Holy chili!

We're back from Bali, with warm weather and yummy food still in mind. People say that you can judge the quality of a vacation based on how much time it takes to get readjusted to (or frustrated by?) your routine life. With jet lag conquered, I'm happily still in vacation daze.

I think about the fried eggs atop nasi goreng, fresh tempeh (I'm not usually a fan), young coconut juice, flavorful bananas, thick coffee, the salt on my lips after a swim . . .

. . . and, of course, the chili peppers. I love chilis, in all of their delicious manifestations: fresh, stuffed, sauted, stewed, in paste, sambal, salsa, sriracha. It's not a macho thing, like how much heat I can handle before my eyes water. It's about complementing food, like giving an edge to sweet tomatoes, a savory depth to tangy limes, and fresh spice to salty proteins. Chilis also teach me a thing or two about fine balances. I think a cocky overindulgence on vacation led to a short bout of "Bali belly." Ouch!

Before we left for vacation, I made homemade sriracha sauce using a recipe posted on one of my favorite food blogs (whiteonricecouple).