Oriental fruits
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Eden Center unscrambled - one of my favorite markets - 26 Oct 2011
If you want a trip to Vietnam without leaving the area, head out to the Eden Center on Wilson Boulevard at Seven Corners, just before Route 50 and Route 7 intersect. You won't hear English spoken. The music blaring from the outdoor speakers comes from a local Vietnamese radio station. It's packed with Vietnamese tailors, jewelers, video stores, Chinese medicine practitioners and more. This is the list of food-related outlets, to eat at or to buy ingredients for your home-cooked Vietnamese feast. read more...
Oriental products explained - 7 Oct 2011
Without a working knowledge of Chinese, most of the treasures in a Chinese or Asian supermarket will remain out of reach, on the shelves. Here's a phonetic translation so you can ask what's what. read more...
Thai Chicken Basil with Fried Egg - 11 Aug 2010
Aulie Bunyarataphan, owner-chef of Bangkok Joe's, makes this recipe that's the perfect example of how speedily a Thai dish can be brought to the table. The bulk of the time involved likes in assembling the ingredients for a quick stir fry that preserves flavor and contrast of textures. read more...
Chinese noodles & curd identified - 2 Jun 2010
While the argument rages over whether the noodle came from China or Italy (with the balance weighing for Marco Polo bringing it back from his travels), food historians actually contend it was introduced into Europe by the Arabs of Sicily and Spain. Whatever the truth, it's worth getting to know the different Oriental noodles, their properties and best uses. read more...
Durian - ecstasy or seriously disgusting? - 28 Jan 2009
You can find Durian pretty readily these days in Asian markets, though they'll have been frozen. Native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, Thailand has become the major exporter of the two- to seven-pound cultivated fruits. South East Asians go delirious about them, battling for the best once it appears in early summer. For the rest of us the experience is either an acquired taste or one seriously to be avoided. read more...
Longans - 25 Nov 2008
Longans are an Asian fruit clustered on a branch and looking like smoother lychees. Inside their flesh is translucent white around a dark stone, accounting for its name 'dragon eyes' for the way the pit shows through the fruit. read more...
Le Market/El Mercado - one of my favorite markets - 19 Nov 2008
I may just be about to betray my favorite market - H Mart in Merrifield. Just up from it where Gallows Road meets Route 50 is Le Market/El Mercado, a clean and shiny recent arrival stocked with treasures from South East Asia and Latin America. read more...
Maxim's Supermarket - one of my favorite markets - 31 Mar 2008
There's no shortage of Oriental and Asian markets in the area. But some of them offer a little extra. At Maxim's, it's the take-out food counter. It's packed with dishes some of which you need to be a little adventurous to try, like tripe, and various parts of the inner pig that look like Captain Davy Jones' face in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. But there's also a wonderful stewed pork picnic cut that's been marinated and slow-cooked until it's almost purple which wouldn't upset the most conservative eater. And there are noodles and vegetable dishes, along with fried fish and chicken dishes that would frighten no-one. $4.25 buys you your choice of three dishes for a take-out meal in a box. read more...
Greengages - 28 Nov 2007
Greengages are a gloriously-scented golden plum, better to eat than candy. read more...
Lychees - 27 Nov 2007
As with the mangosteen, eating a lychee is like eating a sweet scent. It's close to paradise in fruit terms. read more...
Mangoes - 27 Nov 2007
Some mangoes are more heavenly than others. The big fat ones, green and blushing red, tend to leave fibers in the teeth. read more...
Oriental cooking lessons - 27 Nov 2007
If you'd like to learn how to cook Oriental food, there are a number of options. read more...
Oriental & South East Asian markets - 26 Nov 2007
There is no shortage of Oriental and South East Asian supermarkets in the area. But some offer a little extra. read more...
Rijstafel - 24 Nov 2007
Rijstafel is an Indonesian feast of different dishes to eat with rice popularized by Dutch colonials in Indonesia. read more...
Vietnamese coffee - 23 Nov 2007
Vietnamese iced coffee is more a dessert than a drink. What's the coffee they use? read more...
Chinese vegetables & fruits identified - 16 Nov 2007
Don't miss out on the cooking possibilities of Chinese fruits and vegetables just because they are unfamiliar. Use this list below to ask for help in looking for them. read more...
The lunch shift is over and chef Peter Smith, owner of PS 7’s restaurant is surrounded by gin. No, he’s not relaxing over a drink. The gin is in bowls in an pre-formed state. It’s the mash, a mix of herbs and berries and peels and roots that Smith has worked out how to use in his food as flavorings.
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