$1 Pad Thai & $0.50 Thai Iced Tea

We have some really great Thai food in Eugene, Oregon. It's very true in taste to what we ate in Thailand, but it's nowhere near as close in cost. Devlin's favorite thing in Chiang Mai was pad thai, and it generally cost only $1-2 for a heaping plateful. Add a Thai iced tea for $.50, and you have a fabulous gourmet breakfast, lunch, or dinner (and we often ate it for breakfast!)

If you've never had a Thai iced tea, get thee to the nearest Thai restaurant, and try one. It's a strongly brewed black tea, originally a Ceylon tea, with many different spices and a truly unique smell. The tea is mixed with condensed milk/sugar, poured over ice, and then some extra milk/evaporated milk is added on top. The result is a vivid orange, sweetly strong sweet tea, and it's out of this world delicious.

When you're an addict of Thai iced tea, like us, you start to figure out ways to brew your fix at home. We loaded up on Thai tea to take home - we bought a couple pounds and paid about $2-2.25 per pound. The best deal online is to buy it at Import Food.com; three 16oz bags are $13 plus $9 in shipping. Don't forget to order the muslin filter to brew the tea. To see how it's brewed in Thailand, watch this video>

Enjoy!

Beef Papaya Salad

Devlin fell in love with beef papaya salad during our stay in Hoi An, Vietnam. Lynnea found a small restaurant, that had just opened, which was tucked down a side street at the edge of the tourist district. The first evening we ate there, I ordered the beef papaya salad... Devlin tried it, and promptly ordered one more.

It was love at first bite. He went back, every day, to have at least two orders of the salad.

And truly, that little restaurant's salad was top notch. We tried the salad other places, and we even learned to make a version of it in our Thai cooking class, but that place in Hoi An was still the best.

The salad is mainly finely shredded papaya, mixed with rice vinegar, sugar, lime, garlic, and other spices. The beef adds a lovely meaty flavor (our favorite over the chicken and shrimp versions of the same salad) - and I swear, the salad came out slightly warm - perhaps they tossed the hot beef with the salad at the last moment to produce that effect.

In any case, it was fantastic, and we'll be attempting to replicate that one for years to come.

Pho Ph-luctuations

Pho in Ho Chi Minh City

Unknown to us, the super-popular Vietnamese soup called Pho varies widely from south to north. We began our stay in Vietnam in the south, in Ho Chi Minh city. There is a particular type of pho there, called Saigon Pho - it is the kind we normally think of pho: a beef/chicken soup, which comes with a plate of veggies, bean sprouts, and chilies, as well as extra hoisin sauce and chili sauce.

But, this type of pho pretty much stops in Ho Chi Minh! This style (at least, from what we saw) was limited to that city.  Hoisin is also extremely uncommon further north - Lynnea learned that it was introduced fairly recently, from China, and people mainly used it as a side dish to dip their meat in.

So, our experiences with Pho fluctuated from south to north as we traveled. In Hoi An, where we spent the most time, pho was a pretty simple broth, with rice noodles and beef, without the plate of veggies. Hoisin was an unknown word. But, the soup was still good - but boy, did we miss that first bowl of pho that we had, so long ago in Ho Chi Minh City!

Side-dish of Spiders?

Cockroaches to the right, spiders behind

Anyone fancy these lovely spiders or cockroaches for a snack? They are probably quite tasty and crunchy - the spiders look like they've been fried in chili oil - but I admit I didn't have the nerve to try them. We saw these at a roadside stop on one of our bus trips in Cambodia. Yummy yummy!

Tasty crunchy fried spiders

Hooked on Dosas

Lynnea's masala dosa at the fancy
Indian place

Lynnea loves dosas - a rice-flour based Indian pancake. She's allergic to gluten, so they are a great food option - and we really got hooked on them.

They can be very filling - the masala dosa is filled with a curried potato and onion mix.  We tried two Indian places in Siem Reap.
At the second place we went, there were a few dosas we didn't recognize, and the owner helpfully explained about them. Most places in town used a local rice-flour, which he said isn't the right flour to use. He imports his flour from India.

Dosa with the same flour mixture as the masala dosa, but
served like a big thick flat pancake. 

Unfortunately, the dosa Lynnea had was made with a semolina flour - which had gluten, we realized afterwards. So, in the end, we preferred the local rice-flour to his, even though the dosas at that place were amazing and very nicely made.

All the dosas come with a coconut curry and two other side curries - such fantastic flavor.

