You cannot be Filipino and not love sinigang. For that reason alone, rasam would be tops on a Filipino’s list of favorite Indian foods. Rasam is what I make in the cold season, when I don’t have fish or meat in the freezer and yet I’m longing for something hot and sour, to sip and savor. My favorite rasam comes from Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran. I have varied the ingredients from time to time based on what I had, or other rasam recipes I’ve found on the ‘net. And now I have a confession to make — sometimes when I’m lazy I use Filipino sinigang broth powder in the base. Or I start out making traditional rasam, but use the sinigang mix to adjust the sourness of the broth. (Just thinking about... [Read more]

This was a recipe adapted from Susanna Foo’s cookbook. It’s quite surprising, the use of thyme and tomato — ingredients you don’t usually see in Chinese cuisine. However, curiosity got the better of me and I tried it anyway. While this is a dish that’s easy enough to tackle on a hot summer evening, I would much rather have tried the soy sauce-rice wine-black vinegar of which Ms. Foo speaks in her notes. This one was just too much an amalgam of stuff that none of the individual elements stood out in the end, unlike Chinese dishes where certain things pop out at you: SWEETNESS! HEAT! Nothing like that happens here. This may be a good introductory recipe, though, for someone just beginning to cook/eat Asian... [Read more]

My crisper had nothing that evening but some lettuce, avocadoes and green onions. So I thought — perfect! We’ll have a green salad! Doesn’t make for a very good picture here as you can see, but it did make for some good eating. 1/4 cup miso of your choice 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons yuzu juice 1 tablespoon soy sauce 3 tablespoons Vegenaise or mayonnaise salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste Salad greens and veggies of your choice Combine everything in a bowl; whisk until smooth and creamy. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, then pour it on! [Read more]

The new Uncle Yip’s location on Reading Road in Evendale is now open. This was their old place from a few years back, but now they’re occupying the adjacent space as well, doubling the dining area. They are also very pleased that this location has more windows, and therefore more natural light, by the diner’s tables. It looks like they’ve upgraded their lazy susans as well. Everything is bright and clean, with a red wall adding a much needed splash of color. The friendly and accommodating customer service has not changed at all. It’s also only a block away from Cincinnati Asia Market and just next door is Tokyo Foods, so you’re tired and hungry from shopping you can pop by Uncle Yip’s before heading... [Read more]

A fascinating and engaging look at one woman’s journey, through sushi academy and beyond. Interspersed between the paragraphs holding Kate Murray’s story are names, figures, facts. Trevor Corson covers most everything to do with sushi, and more besides: its history, techniques used, varieties of fish, etc. Nothing is more interesting than reading about people — and Kate’s experiences and misadventures will hold your interest throughout. That one could find such a root-for character in the pages of a book that also talks about the sushi restaurant industry, its sexist leanings, the academy’s oftentimes brutal training methods and its casualties, is a delight. There are moments that disgust, and moments that... [Read more]