Screw Pine Shortbread: Lessons from an Experiment

As I think I've made clear, I like experimenting with flavors. I'm constantly scanning for products that sound interesting, particularly when traveling in new parts of the world. It was with this in mind that I was incapable of not purchasing a bottle reading "Kewra Essence: Screw Pine" at the sprawling Mustafa Centre in Singapore a few weeks ago. I had no idea what kewra or screw pine were, but they sounded intriguing. And $1 or so seemed a reasonable investment in curiosity.

I opened the bottle later; it smells a bit like rose water (which smells like, well, roses), but perhaps a bit earthier. Some Googling revealed that screw pine is another term for Pandanus, the leaves of which are often used to flavor southeast asian sweets (like kaya) and other dishes. Kewra essence, though, comes from the flower of this plant and has a quite different taste.

Ok…so what to do with my newfound bottle of rose-like liquid? I'm still not sure. It felt like it might go well with almonds in a dessert. Or maybe make an interesting cupcake or sorbet. I decided to experiment a bit by incorporating it into shortbread.

I find that rich, sweet desserts like shortbread or ice cream are good ways to see how a flavor will stand up, what it might work with, and how it is affected by sugar. I discovered this when making Thai basil ice cream a few years ago; revelation: sugar does magical things to basil. So I made some screw pine shortbread last night (lovers of word play will note that this name can also be interpreted as an imperative).

Outcome? Not very good shortbread, but some lessons. The kewra really is an "essence" and was not strengthened very much by the sugar at all. I had to add quite a bit (3 tablespoons!) to the dough to get any scent of it before baking, and the finished product only has the vaguest hint of the taste, mostly at the end. Making matters worse, an extra 3 TBSP of liquid means that the shortbread is sort of soggy, even with the top browned.

I think this is a flavor best combined with others, and it's not well-suited to being the focus of attention. I might try to use it as an enhancer for something nutty (as I suggested before), or maybe as part of a sorbet or syrup with berries or other sweet fruit. Stay tuned!

Street Food in Cambodia

I'm writing this back in Singapore after spending this past week in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The real reason for the trip was to join the throngs of tourists wanting to see Angkor Wat and its neighboring temples. I was able to combine this with a bit of (guided) mountain biking through the area and, of course, tasty Cambodian food.

This being a blog dedicated to interesting foods, I will tell you what I did (and did not) eat while I was there. I'm happy to tell you about the rest of the trip too -- just ask.


First, a bit on what I did not eat. Before I left home, I told the tour organizer I wanted to eat interesting local foods. As things worked out, I was the only person on this tour, so that didn't seem like too hard a request to comply with. I did get to eat delicious food, but there were a few things I didn't even want to attempt. The woman in the center photo, for example, runs a stand that apparently specializes in things I did not want to eat: watersnakes, frogs, crickets and other bugs. These were also common on roadside stands. Ditto chicken feet, also pictured here.

Ok, so what did I eat? Tasty stuff. Cambodia is, not surprisingly, a fairly poor country. It's possible to eat extraordinarily cheaply there, even when paying a tourist premium. Dishes at typical restaurants go for about US$3, with pricey places (cloth napkins, wine glasses, attentive service) closer to $6 or $7. Oddly, they use US dollars there (but only paper notes; change is made using riels, of which there are 4000 per dollar). My first night I had a fish curry (amok) with coconut milk and lots of lemongrass. It was good, but clearly not seasoned for even a weak Cambodian palate. I asked for some fresh chillies, which helped a bit. I also decided to eat more street food.

Street food is a bit elusive. It's sold by pushcart vendors who travel around. You never quite know what you're going to get or where. You have to jump at an opportunity to grab, say, a papaya salad or baguette, because you don't know when the next vendor will appear. And the prices start to escalate as you get closer to the city center.

I first went off in search of a baguette sandwich. Like Vietnam, Cambodia was a French protectorate for a while. And like in Vietnam, the ubiquitous rice flour baguette is the fortunate residue of this relationship. The sandwiches here are slightly different than in Vietnam. The baguettes are narrower, there is less meat (just a bit of pork), and a wider variety of pickled vegetables. This is the woman that sold me my first of a few baguette sandwiches, and she is the recipient of the only 100% tip I have ever given. She charged 1000 riels (25 cents) for the sandwich. I gave her 2000. It was worth it.

Next, time for a papaya salad. I had spotted a vendor earlier in the day, but didn't realize quite how elusive these guys could be. I vowed that I'd buy a salad from the next vendor I saw, and that's who is pictured here. He first took a chili, some salt and garlic and mashed them in a giant mortar and pestle. He then added green papaya, long beans, peanuts, green tomato, lime juice, some crawly things (shrimp, crab, etc.), an herb blend (Thai basil, rau ram, maybe others), and some fish sauce. Somehow he fit all of these things in his tiny cart, and produced a delicious salad that I enjoyed on a nearby park bench. Cost? 75 cents.

