Several years ago, my husband was lucky enough to do a 5-day cooking course in Thailand. Although I wasn’t with him, he did impart all the paste and curry making know-how to me on his return. Living in the Bay Area means that we have access to all the ingredients we need to continue making…
Thai Yellow Curry Paste
This is a recipe for an authentic Yellow Curry Paste, learned while staying in Thailand. It makes enough for about 6-8 curries, depending on how much paste you like to use in your curries. More paste = spicier flavor! One you have mastered this easy paste, I guarantee that you will never go back to…
Caesar Salad Dressing
It’s so, so easy to make salad dressings – I never buy them any more. Why waste money and eat a whole bunch of extra additives and sugar, when you can whip up a dressing in under 5 minutes and know exactly what’s going into it? You control the fat; you control the sugar content….
Spicy Peanut Dressing
Here’s a tasty, spicy dressing for use on noodles, in rice bowls, or even for use as a coleslaw or salad dressing. It has an Indonesian influence and is a very versatile dressing. It takes its influence from Gado Gado Salad – which is one of my all-time favorite salads. This dressing does not have…
Thai Red Curry Paste
Learned while staying in Thailand, this Red Thai Curry Paste is spicy and aromatic. It uses whole dried red chilies, as well as fresh red bird’s eye chiles for extra spice. I usually add both types, each gives a slightly different favor, as well as an increased heat level. You can use the seeds as well…
Thai Penang Curry Paste
Penang curry is one of the more lightly-spiced Thai curries. I love the nutty, slightly sweet flavor. This paste has two types of chilies, plus kaffir lime peel – as well as the leaves. Finally, the addition of ground peanuts rounds out the flavors. More peanuts are then added during the actual curry-making process. All…
HARISSA PASTE
Harissa is a hot paste and condiment used in North African Regions, including Tunisia and Algeria, as well as in Israel – although it is probably best known for its use in Moroccan food. There are many different plays on the paste – from smoky and sweet, to hot and fiery. This Moroccan-inspired paste is a…
BLOOD ORANGE SIMPLE SYRUP
Blood oranges are just gorgeous. Usually only available throughout the winter due to their short season, I always grab as many as I can when I stumble across them. In California at least, they are usually quite pricey. I actually paid about $7 for 5 pieces of fruit from the Ferry Building Farmers Market in…