My Favorite Secret Ingredient

Last weekend while backpacking I received unearned praise after fixing an Asian backpacking feast. We kept the cold out of our bones with some Tom Yum soup and finished up with a green curry with coconut rice. It made me so happy to cook for a group of lovely ladies beside a glorious alpine lake.
With this mix you only have to add some tomatoes, a bit of cilantro, and some dried mushrooms if you want and wha - la! You have a good, spicy soup!

I can't wait for next year.

Here is my secret ingredient: Asian Home Gourmet (at http://www.asianhomegourmet.com/)
Another of my favorite flavors is the Cantonese Marinade - rub that on a pork loin and you have Chinese takeout. Pretty much all the Indian flavor packs make a chicken breast and some Trader Joe's frozen Nana into a 20 minute meal.

What I like about these flavor packs is that all the ingredients are recognizable - garlic, lemon grass, peppercorns and fish sauce. And, it makes you a gourmet cook at home or on the mountain.