While I was once a world traveler, my life is now all about raising Miss Ava and quietly celebrating my family. Even if the travel bug has to wait a little longer, I can still get my travel fix in the kitchen or on travel web sites like Karen Coates’ The Rambling Spoon. The list of reasons I love her web site is long – her writing is at once beautiful, funny, tragic, and heartwarming. And her husband, Jerry Redfern takes killer photos. Who is Karen Coates? Karen Coates has spent a dozen years covering food, environment and social issues across Asia for publications around the world. She is a 2010-2011 Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In addition, she is a correspondent for Archaeology magazine, and she writes a Food Culture column for The Faster Times. Karen was Gourmet’s Asia correspondent until the magazine closed in 2009. She is author of Cambodia Now: Life in the Wake of War and co-author of Pacific Lady: The First Woman to …
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Serves 4 Loads of garlic, butter, and sea salt make this tuna leap for joy. Forget tuna in a can. Fresh tuna steaks are as good, if not better than salmon. Bold and intense, this recipe will transport you to the flavors of East Timor and an incredible meal, as remembered by Karen Coates of Rambling Spoon. Read Karen’s story – the inspiration for our recipe. Perfect for Valentine’s day, or any special occasion. Ingredients: 4 Tuna steaks 4 Tbsp butter 3 cloves garlic coarse sea salt Method: Timorese Grilled Tuna Steaks are perfect for special occasions and as easy to make for 1 as for 100. In my humble opinion, however, two is ideal – after all, Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Gather your ingredients. Only four are required (the sea salt is not pictured)! I love the simplicity. Crush the garlic over softened butter… Breathe in deeply. Smile. Give the mixture a stir until the garlic is thoroughly combined… At this point you have two options. 1) Smear the mixture on a tuna …
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Far, far away is a country called East Timor. Everything seems so different on that side of the world and yet, with hardly any exotic ingredients, we easily brought the flavors of this distant nation into our kitchen. No specialty stores. No expensive grocery bills. Hurrah! Meanwhile, in other news, Ava has eating with a fork down pat. As in, she no longer needs our help to eat yogurt, apple sauce, or even Bakso Noodle Soup. Amazing! But… now what? How do I fill my time? Chicken Bakso (Chicken Meatballs) [Recipe] Seasoned with sautéed shallots and garlic, these mild chicken meatballs add oomph and variety to standard chicken soup or pasta. Deep-fried Tofu [Recipe] Extra-firm tofu dredged in rice flour and deep fried until a crunchy outer skin forms. Provides much needed texture in soups and on salads. Bakso Noodle Soup [Recipe] This famous soup is popular in East Timor and Indonesia. Our version is layered with ramen noodles, bok choy, celery leaves, chicken Bakso, and deep-fried tofu. Finish it of with a blast of …
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I love shiny new things. A pretty necklace. Babies. Entire countries. In the sparkling seas of southeast Asia, lies a rugged new country called East Timor (Timor-Lest). Since 2002 she’s been like a fledgling, working through the tricky business of self-sufficiency. While times are still tough, there’s beauty in watching her spread her wings, a country with possibility written all over her. The people eat what they can farm or fish. Meals are straightforward – chicken, fish, rice – Asian with a splash of Portuguese influence. The fantastic author, Karen Coates (former travel correspondent for Gourmet) writes about her voyage to East Timor: No matter how the day passes, dinner will hold its own. Pay a fisherman $10; get the whole damn 8-foot tuna (or snapper or other catch of the day) grilled with garlic, butter and salt over a beachside flame [Recipe]. Incredible. I can’t imagine anything better. If you’re still hungry after eating an 8-foot tuna, take a stroll and risk temptation. Karen tells me that vendors are happy to ladle bowls of bakso noodle …
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You might not believe me when I say this, but I love mean chefs. The chef reputed to be one of the “meanest” at the Culinary Institute of America was my Cuisines of Asia chef. I was terrified at the thought of taking his class. After all, I was not an experienced sous chef, like many of the students. In fact, prior to the CIA, I was mostly just a book nerd who loved food history and experimenting in the kitchen. However, in the three weeks I was in his class, I quickly learned that what students called “mean” was really just an unwaivering demand for excellence. He lost his temper when students were lazy, sloppy, and disinterested. However, he was the most kind, generous chef to those who cared about their studies. He went out of his way to demonstrate techniques to me because he could tell I really wanted to learn – despite my lack of experience. If that’s what it is to be mean, I’ll take it! What can I say. I’m …
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Serves 4 Hot and sour soup is great to chase away the sniffles. Perfect soup for a chilly fall evening. Ingredients: 1 cup rehydrated, sliced wood ear mushrooms 1 quart chicken stock 1 tsp minced ginger 1 hot chili pepper (sliced if you want heat, leave whole for mild heat) 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thinly sliced 1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots 1/8-1/4 cup soy sauce splash shao hsing wine 1/8 cup rice vinegar 14 oz. extra firm, sliced tofu 1 egg healthy pinch crushed sichuan peppercorns up to 3/4 Tbps chili favored sesame oil 1/4 tsp cayenne 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tsp water Method: This is what wood ear mushroom looks like … if you are using dried, soak in hot water for thirty minutes before slicing. Add chicken stock to a large pot. Then begin adding the ingredients, one on top of the other. First my favorite, minced ginger. Then, the hot pepper. I wish I had cut it up to make things spicier The chicken slices … you could …
