Search the Community

I just had dinner this past week at Bolivian Restaurant here in Providence, and thought I'd report on what I had there to get some feedback. I ordered heavily in the appetizer section because I had my two kids with me and because I was hoping to be able to try a few different things. I also had read that the place had massive main dish servings and didn't want to go home with too many bags of leftovers. We started with three different empanadas, which were similar only in that they were stuffed pastries that had been fried. The queso was a longer rectangular pastry stuffed with a layer of cheese and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The other two empanadas were savory; the pollo was pretty tasty, but the chargue was fantastic, a mix of dried beef, chopped hard-boiled egg, kalamata olives, and a few other things. The dried beef was a central component in a dish called masaco that I really liked. Plaintains were mashed into the beef with little else, I think. It reminded me of mofongo but had shreds of been instead of chicharrones. We also got a mani soup that was very simple: a chicken/peanut base with a piece of chicken, some vegetables, and some potato sticks on top. After asking for a few things that they didn't have on hand, we got the chicharron plate, with unseasoned, deep fried pork ribs, a large potato that had been boiled and then deep fried, and about two cups worth of mote (which was, indeed, similar to the Mexican hominy I've had). I washed everything down with a chica de main (sp?), which was a wonderful peanut drink with a bit of cinnamon and sugar in it. I felt like it tasted of both roasted and raw peanuts, but I can't be sure about that. One thing that I didn't expect was to find a bunch of Italian mains and desserts on the menu: parmesana de pollo, tiramisu, and so on. Is there a reason for this that anyone can explain? It's possible that the restaurant's location (in one of several neighborhoods that have been home to Italian-American folks here in Providence) may explain it, but I thought I'd ask! We'll be back to try a few more things -- and will travel across the street to the other Bolivian place, Rodeo Restaurant -- soon.

I have made these and they are close to the original .. very easy ... 1 lb. raw peanuts, 3/4 c. sugar, 1/2 c. water, 1/8 tsp. salt Boil and stir gently with a spoon until the liquid is absorbed ... then simply spread the peanuts out on something like a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 225. Stir and let cool.

I didn't read the bit in Now, so thanks for that. (Although, with a name like Vientiane wouldn't it actually be Laotian?) But Laos... Thailand... close enough, I'm sure - except for the physical distance of the shop, as the location is pretty far out. (I checked on TorontoMaps.) Jeez, if you're going to head there from downtown it's almost as though you might as well stop at the airport too and board a flight to Bangkok! rgruby - I forget if you live in the west end, but I found a little convience/grocery shop in Parkdale run by a Vietnamese woman and she stocks some Thai stuff (I got shrimp paste there, raw peanuts...) along with Vietnamese (obviously) and Chinese. It's the north side of QueenW, between BrockAve and the train underpass - called Bahn something or other, I think. Ps - And I'm also carless (and proud) so, sorry, no rides to the outskirts from me.

Pork Neck Bone Soup with Lotus Root (蓮藕豬骨湯) Today is Chinese New Year. I would like to present a soup that is typical for the new year. Lotus roots and dried oysters are very common in dishes served around the new year. Lotus root symbolizes "continuous", while dried oyster symbolizes "prosperity". I wish everyone to have a prosperous year in the Year of the Dog. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 10 Preparations: Main ingredients: (From left, clockwise) - Lotus roots, about 3 to 4 lb - Pork neck bone, about 2 lb - 1 dried squid or dried octopus - 6 to 7 dried oysters - 5 dried conpoy (dried scallops) - 12 dried black mushrooms - A handful of raw peanuts (about 1/4 cup) - A handful of red beans (about 1/8 to 1/4 cup) - 3 pieces of dried tangerine peels (Chan Pei) - (Not shown in picture) About 20 dried jujube dates Use a mixing bowl, soak the red beans, dried tangerine peels and dried black mushrooms for at least 4 hours. (Drain before cooking.) Soak the dried squid/octopus. (Drain before cooking.) Use a small bowl, soak the dried conpoy (scallops) separately. (You can add the soaking liquid to the soup.) After the reconstituted black mushrooms turn soft, trim off the stems and cut into halves. Cut the reconstituted squid into a few big pieces. Trim and discard the connecting ends of the lotus roots. Cut into slices, about 3/4 inch thick. Cooking Instructions: The following is to illustrate the "double boiling" technique in Cantonese soup making. First, place the pork neck bones in a pot. Fill with just enough water to cover all bones. Set for a boil. Boil the pork neck bones for about 3 minutes. Use a strainer to drain off the hot water. Rinse the bones and cleanse off any suds. Clean the pot. Add about 15 cups of water (1/3 of this pot). Return the pork neck bones to the pot. Bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer the bones for 1 to 1 1/2 hour. Add the soaked red beans, reconstituted black mushrooms, squid, dried conpoy, dried oysters, dried tangerine peels, raw peanuts and dried jujube dates. Continue to simmer for another hour. This is what the soup looks like after 2 1/2 hour of simmering. Finally, add the lotus root slices. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for another 1 to 1.5 hour. This is what the soup looks like when it's ready. Add 1 to 2 tsp of salt (or to taste). Stir well. Scoop onto serving bowls. Picture of the finished soup.

