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!