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I used to be able to eat spicy food but my husband wouldn't go near it. Now, in my older age, I can't eat anything too spicy, but my husband laps it up. One time when we were in a Vietnamese restaurant we used to frequent, the chef came out and presented him with a Bird's Eye chili. My husband happily ate it up. Go figure. I make a Scotch Bonnet hot sauce that he loves - i can't go near the stuff. I make it in my Thermomix on the balcony.

I don't think they all are - for example, I don't remember the sambal hitam (the black one) being spicy at all - it may not even have any chillies in it. But for other sambals, they vary depending on the region. I don't think that the padang sambal ijo and merah are very spicy at all, but a sambal called dabu-dabu from Manado (on the island of Sulawesi) made traditionally, not for tourists, will blow your head off. But people from Manado pride themselves on having the spiciest food in all of Indonesia.... But it's all relative. What I may find mild, you may find very spicy so it's hard to say. And people's spice tolerance can change over time. My wife used to be sensitive to spicy food and couldn't tolerate much - now she piles on the sambal - at one point at breakfast, she made herself a plate of 5 different sambal and just went to town with the shrimp chips!

This may be a dumb question, but are all sambals spicy? I use sambal oelek so I know that one is, but I'm wondering if they all are?

Received this from my sister this morning ...

By the time we were finished with tea/pool time, we were exhausted (we were still jetlagged) so we went to the food court at the mall for something quick to eat and so we wouldn't take forever to get somewhere in the Jakarta traffic. The food court takes up most of the mall's 4th floor and has tons of choices - many Indonesian, but there's also a few Korean places, some Japanese - even a KFC... It's design is that it's hard to see how many places there are as it snakes around.... Most places make the food to order and provide you with a buzzer so you know when your food is ready. Duck with sambal hitam (the dark brown stuff) and sambal terasi. Sambal hitam comes from east Java - from the island of Madura just off of the city of Surabaya. It's typically served with fried duck or fried chicken. It is absolutely delicious but I don't know what's in it, yet. This is definitely one thing I intend to learn to make - I'll put a recipe in RecipEgullet when I get it how I want it. Sambal terasi is a fried chilli sambal that includes shrimp paste. Fried chicken - came with sambal terasi. While the portions were small (as is typical) we weren't that hungry as we had such a big lunch so it was fine as it was. It also came with rice, unpictured.

We decided to go back to a padang restaurant that we visited on the last trip since it was relatively close to the monument... Medan Baru. In the window, you can see several of the dishes they're working on: So, I think I explained this in the last Jakarta trip, but this is the way a typical Padang restaurant works - most dishes are already pre-made in large quantities or ready to be finished quickly. When you sit down at the table, they bring over a large selection of dishes and leave them at your table. Once you finish eating, the server tabulates what you've eaten and provides the bill - each plate they bring is a small portion - if you try any of it, then it's yours. This place does it a little differently - when you sit down, a couple of servers bring over a few trays of dishes for you to pick from, like a display model, and then they bring your order immediately after you make your choices. After we ordered, I walked back to the area where they kept the display models to take the photos. In this restaurant, they've covered the dishes with plastic wrap and added labels! Also, we ordered a few dishes that are not displayed but that they either make or can make. I did this by giving my Indonesian a workout... hehe... Dendeng balado. Balado is a typical padang preparation involving (typically) 3 types of chillies, shallots, garlic, and lots of other stuff. It is incredibly addictive. Almost anything can and will be balado-ified - chicken, beef, shrimp, eggs, tempeh, you name it. Dendeng are thin slices of beef that are simmered in the balado spice paste, then fried and covered with the balado mixture. This was a great version - it had a really nice smokey-ness to it. The vegetable at the bottom is singkong - cassava leaves. They're the most common padang vegetable and are usually available either just plain boiled (served with sambal) or like this in a mild turmeric curry. We also got a plate of the sambal merah (red sambal) and the sambal ijo (green sambal). Their sambal ijo was quite oily - it was swimming. Typically (and also the last time we were there) the sambal just sits in a small puddle of oil. Both sambal merah and ijo are both fried sambals. Ayam goreng serundeng. Fried chicken. Many times (as you'll see later on) the serundeng (the brown crumbly stuff) is piled on top of the chicken - here they gave it to us separately. The chicken is first simmered in a spice paste which can vary in ingredients. Some are very galangal heavy, or shallot heavy while others, like this one, have candlenuts being the main ingredient. Near the end of simmering, grated coconut is added. Once done, the chicken is removed and drained, as well as the solids of the simmering liquid. The chicken is then fried and then the solids are fried and piled on top. To me, it's the best fried chicken ever. This candlenut heavy version is very earthy but my favorite is the galangal heavy version. Lamb (or goat) curry. The word for lamb and goat is the same in Indonesian, so I'm not sure which this is - this portion was mostly ribs and other knuckle type meat. The curry sauce is similar to rendang, but not cooked as long so it dries out. It has a strong flavor of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. This restaurant is known for its fish head curry. They have 3 different sizes - this is the small but there was a ton of meat on this head. The curry was really unctuous with tons of coconut cream and quite mild. Once finished, we rolled out of there and went back to the hotel for some tea/relaxing by the pool time.

