On Tuesday, and quite by accident, I started my foray into Vietnamese cooking. I had not planned on it and was completely unprepared. I wanted to research more recipes that my family would like and could eat. We don't eat pork and all pork related products, so I wanted to see if any of those recipes could be converted to chicken or beef while still retaining some semblance of authenticity. I am a novice when it comes to Vietnamese food and apart from the ubiquitous pho and salad rolls, I can't pronounce or spell or have a clue to what is considered Vietnamese cuisine. Pho was my first experience and I really enjoyed the flavour explosion and the textural element of the simple soup. The fresh, aromatic herbs, the soothing, silky broth and the crunch of the bean sprouts; there was a veritable carnival of the senses in every spoonful.I am mesmerised by the smells that waft enticingly from the deli/bakery at the Asian store and I am in awe of the glistening, amber hued, roasted ducks that hang in the glass case. The glass cases that hold all the sweet and savoury delights always catch my eye. I am intrigued by the dumplings ... continue reading...
Thai Vegetable Curry
We, as a family, enjoy Thai food quite a bit. Each one of us has their favourite; the girls enjoy pad Thai, I like almost everything and Laith and Trace like the yellow curry. Of course, as a family of six, it's impossible to go out for Thai food whenever the craving strikes. I have therefore, been trying to learn as many Thai recipes as I can master. I have been making pad Thai for a while now and just recently started dabbling in the art of making curries.First off, I really wanted to make my own curry paste because.... well....that's just me. I like to know how to make everything from scratch even though a perfectly good, ready-made, solution already exists. However, I was a little unsuccessful with that attempt purely because I could not acquire all the ingredients. I am all for improvisational cooking but there are some things that just need to stay true to the original; at least for the first attempt. So, I continued my search for Thai curries and pastes and came to learn that many Thai households use ready made pastes, and that they are perfectly acceptable. Some further research into recommendations and armed with a list of acceptable Thai curry pastes, ... continue reading...
Thai Salad Rolls
One of the challenging things about experimenting with world cuisine is the inability to acquire exotic, world ingredients. Thankfully, most supermarkets are quite well stocked these days but every now and then you do run into something that you just can't find (kaffir leaves.) I have always been lucky living in Houston because it really is a melting pot of all cultures. Just like you find China towns and Little Italys, Houston also has a little India and a mini Middle East. In Houston, it was always easy to find what you needed to make a specific dish. I always had an Asian market close to me and an Indian market. I absolutely loved Phoenicia Foods on Westheimer and I could spend all day watching the pitta bread ride down the roller into the hands of the eagerly awaiting and drooling public (read:me) and perusing their huge food aisles. It was like visiting all the different countries of the world in one day, in one place. There were foods from Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East; oh, how I miss Phoenicia! Now, Phoenicia catered mainly to Europe through to the Middle East countries. They didn't stock South Asian foods; only went as far as India and ... continue reading...
7 Spice Meatball Stew
I have been meaning to post this recipe for awhile now but for some reason it keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list. I made it a couple of weeks ago and the kids really enjoyed it. Also, my sister had mentioned to me that she would like more ideas for chicken mince/ground meat. It really is hard coming up with dinner ideas. As much as I love to cook and enjoy trying out new recipes, it always seems that I fall back on a handful of reliable standbys. Many a day I wake up with grand plans and schemes for that day and for dinner, but many a day I just fall flat on my face! So much for master scheming. It always ends up with me scrambling to just get something edible on the table before the moaning starts. I have to say that, alhamdulillah, my kids are quite capable of fending for themselves now. If I say I am not cooking today; they'll make sandwiches or pop a pizza in the oven ( BTW, Costco has a great frozen pizza with no hydrogenated oils, artificial flavours or preservatives, my life saver at times.)You will have noticed, no doubt, that I use a lot of chicken. We have cut down on red meat over the years and actually, meat in general does not have a starring ... continue reading...
Spring Cleaning
We (well, mainly my husband) have been busy clearing out the back yard. We raked a million leaves and pulled a million weeds and have collected I think, like 20 bags of leaves and weeds. Not to mention, tree branches and bush clippings. It was a beautiful week last week and it felt good to be outside in the sunny warmth. There was still quite a chill in the air but that's spring. The house we are in at the moment, backs up to an open field/park. It was nice to see families with their kids enjoying the sun like we were and joggers making the most of the warm weather. It was just a pleasant scene all around; sounds of giggling children, the sound of my own son as he helped daddy rake up leaves, the sounds of the rustling leaves being swept up into a bag, the stern, crackling sound of my husband breaking tree limbs, and if you got close to the flowering maple, a delightful humming from the bees buzzing around the buds.I walked around with my camera trying to capture some of this springtime beauty. Laith helped me plant the herb seeds we got the other day. We planted some basil, parsley, thyme and Bibb lettuce for now. He looks at the pots everyday to see if anything has come up ... continue reading...
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