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Entertaining Away – Hosting a Party on Holidays. Copyright © 2022 Terence Carter / Grantourismo. All Rights Reserved.

Entertaining Away – Hosting a Party on Holidays

“Will you be having one of these parties at every destination you visit?” was the most common question I fielded at our buzzy Grantourismo launch party in London on Thursday night. Maybe. For us, entertaining away is one of the most fun things to do in a holiday rental.

The motivation for the question was the fact we’d hosted a pre-launch soiree in Dubai last week, then the cocktail party here at our chic HomeAway holiday rental in Battersea this week, so naturally it might be assumed we were establishing some kind of crazy pattern of party-throwing.

“No, definitely not!” I immediately responded, surveying the mess in the kitchen as Terence and the chef from catering company Kitchen Angels were prepping canapés. “Although we might host the occasional small dinner party if we make friends…”

Food is an essential component of the kind of travel we do – whether we’re shopping the markets for local produce, dining out, or doing a cooking class – and it’s an important aspect of our grand tour this year. But for most people, ‘entertaining away’ is little more than picking up some takeaway and some win and beers.

Let’s face it: eating out is most travellers’ favourite thing to do when they’re away, and the ability to cook and eat in is one of the most enjoyable aspects of staying in a holiday rental. Whether it’s simply a couple laying out a spread of local cheeses and cold cuts for a sunset drink on the balcony before going out, or a family or group of friends grilling up a barbecue by the pool, being able to entertain is one of the big advantages of choosing a holiday rental over a hotel, and it’s a big cost-saver too.

This explains two of Terence’s personal projects this year: to devise a simple breakfast eggs dish based on a local dish or local ingredients that anyone can cook up in their holiday rental; and to learn to cook a quintessential dish that’s unique to each of the places we visit, to perfect it, and (if and when the chance arises) to cook it for the person who might have taught him how to cook it or for new friends or neighbours who know the dish. Entertaining away on a larger scale, as we have done in Dubai and London, was not part of our original project, but now we’re kind of warming to the idea…

In contrast to the Dubai ‘entertaining away’ party, for which Terence and I did all the cooking, for the London party, HomeAway hired caterers Kitchen Angels, to free up our time to socialize, and in keeping with our sustainable travel theme, we asked them to do British canapés created from local produce.

Terence also devised several canapés of his own inspired by the local produce we’d tried in London this week and the British food we’d been eating. This is what he prepared for our London party:

Smoked trout tian on blinis

This was a modification of an old recipe Terence loved from Tetsuya in Sydney. His justification for transporting it here: “The smoked trout in London is wonderful so I combined it with a local fresh goat’s cheese, Childwickbury goat’s cheese, that is light and lemony. I added local capers, anchovies and herbs as well, and this was bound with egg yolk. I simply served these as a small ‘tian’ or tower on the blinis. These disappeared so fast we had to whip up a second batch!”

Smoked mackerel on celeriac purée with bacon chips on oat chips

Terence wanted to do smoked eel but couldn’t find any in time so he substituted eel for some lovely mackerel: “I don’t see celeriac much in either Dubai or Australia (apart from in restaurants) so I wanted to work with it… and the highlight of my night was the chef tasting the seasoning of my celeriac purée and declaring it “perfect”. I was quite chuffed as he’s a non-nonsense chef – and a damn good one. Correct seasoning is so important with mash, purees and soups – and it’s a common mistake to over- or under-season these. I served the mixture on the oat chips with the mackerel and bacon chip on top.”

Pork pâté with bacon powder & red wine reduction

Terence loved the pork pâté we tried at The Ginger Pig and wanted to work with it: “I toasted some local bread, cut bite-sized squares, and placed a slice of pâté on top. On top of this I added a little brush of red wine reduction. I’m increasingly interested in texture in dishes, in the way that Thais use different textures for ‘mouth feel’, so for this, I simply blended up some bacon crisps and sprinkled this over the pâté to give some flavourful crunch.”

We also served English wine and apple juice from Biddenden Wines, and of course we offered a cocktail of our own, for which Sarah from HomeAway discovered a good recipe on the Marie-Claire site:

Truly British Cocktail

50 ml gin
dash elderflower cordial
apple juice to taste

In a tall glass, pour the gin over some ice, add a dash of elderflower cordial. and top with apple juice. Stir well and garnish with a slice of local apples. (We actually garnished with strawberries and mint.)

