KennethT

Fresh Direct had a sale on morels so what choice did I have? SV salmon with a porcini and morel sauce...

Yes

That Parisian name bakery is actually a Korean chain.

I was excited to see an HMart open near my new apt (we get most of fish and shopping at the one in KTown), but it was really disappointing when we were there a few months ago. Almost no fish selection and the veggie section is a lot smaller. Seems like they're focusing on snacks and packaged stuff...

A hot and steamy NYC evening calls for Saigon inspired DIY summer rolls made with chicken thighs from the CSO and some herbs from my garden.

You can change the texture based on the environment it's grown in. If it gets a lot of light, the leaves are tougher and the teeth can be quite sharp. It prefers shade (that's why it's further from the light than the rest of the plants) and then the leaves and the teeth are tender and soft, and it's more flavorful.

Picnic panini

Yep... culantro, although I usually call it sawtooth coriander as it's typically called in SE Asia. I use it in lots of stuff - it has a more intense cilantro smell and taste - so it's typically used in a combo of some of the others in noodle soups, fruit salsas (or som tum - or it's Viet cousin Goi) or an accompaniment to fried seafoods as it is commonly used in Thailand.

Updates- everybody is doing really well. I'm especially happy with the kaffir lime and curry trees because I was worried how they would do in the coco coir - I was worried that it would hold too much moisture and get root rot, but all the new growth is really encouraging.

If that's true then I must be a creative genius!

The Gray's I used to go to was in the West Village on 6th Ave near 10th St.... it's no longer open and I haven't been to any of the other branches.

I don't know if I've ever had a really good dirty water dog. I'm a big fan of Nathan's, especially back in the old days when they cooked their fries in beef fat. I also used to like a Gray's Papaya dog, but they were always cheap on the kraut.

I've been jonesing for a good hot dog with sauerkraut and mustard for a while now...

Basil #2 has sprouted! Damn - you can't kill those things!

@Franci We definitely need a drool button... the only thing better would be a closeup of the sliced char siu in the bun with sauce/fixins... that would be unbelievably drool-worthy!

Yes, and now that I think of it, in the south of Vietnam, Cha Gio (the fried spring rolls) are typically wrapped in lettuce leaves as well....

You stir fry it - I"ve had stir fried lettuce in a few places in Asia... it will wilt down to nothing!

using lettuce leaves may be tasty, but it definitely won't be Bo La Lot - which has a specific flavor due to the "la lot" leaves, or wild betel leaves which really have a distinctive flavor. Otherwise it's just beef with fish sauce, lemongrass and lettuce... but I don't know what that would be called haha... ETA: Bo La Lot doesn't necessarily have to be wrapped - I saw it once in Hoi An layed out flat... see here:

Update #1: one of the group's looks great... It's one of the basis but I'm not sure which yet... The other basil looks like it's about to sprout...

I'm surprised to see that there is no drain hole in the bottom. When I steam things in the CSO (like a steamed fish) a ton of water winds up in the drain pan. If you were to steam things in this oven, where does the condensed water go?

Thai steamed wild caught black bass... Pla neung manao. Steamed in the CSO and dressed with a tangy sauce made with tons of garlic, lime juice, fish sauce and chilis.

Viet style chicken noodle soup with some herbs from my garden

Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I planted a bunch of really old seeds - maybe 5 years old? maybe more?? I planted them in a pH adjusted saturated rockwool cube, then misted the top to really saturated the seeds, then put them all in a ziplock bag... and now we wait... as Tom Petty said, it's the hardest part. I planted Genovese basil, thai basil, cilantro and vietnamese mint... I put in a lot of seeds - I can always thin it out before I put the blocks in the coco coir... assuming that they germinate at all of course....

This was a first attempt at recreating a dish my wife was obsessed with on our trip to Indonesia last summer - udang arsik tapanuli - shrimp in a sauce made from the kitchen sink of SE Asian herbs - lemongrass, ginger, galangal, shallots, garlic, chilis and lots more. It was pretty good but definitely needs a bit of work. It's too bad because there are only a few recipes online (all in Indonesian) and all are for the traditional version made with fish and some fruits/herbs that are completely unavailable here.

Wow @&roid... that is pretty impressive!