Thanks for bringing us along again but I'm sorry to see the state of the coral. We spent a few days diving in Indonesia and I was so happy to see the great state of the coral walls and reefs there. I'm still trying to get video and stuff off of my GoPro - I'll add it to my trip report when I get to that point....

I love these posts, particularly the details in how caring and loving you are for your livestock (even if some of the roosters are barstewards). Thank you

dinners are on the early side , as its quite warm I frequently put together a ' Curry ++ ' dinner . only use the Micro. bottom layer : standard House salad : spinach , Campari T, window green onion , kimchi , sauerkraut , bit of EVOO. then one of Tj's Fz curries , Micro'd this one I think is called FieryChicken Vindaloo. its spicy this goes over the salad , then dried cherries and cranberries , and dry roasted pecans. I try to remember a scoop of mango chutney . quite nice .

We spent the day at Cinnamon Bay. I did not take any pictures of the beach for some reason, but here’s one from a prior visit. I did take some snorkeling photos. Almost all of the coral is still dead, but there were some fish around. Jacks blue tang squirrelfish Nurse shark and one of my favorites to see, a big permit Dinner was at Longboard. Menu Drinks. The two on the left are mocktails Chips and dips because we were starving wahoo seveche Mahi mahi sliders Pork sliders Fish tacos made with wahoo Carnita tacos A Tidal Rose cocktail for my husband. I think it was tequila, rose, and pampelmousse. It looked cool but was disliked we were too full for any dessert. We caught the tail end of the sunset And then headed back to the villa. The house you can see lit up on the beach was hosting a somewhat raucous wedding, so we listened to their DJ until his mixes got so bad we fled inside. It was the mashup of Bon Jovi Living on a Prayer with the Black Eyes Peas I Got a Feeling that was the final straw 😂

A brief update, because I haven't been keeping up on this as well as I might have. All of the little "princess" bunnies shown above have now been sold. Four of them went to Nova Scotia with me at the end of June, to buyers there, and the fifth was taken home by a local family this past week. One of the princess' brothers has also been spoken for, and will travel to NS with me at the end of this month. Since then we've weaned Hazel's litter, so we have a dozen new 4-week weanlings now in their own cage. They're a cuddly bunch as well, and terribly cute (I think they're at their most engaging at 4-6 weeks). Yesterday both Hester and Ivy gave us new litters, which we'll count this afternoon. Ivy's last litter gave us 7 kits, IIRC, and Hester's ill-fated first litter was 15 kits (of which none survived). This time she seems to have a better grip on how things are supposed to go, and of course in July the risk of the kits becoming hypothermic is much lower than it was in February or March. We've just moved a third batch of young chicks out to the main chicken run, where we have them sequestered inside their own little cage until they're big enough to not need the brooder any more (it's a heating plate that serves mama hen's role of giving them a warm place to sleep). We also have one hen (Miss Prissy, a Leghorn) who's broody and sitting on a clutch of eggs, which we're permitting just 'cause it appeals to my GF to see if she can successfully hatch them for us. There's also a clutch of quail eggs in our incubator, which are due to start hatching out today (we're seeing some of the eggs wiggle, but nobody's poked their little beak out yet to have a look around). On the other side of the whole "circle of life" scenario, our older white hen Flossie just...died one day, of old age as far as we can tell. We'd deliberately taken an older hen (her) to socialize the younger pullets, so this is not entirely a surprise. She'd served her purpose well, and was "boss hen" of our little flock in its early days, and we have a steady progression of ages so the socialization will continue. We've also harvested one of the surplus roosters, just last night. It was originally going to be both of the Wyandotte roosters, but one of them wasn't buying my "nonchalant" act for a second and wouldn't let me get within 10 feet of him. I'll get him in the next day or two with either a hook or a net. The hook is a sort of long, skinny shepherd's-crook arrangement of wire (I've improvised mine from a coat hanger) that slips around the chicken's leg, but which won't let the foot slip through. We're still going back and forth on the fate of our hybrid rooster, Chico. I posted upthread that we'd likely be keeping him, but my GF's been going back and forth on it. My stepdaughter is very fond of him, because he's attached to her and comes to her hand. They'll sit on the back deck sometimes, and she'll chat with him and he'll chuckle and cluck back at her. I rather like him myself (chickens do have personalities, though it takes a while to get a feel for them). Here you can see him following me to the rabbit pen an hour ago, rather like a dog (screencap from our security system): I think stepdaughter and I will probably carry the day. As for the two Wyandotte roosters I won't miss them at all, they're both just jerks. One of them (I think, but don't know for sure, it's the one who's already plucked and in my fridge) attacked my GF pretty regularly. It's probably her red hair, which I suspect made her look like a REALLY BIG WYANDOTTE in his eyes. We also have a cage of surplus male quail to be dealt with in the next few days, and a handful of bunnies from the first couple of litters. So it's going to be a busy week, above and beyond my actual "work, work" (ie, my writing workload). GF found a farm not terribly far from here where they slaughter and clean rabbits, chickens etc for a fairly reasonable $5/ea, which is not worth the drive for small quantities but absolutely will be late this summer/early autumn when we have 60-ish chickens to be dispatched. Still figuring out the logistics of getting 5 dozen chickens into the back of my Subaru, mind you...

