tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:57:42 +0000A collection of tidbits, facts and food knowledge gathered while exploring cuisines and experimenting with cooking.http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/noreply@blogger.com (Aree)Blogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-5569795777363422930Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:13:00 +00002009-07-06T13:40:50.975-07:00Butter tea is not just a name, it is actually butter in your tea. While most shiver in disgust at just the thought, Tibetans will happily chug them happily all day long with a salt shaker ready in hand. Butter tea, Po Cha, is unique to the Tibetans and serves a purpose: the fat from the butter gives a lot of energy and much-welcomed warmth for your average Himalayan.It's definitely odd for a http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/07/butter-and-salt-for-your-tea-sir.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-1900172232194235162Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:40:00 +00002009-06-03T20:53:12.093-07:00Mojo (pronounced "mo-ho", not the folk magic "mo-jo") is a popular sauce originating from Canary Islands, thus becoming fond memories for tourists returning from Tenerife, Gran Canaria or Lanzarote. It starts off with garlic, cumin and extra virgin olive oil. Then it's decision time: red peppers for Mojo Rojo (fiery versions also known as Mojo Picon), or cilantro for Mojo Verde. One says red goeshttp://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/06/got-my-red-and-green-mojo-working.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-1909593611782687125Wed, 13 May 2009 23:35:00 +00002009-09-10T23:57:42.434-07:00Upon a request, I was on a mission to try Ethiopian food. Ethiopian is not a rage yet in Europe, but we did manage a table in one of Amsterdam's establishments. They serve the traditional Ethiopian platter - thick meat and vegetable stews (called wot) with sourdough pancakes (called injera). Injera doubly functions as side dish and spoon - you rip a chunk of the spongy injera and scoop a handful http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/05/in-search-of-kitfo-and-everything-raw.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-5391736516316980559Sat, 02 May 2009 08:03:00 +00002009-05-02T02:18:45.000-07:00Who wouldn't love to melt chocolate, even for a sauce over chicken? Mole poblano begins innocently, as you put in chilies, tomatoes, onions, nuts, raisins, and so on... then bam, into the mix comes chocolate and it becomes peculiar yet delightfully sinful. Chocolate lends to the thick, sweet and rich sauce known as the pinnacle of Mexican cuisine.Turkey with Mole Poblano (recipe)Of Moles and http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/05/mole-mole-mole.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-8320505143868821989Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:34:00 +00002009-07-31T01:11:13.479-07:00Is pisto a mushy ratatouille, or is ratatouille a pisto with aubergines? Both are a perfect stew of fresh summer vegetables and a fantastic celebration of the season. They are both staples in the home kitchen, although the French ratatouille nicoise gained exposure from a Disney rat, while Spanish pisto manchego is described internationally as the "Spanish Ratatouille".It's summertime, time for http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/04/pistoratatouille.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-6118421179031153361Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:39:00 +00002009-04-26T16:19:56.654-07:00It doesn't take much to be a "must-cook" plate of food: Give the name jerk chicken, and I'm already busy trawling the Web for more stories. The Jamaican jerk sauce is fiery hot and bursting with spices. The fire comes from the devil-hot Scotch Bonnet peppers, and the seasoning is a clever mix which features the pimento, also known as all-spice.Jamaican jerk chicken (recipe) with festival.The namehttp://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/04/everybody-loves-jerk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-5781644225328719507Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:03:00 +00002009-05-14T06:26:47.027-07:00Varying climates and genetic diversity lend to great cuisines. This I confirmed while browsing for culinary hotspots, with the expected, like Lebanon, and unexpected, like Azerbaijan. A humbling late discovery for me is Peru, which should be expected for a land that grows 4000 potato varieties. Add another 2000 types of sweet potatoes, a rich coastline and, well, you should have a head start to http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/04/worlds-greatest-unknown-cuisine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-2691560017371933728Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:57:00 +00002009-04-26T16:20:06.361-07:00Chilies are ubiquitous in South Asian vegetable dishes. But in Bhutan, chili is the vegetable. Enter ema datshi, or emma datschi (literally, "chili cheese") dubbed as the national dish of Bhutan. A dish made only on chili and cheese and nothing else sounds downright philistine, it is taunting at me. So, this I have to try. Emma datschi, Bhutanese chili cheese (recipe).The first ingredient, as onehttp://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/03/cooking-bhutanese-where-chili-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390040215407898330.post-5196542073058939844Mon, 23 Mar 2009 05:47:00 +00002009-04-26T16:20:09.382-07:00When I think of Central Asia, my mind goes blank. Nomadic people on horses in dry dusty land, but that's about it. That was what aroused my interest in browsing through Kazakh/Kyrgyz/Uzbeki cuisine. To my surprise, on the list stood Manti, a little dumpling which I was going to experiment as a Turkish dish. Somehow this innocent dumpling made it all the way across the entire continent from Korea http://www.witoelar.com/aree/food/2009/03/little-dumpling-who-could.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Aree)0