Tis the season

Even here in Thailand, where the residents are predominately Buddhist, Christmas is in the air. While we won't get a white one, or even a cold one, we are getting into the spirit by stringing some lights across our walls, drinking hot cocoa, watching Christmas movies, and briefly (just once really) listening to carolers.

But this is a food blog, so where is the food???? Well, this is where we need some help. We are having a cookie swap and we need some ideas. 

Next week I will share what ever recipe I us and the degree of its success. Please share your ideas, thoughts and links!!!!

** So, just spent 2 hours filtering through 4,550ish photos and not one of them were Christmas cookies... this needs to be corrected!

Pumpkin: If You Can't Carve It, Eat It

Fall is in full-swing back home, and Halloween is coming up. Here in Thailand, the cool season is starting, though its only cool at night.  Days are still hot, but breezy and manageable. The one thing both places have in common right now, though, is pumpkins.

Thai pumpkin

Pumpkins are in season here in Thailand, and have been popping up in market stalls, roadside vendors and folding tables outside houses for about a month now.  Jon's already written on this blog about pumpkin soup, but in keeping with the season I've started experimenting with pumpkin myself. (The Thai pumpkin is a bit more like butternut squash than some pumpkins, but still pretty pumpkin-like - see: http://www.realthairecipes.com/category/glossary/vegetables/)

My first recipe was based on Karen pumpkin curry that I learned how to make in a super-awesome Burmese cooking class at a local restaurant. (The Karen - pronounced ka-REN, not KARE-en like the girl's name - are a major ethnic group in Burma, mostly living along the Thai border near me).  Last weekend, I was in Chiang Mai and stocked up on some 'luxury items' at a supermarket stocked with imported goods.  One of the items I picked up was couscous - a good substitute for rice, which I eat for lunch every day, and bread, which is pretty rare in these parts.  And it cooks quickly, perfect for when I get home around 7 from teaching English after work.  So, I asked myself, how can I incorporate cous-cous into the Karen pumpkin curry? 

All of this - pumpkin, sweet potato, lemongrass and two tiny pineapples - for less than a dollar!

On my way home from work, I stopped at my customary post-work source of veggies to get some pumpkin and lemongrass, a key ingredient in Karen pumpkin curry. I also saw a huge bin of purple sweet potatoes that I had been meaning to experiment with, so I picked up some of those as well. 

The result? A delicious pumpkin-sweet potato couscous.  The pumpkin mostly melts into the couscous, making it rich and creamy, and the beautiful purple chunks of sweet potato add substance and depth. A little lemongrass and cinnamon work surprisingly well together for a slightly citrusy-sweet aftertaste.

Its super easy and quick. You could even make it in your rice cooker. 

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Couscous ready to cook!

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Couscous
makes 2 servings

1 cup Thai pumpkin, peeled and chopped into approximately 1-inch cubes (if you don't have Thai pumpkin, use another cooking pumpkin or butternut squash)
1 cup purple (or normal) sweet potatoes, cut into cubes.
2 stalks of lemongrass
1/2 a medium white onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 C oil (I used soybean, but vegetable or other similar cooking oil is okay)
2 1/2 C water
1/2 C  couscous

Pound the lemongrass with a rolling pin (or empty wine bottle), especially around the root, to release the flavor, then tie it in a knot and place in a saucepan or your rice cooker, along with all other ingredients except 1/2 C of the water and the couscous.  Put on medium-high and cover, cooking until the sweet potatoes and pumpkin are very soft. 

Reserve 1/2 C of the cooking water, if there is that much left.  If not, top up until you have 1/2 C of liquid in a new saucepan. Keep the vegetables in the other saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then turn off the heat and add the couscous, stirring, then cover and leave for three minutes.

Fluff the couscous with a fork, then add it to the vegetables.  Return to low heat and stir, squishing the pumpkin with a fork until some of it is blended into the couscous. Add salt, cinnamon and/or pepper as needed, then serve.

