Portable Eats: Israeli Empanadas

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These baked, hearty little "meat" pies are great with pickles and tomato sauce!

I will freely admit to having food envy. In fact, the main reason I got into cooking in the first place was so that I could have an opportunity to experience all these wonderful flavors I was sure I was missing out on. Empanadas, for instance, abounded where I used to live in Southern California, but to a kosher, mostly-vegetarian gal, the thought of eating essentially deep-fried treif meat concoctions made me a little queasy. But even still, the curiosity remained. I did some research to find out what exactly went into these little morsels, and I was a little on the fence about it. Should I go through the trouble to make something (and a lot of these somethings) if the thought of the filling ingredients didnt jump out at me? Continue reading →

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Tom Kha Gai, A Spicy and Kosher-Friendly Soup

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Growing up with Thai food, it’s sometimes difficult for me to acclimate my taste buds to more subtle flavors. Although Thai food, ironically, is not my favorite cuisine, I absolutely LOVE Thai soup. I love the blend of herbal, spicy, sour, and savory flavors, and the contrast of hearty textures within the thin broth.

Of course, as discussed previously, there are sometimes problems with Thai food in a Kosher kitchen due to the presence of treif ingredients, namely shrimp. Although shrimp products are quite prevalent in Thai cooking, they generally don’t play a role in soups like this one, since most of the flavor comes from aromatic herbs like lemongrass and kafir lime leaves (readily available online, if your local grocer does not carry them). Continue reading →

Foods For A New Year: Jiaozi de Prassa

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These potstickers are made with leeks, rather than mostly cabbage. Although leeks are used in Chinese cuisine, it's not as common to see them in dumplings.

Chinese New Year is almost upon us (January 23, 2012), and for us Asians, it’s a very festive time of year. One of the more notable aspects of Chinese New Year is the special food eaten during the week of festivities. Being a Chinese person born in Thailand, it gets even better! As with Rosh Hashanah, most of the foods consumed are symbolic in some way, usually alluding to wealth, prosperity, long life, happiness, etc. In fact, the Chinese are very literal when it comes to these things, as we will also display Chinese characters that say “wealth,” “prosperity,” “long life,” and “happiness” (we need to make sure all our bases are covered)! Continue reading →

Master Recipe: Parve Yellow Cake

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This basic yellow cake recipe can be modified to suit your needs.

For better or for worse, I’ve begun dabbling in some more advanced chemistry…the chemistry which pertains to cakes and pastries. This parve yellow cake is my first attempt, and pleasantly surprised me with a tender crumb, pleasant flavor, and mild sweetness There will probably be subsequent attmepts, but for now, I’m using this one as my springboard. For a good parve AND vegan chocolate cake recipe, check out “Not So Depressing Cake” (http://www.allaya.com/2011/11/07/not-so-depressing-cake/), which never seems to fail me. Continue reading →

Jazz Hands! It’s Time For Eggs Bollywood

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This spicy, Indian-inspired dish works well as a main course, or elegantly exotic brunch fare.

Before the introduction of “Slumdog Millionaire,” many Americans lived largely unaware of the campy splendor of Bollywood movies. Bollywood, a name coined around the mid-30′s to early 40′s (as far as I can tell), refers not to one locale, but to the entire booming business of movie production in India. Although mostly overlooked in the United States, Bollywood’s influence reached far and wide across the Asia, Africa and Middle-East. My mother used to tell me stories of when she was a young girl in Thailand, anxiously lining up with her friends to see the latest Bollywood musical. She described complicated plot lines with doomed romances, disapproving parents, beautiful actresses, handsome leading men, and epic song and dance numbers. What’s not to love? Bollywood, for generations, upholds an undeniably successful track record of somehow fusing Western tastes and culture palatably with traditional Indian values – to the point where they grow to seem authentically Indian! Continue reading →

Fast and Furious Friday Post: Challah Monkey Bread

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This delicious pull-apart snack can be made with your very own challah dough! It also occupies your children for about 30 minutes...

Want a way to occupy your children AND end up with a fun Shabbat snack? Monkey bread is the answer! To make it, take a batch of your challah dough, and divide it in half. Divide each half into quarters, and each quarter into quarters – then each of those quarters into yet more quarters. Essentially, you should have 64 bits per half, which your children will have loads of fun balling up. Continue reading →

Tom Yum Potatoes, Latkes The Thai Way

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These latkes sing with lemongrass, chilis, and kefir lime leaves.

After Rosh Hashanah, when we shoe-horned close to 20 people into our apartment (maybe more), my husband sat me down and had a talk with me. “You know, you’re pregnant…there’s no reason for you to have to work this hard. It’s fine to have a small party. Nobody will think any less of you for it.”

While it’s true I love having people over for the holidays, I need to set the record straight. I was NOT intending on having 20 people over for Rosh Hashanah. I mean, we have a 450 square foot studio apartment. What business do I have cramming 20 people inside? The problem was that, in that particular case, the rule of no shows didn’t apply. Continue reading →

Pad See Ew, The Kosher Way

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Generally a hodgepodge of treif ingredients, this version of Pad See Ew is completely kosher, and, as pictured here, completely vegetarian.

The problem many people face when adapting a recipe for a kosher home, especially with Thai food, is finding acceptably kosher ingredients. The biggest problem I face, especially with recipes I grew up with, is quantifying the ingredients, as these recipes were never written down! So, when I received a request for a kosher version of Pad See Ew, I had to think for a moment. I haven’t had this dish in ages, mostly because it was never one of my favorites; my mom always overcooked the noodles, and it made them mushy. It was interesting to rediscover this popular noodle dish. Turns out it really is pretty good! :) Continue reading →

Ugly Latkes: Chanukah Plantain Fritters

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Plantain latkes are a delicious fusion of Thai, Caribbean, and Jewish traditions.

The market place in Saint Philip usually buzzed with activity. The warm, temperate mornings flooded the streets, cueing the market vendors to open like colorful, blossoming flowers. There’s not a lot I remember about Barbados, aside from isolated incidents, sounds and flavors. I remember the chewy penny candy, which actually looked like pennies; the smell of salt water, cooking fuel, and the flame it fed. My mother delighted in the produce, fruits much more similar to Thailand than anything we found in Connecticut. Coconuts, mangoes, papaya, pineapples, and gluy lek, miniature bananas, virtually unknown on the east coast until fairly recently. Continue reading →

The Case For Chow Mein: An Asian Perspective on Chanukah

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This veggie chow mein incorporates salty, pungent, sweet, bitter and sour tastes. Almost a balanced meal!

It’s pretty common in Eastern cultures to have food rules, some as in depth (and astoundingly similar in some ways) as the laws of kashrut. Many favor a mostly vegetarian diet, as did Rabbi De Sola Pool, while others championed moderation in all foods. Although no longer religious in nature for most people, the way one presents and serves food in Asia remains deeply rooted in custom, and has influenced menus and recipes for centuries. Continue reading →