Here's mine. Nuked Peanut Brittle In a 2-quart Pyrex measure combine: 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup light corn syrup (If you can get Lyle's Golden syrup, it makes a much better brittle.) (Use a wooden spoon, this is very thick.) Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Add: 1 cup roasted, salted peanuts or almonds or pecans or broken macadamia nuts. Your choice. Stir well and microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until mixture is tan to light brown. Add: 1 teaspoon butter 1 teaspoon vanilla Stir well. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes more: The nuts will be lightly browned and syrup very hot. Add: 1 teaspoon baking soda, sprinkle over the top of the syrup. Stir briskly until light and foamy. Immediately pour onto lightly oiled foil or use Release foil and no oil is needed. Spread out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cool 30 minutes to 1 hour. When completely cool, it should now be brittle. Break up and store in an airtight jar. You can use raw peanuts, however, add them at the beginning and add 1/4 teaspoon salt.

This is the recipe that I use. It turns out a fairly thick, light, crunchy and pretty airy brittle. Peanut Brittle 2 c. shelled raw peanuts 2 c. sugar 1 c. light corn syrup 1/3 c. water 2 T. butter 1/4 t. salt 1 t. baking soda 1 t. vanilla Spread nuts in a 15x10 pan, bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, stirring once - set aside. Combine next five ingredients in a dutch oven, cook over medium heat stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally until it reaches hard crack stage (300 degrees). Remove from heat. Stir in nuts, soda and vanilla. Working rapidly, spread mixture in a 15x10x1 jelly roll pan. Let cool. Break into pieces. VARIATION: To make chocolate brittle, spread 6 oz. chocolate on the brittle while still hot and then spread when the chocolate melts. Peanut Brittle

Boiled peanuts can be made with dried, unroasted raw peanuts in the shell, too. Just takes a lot longer to boil them. Mine came out really good, after about 6 hrs of boiling. My mil who lived in FL for over 20 years said she never used the green ones, and never had a problem. I'm sure the green are much quicker, the recipes I've seen call for boiling them 1 1/2-3 hrs. Oh, well. The end result was the same, and I have the time...I'm home with the babies all day anyway. Maybe next time I'll try the green ones and see if I can see a big difference.

Do you mean...put the whole thing in your mouth, roll the orange around with your tongue and teeth, spit the complete peel out, then eat the meat! Ahem...who's got the bigger... I like to dry my own orange peel too. The pith is scraped, then left on a platter to air dry. Not only do I get a nice citrus smell while it is drying, I think this method may keep the aroma better than freezing. Tho'...I've never tried freezing orange peel. Maybe I'll try that this Xmas. Remind me, Tepee! To my red bean soup, I add raw peanuts (soaked for 3 hours) along with the red beans and lotus nuts. At birthday parties, I have seen small glutinous rice dumplings also. Gan sui joong? Really? I'll have to tell Po-Po that. She loves both the soup and gansui joong. Now she can have both at the same time! Does thinking about Xmas make you visulize poor Dejah with all the snow? Well, we had our first snow blizzard yesterday! So early...so much...Hopefully it will all melt by this afternoon. My Mexican students were in a state of shock. They asked me, "Will there be sun again? or not until spring?!" Don't know how I'll be able to find that Thanksgiving turkey for "Turkey Chop Suey"in this snow !

I found a website that sells a 5 lb bag of raw in the shell peanuts for 6.49. Not a bad price. Here's the link...kingnut.com? I lived in Savannah for a year when I was 21, I was addicted to boiled peanuts. When I moved up to Cleveland, I was able to get raw peanuts at the West Side Market. I moved to Illinois 4 yrs ago and haven't been able to find any around here...can't wait til they get here!

Kristin, Here is a recipe that I use, and most likely, the oxtail soup at Nazo's is a localized version of a Chinese recipe. The ingredient that you might be missing is the dried orange peel. You can find this in any Chinese herbal medicine shop. Hopefully this helps. Oxtail soup 3-4 pounds oxtails 1 cup shelled and skinned raw peanuts 1 piece dried orange peel 3 pieces star anise 1 3" piece ginger, thinly sliced rock salt - to taste garnish: cilantro green onions grated ginger Parboil oxtails for approximately 30 minutes. Rinse under warm water and trim of any excess fat. Return oxtails to stock pot, adding dried orange peel, star anise, and ginger. Add water so that it's about 2" above the oxtails. Bring to a rolling boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for approximately 1 hour, then add peanuts. Be sure to skim any foam/scum that may appear on the surface. Simmer for an additional 2-3 hours or until oxtails are tender. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate. I normally like to refrigerate my oxtail soup over night before actually serving because the soup becomes more flavorful after a day in the fridge. It also allows me to remove any additional fat/oil that may rise to the surface of the pot. To serve, reheat for about 30 minutes on low, or until warmed through. Place 3-4 oxtails in each bowl, with enough broth to cover. Garnish with chopped cilantro, green onions and freshly grated ginger. Serve with some steamed rice on the side.

this week at iovine's: raw peanuts. i always find it interesting when they have kinda unusual things like this--green olives, raw peanuts, cardoons and the like--they just show up one week and then they're gone, so i took advantage of it this time. i boiled them up this morning, and just had a big ol plate of boiled peanuts with a glass of sweet tea. and damns, that's a good lunchtime snack. (ok not REAL sweet tea, but gimme a break) as a side note--this month's saveur has a big article about peanuts, and if it's to be believed these are valencia peanuts, which account for less than 1% of US peanut production, and are notable because they have 3-5 nuts per shell instead of the usual two. and i didn't realize this when i bought them, but the article says 'unusually sweet, they are excellent boiled when fresh.' who knew?

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what i could do with raw peanuts other than roasting or boiling (yuk!!!) them? I've seen them at the farmer's market and wondered if they are used any other way.

Any suggestions on how to improve this would be helpful. Thanks all. I know you guys are pros at making them. :) ← Check my URL posted above, post # 75. It's a pictorial of how I made my joong. Your process is not clear. It sounds like you were making nor mai gai. You said you cooked everything together? And, how long did you cook them AFTER you wrapped them? Did you boil them or steamed them? I used raw peanuts that you find in Asian stores. These must be soaked over night or they will stay crunchy. ← Hi Dejah, I boiled them after they were wrapped. Cooking time is less if i cook the rice a little upfront, and the fillings are sauteed. -NhumiSD

Any suggestions on how to improve this would be helpful. Thanks all. I know you guys are pros at making them. :) ← Check my URL posted above, post # 75. It's a pictorial of how I made my joong. Your process is not clear. It sounds like you were making nor mai gai. You said you cooked everything together? And, how long did you cook them AFTER you wrapped them? Did you boil them or steamed them? I used raw peanuts that you find in Asian stores. These must be soaked over night or they will stay crunchy.

Time to bring this thread back. I just found a good recipe site for all those wanting to try to boil their own. And if you need a place to get your raw peanuts, Here is another link to have them shipped to your front door. I think I will be doing up some this week. Yum.

I love boiled (pronounced "balled") peanuts, but I only eat them when they're warm. I've boiled them myself, and that's the best way. After that, look for a roadside stand where the kettle is brewing away -- there's few traveling snacks more satisfying. However, many times the peanuts have been boiled at a remote location, brought to a store, and stuck in the refrigerator. I personally don't care for cold boiled peanuts. ← Couldn't agree more. Totally addictive, can't stop eating until the bag is empty. "The best" seem to come from a couple of slow moving guys sitting by the side of the road, looking like they're more interested in boiling peanuts for their own pleasure than anything else. Haven't gotten any really decent ones in California and I've never seen raw peanuts here to try to make them myself. ← You have to use green peanuts to make boiled peanuts. I love the spicy ones called cajun boiled peanuts. I used to get them in Florala on the way to Ft. Walton Beach.