Of course, did I stop there? Of course not! Since I have been complaining about all the fall foods I miss lately, I decided to take this opportunity - when I had both extra pumpkin and extra energy - and try my hand at pumpkin bread.  I had always made pumpkin bread from a can, but it turns out you can substitute the canned variety for fresh, just cook the pumpkin first and mash it up.  I peeled, cubed and boiled mine, but you can also roast it in the oven or microwave it. 

I used this recipe, but without the extra water (my pumpkin mash was fairly watery) or the cloves and allspice (don't have them), but I guess any recipe would work.

The result? Pretty good. It could definitely use the other spices I didn't have, and tastes a bit like a mix between pumpkin and zucchini bread, but since I like both of those, its all good!

Cooking up a Bit of Fall

My apartment smells like fall right now.  If I close my eyes, I can almost pretend I'm back in New England.  When I open my eyes, of course, the palm trees and lush vegetation kind of give it away, plus its a bit warmer here than Vermont right now. 

This is not Vermont.

But, the seasons are changing, and the nights are pleasantly cool.  If I had to guess, I'd say during the day in the shade it might get down to the low 80s, which is progress as far as I'm concerned. Plus, there's a fairly constant breeze (and sometimes its just downright windy) which helps a lot. So, I think its the closest to the beginning of fall as we're going to get.

The little 'sweaters' the apples come in is kinda cute. But wasteful. This apple is from China, not Vermont. Clearly not as delicious.

Being a good Vermonter, when I sense fall, I immediately look for the nearest apple.  And commence cooking every form of apple dish possible.  Right now, my possibilities are rather limited by lack of oven (which will hopefully be rectified soon), but I can make at least one thing - applesauce!

Growing up, my mom would make homemade applesauce in huge vats and freeze it in empty Cool Whip containers so we could eat it all winter.  Sometimes I would help press out the seeds and cores by working a wooden paddle around a mesh funnel over a bowl. This time, I am cooking in a deep frying pan over an electric burner, and since I have nothing to strain with, I had to leave out the cores, cutting back on valuable apple material.  But, it still tastes - and smells - great!

Look at those little bubbles of yumminess releasing yummy smell into the air!

So, all you expats out there who need a bit of fall in their lives, go ahead and make yourself some super-simple stovetop applesauce!

Basic Stovetop Applesauce 

Equipment: just a burner, electric or gas
'Splurge'/hard to find Ingredients: None, really, if you are addicted to cinnamon like me and feel its a staple. But its not strictly necessary in this anyway.


6 apples (I used Gala, but that was what looked best in the store. I've used other kinds before.)
1/8-1/4 C white sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
cinnamon to taste (optional)
nutmeg to taste (optional)
1-2 C water

1. Chop up the apples into about 1-inch pieces.  You can leave the cores if you have a way to strain it, and you don't have to peel the apples unless you want super-smooth applesauce.
2. Put the apple pieces, sugar, about 1/4 C of the water, and cinnamon and nutmeg (if using) in a pan on the stove, and simmer on medium-low.  Add water if needed to keep the apples from burning before they've released all their own water.
3. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the texture is right.  Make sure not to simmer too long, or it'll keep reducing into something like apple pie filling (which is also delicious and could be used to top ice cream, etc... so, do let simmer too long if you want).
4. Enjoy!

pumpkin soup

The cold season is now upon us in Thailand. In this region, the nights can get chilly and the only cure for this is soup. In the past I have been limited to stews or chunky hearty soups. Recently, however, we have a new addition to our meager kitchen (which still consists of one true cooking tool - an induction hot plate cooker). While a toaster oven is the next item on our wish list, we splurged on a really nice blender.

With this wonderful new tool, we can make smoothies, shakes, pesto, and smooth tasty soups!  We discovered pumpkin grows well in this area - well pumpkin like things.  They have the flavor of butternut squash, but look more like pumpkin. So I'm sure this recipe could be used for both. If you can identify this mystery veggie, let us know.

