Yet another delicious, but so-hard-to-be-found item.  And of course, the perfect compliment to your home-made bagels.  Keep in mind that it’s not really cream cheese.  It’s kind-of-cream-cheese : )

This is about as easy as it gets:

(1) Put a cup of yogurt into the middle of some cheese cloth.  Alternatively, you could use any piece of thin woven cloth, or a coffee filter.

(2) Hang the cheese cloth over a bowl or elevated inside a glass/jar to catch the liquid that will drain out.  I didn’t have cheese cloth until recently, so I just set a coffee filter inside a sieve, and then placed that on top of a bowl. The point is, you will need space for the liquid in the yogurt to drip into a catchment container below.

(3) I left this dripping contraption on our counter for about 4 hours to “ripen” a bit, then placed it in the fridge the rest of the time.  You can experiment with this, depending on how hot your room is!  I let my yogurt drip for about 12 hours total (over night, so it was ready for bagels in the morning).

(4) When as much liquid as possible has drained out, you’re left with rich, thick “cheese”!

(5) Add some flavorings, if you want.  I added a bit of garlic and chives to ours.

***

Daphne | Cambodia

Three days later, they are perfect.  Apparently you can pickle any hard vegetable this way (radishes, carrots, etc.) and use any kind of herbs and spices that suit your fancy.  There are lots of pickling methods – so please comment if you have any advice!

I drew from a bunch of recipes I found on-line, and this is what I did to make 2-3 jars of pickles:

(1) Wash cucumbers (the short kind) well and soak in ice-water.

(2) Clean your jars: Place glass jars (mine are old pb&j cars) and lids in a big pot of water and let it come to a boil for a bit.  Look up more info on sterilization if you like things super-sterile.

(2) Boil together: 1 cup white vinegar + 3 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt + a bit of sugar (some people like more)

(3) Slice off ends of cucumbers, then cut them into pickle-ish wedges.  Pack them into jars.  I found that I could fit about 2 cucumbers per jar.

(4) Into each jar add: 1 big spoon-full of dill (I only had dried available, but I’m sure fresh dill is better!) + one garlic clove, peeled and sliced in half + a pinch of turmeric + a pinch of mustard seeds.

(5) Pour simmering liquid into each jar, making sure the tops of the cucumber wedges are completely covered. There should be about 1/4″ of room above the liquid.

(6) Screw on the lids, and let the jars sit at room temperature for about 2-3 hours.  Then place them in the fridge.  In just 2-3 days your pickles will be ready!  The flavor gets better as the week goes on.

Submitted by Daphne | Prey Veng, Cambodia

It beats buying packs of wipes every other week or so (no Superstore or Costco where I can buy bulk here in Cambodia), and since we’re using cloth diapers, there isn’t any extra work involved. We just toss the wipes and the diapers into the same pail. We’re washing diapers multiple times a week, what’s an extra few bits of material right?

Step 1: Get some fabric and cut it into the size of wipes you want.  You could also use baby washclothes. I picked out some soft cotton at the market and had a tailor (I don’t have a sewing machine!) serge the edges.

Step 2: Make baby wipe solution:: Mix a tablespoon of baby soap (any kind will do! I’ve used Johnson’s and Kodomo pictured in the photo) and a tablespoon of baby oil with a cup of water. I usually double the recipe and put it in a larger sized jar so I don’t have to be mixing ingredients as often.

Step 3: Find a tupperware container – or whatever container you prefer – and layer the wipes inside. I fold mine so that they are easier to pull out of the container.

Step 4: Drizzle the baby wipe solution on the stack of wipes in the container and allow to soak through for a few minutes.

Voila! Your own baby wipes.

***

Posted by Steve & Amie | Cambodia

We made our planter out of bamboo, available locally in the form of long poles and strips of bamboo.  I don’t have exact instructions for this, since we just sort of pieced it together.  Basically, we formed a flat bottom out of strips of bamboo nailed onto longer pieces of wood.  This was then fitted to the top of a frame, made out of bamboo poles.

Once the stand was all put together, we lined the bottom with old rice sacks, with holes slashed in them for drainage.  Next, fill the tray (ours fits 2-3 inches of soil) with the best, most light-weight soil you can find.

