Cafe Liz
Kosher vegetarian recipes from my kitchen in Tel Aviv
Cooking Thai in Israel: Galangal and turmeric enter the market
April 22, 2010 at 12:00 am | Tags: galangal, market, Tel Aviv, Thai, turmeric | 17 Comments
Traveling through Thailand in 2008, we fell in love with the cuisine -- fresh vibrant vegetables prepared with an exotic array of spices. So exotic, in fact, that you couldn't find them all here. Determined, I asked a few random Thai women at the Carmel Market where they found fresh galangal, a key ingredient in curry pastes and soups, and they told me you simply couldn't find it here.
So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I passed by Carmela's stand at the Carmel Market last week and there, next to the ginger, was a pile of strange, burly roots -- not just galangal, but turmeric to boot.
The roots, which have been here for about a month, were imported from Thailand by the Tekoa mushroom farm. The people at Tekoa told me that the imports are still in a trial stage, and it's too early to say what will happen. But for now, the fact is that both fresh galangal and turmeric are available here in Israel, which opens up a world of dishes from Thailand and other Southeast Asian cuisines. (My next post: Thai curry paste!) Continue reading Cooking Thai in Israel: Galangal and turmeric enter the market...
Hatikva market — the other side of Tel Aviv
January 27, 2010 at 7:00 pm | Tags: Israeli, market, restaurant, Tel Aviv | 3 Comments
I don't usually feel like a stranger in my own city. I observe minute changes in the scenery as they occur, and I probably could get around with my eyes closed, that is, if I weren't afraid of walking into a tree or getting hit by a car. Yet there are neighborhoods I don't know very well, and even some where I've never been. Hatikva was one of them.
The neighborhood happens to have a great market, and countless restaurants. It also happens to be the Tel Aviv neighborhood with the worst reputation, one of crime and poverty. But not surprisingly, it's not a bad place at all. In fact, it's a pretty decent place. I could think of at least one Tel Aviv neighborhood that is way grosser than the wrongly defamed Hatikva quarter (ahem, central bus station).
This may be part of the reason that the prices in Hatikva are so reasonable -- to the residents' dismay, the area doesn't have the same draw as yuppified Neve Tzekek, or even the Carmel market and the many Yemenite restaurants nearby.
In fact, the Hatikva market is wider and cleaner than Tel Aviv's more popular Carmel market, thanks to a 2005 renovation. Huh. Continue reading Hatikva market — the other side of Tel Aviv...
Orna & Ella’s sweet potato pancakes
December 15, 2009 at 2:00 pm | Tags: chives, dairy, holiday, sweet potato, Tel Aviv, yogurt | 3 Comments
I guess I lack holiday spirit. It’s Hanukkah, but I haven’t been able to get in the mood for grease. After making six types of latkes last year, and frying them in more than enough oil to keep a hanukkiyah burning for eight days, I went a different route this year — potato pancakes that don’t have much in common with the Hanukkah staple, beyond the name.
These sweet potato pancakes are the signature dish of Orna & Ella, a fabulous establishment on Sheinken that has been producing creative, quality dishes since 1992. This recipe can be found all over the Web in Hebrew, and is also featured in their cookbook.
Basically, it’s mashed-up sweet potatoes mixed with flour and fried in butter. There are no eggs, so it’s the butter that helps the pancakes brown and solidify somewhat, although they’ll always be soft and creamy in the center. Continue reading Orna & Ella’s sweet potato pancakes…
Israeli breakfast — the best of brunch in Tel Aviv, and a mustard-blue cheese omelet
November 16, 2009 at 11:00 pm | Tags: brunch, egg, Israeli, restaurant, Tel Aviv | 8 Comments
Brunch is beyond a tradition in Tel Aviv -- it's a culture. Every self-respecting restaurant offers a breakfast menu, which invariably includes "Israeli breakfast" -- generally speaking, some form of eggs, a leafy or chopped vegetable salad, assorted white cheeses, a few other spreads, some bread, coffee and/or fresh juice. The main variation is in the creativity of the spreads, the quality of the ingredients and the price.
(In the photo: Breakfast at the Brasserie. A review of my favorite brunch places is at the bottom of the post.)
Just how much is this a tradition? Everyone likes going out for breakfast, often in the early afternoon, but who prepares this at home? Well, we do, every weekend. Continue reading Israeli breakfast — the best of brunch in Tel Aviv, and a mustard-blue cheese omelet...
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All content and photos copyright 2008-2010, Liz Steinberg, at Cafe Liz (food.lizsteinberg.com). All rights reserved. Please seek permission before republishing.