In Bali, I tried a fabulous drink. Surprisingly, it was the first time I’d tasted ginger tea. This sweet, spicy drink is also supposed to remedy colds, sore throats and indigestion.
And it’s really easy to make:
Store in the refrigerator. Try iced next time.
Sliced ginger
Lemon ginger tea
This evening, a short walk along the Nusa Dua beach revealed a small, open-air restaurant accompanied with traditional Indonesian music performed by a three person ensemble. The establishment appeared rundown, and… well, it’s probably fortunate the darkness masked what I’m somewhat confident would equate to several food safety violations. The two lizards and humungous beetle crawling on the wall above the drink station echoed the same conclusion. But, the entire ambiance felt like a welcomed departure from the touristy atmosphere associated with this region of Bali.
The chicken & pork satay sticks were my favorite. Ever.
They served the satay over a small, cast iron grill containing charcoal made from dried coconut shells. It provided a smoky and slightly charred flavor. And because the meat remained hot during the entire meal, each stick tasted as tasty as the first.
Satay over hot coals
After five years of playing fantasy football, I’ve finally taken first place. And it’s about time! You’d think that with all my invested effort year after year, I’d do better than my annual standing in the middle of the pack. But, no. Well this season was different. And…
I think I’ve figured out the secret recipe for FFB success:
Mix all ingredients and pour into pressure cooker. Bake for five months.
* warning, contents maybe become addictive
Scoreboard in FFB Championship Game
My first package, while living in Singapore, arrived today. Oatmeal soap direct from Newberg, Oregon. My friend Becky made it last month and offered a give-away on her blog. Of course I signed up for a bar, not really expecting her to ship it to the other side of the world. But, she did. Yeah!
And, it’s great soap. How do I order another bar?
Package from Newberg, OR
Oatmeal Soap
Squeeky Clean
One of our Thailand trip highlights… Pum’s Cooking School. The Patong Beach location integrates a Thai cooking experience with the actual restaurant and you get to cook in the same kitchen as the chefs preparing food for patrons. For the class, several packages are available, but we settled on the “Little Shoes” class that included instruction for three dishes. I chose to learn to cook Mussman curry with chicken, Phad Phak Med Memaung, and Phad Thai. All some of my favorites.
To begin, Pum reviewed the most popular herbs, spices and vegetables commonly found in Thai cooking. What the difference between Thai basil and regular basil? Which chilies go in each variety of curry? Is it okay to substitute ginger for galangal? All things that Pum answered.
Making curry paste
She also taught a quick lesson on some basic Thai ingredient and cooking word translations. Sure makes it easier to read a Thai menu now:
Mussman curry with chicken
To prepare the curry paste, we mixed several ingredients together in the mortar: red chilies, galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, Thai shallot, salt, Thai sweet basil and vegetable oil. Next, we smashed all the ingredients together into a paste with the pestle. Pum instructed that it should make a sound like “Buk, buk”, not “Tuk, tuk”. Otherwise you are doing it wrong and not smashing the ingredients correctly.
Finally, to complete the curry recipie, the curry paste was mixed into a pot with sliced chicken, coconut milk, water, vegetable oil, fish sauce, sugar, green beans, and kaffir lime leaves. Stir until warm and serve.
It tasted so good!
Pum was a great instructor and really made cooking fun. She tries to make Thai food simple and easy, while using all-natural ingredients. We learned Thai cooking should be “happy and healthy”.
Oh ya, she also gave us a copy of her cookbook.
Phad Phak Med Memaung
Pum & Greg
Standing behind the steamer
Pum & Debra
Koh Panyi Island
We visited a small Muslim ‘floating’ sea village connected to Koh Panyi Island, located off the coast of Phang-nga. The village has an ornate mosque built on the island, while the rest of the town is constructed on stilts above the water. Approximately two thousand people live in the village.
Some dwellings seemed fairly sturdy, but many looked less so. I kept thinking a large whitecap during a storm would send a few buildings into the sea.
Anyway, it was an interesting place to visit, but it mostly it felt like a destination that sacrificed its authenticity years ago in favor of tourism. Withstanding that, we really enjoyed our Thai lunch.
Homes on stilts
Not looking so sturdy
Some rice and drying chili peppers