I love boiled (pronounced "balled") peanuts, but I only eat them when they're warm. I've boiled them myself, and that's the best way. After that, look for a roadside stand where the kettle is brewing away -- there's few traveling snacks more satisfying. However, many times the peanuts have been boiled at a remote location, brought to a store, and stuck in the refrigerator. I personally don't care for cold boiled peanuts. ← Couldn't agree more. Totally addictive, can't stop eating until the bag is empty. "The best" seem to come from a couple of slow moving guys sitting by the side of the road, looking like they're more interested in boiling peanuts for their own pleasure than anything else. Haven't gotten any really decent ones in California and I've never seen raw peanuts here to try to make them myself.

Here you will find the collection of digests for a number of media which are located in the Southeastern states. (Some do require a free registration to access articles) This week's Southeast Forum Digest includes, in alphabetical order, by city ... The Asheville Citizen Times has as its main article this week: Put down that cookie and read this: Trans fats can load up arteries, lead to coronary disease Although the article may be something with which we are now familiar, there are some ideas in it worth reconsidering ... Other articles from the Citizen Journal: * The Beer Guy: Asheville Brewing opens new tasting room downtown * Dining review: Menu changes daily at Table bistro * Quick Bites: Local Food Guide available * WNC Tailgate Market Roundup The Atlanta Journal-Constitution opens with the article: Artfully mixed fruit salads ever so easy Recipes this week: * Fresh Fruit With Balsamic Glaze and Honey * Tropical Fruit Salad * Mixed Berry Parfait * Honeyed Summer Fruit Bowl * Fruit Salad With Cannoli Cream * Gingered Fruit Salad * Summer Fruit Salad With Port-Lime Dressing Aged cheddar cheese article by the AJC's MERIDITH FORD is also worth a look ... Other Food & Drink headlines: * Fishermen and farmers help sell the 'home' in homegrown * College students send summer grocery bills through the roof * Companies use fresh-sliced, grab-and-go produce to lure shoppers * Spinach has undergone an extreme makeover * Vineyard proves to be labor of love for Middle Tennessee couple * Your kernels won't pop? Scientists to the rescue * Gourmet coffee may be adding to commuters' rush We can rely upon Atlanta Creative Loafing to have a bunch of noteworthy items to browse this week: * Buzz from the Grapevine: Eno's wine and dine terrain can be rocky or rapturous BY BILL ADDISON * Chef's Table: Oscar Winner BY SUZANNE WRIGHTCHEFSTABLE@CREATIVELOAFING.COM * Kitchen Witch: Mind Your Melons BY KIM O'DONNEL * Mouthful:Ethiopian * Earthly Delights: First visits to Midtown's Globe and the new Cafe at Woodfire Grill BY CLIFF BOSTOCK about Midtown's Globe, he writes: Nota bene(Comments on the new Cafe at Woodfire will be found in the SE Forum in the existing Woodfire thread) * Southern Grace: Meat 'n' two with a helping of soul at Louise's BY CYNTHIA WONG * Liquid Diet: Celestial Spirits BY TONY WARE * Food Book Review: Mouth-for-Hire 101 BY SUZANNE WRIGHT * Cool Cat : A hassle-free breakfast beckons at Candler Park's Gato Bizco BY FLORENCE BYRD * Female Aficionados: Women increasingly wow the wine world BY TAYLOR EASON * The Wine List * Good Eats: Alternatives to the baking soda in your fridge First time here that I am adding the local favorite The Hudspeth Report which has a number of insightful restaurant reviews from around Atlanta .. do your self a favor and take a peek ... We can always rely upon some interesting stories from the The Charleston Post & Courier ... * Pizza pizazz! Recipes follow, of course! * Fresh & hot * The life of wine after it's opened * Calling all shrimp & grits cooks * THE WINE LIST * Blue cheese adds color, aroma, tangy flavor * FRONT BURNER * COOKING CLASSES * Get sweet and sour with bourbon pie, bread starter * Hot chefs Columbia SC The State has several articles which I found of interest, namely: * Tasting the rainbow - By ALLISON ASKINS, Staff Writer The peaches are arriving. The blueberries are almost ripe for the picking, and fresh, locally grown watermelons soon will follow. * Dash of this: Food news -How to minimize cancer risk at the grill A free brochure from the American Institute for Cancer Research offers guidelines for safer barbecued food to minimize cancer risk. * This Little Penguin dresses up even a modest meal: By LAIN BRADFORD What a delightful value-priced merlot! The Little Penguin will make tracks for a long time with wine of this quality and price.. * A source of comfort, a sense of history By ALLISON ASKINS, Staff Writer “Comforting” is among the words that Glenn Roberts, a grower of Carolina Gold rice, used to described the treasured South Carolina rice. * Media Bites “Chef Fatback’s Cooking Blues,” a new cooking series featuring Barry Walker of Mac’s Never to be missed is Kathleen Purvis' The Charlotte Observer and some terrific articles: * True blue: Hey, blueberry fans, it's almost time for your favorite fruit. * Give fruit pies a more even crust * Troutman family cookbook * Pick-your-own crops If you've never ventured into fields to pick your own bounty, here's what you need to know: * WORLD OF WINE 10 Cane Rum and the White Lie One's a chardonnay created by women; the other's a new liquor by FRED TASKER, Knight Ridder Two ways you can tell mankind from the lower animals: the opposable thumb and the eternal quest for new, more prestigious -- and more expensive -- alcoholic beverages. FOOD BITES * Cast goes on, ingenuity comes out by KATHLEEN PURVIS Amazing what a half-pound of Fiberglas