djyee100

Caramelized Tempeh with Chiles. Deep-fried tempeh, which tastes nutty and savory, in a sticky hot-sweet sauce. I took a leap of faith and added the maximum number of suggested Fresno chiles in the recipe. Very good! A much better result than the last time I cooked tempeh, when I probably undercooked it (eww...). Markemorse's comments on this thread have been very helpful for my tempeh cookery. Reducing the sauce. The tempeh has been deep-fried, drained on a rack, and cooled; now it's waiting in the wings to be added to the sauce. Served with Celebration Yellow Rice. I'm on a cooking hiatus for several weeks (project deadline ahead). But I'll be around to hear about what everybody else is cooking.

Malaccan Beef and Vegetable Stew. Not your typical stew. The beef, vegetables, and potatoes are cooked separately, then folded together before serving. As a result the stew is a bit of a fuss to make, but it's colorful and fresh-looking at the table, and tastes delicious--rich and savory. I braised the beef ahead of time (the same day I made Beef Rendang; imagine what my house smelled like), and then cooked the vegs and potatoes before serving the stew. That made it easy. This dish could be handy for a dinner party if you cook the beef the day ahead. The stew assembles quickly after that. Served with Sweet-Sour Cucumber and Carrot Pickle with Turmeric, another showy and tasty pickle from C of F. This pickle definitely tastes better the day after you make it. The ingredients need time to meld. A comfort food dessert of Plantains with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar. Surprisingly good and easy to make. I didn't have any pandanus leaves, so I added a few drops of vanilla instead. The plantains cook up quickly--be careful not to overcook them. This dessert tastes sweet and refreshing after the Malaccan stew.

Spiced Nyonya Rice. Basmati rice simmered in rich chicken stock with lots of spices, garnished with crispy fried shallots and garlic and clarified butter. It's a project to cook this dish. You have to make the stock, fry the shallots and garlic, and prepare the clarified butter. Then the result looks like plain brown rice with some fried onions on top. The rice tastes quite delicious and complex, though. I think it tastes best when it is slightly warm, only a bit over room temperature. To my annoyance, the rice was slightly undercooked. Next time I'll probably keep the pot on the heat longer (also double-check that I'm following the instructions correctly). Traditionally this rice is eaten by itself, though I served it with one of the Menu Suggestions, Javanese Cucumber and Carrot Pickle. Too minimalist for me. Next time I eat this rice with another Menu Suggestion, Nyonya spicy fried chicken.

I was updating the recipes list for this thread when I came upon the discussion upthread about the color of Beef Rendang and how it's supposed to resemble roasted coffee beans (posts # 198, 212, 213). I was intrigued since I had a skillet of Beef Rendang on the stove at the time. I was in no hurry, so I decided to let the rendang cook on low heat for as long as...whatever. After 3 3/4 hrs of stovetop cooking, most of the liquid had boiled away from the sauce and the rendang was sizzling and frying in its own fat. I still let it do its own thing. I noticed that the orange-y color of the rendang noticeably turned more brown at this point. I kept an eye on the rendang and turned it over now and then and still let it cook. After a half-hour of this I pulled the pan off the stove, because it was getting on time to eat! But the rendang could have stayed on the stove longer, turning browner and browner. Nothing left to do then but pull out the camera and do a color comparison: The cinnamon stick and lemongrass knot are there for color comparison also. My rendang was pretty brown, but it still wasn't the same color as the coffee beans. OTOH, this was a dark roast coffee... Seriously though, I think that if you want that dark brown color you have to keep cooking the rendang in its fat. This rendang was intensely flavored and very spicy (I put in 10 Fresno chiles). It was almost like a condiment to the rice, rather than an entree. It tasted spectacular, of course, it's rendang.

