ecr

One doesn't hear about rabbit in Vietnamese food though I'm sure it must be eaten (everything else is ) .... but I'd be a bit squeamish about searching for it here as it would require a detour to that part of the market where lots of various critters --- like the types that are a part of my household --- are sold. I'll be visiting family in the US next month ... think I'll commandeer a family member or two's kitchen and sate my duck sauce lust there.

The duck ragu? I printed Mario's recipe (thank you) and then ran into a bit of a problem ... it's rather difficult to find whole (uncooked) ducks right now in Saigon bec. of bird flu. I'm waiting for my grocer's next shipment of duck breasts from France ... not the same as a whole bird, I know, but I'll give it a try.

Sounds quite similar to a salad we had in Bali with fiddleheads we picked near a lake. Those fiddleheads were larger, similar to the Sarawak fiddleheads described above. If you can get ahold of some wild (or just oyster) mushrooms, the two are a natural pair for a *wonderful* warm salad (western-style, with olive oil).

That's right Trillium. Corti may well ship here, but I'm not keen on paying Vietnamese customs an extra $50 to clear a piece of fish!

Um, I meant stoccafisso... duh.

yes that's boccafisso and now the secret is out that I do not speak Italian! Thanks for the link Kevin, this is definately on the menu for Sat...

Hmmm... could jerul be Balinese? Yetti, look forward to those pictures. But back to the original question --- do you know of regional variations on jackfruit curry. Or to put it another way, is gudeg jogja markedly different from other Indonesian jackfruit curries and if so, how? Thanks...

Yes Shiewie, that's what I meant, as there are regional variations of the Malaysian dish laksa, are there regional variations of the Indonesian dish jackfruit curry? What I had in Bali was jeruk naneka (if I'm reading my notes correctly --- there's a big blob of curry paste on them ) ... but I think that just means (young) jackfruit curry.

This was probably the most memorable dish I had on a recent trip to Italy (in Sienna) --- the sauce had duck and black olives, probably some tomato but not much, definately some wine (I think). I have a huge collection of Italian cookbooks but no recipe within (and I have no idea how one would prepare a duck to be used in sauce anyway) ... I've been thinking about this dish since I got home -- any help appreciated. I can google but it'd be great to have a tried and true recipe. (And since anyone reading this is probably a cook of Italian food --- can I substitute Spanish dried salt cod for boccafisso in a recipe eg boccafisso allo Genovese?)

The Bali topic made me think of this .... I had a truly luscious jackfruit curry there (better the second day, the cook advised), and a Balinese friend told me that Jogjakarta is especially known for this dish and that the version there is super chili-spicy. It made me wonder if this dish has significant variations from island to island or region to region in Indonesia ... something along the lines of the way laksa varies in Malaysia. Experts please weigh in! (otherwise I'll have to spend a month in Indonesia researching for myself ).

I was shamefully unaware that Bali has its own distinctive cuisine (and on Bali itself, there are regional dishes) until a visit to the north last year. I think everyone knows urap, but some other outstanding Balinese dishes are lawar (with fresh blood if you can find that version) and various soups eg. with banana stem or star fruit leaves. And what about dadar (I dream of it)? For anyone willing to make the trip north beyond Ubud, consider a stop for a cooking class, or just a feast, at Bali Panorama in the hills above Sererit. Karsini runs the place with her husband Made, and if you phone ahead and make arrangements she'll do an all-Balinese menu in her (very very basic, but functional) kitchen at the cafe. Tel 081-756-3007 Otherwise the menu offers primarily the usual travellers' fare. After much fattening research I can testify that Karsini makes what may be the best dadar on Bali. Closer to Denpasar, Tugu Bali Hotel (Cangu) offers the most amazing all-Balinese breakfast. Seems expensive at $15 or so, and I didn't expect much since food at really expensive hotels is often dumbed down --- but the breakfast consists of course after course of delicious, distinctive savory and sweet foods you might never have had before, perfectly prepared (it's not a buffet, it's prepared to order). I was so stuffed after that meal I could hardly move .... the hotel's food lunch/dinner offerings seemed much less inspired, by contrast.

Liangban huangua -- the cucumber is neither pickled nor boiled (at least in Sichuan). Simply cucumber cut into rough chunks, salted drained and squeezed, and tossed with roughly chopped garlic and sesame oil ... sometimes fresh cilantro is added. Sliced tomato sprinkled with sugar .. this is pretty common. In Dalian several summers ago I repeatedly encountered, in homes and restaurants, the following delicious salad (the veggies varied): thin-shredded cucumber, blanched bean sprouts, shredded carrot, shredded green pepper, shredded daikon, shredded scallion, sometimes minced garlic --- dressed with sesame oil/soy/vinegar/wasabi (the latter presumably a remnant of Japanese occupation). All veggies were raw except the sprouts.

