Jimbaran Style Seafood Bumbu 
¼ cup vegetable oil
8-10 shallots sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
8-12 large red chiles, sliced
2 bird’s eye chiles, finely chopped
1” galangal finely chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp dried shrimp paste, roasted* (can be overpowering for newbies.  Useu less, sub w/ Thai fish Sauce or omit)
3 stems lemongrass, finely chopped
2 salam …

…the electric ripples of hot pepper pain still running through our gums we were picked up to go snorkeling and visit Turtle Island. Didn’t know what Turtle Island was maybe it’s where the snorkeling was at. Maybe we’d swim with sea reptiles…wrestle them… or be enslaved to carapaced overlords with Kaiser helmets and ninja gear.

   I usually make this with chickens – leads to more meat for the spice-driven gluttony and also turns its name into Bebek Ayam.

 Bebek Betutu 
1 duck, about 5-6 lbs
18 shallots, peeled & sliced
10 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed & sliced
5 stalks lemongrass, bottom 4 inches only – tough outer leaves removed …

Here’s a call out for some desperately needed advice: does anyone have any good ideas on how to effectively terrorize children? Other people’s children, that is….

use cold, cooked rice, as warm rice will stick to the wok and absorb liquid too quickly.
INGREDIENTS:
6 tbsp oil
6 shallots, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
6 oz chicken or pork, sliced*
8 oz medium size shrimp, peeled*
¼ small Nappa cabbage, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
½ cup sambal tomat
4-5 cups cold, cooked rice
2 …

 INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup oil
14 red serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
10 bird’s eye chili, chopped
4 tomatos,  seeded and cut into wedges
10 garlic clove, sliced
15 small shallots, peeled and sliced
1 tsp dried shrimp paste, roasted (sub 1tsp Thai fish sauce)
2 tbs palm sugar, chopped (sub brown sugar)
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbsp salt
PREPARATION:
Heat oil in heavy saucepan over …

But the big boy had to push his luck one last time – the same night some of Tim’s NYC pals had come in with a bottle of pure habenero extract. Whatever the fuck that entailed, it was black as evil and smelled like the core of the earth. The little drop I tasted was like having Satan kick in your teeth and jam a cloven hoof down your throat…

Between airport layovers and gas stops off I-80 I’ve spent about 5 collective hours in Chicago. I’ve seen the Lake Michigan, stood on the steps of the Field Museum and smoked outside O’Hare in a snow storm. But I never tasted an actual Chicago style hot dog.  I’ve seen the …

1 lb serrano or jalapeño chile peppers
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium white or yellow onions,  sliced
1 head garlic, peeled
3 cups white vinegar
2 Tbsp Kosher salt or sea salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs of fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 Tsp …

I rinsed my hands fast and looked at the lemon. No freaking way. If things got bad I’d have a tough enough time explaining chiles in my kid’s bum to an EMT, let alone a big squeeze of citric acid in there. What the hell was I going to do? Take him outside and put a hose in his rectum? His face had gone purple in agony while I raced into his room looking for some sort of balm