Fragrant Fish Stew With Lime and Basil. The recipe says this stew is intense, and that's true. The stew is strongly flavored with lime and basil (I used Thai basil), with lesser flavors from lemongrass, chiles, ginger, and turmeric. I didn't like the step of adding some basil to the broth and letting it sit for 10 mins, though. The basil turned dark and very soft and I didn't like the look or texture. Next time I will add all the basil (not just some basil) at the end as a garnish, let it steam a minute to wilt, then serve. The recipe calls for fish steaks or fillets, but some very fresh opah chunks were on sale at the market for $3.50 per lb, so guess what I bought. This dish tastes good, and it's another bright colorful dish to serve at the table. Once you've made a simple flavoring paste, the recipe comes together quickly. Stir-fried Water Spinach, Nyonya Style. This dish is headed to the top of the charts as one of my favs. It's spicy, sweet and salty, a common flavor combination in snack foods, but this is a vegetable. No guilt! It's too bad that C of F doesn't offer alternatives for water spinach in this recipe. Water spinach is limited in its availability (and very perishable to boot). But the water spinach isn't what makes this recipe special--it's the sauce. I'm guessing that other greens could work in this recipe, something that tastes strong enough to stand up to the sauce, and also sturdy enough for a stirfry without being too watery. Regular spinach is out. Maybe choy sum? or gailan (Chinese broccoli)? If my CSA inundates me with chard this winter, as it usually does, I'd even try this recipe with chard. Hmmm...Lots of cooking on this thread in the past 3 weeks. Time to update the recipes list. I'll try to do it this wkend.

I strain the oil through cheesecloth and a strainer, and I use it at least once or twice more, too. I didn't know about the potato trick, though. I'll have to try it. Mark, your tofu looks scrumptious. I'm not a fan of tofu, but I'll eat something that good.

There's no doubt that the Day of the Dead is a big deal for Oaxaca's tourism. But it's still a valid holiday, and the locals would celebrate whether or not any tourists came. This is a time for remembrance. People really do believe that the spirits of the dead return to visit them--literally. The bustle at the markets, the construction of the altars, and the cemetery visits felt sincere to me. Perhaps some of the displays in the center of the city are more oriented to tourists. I would compare it to Christmas in the U.S. Sure, there's plenty of retailing going on, but the people who live there are celebrating their holiday too.

People have asked me about the cooking classes I took in Oaxaca. In addition to Nora's cooking class, I took a cooking class with her cousin Pilar Cabrera, who is the chef-owner of the popular La Olla Restaurant. I thought the classes were excellent. Both women learned to cook from their grandmother, who was a prominent cook in Oaxaca. They are fluent in English and teach in English. The classes are part-demo, part-hands-on. Both teachers will be featured in an upcoming culinary tour in March 2008, sponsored by the Oaxaca B&B Association. (Sounds good; wish I could go.) Nora's classes: http://www.misrecuerdos.net/Cooking%20Class.htm Pilar's classes: http://www.mexonline.com/oaxaca/sabores1.htm Culinary tour sponsored by Oaxaca B&B Assn: http://www.oaxacabedandbreakfast.org/gastronomictour.htm

On the evening of October 31, we visited the cemetery. The cemetery was filled with people, as families gathered by the graves. The graves were lavishly decorated with flowers, candles, and keepsakes. Some people kept vigil all night by the graves of their loved ones. Up to then the Day of the Dead was a solemn occasion. People sometimes felt the grief of their loss again, but also felt happy to be reunited with the spirits of those who have passed away. But on the last evening of this holiday, the day after the cemetery vigil, the raucous comparsa take over in the streets. These are masked players, complete with a marching brass band, who roam the neighborhoods and visit various houses. Their job is to help send the dead back to their realm. Apparently some of the dead prefer to stay in Oaxaca and have fun. After my visit to Oaxaca, I could totally relate to this. "Bye 'til next year!"

I found out about Nora thru a friend who has brought tour groups to Oaxaca. This Day of the Dead tour included a market tour and cooking class, and also focused on Oaxacan arts and crafts and sightseeing. There was probably more emphasis on food than the average tour because Nora is a cook! The Oaxaca B&B tour in March 2008 will focus even more on food (Nora will be one of the featured cooking teachers). Nora's tours: http://www.almademitierra.net/ Culinary tour sponsored by Oaxaca B&B Assn in March 2008: http://www.oaxacabedandbreakfast.org/gastronomictour.htm

I think the Shrimp Curry would taste fine with chicken, as long as you like Asian Sweet and Sour Chicken. Keep in mind that the dish is a tad sweet from the pineapple, coconut milk, and sugar. You'll have to start cooking the chicken sooner than for the shrimp, since it takes longer to cook the chicken. Maybe add in the chicken after you cook the paste but before you start the pineapple? Let's us know how it goes.

