Cold Soba with Thai Basil Pesto

I adore cold soba, and every time I shop at Daiso (only the best Japanese $2 store in the world), I go a bit overboard with buying every brand of soba available.  Generally, I have been using the noodles to add some carb-y substance to my salads; this Soba Salad recipe my mom makes is … Continue reading

Thai Basil Roasted Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

Thai Basil Chicken is one of my favorite Thai dishes… however, this is not a recipe for that.  My Asian stir-fry and chili consumption had been a bit excessive of late and I was looking to cook something a bit blander and healthier.  I decided to go more towards the American-Italian grilled chicken pesto dishes … Continue reading

Thai Basil Pesto

When life gives me Thai Basil… apparently I make pesto. I recently moved to a cozy neighborhood in Singapore that boasts a fantastic wet market.  I go there every weekend to stock up on local produce, meats and fresh flowers to adorn my apartment.  Most of the produce and meats come from Indonesia or Malaysia, … Continue reading

Brazilian Cooking Class

As I typically do on all my travels, I signed up for a cooking class as soon as I arrived in Brazil.  It was winter and the weather was a bit dreary during the week I was in Rio de Janeiro.  Cooking classes are a great rainy day activity (although I would do it even … Continue reading

Caipirinha de Limão

Well, obviously you cannot take a cooking class in Brazil without making the country’s national cocktail!  This famous drink is made of cachaça, a distilled spirit made from sugarcane juice, that I refer to as “fire water.”  I tried drinking it straight once when I was in Rio and wow that hurt bad… reminded me … Continue reading

Farofa de Banana

Farofa is a typical accompaniment to many Brazilian dishes, especially the classic black bean stew feijoada.  At many locals restaurants in Brazil, you will often see a bowl of farofa already on the table, just waiting to complement some hearty Brazilian dishes. Farofa is made of manioc flour, also known as cassava powder.  Cassava is … Continue reading

Moqueca Baiana

Moqueca baiana which translates to “Bahian stew” in Portugese is literally that — a delicious Brazilian seafood stew originating from the Bahia state in the Northeast region of the country.  This dish is influenced by African cuisine, which is most noticeable in its use of palm oil.  Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil made … Continue reading

Peruvian Cooking Class – Dinner

After landing in Lima on my Peru travels, one of the first orders of business was scheduling a Peruvian cooking class. Natalya had taken a class with Sky Kitchen when she was in Lima several years ago and she highly recommended it. She took the class with the lunch dishes, which she wrote about here: … Continue reading

Picarones

Picarones is Peruvian dessert that is commonly sold on the streets of Peru.  The squash and sweet potato are puréed and mixed into a dough, which is then deep fried into doughnuts, and served with a syrup made from molasses.  The flavor is so unique due to the squash and sweet poato, and its sweetness … Continue reading

Lomo Saltado

When I first arrived in Peru, I was surprised to see all the Chinese eateries all over Lima.  I had not realized how large the Chinese immigrant population in Peru was, or rather, how much influence Chinese culture had on Peruvian cuisine.  Asian Peruvians make up about 5% of the current population, although it is … Continue reading