SuzySushi

Hmmmnn... I think you are bringing up several topics in one post. First, tastes differ, which I'm sure you know. What may taste salty or spicy to me may not to another person. IMHO, 2 sticks of butter (which is 1/2 pound, not 1/4 pound) is an awful lot for 1/2 pound of pasta. 5 cloves of garlic, though, would be not enough to my palate! The saffron is another issue. There are a lot of different grades of saffron and the lesser grades (I hesitate to say "cheap") are not as flavorful and some of what's sold as "saffron" is not be saffron at all, but safflower that is being passed off as saffron. They will impart a yellow color to the rice but very little flavor. The higher grades of saffron have completely red strands (no orange or yellow tip). Saffron, if over-used, tastes medicinal.

Yes. There's also this neat Splatter Guard from Norpro that folds out and fits around a pan. I use that more than the splatter screen "lid."

I don't think so. The name originated at Mekong restaurant in Honolulu, where Keo Sananikone created the dish in the late 1970s. He later opened a small chain of restaurants bearing the Keo's name, and became one of Hawaii's first "celebrity" chefs. The "evil" part of the name is because of the chile peppers -- which were more a novelty in the 1970s than they are now. I don't remember what the "jungle" specifically referred to, but it's one of the "exotic" herbs -- either lemongrass or Thai basil. And the "prince" part of the name was because the dish is so good that it's fit for royalty. As far as I can trace, all other "Evil Jungle" recipes are take-offs on Keo's creation.

YES! Turkish salad. Michelle, Daniel, I have been trying to re-create Turkish salad since discovering it in Israel 10+ years ago. (This is the kind that's a tomato-based salsa, not a "peasant salad" with leafy greens and feta cheese.) Does either of you have a recipe?

Beautiful blog! Thank you so much, Alina, for bringing us up-to-date on what's happening in Moscow!

I agree with Tess: But an editor's job isn't easy. I once got called to task by an interviewee who, in being quoted verbatim (the interview had been taped), complained that I'd made her sound like an idiot!

Good luck on all counts! I've never been a professional chef or baker, but have been in similar situations in different "intellectual property" industries. My advice is to take the high road. You won't regret it. You'll know that you've done the right thing, and anyone who knows you will know. They probably won't be able to duplicate the products without you, anyway. I know it's tempting to say "what's mine is mine" or to want to get even, but karma has a way of catching up... {{{{{Hugs, cause you need 'em}}}}}

Hmmm.... come to think of it, maybe the "sea vegetable" in the seaweed salad IS agar-agar, which is derived from a form of algae!

Ooops... in rereading the original question, I misunderstood. It's the stuffed and cooked grape leaves that freeze beautifully. I've never tried freezing just the leftover grape leaves in brine. I would imagine that because they were packed in brine, which acts as a preservative, you could keep them in the fridge without a problem for at least a week, maybe longer.

Hey, I live in Hawaii and I've never seen -- raw or dried -- the kind of "seaweed" used in this salad. It always comes ready-made (I suspect there's one factory in the world that makes it, because it always tastes the same and is dyed that artificial bright green). I wonder how much of it is indeed "sea vegetable" and how much is composed of agar-agar noodles. "Chukka" I agree, is a misspelling of "chuka," the Japanese word meaning "Chinese-style." It's not ogo (aka limu, which is a fine branch-like seaweed that's usually a purplish red.

A lot of semi-sweet chocolate brands contain milk fat. My sister had to stop using most commercial brands of chocolate chips because she's highly allergic to milk. The chocolate manufacturers changed the formulas to substitute milk fat (butterfat) for cocoa butter, we've theorized because it's less expensive.

Playing off MarketStEl's question, what happens to the kiosks in the winter? Are they still there? Do they take their business indoors somewhere?

I need to go console myself with some (good-for-the-heart but high-in-saturated-fat) dark chocolate!

I'm probably not the best one to respond because I've never noticed an unpleasant smell. It could be the brand you're using. You also might want to try a brown jasmine rice variety.

Brioche pan. I painstakingly brought it home from France 6 years ago and still haven't gotten around to baking a brioche. And add me to the list of people with a collection of silicone bakeware (courtesy of gifts) that I've never used. I tried the loaf pan once, for meatloaf. The pan was so floppy that I had to set it on a baking sheet in the oven, then despite its so-called nonstick abilities, it was a b**ch to clean. Thank you, I'll stick to my tried-and-true metal pans.

I'm fascinated by your blog and photos too. I've never been to Russia... my closest experiences are a bit of Russian in my heritage and two friends who lived in Moscow some years ago: one in the depths of Soviet Russia (I remember her comments on the stores: "You wait on line for an hour to get in, but once you get in, there's nothing there to buy" and the economic planning: "This year they made three kinds of blankets, but no sheets"). It will be interesting indeed to see how things have changed.

Freeze them! I've frozen them very successfully. Let thaw completely in the fridge before eating cold or reheating. P.S.: You can also use grape leaves for other things, such as wrapping a whole fish before grilling, wrapping individual shrimp before grilling (add garlic to the packets and skewer), or wrapping soft goat cheese as an appetizer. These are still probably more grape leaves than two people would want to eat in a few days, so throw a party!

Take 2 pieces of toast (preferably an eggy bread like Portuguese/Hawaiian sweet bread or challah). While they're hot, carefully arrange chocolate chips on one piece of toast, spacing them about 1/2" apart. Top with the other piece of toast and smoosh together. (Mock pan au chocolat.) And one I hardly ever have any more. Take a bowl of sour cream (straight from the fridge). Top with cubes of 1 hot, peeled potato. Eat. (I must've been a Russian peasant in a previous life.) [Edited for spelling.]

Keo's Evil Jungle Price has become THE Thai standard in Hawaii. ← Have you eaten at Keo's restaurant in Honolulu? Did you try this Evil Jungle Prince with chicken? ← Both yes -- many times. Though my favorite dish at Keo's is his Ong Choi with Yellow Bean Paste.

Several types of edible amaranth are used in Asian cooking. Sounds like the purple-veined variety might be one of those. Edible Amaranth (with pictures).

Yup! Mine's the 1983 first American edition. Quite dogeared by now (and proud of it!).

Keo's Evil Jungle Price has become THE Thai standard in Hawaii.

Someone recently gave us a box of chocolate-dipped macadamia nut shortbread cookies, and they disappeared pretty quickly. The cookies were shaped as rectangles and dipped in chocolate at an angle, so one corner was chocolate-free for easy handling. Any standard shortbread cookie recipe should work.

The book I have on Chinese vegetables identifies it as "bottle gourd," woo lo gwa in Cantonese. Its use was legendary in ancient China as a receptacle to transport water or herbs, but it's rarely seen on contemporary tables. The book describes it as fine-grained and mild when picked young; older gourds become tough. Cook like any summer squash. Chinese uses include soups and stir-fries. You can also cut off the top, remove the seeds, and fill the gourd with soup or stuffing before cooking (recipe does not supply quantities -- treat like "winter melon pond" soup).

Um...."texture"? ← Texture is not completely it. Texture implies whether something is smooth or gritty, etc. Mouthfeel also describes the feeling of richness to the palate -- whether chocolate feels (not tastes) rich when it melts in your mouth, whether yogurt seems to coat your tongue, whether wine feels full. It's a sensation for which we don't have another word in English.