The muddy shoe and the recipes

The Muddy Shoe’s focus is on recipes that are true to my family spirit, but using ingredients that are local or easily available in the usual grocery marts. There are, however, a few necessary ingredients that are not so common. In these cases, I encourage you to venture into your local Asian market. Most larger cities have at least one, and these days there are generally several to choose between. These markets can be very different from the run-of-the-mill groceries, but their funkiness and charm will draw you back time and time again. If you need help finding what you need, don’t hesitate to ask. If you do not have a local Asian market, you can order most products online, or you can email me and I can get you what you need if I can find it.

The reason behind creating recipes with ingredients which are easy to find dates back to 32 years ago. When my parents first arrived in the United States, there was a lack of Asian markets. All they had for supplies was the local supermarket, which had few to no Asian ingredients so they had to make substitutions to their recipes. We did make a few road trips every year to California for the thriving Asian community and markets there, and always returned with many products ranging from rice noodles to shrimp paste. These trips were great, but not exactly convenient. As time went on, my parents changed the original recipes by substituting different ingredients for local or American items. When I learned how to cook from my parents, I learned the new recipes which were never written down. Now when it comes time for me to cook something I generally take a few liberties and subtract and add a few ingredients for my own tastes. Some turned out better, others should never have been attempted, but cooking is a process and it’s the process that I have enjoyed. This collection of recipes is a combination of the Asian influence and the American. In the future I plan on listing two versions of some recipes – my parents’ and my own.

So remember that these recipes are just a starting point; experiment often and if you come up with something different, share it. Send it to me and I will post it for everyone to try. I will attempt to make every dish that I get emailed. So have fun cooking and please send me your recipes. They don’t have to be Asian food either. I love cooking in general so whatever it is I will try it. Although I am allergic to mangos so I won’t be eating any dishes with that deadly fruit. Have fun cooking!