Foodists is a collective of like-minded food worshippers. We breathe and sleep in order to eat and drink. Have something to share with us? We'd love to hear from you. If it's something to eat or drink, even better.
Today I made a dish called “Tum Bhu Pla Ra.” After I finished, I realized that in one dish I put in not 1, not 2, but 3 different ingredients that by Western standard would be considered “stinky”: Fish sauce,…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Thursday, May 23rd, 2013
Categories: Meditations | | 5 Comments »
Every foodie seems to know what Sriracha is—the hot sauce with a cock on the bottle. It has become associated with Vietnamese restaurants, yet the current version was created in LA, and you can’t find it in…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Friday, March 15th, 2013
Categories: Meditations | | 7 Comments »
I’ve had a few conversations regarding some customers wanting to customize their food to such an extent that it drives chefs up the wall and begs the question…who’s the chef here? In another part of the world,…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Categories: Meditations | Tags: condiment, fish sauce, thai | 2 Comments »
I did something for dinner yesterday that was so brilliant in its future usefulness I couldn’t wait to share it. Not only is it delicious, it’s also extremely quick to make, inexpensive, gluten free, dairy free and…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Monday, December 17th, 2012
Categories: Guidance | Tags: cauliflower, coconut milk, curry, leftovers, mushroom, potato, roasted vegetables, root vegetables, thai, yellow | 1 Comment »
It’s almost inevitable that at some point in the career of an Asian chef, one faces the big decision: MSG—To use? Or not to use? In some Asian countries, such as Thailand where I come from, it’s not uncommon to find…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Friday, September 16th, 2011
Categories: Meditations | Tags: Asian food, MSG | 11 Comments »
In browsing Herve This’ recipes, (please refer to this article for the history of why I am browsing through Herve This works) I found an interesting piece that is approachable and completely try-able at home, and I…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Friday, July 8th, 2011
Categories: Meditations | | 1 Comment »
Here goes part two, the sauce accompanying the poached pear. Prepare yourself for an intense chemistry lab report! And now, the crème anglaise. We make the crème anglaise by putting egg yolks and sugar in a pot and…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011
Categories: Meditations | | No Comments »
Mark Busse told me on our first meeting that through a chain of events, he ended up with a whole bunch of original recipes directly given to him by Hervé This, the grandfather of molecular gastronomy. I was sufficiently…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011
Categories: Meditations | Tags: Crème Anglaise, Hervé This, molecular-gastronomy, poached pear, recipe | 2 Comments »
In the past month, I had 3 different out-of-town visitors who came and asked of me one thing: “Pailin, take me to the best place to eat in San Francisco.” This is more difficult than one might…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Saturday, May 21st, 2011
Categories: Guidance | Tags: Beignet, California, farmers market, la ciccia, mexican, pie, ramen, san francisco, Travel | 1 Comment »
I believe 30 minutes of my time is worth more than all less-than-awesome food, and so there are few places (the awesome-and-above places) I would actually line up for. When I arrived at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco on…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Categories: Worship | Tags: bread, san francisco, sourdough, Tartine | 5 Comments »
Which restaurants do YOU think have the most creative desserts? 99% of the time when I eat out, I order desserts. In the past few years though, compared to how interesting and mind-boggling savory dishes have become, I…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Monday, October 4th, 2010
Categories: Meditations | Tags: creative, dessert, dessert menu, restaurant | 4 Comments »
Dessert is my favorite course of the meal, hands down, no question. Yet lately I’ve been greatly disappointed at the redundancy of desserts in restaurants–there’s always some version of the molten…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Categories: Guidance | Tags: bananas, dessert, fried, thai | 4 Comments »
Have you ever experienced something similar to a writer’s block, but a cook’s block? You live most of your life full of the spirit of kitchen adventures, you create new dishes for dinner constantly and…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010
Categories: Meditations | Tags: cherries, fruit picking, peaches | No Comments »
Summer isn’t too far out, you know you’re going to host barbeques and be invited to barbeques. You’ve been to hundreds of barbeques in your life time, and everytime you show up with a different…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Categories: Guidance | | 2 Comments »
I recently went through a big life change (hence my absence from foodists for the last little while, for which I promise to make up). Long story short I ended up having to move out of my old apartment. It’s amazing what…
Posted by: Pailin Chongchitnant on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Categories: Meditations | Tags: canned pumpkin, curry, meat sauce | 4 Comments »