Author: Kathy Hunt

What’s Cooking in Cambodia?

Published by Kathy Hunt

Ask that question 30 years ago and the answer would be far different than it is today. Ravaged by the Vietnam War and the reign of the Khmer Rouge, folks there were focused on basic survival, not on crafting their country’s cuisine. Yet, in spite of years of deprivation and starvation, Cambodians have persevered to create some of the most flavorful and freshest foods around. Last Friday I learned this firsthand by spending the day with a Khmer chef from Siem Reap, Cambodia’s Tara Angkor Hotel. Since Cambodian cooking focuses on fresh, local ingredients, we took a tuk tuk to the market to pick up the provisions for our meal. Lemongrass, galangal root, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric, onions, string beans and sweet potatoes all made their way into our basket. Along with garlic the first four ingredients would appear in both the curry chicken and amok trey, or freshwater fish amok, that we’d make. Pounded together into a paste, this aromatic mixture is known as kroeung. A distinctly Cambodian or Khmer flavoring, it’s used in …

Taste of Vietnam

Published by Kathy Hunt

For me Vietnam has never meant cuisine. Born at the end of the Vietnam – or, as they call it in Vietnam, “the American” – War, I’ve long been fascinated by that war and this Indochinese country. The food? It just didn’t captivate me the same way that the history and culture did. Yet, the more time I spend here, the more I grow to appreciate the background, flavors and techniques of Vietnamese cooking. Eat in Vietnam and you eat with my nemesis, chopsticks. I have 1,000 years of Chinese occupation to thank for the popularity of these tricky utensils. Along with chopsticks the Chinese also introduced rice cultivation, stir-frying, beef and bean curd to the Vietnamese. Without their influence there would be no pho (rice noodle soup), congee (creamy rice soup), banh cuon (rice rolls) or stir fried meals of any kind. Guess I can forgive them for the chopsticks. China wasn’t the only country to have an impact on Vietnamese cooking. Nearly a century of French rule resulted in affinities for beer, baguettes, …

Market Fresh in Vietnam

Published by Kathy Hunt

Although I’ve been in Vietnam less than a week, already I’m addicted to market shopping. Found in every city and town, the cho, or market, serves as a one-stop shopping spot for the locals and for me. Forget Western-style grocery stores, which you won’t find anyhow. If you need a new shirt, frying pan, necklace, pound of onions or fresh shrimp, just drop by the local market. In Ho Chi Minh City I’ve spent hours at the Ben Thanh Market. Built by the French in 1914, this enclosed shopping mall was originally called Les Halles Central. If you’re familiar with Paris or French history, you might recognize the name for Paris also had a Les Halles or “central market halls.” With over 100 vendors in place Ben Thanh is unquestionably the main market hall for HCMC. What have I found at Ben Thanh? Chopsticks. Chinese-style dresses. Quirky t-shirts. Men’s polos. Silk purses and cellphone holders. Coffee, tea and spices. And that’s just the some of the dried goods, textiles and general merchandise. If so inclined, …

The Pleasures of a Potpie

Published by Kathy Hunt

During weeks when I’m juggling deadlines and a dozen other things I lack both the time and desire to make fussy, time consuming meals. Since I can’t, or shouldn’t, order take-out every night, I turn to the time-pressed cook’s friend, the potpie. With potpies I simply plunk fish, chicken or vegetables into a pie crust, place a starchy topping over them and slide the concoction into the oven. In less than an hour I end up with something wholesome and filling for dinner — a pie cooked in a pot, or so to speak. Obviously, I’m not the first to cut corners with potpies. Indigenous to Northern Europe, this tasty dish has been popular since at least the 14th century. Although long reviled for their cuisine, the British have created a lengthy list of delicious, albeit sometimes quirky, potpies. Pies featuring goose, eel, game, steak and kidney, ham and egg, pork with anchovy paste, and cod, flounder or whiting fill the pages of countless British cookbooks. Although the traditional potpie consists of both top and …

Warm Bread and Honey Cake

Published by Kathy Hunt

Whether in Rome, Italy or Rome, New York, there will come a day when you find a to-die-for bread, cake or pastry, one that will linger on your palate and in your memory. If you’re like me, you may pester the baker until he shares his recipe. If that doesn’t work, you may end up rifling through stacks of country/region-specific cookbooks, searching for the secrets to that magical treat. With Warm Bread and Honey Cake (Interlink Books, 2009) food historian Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra spares me from the harassment and the hours of research. Her book showcases the best baked goods from around the globe. Everything from savory Turkish simits and Colombian pan de quesos to sweet Chilean apple cake and Caribbean coconut bread appears within this comprehensive book. As someone who owns a ridiculous number of cookbooks, I’ve had to stop buying titles indiscriminately. Yet I still picked up a copy of Warm Bread and Honey Cake. What ultimately sold me were the chapters on flatbreads and yeast bread, cakes and rolls. When in Turkey, I …

