Category Archives: FOOD

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A week in Puerto Rico

Our first visit to PR was in 2009, and we vowed to return soon – six years later we did it! It is an easy hop, skip and jump from Portland to San Juan, but the atmosphere, weather, food, environment is definitely vastly different than Maine! While staying at the beach in Isla Verde (at El San Jan – ELSJ) we enjoyed having a car to explore the countryside. Having previously visited Rincon in the west coast, and the south coast, we decided to stay in the eastern third of the island. The temps (at times in mid-90’s) meant morning and late afternoon sightseeing or beach walking!

Photos from “out and about”

Food and eating!

Old San Juan

The beach..

El Yunque National Forest

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North Carolina wrap-up

We took the 30-minute ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport and spent several enjoyable hours strolling the lovely residential streets and downtown. Beautiful old homes, wide streets, sidewalks, live-oak trees all create a very southern setting. The downtown on Cape Fear River with brick buildings and nice little shops makes for a pleasing meander. We enjoyed lunch al fresco at Fishy Fishy Cafe where Lucy could also take part.

A long, long walk on the beach at Freeman Park.

Dinner @ home – grilled red snapper.

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GG and Bampa weekend

A fun and wild weekend with #theboys4 and #dogs2!!!

At the same time – some serious cake decorating going on – Kat did a fantastic job with this volcano/dinosaur birthday cake for a friend’s six-year old!

 

 

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Chatuchak not for me!

We took the MRT early to get to Chatuchak market – a humongous market (covers 30 or so acres!) It wasn’t crowded when we arrived, but by the time we left I couldn’t stand it any longer, and walking to Mo Chit station was like swimming upstream against the current!  We picked up a few odds and ends, but, frankly, saw better deals elsewhere. A gazillion clothing stalls and just about anything else too!

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Chiang Mai choices

Riding a red cab…. these can either be hired individually as a cheaper, non-a/c option, or can be caught randomly from the roadside if they are going the route you need.

…..to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep – a ride up and up (on twisty turn roads) out of the city for a good 30 minutes.

Walking the Old City

Markets

Spending a day at Thai Farm Cooking School where we learned many new (to us) techniques and prepared and cooked five courses which we also consumed! It meant no dinner last night!!

Dash Restaurant – a terrific place to eat. The open post and beam house built entirely of teak.

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Christmas services at All Saints Anglican Church – it just wouldn’t have been Christmas without celebrating in church!

Eating khao soi – the specialty of this region of Thailand.

Real-Deal Khao Soi Gai (Northern Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup With Chicken)

About This Recipe

YIELD: Serves 4
ACTIVE TIME: 45 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 2 hours
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: wok, large granite mortar and pestle
THIS RECIPE APPEARS IN: Four Essential Northern Thai Dishes to Make Right NowRecipes From Chiang Mai: How to Make Real Deal Khao Soi Gai (Coconut Curry Noodle Soup With Chicken)

Ingredients

  • 1 whole dried Thai bird chili (or 1 whole chile de arbol), more or less to taste
  • 2 whole small shallots, peeled and split into quarters
  • 4 whole cloves garlic
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, bottom 4 inches only, roughly chopped
  • 1 teaspoon makrut lime zest, or 2 whole makrut lime leaves (see note above)
  • 1 (1-inch) knob fresh turmeric, roughly chopped
  • 2 thin slices ginger
  • 1 small bunch cilantro stalks, cut from the very base of the stalks, leaves and thin stems reserved for another use
  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
  • 6 pods Thai black cardamom or 1 pod green cardamom, inner seeds only
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Thai shrimp paste
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 pound fresh Chinese-style egg noodles, divided
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans coconut milk, or 2 cups fresh coconut milk (do not shake)
  • 1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar (see note above)
  • 4 chicken legs, split into drumsticks and thighs
  • Fish sauce to taste
  • Sliced shallots, lime wedges, and pickled Chinese mustard root (see note above) for serving

