indystar.com
Indianapolis-based food writers Sonja and Alex Overhiser met with
the staff of the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery during a trip to
Battambang, Cambodia. The cafe was created by the Greenwood-based Center
for Global Impact, a nonprofit organization that trains at-risk
Cambodian women in the culinary arts. /
Photo provided by Sonja and
Alex Overhiser.
About the book
What: "The Green Mango Cafe & Bakery" cookbook, by Sonja and Alex Overhiser, features more than 40 recipes from a variety of cuisines, including Cambodian, Mexican, Italian and French, that are served in the cafe in Battambang, Cambodia.Cost: $19.95. All proceeds benefit the Center for Global Impact's programs in Cambodia.
Contact: www.acouplecooks.com
/cookbook.
Book signings: Noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 3, Tree of Life Christian Store, 862 Ind. 135, Greenwood.
9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 17, Indy Winter Farmers Market at City Market, 222 E. Market St.
Even an adventurous cook can find himself in a culinary rut.
Fortunately, Indianapolis-based food writers Sonja and Alex Overhiser provide a delightful map into tasty new territory: Southeast Asian cuisine. Their new venture is the "Green Mango Cafe & Bakery" cookbook.
The foodies behind the blog "A Couple Cooks," the Overhisers have re-created about 40 recipes from the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery, a popular eatery in Cambodia.
The cafe is the brainchild of the Greenwood-based Center for Global Impact, a nonprofit that trains at-risk Cambodian women in the culinary arts. All proceeds from the Overhisers' cookbook benefit CGI's two-year teaching program, which includes a stint of working at the Green Mango Cafe.
The restaurant has an international menu, reflected in recipes such as black bean hummus and focaccia bread. But the cookbook's focus is Southeast Asian fare.
The recipes are presented simply and clearly, one per page, and are illustrated with wonderful color photographs, all taken by the Overhisers.
An excellent place to start exploring is with the Cambodian noodle soup, a staple in the Cambodian diet and often eaten for breakfast. Its most unusual ingredients are rice noodles and bean sprouts, items often available at larger grocery stores.
In this surprisingly hearty dish, the broth is flavored with carrots, potatoes and garlic. Once the veggies are cooked through, stir tofu or shredded chicken into the pot, along with bean sprouts and some delicious "crispy fried" garlic bits. To serve, ladle the chunky broth over bowls of cooked rice noodles. The final touch is a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprinkle of chopped Thai basil or cilantro. It's comfort food with an Asian twist.
To select recipes for the cookbook, the Overhisers traveled to Cambodia, where they met chef Ryana DeArmond and the cooks and servers who staff the restaurant. Said Sonja Overhiser, "Ryana described the methods for the cafe's most popular dishes, and the girls gave us their favorite recipes."
Alex Overhiser is partial to the tom yum soup.
"The Green Mango students taught us how to cook it," he noted.
As for the desserts? "All the bakers we know love the lemongrass coconut bars," he said with a laugh.
While in Cambodia, the Overhisers observed the cooks in the kitchen, snapped photos and took copious notes. "When we got home, our job was to turn the restaurant's menu items into recipes you could prepare in the home kitchen," said Sonja.
"Traditional Asian cooking has lots of bold flavors," she continued. "We tailored the recipes to make them approachable for Americans."
Indeed, for newbies to Southeast Asian cooking, the book provides instructions on preparing traditional ingredients, such as lemon grass, and for identifying unusual ingredients, such as galangal root and kaffir lime leaves.
Locating special items will require a trek to a specialty grocery store.
The Overhisers recommend Saraga International Grocery on the Northwestside and the Southside, and Asia Mart, near Castleton Square Mall.
Fortunately, Indianapolis-based food writers Sonja and Alex Overhiser provide a delightful map into tasty new territory: Southeast Asian cuisine. Their new venture is the "Green Mango Cafe & Bakery" cookbook.
The foodies behind the blog "A Couple Cooks," the Overhisers have re-created about 40 recipes from the Green Mango Cafe & Bakery, a popular eatery in Cambodia.
The cafe is the brainchild of the Greenwood-based Center for Global Impact, a nonprofit that trains at-risk Cambodian women in the culinary arts. All proceeds from the Overhisers' cookbook benefit CGI's two-year teaching program, which includes a stint of working at the Green Mango Cafe.
The restaurant has an international menu, reflected in recipes such as black bean hummus and focaccia bread. But the cookbook's focus is Southeast Asian fare.
The recipes are presented simply and clearly, one per page, and are illustrated with wonderful color photographs, all taken by the Overhisers.
An excellent place to start exploring is with the Cambodian noodle soup, a staple in the Cambodian diet and often eaten for breakfast. Its most unusual ingredients are rice noodles and bean sprouts, items often available at larger grocery stores.
In this surprisingly hearty dish, the broth is flavored with carrots, potatoes and garlic. Once the veggies are cooked through, stir tofu or shredded chicken into the pot, along with bean sprouts and some delicious "crispy fried" garlic bits. To serve, ladle the chunky broth over bowls of cooked rice noodles. The final touch is a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprinkle of chopped Thai basil or cilantro. It's comfort food with an Asian twist.
To select recipes for the cookbook, the Overhisers traveled to Cambodia, where they met chef Ryana DeArmond and the cooks and servers who staff the restaurant. Said Sonja Overhiser, "Ryana described the methods for the cafe's most popular dishes, and the girls gave us their favorite recipes."
Alex Overhiser is partial to the tom yum soup.
"The Green Mango students taught us how to cook it," he noted.
As for the desserts? "All the bakers we know love the lemongrass coconut bars," he said with a laugh.
While in Cambodia, the Overhisers observed the cooks in the kitchen, snapped photos and took copious notes. "When we got home, our job was to turn the restaurant's menu items into recipes you could prepare in the home kitchen," said Sonja.
"Traditional Asian cooking has lots of bold flavors," she continued. "We tailored the recipes to make them approachable for Americans."
Indeed, for newbies to Southeast Asian cooking, the book provides instructions on preparing traditional ingredients, such as lemon grass, and for identifying unusual ingredients, such as galangal root and kaffir lime leaves.
Locating special items will require a trek to a specialty grocery store.
The Overhisers recommend Saraga International Grocery on the Northwestside and the Southside, and Asia Mart, near Castleton Square Mall.
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