can do. Especially when a doctor wraps it around your right hand, a few hours after you fall and land on that hand. * J&W chefs, farmers meet in Denver by KATHLEEN PURVIS Call it field work for chefs. With classes over and most of their students gone for the summer, five chefs from Johnson & Wales University had time to head 30 miles north, to Denver, N.C., for a party. * Supermarkets taken to task: by CANDY SAGON, Washington Post Linda Raymond of Chantilly, Va., has one goal when she goes to the supermarket: to get out as fast as she can. * It's NOT the real thing: On the Shelf Coke Zero claims to be "real Coca-Cola Taste + Nothing." But the taste left us flat. In a blind taste test with regular Coke, our samplers immediately spotted the new diet drink. by KATHLEEN PURVIS * Give fruit pies a more even crust Charlotte Creative Loafing offers some new articles as well: * Great Scott: A conversation with nationally renowned Southern chef Scott Peacock by cliff bostock I met Scott Peacock, executive chef of Watershed in Decatur, GA, and co-author with Edna Lewis of The Gift of Southern Cooking, around 1991, just after he was laid off from his job as chef at the... *Come Fry With Me: Tips to take the intimidation out of fried chicken by kim o'donnel * Female Aficionados: Women increasingly wow the wine world by taylor eason As a woman, I get especially proud when I meet a dynamic, talented female winemaker. You know... a chick with balls. She's not afraid of the good ol' boy wine industry, and arrives on the scene full... * Wine Classes The interactive classes will explore the essentials of wine and food pairing, tasting techniques and trends in winemaking. Wed., 7pm. $25. Maggiano's Little Italy * Wine Classes for Women A series of... * Good Eats: Our critics' guide to recommended restaurants in Charlotte * All Around Town * Anntony’s Caribbean A hint of the tropics; rotisserie chicken with Jamaican jerk sauce, ribs, Paradise Island fish special, curries, and Caribbean styled greens. $$... Memphis Commercial Appeal offers these articles: * Chef Rick Farmer creates one of Jarrett's popular seafood dishes. Jarrett's: From subtle to sublime "Sorry, we don't take reservations for less than six." Jarrett's policy is designed for the considerable walk-in traffic ... * Blueberry bonanza When George Traicoff operated a zoysia farm in DeSoto County, he repeatedly complained about the acidic soil to the county agent. "He kept saying 'Blueberries. Grow blueberries'," * Kelly: Dinner, movie? Galatoire's is coming for 'Funky' premiere If you buy into that adage about the Mississippi Delta starting in the lobby of The Peabody hotel, then it surely must end in the hallowed dining room of Galatoire's on Bourbon Street. This 100-year-old gastronomic institution is making a rare road trip to Memphis. * A la Carte: Wine dinners and tastings Bistro Aroma, 1779 Kirby Parkway, will pour wine from around the world selected * Bleu cheeses come from many places, add tang to recipes Bleu cheese can be confusing. If you can get past the exotic variety names such as Maytag, Roquefort and Stilton ... * Cooking Q & A: Storage of roasted garlic can be risky * Raw-peanut brittle 'is worth the effort' * Kelly: Have a tasty time here as well I've been to Beale plenty, but always to drink and dance and people-watch. Never to eat. Like a lot of locals, I've dismissed the city's most famous street as a dining destination. Shame on me! * Koeppel: Some good service and spicy food lure tourists and Memphians to the street known for the blues A couple of weeks ago I flew from San Francisco to Memphis and sat next to a bluesman. Or bluesboy... * What's New: Cafe 61, 85 S. Second, has updated its menu, adding summer salads and has introduced a new signature dish: crispy duck and mushroom pilaf waffle... * The coffee of her land Lucia Heros of Memphis was a child when she moved to the United States, and the dearest memories she holds of her early years are those of her family's farm at the foot of Mombacho Volcano in Granada, Nicaragua.... The Nashville Tennessean articles include: * Dessert: Italian style Hendersonville chef specializes in sweet treats from her native Italy * Travel Channel samples a 'Taste' or two of Nashville * Season with reason * Peach of a pie * Under lemon verbena's spell * Best in the West and the test * Thigh-high marks * It'll bring tears to your eyes * Butter wrappers put to use with potatoes * Restaurant leftovers enhance meals made at home * Pie birds make their point in the crust * Cooking with hunks * It's picnic season * Breakfast on the go * Cooking with pride * Got (coconut) milk? * Score a home run with this homemade ballpark tradition Last, but hardly least, are the highly interesting articles of The Raleigh News & Observer * We've got the scoop on beans well worth reading!! * Taste this! It all started innocently enough with the California roll... * Give kids food for thought this summer For those of you with kids, be prepared this summer when they say there's nothing to do. * Cool sandwiches for summer Two exceptional new sandwich shops have opened in the Triangle... * The Wine List Each week, a Triangle wine shop recommends wines in three price ranges: under $10, $10 to $20 and more than $20... * A taste of lavender Known for its comforting scent, the herb makes a comeback in cooking. * Duffy's She-Crab Soup Restaurant's rendition of She-Crab Soup gets its distinctive kick from Cajun spices... * Eating in the raw Heat from cooking affects vitamins and minerals. It can also destroy enzymes in ... Have a marvelous week and prepare for some updated Fourth of July recipes this week in the Southeast Regional Forum! more next week ...

