Far East & Africa
That morning cup of java can jump-start the day. But did you know that when the Ethiopians first discovered coffee, they didn't drink it, they chewed it for the caffeine buzz? Try a kola nut and feel a cold wind blast through your cheeks instead. Buy a banana flower for a supper salad that isn't Caesar's. It all carries you away to the other side of the world.
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Spices in bulk - 19 Aug 2008
Christine, a recent Washington arrival from San Francisco, wanted to know where to find spices and herbs in bulk cheaply. Not at Whole Foods, for a start. Healthway, featured at the top of the page, has a wide range. But she did her own researches and came up with these answers, which she generously passes on. read more...
Spice Lanka* - 12 Aug 2008
There is a huge difference, says Chandra Malalasekara, between Indian food and the food of Sri Lanka. It's mainly in the spices. "Totally different," he says. He's the Sri Lankan owner of Spice Lanka, so he should know. read more...
South African groceries - 7 Jul 2008
South African ex-pats or enthusiasts miss their Rooibos tea, their All Gold cans of Seville oranges and figs, their special chutneys. read more...
Far East & Africa food web sites - 29 Apr 2008
Pooja Spices, Pizza Plus & Hot Stuff Foods - 6 Apr 2008
Ranjan and Gita Chhibber are such an accommodating pair of shopkeepers that they keep adding services to support their customers. Hot Stuff Foods is the newest extra they're offering, hot foods to go or eat in. But they started Pooja's Spices, named for their daughter and for the Indian word for 'to pray', 21 years ago, to sell hard-to-find ingredients to the Washington area's growing Indian community. Ranjan had been working in New York selling Indian appliances. His travels brought him to the Washington area, "And I thought, I like this area better." read more...
Fish Mappas - 4 Apr 2008
The flavor of this Indian fish recipe from Nilesh Singhvi, chef of The Bombay Club, is layered with different spices but its heat level is mellowed by coconut milk. Reduce it even further, if you wish, by cutting back on the chilis. read more...
Nilesh Singhvi - Chef of The Bombay Club - 31 Mar 2008
Bombay Club executive chef Nilesh Singhvi has cooked for Margaret Thatcher, George H.W. Bush and Bill Gates. But with its pale, saffron-colored walls, dark wood, palm fronds and Indian-style chandelier suspended from an ornate recessed ceiling, the Bombay Club it probably wouldn't come as much of a shock to spot the ghost of Rudyard Kipling or Graham Greene tucking into a curry in the corner. read more...
Afghan eateries - 17 Mar 2008
There aren't too many places in the area to find an Afghan menu. But it's not as hard as you might imagine. read more...
Tandoori Marinade - 7 Jan 2008
When Ricky Moore was the chef at IndeBleu, this was his recipe for Tandoori Marinade. It's a healthy way to add zip to fish, chicken, steak or chops without too many extra calories. read more...
Saffron - 27 Nov 2007
Though saffron is a quintessentially Spanish flavoring, it also shows up in the tajines and stews of parts of the African continent. It's one of the world's most expensive spices. This is because each stigma of Crocus sativa, the saffron crocus, has to be removed by the agile fingers of women and children, who can separate the three stigmas from each flower without bruising them. read more...
Samosas, sambusas - 27 Nov 2007
Some of the best foods come in small packages, from the Cornish pasty and Russian pierogi, to the sambusas of Ethiopia and samosas of India. read more...
Afghan markets - 25 Nov 2007
There aren't many specifically Afghan markets in the area. But a lot of products common to Indian cuisine can be found in Indian markets. read more...
Tea explained - 23 Nov 2007
Tea is made by steeping processed leaves, buds, or twigs of the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, in hot water for a few minutes. read more...
Indian cooking utensils - 23 Nov 2007
For some Indian recipes, you need a strong wrist, a pestle and mortar, and patience. Or more modern cooking equipment. read more...
