Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Robojoe - Cute, Caffeinated and CoffeeMeister-Approvedhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/24/robojoe-cute-and-caffeinated/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/24/robojoe-cute-and-caffeinated/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/24/robojoe-cute-and-caffeinated/#commentsFiled under: , ,



It's practically impossible for me to decide what I like best about this video: The fact that it features both cloth coffee filters (sustainable!) and a hand coffee grinder (retro!), that the robot appears to let the coffee bloom before starting the proper brew, our little friend's deadpan expression, or the two-second outtake where the poor gal pours coffee all over the counter before a set of friendly human hands sets it right.

Actually, this little automated lady looks like she seriously knows what she's doing -- storing coffee in an air-tight container, grinding fresh, making coffee to order... She's a barista-bot after my own heart -- even if she's more likely to rust than over-caffeinate.
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]]>coffeecoffee robotcoffeemeisterjapanjapanese coffeeJapaneseCoffeerobotErin Meister2009-06-24T10:30:00+00:00Flashback to the Seventies: Korean Barbecuehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-korean-barbecue/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-korean-barbecue/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/05/flashback-to-the-seventies-korean-barbecue/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.

Over the last few years, Korean barbecue has gained fresh relevance in the United States. Whether served on hot dog buns in Manhattan, tortillas in Los Angeles or rice in Korean restaurants around the country, the sweet, oniony flavors of bulgoki, japchae and galbi are incredibly delicious and increasingly popular.

When I was a kid, bulgoki (also spelled bulgogi, pulgoki, pulgogi and any number of other ways) was a staple in my house. My parents, who lived in Korea before I was born, loved the stuff and would cook it on an electric griddle at our dinner table. As my sisters and I got older, we got involved in the fun; some of my first cooking experiences involved flipping bulgoki with a pair of bamboo tongs.

I've played with amounts and ingredients, but my mother's basic bulgoki recipe is fantastic. In fact, my only major change is in the dipping sauce: while my parents used light soy sauce with a sprinkle of pepper, I prefer a more traditional garlic/vinegar sauce, which I've included below.

Get the recipe for bulgoki after the jump.

Continue reading Flashback to the Seventies: Korean Barbecue

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]]>beyond rice krispiebeyond rice krispie treatsBeyondRiceKrispieBeyondRiceKrispieTreatsbulgogibulgokiKorean foodKoreanFoodpulgogipulgokiBruce Watson2009-06-05T15:00:00+00:00Two Classic Cool-Downs We Can't Resisthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/two-classic-cool-downs-we-cant-resist/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/two-classic-cool-downs-we-cant-resist/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/28/two-classic-cool-downs-we-cant-resist/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

fruit

Strawberry milkshakes and juice boxes shaped like fruit: Two things that make us grateful for April heat waves.

Food & Wine's own Dana Cowin alerted us to this luscious milkshake on the Saveur Web site, accompanied by a recipe that calls for an ingenious combination of strawberry ice cream, strawberry sorbet and strawberry jam.

The juice boxes, meanwhile, are the brilliant invention of Naoto Fukasawa, a Japanese industrial designer who designed the boxes to mimic the look and texture of the fruit they contain: pictured here are banana and strawberry, along with soy, which rather uncannily mimics a block of tofu. We can't help but feel that these boxes blow the Capri Suns of our elementary school days out of the water, or at least the sandbox.

[Saveur via Dana Cowin]
[Via TokyoMango]
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]]>designFood and WineFood and Wine MagazineFood WineFoodAndWineFoodAndWineMagazineFoodWinejapanjuice boxJuiceBoxmilkshakesaveurTwitter HourTwitterHourRebecca Flint Marx2009-04-28T17:00:00+00:00A First Growth Bordeaux ... in China?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/02/a-first-growth-bordeaux-in-china/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/02/a-first-growth-bordeaux-in-china/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/02/a-first-growth-bordeaux-in-china/#commentsFiled under: ,

Chinese wine

It's official: The wine world is truly global. First growth Bordeaux estate Chateau Lafite is developing vineyards in China, according to a Decanter magazine exclusive.

