A blog about food, history, data visualization, and more
(Updated 11/26/16: fixed broken links) As a child, I hated bananas. They were always around the house — my sister and brother loved them — and I liked banana bread, but their gluey texture and cloying sweetness repelled me. Nonetheless, when I went to Asia a few months ago, bananas were one of my food […]
Galangal (Alpinia officinarum or A. galanga) is an ingredient that I associate exclusively with Southeast Asia — Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, in particular. I have pounded it into a Thai curry paste, used it in a Malaysian Nonya Laksa, and stir-fried it with garlic, chilies, lemon grass and mixed vegetables. So it was quite a […]
(Updated 10/20/16: new photo, fixed broken links) A few weeks ago, the informative and nicely-varied radio show Good Food (produced by KCRW, Santa Monica; available for streaming and podcasting), had an interview with Toni Patrick, the author of 101 Things to Do with Ramen Noodles. For example, how to use Ramen as a foundation for […]
In Malay, it’s Ais Kacang (literally “ice bean”, sometimes spelled Ais Kachang outside of Malaysia since c is a ch sound in Malay), a refreshing, surprising, slightly creepy dessert. The dessert starts with small scoops of little rice noodles (sometimes flavored with pandanus leaf), red beans, brightly colored jelly bits, and some corn. Next, a […]