T. Susan Chang

Try A Do-It-Yourself Mother's Day

T. Susan Chang — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:24:00 +0000

My mother didn't plant a great many spring bulbs. But over by the pachysandra patch, there was a single lovely pink tulip, and I kept my eye on it for two weeks before Mother's Day. When that Sunday morning arrived, I rushed out, snipped it and ran inside to where she lay sleeping to present it to her. "Did you pick that outside?" she inquired, her expression shifting from sleepy surprise to something more complicated. I nodded proudly. "Oh ...

Preserved Lemons: Older, Wiser And Full Of Flavor

T. Susan Chang — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 06:11:00 +0000

On many occasions in my longtime relationship with cookbooks, I have had this experience (which will sound familiar, if you like Middle Eastern flavors as much as I do). I'm happily paging through my new Moroccan or Lebanese or Israeli book, lost in dreams of lamb and sumac, saffron and figs. "Mmmm," I murmur over a glossy page, "that looks delicious."

I trace my finger down the ingredients list. Shallots, check. Tomatoes, check. Cinnamon stick, check. And then there it is: Preserved lemon. "Drat," I think.

In Praise Of The Humble Lentil

T. Susan Chang — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 06:54:00 +0000

The year I discovered lentils, I was broke and lonely and didn't know how to cook. Lentils, it turned out, would have gone a long way toward providing the solution to some of these problems. However, when I first had them, they were a mystery.

They also were the cheapest thing on the menu at the Middle Eastern deli around the corner. The dish was mudardara, I was told. "What's that again?" I said, unable to untangle the knot of plosive consonants.

Understanding The Brussels Sprout

T. Susan Chang — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:47:00 +0000

"What are those?" I asked my mom, suspiciously eyeing the little cardboard tub with its cellophane cover. It held a heap of pale, miniature cabbages. "They're Brussels sprouts," she said. "They're supposed to be good for you," she added, sealing my doom.

At dinnertime, the mystery vegetable reappeared, steaming hot and greenish-yellow but otherwise unaltered. It gave off a sulfurous stench. I recoiled, but I knew my job.

Recipe Rebellion: A Year Of Contrarian Cookbooks

T. Susan Chang — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 12:03:00 +0000

"Just throw the whole lemon in the food processor for lemon bars."
"Don't just soak your dried beans — brine them!"