Keeping and Breaking With Tradition: Pork Vindaloo with Coconut and Mango

Vindaloo, which is well-known as the “hottest” of curries available in most American and British Indian restaurants, is not just about tongue-searing heat. The name, which cames from the Portuguese “Vinha d’Alho”, which translates to “with wine and garlic,” does not have anything to do with potatoes (though they are a common ingredient in most […]

Uber-Umami, Part II: Beef And Gai Lan with Ground Bean Sauce

So last week, when I posted my recipe for Pork, Tofu and Gai Lan with Ground Bean Sauce, Rose, who is now living in Taipei, (and thus should not have any trouble finding the uber-umami ingredient!) asked if she could successfully substitute chicken or beef in it, as she does not eat pork. With the […]

Weekend Kat Blogging: See How She’s Grown!

By popular demand, here are some photographs taken this week of Kat. Here she is making eyes and sticking out her tongue at her friend, Damiano the Dragon.

As you can see, she is getting close to being able to sit up on her own. She has just started reliably reaching out and grabbing objects, such […]

Uber-Umami: Chinese Ground Bean Sauce

It is thick, salty and looks somewhat like peanut butter.
Everything you cook with it tastes better, but only if you don’t overdo it.
It is made from ground up fermented soybeans, rather like miso, but has a deeper, less salty flavor.
It is Chinese ground bean sauce, and is a “secret ingredient” in many very flavorful […]

Culinary New Year’s Resolutions, Version 2.0

Last year around this time, I wrote a post entitled Culinary New Year’s Resolutions, and it was such fun, I decided to look back at what I had resolved to do, see how well I managed it and then write up a new batch of resolutions, and invite my readers to add their own culinary […]