My teenage daughter had dinner with some friends at a Thai restaurant recently. She loves Thai food and was looking forward to the meal as well as the company. She ordered Thai beef salad and thoroughly enjoyed but said it was a bit too hot for her taste. We are all fans of Thai food but can't hack the heat sometimes. It is the birds eye chillies that they use that can leave bit of sting on the tongue.
Many, many years ago, my husband and I used to go to an Indonesian restaurant in London's West End called Bali. It was one of those cozy restaurants decorated in the style of the place the food comes from. That probably added a lot to its charms and made the food taste so exotic and delicious.
I remember the long hot summers when I was growing up. Sometimes the only thing I want to eat are cold chunks of watermelon. Watermelons used to come in different colors: bright yellow, red and salmon pink. Where are they now?
Now that Christmas is over, we look forward to celebrating the coming of the new year. In the Philippines, it is again a very big celebration. We are very superstitious folks and we believe in beckoning luck through observing certain rituals. As with Christmas, the table is groaning with food on new year's eve. We call the new year's eve meal Media Noche which simply means midnight. A table full of food on new year's eve is believed to bring abundance throughout the following year. Twelve kinds of round shaped fruits should be on the table to bring prosperity for the next twelve months. Noodles are also served for long life.
Are you one of those who can't resist the pull of their noses towards the rotisserie chicken counter? Do you always succumb to the olfactory enticement of these chickens tauntingly revolving in the fiery spit while oozing out glistening juices and defeating all your efforts to resist? Do you unknowingly extend your arm and, without realizing, find that you are already holding a warm packet of glorious, fragrant roast chicken?
It was scorching hot the past few days and we were taking advantage of being able to cook on the barbecue. It can, however, be too hot to eat hot food. Here's a compromise: aromatic, zesty, spiced grilled pork patties on cold rice noodle salad.
This is my take on the Vietnamese bun cha, the next most popular dish in Hanoi after pho. I used lean minced pork for the patties but added peanut butter to the mixture to give it an added richness and nutty taste. The seasonings include brown sugar which makes the patties develop a caramelized glaze when grilled.
Salads are no longer considered rabbit food. They have become a trendy and light alternative to a meal. You are only limited by your imagination when it comes to preparing salads.
