tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-146735842024-03-07T02:45:09.281-05:00Curry Elvis Cooks - Fusion Cuisine Recipes and Food PhilosophyElvis Parsley, the "Curry Elvis" is a trained cook from the school of life who brings you a philosophical look at food as well loads of mouth-watering fusion recipes tested on countless friends and family members over a couple of decades.blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1129967060456422322005-10-22T03:44:00.000-04:002005-10-22T03:51:52.270-04:00This Blog Is Moving - Last Time :DI've finally launched my new cooking multiblog, Curry Elvis Cooks, which is a combination of my 4 older cooking blogs, as well as several new food, drink, and gardening categories. The homepage is not up yet, and the new blog's template will be changing slowly. I hope you'll bear with me.By the way, I will be maintaining my 4 older cooking blogs for archive purposes only: Curry Elvis Cooks, blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1129757493967957852005-10-19T17:31:00.000-04:002005-10-19T17:31:33.973-04:00Bitesize 16 - Restaurant Reviews With Maps at Ning.comMarc Andreesen, best known for co-creating the original Netscape web browser, recently launched his "social networking playground" and application builder, ning.com. It's an amusing website and brilliant concept, with some very basic applications that you can enjoy. Though it's not the basic applications I'm impressed with, but what you can do with them.The Ning.com playground is set up so that blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1129343857053810922005-10-14T22:37:00.000-04:002005-10-15T21:36:26.846-04:00Spicy Oktoberfest Fried RiceDecades ago, when my mother was learning to cook non-East Indian foods, she'd often create fusion versions of the family's favourite dishes. It is in fact her cooking style that inspired my own fusion style in the first place. One of my favourite dishes of hers was something that I call Oktoberfest Fried Rice.As with all the dishes my mother made, my versions are fine but never as tasty as hers. blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127948570400240742005-09-28T19:02:00.000-04:002005-09-28T19:02:50.410-04:00On Becoming And Staying A Vegetarian - Is It Possible In A Fast-Paced World?As you may know by now, I decided to not have my VegFusion vegetarian blog on its own. Rather, vegetarian-related posts will now be here, as many of my hot food recipes are actually vegetarian, or can be. I know that people who are staunchly vegetarian would not be happy with such a decision, but let me explain.Anyone who is staunchly vegetarian is already "converted". I am not trying to convert blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127866709978314112005-09-27T20:18:00.000-04:002005-09-27T20:18:30.010-04:00Mr Tea Pt III - Chasing the Chills Away With Warm Savoury Mushroom TeaNow that the nights are getting cooler in the northern hemisphere, a nice hot tea helps warm up your blood. With all of the tea choices that are available, you might not thinking of using mushrooms. But there are several types of dried Chinese mushrooms and fungus that are actually used in various herbal remedies. While I'm not suggesting that drinking mushroom tea will heal you in any fashion, Iblogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127842070577316892005-09-27T13:27:00.000-04:002005-09-27T13:27:50.583-04:00Rare Sliced Beef and Pho Soup RecipeIf you've tried the hearty, refreshing Vietnamese pho (fuh) soup that I've been talking about regularly in this blog (or even if you haven't) here's a quick recipe for making your own. The picture above shows pho with rare beef and beef balls.First heat up a mix of 1 part chicken stock and 2 parts water. This forms the soup broth. Keep it hot while doing the next step.Slice up a small onion in blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127808953970330942005-09-27T04:15:00.000-04:002005-09-27T04:15:53.980-04:00Banh/Bun - Vietnamese Grilled Beef on Rice VermicelliAfter showing you so many pictures of Vietnamese food and talking about it at length, I finally scoured my old electronic journal and found my own recipe for a dry vermicelli dish generically called Banh (bun). It's similar to pho (fuh) but without the soup broth. It's typically served with "salad" (shredded lettuce, julienned cucumber and carrots, and bean sprouts) and grilled meats. Because blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127795490358991552005-09-27T00:31:00.000-04:002005-09-27T00:31:30.363-04:00This Blog Will Be Absorbing Posts From My VegFusion BlogJust a quick note for readers: This blog will be absorbing entries that originally were being posted to my recently created VegFusion vegetarian blog, as well as my HotHead/ChiliMonster blog. I decided that I couldn't maintain 4 cooking blogs and do any of them any justice. So from now on, this blog will continue with its normal posts, as well as