The soil dries out easily because it is so shallow, so be sure to add water and nutrients regularly.  Since it’s so hot and sunny here, we found that ours works best under a bit of shade.

Happy planting : )

***

Posted by Daphne & Ryan | Prey Veng, Cambodia

As part of my work here in Cambodia, I recently compiled a list of tropical fruits and vegetables and their nutritional value.  These are all widely available here, though of course the list will vary depending on your location.

You can use this document to plant or buy foods to keep you healthy while overseas.  Look for ones rich in Vitamin A, which protects against infection!  Basically, anything with dark green leaves and/or orange flesh is excellent.  Among the most nutritious of all: amaranth leaves, moringa leaves, mustard greens, kale, papaya, pumpkin, carrots, and sweet potato.

Nutritional Value of Cambodian Crops

And let me know if you have other suggestions and/or information to add to this document!!

Here’s what you’ll need: mod podge + paper (already decorated, or decorate your own)

A word on mod podge: this glorious glue can be used to adhere the paper onto the can, and also to provide a water-resistant varnish when painted on top of the paper.  You can make your own by stirring together glue plus water in equal quantities.  I found some “adhesive latex” glue locally that worked pretty well when diluted.

So it’s probably self explanatory, but you simply cut a piece of paper to fit around the can, glue it on, then use a paintbrush to layer on the mod podge finish.  As you can see in the photo, it’s a little streaky when you paint it on, but dries clear and even.  And that’s it!

Submitted by Daphne | Prey Veng, Cambodia

These herbs all require medium to full sun, and drink lots of water (once per day).  They can be planted in individual smaller containers, or in a large box, etc.  Just make sure that the container has adequate drainage (or punch some holes in the bottom).

Basil

Basil is used in tons of dishes.  There are many varieties, but the most common ones in Asia are the common one pictured above (the leaves are a bit narrower than the wide-leafed Italian basil that is often used at home), and also Thai (or spicy) basil which has a purple tint to the leaves.

Basil is grown by seed.  Look around for a basil plant, or ask a neighbor who is growing it for some seeds.  I’ve made friends with several neighbors just by asking to trade plants : )  Anyway, the seeds are tiny and black when ready (i.e. when the flowers are getting old, but not too old and dried up), as you can see in the photos.  Plant the seeds in loose, damp soil.  Until the seeds sprout, it’s best to keep the pot in the shade or covered with something to keep it from drying out.

Basil is prolific, so you can often find small seedlings sprouting up around a “mother” plant.  You can dig these up (make sure to dig deep enough around the roots) and transplant them in your own container.  It is best to transplant in the evening (water well!) so that the transplants have the best chance of surviving.

To keep your basil plant healthy, pinch off flowers as they emerge.

Sawtooth Leaf

I love this leaf.  It has the exact same taste as cilantro (great for Mexican food!!) but is way easier to grow.  Here’s what you do: go buy some at the market (for those of you in Cambodia, it’s called jee roh-nah).  Cut off the bottom 2 inches of the clump, pick off any dead outer leaves, and stick it in the soil at about an inch depth.  That’s it.  The plant will begin growing new leaves from the center of the clump within days.

To harvest, just pick off outer leaves as they emerge.  It should keep growing continuously for several months until it develops spiky flowers and gets too tough.  Then, replant : )

Mint

Tea, mojitos, salad.  Mint is a great plant to grow.  Collect a few healthy sprigs (ones with big, bright green leaves) from either the market or a neighbor.  Plant the sprigs (“cuttings”) in soil so that the stem is buried about 2 inches deep, and the top still has a few leaves on it.

Mint grows like crazy and can over-take other plants, so people often plant it in its own container.  I planted mine in a basket and hung it from our jackfruit tree so that the mint can grow out the bottom or sides or wherever it wants : )

Lemongrass

Lemongrass is an essential ingredient in Asian cooking.  It also makes a great tea.  It grows to be pretty tall, so make sure you plant it in a large enough pot.  If you have access to a lemongrass plant already, you can plant your own through a propagation technique called “division”.  Basically what you do is dig a shovel down along one of the stems, dividing it from the rest of the plant.  Once you have your stem (or however many stems you want), remove any dead outer leaves and cut the top of the stalk off so that it is about one foot in length.  Plant this stalk in soil at about 2 inches depth, and tilted to the side a teeny bit (instead of straight up and down).

