A Gift From Friends - Curd Chillies

What happens when you steep green chillies in yoghurt or buttermilk and dry them in the sun? - a pale dry chillie (on the cutting board above) that travels and keeps well - and can become a great garnish or topping.

I spent some time getting acquainted with curd chillies yesterday. Friends gave me a package of them at a dinner on Friday (thanks, Sonja & Jarda!) and I followed their instructions to fry them to a crisp in very hot oil, where they become dark brown (see them in the bowl above) and become ready to use.

Fry up a few at a time and use immediately for the perfect chilli-flake taste to add to dishes, raitas & katchumbars, veggie dishes, toppings for meats and even tacos & pizzas. They're going into my Mario Battali- inspired cauliflower pasta.

It's worth the two minutes of fuss for this concentrated and complex, salty hit of flavour. It's definitely in the category of great kitchen secrets. "How did you get that flavour?" I'm going to throw out those plastic-chip flavoured chilli-flakes that come in a bottle.

Some research on the web helped reassure me about the process. Searching for 'curd chillies' got me into the world of Indian foodblogs which are absolutely delightful. Here's a great article on curd chillies.

Peeled Garlic - Who Would Have Thought...?

When I first saw peeled garlic being sold at grocery stores I thought they were about as useful as sauce-dispensing chopsticks; but for some reason I tried them once and now I'm hooked!


The first picture above shows my strategy for keeping them fresh and ready to use for weeks - yes, WEEKS. I line a zipper bag with a paper towel folded up to form a pouch shape. This seems to regulate the humidity in the bag during temperature fluctuations.

A lot more garlic has been used in this house in the last while - baked, chopped, microplaned and whatever. I'm amazed at how eliminating the peeling has freed me up for more creative endeavours (well, nice thought...).

Taiwanese Mochis - Lychee Flavoured

Oh my! - These are so good! I had to go back to our new T and T store (in the Portlands - Toronto's waterfront) and get another box. They are so addictive! Mind you - I like lychee flavour - and these are so soft, chewy and fresh tasting.

They are sort of like mochi, but they pack a bigger punch of flavour - think 'individually wrapped marshmallows' with a fresh fruity lychee taste.

The box says "Mochi-Litchi" in small letters on the front.

You'll find them in the boxed biscuit and cookie aisle (on the west side of the aisle, up high) and they come in durian flavour also - but I'm a little afraid to try them.

Oscypek Seller in Zakopane (Poland)

I took this picture in Zakopane, Poland - a tourist town in the Tatra Mountains, where there are about 15 oscypek sellers at any given time. I bought some, figuring it was a 'souvenir' sort of food purchase and might be a tourist-friendly version of an historical product.



I soon learned that this smoked sheep's milk cheese is quite traditional, VERY yummy! - and totally authentic unpasteurized cheese product. Check it out on Wikipedia in this great article.

Oscypek is sort of like a firm Haloumi that's been lurking in someone's wood-burning chimney.

Meat Market Illulisat, Kalalit Nunat (Greenland)

Here's some seal meat that was on offer in Illulisat, Greenland when I was ashore in the Arctic, sailing on the Akademik Ioffe. The meat market opens when local meat comes in - and it can vary, although whale and seal are mostly the choices.

Outside the market, what do you get? a street meat wagon! - sigh!

North Shore Sandwiches (Quebec)

Here's something nobody ever tells you about the North Shore of the St. Lawrence River in Quebec; but if you're within 40 klicks of the Saguenay along the coast road, keep your eyes peeled for small hand lettered signs in gas stations or variety stores for 'sandwiches crevettes'.

You'll find very simple sandwiches with the freshest shrimp, mayo and bread you've ever eaten.