The London launch party was loads of fun, and, like the Dubai do, what made it especially so was the opportunity to meet people we’d only known via Twitter or the blogosphere – and what a lovely bunch they were! It was also great to meet other travel writers, editors, and travel industry folk, who we’d been in touch with through our work before but had never met in person, and to be able to share travel tales and tips.

So now, after our successful London and Dubai parties, I’m kind of liking the idea of hosting some sort of social gathering at our holiday rentals when the opportunities arise… what do you think?

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About Lara Dunston

A travel and food writer who has experienced over 70 countries and written for The Guardian, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Feast, Delicious, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast Traveller, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, DestinAsian, TIME, CNN, The Independent, The Telegraph, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, AFAR, Wanderlust, International Traveller, Get Lost, Four Seasons Magazine, Fah Thai, Sawasdee, and more, as well as authored more than 40 guidebooks for Lonely Planet, DK, Footprint, Rough Guides, Fodors, Thomas Cook, and AA Guides.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Christine B.Osborne says

    February 14, 2010 at 3:28 am

    It was one of the most convivial gatherings I`ve attended in London: was it due to the number of so many Oz-expats :)

    Yr canapes were fab – I adore smoked eel (rate it along with caviar) but it`s hard to find. I get mine at Selfridges, or from a fish-stall in Tatchbrook Street market in Victoria. But it ain`t cheap.

    Thank you again for having me and good luck with your project.

  2. lara dunston says

    February 14, 2010 at 10:36 am

    Thank you, Christine! It was so lovely to see you here – hopefully our paths will cross in some other part of the world – and I’m sure the number of Aussies must have had something to do with it! ;)

  3. Antonio Bortolotti says

    February 15, 2010 at 12:11 am

    I confess I was wondering whether or not you would have thrown a party like that in Sardinia too! ;-) Awesome pictures, I wish I was there in London and in Dubai! Sardinia has a very, very, very typical cuisine, with dishes incredibly different from the rest of Italy and that tells a lot also about the Sardinian people, its story and its culture, which is very different from other parts of Italy. I will have a little surprise waiting for Terry upon arrival…ciao, ciao!

  4. Angela says

    February 16, 2010 at 11:45 am

    Agree with Antonio, Sardinian food is not only different from the other Italian regions, but also diverse within Sardinia itself: what you will find in Nuoro’s area is different from what you will find in Oristano or Cagliari!

    Let me know when you’ll be in Sardinia, would love to show you around some offbeat paths ;-)

  5. Terence Carter says

    February 16, 2010 at 3:57 am

    Antonio, I hate surprises. You have to tell me now!
    We will try to do *something* everywhere but organising a party every two weeks will see me in hospital for exhaustion! Or for alcohol poisoning…

  6. Terence Carter says

    February 16, 2010 at 12:11 pm

    Angela, we’re sorry we missed you on Sunday – work and all! You know how much I love the regional differences in Italian food…I can’t wait. We’ll be in Sardinia in early May. Will you be there then? Ciao!

  7. Angela says

    February 17, 2010 at 3:30 am

    Terry, yes early May I should be in Sardinia, that’s great, looking forward to seeing you there! As for Sunday, you just missed a loud Italian dinner ;-)

    Heather, lovely post on Nuoro and what an unusual angle! I’ve been to Nuoro countless times and never noticed those “eyes”! Nuoro itself is nice and quirky, but the villages around are the symbol of the wildest Sardinia and, according to a recent academic research, it’s the area where inhabitants’ DNA is closest to the one of the lost nuragic civilisation. They definitely care about ancient traditions, they have some which are thousands years old!

  8. Heatheronhertravels says

    February 16, 2010 at 2:50 pm

    Ooh, yes please to more delicious locally sourced nibbles. At least I can enjoy them virtually if not in person.

    Angela mentioned Nuoro which was a fun little town with hidden treasures – you can see some of my posts about it here. Will you be going there?
    http://www.heatheronhertravels.com/cool-kerbstone-in-nuoro-in-sardinia/

  9. Prêt à Voyager says

    February 17, 2010 at 9:46 am

    such a brilliant idea to post a party while you’re somewhere else! i remember the frugal traveler doing something like this (more low key) with his friends in paris at the apt he rented.

    anne

  10. Antonio Bortolotti says

    February 28, 2010 at 11:27 am

    Hi Terry, no worry, no bad surprises!!! Although you said you hate surprises I can’t tell you what it is or there won’t be any positive feeling about it when you see it. I can give you a hint however….it’s going to make your “Sardinian cooking experience” nicer, easier and full of interesting ideas…! ;-)

  11. Lara Dunston says

    January 10, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Anne! Just checking this post for a detail and saw your comment – can’t believe we missed it at the time – no doubt we were frantic.