Stuff on sticks 烤羊肉串 (kǎo yáng ròu chuàn) Spicy grilled lamb skewer 烤刀鱼串 (kǎo dāo yú chuàn) Spicy grilled Chinese tapertail anchovy This is Coilia nasus. Much larger than the anchovies you're probably used to; they grow up to 41cm / 16 inches but this one was 26cm / 10¼ inches. They are native to local waters. I ate these with some 馕 (náng), naan bread. Feel stuffed.

@JoNorvelleWalker does the IDS now have a ' fishy ' aroma ? I might try something w fresh salmon.

This is a tall order. From reading your Instagram posts, I know more or less what you mean by "understand things on a high level." I don't have the information you seek, but do have a couple of ideas: I am sure @Chocolot (or someone who is familiar with her work) will point out her classic book, Candymaking. I would consider her an expert in caramel. Second idea is Jean-Marie Auboine in Las Vegas. In one of the eGullet workshops I witnessed his making of an amazing caramel with all sort of ingredients one doesn't usually associate with the making of caramel (isomalt, lecithin, sorbitol, to name a few) And his addition of cocoa butter to caramel was quite surprising--and has proved useful in my otherwise too-fluid caramel recipes. Thinking of caramel as an emulsion akin to the making of a ganache was also a game-changer, this idea from @teonzo. Mark Heim is another expert in all things confectionery. I suspect @Kerry Beal will be, as usual, your best source for who can provide what you seek.

Fried Scorpions.

I finally got to the grocery store and bought a fresh loaf of bread. I made and downed a delicious BLT so fast that I didn't take pix.

Sigh. To reset my Anova to Celsius I actually had to read the manual...again.

Kimchi Jjigae from one of the “Curry Guy” books - diced pork belly, tofu, kimchi, kimchi brine, scallions, onions, light soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, gochujang and gochugaru get braised in chicken broth. Served over rice

Yunnan Province in south-west China has international borders with Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar / Burma. Internally, it borders Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi and Tibet. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. It is renowned for its biodiversity and especially its abundance of mushrooms, with over 800 different edible varieties. Many are exclusive to Yunnan, some not so much. Yunnan Mushrooms For the next few days, I’ll post just a few starting with this: 红牛肝菌 (hóng niú gān jūn), Boletus gansuensis, Red Boletes. These are also found in Gansu province, hence the scientific name.

The GE Profile bluefish was a revelation. Smoked over hickory, two hours at 102C, then a further two hours at 77C. It was like fish candy! Normally I avoid the skin of oily fish but the fat of the bluefish skin melted and the skin melded with the delicious meat. Sadly the result was overly salty, as expected after the unintentionally long brining time. I was minded of the Finnan haddie my dear mother prepared back in the early 1950's. As I recall she steeped the smoked fish in milk to attenuate the salt. The remaining pieces are now vacuum sealed in the refrigerator. I assume they should keep for a good long time.

ChefSteps has released new ice cream content including some recipes which accommodate the Creami. Subscription required to view, I assume. https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/ice-cream-parametric

Mrs. C had muhammara (roasted red bell pepper and walnut dip) at a restaurant and recreated it at home. Toasted naan to go with. Delicious! More jambalaya fried rice, this time with shrimp and extra chorizo. There is at least one more meal's worth in the refrigerator . . .

Review of the GF puff pastry. AWFUL. No layers, no flake whatsoever! Can't say that was a surprise given the ingredients list. Oy!! On the plus side, I saved a lot of calories by not eating the crust. And my filling was good.

Great article! Don’t forget to review the slightly newer Salt Cod Diary topic for more ideas!

@Shelby The young girl was so sweet and shy - we couldn't ignore her. Basically, we saw her talking to her mother about us and then the mother approached us and asked for permission. They were so happy when we agreed for some pictures, and then proceeded to have pictures taken with at least 4 phones because everyone wanted their own. So, of course, we then gave them our phone for our own set! The mangoes were ok. I still haven't found an Indonesian mango that I love like some of the Thai ones. Some were juicy but pretty flavorless and some smelled like they were doused in a bucked of perfume. Most were fiberless, but not all.