Love of Arepas

I made some arepas for a cooking event on Sunday and I have not made them in a really long time, literally years and I had forgotten how easy they are to make and how versatile they are.

You just need to buy the right flour - It is an extremely fine ground instant corn flour ( no need to add baking powder) sold as Masa Harina or Manteca, available in most supermarkets, especially in Latin and Caribbean neighborhoods. You just mix equal amounts of warm water and flour and a little salt. Mix until it forms a dough. Let it rest for 5 minutes. Form into patties and fry for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

You can also stuff them with a variety of ingredients - cheese, ground meat, pico de gallo are all great fillers for arepas.

You can even make them into dessert by adding sugar instead of salt and adding dried fruit ( soaked in juice or alcohol). Sweetened ricotta or marscapone or preserves would also be great fillers for sweet arepas.

The choices are endless to make a unique appetizer with your special twist on them and they are oh so delicious!!

I always appreciate all feedback - Real Feedback (not advertisements and viruses) , so let me know what you came up with for your own unique arepas!!!



Chef Mireille
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Sanur - Don't Waste Your Time!

Several years ago, I tried Malaysian food for the first time and I was hooked. I was lucky that my first try was at a wonderful, authentic restaurant with excellent cooks - Nyonya. It is located on Grand Street and Mulberry, on the borderlands between Chinatown and Little Italy, here in NYC!! Roti Canai, Green Beans with Shrimp Paste and Chili, Lychee Juice are my staples I get every time I go, along with my entree which changes every time until I try everything on the menu! So when I was invited by a friend to dinner at a restaurant that features Malaysian and Indonesian (another favorite of mine) food, I did not have to think twice to accept. Although I had never heard of Sanur, some of the best dining gems in this city are little hole in the walls that only a select few know about.
First of all, it is located behind God's back (as my grandmother would say). A good 10 minute walk from either East Broadway or Canal Street train station. The bus does stop nearby, but the driver did not even know where Doyer Street was! If you have to work this hard just to find the location, the food better be well worth it! Unfortunately, I was sadly disappointed.
I was looking forward to my Roti Canai which I had not had in a long time. They overfried the bread. It was crispy! The curry sauce did not have the depth of flavor that Nyonya's has, nor did it have any chicken in it - just 1 piece of potato. My shrimp entree tasted good enough, but it was so much work to eat. It was covered in a flavorful sauce, which would have been fine if the shrimp had been shelled. I had to dig in the sauce with my hands to remove the shells and not just the tail, but the shell of the entire shrimp. Using a fork or chopsticks was pointless. Two of my friends ordered crab. The shells were not cracked and they did not have the utensils to crack them - the only utensil available to use was your teeth! One of my friends ordered the Indonesian Fried Chicken - I have Indonesian family and this certainly is nothing that I would classify as Indonesian!!
Service did not improve the experience. We had to practically beg for water at the table.
If you want to try really good Malaysian food, stay far away from Sanur, - Try Nyonya at 194 Grand Street and for really good Indonesian food, try Bali Nusa Indah at 651 9th Avenue. If you make Sanur your first exploration into Malaysian cuisine, you are missing out on the best this cuisine has to offer.



Chef Mireille
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Rising Costs of Food

Why is food so darned expensive????

I am not an economist or a finance person, but someone, country, organization has to do something. It is not that we do not have enough food in the world - it is just that no one can afford it.

I am the Gourmet Global, but many of our neighbors can't even afford essentials (forget about gourmet). Between this and the price of gas, it is pushing the cost of living way beyond many people's means.

I was speechless when I went to buy an individual sized bottle of apple juice (15 oz.) from a hot dog vendor yesterday and it was $3. $3 for something that I will finish in a few minutes. I remember when they were $1 and then $1.50, but when did they suddenly jump to $3.

Anyway, here is a list here of places where I do a lot of my grocery shopping, in a variety of cuisines. You can purchase things at these places without robbing the bank. Hope it is helpful in creating your gourmet meals on a budget.

Name Of Location	Address	Telephone #	Website	Products
9th Avenue International Foods	543 9th Avenue	212-279-1000		Middle Easter, African, Greek, Italian
Asia Food Market, Inc.	71 1/2 Mulberry Street			Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, Indian
Bangkok Center Grocery	104 Mosco Street	212-732-8916	thai-grocery.com	Thai and other Southeast Asian products, Lime Leaves, Thai Basil, Galangal
Buon Italia	75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)	212-633-9090	buonitalia.com	European Products, especially Italian and French, candied lemon peel, vanilla beans
Chop Chop	126 Smith Street (Brooklyn)	718-858-3757		Organic produce and groceries, flavored syrups, prepared foods
Deluxe Food Market	79 Elizabeth Street	212-925-5766		Game Birds, Fish, Produce, Asian products, Prepared Foods
Dynasty Supermarket	68 Elizabeth Street	212-966-4943	dynastysuper.qpg.com	Game Birds, Fish and Meat, Asian products, Chinese teas
Empire Coffee & Teas	568 9th Avenue	212-268-1220	empirecoffeetea.com	Coffee, Tea & Accoutrements
Family Fruit Farm	1823 Church Avenue			Caribbean produce and products, calaloo, sorrel, Trini Green Seasoning, Kuchela, Shadoe Beny (outside Haitian women sell Haitian products - djon djon mushrooms)
Golan Gourmet	1348 Coney Island Avenue (Brooklyn)	718-338-1040	golangourmet.com	Dried fruits, nuts, teas, coffee, figs, dates, Israeli products, fruits, olives
Hong Kong Supermarket	109 East Broadway	212-227-3388		Asian
Kalustyan's	123 Lexington Avenue	212-685-3451	kalustyans.com	Middle Eastern, Southeast and South Asian, Greek/Mediterranean, curry leaves
Kam Man Food Products	200 Canal Street	212-571-0330		Asian, teas, dried sausages, dried seafood
Malko Karkanni Bothers	174 Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn)	718-834-0845		dried fruits, nuts, Middle Eastern cheese, Greek and Middle Eastern pastries and groceries
Manhattan Fruit Exchange	75 9th Avenue (Chelsea Market)	212-989-2444		Produce, Herbs, Cheese, Organic
Murray's Cheese	254 Bleeker Street	212-243-3289	murrayscheese.com	Cheese
Oriental Pastry & Grocery	170 Atlantic Avenue	718-875-7687		Middle Eastern cheese, grains, legumes, nuts, dried fruits, dates
Patel Brothers	37-27 74th Street (Jackson Heights)	718-898-3445	citysearch.com (for additional locations in Flushing and Jamaica)	Indian produce and grocery items, skin and hair care items, incense
Rio Bonito Market	3286 47th Street (Astoria)	718-728-4300		Brazilian Products
Sahadi's	187 Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn)	718-624-4550	sahadis.com	oliv oil, coffee, dried herbs, grains, nuts, dried fruit, cheese, dates, Greek and Middle Eastern groceries
Spice Corner	135 Lexington Avenue	212-689-5182		Indian, orange blossom water
Three Guys From Brooklyn	Fort Hamilton Parkway/65th Street	718-748-8340	3guysfrombrooklyn.com	Large selection of reasonably priced fresh produce.
Tongin Mart, Inc.	91 Mulberry Street	212-962-6622		Asian and Southeast Asian
Udom's Thai Indonesian Store	814A Bayard Street	212-349-7662		Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian
West African Grocery	535 9th Avenue	212-594-7399		African products, Brazilian Products, Chinese Products. Dried goods and small amount of produce.