    We’ve actually hosted quite a few little dinners/parties at our holiday rentals over the year and have just loved it. I haven’t seen the Frugal Traveller’s but I’ll go and look for it! :)

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About Grantourismo

Lara and Terence are an Australian-born, Southeast Asia-based travel and food writers and photographers who have authored scores of guidebooks, produced countless travel and food stories, are currently developing cookbooks and guidebooks, and host culinary tours and writing and photography retreats in Southeast Asia.
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Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check o Still looking for Christmas cooking inspo? Check out our seafood recipe collection, especially if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve with a fish focused meal in the Southern Italian tradition, transformed by Italian-Americans into the Feast of the Seven Fishes, or like Australians, who celebrate Christmas in the sweltering summer, feast on seafood for Christmas Day lunch, we’ve got lots of easy seafood recipes for you.

Our recipes include a classic prawn cocktail, blini with smoked salmon, a ceviche-style appetiser, and devilled eggs with caviar. We’ve also got recipes for fish soup, seafood pies and pastas, salmon tray bake, and crispy salmon with creamy mashed potatoes.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/seafood-recipes-for-christmas-eve-and-christmas-day-menus/
(Link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas if you’re celebrating!! 

#christmas #christmasfood #seafood #fish #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #grantourismo #grantourismotravels #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you’re still looking for food inspo for Chris If you’re still looking for food inspo for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day meals, my smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’ recipe is one of dozens of recipes in this compilation of our best Christmas recipes (link below). 

The Christmas recipe compilation includes collections of our best Christmas breakfast recipes, best Christmas brunch recipes, best Christmas starter recipes, best Christmas cocktails, best Christmas dessert recipes, and homemade edible Christmas gifts and more.

My smoked salmon carpaccio recipe makes an easy elegant appetiser that’s made in minutes. If you’re having guests over, you can make the dish ahead by assembling the salmon, capers and pickled onions, and refrigerate it, then pour on the dressing just before serving. 

Provide toasted baguette slices and bowls of additional capers, pickles and dressing, so guests can customise their carpaccio. And open the bubbly!

You’ll find that recipe and many more Christmas recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/best-christmas-recipes/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Merry Christmas!! X

#christmas #christmasfood #recipes #christmasrecipes #foodstagram #salmon #smokedsalmon #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood #picoftheday #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels 
#xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas
If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I sh If you haven’t visited our site in a while, I shared a collection of recipes for homemade edible Christmas gifts — for condiments, hot sauces, chilli oils, a whole array of pickles, spice blends, chilli salt, furakake seasoning, and spicy snacks, such as our Cambodian and Vietnamese roasted peanuts. 

I love giving homemade edibles as gifts as much as I love receiving them. Who wouldn’t appreciate jars filled with their favourite chilli oils, hot sauces, piquant pickles, and spicy peanuts that loved-ones have taken the time to make? 

Aside from the gesture and affordability of gifting homemade edibles, you’re minimising waste. You can use recycled jars or if buying new mason jars or clip-top Kilner jars, you know they’ll get repurposed.

No need for wrapping, just attach some Christmas baubles or tinsel to the lid. I used squares of Cambodian kramas (cotton scarves), which can be repurposed as napkins or drink coasters, and tied a ribbon or two around the lids, and attached last year’s Christmas tree decorations to some.

You’ll find the recipes here: https://grantourismotravels.com/homemade-edible-christmas-gifts/ (link in bio if you’re seeing this on IG)

Yes, that’s Pepper... every time there’s a camera around... 

#christmasgiftideas #ediblegifts ##christmasfoodgifts #foodgifts #giftideas #homemadegifts #christmasfood #ediblegiftideas #hotsauce #chillisauce #sriracha #pickles #homemadepickles #recipes #foodstagram #foodblogger #food #foodlover #igfood 
#blackcat #blackcatsofinstagram #picoftheday 
#christmas #christmastree #xmas #merrychristmas #happychristmas #cambodia #siemreap
This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’ This crab omelette is a decadent eggs dish that’s perfect if you’re just back from the fish markets armed with luxurious fresh crab meat. It’s a little sweet, a little spicy, and very, very moreish.

Our crab omelette recipe was one of our 22 most popular egg recipes of 2022 on our website Grantourismo and it’s no surprise. It’s appeared more times than any other egg recipes on our annual round-ups of most popular recipes since Terence launched Weekend Eggs when we launched Grantourismo in 2010.

