bottomlesspit

Rabo encendido (Cuban oxtail stew) is my favorite oxtail dish. Served over white rice with fried, ripe plantains on the side. That's yummy.

Actually, bori chah is the tea made with only barley, and oksoosoo cha is that made with only corn. (Bori: barley, oksoosoo: corn) I'm guessing the compound would be bori oksoosoo cha. Funny that as many times as I've had the combined tea, I've heard it referred to as one or the other, but not both.

trillium, thanks for finally answering the HAWT question. "OUT!" (That was for you, Stupid. ) I digress, but what last meal(s) will you enjoy in The OC? And your comments on the cafe? And since you're moving away forever and ever, here's a what-what for you, too.

Dunno if I need one, but I'd sure like one.

Stupide Americaine, You've got me intrigued. Are you associated with this stylish cafe, or the stylish girls therein, in any way? Btw, noticed you're in Tustin. I'm in Irvine, so here's a shout out - maybe you'll actually hear it.

Oh, I LOVE those. The hottah, the bettah! Nakji, thanks for the Pum tip. Will definitely look them up!

Smile lots, don't touch people's heads, keep my feet on the ground, stay away from the monks, no mocking the royal family and save room for roti. I think I can manage that. Now to find a dining buddy for at least one meal...

Those pics are delicious! I'm looking forward to the full report, too.

When hubs and I watch the food tv, I make the catty quips about Giada's enormous teeth/forehead and we both snicker over Bobby's chesticles. * Edited to add that Bourdain would make a horrible secret ingredient - no meat on his bones. Might make for some great stock, though...

You might like to try Honda Ya in Tustin for an izakaya experience - lots of great small dishes grilled, steamed, fried, you name it. The grilled stuff (chicken hearts, bacon wrapped asparagus, beef tongue, to name but a few), is great drinking food. It's very reasonably priced but busy, so get there when it opens or prepare to wait. Honda Ya 556 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 714-832-0081 Dinner only - 5:30 PM - 1:00 AM

Thanks for your input. I promise I won't take photos when disturbed foreigners are in the vicinity. Chris, The cooking class at the Boathouse Hotel looks like fun - is it hands-on or mostly demo? Certainly there's more to Phuket than this, though. Any more recs? (Pretty please, with palm sugar on top?)

I'll be posting my ISO dining buddies thread closer to my travel date, but thought I'd get started a little earlier with my planning. I'll be in Phuket from April 15th - 22nd, which I hear is right around all the New Year's celebrations, at Marriott Phuket Beach Club 230 Moo 3, Mai Khao Phuket, Talang 83110 Thailand A few questions: 1) If you're familiar w/ the location of the hotel, is it conveniently or remotely located from good dining/fun activities (other than lazing around on the beach, that is...)? 2) Any great street markets and if so, where and what day? 3) Any must-try restaurants? 4) Must sees or dos? (1) I'll take beautiful scenery over monuments though if the two are combined, great! and 2) I'll have a 7 and 5 year old with me.) 5) Cultural dos and don'ts? 6) Everyone says it's going to be HAWT (with very wide eyes). How HOT is HAWT? Many thanks in advance, sg

I'm not a gadget-mistress by any means, but I do think a garlic press provides a certain outcome that is not exactly achievable by mincing or crushing (provided the holes are the right size). That said, the MIL is always buying stuff from Pampered Chef , most of which I think is useless crap, but she did buy me their garlic press, which never forces the garlic up the sides and is extremely easy to clean - I just run a toothbrush along the holes and any remaining garlic rinses away easily. There, I think I've met my quota of positive comment about Pampered Chef products for a year (or two).

I've been lurking this thread for a while now, all the while trying to find a local place that serves the dish. In that you have inspired us to think about, talk about, and most certainly not least, SEEK OUT khao soi, you are all victors! (But for sheer visual enticement, I do have to give the nod to Austin - but he has sort of an unfair advantage, doesn't he?) I managed at last to find a local restaurant that serves the stuff, and I must say it was a bit of a letdown, but I think it might be more execution than idea. My khao soi was VERY brothy, served with only one wedge of lime, (i.e., not enough to provide a foil to the creaminess and richness of the curry broth - remedied easily enough, but first impressions...) and no pickled vegetables. It was all around a little sloppy, but I'm not giving up on khao soi yet. Ingredients are accessible and plentiful in these parts (So Cal), so I think I'll have to buckle down and actually make some for myself. Thanks to all of you for the education and entertainment! P.S. I'll be in Phuket in April, so I'll be looking forward to more Southern Thai Food posts on your blog, Austin.

