Wild mushroom risotto with comté cream and port wine reduction

Merry Christmas everyone! Following a lovely Christmas Eve dinner last night, we're now headed down south to spend a few days at the beach in Phuket and Khao Lak. It might seem an odd way to celebrate the holidays, but trust me, the Christmas spirit is alive and well here in Bangkok and Thailand in general! Despite it being a Buddhist country, Christmas lights, trees and music are everywhere. With the local penchant for anything bling, parts of the city look positively like Times Square, and the malls all seem to be packed with holiday shoppers and parents bringing their little ones to see Santa Claus. All that's missing is the snow (although last night it was almost chilly at 20C/68F), hot chocolate and chestnuts roasting on an open fire!

Mexican-style shakshuka

I admit it. I'm a real sucker for Mexican-style or Tex-Mex brunch items. It must be my Texas upbringing, but to me the ideal morning would start with some huevos rancheros or migas, preferably with a side of refried beans and a light, fruity agua fresca (like my watermelon basil chile one) to drink. Ever since I heard about shakshuka, a Middle Eastern/North African dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomato, onion, chili and spices, I just knew that I would have to make a Mexican-style shakshuka sometime. In Israel, shakshuka is apparently such a popular dish that it's eaten at all times of day and is said to be a strong contender for the country's most loved dish. So I figured that it could only be better Mexican-style, with the tastes of cumin and smoky chili incorporated into the sauce.

Macau: A little bit of Portugal in Asia

Back in the middle of October, we made a long weekend getaway to Macau. Nestled in the South China sea and at the tip of the Guangdong province of China, talk about a fascinating place! Our main purpose in going (beyond checking out the food, architecture and culture) was to attend the annual Festival da Lusofonia, a celebration of music and culture from all of the world's Portuguese-speaking countries. Macau, in case you didn't know, was a former Portuguese colony and was administered by Portugal from the mid-16th century to 1999, when it was transferred to China as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) (following neighboring Hong Kong which was transferred in 1997). As per the agreement between China and Portugal, Portuguese is still one of the official languages of Macau (Cantonese and English are the others), and Portuguese culture (including food) is everywhere there! Despite its status as one of the world's gambling capitals and the blingy casinos everywhere (now making more revenue than Las Vegas even!), parts of Macau look and feel exactly like Lisbon, with tiled streets, old Portuguese churches and squares and nooks and crannies that would make you think you were in the Bairro Alto or Alfama rather than anywhere in Asia (just check out the photos below...some taken by Luis):

Thai stir-fried eggplant with basil (phat makeua yao)

After a lovely few days in Koh Samui (which was only slightly marred by a major rupture of the island's only power source which left it without electricity for 3 days, a first in 15 years!) and two weeks of almost nonstop eating out, I was dying to get back into the kitchen and make some simple, wholesome and spicy dishes. Eating out in Bangkok - be it on the street or in proper restaurants - is wonderful, but for me nothing can really beat a home-cooked meal. And contrary to popular belief, cooking Thai food at home doesn't have to be difficult. While there are some dishes which are quite complex to prepare, requiring many steps and ingredients which may not be readily available in non-tropical climates, other Thai dishes are a flash to make! Stir-fried eggplant with basil (known in Thai as phat makeua yao) is the ultimate example. Ridiculously easy, quick and yet delicious and packed with flavor!

Bangkok Thanksgiving!

So dear friends...it has been ages! My apologies for having neglected my blogging duties for so long! Between an insanely busy month at work, travels and a lovely two-week visit by the Gastronomic Nomad, things have just been really, really busy. This doesn't mean of course that I haven't been cooking (and eating!), and I do have lots of exciting recipes and experiences to share with you in the weeks to come. One particular highlight was Thanksgiving, our first one here in Bangkok. With three chefs in the kitchen (Luis, the Gastronomic Nomad and myself), I would say that we rustled up quite the feast for a crowd of 20 or so friends! Here's a little peak at some of it. As usual when hosting a dinner party, I didn't have time to take many photos so thanks to the Gastronomic Nomad, Nett and other friends who did!