Hawker's Tea. Strongly brewed black tea flavored with sweetened condensed milk. You're supposed to make it frothy by sloshing it from one cup to another. I preferred to use two Pyrex measuring cups and do my sloshing over the kitchen sink. The drink is both bitter from the tea and distinctly sweet from the condensed milk. You'd have to be a fan of sweetened condensed milk to like this drink, and I'm not. Not to my taste, but to yours?

Our guide Nora, who is a well-known cook in Oaxaca, gave us a cooking class featuring a Day of the Dead feast. The menu: squash blossoms stuffed with requeson cheese; soup flavored with hierba santa, squash blossoms, and Oaxacan string cheese; Nora's grandmother's famous mole negro; rice flavored with mint; and a tomatillo salsa with gusanitos de maguey (worms from the maguey plant, a Oaxacan delicacy). Nora is frying in batches the chiles, nuts, herbs, and spices for the mole negro. When this step of the cooking was done, we piled into a van to visit the neighborhood molino, or mill. The ingredients were poured into a large machine with stone wheels and ground into a fine paste. During holiday season, women line up outside the molino, each carrying a large container of ingredients to be made into the family's special recipe for mole paste. Then back to the cooking class. Squash blossoms waiting to be stuffed. Grilling the worms for the salsa. Some people were a little squeamish about this step. Tomatillos and chiles cooking for the salsa. The stuffed squash blossoms and salsa. These were delicious. (And so was the rest of the feast.) As part of our tour, Nora and her family allowed us to share in their celebration of the Day of the Dead. On October 31, Nora and her family prepared the family altar. They set a trail of marigold petals from their front door to the altar, and also burned a special incense of copal (the aromatic resin of the copal tree), so the spirits could find their way back to visit their family. Nora constructing her family's altar. The altar is decorated with flowers, fruit, katrina dolls, mementos of special significance to the dead, photos, and foods. Nora's mother brought in a steaming plate of mole negro and set it on the altar. The finished altar. Altars are set up all over the city, in businesses as well as in homes. All loved ones are remembered. [To be continued...]

Water spinach is widely available at Asian and farmer's markets here, but this vegetable may be the most perishable produce I've ever encountered. I happened to be at my market when the water spinach had just been delivered, so it was super-fresh. Once home I kept it fresh by placing it upright in a vase of water. It should be stored in the fridge, if there's room. This veggie should be cooked the same day that you buy it.

Nyonya Shrimp Curry with Fresh Pineapple and Tomatoes. A dish that's sweet and sour, with a spicy kick depending on how many chiles you put in the flavoring paste. I thought the curry would be acidic from the pineapple and tomatoes, but the coconut milk (with some added sugar) really tones it down. The coconut milk and pineapple taste so good together, too. Served with rice and Stir-fried Asian Greens with Garlic and Chiles. This time the greens are water spinach. The bright colors of this curry make for a dramatic presentation at the table.

Meanwhile, all around us the city of Oaxaca was gearing up for the holiday. Skeletal visitors made an appearance, along with the tourists. People also made elaborate "paintings" of sand, sawdust, colored powders and flower petals to commemorate the holiday. The markets were filled with sellers and shoppers. Day of the Dead breads. Skulls made of sugar. Streets filled with flowers for sale to decorate the family altars. An amazing sight! Katrina dolls to decorate the altars, too. And, of course, foods to buy for the family feast. Dried shrimp and chiles... Fresh onions... Ripe papayas. [To be continued...]

I visited Oaxaca, Mexico during the Day of the Dead festivities this year. (Before you ask, yes, the city was calm.) These pictures were taken by a friend who was also part of our tour group, and reprinted here with her permission. She's a wonderful photographer. A visit to a mezcal factory. Mezcal is made from the heart of the agave plant, which is roasted (giving the spirits a smoky flavor) and then fermented. I definitely developed a taste for mezcal while in Oaxaca. Our guide Nora got behind the counter and poured samples of mezcal for us. It was still mid-morning, but that didn't stop us from trying the different kinds of mezcal. Later, at a restaurant, we attended a demo of the traditional way to make chocolate on the metate. The cook ground the cacao beans to a paste, then added in cinnamon stick and finally, some sugar. A small fire beneath the metate helped the chocolate melt to a paste. This same cook also made tortillas. I loved to watch her make tortillas. Her tortillas came off the press like silk. Oh, to make tortillas like that! At the Zapotec village of Teotitlan, we visited a weaver who uses traditional methods for making her dyes ( http://www.eltonodelacochinilla.com/Index.html ) . For example, the reds are from the cochineal insect, and the blues from fermented indigo plant. Then we were invited to the weaver's home. Her family made delicious corn quesadillas for us. And also atole, a cornmeal drink. Ours was flavored with chocolate. [To be continued...]