Welcome to Exotic Fruit-land

Bananas and duku (the small brown fruit to the right
of the bananas)

Southeast Asia overflows with all kinds of exotic, delicious fruit! We've had tiny fingerling bananas - very sweet and soft, mangosteens (delectable!), tamarind (huge interior seed), duku (yum!), green mango (sour and crunchy - used in salads a lot or with a spicy chili dip), and of course, lots of sweet mango and pineapple.

Duku (or langsat?)

Duku - or langsat - (two very similar varieties) are a super tasty little brown fruit, each smaller than a golf ball. Super tasty and sweet, they are usually sold as a cluster on a vine - like large hard-skinned grapes. They are pretty easy to peel though, and the skin isn't very thick. The fruit inside is not very sticky, and firm like the outside of a grape.

Mangosteens are the round purple-brown fruit
at the bottom of this picture

Mangosteen

Mangosteens are also super tasty, and very different from duku. They have a thick purply outer rind (the darker the purple, the better) - and inside the rind is a brilliant red. The white fruit is softly slimy, and tangy, sweet and super tasty. From what I read online, they are also  extremely nutritious and good for you.

Dragonfruit are the crazy big pink things,
with rambutan behind them (the little round
spiny pinkish orange fruit)

We have yet to try durian - a spiny fruit with an awful smell (so awful it's not allowed on trains), dragonfruit, and rambutan. Also gotta eat some lychee!

So much to eat, so little time...

Cambodian Cuisine

A gorgeous curry, with tofu and potato,
served in a carved out pineapple - a
mildly sweet and delicious result.

Cambodian cuisine, or Khmer cuisine, is known for a few main dishes. We tried two: amok, a coconut soup with a fish-sauce base, and much later in our trip, lok lak - thin-sliced marinated beef, in a peppery lime sauce. Both are fantastic.

There were also many curry dishes, fried rice, fried yellow noodles, and fried vegetable dishes. Fried morning glory was a common one on menus - but we don't think it was actually morning glory, but a type of spinach. 

Frog is a popular dish too - we didn't try it. From what we heard, the cooking process is rather brutal - we stuck mainly to tofu and chicken.

As for drinks, I fell in love with the coffee shakes - and we also had some excellent mango shakes (just mango puree, blended with a little ice and sugar).

A beautiful soup - glass noodle and tofu, and lots
of veggies

A great soup with a fried egg on top -
Devlin really liked this kind of soup

Thai Street Food

We were blown away by street food in Thailand - and unfortunately for us, most street food promptly disappeared when we arrived in Cambodia! But, it is lovely to reminisce...






These peculiar and delicious snacks were a fantastic moment of street food. They are a sweet egg custard, baked in little round molds, with various toppings: ham, sweet corn, and green onion (the favorite of all of us).

Now, can someone who reads Thai please tell us the name of this delectable treat, so we can perhaps cook it ourselves back in the states??

First food in Thailand!

Looking out the entryway of our hostel

Our first meals in Thailand were fantastically delicious - and so cheap! A dish generally costs between $1-2. We had a great breakfast at our hotel, in a very nice setting - they have plants growing everywhere.

A ferociously spicy but tasty dish

Mushrooms and garlic... delicious and not as spicy

Peanuts and glass noodles

Black Olives with Dressing Recipe

According to our Turkish host, there is a best way to prepare black olives. You don't eat them straight, they must have this dressing mixed with them to become truly delicious. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, oregano, black olives (kalamata or something similar would be best, not regular black olives)

Instructions:

1. Squeeze the juice of one lemon in a bowl, add a healthy dose of red pepper flakes and oregano. 
2. Add olives, pour olive oil on top, and stir to combine.
3. Optional: add a little cayenne to the mix for some added heat

Another fantastic home-cooked meal in Turkey! Chicken, potato & onion salad with a ketchup sauce, salad, bread, and sweet green peppers (bottom right). 

The chicken is marinated in olive oil, oregano, chili flakes, lemon, and garlic before being slow-cooked in a pan for half an hour. It's important to use the thigh meat, and to have the outer skin, which protects the inner meat from burning. The chicken isn't flipped, so it develops a lovely crunchy bottom.

We loved the potato and onion salad! Mix ketchup, tomato paste, and a little oil, and stir with cooked sweet potatoes (yukon would be good) and sliced onion. 

The picture to the right was our breakfast the next day. A layer of dough, similar to phyllo, was placed in an oiled pan, ready to go in the oven. Grated carrot and chopped pepper were sprinkled liberally on top. Then, a mixture of egg, milk, and soft cheese was poured in, and finally another layer of dough made the top. Brush with an egg glaze and bake at roughly 325 (lower heat) for an hour-ish. 

Yum!

Corn pancakes with cheese

This was our fabulous breakfast for two mornings, cooked by our very great host and chef, Yigit. They are pancakes made from a mixture of milk, a soft mild Turkish cheese, and corn meal.