If you’re an eggs lover, do check out the recipe collection. It includes egg recipes from right around the world, from recipes for classic kopitiam eggs from Singapore and Malaysia and egg curries from India and Myanmar to all kinds of egg recipes from Thailand, Japan, Korea, China, Mexico, USA, Australia, UK, and Ireland.

And do browse our Weekend Eggs archives for further eggspiration (sorry). We have hundreds of egg recipes from the 13 year-old series of recipes for quintessential egg dishes from around the world, which we started on our 2010 year-long global grand tour focused on slow, local and experiential travel. 

We’re hoping 2023 will be the year we can finally publish the Weekend Eggs cookbook we’ve talked about for years based on that series. After we can find a publisher for the Cambodia cookbook of course... :( 

Recipe collection here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio):
https://grantourismotravels.com/22-most-popular-egg-recipes-of-2022-from-weekend-eggs/

If you cook the recipe and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either in the comments at the end of the recipe or share a pic with us here.

#recipe #recipes #eggs #eggslover #breakfasteggs #WeekendEggs #egg #breakfast #brunch #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #lookingforapublisher #writingacookbook  #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angko I’m late to share this, but a few days ago Angkor Archaeological Park, home to stupendous Angkor Wat, pictured, celebrated 30 years of its UNESCO World Heritage listing. 

That’s as good an excuse as any to put this magnificent, sprawling archaeological site on your travel list this year.

While riverside Siem Reap, your base for exploring Angkor is bustling once more, there are still nowhere near the visitors of the last busy high season months of December-January 2018-2019 when there were 290,000 visitors. 

Last month there were just 55,000 visitors and December feels a little quieter. A tour guide friend said there were about 150 people at Angkor Wat for sunrise a few days ago.

If you’re looking for tips to visiting Angkor, Siem Reap and Cambodia, just ask us a question in the comments below or check Grantourismo as we’ve got loads of info on our site. Click through to the link in the bio and explore our Cambodia guide or search for ‘Angkor’. 

And please do let us know if you’re coming to Siem Reap. We’d love to see you here x

#siemreap #cambodia #asia #travel #instatravel #traveldeeper #slowtravel #localtravel #experientialtravel #exploremore #neverstopexploring #goexplore #igtravel #angkorwat #angkor #temple #temples #angkorwithoutcrowds #unesco #unescoworldheritagesite #unescoworldheritage #archaeology #archaeologicalsite #traveladdict #beautifuldestinations #beautifulplaces #travelgram #wanderlust #picoftheday📷 #grantourismotravels.
Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky Our soy ginger chicken recipe will make you sticky, flavourful and succulent chicken thighs that are fantastic with steamed rice, Chinese greens or a salad, such as a Southeast Asian slaw. 

The chicken can be marinated for up to 24 hours before cooking, which ensures it’s packed with flavour, then it can be cooked on a barbecue or in a pan.

Terence’s soy ginger chicken recipe is one of our favourite recipes for a quick and easy meal. I love the sound of the sizzling thighs in the pan, and the warming aromas wafting through the apartment. 

It’s amazing how such flavourful juicy chicken thighs come from such a quick and easy recipe.

Recipe here (and proper link to Grantourismo in our bio): https://grantourismotravels.com/soy-ginger-chicken-recipe/

If you cook it and enjoy it please let us know — we love to hear from you — either here or in the comments at the end of the recipe on the site or share a pic with us x 

#recipe #recipes #chicken #soygingerchicken #asianfood #southeastasianfood #igfood #igfoodie #cooking #cookingtime #recipe #recipes #comfortfood #foodblog #food #foodstagram #healthyfood #instafood #healthy #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #recipedeveloper #writingacookbook #grantourismo #grantourismotravels
Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re mak Who can guess the ingredients and what we’re making with my market haul from Psar Samaki in Siem Reap — all for a whopping 10,000 riel (US$2.50)?! 

Birds-eye chillies thrown in for free! They were on my list but the seller I spent most at (5,000 riel!) scooped up a handful and slipped them into my bag. She was my last stop and knew what I was making.

My Khmer is poor, even after all our years in Cambodia, as I don’t learn languages with the ease I did in my 20s, plus I’m mentally exhausted after researching and writing all day. I have a better vocabulary of Old and Middle Khmer than modern Khmer from studying the ancient inscriptions for the Cambodian culinary history component of our cookbook I’m writing.

So when one seller totalled my purchases I thought she said 5,000 riel but she handed back 4,500 riel! The sum total of two huge bunches of herbs and kaffir lime leaves was 500 riel.