How about a whole-wheat Irish soda bread? This recipe appeared in Saveur mag awhile back. I haven't tried it, but it intrigued me. http://www.saveur.com/food/classic-recipes...read-50578.html If you do a Google search for whole wheat Irish soda bread, more recipe links will pop up.

Stir-Fried Chinese Egg Noodles with Shrimp and Asian Greens. A handy recipe for a weekday dinner--this dish comes together pretty quickly, without fuss. The sauce is flavored with sweet soybean paste and black soy sauce, instead of regular soy sauce. That's the Indonesian take on this classic Chinese dish. A dab of Nyonya Sambal with each bite of noodles makes it even better.

I don't know the frying temperature because I wasn't using a thermometer. The recipe says to cook the fritters at 365 F for 2 minutes on each side. I timed the batches, and they were done usually within 4 mins total, so I think I was somewhere in the ballpark of 365 F. Mostly I check temperature by watching how the food is cooking. I look for the food item to sizzle and bubble when it hits the oil, and it should continue to sizzle vigorously while gradually browning. If the food turns dark very quickly, the oil is too hot; if it sits on the bottom of the pan without sizzling, the oil is too cold. Once I start cooking I regulate the temperature of the oil by adding more or fewer food items to the pan, on the principle that the more raw food is put in the pan, the colder the oil becomes. I also skim the oil between batches to get rid of those little food bits that blacken and smoke. One more thing re: the fritters--after tasting the first batch, I added 1/8 tsp extra salt to the batter. I thought it needed more salt. I sprinkled a little salt on the finished fritters as well. That's to my taste. I'm a salt hound, I admit it.

Another addictive street food to add to the repertoire, Bean Sprout and Potato Fritters. These fritters contain garlic, shallots, and scallions, too. The batter is ready to go. Frying fritters. Served with Sweet-and-Sour Chile Dipping Sauce. Eat 'em with a cold beer alongside.

I don't know of any way to move entries to the top of the message board, and I suspect the computer would have a hissy fit if someone tried. Not to worry, I will keep the recipes list updated periodically, so all you have to do is back up a bit on the message board to find it. Kim D, that was some cooking you did, all those recipes in 2 weeks. Kim D, Dejah, and Foodman, your food looks so tasty. Delish!

