Author Archives: David Dettmann

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About David Dettmann

Food obsessed and frequently nostalgic.

Flowering garlic chives

Posted on December 11, 2014 by David Dettmann

Many Chinese vegetables available at the markets are sold in multiple forms and maturities. Vegetables that are going into flower are also appreciated and are usually labeled with an indication with a final word or character hua 花. Today’s item … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Chinese food | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Deep-fried Thai snakeskin gourami

Posted on December 8, 2014 by David Dettmann

Snakeskin gourami found! I puzzled over this fish during a recent browse through the freezer section of my local Cambodian market. It was labeled “Marinated gourami”. I wasn’t sure if that meant it was fermented or what. I am pleased … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Green papaya and papaya salads

Posted on December 7, 2014 by David Dettmann

A regular meal at our house is green papaya salad, usually eaten together with roasted meats, lettuce, pork skin, and sticky rice. In Thai it is known as somtam (literally “pounded sour”).  In Isaan and Laos it is known as … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Recipes, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ivy gourd leaves and a simple clear soup

Posted on December 6, 2014 by David Dettmann

In Southeast Asian cooking traditions of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, a wide variety of leaves, vines, and flowers are used for cooking that are little known for culinary purposes elsewhere.  Ivy gourd leaves are one such delicious variety of edible … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Recipes, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yibin yacai in Sichuan-style stir fry dishes

Posted on November 23, 2014 by David Dettmann

I was pleased to find the full-sized Sichuan preserved vegetable yacai 芽菜 recently at the underground market in Philadelphia’s Chinatown (Asia Supermarket 亞洲超級市場).  Yacai has long been available in US Asian markets, but I was only aware of the pre-chopped … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Chinese food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thai rotten bean sheets and sour spare rib soup with greens

Posted on November 10, 2014 by David Dettmann

I am back in Philly after a fulfilling two-week visit to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.  More posts are still to come on Ulaanbaatar/Mongolia food themes, but for now it is time to return to Philadelphia-based posts. After coming back to the states, … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Ulaanbaatar post #2: Korean UB

Posted on November 8, 2014 by David Dettmann

In last week’s post I mentioned that Korean staple food items could be found not only at Ulaanbaatar’s specialty “Asian Markets”, but also at “regular” grocery stores all around the city.  That was probably an understatement. Items such as kimchi, … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Guides, Korean food, Mongolian food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Asian Markets of Ulaanbaatar

Posted on November 1, 2014 by David Dettmann

Greetings from the land of the great blue sky! Over the next few weeks I’ll have a series of posts from here in Mongolia’s capital city of Ulaanbaatar, and its environs. Food shopping here is very interesting, and in recent … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Guides, Central Asia/Uyghur food, Chinese food, Mongolian food | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Urad dal and dal makhani

Posted on October 15, 2014 by David Dettmann

Dal can refer to the types of pulses from all over South Asia, and it can also refer to a soup made from those beans and lentils.  Soups with lentils or beans are economical and protein-rich, are popular all over … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, - Featured Markets, - Recipes, Indian food | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fresh mangosteens and rambutans

Posted on October 12, 2014 by David Dettmann

For those out there who have been to Southeast Asia, fruit is something you likely miss dearly if you are now elsewhere.  For me, Guangzhou was a perfect introduction to many fruits, at a time when food in China was … Continue reading →

Posted in - Featured Food Discoveries, Malay/Indonesian food, Thai/Lao food | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments