Just thought of sharing with you this clever idea I read from Cyndi’s blog. For Asian cooking aficionados like me, I would probably substitute the herbs with coriander, cilantro, Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, etc.

This makes for a good gift idea! Don’t you think? Or a DIY marvel! Customise the herbs you want in your pot. But if I were you, I would suggest putting name tags. I can easily confuse one herb for the other.
Image credit: www.harryanddavid.com

Check out this website I stumbled upon. Isn’t it clever to have your supply of Asian food products delivered to you?! Pardon my excitement but this is the first time I learned about its existence. I sometimes find it quite troublesome to schedule a trip to the Asian food store after I do my grocery-shopping, especially if you don’t live anywhere near one. And when I do find the time, I splurge like there’s no tomorrow! From Chippy to frozen Bangus to Ma-ling! Anything for a taste of home! Sigh..

I still remember the time when I was a newly-wed, grocery-shopping and cooking felt like going to school for the first time, without my mom to accompany me. I recall making sure the cupboard had an ample supply of the essentials: fish sauce, soy sauce and vinegar. If you chance upon a Filipino household, you’re sure to find these. Add to that, some shrimp paste too! But after some time, cooking became second nature to me. Moreover, my taste and my husband’s leaned towards Asian cuisine. When we used to have those lazy nights (and we still do!), we order …read more

Kombu or Konbu is the name for a group of Japanese seaweeds of the genus Laminaria. There are several kinds of kombu, Laminaria angustata (mitsuishi kombu) and Laminaria ochotensis (Rishiri kombu) being utilized the most for making soup stocks. Kombu is rich in naturally occurring monosodium gulatamate. I’m tempted to write more about MSG, the fifth taste or umami, and molecular gastronomy, but I will reserve that for another post. For now, let’s focus on kombu and how this single ingredient can revolutionize your cooking.