When the French began planting vines in California, we felt validated. Then some of them moved into Chile and Argentina, and they probably felt validated. But China? It seems as if the last frontier has finally been conquered.

I blogged my doubts about Chinese wine during the Olympics last summer, and Marc at China Wine Tours was quick to say there's good wine there -- you just have to find it. Just a guess, but I'm thinking if anyone can make world-class wine in China, Lafite is at the top of that list.

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]]>chateau lafitechinachinese winelafitewineGretchen Roberts2009-04-02T12:00:00+00:00A Pork-Bun Journey Through Chinatownhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/01/a-pork-bun-journey-through-chinatown/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/01/a-pork-bun-journey-through-chinatown/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/04/01/a-pork-bun-journey-through-chinatown/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun

Eating pork buns (cha siu baau) is an excellent way to get a taste of New York's Chinatown. These warm buns -- either steamed or baked -- are full of savory barbecue meats, sometimes with scallions.

Last weekend, a friend and I decided we would eat our way through Chinatown by trying pork buns at various bakeries. And, what started out as a "pork bun journey" turned into an exploration of both savory and sweet buns, ranging from pork to red bean.

Fay Da Bakery, at 83 Mott St., has a variety of buns that you can select yourself with tongs when you enter the shop. While being underwhelmed by their pork buns, we were blown away with their sweet topping red-bean bun. The outside of the red-bean bun is coated in a flaky layer of sugar that balances marvelously with the doughy bun and the creamy red-bean paste.

Head directly to the Golden Fung Wong Bakery, at 41 Mott St., to try some of the best pork buns in Manhattan's Chinatown. Chunks of pork are flavored with a delicious mix of soy and oyster sauce. This bakery also sells an assortment of rice cakes and melon cakes that are worth trying.

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]]>bakeriesbakerychinatownporkpork bunPorkBunMax Shrem2009-04-01T14:00:00+00:00Toilet-Themed Restaurants...Bon Appetit?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/03/13/toilet-themed-restaurants-bon-appetit/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Modern Toilet Restaurant

"Bloody poop" anyone? The toilet aesthetic is nothing new in Asian restaurants. We have a post, from a few years back, about a toilet-themed restaurant where people actually sit on toilets at a table. Recently, Time magazine had an article about a Taiwanese restaurant chain that's opening up restaurants in China and other parts of Asia. Modern Toilet serves dishes, with names like "green dysentery," in toilet-shaped plates. Food is presented in the shape of excrement.

Modern Toilet interestingly combines the vulgar, the obscene, the scatological with the high-end. As the Time article states: "Every customer sits on a stylish acrylic toilet (lid down) designed with images of roses, seashells or Renaissance paintings." In this way, the restaurant is enticing patrons and receiving positive feedback. Jennifer Finch, an American who dined there, described the experience as tasteful and clean.

The cuisine is an eclectic mix of Asian foods, including curries, pasta, fried chicken and Mongolian hot pot. Patrons comment that despite the disgusting descriptions, the foods are great. Apparently, China's comfort with (and interest in) toilet creations beyond the bathroom are not new. Time points out that a flush toilet was found in a tomb of a Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24) king. The Chinese invented toilet paper in the 6th century! But, while toilet dining may be less shocking in Chinese culture, Westerners seem to be gravitating to these restaurants as well.
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]]>asian cuisineAsianCuisinerestaurant reviewsRestaurantReviewsrestaurantstoiletseatMax Shrem2009-03-13T14:00:00+00:00Entree on the Fly - Chicken Biryanihttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/20/entree-on-the-fly-chicken-biryani/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/20/entree-on-the-fly-chicken-biryani/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/02/20/entree-on-the-fly-chicken-biryani/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Chicken biryaniI typically use recipes in one of two ways. In the best case scenario, I consult a recipe before I shop so that even if I choose to tweak things a bit, I'm at least starting with all the appropriate raw materials. But then there are those evenings when it's chilly outside or I'm just feeling too lazy to shop, and I need a recipe that makes use of whatever's in the fridge, freezer, and pantry.

Last night was the second scenario. I had a pack of chicken thighs thawing but no plan for them. At first I printed out a recipe for chicken divan, knowing full well that I would have to substitute 2-percent milk for the cream and whole milk. Then I realized that I'd accidentally bought bone-in thighs. The thought of carving up chicken thighs to make a casserole sounded like a major pain. I remembered a recent charmed encounter with lamb biryani takeout, so I looked up some recipes for a chicken version online.

Most had a laundry list of ingredients, but then I found a very simple preparation on Mark Bittman's blog, Bitten. I still didn't have everything on the list: no fresh ginger, no saffron, no basmati. His recipe calls for a whole cut-up chicken; I figured the thighs would substitute nicely.

I added some curry powder in place of the missing spices, and threw in a pinch of fragrant dried spearmint leaves. I think whole cardamom pods are probably pretty integral to biryani (though I think the ten he calls for is a few too many), but then again, saffron and basmati probably are, too. The point is that you can work with the spices, and the kind of rice, and the cuts of chicken you have, and this ambrosial casserole will warm you right up.
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]]>chicken biryaniChickenBiryaniAmy McDaniel2009-02-20T17:00:00+00:00How to Eat a Kebabhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/31/how-to-eat-a-kebab/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/31/how-to-eat-a-kebab/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/31/how-to-eat-a-kebab/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Image of Kebab
I've never been the type to insist that no two foods on my plate touch each other. Whether it's pancake syrup leaking onto the bacon or cornbread crumbs in my turnip greens, I love for the mingling of ingredients to continue even after the cooking ends. Yet all my life, I ate each piece on a kebab separately. I just didn't know better--until last summer.

At a tiny, unassuming restaurant called Çiya Kebap near the Asian banks of Istanbul, a knowing waiter, kindly sensing our ignorance, took a few moments to show my mother and me how a kebab ought to be eaten. He'd just set before us a tantalizing skewer of ground lamb, charred eggplant and red onion, nearly liquid tomato, and sweet-hot chili--but in less than a minute, he mashed everything together so thoroughly that the components were hardly recognizable. Then he sprinkled a spice blend called baharat over all of it and instructed us (nonverbally, since we couldn't speak the same language) to mop up portions of the mash with the paper-thin flatbread stacked alongside.

Turns out Çiya Kebap, along with two other Çiya restaurants with different menus located just steps away, is world famous. If I'd eaten my kebab in my usual manner, I wouldn't have any clue what the fuss was all about. Instead, I experienced some of the most revelatory mouthfuls in recent memory. The splendor of the combined flavors would be impossible to exaggerate, even with words like "symphony" and "revelation."

Of course, a kebab anywhere, not just in Istanbul, would benefit from such intervention. The key is to glob everything together. Don't be too dainty about it, and don't worry about appearances. Just enjoy the big sloppy mess, and spread the word.
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]]>ciya kebapistanbulkebabAmy McDaniel2009-01-31T09:00:00+00:00Nasi Lemak at Rasa Malaysiahttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/29/recipe-nasi-lemak/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/29/recipe-nasi-lemak/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/29/recipe-nasi-lemak/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

nasi lemak
Got the late January blues? In my opinion, nothing chases away the shadows like a big, hot, tropical-flavored meal. That's why I'm making nasi lemak this Saturday night, as part of a Malaysian-themed dinner party (pineapple tarts will also be on the menu).

One of the staple dishes of Malaysian cuisine, nasi lemak is rice steamed with coconut milk and served (usually) with hard-boiled eggs, tiny anchovies, sambal (chili paste), sliced cucumbers and (occasionally) fried chicken. It's often served for breakfast at Malaysian street stalls, or sold cold and wrapped up in banana leaves as a quick on-the-go lunch. Nasi lemak is eaten with your fingers, as is traditional in Malaysia - most restaurants have a tea pot full of cold water and a bucket for pre- and post-meal washing.

The rice is soft and moist and rich with coconut milk, the sambal pungeant with chili and prawn paste. Cucumbers add coolness, peanuts and tiny anchovies (called ikan bilis) add crunch. Check out this recipe, at Rasa Malaysia.
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]]>coconutmalaysiannasi lemakNasiLemakriceEmily Matchar2009-01-29T14:00:00+00:00BBC Guide to Chinese New Yearhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/bbc-guide-to-chinese-new-year/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/bbc-guide-to-chinese-new-year/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/bbc-guide-to-chinese-new-year/#commentsFiled under: , ,

chinese new year food
Want to celebrate the Year of the Ox in proper fashion? The BBC has a simple guide to the Chinese New Year, which begins today. Traditional foods - which vary greatly depending on the region - include Northern Chinese dumplings resembling gold ingots, said to bring wealth for the coming year; big family meals called "poo choi," in which everyone eats out of the same giant bowl to promote togetherness; Southern Chinese turnip cakes given as a sign of respect and honor; and glutinous rice cakes whose sticky nature is said to help families stick together in the new year.

Plus, there's a link to a bunch of the BBC Food's Chinese recipes - think red-cooked pork belly, ginger fish, stir-fried salt and pepper prawns.
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]]>bbcchinesechinese new yearChineseNewYearEmily Matchar2009-01-26T13:00:00+00:00Celebrate Chinese New Year With Chinese Beerhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/celebrate-chinese-new-year-with-chinese-beer/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/celebrate-chinese-new-year-with-chinese-beer/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/26/celebrate-chinese-new-year-with-chinese-beer/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

2009 Year of the OxFor many Americans, the idea of Chinese beer may seem as far-out as Chinese democracy (the movement or the Guns N' Roses album). Some countries -- Ireland and Germany, for example -- we heavily associate with beer drinking, and others, like China, we do not. Even at Asian restaurants, less discriminating drinkers can be hard-pressed to determine the country of origin of different Eastern beers on the menu. Maybe I was just a "dumb American," but when I was younger, I didn't put much thought into the difference between my Sapporos and my Tsingtaos.

Well, for the record, Tsingtao is by far the most prevalent Chinese beer in the U.S., (Sapporo, of course, is from Japan) and the marketing minds down at the Tsingtao Brewery believe they've found the perfect event to help hammer that point home: Chinese New Year, which begins today.

To celebrate the "Year of the Ox," Tsingtao enlisted the help of certified Chinese Master Chef Martin Yan to create four Chinese dishes that utilize either Tsingtao Lager or Tsingtao Pure Draft as an ingredient. Personally, though, I'm more about drinking beer than cooking with it, so I was happy to see Chef Yan also took a crack at two beer cocktails.

You can see all of the recipes (as well as some additional Chinese New Year celebration tips) on Tsingtao's website here or find the mixing instructions for Chef Yan's Ginger Beer Fizz beer mixed drink after the jump...

Continue reading Celebrate Chinese New Year With Chinese Beer

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]]>chinachinesechinese new yearspeakin sudstsingtaoMike Pomranz2009-01-26T12:00:00+00:00Pineapple Tarts for Chinese New Year http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/pineapple-tarts-for-chinese-new-year/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/pineapple-tarts-for-chinese-new-year/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/23/pineapple-tarts-for-chinese-new-year/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

pineapple tart
In the Chinese communities of Singapore and Western Malaysia, the pineapple tart is the ultimate Chinese New Year dessert. The word "pineapple" in the Hokkien dialect resembles the word for prosperity, so eating the pineapple tarts is said to help bring luck and money in the coming year. For extra value, some tarts are even shaped to resemble tiny gold bars. The Malaysian port city of Malacca is considered the heart of the pineapple tart industry - in the city's colorful Chinatown dozens of bakeries are busy pumping out hot, fragrant trays of tarts every few minutes, to be placed in decorative cannisters with red lids and given as gifts. As we head closer to the Year of the Ox - New Year starts January 26 - the tarts grow increasingly expensive!

Bite into a proper pinepple tart and the ultra-flaky dough crumbles into buttery powder in your mouth. The chunk of pinepple jam inside is chewy and firm, flavored with spices - cinnamon, star anise and cloves - that reflect the influence of the spice trade on Malaysian Chinese cuisine.

If you don't happen to live near a Malaysian- or Singaporean-Chinese bakery, A Consuming Passion has a good-looking recipe for pineapple tart. These would be a great choice for a Chinese New Year party.
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]]>chinese new yearmalaysiapineapple tartPineappleTartsingaporeEmily Matchar2009-01-23T16:00:00+00:00When Is a McDonald's Not a McDonald's?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/when-is-a-mcdonalds-not-a-mcdonalds/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/when-is-a-mcdonalds-not-a-mcdonalds/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/09/when-is-a-mcdonalds-not-a-mcdonalds/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

viva mcdonald'sThe point of fast-food franchises is instant familiarity--every outlet serving the same food under the same sign in essentially the same building. But McDonald's has been messing with that paradigm, opening new restaurants that are hard to recognize as the home of Ronald and the Big Mac. Viva McDonald's recently opened on the Las Vegas Strip, tearing down a 25-year-old golden arches to rebuild a slick new restaurant. The arch is still there--at least one, anyway--stretched as a marquee above a row of 20-foot wide video screens. Inside, there's something of the Quonset hut design of a Chipotle, along with even more screens, all broadcasting McDonald's own in-house TV channel. You can even get a latte and use wi-fi!

Not enough change for you? How about the McDonald's with no branding at all, not even the name. In Tokyo, the fast-food megalith has opened several small restaurants named, simply, Quarter Pounder. There's not an arch in sight--the black-and-red decor looks more like a bar or nightclub and even the wrappers are redesigned, streamlined and logo-free. However, don't get your hopes up about a chic new shame-based No-I-Am-Not-a-McDonald's: The stores are open as part of a promotion for the quarter pounder, which was not previously available in Japan.
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]]>fast foodFastFoodfeaturedfranchisejapanlas vegasLasVegasmcdonaldsquarter pounderQuarterPounderredesignshibuyatokyoviva mcdonaldsVivaMcdonaldsLissa Townsend Rodgers2009-01-09T14:55:00+00:00The Exciting, Ribbeting Future of Frogs' Legshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-exciting-ribbeting-future-of-frogs-legs/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-exciting-ribbeting-future-of-frogs-legs/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/08/the-exciting-ribbeting-future-of-frogs-legs/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

When I was a little kid, my parents were really serious about introducing me to delicacies. Some, like sushi, evoked excitement, energy, and a lifelong passion. Others, like rumaki, evoked hatred, distrust, and a tendency to carefully sniff everything that my mother put in front of me. Frog legs, on the other hand, were decidedly meh. It wasn't that I disliked them, but they weren't all that impressively different or exciting. The Muppet Movie, with the dastardly Doc Hopper, pushed me over the edge into active avoidance. I decided that my indifference, combined with the high price of the precious legs, meant that I should spend my money elsewhere.

A little while ago, however, I learned that frogs are, apparently, dying in droves. Whether the cause is interspecies warfare, bacteria, habitat destruction, or any of a host of other suspects, the conclusion is the same: the price of frogs legs is skyrocketing. Today, in fact, most frogs legs come from China or India, where they are factory farmed. The best legs, however, seem to be produced by Ken Holyoak, a frog farmer from Brunswick, Georgia. By creating what amounts to a frog free-range habitat, Holyoak has found a way to produce frogs in quantity while avoiding some of the pitfalls that lead some restaurateurs to describe Chinese frogs as having a "muddy" flavor and "dark" meat.

While I don't think that I'll ever be a huge fan of frogs legs -- at least not while there is still alligator meat to be had -- it's nice to know that a combination of creativity, hard work, and eccentricity is keeping them on the table!
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]]>doc hopperDocHopperfrog legsFrogLegsfrogsKen HolyoakKenHolyoakrumakisushiThe Muppet movieTheMuppetMovieBruce Watson2009-01-08T15:00:00+00:00Brittany Murphy is 'The Ramen Girl'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/07/brittany-murphy-is-the-ramen-girl/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/07/brittany-murphy-is-the-ramen-girl/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/01/07/brittany-murphy-is-the-ramen-girl/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Brittany Murphy on the set of The Ramen Girl
Brittany Murphy is the American noodle princess in the film The Ramen Girl. Media8entertainment gives a plot summary of the film explaining that it's about an American girl who gets dumped by her boyfriend and finds solace in her neighborhood ramen shop. She eventually persuades the Japanese chef to take her on as an apprentice. Brittany Murphy's character then decides it's her lifetime goal to become a ramen chef.

Josh Friedland of The Food Section states: "this might sound like a bizzarro "Saturday Night Live" skit (or just a bad dream). But, it's apparently for real, as this trailer for the film will attest." Serious Eats asserts that the film is Tampopo meets Lost in Translation. Tampopo is Juzo Itami's 1985 cult comedy that as Friedland describes is "a 'noodle Western' interspersed with a series of satirical vignettes about food culture."

The film is already playing in theaters in Japan. When will it come to the U.S.? I have to admit...I'm sort of dying to see it. Make sure to check out the trailer, which is embedded after the jump.

Continue reading Brittany Murphy is 'The Ramen Girl'

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]]>Brittany MurphyBrittanyMurphyfilmson the blogsOnTheBlogsramenramen girlramen noodlesRamenGirlRamenNoodlesMax Shrem2009-01-07T18:00:00+00:00TY KU - Asian Citrus Liqueurhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/20/ty-ku-asian-citrus-liqueur/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/20/ty-ku-asian-citrus-liqueur/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/20/ty-ku-asian-citrus-liqueur/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

TY KU Liqueur
I posted about Shochu recently, and one person commenting noted the difference between Shochu, a Japanese liquor, and Soju, a Korean liquor. (They are similar-tasting, and some Shochu is labelled Soju for marketing purposes.) Not long ago I tried a really interesting citrus liqueur made from Soju called TY KU. TY KU is made from yuzu, an Asian citrus, honeydew melon, ginseng, mangosteen, an Asian superfruit, goji berry, green tea, Soju, and Sake. It's refreshing, with totally exotic flavors that are hard to describe because they're unlike most drinks found in America.

Let's be perfectly frank: the liqueur is quite good. In fact, it's so good that a group of six of us polished the bottle off in one sitting (it's only 20 percent alcohol, so don't schedule an intervention!). But I don't normally write about liqueurs, so in the spirit of honesty, I'll share with you why I'm raving about this bottle.

It has an LED light in the bottom that lights up the liqueur inside, taking me right back to my college days when everyone in the dorm had a lava lamp. The light makes the green liqueur glow irridescent, a perfect conversation piece for a cocktail party (it was for mine!).

Also, apparently TY KU is a celeb favorite. Denzel Washington, Patrick Swayze, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jaime Foxx, and Paris Hilton have all been spotted drinking it.

After the jump, a couple of TK KU recipes (though seriously, it goes down just fine alone).

Continue reading TY KU - Asian Citrus Liqueur

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]]>asianasian liqueurliqueurspiritsty kuTyKuGretchen Roberts2008-12-20T14:02:00+00:00Sushi Ornaments - Christmas Cheer With a Side of Wasabihttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/16/sushi-ornaments-christmas-cheer-with-a-side-of-wasabi/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/16/sushi-ornaments-christmas-cheer-with-a-side-of-wasabi/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/16/sushi-ornaments-christmas-cheer-with-a-side-of-wasabi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

While naysayers might argue that sushi has little or nothing to do with the Holiday season, there are those who realize that Christmas is a hearty mix of culinary delicacies and cultural inclusion. After all, this is the holiday that regularly brings together roasted birds and flaming puddings, egg-based drinks and chocolate monstrosities. In the grand scheme of things, claiming culinary purity at Christmas is like trying to find religious justification for the Easter bunny: while it's fun to watch, the process is completely hopeless.