Oyster Shooter for an Oyster Lover’s Holiday

Published by Kathy Hunt

Forget chocolate and champagne. This Valentine’s Day it’s all about oysters. With their rough, irregular shells and mottled, gray-green coloring, oysters may not seem like the sexiest looking fare. Yet, they have long been considered one of the world’s foremost aphrodisiacs. Ever since the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, rose from the sea in an oyster shell, folks have equated this bivalve with love. The most coveted of all mollusks, oysters have been culinary darlings for centuries. Their heyday came in the 19th century when quantities were high and costs were low. At that time diners in North America and Great Britain consumed them as if there was no tomorrow. A slew of oyster-based dishes, including Oysters Rockefeller and Oysters Bienville, came into being. Whether eaten on the half-shell or in a prepared dish, folks just couldn’t get enough of those delectable shellfish. Unsurprisingly, overconsumption led to shortages and higher prices. Fortunately, the oyster market has rebounded. Now farmed rather than gathered in the wild, their numbers remain high while their costs stay relatively low. …

Authentic Mexican

Published by Kathy Hunt

Often I can spin a good yarn about my introduction to a cuisine — that first bite of a warm, soft, sugar-dusted crepe on the frost-covered steps of Paris’s Sacre Coeur or the initial, swoon-inducing sip of sweet mint tea in the chaotic main square of Marrakech. Unfortunately, my early experiences with Mexican food aren’t quite as romantic. That life-changing taste of guacamole came not from a bustling taqueria in the Yucatan but at a nondescript Chi Chi’s in Youngstown, Ohio. While neither exotic nor terribly authentic, it kicked off a lifelong love of Mexican fare. Now, when I crave this cuisine, I reach for Rick Bayless’s Authentic Mexican (William Morrow, 2007). Originally published in 1987, this classic cookbook provided me with my first, real taste of Mexican cooking. Before writing Authentic Mexican, chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless and his wife spent years living, traveling, eating and cooking in Mexico. While there, he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional, regional foods. It’s knowledge that he shares easily in this 384-page tome. Whether you’re a seasoned …

Food Fit for Pharoahs

Published by Kathy Hunt

As a child, I dreamt of becoming an international correspondent, dodging bullets to get the story that would change the world for the better. Instead of global strife I’ve ended up with a safer beat, covering culinary trends. Every now and then, though, my childhood fantasy collides with my adult reality and a place that I’ve visited or topic on which I’ve reported shoots to the top of the day’s headlines. Such is the case with Egypt. Last fall I spent several weeks in this ancient North African land. During my stay I talked to locals about politics, education, and, of course, food. Strangely enough, I had known the least about the cuisine. Although I had researched it before leaving, I had found little on that topic for Egyptian cuisine often gets lumped under the heading of Middle Eastern or Mediterranean cooking. While both in the Middle East and along the Mediterranean, Egypt nonetheless possesses its own distinct flavors and history. Take, for instance, ful medammes. This traditional dish of fava beans dates back to …

Matthew Kenney’s Mediterranean Cooking

Published by Kathy Hunt

Long before he became the king of raw foods, NY chef and restaurateur Matthew Kenney wrote a highly approachable cookbook on Mediterranean cuisine. Filled with vibrant photos, stories and recipes, Matthew Kenney’s Mediterranean Cooking (Chronicle Books, 1997) took readers on a culinary journey through such colorful countries as Morocco, Spain and Lebanon. It’s a trip that I’ve taken many times for Matthew Kenney’s Mediterranean Cooking is yet another beloved cookbook on my kitchen shelf. So often Mediterranean cookbooks focus on a few countries; France, Italy and Greece usually are the standard ones. Yet, in Kenney’s book, less familiar but no less extraordinary places such as Tunisia and Turkey also have their day. Sure I can still find Greek moussaka, French ragout and Italian biscotti but I can likewise locate recipes for Lebanese kibbeh, Turkish lamb dumplings and Tunisian couscous salad. In Matthew Kenney’s Mediterranean Cooking the known and the exotic come together for some fabulous meals. Kenney’s recipes combine a variety of countries’ signature ingredients, creating highly flavorful, aromatic dishes. For example, Italy’s salsa verde …

Around the Globe with Stroganoff

Published by Kathy Hunt

Tonight I’m headed to a potluck dinner that focuses on family heritage and local, seasonal ingredients. To a certain extent I have the local ingredients covered for, since Christmas, I’ve been growing a small garden of oyster and shiitake mushrooms. These homegrown gems will star in mushroom stroganoff, a meat-free take on my mother’s beloved beef stroganoff recipe. In terms of heritage I’m a bit off the mark with stroganoff. As its name may indicate, this dish hails from Russia. In fact, it reputedly was named for the 19th century Russian military commander and diplomat Count Pavel Stroganov. As you might guess, none of my ancestors came from Russia. Most were French with a few Irish, English and Welsh men thrown into the mix. So, how did this Russian meal of sautéed sliced tenderloin, onions and mushrooms blanketed in a sour cream sauce become a recurrent offering at our French-Anglo dinner table? How indeed. Today many culinary historians attribute the creation of beef stroganoff to Count Pavel Stroganov’s personal chef, who came from . . …