Atakilt wat (Ethiopian carrot, potato & cabbage)

I love Bangkok. I really do. It's a wonderful place to live. But I'd be lying if I said I don't miss the multicultural aspect of the cities where I've lived before, like Washington and Paris. Oh sure, this is a cosmopolitan metropolis with people from all over the world. There's amazing local and international food from all over, and I really feel like a spoiled brat for saying anything even remotely negative. Well, almost. Some of the many cuisines I love, such as Moroccan/Algerian, Salvadoran, Senegalese, Turkish and West Indian, are missing here. Ditto for Ethiopian food, which was one of my favorite foods back when I lived in DC, which has the world's largest Ethiopian population outside of the country, with its own Little Addis and everything. I used to love going to restaurants like Dukem, Etete and Meskerem, filling up on this wonderfully spicy, vegetarian-friendly cuisine which is not so unlike our own Indian food.

Mango-orange blossom muffins with chia seeds

Hmmm, it would seem that I've been on a mango kick lately judging from the past couple of things I've posted. And now this! You can't really blame me, it's mango season here in Thailand (it's also lychee season, meaning it's probably my favorite time of year save the heat!). Even though I think Indian mangoes beat the hell out of their Thai counterparts (objectively speaking, of course!), with all of the ripe and juicy mangoes filling our fridge, it was just a matter of time before they appeared in some kind of baked good. I remembered these delicious mango cardamom muffins that I'd made from a recipe seen ages ago in Cooking Light and decided to change them up a little...

Soba noodle salad with eggplant, mango & tofu

Apologies once again for the long silence! But rest assured, dear fellow spice-lovers, that there are good reasons behind it! I have been cooking a fair bit, but these days I'm testing out recipes from cookbooks and some of my favorite blogs rather than being very creative myself. One of the cookbooks I'd been dying to cook from is Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, which along with his Jerusalem (co-authored by Sami Tamimi) were gifted to me by Luis on my iPad. Plenty is an ode to vegetables, all kinds of wonderful vegetables, and the global dishes that make use of them (many of which are featured at the Ottolenghi restaurants in London). I'd had my eye on this soba noodle salad with eggplant and mango for the longest time. I mean how could I not, given this delicious combination of flavors (and it doesn't hurt that it's now mango season here in Thailand)! Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat. They are packed with nutrients, and for an added boost of protein I added some fried tofu to my salad (lightly sauteed or pan-fried would work well too). Make this on a Sunday and you'll have a big batch for lunches all week. It would also be great for your summer picnics and BBQs!