An updated index for this thread. Cradle of Flavor Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore by James Oseland Recipe Index: (numbers refer to post #s on this thread) CONDIMENTS: SAMBALS, DIPPING SAUCES, DRESSINGS & PICKLES Javanese Sambal - 156 Nyonya Sambal - 10, 169 Lemongrass & Shallot Sambal - 51 Green Mango Sambal Sweet Soy Sauce & Lime Dipping Sauce - 40, 74, 116 Nyonya Dipping Sauce - 136, 142 Soy Sauce, Chile & Lime Dipping Sauce Sweet & Sour Chile Dipping Sauce Javanese Peanut Sauce - 124 Sweet & Sour Cucumber & Carrot Pickle w/Turmeric - 17, 40, 51, 112 Javanese Cucumber & Carrot Pickle - 74, 97, 142, 158 South Indian-Style Eggplant Pickle - 157 Malaysian Spiced Pineapple Pickle - 100 STREET FOODS Beef Satay - 10, 40, 45, 59, 112 Chicken Satay- 74 Shrimp Satay Gado Gado - 124 Chopped Veg. Salad w/Coconut & Lime Leaf Dressing - 116 Crisp Jicama & Pineapple Salad - 45 Fried Sweet Plantains - 160 Bean Sprout & Potato Fritters RICE & NOODLES Steamed Rice - 74, 142 Lemongrass Scented Coconut Rice - 10, 40, 51, 97 Celebration Yellow Rice - 83, 112, 144 Spiced Nyonya Rice Javanese Fried Rice - 10, 116 Herbal Rice Salad Stir Fried Chinese Egg Noodle w/ Shrimp & Asian Greens Penang-Style Stir-Fried Kuey Teow Noodles - 154 Chicken Curry Noodle Soup, Kuala Lumpur Style - 67 VEGETABLES Stir Fried Asian Greens w/ Garlic & Chiles- 74, 134, 153 Stir Fried Bean Sprouts w/ Chinese Chives or Scallions - 123, 157, 166 Sauteed Cabbage w/Ginger & Crispy Indian Lentils Braised Cabbage w/ Dried Shrimp - 149, 164 Stir Fried Water Spinach, Nyonya Style - 17, 129 Green Beans with Coconut Milk - 112, 144, 149, 156 Ching Lee's Braised Lemongrass Long Beans - 100, 119 Rohati's Crisp-Fried Potatoes w/Chile & Shallot Sambal - 10, 150 Potato Rendang - 32, 173 Fern Curry with Shrimp Asiah's Eggplant Curry - 36 FISH & SHELLFISH Fragrant Fish Stew w/Lime & Lemon Basil Spice Braised Tuna - 10 Padang Fish Curry - 10 Hot & Sour Fish Stew w/Bamboo Shoots Indian-Style Fish Stew w/Okra Pan-Seared Mackerel w/Chiles & Garlic - 10, 134 Pan-Seared Tamarind Tuna - 51 Stir-fried Tamarind Shrimp - 130 Grilled Whole Fish w/Lemon Basil & Chiles Nyonya Shrimp Curry w/Fresh Pineapple & Tomatoes Stir-Fried Shrimp Sambal - 10, 173 Black Pepper Crab POULTRY The Soto King's Chicken Soup - 113 Javanese Chicken Curry - 120 West Sumatran Chicken Curry - 106 Chicken Rendang w/Cinnamon & Star Anise - 10 Nyonya Chicken & Potato Stew - 110 Mien's Garlic Fried Chicken - 156 Nyonya-Style Spiced Fried Chicken - 136, 142 Kevin's Spiced Roast Chicken w/Potatoes, Penang Style - 112 Javanese Grilled Chicken - 83, 97, 112, 144 Grilled Coconut Chicken w/Lemon Basil - 17, 166 Nyonya Duck Soup w/Salted Mustard Greens - 169 BEEF, GOAT & PORK (FOODS OF CELEBRATION) Beef Rendang - 32, 90, 125, 158 Spiced Braised Nyonya Pork - 10, 100, 105, 157, 158 Malaccan Beef & Vegetable Stew Javanese Spice Oxtail Stew Achenese Goat Curry TEMPEH, TOFU & EGGS Garlic-Marinated Tempeh Tempeh Sambal w/Lemon Basil Carmelized Tempeh w/Chiles Tofu & Summer Vegetables in Coconut Milk Twice-Cooked Tofu w/Coriander Fried Eggs w/Garlic, Shallots, Chiles & Ginger - 16, 123 Kopi Tiam Soft-Boiled Eggs - 164 Chile Omelet - 153 SWEETS & BEVERAGES Indonesian Spice Cake - 152 Nutmeg Tea Cookies - 163, 165 Purple Rice Pudding w/Coconut Milk Sweet Spiced Mung Bean Porridge - 164 Plantains w/Coconut Milk & Palm Sugar Sweet Rice Dumplings w/Palm Sugar & Coconut Cinnamon Tea - 134 Hawker's Tea Warm Spiced Limeade - 162 Lime-Cordial Syrup Singapore Slings

I can't answer Kim's question, unfortunately, because I've never managed to buy those wonderful small shrimp with thin shells to eat. My markets seem to stock only the bigger shrimp with thicker shells. I've eaten shell-on shrimp at other people's houses. I can't say I was totally enthralled by the experience. Maybe the shrimp are more flavorful with the shell, but chewing on that shell, and feeling the bits catch in your throat...eeewwww I have a question for other people on this thread, who have eaten shell-on shrimp. Do you like them? (My vote, in case you haven't guessed, is in the negative.)

My stash, and for me, a moderate amount. I recently used 3 or 4 cans for various recipes. Hmmm...I just noticed I have only the 19 oz cans of Mae Ploy. Usually I stock both the 13 oz and the 19 oz cans. Time to go to the store again... I prefer Chaokoh for flavor and Mae Ploy for abundant cream. Depending on what I want in the dish I'm cooking, I'll make my choice between the two. I often use Mae Ploy for a curry because you're simmering the curry paste for awhile in the cream to spread the flavors throughout the dish. I'll use Chaokoh in a recipe that simply calls for a dose of coconut milk for flavoring.