Kilaw During a Long Weekend at the Beach

What you see pictured above is kilaw. Think of it as Philippine seviche. It's an adaptation of the recipe from Charmaine Solomon's Complete Asian Cookbook, McGraw-Hill, 1976, which can be found on the web at http://www.geocities.com/adams_dhanjal/recipes/kilaw.htm

This adapted version works better. The original recipe is confusing, more likely erroneous. It calls for "grating" six ounces of creamed coconut prior to blending with milk. The adapted version from the web simply uses 200 milliliters or approximately 8 ounces of unsweetened coconut cream and omits the milk. Your best source for unsweetened coconut cream is to scoop it from the top of a can of unsweetened coconut milk that has not been shaken or overturned.

Before trying it, you should know that I prepared and liked better a slightly different version created by Master Chef, author, and TV host Martin Yan. It was taken from Martin Yan's ASIA: Favorite Recipes From, KQED Books and Tapes, San Francisco, 1997. I can't find it anywhere on the web. Chef Yan's book referred to as "kinilaw," not "kinlaw." Stay tuned. Hopefully Master Yan will allow his stupendous recipe to be posted here.

Being at the beach caused me to miss the season's first Downtown Baltimore Sunday morning farmer's market. Hopefully, I'll be around for the second one next Sunday, May 14. Barring uncalled for weather conditions, the second farmer's market of the season shouldn't be much different from the first. Here's where you can read about the final farmer's market of the past season:
http://uniqueculinaryadventures.blogspot.com/2005_12_01_uniqueculinaryadventures_archive.html

We arrived home from the beach late Monday afternoon. Short on time, energy, and cash, we sought a first class restaurant that offered some kind of a Monday night special or price-break. Neither the Internet nor any publications around the house provided much input. "Dining Tips and Tidbits" in City Paper's Dining Guide had the best scoop. Wine Market in Locust Point offers 20 per cent off entries on Mondays. In addition---and not mentioned in the City Paper's Dining Guide --- was a lengthy list of highly rated wines at $15 per bottle to accompany those entries. It was my first visit to the Wine Market, and not to be my last. What a great addition to Locust Point! What a great addition to Baltimore's dining scene! The Wine Market's web site is most informative and includes its menu.
http://www.the-wine-market.com/sample_menu_frameset.html

Finally, our post from May 3 about chorizo and pimientos noted that Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show had returned to the Travel Channel at 9 p.m. on Monday. We checked it out last night. For most of the show, Bourdain was in Osaka, Japan, cavorting amidst bright lights that illuminated a myriad local specialties. Next week he'll be in China.