Procedures

  1. Place chili, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, lime zest, turmeric, ginger, cilantro stalks, coriander seed, and cardamom in the center of a 12- by 12-inch square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Gather edges up to make a tight pouch. Place pouch directly over the flame of a gas burner and cook, turning occasionally, until aromatic and wisps of smoke begin to rise, about 8 minutes. If no gas burner is available, place the pouch in the bottom of a wok or cast iron skillet and heat over high heat, turning occasionally, until smoky, about 10 minutes. Allow contents to cool slightly and transfer to a large mortar and pestle.
  2. Add a large pinch of salt to the aromatics. Pound until a very fine paste is formed, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp paste and pound to incorporate. Set curry paste mixture aside.
  3. Separate out 1/4 of the noodles (enough noodles to make a crispy fried-noodle topping for 4 bowls) and set the remaining noodles aside. Heat vegetable oil in a large wok over high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add noodles to oil and fry, stirring and flipping until golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Season with salt and set aside.
  4. Discard all but 1 tablespoon oil from wok. Using a spoon, skim 2 tablespoons of creamy fat off the top of the coconut milk and add to the wok. Heat wok over high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until coconut milk breaks and oil begins to lightly smoke, about 2 minutes. Add curry paste mixture and cook, stirring and smearing the paste into the oil, until aromatic, about 45 seconds.
  5. Slowly whisk in the coconut milk, followed by the chicken stock and palm sugar. Add chicken legs and bring to a simmer. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until chicken is tender and broth is very flavorful, about 30 minutes. Season to taste with fish sauce.
  6. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add remaining uncooked noodles and cook until al dente, about 1 minute. Drain noodles and divide between four warmed bowls. Top noodles with two pieces of chicken. Divide broth evenly between bowls. Top with fried noodles and serve immediately with sliced shallots, lime wedges, and pickled mustard greens on the side.
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Lao fondue

We spent the day wandering the streets of Luang Prabang. What a delightful little town this is, and so manageable on foot. Exactly what we were hoping for after our fast paced tour of Myanmar and Siem Reap.

Our hotel, My Dream, is a grouping of lovely timber built structures on the “other” (south) side of the Nam Khan River ( a tributary of the Mekong which flows on the northern side of Luang Prabang). We can take a rickety bamboo footbridge to the main part of town.

Nearby the footbridge we discovered a little restaurant (Dyen Sabei) where we went for dinner this evening and had Lao Fondue. They bring out a bucket full of red hot coals and then place a round rimmed griddle type thing over the coals. A kettle of broth, a bowl of raw vegetables, a lump of fat, dishes with tamarind paste, hot chilies, raw garlic, an egg, noodles and meat of choice – we had buffalo. It was delicious!!!!

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Tonle’ Sap lake

IMG_2244We set off in the morning on a 50 km drive to We set off after breakfast on the 50 km drive to Kompong Khleang, a village on Lake Tonle’ Sap. The lake is the largest in SE Asia with a surface of ca. 1,000 sq. miles but that swells to over 6,000 during the monsoon season when the plains are flooded. The large majority of people in this area are joint fishermen and farmers and all the houses are either rafts or built on very tall stilts. There are bridges and roads in the villages, but both are submerged during the flood season.

We walked around the village and observed women drying tiny little fish, people repairing fishing nets, children playing, and people going about their daily lives. It was not the prettiest of villages with lots of dust from the roadway and quite littered, but interesting none the less.

On a small section of the main road to Phnom Penh one finds numerous stands selling “bamboo cakes” or sticky rice cakes in bamboo. We stopped to try one – sticky rice is mixed with coconut milk, black soya beans, a little sugar and salt. It is stuffed into bamboo and a bamboo leaf filter is inserted. It is then roasted for several hours. When cooked, you peel back the bamboo and eat! Quite delicious!

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An evening in Siem Reap

We started with dinner at Kanell – specializing in french and asian cuisines and set in the grounds of a hotel with lovely little private cabanas for each table.

Then to Phare the Cambodian Circus, which was formed over 20 years ago to help street children, or disadvantaged children by providing them an education in the arts. All performers in Phare The Cambodian Circus learn their skills through Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), an Association providing arts education in Battambang, Cambodia. Young people from the streets, orphanages and struggling families in the community come to PPS to learn, express and heal themselves through the arts.

We saw the show “Sokha” that tells the story of a child haunted by visions of the atrocities and destruction by the Khmer Rouge. Her memories and the surreal weave with myths and facts. Cringing in darkness, consumed by her fears, Sokha discovers her strength and resilience, and gathers all her determination to fight despair. Thanks to her trust in human nature, her choice as an adult will be to believe in social reconstruction by youth using art as a healing and solidarity factor between generations.

Their acrobatics, music and choreography was amazing.

 

 

 

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Siem Reap

Many blessings have been counted over and over! Our safe travel around Myanmar with eight takeoffs and landings and road travel. All flights reasonably on time and no lost luggage. The flights from Yangon to Siem Reap were somewhat arduous given layover time in Bangkok, but complaints can’t be made – we made it to this beautiful oasis – our hotel Pavillon d’Orient.

Our tour doesn’t start until 1 p.m. so we took  a tuk-tuk into town to have a reccy – it all looks very manageable; the market is huge and interesting, as usual, lots of good looking restaurants, massage parlors, etc. and quite a few tourists. I took a pic of an Australian couple having a good massage thanks to all the little fish! We might have to try it another day.

 

 

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Bogyoke Market, Yangon

We were at the market early, just as it was waking up and coming to life. Reminded me much of the markets in Saudi Arabia – fabrics, tailors, notions, glitz, jewelry. Flip flops anyone?

