Coconut Milk

Chiffon cake — that darling of midcentury American cuisine — is a lighter-than-air confection. Made with egg whites and vegetable oil, it has a feathery crumb and a delicate flavor. That makes it perfect for today, particularly with a little updating. Times Test Kitchen manager Noelle Carter took the basic cake and gave it a tropical twist with the addition of fragrant, nutty pandan leaves and then topped it with a slightly sweet coconut glaze. Pandan chiffon cake with coconut glaze Total time: 1½ hours plus cooling time for the cake Servings: 12 to 16 Note: Pandan leaves and essence can generally be found at Thai and select Southeast Asian markets.

"Tahitian feasts are traditionally affairs for family and friends," said Robin Temaiana, a one-time resident of these islands of French Polynesia. "And any excuse for a party will do. They have feasts to celebrate the opening of a road, the purchase of a refrigerator, anything." We were sitting around an imaa tahiti or himara, an oven that had been dug in the earth in preparation for a traditional Tahitian feast on the island of Moorea.

The Blue Orchid Satay House may sound like it's somewhere in the rain forests of Indonesia, but it's stuck between a lawn mower repair shop and an out-of-business nail salon on an ordinary commercial street in Arcadia. Still, once you enter this simple, informal place where the owner and his small daughter greet you at the door, the rich aromas of satay, nasi goreng and pecis (spiced meatballs) conjure up the markets in central Java's countryside.

Surely it's no accident that i feel so at home in Southern California, even though I grew up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The spiky aloes and purple jacarandas, the periodic droughts and the acrid smell of brush fires are all familiar. And then, as now, I was not far from an international border. Just a passport stamp away were cheap wine, exotic music and bullfights in small, dusty arenas.

Dear SOS: An all-time favorite of my entire family is Massaman curry (with chicken) from Cholada Thai in Thousand Oaks. All of the dishes that we have tried are wonderful, but Massaman curry is a staple for us. I would love to have the recipe for this dish and hope that you can help. Thank you. Melissa Miletich Westlake Village Dear Melissa: Bright and fresh and mildly spicy, Cholada Thai's homemade Massaman curry paste in this recipe marries perfectly with sweet coconut milk in this rich, slow-simmered chicken stew.

NOW is the season for Nantucket scallops, those sweet little nuggets from cold Atlantic waters. You could argue that they don't need anything but the sizzle of butter in a hot pan, but you'd be wrong. Lee Hefter, executive chef at Spago, recently came up with an idea for cooking scallops that riveted my attention.

Opening the inner nut of a coconut is easy with the right tools and a few pointers. To begin with, when choosing a fiber-covered nut in the market, look for one heavy for its size. Shake it to be certain there is liquid sloshing inside and check that the three dots or "eyes" at the top aren't wet or moldy. To open the coconut, pierce the three dots with a strong ice pick, skewer, awl or screwdriver tapped in with a hammer (Step 1).

For the holidays, you might want to try some new cocktails. These suggestions come from New Orleans designer Angele Parlange (the milk punch), Chicago restaurateur Barry Birsak of Earth Restaurant (citrus colada) and architects Claudia Skyler and James Mastro (nonalcoholic fruit and yogurt frappes). The cranberry-based Holiday Cosmopolitan is my own contribution. Remember that cold drinks taste best in chilled glasses.

Asian fish sauce--The brine from pickling fish, added in small quantities to stews and sauces. Also known as nuoc mam (Vietnam), nam pla (Thailand) and patis (Philippines). * Candlenuts--A cousin of macadamia nuts, available in stores that stock a wide range of Indonesian products. Also known as kemiri . * Coconut milk--Milky liquid squeezed from ground coconut meat.