Tender coconut kheer (elaneer payasam)...and pops!

One of the most wonderful things about living here in Thailand is having ready access to the luscious, tropical fruits and vegetables common to Indian cuisine, which I’d previously done very little cooking with before, always having lived in the cold climates of the U.S. and Europe (I didn’t do much sophisticated cooking during the time I lived in Africa). But here in the warm, humid climate of Southeast Asia (we just came out of one of Bangkok's hottest summers, with high temperatures pushing past the 100F/38C degree mark regularly), I’m re-discovering so many of the wonderful fruits and vegetables that I enjoyed during childhood trips back to India. Things like green mangoes, papayas, guavas…all in plentiful abundance! But without a doubt, tender coconuts are the biggest joy of all!

Izakaya Stadium: Rowdy, delicious, Japanese comfort food at its best!

I know that it might sound a bit scandalous coming from a food lover, but it was only 6 years ago that I had Japanese food for the first time. Crazy, isn't it!? All I knew about Japanese cuisine was sushi, and though friends assured me that there are vegetarian versions as well as a great deal beyond sushi, I was always suspicious. They must sneak fish into the so-called vegetarian maki somehow, I figured. I was pleasantly surprised when visiting friends selected a Japanese restaurant in Paris and I had cucumber and avocado makis for the first time, back in 2006. I later came to find out that most so-called Japanese restaurants in Paris aren't Japanese but rather run by Chinese or Koreans. Luckily, there were some more authentic options, particularly around Rue Sainte Anne in the 1st arrondissement, where I discovered ramen, yakisoba and other Japanese noodle dishes and soups.

Au revoir, Paris: My best food memories of the City of Light

“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for all of Paris is a moveable feast.”

-- Ernest Hemingway, 1950 -- 

As most of you know by now, my husband Luis and I packed up our suitcases and moved from Paris to Bangkok...it was actually exactly four months ago today. It was a huge change for both of us, particularly for Luis who had been in the City of Light for 18 years! I clocked in almost six, and although I sometimes had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the city, it had most certainly become home. Paris gave me some of the most special years of my life (I turned 30 there!) as well as the man I love, some of the best friends ever, an incredible professional life and limitless opportunities to travel and discover the world. It was also in Paris that The Mistress of Spices was born and where I think my love of food took on new dimensions. I started writing up this top 10 list of my best food memories when we were still there, but the demands of packing and moving meant that I never got around to posting. But mieux vaut tard que jamais...so here I am posting it four months later from Bangkok where the list is even more poignant, with these undoubtedly being the top 10 food-related things that I now MISS about the City of Light.

Caribbean pineapple chutney

When I moved back to Washington DC in November 2004 after a couple of months of working in various parts of Africa, I had a bit of a tough time finding a job. Despite all the interesting experience that I'd amassed, it turned out that jobs in the international education field were tough to come by at that particular time in DC, and I had to scrape by doing various consulting assignments and part-time jobs. It wasn't the easiest time, but I did have a lot of fun during those seven months. Among my many gigs was a one-month stint as a server at Ginger Cove/Reef, a now-defunct but wonderful Caribbean restaurant in downtown DC run by the Jamaican restaurateur couple Jimmie & Sharon Banks.

Speedy corn salsa à la Chipotle

Every time that we go to the States, one of our first stops is always at Chipotle, the ubiquitous and much-loved burrito chain. My order is almost always the same - a burrito bowl (minus the tortilla) with the delicious cilantro-lime rice, black beans, grilled veggies, guacamole, cheese or sour cream (never both, so I feel less guilty), some of the tomatillo-red chile salsa and the delicious corn salsa. Not light or healthy by any means, but always always good and just what I need to feel back at home in the USA!

Risotto puttanesca

I haven’t traveled extensively in Italy, and the few trips that I’ve made have been limited to the more 

touristic spots – Rome, Venice and Capri. I loved all of them though…and this was in no small 

measure because of the wonderful food! One of my favorite Italian dishes that I would always seek 

out was pasta with puttanesca sauce, which is a spicy tomato sauce spiked up with red chili flakes, 

anchovies, black olives and capers. According to my friend Elisabeth over at Food and Thrift Finds, 

puttanesca was named after the puttanas, or working girls as they say. Legend has it that they were 

so busy with their...um...work...that they never had time to make a proper meal and just threw a 

bunch of things together into a pasta sauce. Puttanesca sauce is thus all about making do with the 

ingredients that you have on hand...now, that's my kind of sauce!