along at seventy miles an hour, as was the inspiration for today’s entry.  Dinner was selected not long after crossing the Virginia state line, within view of sunlight glistening across the Potomac.  Although the meal was prepared promptly and efficiently, it…

They Gave You Some Sauce, Right?

An important point, because Jaew dipping sauce is vital to vaulting Thai Grilled Pork Skewers (Moo Ping) past excellent all the way to legendary.  Already, the thinly sliced meat ribboned onto skewers allows the flavorful marinade to permeate every square millimeter.  Then, dunking it in the jaew after grilling enacts some new kind of magic. …

Plums, Grapes and Pomegranates

The table set before you makes use of all three, taking advantage of the agricultural bounty one finds in Georgia – the country, not the US state.  Though home to some of the Caucasus’s towering peaks, the fertile valleys in between and the Black Sea coastline grant Georgia an abundance reflected in the country’s cuisine.…

Country Cooking

Simple yet delicious, when rural cuisine is done right, it’s wonderfully satisfying.  No matter where one finds it, particularly as with today’s entry, in Cambodia.  Among the many such culinary discoveries that await there is Bamboo Shoots Soup with Pork.  This is included in the seemingly endless variety of recipes My Linh Nakry offers on…

Streets of East L.A.

Chances are, if you send someone out for tacos in L.A., you never will get your food.  Sure, the initial purchase will be made, but something will happen between then and when the meal is supposed to arrive.  Too much temptation.  Those aromas intoxicate, causing one to lose all other thoughts. It’s likely the buyer…

Finally, Kabochas

The chill creeps in on a whisper, breathing promise of the pleasures that await.  These include coziness, a warming fire and, eventually, peak citrus and “winter” gourds.  Among the latter are kabocha squash, a Japanese variety that features thin, edible skins and a smooth, mellow taste.  It’s enough to earn kabocha appreciation from a confirmed…

This Time, Rice Is a Noodle

Wok preparations, even Cambodian varieties, are a fairly common theme on these pages, appearing probably every month or so.  Not surprising, as they’re a personal preference.  Variety is important, of course, and it will continue as the leading motivation.  Still, favorites remain favorites. Anyway,, most of these wok creations are served with rice, and today’s…

Take Another Look

At a glance, today’s entry looks to be an omelet, doesn’t it?  No eggs were involved this week, though.  Instead, we have a rice-flour crepe, lightly thin and pan-seared to crispy perfection, barely able to contain all the goodness within its grasp.  This is Bánh Xèo (in English, pronounced “bun sale”), a street food made…

Quite a Gift!

Family tradition going back generations places a tangerine at the tip of each Christmas stocking.  As such, it’s the last treasure children (and other lucky recipients) extract that happy morning.  There are practical reasons for the gift, maybe, in that citrus is in season late December, but where’s the holiday magic in that? The real…