Asia to Australasia
You want to switch to eco cling-wrap? Banana leaves are the aluminum foil of South East Asia. Durian is the region's love-it-hate-it fruit. Congee is a Chinese breakfast you might wonder at. They may all be unfamiliar or even seem alarming. So bite instead into soft toro sashimi or spoon into an Australian passion fruit and float away on a striking taste trip. Whatever you're willing to sample, you've got to try a bowl of Vietnamese Phô. It will change your view of soup.
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Bread Corner - 3 Feb 2010
Danny Song is the owner of this seductive Chinese bakery in the Rockville Shopping Center. Go in at your peril. Everything, as they boast on their receipts, is baked fresh daily.
'Everything' means Portuguese egg custard tarts, plump and flaky croissants, red bean mochi, apple crisps, apple and other fruit tarts, coconut custard buns, stuffed Chinese breads and buns, and more. read more...
Creamed Maitake Mushrooms with Edamame, Toasted Pistachios and Tarragon - 17 Jan 2010
Maitake, also known as Hen of the Woods, are one of Nature's most beautiful edible fungii. Haidar Karoum, co-owner and chef of Proof, uses them in this recipe which he serves as an appetizer. But increase the amounts and you have an elegant main course recipe for vegetarians that carnivores will envy. read more...
Daruma - one of my favorite markets - 30 Dec 2009
If recent feasting and bikini season round the corner makes you think you need to diet, don't let your spirits slump. Think Japanese. You'll eat heathily and deliciously. And here's one of my favorite markets, at any time of year to shop - and eat. read more...
Dumpling sauce - 30 Dec 2009
Hisao Abe, owner-chef of Kotobuki's recipe is for a dipping sauce that goes well with dumplings. read more...
Hisao Abe - Owner-chef of Kotobuki - 30 Dec 2009
Chef Hisao Abe, who owns Kotobuki on MacArthur Boulevard, learned the art of sushi-making after years of watching, sniffing, tasting. read more...
Ikura - 30 Dec 2009
The glowing bright orange 'caviar' beads used in sushi called ikura is the roe of the orange shum salmon. read more...
Soy sauces explained - 30 Dec 2009
Soy sauce, made from fermented and distilled soybeans, wheat and water, comes in more variations than contained in that squat bottle on the restaurant table next to the paper napkins. What's the difference between them? read more...
Sushi and sashimi explained - 30 Dec 2009
Confused about the difference between sushi and sashimi and the pricing of tuna? Here's an explanation. read more...
Sushi do's and don'ts - 30 Dec 2009
It's not just this get-in-shape time of year that has inspired this Japanese-themed edition of eatWashington. It's also because eatWashingtonian Jerry Felp put me onto this excellent web site on how to tackle sushi without making a complete fool of yourself. read more...
Fish: Wild Chesapeake Rockfish with Lemongrass Broth and Shiitake Mushrooms - 11 Nov 2009
You don't need to be a master chef to make this elegant dish from Rob Klink, chef of Oceanaire Seafood Room. The broth can be finished ahead of time, and with a final 10 minutes to saute the fish and mushrooms, it can star at any dinner party without driving the cook into a frenzy. read more...
Filipino Home Baking & Grocery - 4 Nov 2009
Triangle Lane in Wheaton is an international food court in itself. One of the little markets tucked away is Filipino Home Baking & Grocery. It's a modest place with a very small selection of fresh produce. But it's filled with groceries essential to Filipino cooking. read more...
Chinese mushrooms identified - 21 Oct 2009
Several varieties of Chinese mushrooms are sold dried in Chinese script packages. But which should you use for what? And how can you buy the ones you want if you don't speak Chinese? Here's help. read more...
Fish - fresh or not so fresh? - 14 Oct 2009
Once upon a time, fishmongers would cut fish to order from whole fish, so the customer could be sure, by the clarity of its eyes, the firmness of flesh and the color of its gills, of the freshness of the fish. Not any longer. Now that it's generally sold ready-filletted, you've only your nose to rely on. Use it. read more...
Mochi - a Japanese dessert - 14 Oct 2009
Mochi, a Japanese ice cream covered in dough, has developed a broad fan base. It makes for a very different dessert... read more...
Starters: Kabocha Soboroni - 6 Oct 2009
Kaz Okochi, owner-chef of Kaz Sushi Bistro, turns familiar squash into an unfamiliar Japanese food delight that makes an interesting appetizer or a side for more familiar American fish dishes or grills. read more...
Apsara Gourmet Oriental Food Market - 9 Sep 2009
There's no shortage of Asia food markets round the greater Washington area. While some are distinguished by their extensive supplies, others, like Apsara, are worth tracking down if you're an Asian food novice and need advice on how to cook whatever that weird stuff over there is. read more...
Kaz Okoshi - Owner-chef of Kaz Sushi Bistro - 6 Sep 2009
Once Kaz Okochi completed the fine arts course in Oklahoma he had come from Japan to the U.S. to take up, he headed home to enroll in the prestigious Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka. When he told its career counselor he'd like to cook in America, the counselor suggested he focus on becoming a sushi chef. read more...
Korean markets & bakeries - 2 Sep 2009
Korean markets provide some of the best and widest range of fresh fruit and vegetables in the greater Washington area. My favorite is the Super H-Mart in Fairfax. But there are plenty of others, large and small, where - because the Koreans who shop in them tend to have been raised to be proud and serious cooks - the quality of fruits is higher than, dare I say it, Whole Foods whose fruits are sometimes better suited to a sports goods store.
Korean bakeries offer some interesting adventures in soft loaves and unusual cakes and buns. read more...
Tapioca unscrambled (aren't you glad?) - 18 Aug 2009
Generations of British children grew up on the school dinner concoction Frog's Spawn, a milky dessert, damp and squidgy. It was their revolted name for Tapioca. One of those foods, like Sago Pudding and Rice Pudding, you either love or hate, those children almost without exception hated it. Such a shame. read more...
DC's wholesale/retail market - 18 Aug 2009
Shop fresh global and local produce, meat, groceries and flowers at retail prices where many of DC's grocery store and restaurant owners go to buy wholesale. read more...
In March 2007, Mike Isabella started at Zaytinya. Just a few months later, the hip downtown mezzethes restaurant won a RAMMY award.
Chew On This: Not sleeping makes you fat
Cakes - to order or make beautiful
Apple Tarte Tatin
My favorite markets - Yasaman Persian Bakery
It may look like a Big Mac but it isn't.
Cerkez Salad
Shiraz Grocery
Make your own tahini
Olives
Mike Isabella - Chef of Zaytinya
Chew On This: Omega-3s. Are they really that magical?
Chew on This: No link between red meat and cancer?
Plaza Market
Veal Cheeks
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