KennethT

The char siu bao looks very different than I'm used to seeing, both in Hong Kong and in Taiwan (in an airport restaurant). In those places, the bao are bigger and the top is snipped prior to steaming so it looks kind of like a flower. There is a lot more filling as well, with pieces of pork measuring maybe 1-1.5cm3.

Oh yeah. This kind of haul was comletely unexpected. I knew she was going to bring back some curry paste - we had discussed how to pack it so it didn't stink up her luggage but I didn't expect 5 different ones plus all the rest!

My friend came back from Thailand and all she brought me was 5 different curry pastes, 2 chilli pastes, 2 shrimp pastes, 2 loose leaf teas, and some impossible to find spices... Oh, and some celadon pottery

Southern style pho ga (hence the bush of herbs in the background - I only had 4 different kinds today), spiced with star anise, coriander and cinnamon. Used very wide banh pho - it was the only thing I had! How did that happen???

I love rendang. It actually originated in Indonesia (Western Sumatra to be exact) but has since moved all over. Yours looks like a good Malaysian version - the Sumatran version is typically drier - like almost no liquid dry.... both are tasty. I'm curious as to the ingredients you couldn't get (I'm not surprised though) and what you used as a sub.

@Duvelthanks for this. And way to think out of the box on the travel/lodging issues!

Don't forget https://forums.egullet.org/topic/158626-stranger-in-a-strange-land/

Vietnamese chicken stew with fresh peppercorns

I don't understand - passion fruit are a lot of work? Cut in half and inhale! I love a really ripe and well grown passion fruit. I'll eat them 5 at a time (if I am in a place I can afford them!)

A friend of mine just got back from Thailand and brought me some fresh peppercorns..... So of course, pad cha grouper

If you want to grow a lot of sprouts, the way to do it is using a capillary mat, which fits in a standard plug tray. I've even seen people use plastic windowscreen material over a perforated flat - the roots grow through the screen and the flat into the water in teh tray below. Tons of videos on youtube

@liuzhousorry for the delay - I took these photos a while ago but forgot to post them!

It's a good thing that you weren't a fan of Wile E Coyote - those Acme products never work as well as they say they do in the catalog...

Joining in the taco Tuesday.... Foot burning red chili chicken tacos.

That's how I used to open a mangosteen until I was stopped in Singapore by a guy whose family had a mangosteen farm in Malaysia. He preferred the upside-down-squeeze method as there is no chance that the knife cuts too deep and bleeds some of the tannic rind into the fruit segments. After doing it both ways (and a few times having said knife cut too deeply) I tend to agree with him.

I second @SusieQ - sorry to hear you're back there. Hopefully this won't be for a long duration.

Singapore Bak Kut Teh

I wouldn't be surprised. The ingredient list for most large fast food chains looks more like a chemistry set than anything else. Probably labeled "modified food starch" which encompasses a TON of products.

Yeah, the food on that trip was amazing. We don't usually repeat trips to places, but if we were, Saigon would be high on the list, just for the food. If you can get it, use Thai basil rather than green onion or a mix of the two?

@OkanagancookBanh cuon is a Hanoi specialty, but is popular around Vietnam. We had it in a place that only made it in Saigon - it was so good we went twice! It's typically filled with a mixture of pork and mushrooms, and then topped with a shower of bean sprouts that were steamed so not completely raw mixed with herbs and tons of fried shallots. The sauce is sweetened fish sauce, with a dish of chilli on the side.

Actually ate out at a restaurant today (outside since it's 76 degrees in NOVEMBER!!!). A local Himalayan place Stir fried noodles with shrimp Chicken curry with paratha and rice

Old Lai Huat style sambal grouper

How long does the blood stay liquid? I was to understand that the blood coagulates quite quickly and that it has to be ridiculously fresh in order to still be liquid.

I've never made them, but have eaten them in several places in Saigon, as well as several places in Hue (where they are smaller and called banh xoai, and are even crispier). In all of these places, the "kitchen" is right out front so it's easy to watch the action. A lot of oil and high heat were standard in every place.

What type of curry is this? Can you give details?