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Yangon again

We flew via Heho back to Yangon – these local pilots get lots of practice in landing and taking off. The average on the ground time is about 15 minutes! and no lost luggage (touch wood, so far!) We are flying props – AFR-72.

We were met at the bustling airport by our new guide, a lovely young 23-year old, Miso. The drive to and from the airport to Yangon is horrible – traffic-wise. We made a few stops: at a traditional tea-house for some green tea and the local tea (which is the same as indian chai) and some snacks of samosas and other goodies. Then a little walk around a lovely lake which, evidently, is very busy in the evening with families strolling, courting couples, etc.

Our next stop was the train station for a ride on the circular train (around Yangon). We stayed on for 20-minutes, but the entire trip takes over three hours.

To the hotel for check in – the Sule Shangri-La is a top-notch hotel (the best we stayed in) and we took advantage of the 5th floor pool for a dip during the hot afternoon.

Miso picked us up again at 4 to take us to the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (we missed it last time around because of the King of Norway) and I am glad – this was the frosting of all pagodas! It is said that the four buddhas also have four buddha relics (very unusual). It is in the process of being restored with new gold leaf (60 tons, no less), therefore, the stupa is covered with bamboo scaffolding which gives an interesting mesh look. In the globe atop the umbrella are numerous jewels and gems plus much more gold, but at the very top is a 74 carat cut diamond!

We each went to our special corner (there are eight – one for each day of the week, except for Wednesday which has two – one for the morning and one for the afternoon). Each is represented by an animal – your very own special animal. I am a Tuesday child, so mine is Lion; Dennis is Saturday which is Dragon. We washed our buddha, guardian, and pedestal with the holy water.

One of the funniest stories was of an old bell that had been donated by one of the former, beloved Kings. During the Anglo-Burmese war, the british stole it and wanted to hold it as war treasure. The thing was so heavy that they dropped it in the Ayerarwaddy in their attempt to get it on board a ship!! It stayed there for two years and the locals eventually retrieved it by floating it on to bamboo rafts!

They dropped us off at Feel Restaurant, a well-known local establishment frequented by Yangoners. Miso came in and helped us order and we enjoyed a delicious dinner, a bottle of Myanmar beer, and caught a taxi back to the hotel.

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Bagan bathed in golden light

Our afternoon began with a visit to a lacquer workshop. The owner explained the processes using either bamboo or horsetail hair (which ends up being a flexible product). The base product is covered with cotton cloth, impregnated with a layer of lacquer, and sanded. Afterwards a total of 18 layers (nine on inside and nine on outside) are applied, and dried in a basement or dark area for a period of one-week between each layer. Patterns are etched on to the lacquer and dyed each color at a time.

 

We met up with our friendly horse and cart driver who took us on a 45-minute ride around and amongst the farmland and temples. The sun was dropping and the lighting was perfect to illuminate the brick stupas.

We were delivered to a “no name” temple where we were met by Min. After climbing extremely high steps (a good 2 ft high) we reached the top where a picnic was set out for us with typical Myanmar fare and we could view the surrounding temples and wait for the sun to set. Perfection!

 

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Bagan the beautiful

Our guide, Min, took us to “no name” monastery – a relic that was once a monastery, but now offers a superb panoramic view of Old Bagan and the 4,000 temples, pagodas, libraries, and monasteries. Many of these structures are from 9c-12c (older than Angkor Wat), but, unfortunately, many were damaged in a 7.0 earthquake in 1975. The amount of restoration work that has been completed is quite amazing, and thankfully so, as these ancient monuments would soon disintegrate completely.

Adjacent to “no name” is a brick factory where each brick is made by hand to the tune of approximately 1,000 a day! With all the brick structures in Bagan and the restoration work that is ongoing, it would appear they have good job security!

We stopped for a quick “cuppa” at a local tea house tasting both the thick, sweet, dark tea and a green tea.

We then went to visit a bean paste factory where, once again, everything is on a small scale and done without machinery. The soybeans are cooked and strained off (and then sold to farmers for pig food – the women waiting), the water is cooked down over many hours to a thick, dark paste; this is then packaged as small pellets or pulverized and sold as powder. This factory is now owned by a woman, with whom we spoke, and her brother, having been handed down from their grandfather who started the production 80 years ago.

Onward to the local market – I have become quite the expert at all the local produce and food items! The markets never fail to entertain me.

 

The magnificence of Shwe-Zigon pagoda is indescribable. Also this pagoda was damaged in the earthquake and the entire upper dome needed to be replaced. One single monk raised all the money necessary by collecting donations from local people.

A few more stops at some temples and then for lunch at The Moon – Be Kind to Animals restaurant. Delicious guacamole (they have the most beautiful avocados which are currently ripe), tamarind-leaf curry and pineapple curry with coconut rice. Yum!

My new addiction – tamarind paste candy – discovered yesterday!

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