"What else can I say but that I have fallen in love with this city and its people? Istanbul is so many things in one: a meeting place of cultures Eastern and Western, a historic battleground of Greek, Roman, Persian, Byzantine and Turkish empires, and a thriving metropolis with modern lifestyle and chaotic traffic." Hajo takes us on a tour around the highspots of Turkey’s unofficial capital.
“We looked at commercially made Thai curry pastes last time. Now it’s time for the DIY version. As well as all the special ingredients (see our earlier article), you’ll need a mortar and pestle, or you can cheat by using a food processor and a hand blender…” Kay gets cooking on the pastes for two of the most popular varieties of Thai curry – green curry and red curry.
"This is the land of the ancient Mesopotamia, the world’s first real civilisation (that is if you don’t believe in Atlantis), founded some twelve thousand years ago. Embedded between mountain ranges and the rivers Euphrates and Tigris, this region has been the source of legends for generations. Enjoy the mystery." Hajo guides us round the rarely-visited sights of South East Anatolia.
“Here are my top choices for hotels and restaurants in Istanbul. Unlike the usually rather cheap accommodation and dining options in Istanbul, these choices are all at the upper end of the price scale and thus to be recommended to business travellers with a considerable budget allowance, or to holiday makers who seek something very special and are prepared to pay for it.” A tour of some of the upscale places to stay and dine in Istanbul.
“So what are curry pastes? They’re the foundation for flavouring Thai curries. Now, don’t start thinking along the lines of bad ‘Indian’ curries where you add a teaspoon of ‘Madras’ powder and hey presto – you’ve got a Madras curry…” Kay investigates the basis of all those beautifully fragrant Thai curries – the paste.
“Although you can learn a lot by eating authentic Thai food and from books (and websites!), I found that attending a Thai cookery school was a great benefit. Each day, the class started with a visit to a local market where we were invited to sample things as well as having ingredients described to us. This was a useful familiarisation exercise.” A look at some of the key ingredients in Thai cuisine.