Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 6 5 1 Hungry eye filipp kotsishevskiy Salt & Pepper Meet the wizards who awaken our palates with oils, spices, and flavors galore. If you can’t stand the heat, get out the kitchen. By Claire Z. Cramer T ransport yourself to warmer climes via your taste buds with exotic spic- es and imaginative ingredients. AWESOME SAUCES One of the most effective ways to light up your taste buds is to look to the East. Asian cuisine is all about nuance, which is why Portland is in love with pho, ramen, and hot-and-sour soups. Another easy flavor gateway is via dipping sauce. “We just call it ginger sauce,” says Si- waporn Roberts (pictured right), the busy chef at Thai Esaan on Forest Avenue, when asked about the dark and powerful mixture she serves with her Khao Mun Gai (below). We just call that an understatement. Khao Mun Gai is one of the specialties of the Esaan region in Thailand on the concise menu at this pristine little café, owned by Roberts’s son Ben Boonseng, which opened in February. Roberts steams and slic- es chicken and serves it over rice with the magical ginger sauce alongside for pouring or dipping. “I make it with sweet soy, white vinegar, garlic, ginger, and hot sauce,” she says. But this sauce is so much more than the sum of its parts, and this dish is an ex- traordinary cold-weather comfort. We can’t stop dipping at Cara Stadler’s Bao Bao Dumpling House on Park Street, either. The day’s special is crispy chick- en-cashew dumplings served with “a hoi- sin sauce we make,” says server Hannah Beyond D’Errico. “It’s nice and plummy.” She points to small condiment contain- ers set on every table. “This is soy, and this is seasoned black vinegar. We suggest mix- ing them fifty-fifty. And this”–she touches a little medicine bottle of clear orange liquid– “is our chili oil. We steep Thai bird chilis in oil and then strain it.” Bao Bao’s chili oil is hot but not incen- diary. It’s another enchanting use of hot peppers in a city that’s crazy for them. The farmer’s market is full of fresh chilis in bright colors–cayennes, Cheyennes, serra-