Today I picked up my supplies for joong from the local Chinese grocery store. Unfortunately, I couldn't located everything I wanted. I managed to get bamboo leaves, raw peanuts, and salted duck eggs (But no raw eggs, only cooked ones. What's up with that? ) No chestnuts, no yellow mung beans. They did have green mung beans, though. So my joong will contain lop cheong, fatty pork, peanuts, dried shrimp, and duck egg yolks. Am I missing anything?

It was never public, at least not in the 25 years I've lived near it. In fact, "strangers" were looked on with suspicion (at least I was when I would pass by on my early-morning power walks ). The South Street Seaport Museum used to have a 6 a.m. tour once a month, but I don't think the public was otherwise welcome. It was just too dangerous (read what the guy says about the hi-los; they drive those things FAST!). When SSSM opened its first new building, back in 1985 or so, there was a retail counter supposedly connected with the Fulton Fish Market. But since FFM is a group of many, many dealers, I don't believe it really was official, rather just someone using the name. In any case, it didn't last more than a couple of years before the true nature of the "new" SSSM (aka Rouse mall, NYC) came through. If the new place is anything like the rest of Hunts Point, there will be no public retail. The only way an individual can get into Hunts Point to make a purchase is if he/she has an invitation from a vendor there and can prove it to multiple layers of security. Some years ago, Ted Lee and Matt Lee wrote in the NY Times about going there to buy a bag (probably a 50-pound gunny sack) of raw peanuts to boil. They had a hell of a time getting in.

I think I am going to like this recipe as I prefer crustaceans to be lightly spiced and not drowned in curries. I'll make an exception for fish. A few months ago, I made lobster, Thermidor style in a light sauce of coconut milk, red chillis, shredded ginger dotted with curry leaf pesto(for want of a better word). To make the pesto I saute the leaves and coarsely grind them with some roasted almonds and raw peanut oil. Machrobrachium rosenbergii can be made the same way too. I reluctantly confess that I am not much into roe. Hoohaw! Gautam, and I thought you are a plant man. I've also never much cared about the ever popular pomfret, but that may be because I like to swim against the tide. The rains are coming to a close here and I am looking forward to cooking some new species of fish. If I can get away I am going to spend a few days camping at a River bank and hopefully land some Great Mahseer.

Inspired by Laksa's blog and also one of Russ Parson's articles in the LA Times this week: Clockwise starting with the herbs: parsley, cilantro, Thai eggplants, daikon, burdock root (labelled as “gobo” at the market), loofah squash, bitter melon 1, bitter melon 2, jalapenos, and–on the plate in the middle–raw peanuts. I have no idea what I'm going to do with these but I plan on having fun!!!

After my kickboxing class today, I am too beat to cook much of anything. Some chicken curry from the freezer looks great, but I need some rice to go with that. Since I'm cooking rice, I might as well make it Nasi Lemak. For that I'll need some jasmine rice, coconut milk, and some pandan essence. I also slice some ginger and shallots for the rice. One can of coconut milk should go with about 3 rice cups of rice. Add salt, and enough water to get the right amount of liquid for 3 cups of rice. Since I'm having Nasi Lemak rice, I might as well have some anchovies and peanuts to go with it. Boy, I'm creating a lot of work for myself with all my "might-as-well's". Deep fry the anchovies Ms Congee had beheaded in hot peanut oil. I take them out as soon as they start to turn golden. Roast raw peanuts in a hot pan with oil and salt until they start to take on a darker hue. You do not want to over-roast peanuts as they will turn bitter. After the peanuts are done, turn down the heat and add the achovies. Sprinkle liberally with sugar and chili powder. Add more salt if needed. Here's the finished product. FunJohnny, this picture is for you! I didn't cook curry today, but these were some of the ingredients we used to cook the curry last week. The black blob is tamarind and there's cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves and cardamon pods in the clear plastic packet. If you squint, you can see that the curry powder comes from Syarikat Jaya Sakti Flour Mill. Curry powder from a flour mill? Something just doesn't sit quite right there. Let's take a look at the list of ingredients: Hmm... rice and flour used as a thickening agent!? I'm not sure what to think about that. We actually used a different curry powder last week. This pack of curry powder is brand new so we'll find out how good (or bad) it is next time we make curry. Nasi Lemak with chicken curry and fried achovies and peanuts.

So I came home today from work and... WHAT IS THAT SMELL? Mrs Laksa has been following this blog too, and she's, as usual, one step ahead of me. Here's what I caught her doing: Snipping heads off dried achovies. Boy, these little fishies are rather pungent. It's all gonna be worth it though when we fry them up. Actually, you can buy these already de-headed (be-headed?). In case you haven't already noticed, this blog may not be to your liking if you're a tad squemish. Ok, if there are enough complaints, I will stop with the gross pictures. Truth be told, I get a perverse kick out of grossing people out. I have kickboxing class three nights a week. Before class, I usually eat a little snack to stave off the hunger pangs until dinnertime. Today's snack is boiled peanuts. These were raw peanuts boiled for something like 3 hours in salted water, until they are nice and mushy. Boiled nuts are pretty common in Malaysia, and I hear, also appreciated in the South. Gotta rush to my class now.

I am a nut freak. I really love raw almonds, where the outer hull is still green and the skins are white and you peel them right off. That's my favorite and comes but once a year. Raw peanuts are good too. I'm a sucker for salty nuts too, particularly pistachios, cashews and pecans. I'm slightly allergic to walnuts however, they make the roof of my mouth all tingly and then it swells up a bit, but I don't mind cuz I find walnuts bitter anyway. In cyprus when i was growing up we always had these very hard, salty crunchy dried up chickpeas. I didn't realize until i was older that they are not nuts, but they might as well be. They are delicious, and I always smuggle a ton when i come back from a visit.