Geanine's Jamaican-style lentils

Do any of you have a friend that you always seem to be on the same wavelength with? For me, that friend is my girl Josina, who is Jamaican-Canadian and lives in Paris. During my last couple of years in Paris, she was my partner-in-crime for all kinds of adventures...and what's funny is that we almost always seemed to have the same thoughts at the same time! Once when her mom Geanine was in town visiting from Toronto, they had us over for a delicious Jamaican dinner. Jerk chicken, rice and peas, plantains...it was all wonderful...but what I most remember was this killer dish of lentils stewed in coconut milk and spiced up with the traditional Jamaican flavors of thyme, allspice and Scotch bonnet pepper.

New York eating

As mentioned, I just came home after a fabulous week in New York City! There's really no place on earth like the Big Apple. The energy, the people, the spirit, the food...nothing can beat it, as far as I'm concerned. I enjoyed crisp fall weather (which was surprisingly a nice change from the Bangkok heat and humidity), glorious morning runs in Central Park, the beautiful wedding of our friends Daniela and Pedro at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and OF COURSE lots of good eats with my foodie partner-in-crime The Gastronomic Nomad (and other friends). Here's a look at some of the incredible food that I ate while there...

Tofu and cashew stir-fry (tohu pad met mamaung)

As I post this, I'm wrapping up a wonderful week-long trip to New York City and Atlanta! Even though it was just a very quick trip for the wedding of a dear friend and my dad's birthday and even though I miss Thailand, I must admit that I've been happy to be out of Bangkok for a few days. It's the height of the rainy season and many parts of the country and city are flooded or are flooding on a regular basis. Our area hasn't been affected (as of yet), but nearby roads have. We live on the 20th floor so don't have too much to worry about, but you can imagine all of the annoyances that such a situation can cause, particularly in a city with nightmarish traffic conditions even in good weather.

Savory tom yum pasta

After almost 8 months in Bangkok (where did the time go???!!!), it has unquestionably been a joy to discover the diversity of Thai cuisine and all kinds of new dishes which aren't really known outside of Thailand. Sometimes I have to pinch myself as a reminder that I'm not in some culinary reverie and that all of this incredible food all around us is really for real! We've also enjoyed dining in some of the more fusion style Thai restaurants, which offer a mix of Thai and Western food and some very interesting mixes of the two. Think dishes like green curry spaghetti or spicy linguine with chilies, fresh green peppercorns and basil leaves. This incredibly tasty and ridiculously simple recipe for savory tom yum pasta is inspired by this fusion tradition.

Tandoori paneer tikka (by US Masala)

Who doesn't love paneer, the fresh Indian dish? It's not the healthiest thing in the world but is so versatile and delicious. I love it in all kinds of incarnations, such as palak paneer (which was a hit at this month's Mango Ginger-Mistress of Spices Supper Club), paneer butter masala and shahi paneer as well in my favorite chili paneer samosas. Paneer is also great in tandoori-style preparations, the tandoor being a traditional Indian clay oven which imparts a rich, smoky flavor to food. Paneer tikka cooked tandoori-style is a beloved starter or main dish in Indian restaurants the world over, and so I just had to make this delicious version by Puja of US Masala, one of my favorite Indian food blogs. Like everything on Puja's site, it was a hit! Chunks of paneer, bell peppers, tomato and onion marinated in a spicy yogurt sauce and then roasted in a very hot oven. Simple as can be, but scrumptiously delicious! I made no changes to Puja's recipe other than not roasting the paneer and vegetables on skewers (I rather just placed everything on a foil-lined baking sheet and turned over halfway during the cooking process). Our house smelled so amazing while this was in the oven...we just couldn't wait until it was done to dig in! We enjoyed this with some sweet mango chutney and pickled onions...Puja suggests lemon wedges, onion slices and chaat masala. Try her recipe...you'll love it!

Thai winged bean salad (yam tua plu)

Have you ever had a dish that was so good that you wanted to jump into your bowl or plate and just lap it all up??? This happens to me pretty regularly here in Thailand, and the heavenly salad known as yam tua plu is just the latest example. Tua plu means winged beans in Thai, and it was just recently that I sung the praises of these cute green beans which make cool x-shapes when you chop them and used them in a South Indian-style poriyal. Winged beans are indigenous to tropical climates, and you can find them everywhere here in Thailand. In North America, there are reports of winged bean sightings in Chinatowns and Asian markets of major cities.

Israeli couscous "biryani"

It seems that everyone is on a whole grain kick lately. Quinoa, farro, millet, barley, bulgur...not a day goes by without someone singing the praise of them. Poor old simple white rice has decidedly taken a back seat to these grains as well as its more exotic varieties such as brown, black or wild rice. I love all kinds of whole grains but will be a rice-lover forever...after all, I am South Indian and I do live in Thailand! Somewhere in between these grains and rice comes one of my favorites, Israeli couscous. Called ptitim in Hebrew and maftoul in Arabic, these chewy, pearl-shaped grains don't have much in common with couscous at all, though they are also made of wheat. I have yet to see Israeli couscous here in Thailand, but I tend to pick up a pack of it whenever I'm in the States. At the Dekalb Farmer's Market in Atlanta, I found whole wheat Israeli couscous, which seemed like a healthier and nuttier option, which I figured we would love.