Author Archives: David Dettmann

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About David Dettmann

Food obsessed and frequently nostalgic.

“Big plate chicken” spice pack from Urumchi

Posted on July 16, 2014 by David Dettmann

I’m not big on non-perishables that are loaded with chemicals and preservatives.  I really appreciate fresh ingredients and the time taken to produce a beautiful stew.  That said, I couldn’t resist this very unusual find today at a local market … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Central Asia/Uyghur food, Chinese food | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Purslane, fried as vegetable

Posted on July 15, 2014 by David Dettmann

I came across this vegetable recently in a local store.  It is known as purslane in English, machixian (馬齒莧) in Mandarin, and semiz otu in Turkish—I provide these names as I know of its culinary use in China and Turkey … Continue reading →

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Long peppers found

Posted on July 14, 2014 by David Dettmann

I have been looking for this spice for quite some time.  Online references imply that it should be easily found at South Asian markets.  I finally ended up finding it at a local North Philly Cambodian market. This spice is … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Cambodian food, Central Asia/Uyghur food, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Yellow figs from Xinjiang and Turkey

Posted on July 13, 2014 by David Dettmann

I was surprised to come across yellow figs at a local market several weeks ago.  I was used to having a double-take every time I saw dried Chinese chestnuts (they look quite similar), but alas we really do now have … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Central Asia/Uyghur food, Turkish food | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Lanzhou pulled noodles and “secret” ingredients

Posted on July 13, 2014 by David Dettmann

For those who have experienced it, a trip to a hand-pulled noodle (lamian 拉面 in Mandarin) shop is a culinary highlight of China.  Often these shops are named after their product: “beef noodles”(牛肉面), or “Lanzhou pulled noodles” (兰州拉面). In China, … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Chinese food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments