Virtual Dinner Party No. 5 – A Malay-Italian Menu!

Robin BoyleDinner Party, Fish & Seafood, General Interest, Nibbles & Hors d'oeuvres, Soup, South East Asian, Vegetables

(Update: For VDP No. 6, click here) Coronavirus Lockdown With most of us in self-isolation or even total lockdown, a VDP (virtual dinner party) is one way to catch up with friends and to continue to test your cooking skills. We have now had a few VDPs. Here is the link to the first of those: Virtual Dinner Party No. …

Work in Progress – No. 3

Robin BoylePoultry, South East Asian, Work in Progress

We experiment often, trying new methods or recipes or trying to recreate something we have eaten some where or other. There are successes and failures, there is elation and disappointment, failure and triumph. Black Pepper Chicken With Turmeric We often see recipes for salt and pepper squid or black pepper squid. I recently came across a recipe for chicken with …

Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City

Robin BoyleInternational Travel & Photos, South East Asian, Travel

  This post is a continuation from Mekong Delta Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon) is relatively well off compared to its northern city counterparts. With its large stock of colonial style buildings from the period of French occupation, combined with modern developments, it exudes confidence. There are plenty of reminders of the Vietnam War that lasted twenty …

Hoi An Banh Mi – The World’s Best Sandwich?

Robin BoyleHerbs and Spices, International Travel & Photos, Snack, South East Asian, Travel

  This post about banh mi is a continuation from Hoi An: The Food! A ‘sandwich’ that is distinctly Vietnamese Later in this post we will give our method for making a banh mi (pronounced ‘barn mee’) that is truly yummy and clearly in the Vietnamese style. It isn’t a traditional recipe, but it encapsulates the key characteristics from our …

Hue: The Imperial City!

Robin BoyleInternational Travel & Photos, South East Asian, Travel

  This post is a continuation from Halong Bay: The Food. One of the challenges of travelling through Vietnam is how to pronounce the word ‘pho’! It seems it derives from the French word ‘feu’ (like ‘fir’ in English but shortened) as in ‘pot au feu’ meaning a meaty, vegetable soup. But we could not quite nail the pronunciation. Is …