For dessert, a banana pancake. Perhaps another legacy of the French (they're similar to crepes, but made a bit differently), these are thin pancakes cooked with lots of butter (actually probably margarine, but we'll skip that detail), then rolled up with sweetened condensed milk and sliced baby bananas. Good, but not fabulous. Another 75 cents.

I did eat other meals in Cambodia, of course, but these were some of my favorites. I also picked up my share of street fruit -- one of my favorite features of Southeast Asia (see my guest blog entry on this topic from several years ago).

Eating in Singapore - Part 1

As many of you know, my sister, brother-in-law and (perhaps most notably these days) 3-month-old niece live in Singapore. After a few months of video chatting in which she probably wasn't aware of my presence, I finally got to meet her earlier this week. It's really been a ton of fun to interact with her this week, and hang out with my sister in her new 'mom' role.

This isn't my first trip to Singapore, but it's my first since the birth of Pearwise (just for the record, I'm referring to the blog; my niece's name is Samara). So I will take this opportunity to share with you some of my favo[u]rite foods I've been eating in Singapore.

First on the list are laksa and ota. These are both Peranakan dishes that are particularly good at neighbo[u]ring restaurants on Katong St. in Singapore. Ota is sort of like SE Asian gefilte fish. It's a ground fish pate that is heavily spiced and then grilled inside a banana leaf. After unwrapping the leaf, it is eaten with the toothpick that holds the bundle together. Laksa is a noodle dish served in a spicy coconut-y fish broth with bits of seafood. Laksa and Ota are best enjoyed whilst sitting on a tiny plastic stool on the sidewalk, and sipping on lime juice.

We also had some great Thai food the other night. We started with one of my favo[u]rite Thai appetizers -- mieng kum. Whole betel leaves are wrapped around a mini-salad of peanuts, diced lime, chillies and various other tasty bits. We also had a really nice green curry (made with the little tiny Thai eggplants that are available here), a delicious papaya salad, fried chicken, and olive rice. For dessert: mango and sticky rice, one with a candle for Mel's birthday.

More on some of the other foods later.

What are your staples?

Happy new year! I hope 2010 ended well for you, and that 2011 is getting off to a great start. Speaking of you, I first want to acknowledge all of the positive feedback I've gotten from many of you about Pearwise in its first few months. Compliments are great, of course. Constructive criticism is also welcome.

This will be the first post in which I will pose a specific question for you all to answer. You are an extremely diverse group, and I'm kind of excited to tap your collective knowledge.

So…what's the question, you ask? I'm curious about staple foods. The things you keep around so that you can quickly whip up something tasty on short notice. Stuff that sits on pantry shelves or that goes in the freezer or fridge and lasts for a while. The things you put on your shopping list when you set up a kitchen in a new place.

I'll tell you about mine first. I've become rather enamored with Asian flavors over the past few years, so a lot of them skew in that direction. I also assume here that the extreme basics (flour, sugar, salt, oil, etc.) are a given. Here are a few things I've discovered:

In the freezer

Thai chilies They're hot and freeze nicely. (Yes, I know Cook's Illustrated claims they lose flavor. Not so much as to make them useless, I think). They defrost in minutes and can be minced to enliven quick stir fries, eggs, etc.

Curry leaves You can buy a bag of these at most Indian groceries for $1 or so, and then stick them in the freezer. They last a few months before they start to lose flavor. And the flavor is unique. They're delicious not just in curries, but also go super nicely with eggs or potatoes.

Butter Freezes well and means you can always have cookies at a moment's notice. This is critical.

In the fridge

Chili paste Thicker than the more common sriracha, and better-tasting, I think. I use it like ketchup whenever something lacks enough heat, and also on sandwiches. Spread thinly.

Curry paste There are a zillion of these in both Indian and Thai varieties. I often have both, but find that I use Thai red curry paste the most. Good for making a quick curry, of course, but also delicious in mashed potatoes along with a little coconut milk.

Ginger paste I know it's not as good as fresh ginger, but this stuff is pretty good and lasts a long time. Fresh ginger does not. I've used it in baking, for curries and with eggs (along with onions, curry leaves and chilies -- this is a recurring item on my weekend menu).

(I also pretty much always have onions, eggs, potatoes, and plain yogurt in the fridge)


On the shelves

Coconut milk Comes in handy more than I ever expect it to. It's handy for curries, of course, but also in some baked goods, smoothies (in place of milk) or other drinks, making potatoes (esp. mashed), etc.

Canned tomatoes Again, very useful to have around for when you can't get to the store for fresh ones (or for when the fresh ones lack any sort of appeal).

At least one type of split lentil. Add water and cook. Throw together with some spices and maybe sauteed onions. Add rice. Dinner's ready.

Rice I'm currently partial to basmati, and have both white and brown. I buy it in 10-lb bags, as it lasts a really long time. I go through these bags faster than I'd like to admit.

Key spices cumin seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric, cayenne, cinnamon. Whole seeds hold their flavor longer than ground spices.

Chocolate chips Combine with butter, sugar and other stuff to have cookies at a moment's notice. Like I said before, critical.

So…those are my staples. What are yours?