After a week of NW delicacies it’s time to bring some spice to our life! A much anticipated need to our weekly meals, the non-local flavors of Indian, Vietnamese and Thai cooking will enter our kitchen.

Most of the ingredients can be locally-sourced, like vegetables for the curry and stir-fry. But there are specialty ingredients that we purchase rarely and always look foward to, i.e. coconut milk (!!!), lemongrass and rice noodles. As you might imagine, a difficulty with eating strictly local is the challenge of cooking foreign cuisines. And yet, with the SE Asian communities concentrated on the West coast, one can hardly ignore their influence on our dining experiences.

At least once a week my wife will say, “let’s cook something with some spiciness!” Whenever I hear her say this I am reminded of my tendency to not cook with spice. Because I tend to steer my culinary imagination in the direction of local ingredients, I forget the possibilities of imported spices and such. Though, there is another reason for our strictly Asian menu – we need to spend a little less on food this week and spend more on bulk items and bathroom necessities. Our weekly budget money covers both food and cleaning/hygiene supplies, and sometimes the latter costs more than the former.

Thus, given our special budgetary restraints, the use of spices enables us to cook simple dishes with tons of flavor. Another real cost saver with Asian cuisine is the access we have to grocery stores catering to those populations. No matter where you live, I highly recommend finding out about local ethnic grocers, as they tend to offer popular delicacies at a far cheaper price. The coconut milk or lemongrass may not be organic, but you get the benefit of supporting a family-run business. After we learned of a great little Vietnamese grocer in our neighborhood, we were more inclined to plan meals with ingredients from their store.

Since moderation is not always my forte, this week’s menu is almost completely Asian-inspired:

• Peanut sauce with vegetables and brown rice (we never eat white rice unless we are dining out)
• Tom Kha soup
• Lentil and tofu dal
• Coconut curry with vegetables and brown rice
• Beef rolls and dipping sauce with rice noodles and vegetables

This week’s meals will be simple, flavorful and affordable. What more could you ask for?

Related posts:

1. Does eating seasonally equal eating “American?” (weekly menu 6)
2. The Pains of Eliminating (weekly menu 19)
3. Kale, how I love thee (weekly menu 5)
4. Expectations (weekly menu 22)
5. A Failed Experiment

Tags: "ethnic food"