Yam mamuang (green mango salad) with lemongrass

Though it's soon coming up on a year and a half since we've been in Thailand, I still sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming, food-wise (and also beach-wise, sunshine-wise, massage-wise, shopping-wise, rooftop bar-wise and smiling people-wise LOL). There are just no words to describe how amazing Thai food is! And I feel unbelievably lucky to have year-round and cheap access to so much incredible produce that is tough to find and/or very expensive back in Europe or North America...things like tender coconuts, watermelon, pineapples, papayas, Thai basil, lemongrass and of course my ultimate favorite...green mangoes!

Crêpes à la fleur d'oranger (orange blossom crepes) with orange sauce

Back when we lived in France and had visitors from the States, I would badger them to bring me all manner of Mexican/Tex-Mex products. Canned black beans, corn tortillas, tomatillos, chipotle chilies in adobo...you name it...all of these random things were either impossible to find in France or super expensive (6 euros for a can of beans, really?). Now here in Thailand, we can find most of those things at OK prices (an exception being tomatillos...any sightings of them in Thailand, anyone?). But what I miss now are some of the Moroccan and other North African products that were a snap to find in Paris, particularly in the Barbes neighborhood where we lived. So when Luis went to Paris last November, I had him toting back harissa, preserved lemons and feuilles de brick (brick pastry sheets...perfect for samosas!). When our friends Marlene, Fatima and Hassna recently visited, I had similar requests of them, including this time fleur d'oranger (orange blossom water), which is quintessentially North African/Middle Eastern and absolutely wonderful!)

Tomato rice, South Indian style!

Hi, dear friends! My sincere apologies that things have been sooo quiet around here! I really can't believe that it's now been over 2 months without a single post. Let's just say that life has been keeping me very busy (and a bit tired) as of late! And another reason for the silence...my parents were in town, with my mom staying in total for about a month. She took over the kitchen, so I basically didn't do any cooking at all! Though I missed concocting new dishes and sharing them with all of you, I definitely wasn't complaining eating all of her yummy food. Case in point: the classic South Indian tomato rice (known in Tamil as thakkali sadham), one of my all-time favorites, a simple and delicious example of comfort food that you all must try! Like other South Indian prepared rice dishes such as lemon, tamarind or yogurt rice, it's absolutely delicious!

Vegetarian Potstickers

Happy Lunar New Year to all of you! In many parts of Asia, today marks the advent of the Year of the Snake. Though the Thai New Year (Songkran) falls in April, the Chinese New Year as it's often called is a pretty big deal here, particularly among the Thai-Chinese community of which there are many in Bangkok. While we didn't make it to Chinatown to check out the festivities (too much work!), I decided to try my hand at making potstickers for the first time to mark the occasion.

Spicy pumpkin & edamame samosas with sweet chili-yogurt sauce

I have a little confession to make. Shhhh...here it goes....I've never made my own samosa dough. I love making samosas of all different types (such as the traditional potato & pea as well as my special chili paneer version), but I've never bothered with the process of mixing and rolling my own dough. Before you start questioning my Indian girl credentials, let me tell you why. It's all because after I moved to Paris, I discovered the joys of brick pastry, or feuilles de brick. Also known as warka, brick is a wafer-thin pastry dough that originates from the Maghreb (North Africa) but which has become a common supermarket product in France, which is home to many immigrants from this part of the world. Usually sold in circular sheets, brick pastry is usually used to wrap fillings such as meat, tuna or eggs and is typically then fried. I discovered in France that brick pastry is super easy to fold and work with and makes for perfectly light, crispy samosas...just the way I like them! And better yet, samosas made with brick can be baked rather than fried, yielding equally crispy, delicious results without the guilt.