have spicy food posts and vegetarian food posts. blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127769832040074082005-09-26T17:23:00.000-04:002005-09-26T17:31:40.753-04:00Savoury Minced Beef + Spinach CrepesA couple of years ago, before I moved back to my hometown, I used to buy my crepes from a great West Indian chef - who's name really was Elvis and was trained in England. Elvis had a booth at the local Farmers Market and made an incredibly taste crepe stuffed with chicken and a thick cream of mushroom sauce. He'd also sell his crepes individually, so every Saturday morning, I'd go visit him and blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127701588158185142005-09-25T22:26:00.000-04:002005-09-25T22:26:28.180-04:00Meatball Rotini SoupHere's yet another easy-to-make soup that mixes elements from a couple of cuisines: Italian, Chinese, and Japanese. It requires a bit of prep work, but is otherwise effortless. If you want to substitute either vegetarian meatballs or the Vietnamese style bo (beef balls), feel free. I've tried them both and they work quite well. But that said, there's nothing like the taste of homemade meatballs, blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127630086591773862005-09-25T02:34:00.000-04:002005-09-25T02:34:46.596-04:00Spring Onion Beef RollsThese are similar to my Golden Needle Beef Rolls, but use spring onion stalks instead of enoki mushrooms (golden needles). Here is a revised recipe:Ingredients: (1) 2-3 pieces sliced beef (paper-thin) per roll; (2) 3-4 green onion stalks for each two beef rolls, cut into 3-4 inch lengths. For visual effect, you want to have the green onion stalks sticking out of the rolls. So you may actual want blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127524841026173702005-09-23T21:20:00.000-04:002005-09-25T02:36:31.430-04:00Japanese-Italian Golden Needle (Enoki Mushrooms) Beef RollsEnoki mushrooms (aka golden needles) are one of those delights that, if you're a mushroom lover, you've got to try at least once. These thin, white, long-stemmed mushrooms, with a tiny bulbous head, are crisp, and add a wonderful texture to salads and clear soups. They also are great in a savoury Japanese-style beef roll that's easy to make. [Note: I'm using my new "recipe summary" format for blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127406885625366842005-09-22T12:34:00.000-04:002005-09-22T12:34:45.660-04:00Yet Another Nice Healthy Soup - Chicken, Rotini, and Wild Rice SoupYesterday's post was a recipe for Wild Rice Gumbo, which was a variation of my Mushroom, Asparagus + Wild Rice Soup. One of the things that I like to do to change up my meals a bit is to take some ingredients I've already used recently and either replace or supplement them. In today's recipe, I'm supplementing and replacing, to end up with Chicken, Rotini and Wild Rice Soup. What I'm doing is notblogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127333656283362572005-09-21T16:14:00.000-04:002005-09-21T16:14:16.290-04:00Wild Rice Gumbo SoupThis is a variation on one of my other soups. Follow the recipe for Mushroom, Asparagus + Wild Rice Soup" but substitute fresh or frozen okra for asparagus, and subtract the barley, wood ear/black fungus, and rice vinegar. Also, add the following items to the older recipe. [Add all of the items at the same time. In the original recipe, the pre-cooked wild rice is added to the cookpot after the blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127253559014589572005-09-20T17:58:00.000-04:002005-09-20T17:59:19.020-04:00Kitchen Horror Stories - Where's The Danger Pay?[Warning: offensive, revolting material ahead]In the three short calendar years that I cooked on the line at several restaurants, I lost track of the number of injuries I and workmates suffered. Most of them were "minor" burns or cuts, which for me usually healed anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Slipping on food that's fallen on the floor, banging your knee, hitting your head on blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127093146382473982005-09-18T21:25:00.000-04:002005-09-18T21:25:46.386-04:00Food For Thought - Cooking For A LivingThe reason I enjoy Vietnamese food, of course, is the taste and texture, especially the rich flavour of the soup broth. I blog about it enough. But I also enjoyed working in a Vietnamese restaurant as both the dishwasher (by hand) and the appetizers line cook. The pay was poor, but at the end of the day - literally - all of the staff would sit down like an extended family and enjoy a meal blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127012722815933902005-09-17T23:05:00.000-04:002005-09-18T21:13:48.670-04:00Bitesize 15 - Food Anxieties Part IISeveral years ago, I had an attractive young female friend whom I'd originally met when I'd managed her singer/guitarist boyfriend. Holly [name not changed to cause maximum embarrassment] and I met up a few years after I'd stopped managing her boyfriend, whom she was no longer seeing. I admit I was somewhat enamoured of her at the time, even though she was considerably younger than me. We were blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1127003448380394462005-09-17T20:30:00.000-04:002005-09-17T20:30:48.386-04:00Bitesize 14 - This Land Is Our (Farm) LandMy hometown is a small city of 108,000+ about an hour southwest of Toronto, Canada. Its university has a world-renowned agricultural engineering programming as well as a notable Hotel and Food Administration program, which includes a Dieticians program. Food and related endeavours are very much a part of this city. The provincial government's Ministry of Agriculture even moved their headquarters blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126919572256118622005-09-16T21:12:00.000-04:002005-09-16T21:12:52.260-04:00Mr Tea Pt II - Oolong and Green Tea Extract and a Recipe for Curry Powder w/ TeaFood and Wine magazine's September issue reports that green tea is being infused into a lot of non-Asian foods; for example, cream puffs. In fact, there are a lot of dishes you can use green or oolong tea in. Tea extract is also popular for therapeutic purposes. In a more unusual application, I ground up oolong tea leaves into my fresh made curry powder with very positive results. It gave my blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126825176138290712005-09-15T18:59:00.000-04:002005-09-16T00:57:38.590-04:00Multicultural Food FestivalsAs the last days of summer speed on by into the lush colours of cool fall nights, keep an eye peeled for a few late stragglers of multicultural festivals in your city. They are a great way to sample cuisines from all over the world without having to spend a lot of money. It's also acceptable, even encouraged, to ask what each item is, how it's made, and what's in it. It's the perfect way to blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126811028566117132005-09-15T15:03:00.000-04:002005-09-15T15:03:48.576-04:00Matching drinks to East Indian FoodIn the September 2005 issue of Food and Wine, there's an article by Lettie Teague on matching wines to Chinese food. Her suggestion? A Gewürztraminer matches nicely with spicy Chinese food. It works well with other spicy food, too. For example, Vietnamese, Thai and East Indian food. No doubt by now you'll have noticed a tendency towards Vietnamese and East Indian food on my blog (although the blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126674541073118492005-09-14T01:08:00.000-04:002005-09-14T01:10:45.296-04:00Food (Pics) For Thought - Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli w/ Grilled Meatballs and ChickenShown above is Vietnamese rice vermicelli with succulent grilled meatballs, and grilled chicken. At left is Vietnamese "salad" (carrot and cucumber strips, shredded lettuce). On top of the grilled chicken is sliced green onion and crushed peanuts. Peanuts and "salad" are included in many Vietnamese dishes. The vermicelli used in this dish is the same as in pho.(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126672131483263732005-09-14T00:28:00.000-04:002005-09-14T01:02:03.220-04:00Food (Pics) For Thought - Vietnamese Grilled Beef Summer RollsPictured above are some grilled beef summer rolls. Ingredients are typically rice vermicelli, strips of carrot and cucumber, a basil leaf, romaine lettuce, and sometimes grilled meat - all wrapped in rice paper . To the left, bottom is Vietnamese "salad", consisting of carrot and cucumber strips, and shredded iceberg (or other) lettuce. Sriracha hot sauce at top left; peanut dipping sauce at top blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126657813090854412005-09-13T20:30:00.000-04:002005-09-13T20:30:13.116-04:00Bitesize 13 - There is a Season - Matching Food to the Time of YearIn several cultures, particularly Oriental ones, food is matched to the time of year. Hearty foods are left for late Fall and into the Winter. Lighter meals are reserved for Spring and Summer. While food matching also happens in North America, we seem to be more interested in food combining. This is practice of not eating certain categories of food at the same time. For example, food combining blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14673584.post-1126581492837638002005-09-12T23:18:00.000-04:002005-09-12T23:22:22.406-04:00Butter-Fried Chickpea/Lentil-Battered Zucchini Flowers and Shiitake MushroomsThis recipe is actually two-in-one. I use one batter for two main ingredients: zuchinni flowers and shiitake mushrooms...Ever since Chef Mario Batali dipped some zucchini flowers into batter and deep-fried them on his show a few years ago, I've been desperate searching for these colorful blossoms. I had a theory that they'd work well in a batter that my great-grandmother used with mushrooms, and blogslingerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263250561416943757noreply@blogger.com0