Michael Jackson

Your talents reached halfway across the globe to the youths of Thailand. When this music video was first released, my brother and I watched via satellite from our hometown in Thailand.   We giggled at the Thai dance sequence; it was King and I-esque but not bad, really. Carabao, a Thai band known for writing [...]

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Lemongrass and Lemon Peel Tea

My friend Rui from Brazil introduced me to lemongrass tea a few years ago. We were in the kitchen prepping lemongrass to make Tom Yum and Tom Ka soup. Lemongrass is so cheap in Thailand that cooks typically discard the top bits and use only the bottom, more fragrant, part of the stalk.  My friend [...]

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Asian Lettuce Wraps

This was meant to be a rice porridge dish but it quickly morphed into a lettuce wrap. (I was too hungry to wait for the rice.)  Yummy it was (hello Yoda) – and I didn’t miss the rice! I was in the process of making one of my favorite breakfast dishes, rice porridge on a [...]

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Prik Nam Pla – The Quintessential Thai Condiment

In my recent post on Sriracha, I mentioned a popular condiment called Prik Nam Pla.  The direct translation is chili (“prik”) fish sauce (“nam pla”). Prepared simply by cutting up bird chilies, adding some fish sauce and a squeeze of lime, Prik Nam Pla is a condiment for rice-based dishes such as fried rice or just white rice with [...]

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No-Fuss Tuna Tartare

I’ve come to think about recipes lately.  It’s a funny thing.  I enjoy cookbooks.  I love gawking at pictures of food and reading recipes.  But I don’t always cook with recipes – more specifically, I’m just too lazy to measure stuff .  Baking is another matter, however.  I don’t mind following such recipes as much.  [...]

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