Note: Fridays of Intestinal Fortitude is a weekly(ish) feature about food, food and more FOOD. No, I am not an expert, but I do enjoy talking about food prep, cooking food, eating food and making sweet love to food. Okay, maybe not the "sweet love" part. After all, this is not meant to be an homage to 9 1/2 Weeks.
Recipe Index can be found here.
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Brain Byte: I love, love real maple syrup and refuse to buy the "other stuff". Christie's Corner articles goes into detail about the painstaking process of harvesting and processing maple syrup. Yum!
And now.... today's topic. Are there certain foods that you crave so hard, you salivate just thinking about them? Foods that you turn to when you are having a hard time or just need a little pick-me-up?? I have a few things that just the thought of makes my stomach hurt with yearning.
1. Chips n' salsa
For me, chips n' salsa is the ultimate comfort food. You can keep your ice cream. When I am sad, my heart needs a spicy, mouth-burning tomato-based salsa loaded with jalapeños, onions and cilantro. The perfect vehicle is a thin tortilla chip that is not too greasy.
2. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are a serious business, serious enough that the thought of being stranded without seeds in Pakistan or even in Olathe, Kansas during a snowstorm would bring me to tears. No joking. I have been frustrated with my sunflower seed supply lately -- the quality has been atrocious, so I gave them up for about a month. Last week, I bought a bag of Davids and Dakota, hoping the quality went back up. Fortunately, it seems they are back on track (I think it has to do with the seasonal nature of sunflowers).
3. Buffalo Sauce
That title is not a typo. I love buffalo sauce. Period. The smell of it alone will leave me with drool dribbling down my chin. The mere thought of the smell will leave me with drool dribbling down my chin. *reaches for a tissue* I will eat anything with buffalo sauce....chicken tenders, chicken wings, healthy wraps with fancy lettuces, unhealthy french fries, veggies, cardboard. My very favorite is Frank's. But I am not super picky. *drools again*
4. Pani Puri
Hmmm, I have already spoken of my deep, abiding affection for pani puri -- little, fried hollow balls filled with a spicy sour water of perfection. It's a Holy water, if you will. Worthy of an apatheist like me.
5. Pad Prik Kai
I learned this dish last summer and hands down, when I have had a bad day, this is my go-to meal. It certainly helps that I always have the ingredients on hand, so it makes for a great last-minute dinner option. It has a great crunch to it with the peppers and water chestnuts. Bonus? If I am having a particularly craptastic day, I can dollop even more chili-garlic sauce on my individual serving in consideration of little Anjali's tastebuds (Sidenote: I wonder what will be my daughter's comfort food??)
What are the foods that set you into a Pavlovian state?
4 comments:
I went back to read your post re: pani puri hoping to find where you get them in KC! But you don't say... Could you share your supplier?
I have made them when I find the puris at an Indian grocery. But the last batch we bought were rancid. Not sure I am up for frying my own...
We actually live in St Louis but drive through KC relatively often.
Green chili stew. The kind made with pork that is smothered all over everything in New Mexico and Colorado.
Well, chocolate for one. But I have found that Chocolove makes amazing candy bars and they are made locally in Boulder!
Spaghetti Bolognese: Odd because I used to hate red tomato sauce.
Miso Soup: And I wish I could make it at home so I didn't have to go to the sushi place in town without getting any sushi.
Anonymous,
Taj Chaat on 119th and Quivira in Overland Park is where I have gotten pani puri in the past. I have also bought a kit before and had good luck. However, I could see getting a rancid version since so many Indian stores are notorious for selling outdated merchandise!
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