Vietnamese Sweet Potato and Shrimp Tempura

In Vietnam, there's a sweet potato and shrimp dish, khoai lan chiên tôm, that is served on many street corners. Three match-sticks of sweet potato are dipped in a tempura batter and then a whole shrimp is adhered to them. A little more tempura batter is drizzled on the sweet potato / shrimp combination and then the whole thing is deep fried.

This dish may not at first glance be considered Thanksgiving-friendly, but I think it's an excellent option. Tradition may have become synonymous with Thanksgiving, but the very first Thanksgiving was really a celebration of a fusion of cultures through food. So if you're searching for an alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving preparations of sweet potatoes, perhaps it's time to look east. To the Far East, that is.

Rooh Afza, Summer Drink of The East

I've featured sharbat (the South Asian equivalent of the Western chocolate milk for kids) in the past. The key ingredient in sharbat is a product called Rooh Afza, which is a syrup made of flower petals such as Gulab (Rose), coriander seeds, kewra and watermelon extract.  It literally translates to "that which tempts your soul".

Rooh Afza is fairly versatile and is used in many other drinks and desserts. One such recipe is similar to sharbat, but without the milk and nuts. I often make this drink when I need to cool off a bit. It's very refreshing and light.