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Serves 4-6 as a condiment This side dish from north china is crispy, spicy and tart. A great condiment for heavy meat dishes. Ingredients: 1 Asian or English cucumber, sliced on a bias 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced 1 chili pepper, crushed 3 mushrooms, sliced 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 2 Tbsp water 2 tsp brown sugar Method: Heat sesame oil over medium heat. The smell is wonderful and nutty. Add garlic… And ginger.. As soon as it starts to smell like heaven … Add mushrooms and chili pepper Cook until mushrooms are soft. Then add vinegar and sugar. Don’t forget a splash of water, especially if the pan looks to be drying out. Finally, add the cucumbers and cover. Cook until tender. Here’s the final dish! Chill it completely before eating. Except for that little piece you sneak while cooking. You know, to decide if it has enough flavor. Speaking of which, feel free to play around by adding more or less vinegar and sugar. Hot …
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Serves 2-4 However you spell it, Moo Shu (mu sh00, mu shu, etc) Pork is great Chinese food. Simple and quick, you’ll make this recipe over and over again. Note: If you don’t have the Shaohsing rice wine, dry sherry may be substituted. Ingredients: 3/4 lb pork shoulder, sliced thinly across the grain For the marinade: 3 Tbsp Shaohsing rice wine 1/8 cup cornstarch 1 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp oyster sauce For the sauce: 1 Tbsp Shaohsing rice wine 2 Tbsp oyster sauce 3 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp sugar For the stir-fry 1 tsp minced ginger 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 green onions, thinly sliced (plus one more for garnish) 1 pint shittake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thinly 1 pint sliced chinese cabbage 1 1/2 cups sliced wood ear mushrooms 1 cup bamboo shoot strips 3 eggs scrambled Method: In a medium bowl, combine pork, cornstarch, shaohsing wine, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Toss to combine and let marinate about thirty minutes. Meanwhile, scramble two eggs and set aside. Assemble sauce ingredients. …
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This first video is just a thirdy second Travel Channel promo but I couldn’t believe the beautiful shots of Northeast China – I had no idea this area was so extremely COLD and architecturally stunning. It certainly makes me appreciate our 70 degree weather here in Tulsa, Oklahoma! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y_SqitVDjc Bourdain eats roast duck in China: Bourdain eats Dim Sum in Hong Kong:
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My new favorite proverb comes from China: “Never hit a dog with a meat-bun.” The saying indicates that punishment with a reward is doomed for failure, and that one must be careful when choosing how to solve problems. A traditional Chinese place setting includes the following items: bowl plate chopsticks spoon warm, damp towels (instead of napkins) Chinese aphrodisiac foods (the kind that make your heart go pitter-patter) include: shark fin swallow nest tiger bones hundred-year-old eggs What are hundred-year-old eggs? Why duck eggs that have been preserved about three months: […the eggs] are enclosed in a coating made of lime, mud, saltpetre, fragrant herbs and rice straw […] They can be eaten after the third month, but their smell grows stronger with age. When they are broken out of their covering, the eggs are black and shiny. Larousse Gastronomique I hope you have a most wonderful Friday!
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Makes about 8 pancakes Chinese Pancakes are quick and easy to make… and wonderful for scooping up stir-fry. The key to obtaining the characteristic chewy texture is to use boiling water. Make sure you use a healthy dose of salt to flavor the dough. Serve with Moo Shu Pork. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 cup boiling water pinch salt 2 scallions, sliced thinly sesame oil, as needed Method: Add flour and salt to a food processor… Add boiling water … boiling water actually blanches the flour (cooks it briefly) and makes for a nice, chewy pancake. This is desirable because the texture will hold up better to moist stir-fry mixtures. Pulse until dough starts to come together. I used my hands to press the shaggy bits into a smooth ball. The dough is not sticky and should not cling to your hands much. Add more water or flour as needed to get the right texture. Let rest for about an hour. The dough will relax and become super easy to work with. Make small …
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At a restaurant, once I find an item on the menu that I like, I almost never order anything different again. It’s terribly lazy and non Adventurous.,. but also comforting after a long, terrible, grumpy kind of day. While I’ve had my fair share of Chinese food, I broke out of my comfort zone this week and put together a menu of dishes I’ve never tried, although you will recognize the names. Have you ever had any of these dishes? Mu Shoo Pork [Recipe] From northern China, Mu Shoo Pork is a traditional stir-fry. Our version includes wood-ear mushrooms, chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots, and green onion. Mu Shoo Pork is commonly wrapped in Chinese Pancakes. Chinese Pancakes with Green Onion [Recipe] Chinese pancakes are made with dough, not batter. This recipe will show you how to cook two pancakes at once, separated by a bit of sesame oil and green onion. Sichwan Chinese Hot and Sour Soup [Recipe] Sichuan cuisine, from western China, is known for spicy, bold flavor. This soup, made with tofu, chicken, …
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