Alternatively, you can go to the market and buy a bundle of lemon grass (see above).  As long as it is fresh enough, you can cut these stalks to one foot length as well and plant them.

Enjoy!

***

Posted by Daphne | Prey Veng, Cambodia

A few weeks ago I made some regular-potato gnocchi with basil sauce.  But this time I decided to try making a version for the tropics.  I’ve been compiling some information recently on the nutritional value of tropical vegetables for work, and incorporated several of the winners into this recipe.  The result: sweet potato gnocchi with creamy amaranth leaf sauce (translation: delicious dinner mega-loaded with vitamins and iron).  I will admit that white potatoes resulted in a lighter, fluffier gnocchi; but if you’re not too much of a texture-phobe the sweet potatoes are a more nutritious alternative.

Ok, here goes:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes (1 kilo)
• Flour (1 cup)
• Egg (1)
• Salt

1. Boil sweet potatoes in large pot filled with water for about 30 minutes, or until soft.
2. Remove from boiling water and immediately dunk in very cold water.  This makes the skins super-easy to remove…you can just pull them off with your fingers (see photo above).
3. Mash sweet potatoes with a fork until fluffy; add salt to taste.
4. Add about 3/4 cup of flour and gently knead the “dough” together (click here for detailed instructions).
5. Roll pieces of dough into long logs, the thickness of your thumb.  Use extra flour to cover your hands and counter to keep it from sticking too much.
6. With a floured knife, cut the log into pieces about 1/2 inch wide (see photos below).
7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
8. Using a large slotted spoon, lower the little-gnocchi-pillows into the boiling water about 20 at a time.
9. When they are cooked, the gnocchis will bob to the surface of the water.  Remove with the slotted spoon and place in a bowl, continuing until all the gnocchi is cooked.

Creamy Amaranth Leaf Sauce

Do you know about amaranth?  This spinach-like stuff is incredibly good for you.  And it seems to grow everywhere in Africa, Asia, and South America (or you can grow your own by purchasing seeds here).  Seriously, it’s probably a weed in your yard.  A whole bag of it at our market was a mere 20 cents or so.  Anyway, it deserves to be sauced.  So here goes.

Ingredients

• 1/4 kilogram amaranth leaves (or spinach, or any other greens you like)
• 6 cloves of garlic (crushed/minced)
• 2 T. oil (olive or vegetable)
• 4 T. flour
• 3 cups milk
• salt & pepper

1. You begin by making a white sauce.  Which sounds fancy and often uses butter, but I recently discovered this oil version that is easy-delicious.  To start, heat the oil in a pot on low heat.
2. Add the flour, whisking well so it thickens.
3. Slowly add the milk, little by little, whisking constantly.  As the sauce simmers for a few minutes, it will form a lovely thick, creamy sauce.
4. Add the garlic, amaranth leaves, salt & pepper to taste.  In this batch I also added hot pepper flakes and basil leaves.
5. Simmer just a minute or 2 so that the leaves wilt a bit.

And you’re done!  Spoon some sauce over your gnocchi, and dinner’s ready.

***

Posted by Daphne | Prey Veng, Cambodia

1. Chop up about 3 kilos of ripe mango (~15 medium mangos)
2. Add 3/4 to 1 cup of palm sugar paste (or whatever sugar you want)
3. Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes until thickens

Posted by Steve & Amie | Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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Some Variations:

1. To make a thicker “mango butter”, after cooking we strained out any extra juice then added a bit of: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves & ginger (see photo).

2. We also made a batch with fresh passion fruit squeezed in after cooking.

3. Since we don’t have canning equipment, we tried freezing some in plastic containers.  Will let you know if it’s still good in a few weeks or months : )

Posted by Daphne & Ryan | Prey Veng, Cambodia

What mango jam variations have you tried?  Comment below!