Category Archives: – Featured Food Discoveries

Sweet preserved daikon and Pad Thai

Posted on September 26, 2015 by David Dettmann

Pad Thai (ผัดไทย literally “Thai-style fry”) is one of the most popular and best known dishes in the genre of Thai cooking, both in Thailand and abroad. The name of this dish comes from a time of nation-building for Thailand, … Continue reading →

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A Mongolian favorite: stew-fried noodles with mutton

Posted on July 24, 2015 by David Dettmann

Tsuivan цуйван (“tswee-wen”), or what I am calling “Mongolian stew-fried noodles”, is a national favorite in Mongolia. It isn’t a primary celebratory food, or a fancy thing that you would take your date out to a restaurant for. It is … Continue reading →

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Ulaanbaatar post #3: A tribute to Mongolian “greasy-spoon” eateries

Posted on July 23, 2015 by David Dettmann

Chances are, traditional Mongolian foods are totally unlike what you imagine them to be. Taiwanese, Chinese, and American Mongolian Barbecue and Mongolian hot pot chain restaurants have done plenty to influence the global popular imagination of what Mongolian food is … Continue reading →

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Spicy pickled cowpeas and leftovers for breakfast

Posted on July 9, 2015 by David Dettmann

For me, breakfast is an important meal. I’m not big on cereal or doughnuts or the like however. Ever since my time living in Thailand, I adopted the habit of eating leftovers, fried rice, noodles, or random things on toast. … Continue reading →

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Southern Thai-style curried okra

Posted on July 6, 2015 by David Dettmann

Today’s ingredient isn’t super exotic. Okra is of course widely available in the US. Okra looked particularly good at my local Cambodian market, and it became today’s breakfast. This recipe comes from a beautiful Thai language cookbook that I found … Continue reading →

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The pleasures of Bustleton Ave, or, “amazing Uzbek and Georgian food finds in Northeastern Philadelphia”

Posted on July 3, 2015 by David Dettmann

Today I have another travelogue for you. This time it is of several Russian markets and Uzbek restaurants of Northeastern Philadelphia. NE Philly, particularly the neighborhoods of Bustleton and Somerton, is home to a huge population of fairly recently arrived … Continue reading →

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

Cured kudampuli fruit and Kerala-style fish curry

Posted on July 2, 2015 by David Dettmann

Several months ago I found a South Indian market (Kashmir Garden–interesting name for a market specializing in Tamil and Malayali cooking…) in Northeastern Philadelphia. Among my finds there of unique chile peppers, I also brought home a cured sour fruit … Continue reading →

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Thai coconut pancake cups – Khanom khrok

Posted on June 9, 2015 by David Dettmann

This weekend I attempted to replicate a popular Thai street food at home, Khanom khrok ขนมครก (literally mortar-shaped snacks). I drastically underestimated how easy this would be, especially since I was using a pre-mixed powder from Thailand. Using the cooking … Continue reading →

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Turpan raisins in Chinatown

Posted on May 17, 2015 by David Dettmann

We have yet another import from the Uyghur homeland of Xinjiang available here in Philadelphia. These are raisins from Turpan, a city particularly well known for its sweet fruit (including grapes and melons). I found these at the newly reborn … Continue reading →

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Oyster mushrooms and Lao style roasted mushroom dip

Posted on May 13, 2015 by David Dettmann

I’ve once again drawn on influences from my newly acquired Northern Lao cookbook with this dish, part of the genre of Lao/Thai dips called jaew ແຈ່ວ/แจ่ว. I’ve previously blogged on one such favorite, jaewbong. Today’s iteration is made from roasted … Continue reading →

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