Durian Yogurt Cake

Have you had durian? No, not a durian smoothie or a durian ice cream. Not previously-frozen-then-thawed-out-to-make-you-think-it's-fresh durian from your local grocery store in the US either. I mean real durian -- fresh as nature means it to be.

Anything but raw, fresh, never-been-frozen durian should never be considered a true representative of the king of fruits, if you ask me. I believe it’s the tasteless, mushy, previously-frozen durian that is largely responsible for turning off many who actually could have discovered how great this fruit really is. Even I, who love durian enough to make it my last meal on earth, can’t stand frozen durian half the time. But unless you live in Southeast Asia, good quality fresh durian just isn’t an option.

You just have to come to Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, here's one way to make frozen durian more palatable. I personally do not like durian in any form except fresh, but as I stated before in my post on Durian flan, when I use durian in desserts, I tend to go with the applications that allow you to retain as much as possible of the fruit's original custard-like texture.

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Thai Spicy Crispy Catfish (ผัดเผ็ดปลาดุกทอดกรอบ) from Ganda, Los Angeles

The dish as served at Ganda
“Let’s just get right to it,” writes James Oseland. “Ganda, a restaurant in the heart of Hollywood's Thai Town, serves the most authentic Thai food in America.” Coming from someone else, this bold declaration would probably cause any Thai – and I mean those weaned on rice and nam prik – to cock their head to one side and squint while inevitably and involuntarily entering the initial stage of knee-jerk skepticism.

But it so happens that this comes from someone who knows a thing or two about the cuisines of Southeast Asia, and when I read that the editor-in-chief of Saveur ate at this place five days in a row during a visit to Los Angeles, this Thai’s ears perked up.

After her ears had come down – as perked ears are bound to do – she hopped on a plane to California, made three anonymous trips to the restaurant, and sat down for a chat with its owner on her final visit.

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My Favorite Food Items of 2011 from A to Z and Giveaways

The following is the list of my favorite food items of 2011 -- from A to Z. There are a few giveaways at the end of the post. Thank you for hanging out here with me this past year. Happy New Year, everyone!

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Bûche de Noël with Eggnog Ice Cream Cake, Chocolate Streusel, and Butterscotch Sauce by Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy

The day I met Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy, I was allowed to have much more fun than I deserved. We spent an afternoon making beet ice cream. He also let me wander around the kitchen playing with things I wasn’t supposed to, and answered many questions, including dumb ones. He even let me capture with my crummy point-n-shoot camera an impromptu demo on how to form an ice cream quenelle.

It’s been two years since then, and much has changed.

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Thai Tea Fudge

You know how when you're really smitten with someone, you can't hide it from your friends even though you want to, because they see right through how you stammer like a fool when talking about that person, right? Well, this, er, Thai tea fudge, is, um, like, good, like, really, really good -- like the actual tea with condensed milk, except it isn't, you know, liquid and it, well, doesn't come with ice. What I'm, uh, trying to say, is, if you love Thai tea, you'll love this. And, yeah, please make it.

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Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Five: Making Pad Thai

In order for this final post in the Pad Thai recipe series to make sense (or become clear as to why it is sketchy or seems to leave out important details), it is assumed that all of the earlier posts have been read in their entirety. Therefore, if you have not done so, may I please invite you to visit the following posts before continuing?

Pad Thai Recipe Part One: The Pan - In this post, I discuss the importance of choosing the right type and size of Pad Thai pan to create the closest replica of what respectable Pad Thai stalls in Bangkok produce.
Pad Thai Recipe Part Two: The Noodles - In this post, I discuss the right type and size of noodles to use in this dish and how to prepare them.
Pad Thai Recipe Part Three: The Notable Ingredients - In this post, I introduce to you some of the ingredients and garnishes routinely used in street Pad Thai in Bangkok but often omitted at Thai restaurants overseas.
Pad Thai Recipe Part Four: Pad Thai Sauce and Seasonings - In this post, I share my favorite Pad Thai sauce recipe and discuss the seasoning of Pad Thai on and off the stove.

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Pad Thai Recipe (ผัดไทย) - Part Four: Pad Thai Sauce

In this good news-bad news scenario, I've already given you the bad news in Pad Thai Recipe - Part Two in which I opine that it's not the way Pad Thai is seasoned that makes or breaks it; it is how well or how badly the noodles are cooked. And what makes this bad news is that getting the noodles right happens to be the hardest part about Pad Thai. There are too many variables and too many scenarios generated by the combinations of these variables.

The key – and this will be addressed more fully in the final post in the series – is to use heat and moisture in such a way that you end up with well-seasoned noodles that are soft yet chewy and not clumpy, soggy, or tough. This sounds simple, but is not easy. But we’ll leave that for later.

Now the good news.

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Steamed Pumpkin Cake in the Style of Thai Khanom Tan (ขนมตาล)

In the midst of all the uncertainties in my childhood, there was one thing I was sure of: every Saturday at 10:00 am, on the dot, our doorbell would ring. And, unfailingly, the opened front gate would reveal a tiny old lady hawker, Pa ("Auntie") On, who always had on her face a huge grin that unveiled betel-stained teeth speckled with gold fillings and on her shoulder a bamboo stick on which two baskets full of traditional Thai desserts hung.^[1]

With its inhabitants always fully committed to buying enough of her various steamed treats in banana leaf packets to last them a week at a time, Pa On never had to wonder if she'd make a sale at this house. The moment she set her baskets down at the front gate, she knew someone would come out with a wallet and she would depart with her baskets weighing about half of what they did when she’d arrived.

This house was her Destination Unload Point.

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