Besides, there's something just plain fun about sushi. The bright colors, intense contrasts, and exciting flavors seem perfectly tailored to a season that welcomes surprises and is noted for its flamboyance. However, even those who question the seasonal appropriateness of raw fish will have to acknowledge the joy of seeing plastic chunks of seafood hanging from a tree. With that in mind, I am pleased to present the wonder of sushi ornaments. Available in cooked egg, shrimp, salmon roe and special roll shapes, they will add a note of culinary adventure to your tree, while reminding your friends and family that Christmas is a time for love, togetherness, and raw fish.

(Incidentally, for an extra note of verisimilitude, you might try leaving an open can of wet cat food near the tree. While the overall effect might be a little off-putting, you're sure to enjoy the spectacle of watching your family members line up to sniff the ornaments. Happy Holidays!)
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]]>Christmas treeChristmasTreesushisushi ornamentsSushiOrnamentsBruce Watson2008-12-16T18:00:00+00:00The Ultimate in Recycling - A Beer Bottle Templehttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/12/the-ultimate-in-recycling-a-beer-bottle-temple/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/12/the-ultimate-in-recycling-a-beer-bottle-temple/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/12/the-ultimate-in-recycling-a-beer-bottle-temple/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In addition to being a moderately decent brewer, Heineken has also flirted with becoming a force for change in the world. In the early 1960's, during a vacation in the Caribbean, one of Heineken's brewers noticed two problems that he thought might have the same solution. While the local beaches were littered with beer bottles, many people weren't able to find reasonably-priced building materials. When he got back to work, the brewer convinced Heineken to create the "world bottle" (WOBO), which also became known as "the brick that holds beer." Basically a rectangular-shaped beer bottle, world bottles were designed to fit comfortably end-to-end, making it possible to make walls, doors, and windows without resorting to glass cutting.

Heineken ended up making a small production run of the world bottles, but never released them to the public. Today, the only two WOBO structures in the world are a shed on the Heineken estate and a wall at the Heineken museum in Amsterdam. However, even though the world bottle never went into production, other people have found a way to turn left over Heineken bottles into livable structures.

Using one million discarded Heineken and Chang beer bottles, Buddhist monks in Sisaket, Thailand constructed the Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew monastery. A beautiful, graceful structure, it shows that all those empties that we put in our recycling bin have the power to make a major difference!
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]]>buddhismbuddhistheinekenmonasteryrecyclingWOBOworld bottleWorldBottleBruce Watson2008-12-12T17:30:00+00:00Secret Easy Dip Recipe - Tip of the Dayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/09/secret-easy-dip-recipe-tip-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/09/secret-easy-dip-recipe-tip-of-the-day/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/09/secret-easy-dip-recipe-tip-of-the-day/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Looking for quick, easy dips for your veggies, crackers and chips? We've got you covered!

Continue reading Secret Easy Dip Recipe - Tip of the Day

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]]>dipdipsmiracle whipMiracleWhipsalsasaucesaucessrirachaAnnie Scott2008-12-09T06:00:00+00:00Duku - Ingredient Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/08/duku-ingredient-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/08/duku-ingredient-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2008/12/08/duku-ingredient-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: , ,

duku
Wikipedia

Imagine if grapefruits turned greenish, shrank to the side of golf balls and lost their hard pith. That's the duku for you. Lansium Duranum, known in various languages as langsat, lansone, kokosan, gadu guda, lon bon and longkong duku grows throughout the tropical zones of Asia. They grow in clusters on trees, and are usually bought by the bunch. To eat a duku, cut it in half and simply squeeze until the fleshy lobes pop out of their jackets. It tastes remarkably like grapefruit, though some find it even more bitter (I don't). Duku are not widely available in the US (have any of you seen them?) but are ubiquitous in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and other parts of Southeast Asia.
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]]>dukuingredient spotlighttropical fruitEmily Matchar2008-12-08T13:00:00+00:00