You will notice that I hardly use amounts in my recipes. The reason is because I never actually measure anything when I cook and I'm a believer in experimentation.    If you are making this in Asia, all milk products are strangely sweet, even the heavy cream we used. So, this may turn the savory soup into a sweet side soup. Just sayin'.










Ingredients:

• water
• pumpkin or squash
• basil

• parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 spring onion

• salt
• pepper
• heavy cream
• butter

Cut the pumpkin into cubes and remove the skin. Place into a pot and add enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil.
Add a few leaves of basil and cover until the pumpkin is soft.


In a blender:
Cut the spring onion in half and set aside. (Half will be used for garnish)
add parsley, garlic, onion, and half of the spring onion to a blender.
Transfer the pumpkin to the blender and reserve 1 to 2 cups of broth, set aside.

Blend the contents until smooth and creamy. Pour the soup back into the pan and add the broth. Stir at a low or medium temperature.
Add heavy cream stirring constantly
Add the salt & pepper to taste.

When serving, place a cube of butter in the middle of the soup and garnish with the remainder of spring onion.

Mixed Drinks w/ Ingredients from 7-11, Part 1: Pomegranate Fizzes

This part isn't quite about cooking, but it's related.  In Thailand, and I'm sure for expats in many countries, the selection of alcohol is not great.  There's your generic local beer or two, in Thailand's case three (Singha, Leo, and Chang - the latter not being much of an option as its known for giving terrible hangovers, even when drank in small doses).  The available liquor is either very expensive (especially relatively) or not good. 

At bars I almost exclusively drink beer.  Cocktails are expensive (relatively, still not more so than in the States, but the price of a good meal or two... or three) and not reliable - they may be poorly (or incorrectly) made, or use super cheap liquor that tastes horrible.  Wine is, when there is any wine, usually fairly terrible as well.  So, beer it is.  Leo or, if I'm feeling fancy, Singha.  There are no other options, except occasionally Tiger or Heineken.

But when I stop by the 7-11 to pick up a drink or two for one of the house parties that are a frequent occurrence in this town due to the lack of variety in bars, my instinct is to grab a beer, but I don't really want another beer.  But I also don't want to bring the good liquor we have at home, which we use sparingly for cocktails.  So, I have been experimenting with how to make the cheap stuff a bit more palatable.  Sometimes it turns up tasting a bit like your college days, but its usually drinkable and a welcome respite from local beer.

Last night was one of those nights.  It happened that Jon and I went out for dinner, ran into a friend who was meeting other friends, and ended up having dinner with them (great way to meet new people) and then heading to our friend's co-worker's house party.  

My friend had already bought a bottle of cheap vodka (less than $10, still a good amount for here) and agreed to share with us if we got some mixers at the 7-11 on the way.  We were a bit worried about the quality of the vodka, as it was some brand we'd never heard of and was so cheap compared to other liquor here, so figured we should get something that would mask the taste. 

There weren't many options in the 7-11 we stopped at, but we arrived at the following cocktail. Pomegranate juice was our only realistic option for juice -there were other little juiceboxes, but this and orange juice were the only ones in a bigger carton, and I wasn't feeling Screwdrivers.

 In the end, it turned out okay - the first glass did bring us back to our college years, but once w got better at proportions (less crappy vodka, more juice) it turned out to be quite drinkable. 

7-11 Pomegranate Fizz 

one part cheap, crappy vodka (300 baht/bottle)
one part Chang soda water in the cute glass bottles (7 baht/bottle, you need about 3-4 bottles)
two parts fairly weak and artificial-tasting pomegranate juice (20 baht/carton, you need 2)

Mix. Drink. Try not to feel like you're in college again. Be glad you're not drinking beer this time. (Or Thai whiskey, which I've neglected to mention is usually the cheap alternative to beer, usually put in Coke, but I can't drink whiskey at all so cheap Thai whiskey is definitely off the table).

Homemade Tortillas, and the importance of a good pan.

One of the things I like best about our apartment is that it came with an induction stove. Well, one burner of an induction stove, basically a fancy hotplate, but it works great.

