KennethT

@djyee100Beautiful!

Thanks Shelby! I enjoyed following along!

I like Rao's sauce also... definitely the best jarred sauce I've ever had. On the photo, did you take the photo in "selfie" mode, or did you use the front facing camera? Photos taken with the "selfie" camera always come out as mirror images.

@Anna NI'm with you... not a fan of beans or pulses... it's not the flavor that I don't like - it's that grainy texture. I've never had a bean/pulse dish that didn't have that grainy texture.... except once, but that was a rare fluke - especially because I have no idea what was done to make it that way. It was about 6 years ago, when I was fortunate enough to go to El Bulli - one of the courses was called "Cala Montjol lentils" or something like that - which is named after the area where the restaurant was located.... Their texture was completely smooth - and they melted in your mouth... I imagine they pureed the lentils, and put them through a super fine sieve - like a superbag or something and then spherified them to look like lentils again... or something to that nature...

iSi is a brand name for a type of siphon. They can be charged with NO2 to make whipped cream and other foams, but they also make siphons to use with CO2 to carbonate liquids. http://www.isi.com/us/culinary/

Bananas are herbs, right? Maybe it would be good to prune the shoots?

You can also hang fly-paper.. while it is unsightly, I've found that they are effective in trapping flies... and there are no harsh chemicals to deal with.

Fingerlings (there are many varieties) are good waxy potatoes here in the US. They are sometimes available in supermarkets (depending on location), but should definitely be available at farmers markets.

Really looking forward to it!

Depending on how it was cooked SV (time/temp), the skin may not be fully tenderized. But, if it was fully tenderized, I have seared on a very hot cast iron pan (I was doing lots of small pieces at once, so it acted like a plancha) and it seared nicely - I even got the skin to puff a bit which was nice.

@Anna NFWIW, I have never met a cripsy, non-greasy sweet potato fry - even conventionally fried, or in restaurants... I've had some start out ok, but after 5 minutes at the table, all crispiness has left the building.... maybe just my luck, but I tend to avoid them now.

Thanks for sharing, again!!!! Always enjoy your trips....

@liuzhouAs others have said, thanks so much for sharing both the food and experience!

Yes, it grows very easily. You can basically take a cutting, plunk it in a glass of water and it will start to root. As long as you keep the growing medium moist, it'll be ok - which is convenient since I'm growing it hydroponically. I saw it all over the place when we were in Saigon - commonly served with Pho, and various other types of dishes.

I cook salmon once a week or so, and I use a torch to brown the top when I'm done. Adds a nice flavor dimension as well as appearance.

This is rice paddy herb (ngo om in Vietnamese): I was in a thai restaurant that had some on the side... So I took a couple sprigs home to propagate. I love this herb - a little citrusy with notes of cumin.

The green papaya should be dressed just prior to serving. Having it "rest" in the refrigerator after being dressed made it limp. Also, try adding some fish sauce... makes a big difference!

My cilantro hasn't been doing well. An interesting study in plant physiology.... It's been 95degF with no clouds for so long, and my windowsill garden faces S-SW. Even with the A/C on full blast, it's just too hot and humid and too sunny... so the plant has been suffering. Because it's not as healthy as it should be, it is much more vulnerable to pests. I saw today that the cilantro was infested with mites. What is interesting is that the plants on either side of it (that are much more tolerant to heat and sun) and are touching leaf to leaf, have practically no pests at all. Needless to say, I removed the cilantro plant and trimmed any leaves that had even 1 or 2 mites on them on the other plants.... But look at those roots!

I'm not that knowledgeable about cocktails, but I've never heard of a "generic spirit"... even at the low end, don't they all have brand names of some kind?

My wife and I were there for a long weekend in October, 2014.... a hurricane arrived shortly after we did!

I have mixed them in the past with no issues - although I typically use a combo of sugar, isomalt and glucose. The isomalt doesn't like to melt as readily as the sugar does, but it will eventually. I have never noticed the humidity resistance (I always keep my sugar stuff in sealed containers with a few packs of desiccant thrown in), but the mixture is certainly less sweet than sugar, which is the primary reason why I use it as I like it for savory applications.

@huirayVery nice indeed! What do you do with them in winter?

That prawn and tomato curry looks great... can you include an Rx or list of materials?

Check out this basil! The size of my hand!

Lime flower... Pretty and smells great - and will turn into a lime!