We ate a local string cheese alongside, with oregano and red pepper flakes on top. They are also great when spread with more of the soft mild cheese on top.

And, no meal is complete in Turkey without the salad and olives!

To the right, the pancakes with soft cheese on top, and black olives. Yum!!

Bechamel Sauce for Lasagna

In Italy, ricotta is not used in lasagna. Whenever we mention that we use ricotta in lasagna in the US, all the Italians regard us with frank amazement. Lasagna in Italy is any baked pasta dish, with tomato sauce and bechamel sauce. You can also use any shape of pasta (large round noodles, bigger than penne, are wonderful) not just the flat thick stuff we use.

Bechamel is a creamy white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. It gives the pasta dish a wonderfully creamy texture.

Lasgana in Catania, made by our wonderful host, Paola!

Bechamel Sauce Recipe:

• Butter, 1.8 ounce (50 grams)
• Flour, 1.8 ounce (50 grams)
• Milk: 2 cups (1/2 liter)
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Put the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat and when it is melted add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Heat the milk in a separate pan, until hot but not boiling.
2. Remove from heat and add the hot milk while stirring.
3. Put the saucepan on a weak fire and stir until the sauce begins to boil. Add the nutmeg and salt, cover with a lid and let the sauce thicken for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Another lasagna made by Paola - this time with
a flat noodle, similar to what we typically
 use in the US, but much thinner

True Italian lasagna rough recipe:

• Pasta: use large sized tube pasta, or other large pasta, or regular US sheet pasta
• Mix cooked ground beef into a tomato sauce
• Bechamel sauce
• Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Mix cooked pasta and tomato sauce/beef mixture together. Pour into greased pan.
2. Pour bechamel sauce over the top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
3. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and warm. Serve and enjoy!

The second type of lasagna, with a much thinner pasta - super tasty,
and the taste of the sauces is wonderful!

Tisana della Buona Digestione - Good Digestion Tea

This lovely tea blend was created by the friend of a couchsurfer in Catania, Sicily. It is called "Tisana della Buona Digestione," which literally translates to "Tea of the Good Digestion." It's a mild herbal tea, and here are the ingredients, in equal proportions (I think):

Italian/English recipe:

• Rosmarino / Rosemary
• Calendula / Marigold
• Polegio / Mint
• Origano / Oregano
• Salvia / Sage
• Semi di Finocchi / Fennel seeds
• Iperico / St. John's Wort

Creamy Pasta with Salmon

For Christmas dinner, our lovely Catania host-mother, Paola, made this fantastically scrumptious pasta dish. It's pretty simple - just a cream base (panna), with added salmon (canned, I think) mixed in. There's probably garlic and olive oil involved too. The result is super creamy, and the salmon adds a nice flavor, but not overly fishy. Buonissimo! (super tasty!)

Eggplant in Oil

We have found this delectable treat a couple of times in Italy - eggplants in oil (melanzane sott'olio). I found this recipe with quick search online, and it looks quite close to what we've tried. What is eggplants in oil? A lightly acidic, flavorful eggplant, preserved in oil - no canning necessary. You can also preserve sundried tomatoes, and a mushroom blend, in this method.

To make it, the eggplant is first salted to pull out excess water, then lightly cooked in vinegar. After drying the eggplant, it's placed with some garlic pieces and chili pieces (if desired) in a jar. Then olive oil is poured over to cover. The result is incredibly tasty, and great as an appetizer or light snack with toasted bread. We intend to make a ton of this when we get back to our garden!

For the recipe, go here, and use Google Translate to put the recipe in English>

Fishy Food

While we stayed with our lovely host family in Catania, we tried a number of fish-related dishes. We aren't used to eating much from the sea, but everything we had was great (even if some of the dishes took a bit of getting used to - see the cuttlefish ink dish below!)

Breaded swordfish

Dessert salad: orange pieces, fresh ricotta (a drier type), raisins, black olives, a little bit of anchovies,
and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Quite an unusual combination!

Pasta with cuttlefish ink: the ink actually has very little flavor, it's mostly the color

Sicilian Sweets & Snacks

During our stay on the east coast of Sicily, we sampled some fabulous snacks and sweets!

Eating cannoli with friends: a cannolo is a fried tube of pastry. When you order, they fill it with a sweet ricotta and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar. It is quite difficult to eat these neatly! Powdered sugar flies everywhere... but it's so good! :)

A hot dog, with fries, in a roll of bread - there was even ketchup inside! Pretty tasty too.

Sicily is famous for its marzipan... we haven't tried these yet, but don't they look delicious?