Breakfast Kasha

Buckwheat kasha is a staple in many parts of Eastern Europe, and was a breakfast favourite of mine when I was living in Russia and Ukraine. It's one of the many foods that was once a staple for me, but ceased to be after I moved to East Asia (although I was able to get buckwheat noodles there, so buckwheat was still in my life in one form or another!). Since it's only now making a comeback in my life I've based the following recipes on Natasha's lovely kasha recipe. The sweet version is easy and simple and thus my go-to on a weekday morning when I'm craving kasha. The flavour of buckwheat can be an adjustment for some people, but I find it a nice change from plainer porridges like cream of wheat or oatmeal, and is certainly worth a try given its health benefits. If you do give it a try, I hope you enjoy!

Gansu-style Veggie Noodles / 炒拉刀削麵

What follows is based on the Mala Market's lovely recipe for 炒拉條子 / chǎo lā tiáozi, featuring a style of handmade noodles popular in the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu. I am not big on making any sort of dough, so when I was adapting this recipe my big change was to substitute the knife-cut noodles we can buy at the local Chinese supermarket for the homemade noodles. If you have the time and desire to make the right noodles for this dish, then definitely check out the original recipe! If not, my recipe stays close to the original - albeit with the noodle swap and a reduction in sodium intake - and is a fair approximation. 

TVP Pad Kra Pao

Strangely enough, I've settled on a final version of my meat-free pad kra pao before figuring out the meaty one. Life's funny sometimes! In any case, this recipe - an adaptation of Hot Thai Kitchen's recipe - was a win on the first try. (My spouse didn't even realize there wasn't any meat in it!) If you don't like TVP, no worries, there'll be a meat version posted eventually, probably once my basil grows back.

Prik Nam Pla

Prik nam pla is a popular condiment served with many (most? all?) Thai dishes to give them a little lift when desired. It also goes beautifully over sliced cucumber or even just plain rice. My recipe is based on Hot Thai Kitchen's recipe, but with a couple of changes to brighten it somewhat.

Sour Cream 'n Sauerkraut Noodles

This is a go-to work lunch for me on days I'm working from home and have a little time to cook. I'm no doubt plagiarizing somebody's recipe, but I do so unknowingly if so! This recipe pulled together bit by bit over the years as I've experimented with favourite flavours and ingredients. These are nice warm, but I could also see it being quite nice if chilled a little before eating on a hot summer day!