C. sapidus

Sookha keema matar (dry-cooked spicy ground beef with peas): This is a long-time favorite, redolent of brown-fried onions, ginger, garlic, cilantro, and garam masala, sharpened with lemon juice. Roasted baby zucchini rounds: Seared with cumin seed, black pepper, garlic, ground coriander seed, ground cumin, and serrano chiles, and then topped with seared tomato wedges, cilantro, and garam masala. Mrs. C said that zucchini and cooked tomatoes are two of her least-favorite things, but she enjoyed this because nothing was cooked to mush.

Aromatic slow burn for lunch: Shrimp, mushrooms, and roasted Poblano chiles with a blended sauce of Holland chiles, shallot, ginger, and garlic. Finished with gosht masala, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar to balance, and a dollop of heavy cream.

And Maryland goes all the way up to 3,360 feet! But hey, those punk kid mountains out west haven't been around since before trees existed . . .

Good luck with your repair, Smithy. I hope you can get on the road soon!

Bean sprouts, Mexican chorizo, and eggs with shallots, garlic, and red chiles. Fish sauce, cilantro, cumin, black pepper, and garam masala for flavor.

Chorizo and roasted chile Poblano with feta, spinach, and lots of cilantro. Sauteed with white onion, garlic, and chile Serrano. Spices included black pepper, cumin, garam masala, Mexican oregano, and fish sauce. Kinda winged it but loved the flavor.

I like enoki mushrooms in soups, particularly coconut chicken soup.

Welcome, @aliiaashan! What sort of different cuisines do you enjoy learning about, and what do you consider your "baseline" cuisine?

Coconut chicken soup (tomm gai kaa onn): Sequentially simmer coconut milk with 1) a paste of galangal, garlic, cilantro stems, roasted white peppercorns, lemongrass, and shallots; 2) chicken thigh chunks; and 3) bruised lemongrass stalks, lime zest (sub for lime leaves), sliced galangal, sliced Holland chiles, and fish sauce. Finish with lime juice, palm sugar, Thai basil, and cilantro leaves. I made the base soup mild for Mrs. C, and added a dollop of roasted chile paste to mine. Bean sprout salad (yam tua nork): Make a paste of grated and roasted coconut, roasted peanuts, and salt in the mortar. Mix with bean sprouts, sliced shallots, and cilantro leaves, then season with coconut cream and rice vinegar. Will make again.

Lunch was a slice of Mrs. C's delicious apple crumble pie

Liuyang black bean chicken with long beans. A long-time favorite - we particularly enjoy the head of chunked garlic sacrificed for the meal. Not recommended before date night. Improvised cilantro rice with mint, Mexican oregano, and half a chile Poblano

Chicken larb with cucumbers, Boston lettuce, and cilantro-mint rice. Details on Larb laab larp (clicky).

Chicken larb (laab gai): Hacked up boneless skinless chicken thighs with a cleaver before cooking with sliced galangal. Mixed the cooked chicken with roasted rice powder, roasted chile powder, fish sauce, and lime juice, then tossed with sliced red onion, minced lemongrass, sliced scallions, mint leaves, Thai basil, and cilantro. Served over Boston lettuce leaves with sliced cucumbers, with more roasted chile powder. Made pilaf-style green rice (with cilantro, mint, and garlic) to go with.

Bay scallops, roasted chile Poblano rajas, and long beans with shallot, garlic, sliced Holland chiles, and coconut milk. Seasonings included cilantro, cayenne, and garam masala.

Welcome @KevinG - I look forward to your contributions! I have always wondered - if food is your job, do you also cook for fun?

Sri Lankan eggplant curry: Rub Japanese eggplant rounds with oil, sprinkle with S&P, and broil until reddened. Mix broiled eggplant with lime juice and ground cumin, coriander, cayenne, fennel, and turmeric. Saute black mustard seed, cinnamon stick, and sliced onions, add eggplant mixture, and then simmer with coconut milk and Thai basil leaves (sub for curry leaves). Serve with lime wedges. House guest made bulgur with za'atar to go with. Eggplant is one of my go-to dishes when Mrs. C is out of town - she does not enjoy the texture.

Improvised red curry scallops with broccolini, served with jasmine rice. Tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce to balance flavors. For the curry paste, I supplemented pre-made red curry paste with Holland chiles, ginger, shallots, garlic, white peppercorns, and frozen lemongrass and blended everything up in the Preethi.

Chorizo and egg tacos with guacamole. Sauteed chiles, shallot, garlic, and cumin seed with the chorizo before scrambling the eggs. Feta cheese and Mexican oregano to finish. Made guac in the mortar with shallot, chile Serrano, and lemon juice

Clean-out-the-fridge lunch: Chorizo, shrimp, three kinds of chiles (Poblano, Cubanelle, serrano), white onion, garlic, crushed tomato, spices, etc. Topped with crumbled feta Mrs. C made Dubai chocolate brownies

Shrimp curry with chayote: Brown fry onion, then add garlic and black mustard seed. When the mustard seeds pop, mix in chayote, turmeric, and water and cover. When chayote is nearly tender mix in shrimp, bay leaves (sub for curry leaves) and cayenne. Finish with chopped cilantro. Recipe called for asafoetida but I reverse-engineered it with onion and garlic. 🙄 Basadi dal: Simmer red lentils (masoor dal) with water until soft. Fry thinly-sliced onion until translucent, stir in panch foran, then fry with crushed tomato, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and turmeric. Mix with lentils and enjoy. My favorite lentils recipe, very easy and very tasty.

Welcome, @Intuicook! I look forward to learning about what brings you joy in edible form.

Ginger chicken: Saute sliced chicken thigh meat with garlic, then mix in sliced onion, slivered ginger, oyster sauce, fish sauce, white pepper, sugar, sliced Shiitake mushrooms, and a mix of sliced peppers (red bell, roasted Poblano, and Cubanelle). Finished with cilantro. Mrs. C made a sweet potato salad with pecans, dried cranberries, dried black currants, feta cheese, and a champagne vinegar dressing.

Fuchsia Dunlop meal tonight. Chicken with chestnuts . . . . . . and dry-fried green beans. Microwave cilantro rice to go with

Cauliflower beef fried rice, using last night's leftovers with shallot, chiles, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, black soy sauce, scallions, and an egg. Gloriously ripe mango to go with

Vietnamese tonight for a guest with a mild palette. I can't remember the last time I cooked a meal with no chiles whatsoever. 😬 Napa cabbage and shrimp soup: Soup stock was sauteed onion and dried shrimp with fish sauce and salt. Simmer Napa cabbage until done and then poach shrimp at the end. Finished with white pepper and scallions Beef stir-fried with cauliflower: Marinate thinly-sliced strip steak with fish sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, and cornstarch. Stir-fry onions and garlic, sear the steak, and remove. Stir-fry parboiled cauliflower florets until heated and then mix everything together until the steak is just done. Garnish with cilantro