Butchers - Halah - 23 Nov 2007
You won't have to travel too far to find a good Halal butcher in the area. Some chefs reckon that a Halal chicken will produce a much more tender roast than a regular chicken. read more...
Indian & Sri Lankan markets - 23 Nov 2007
The cooking of the Indian sub-continent is complex and following a recipe can seem daunting. But take your questions along to these markets and ask advice. read more...
Goat's meat - 23 Nov 2007
According to the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation in Rome, goat's meat is the world's most widely consumed red meat. read more...
Kwansaa cakes to order - 23 Nov 2007
Kwansaa cakes, made and decorated to order. read more...
Kola nuts - they're the real thing - 23 Nov 2007
Kola nuts are 'the real thing.' read more...
Banana flowers - 23 Nov 2007
An ingredient in Indian dishes, they can add an unusual crunch to Western salads. read more...
Afghan melons - 23 Nov 2007
The kharbuzeh is a large Afghan melon, not unlike a honeydew in flavor and texture, that can grow as heavy as 25 lbs. read more...
Pepper - 20 Nov 2007
Pepper, piper nigrum, comes from the tropical piperaceae family of climbing plants or shrubs. read more...
Vikram Sunderam - Chef of Rasika - 19 Nov 2007
Award-winning chef of London's Bombay Brasserie Vikram Sunderam left it behind for the challenge of launching an Indian restaurant from scratch in the heart of the American capital. read more...
Lamb Roganjosh - 19 Nov 2007
Don't be deterred by the number of spices in Vikram Sunderam's recipe. Once you've assembled them, the chef of Rasika's Indian lamb stew takes no more time to make than an ordinary stewed meat dish. But it's so much more mouth-watering. read more...
Dried fruits & nuts - 18 Nov 2007
The packages of dried fruits and nuts in general supermarkets are perfectly serviceable. But if you want to offer them as sweetmeats or elevate your fruit cakes to a higher level, buy them loose at a Middle East grocery. read more...
Coffee - home-brewed - 18 Nov 2007
Coffee starts the day and rounds up a great dinner. So it better be good. We should choose it as carefully as we choose our wine. read more...
Home brews - it's in the bag! - 18 Nov 2007
The British like their tea milky orange in color and very strong in taste. Where to find the prime ingredient for the classic cuppa, the best tea, in bags or loose. And the bickies on the side... read more...
Ethiopian markets - 14 Nov 2007
There is a large Ethiopian community in Washington, and a number of Ethiopian restaurants around the Adams Morgan area. There you'll also find some small but good Ethiopian groceries. read more...
Mango mousse - 10 Nov 2007
An easy and glamorous dessert - and a favorite secret of Washington's Middle East diplomatic community. Okay, the recipe doesn't use 'purist' ingredients and it smacks of some of those weird gelatin desserts of the 1950s. But it works. And is served with great success and admiration. read more...
Chris Payton and Casey McQueen - Owner and chefs of The Curry Club - 10 Nov 2007
Chris Payton and Casey McQueen met in an alley behind Payton's restaurant, the Curry Club. McQueen working at Bistro Lepic next door. They’ve been working together since. read more...
Shrimp with Garlic and Chilies - 6 Nov 2007
If you're looking for a dish that will spark interest in your guests yet only take minutes to produce, this mildly spicy (you're in control) Indian recipe from Chris Payton, owner, and Casey McQueen, co-chefs of the Curry Club's recipe could be it. read more...
Rice - the long and the short of it - 4 Nov 2007
There are around 10,000 varieties of rice, though only some half dozen reach general stores. Which is best for what? Rice unraveled. read more...
Lentils & dhals unravelled - 4 Nov 2007
Which dhals are which? And which lentils, pulses and dhals are best for which dish? read more...
Coffee - grounds for debate - 4 Nov 2007
Before 1000 AD, the nomadic Galla tribe of Ethiopia realized that their daily ration of a certain local berry ground up and molded into a ball with animal fat was giving them an energy charge. What they were eating was the coffee bean. read more...
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.
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