Tip: if visiting Siem Reap, use Khmer riel for local shopping. We’ve mainly used riel since the pandemic started— rarely use US$ now as market sellers quote prices in riels, as do local shops and bakeries, and I tip tuk tuk drivers in riels. I find prices quoted in riels are lower.

Psar Samaki is cheaper than Psar Leu, which is cheaper than Psar Chas, as it’s a wholesale market, which means the produce is fresher. I see veggies arriving, piled high in the back of vehicles, with dirt still on them — as I did on this trip. 

The scent of a mountain of incredibly aromatic pineapples offloaded from the back of a dusty ute was so heady they smelt like they’d just been cut. More exotic European style veggies arrive by big trucks in boxes labelled in Vietnamese (from Dalat) and Mandarin (from China), such as beautiful snow-white cauliflower I spotted.

Note: the freshest produce is sold on the dirt road at the back of the market.

#cambodia #siemreap #foodwriter #foodblogger #foodphotography #igfood #foodstagram #instafood #instafoodie #foodie #instadaily #picoftheday #market #siemreapmarket #psarsamaki #marketfresh #vegetables #healthyfood #marketshopping #traveltips #foodtravel #culinarytravel #localtravel #cooking #cookingtime #curry #homemade #currypaste #grantourismotravels
My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recip My Vietnamese-ish meatballs and rice noodles recipe makes tender meatballs doused in a delightfully tangy-sweet sauce, sprinkled with crispy fried shallots, with carrot-daikon, crunchy cucumber and fragrant herbs. 

The dish is inspired by bún chả, a Hanoi specialty, but it’s not bún chả. No matter what Google or food bloggers tell you. Names are important, especially when cooking and writing about cuisines not our own.

This is an authentic bún chả recipe:  https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-bun-cha-recipe/ You’ll need to get the outdoor BBQ/grill going to do proper smoky bún chả meat patties (not meatballs).

My meatball noodle bowl is perhaps more closely related to dishes such as a Central Vietnam cousin bún thịt nướng (pork skewers on rice noodles in a bowl) and a Southern relation bún bò Nam Bộ (beef atop rice noodles, sprinkled with fried shallots (Nam Bộ=Southern Vietnam) though neither include meatballs. 

Xíu mại= meatballs although they’re different in flavour to mine, which taste more like bún chả patties. Xíu mại remind me of Southern Italian meatballs in tomato sauce.

In Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, home to millions of Khmer, there’s bánh tằm xíu mại. Bánh tằm=silk worm noodles. They’re topped with meatballs, cucumber, daikon, carrot, fresh herbs, crispy fried onions. Difference: cold noodles doused in a sauce of coconut cream and fish sauce. 

Remove the meatballs, add chopped fried spring rolls and it’s Cambodia’s banh sung, which is a rice noodle salad similar to Vietnam’s bún chả giò :) 

Recipe here: (link in bio) https://grantourismotravels.com/vietnamese-meatballs-and-rice-noodles-recipe/

For more on these culinary connections you’ll have to wait for our Cambodian cookbook and culinary history. In a hurry to know? Come support the project on Patreon. (link in bio)

#recipe #recipes #vietnamesefood #cambodianfood #asianfood #southeastasianfood #ricenoodles #rice #noodlebowl #meatballs #igfood #igfoodie #foodblog #food #foodstagram #instafood  #instafoodie #foodie #foodies #foodlover #foodpics #foodporn #foodphotography #foodwriter #foodblogger #writingacookbook #writingacambodiancookbook #patreon #patreoncreator #grantourismo
It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour It is pure coincidence that Pepper’s eye colour matches the furnishings of our rented apartment. So, no, I did not colour-coordinate the interiors to match our cat’s eyes. 

I keep getting DMs from pet clothing brands wanting to “partner” with Pepper and send her free cat clothes and cat accessories. Although she did wear a kerchief for a few years in her more adventurous fashion-forward teenage years, I cannot see this cat in clothes now, can you? 

#pepper #blackcat #blackcats #blackcatsofinstagram #blackcatsrule #blackcatsmatter #cat #cats #catsofinstagram #catstagram #catlover #catlovers #catlove #catoftheday #catphoto #catpic #catpics #cambodiancat #cambodiancatsofinstagram #catlife #catloversclub #catoftheday #catgram #catstagram #cats_of_instagram #catphotography #catsofig #catsoftheworld #catsofinsta #cats🐱 #siemreap #cambodia

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