Hello ghost, are you looking for a goi cuon recipe (summer/salad roll) or a cha gio (spring/fried roll) recipe?

Some ideas... - Bananas foster - strawberry shortcake (with storebought poundcake or biscuits) - chocolate fondue - a trifle made w/ instant pudding for the cream and using raspberry liquer Mint, fresh berries and confectioner's sugar make easy garnishes. Good luck!

Haven't tried these from Epicurious, but I've found their recipes with consistent 3-4 fork ratings to be at least palatable, even outstanding at times. Hope this is helpful! Collard Green Olive Pesto http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109229 Shredded Collard Greens with Walnuts and Pickled Green Apples http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/1026666 Vegetable and Ricotta Stuffed Collard Rolls with Tomato Sauce http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/11642

If they've not been eaten already, howzabout some overstuffed (with crab) California handrolls? Toss your crabmeat with some Kewpie mayo, slice up a ripe avo and some crisp hothouse cucumber, make just a bit of sushi rice, and roll as you eat. That's what I do sometimes w/ crab leftovers when I'm too lazy to do anything else. The other thing you could do is a ceviche type deal where you toss them with fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro and lime juice with a dash of hot sauce - only don't let it sit in the lime juice too long as it obviously needs no cooking. That with some crisp corn tortillas fried in lard from the local Mexican market actually sounds really good right now. Damn those late night hunger pangs!

The MIL makes cocktail weenies with Coke and ketchup that's a potluck hit with old and young, highbrow and lowbrow alike. I think this is what is referred to as "Dirty Dogs", right? Whatever they're called, they never fail to please. Beyond that and the ham and cake stuff, I haven't seen to many Coke recipes myself, though I do know of a few people who use 7-Up in their kimchee.

As to the terracotta idea, I'm not sure 5-10 minutes would do the trick or that 450 would do it, either. Your rice might dry out a bit on the top while you're waiting for a sufficient crust to form. To get the degree and type of heat you'd want to make noohreunghi (the toasty rice crust), I'm inclined to say (very preheated) cast iron might do the trick better than terra cotta. Just an FYI on gochujahng: while it is a bean paste in the sense that it is made with beans, as is miso, I would say it's more of a chili paste, as that's the dominant flavor/usage. The closer Korean condiment to miso is actually something called dwehnjahng, which is closer in both color and flavor to miso. And while you probably will never see dwehnjahng given as the "sauce" (so to speak) for your bibimbahp in a restaurant, I love to doctor it up and use it instead, or in addition to, gochujahng when I make bibimbahp at home. Minced garlic, chopped green onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and just a pinch of sugar to round out the saltiness usually do the trick for me - oh and some chopped jalapeno is nice for added heat.

I am a points monger and almost always charge everything, including tip. While some people, by experience or hearsay, are privy to such information as servers being charged some kind of fee on credit card transactions, I don't think that should be a customer's concern.

Like Misa, I like to use light olive oil on my hands, particularly when I'm doing a marathon stretch in the kitchen. I use just enough to lightly coat my hands, which seems to protect them from the water and isn't too slippery for knifework. If washing dishes, gloves always. At night, Vaseline on the cuticles works wonders. *edit to change "slipper" to "slippery" =)

As a fettered mind (or heart, as it may be) for me usually means the inability to really appreciate the process of eating, along the lines of the Indian food suggestion, I would recommend cooking stuff that takes lots of time and prep. When I've had a stressful day, there are few things that help me unwind like a quiet house (as in no other human beings), my favorite music (these days mostly flamenco, but Sting also seems to work for me when I'm contemplative), a glass of good wine, and lots of chopping, dicing, mincing, chiffonading, etc. with a very sharp knife. The rhythmic movement and sound of prepping always has a calming effect on me. Oh, and de-boning a poultry carcass. That's always therapeutic. I take all the bones, skin and leftover aromatics from my prep and throw them into the stockpot, so I can a) have some stock for a rainy day and b) be soothed by the aroma. It also never hurts to dance, sing or air guitar while you're at it. Pumpkin, I hope your heart mends soon.

Thank you, Catherine - perhaps off topic, but well worth the digression.

guhVURTZtrehminner