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Category Archives: Cooking
‘Tis Always the Season for Shortbread Cookies
Please note: this is not a recipe post, though there are links to a few recipes. In my family, Christmas just isn’t Christmas without shortbread cookies. Both my parents loved cooking and baking, but my father and I usually made … Continue reading
Posted in Cooking, Food, Recipes
Tagged baking, Christmas, Faye Levy, flavourings, lavender, Shaker recipes, shortbread cookies
5 Comments
Cookbook review: Istanbul and Beyond
Istanbul and Beyond: Exploring the Diverse Cuisines of Turkey Robin Eckhardt, with photography by David Hagerman Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35 (352p) ISBN: 978-0-544-44431-7 *Note and disclaimer: When I originally posted this review, I somehow managed to leave the disclaimer out when I … Continue reading
Posted in Book reviews, Books, Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Recipes
Tagged David Hagerman, Istanbul and Beyond, Robyn Eckhardt, Turkey, Turkish Food
18 Comments
P is for Preserves and my Favourite Vietnamese Chilli Paste
Viet cuisine is known for its fresh ingredients. At my mother-in-law’s table, greenery abounds, the fish and shrimp come from my sister-in-law’s family pond, and Mother buys fresh meat daily at the Đông Ba Market. Canned, bottled, and dry ingredients … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Viet Nam
Tagged chilli paste, Huế, preserves, tương ớt, Vietnamese food
5 Comments
X is for Xửng…Mè Xửng
In the Việt kitchen, the letter X is tasty. I considered writing about xào, stir-frying, or xoài, mango, or perhaps xôi, sticky rice. Then my in-laws sent a huge package of goodies from Huế. Among the many local specialties were … Continue reading
N is for Nghệ / Turmeric
“After women give birth,” my Vietnamese mother-in-law explained, “they get coldness. Turmeric heats the body and protects against colds or flu. Also,” she said, “turmeric makes the skin soft and beautiful again. Any woman who just had a baby should apply a turmeric … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Viet Nam
Tagged Andrea Nguyen, Eating Asia, Kim Fay, Leela Punyaratabandhu, Nicole Routhier, She Simmers, Turmeric
9 Comments
V is for Vả Figs
We tend to think of Vietnamese cuisine as a single entity, but really it’s made up of many regional dishes and ingredients. The cooking of Huế features a variety of such foods, and a variety of locally grown fig is one … Continue reading
Sweet and Sour Tamarinds for Tết
Hard work. Peeling sour green tamarinds to make sweet and sour Tết preserves. My sister-in-law and I have already spent a couple of hours on this, and we still have hours to go. When tamarinds are ripe, the shells separate … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Viet Nam
Tagged dưa món, Huế, tamarind, Tết, Tết preserves, trái vả, Vietnamese food
7 Comments
J is for Jackfruit (Mít)
Jackfruit grow on short stalks right from the trunk and branches. They are the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, bigger even than the durian. While a typical fruit might weigh anywhere from 15 to 20 kg, they can reach up … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Photos, Viet Nam
Tagged Huế, Huế cooking, Jackfruit, Vietnamese food
24 Comments
In a Việt Kitchen
One thing I have in my kitchen that neither my husband’s mother nor anyone in his family even owns is cookbooks. My mother-in-law has never followed a written recipe. She cooks according to what’s in season, what’s suitable for the season … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Photos, Viet Nam
Tagged Huế, kitchen gods, kitchens, Tết, Vietnamese food
20 Comments
H is for Hạt Dưa: Watermelon Seeds (and also for harmful and hazard)
Crick, crack, snick, ptooi. The sound of a group of people cracking seeds brings to my imagination a pack of squirrels let loose at a bird seed factory. Tết is the season of melon seeds. Snacking on them practically becomes … Continue reading
Posted in A to Z, Cooking, Food, Viet Nam
Tagged food contamination, food safety, hạt dưa, Tết, watermelon seeds
15 Comments