Kevin, I have Matt Kramer's "A Passion for Piedmont" (I hate that title), only bec when I was looking for a Piemonte cookbook a few yrs ago it was all I could find. I don't know what else is available now. But I've gotten very good results with it, good enough to (sort of) satisfy the wistful nostalgia for Piemonte that seems to hang on for about 3-4 months after our yearly visit. Otherwise --- the photo of the pasuticce has got me drooling. How lucky your wife is .... and how lucky you are to have access to all the ingredients needed to implement your plan! I am envious.... keep the posts coming pls!

I just picked up some Sicilian dried oregano (still on the stem) at a mercato in Italy. For me it's a must (though used sparingly) in puttanesca sauce. I also like to use it when duplicating a dish I had in Liguria: a thin layer of potatoes, then a thin layer of fresh tomato, garlic/parsley/dried oregano/salt/pepp/olive oil sprinkled liberally in betw and on top, then roasted till just tender. Then a nice whole fish or meaty fillet on top, sprinkled with the same, back in the oven and roast till fish is done. Fresh oregano doesn't seem to do the job in either of these dishes. And there's no doubt that the quality of the stuff I purchased on the stem far exceeds that of dried oregano sold in jars.

The range of Thai curries is a bit broader than just "red, green, yellow". There are dry curries (eg. Penang) and wet curries, coconut milk-based curries and those without coco milk. There are sweet (ie. not spicy), spicy, and spicy/sour curries. There are orange curries as well as yellow, green, and red. One generalization that it's possible to make is that green curries are usually not hot (when Thais say "gaeng kiaow waan" -- literally, sweet green curry -- they don't mean that the curry is necessarily sweet as Westerners understand it, but that it is not spicy), and they usually include coconut milk. But there are red curries both spicy and "sweet" and with and without coconut milk, same for yellow curries, and "orange" curry (gaeng som), which has no coconut milk, is almost always incendiary. Gaeng bpaa (jungle or forest curry) is a thin, soupy red curry, very spicy, with no coconut milk.

Great posts (inspired me to get out my Friuli/Venezia Plotkin book again, which I admit I haven't looked at much since I bought it a couple yrs ago), mouthwatering picture. But please oh please reconsider Piemonte --- many braises yes ... but also acciughe al verde (my personal addiction ), various veggie sformato with fonduta or bagna cauda, bagna cauda on its own with raw veggies, vitello tonato, anything with porcini (salsa for tagliatelle, perhaps?), chicche (tiny sort-of-gnocchi), etc. Pastas with hazelnut or walnut sauce, agnolotti ... And the desserts! Chocolate budino, pears in wine, panna cotta, hazelnut torte... And much more.

Ah, I suspected the Central Market would be the place, but wanted to make sure. Thank you! Francesco, thanks for the links, but we live in Vietnam -- mail order is not an option (which is why we travel to Italy with an empty bag ). Divina, wish I'd posted sooner ... we leave in 12 hours, will be in Florence for a wk.

Bottarga, capers packed in salt, and (I know it's not Italian but thought I'd give it a try) sherry vinegar. I'm looking for the Pantelleria capers, not the ones that you can buy in a jar in any grocery store in Italy. Thanks in advance!

Well, authentic or not, it's worth a try (esp since I don't know what else to do with my banana stem!). So, many thanks. Yes, what I have is what is in the picture. Do I need to boil it or anything first --- or just dice and use?

Thank you! This will be the perfect accompaniment to a nice spicy Keralan fish dish. The recipe calls for "mustard paste" ---- would this be prepared mustard? Or ground mustard seeds mixed with water? Or? The thor was procured for me by a friend whose family owns a banana farm. Unfortunately I don't think they do mail-order ... I'm in Saigon.

I've got some fresh banana stem ... and google turned up a few references to it in Indian food but no recipes. Can anyone offer some guidance? (Storage advice would be welcome as well.)

Sichuan Da Ping Huo for Sichuan food. Never mind the upscale setting, this is delicious, authentic, home-style Sichuan food, and I like the set menu bec you get to try 12 different dishes. There are two seatings a night, and expect your meal to take 2 1/2 hours for the later seating, 2 hours for the earlier. It's on Hollywood Road.

Mezzanine at the Grand Hyatt passes muster, I think. Australian chef when I went and quality was up to snuff. If it's not high-end atmosphere you're after, but a mind-blowing fairly expensive meal, put yourself in the hands of sushi chef Nogawa at the Japan Club.

Across from Chatuchak on Paholyothin Road. Just take the BTS to Mo Chit and get a taxi -- 35 baht and ANY taxi driver will know "Dalat Aw Taw Kaw". The Nancy Chandler map is available all over Bangkok --- try bookstores, Villa Supermarkets.