Except that the pan it came with was so thin it literally turned red hot within seconds of turning on the stove. So, unless we were boiling water or using a lot of sauce, we couldn't cook much.

After a few weeks of getting settled and making sure my paychecks were actually going to come in, we finally bought a brand-new, induction-stove capable, all-around-awesome pan.

That night, we fried bacon, breakfast potatoes, and sunny-side-up eggs for dinner, then I embarked on my first from-scratch challenge: tortillas.

I had searched around the internet for a Thailand-friendly recipe for tortillas, one that did not require baking powder (we hadn't found that yet) or lard/shortening (ditto).  I finally settled on this recipe from Dingo Dave's Delightfully Daring Delicacies.  I did make a few changes - namely, using half olive oil and half soybean oil, since olive oil is a bit expensive here.  I've copied the recipe with my changes below.

The torilla-making process was, to put it lightly, messy. Needless to say, I do not have a tortilla press.  Or even plastic wrap.  I ended up adding more flour to keep it from sticking to everything, and had to press the tortillas out in a somewhat round shape on our cutting board, so the result didn't look that great. But they tasted great!

We used the tortillas the next night for fajitas - made guacamole from this post, and added some strips of chicken breast seasoned with cumin, salt and pepper, and sauteed some onions and bell peppers.  They held up pretty well, only one or two started falling apart toward the end.  The tortillas were also great in the morning headed up with cooked apple slices and brown sugar, and just on their own or with some guac.  Yum. And they last well in the fridge, which means they make a good weekend cooking project that you can use all week.

Here's the recipe, from Dingo Dave's Delightfully Daring Delicacies:

2 cups plain, unbleached flour (or 1 wholemeal and 1 plain)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup (Yes, TWO-THIRDS!) extra virgin olive oil [I used half olive oil and half soybean]
just under 2/3 cup (call it halfway betwixt 1/2 to 2/3 cup) water (H2O)

Mix everything together, leave it for an hour, then break into little balls and press into a circle.  You may need to add more flour - it may just have been because its hot and humid here, but I added about a half a cup after the first tortilla to make it easier to work with.


Then place the rolled-out tortilla in a dry, hot frying pan for about 30 seconds-one minute for each side.  Basically, you want to flip it when its, well, flip-able.  Like pancakes.

a world of food opened by avocados

"...the avocado is a food without rival among the fruits, the veritable fruit of paradise." - American botanist David Fairchild 

    There are 3 strains of avocado: the Mexican, Guatemalan, and West Indian or Caribbean strains. These are the most common strains consumed globally. If you are as curious as me about the avocado check out avocado recipes or Wikipedia.


    When I think of this veritable fruit of paradise, the first food that comes to mind is guacamole. Even here in Asia, a very good guacamole can be made. Its vibrant greens and subtle yellows make it a beautiful addition to the sparseness that is supposed to be our kitchen. And then the uses of guacamole make it an essential condiment in our fridge as a sandwich spread, cracker/chip dip, a dressing for chickens or stakes, and I'm sure many other uses. If you have other brilliant uses for guacamole please share!

   Basic guacamole recipe:

2 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a medium onion
fresh cilantro
1 large avocado

1 small lime

salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mince the garlic and onion and set aside (larger chunks of onion add texture)
2. Finely chop the cilantro and set aside
3. Remove the avocado pit and mash the flesh in large bowl
4. Add the garlic, onion and cilantro
5. Add the juice of the lime
6. Add salt to taste

 *tomato chunks and habanero peppers make excellent additions to the basic recipe above.

In this part of Thailand, avocado's are only seasonal so grab them fast!!! Clearly, avocados can be used in many other things. We have also used it in an amazing pasta avocado cream sauce and to supplement sandwiches or salads. If you have great ideas for avocado uses, post them here.


Our picture didn't turn out so great so here is another that looks similar to ours.

By Javier Lastras from España/Spain (Guacamole) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons