Thai Chicken Salad With Peanut Chili Dressing

While at work, rolling up some Thai-Vietnamese summer rolls–those delicious, fresh, light appetizers made from rice paper wrappers filled with crisp bean sprouts, fragrant herbs, earthy bean sprouts, rice noodles, and for non-vegetarians, shrimp, I came up with an idea for a nice, cooling salad to run as a dinner special later.
It came about […]

Opening the Grilling Season With The Best: Jamaican Jerk

My love affair with Jamaican jerk did not start in Jamaica.
It started in Athens, with the purchase, on a whim, of a book called Jerk: Barbecue From Jamaica, by Helen Willinsky. I found the book, now sadly out of print, in The Little Professor bookstore on Court Street, and intrigued by the brilliant colors […]

A Thai Stir Fry Full of Flavor: Pork and Gai Lan with Shallots, Garlic and Chilies

I have been craving gai lan something fierce for two weeks, but sadly, our local Asian market hasn’t had any.
So, while we were in Columbus buying supplies for Morganna’s better late than never 18th birthday party, I picked up gai lan. I am glad I bought extra, because I want to make this recipe […]

Chinese Wheat Noodles With Mushroom-Tofu Sauce

On a cold winter night, when the weather is blustery and damp, there is nothing that warms myself and my family up more than a bowl of za jiang mein–Chinese wheat noodles tossed with a hearty, spicy-sweet meat and tofu sauce and topped with crisp raw or blanched vegetables.
And since last night, our weather […]

Inspiration For A Light Supper: Moroccan Chicken Salad

In creating dinner specials for Restaurant Salaam, I have found inspiration in sometimes surprising places.
Of course, I am inspired by recipes I have found in the many dozens of cookbooks covering the regions of North Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, India and Western China which I have in my collection. This goes […]