The Cooking Thread

JBFan626

Here's an usual use for Avocado:

Kim Chi Hot Dog

*All Beef hot dog franks - nitrate free preferably
*Hot Dog bun

The Fix-ins:

*Cabbage Kim Chi
*2 slices avocado
*Sesame aoli: mix 1/2 cup mayo with 1 tsp black sesame seeds and pinch of garlic powder - keep any extra on the side for fries
*chopped bacon

Optional: 1 sunny side up egg on top

Serve with sweet potato fries

Perilagu_Khan

SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:

I once worked for a Indian company and they took us to a local Indian restaurant for lunch. I had a Koskov at the Bladen safe house moment and thought the food was horrible to be quite honest.

I know enough about roux that the color you want determines how long you cook it. Still, a few stirs every 30 minutes or so of the dutch oven beats 15 minutes of constant stirring and the splatter that comes along with it. I learned the hard way the first time about the constant stirring and got it right the second time, that nice rusty brick color that's perfect for a seafood gumbo, but I dislike hot splattering oil all over my arms and the stove and if I can't use my splatter screen (how I screwed it up the first time) I'd rather cheat.

My food is great, but the service can be slow and for a dish like gumbo, there's no rush anyway ;) :)

I love Indian with a passion. Along with Mexican, Italian and good ol' Yank food, it is my favorite. That said, it's certainly not for everybody. Some perfectly (well, relatively) sane folk just cannot abide by the peculiar combination of spices one finds in Indian cookery.

Ludovico

Perilagu_Khan wrote:

SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:

I once worked for a Indian company and they took us to a local Indian restaurant for lunch. I had a Koskov at the Bladen safe house moment and thought the food was horrible to be quite honest.

I know enough about roux that the color you want determines how long you cook it. Still, a few stirs every 30 minutes or so of the dutch oven beats 15 minutes of constant stirring and the splatter that comes along with it. I learned the hard way the first time about the constant stirring and got it right the second time, that nice rusty brick color that's perfect for a seafood gumbo, but I dislike hot splattering oil all over my arms and the stove and if I can't use my splatter screen (how I screwed it up the first time) I'd rather cheat.

My food is great, but the service can be slow and for a dish like gumbo, there's no rush anyway ;) :)

I love Indian with a passion. Along with Mexican, Italian and good ol' Yank food, it is my favorite. That said, it's certainly not for everybody. Some perfectly (well, relatively) sane folk just cannot abide by the peculiar combination of spices one finds in Indian cookery.

Italian is my favourite, mainly because I was lucky enough to eat the real authentic thing. But I grew to love British food.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

@Khan- Maybe it was just a cheap restaurant who served up cheap food. Knowing my employer at the time, that wouldn't have been remotely surprising that he and his equally cheap wife would have chosen a half assed joint like that. Almost everyone in the company felt like I did about the food, and most of us swore off a second chance if that's what it was like. What looked like it was good was loaded with too much curry according to my nose, and I don't care for the taste of curry to begin with. I found what wasn't curry to be unappetizing and too bland. I had some lamb that was just okay on some pita bread that was dried out. Now, the way you describe Indian food, I'd give it a second chance if I knew where a good restaurant was. I have a very good Pakistani friend who owns a small convenience store a block from my home. He's going to bring me some hot paprika for my spice cabinet and some of his wife's homemade Pakistani food for me to try, which he says is similar to Indian cuisine.

I love Italian and Mexican myself and make some really interesting gourmet meals like my Italian seafood and chicken dishes, and my Mexican chile cocoa marinated pork loin for the grill.

CommanderRoss

@SirHenry with rasped i meant grated. I'm not quite sure if it's a Dutchism, as i was tired, or if it really is English as well. I got the right pictures when I googled it.

Kecap or Ketjap is an Indonesian soy souce in which they've added gula java or 'Javanese sugar' (hence the Manis, Sweet) which is some sort of Palm sugar.

Perilagu_Khan

SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:

@Khan- Maybe it was just a cheap restaurant who served up cheap food. Knowing my employer at the time, that wouldn't have been remotely surprising that he and his equally cheap wife would have chosen a half assed joint like that. Almost everyone in the company felt like I did about the food, and most of us swore off a second chance if that's what it was like. What looked like it was good was loaded with too much curry according to my nose, and I don't care for the taste of curry to begin with. I found what wasn't curry to be unappetizing and too bland. I had some lamb that was just okay on some pita bread that was dried out. Now, the way you describe Indian food, I'd give it a second chance if I knew where a good restaurant was. I have a very good Pakistani friend who owns a small convenience store a block from my home. He's going to bring me some hot paprika for my spice cabinet and some of his wife's homemade Pakistani food for me to try, which he says is similar to Indian cuisine.

I love Italian and Mexican myself and make some really interesting gourmet meals like my Italian seafood and chicken dishes, and my Mexican chile cocoa marinated pork loin for the grill.

Yes, entirely possible that it was just a bad Indian restaurant. They're out there! That said, in a huge metro area like Philly, there are going to be tons of excellent Indian restaurants to try. In that regard, I envy you. So just check on urbanspoon and tripadvisor--you'll be sure to find a place or two where they know their business. And if the spicy curries are not your thing, try the various kebabs, the delicious breads, the pakoras, samosas, the soups, and don't forget the pistachio kulfi for dessert! It is an Indian ice cream, and to my mind, the best ice cream on the planet when done correctly.

Perilagu_Khan

CommanderRoss wrote:

@SirHenry with rasped i meant grated. I'm not quite sure if it's a Dutchism, as i was tired, or if it really is English as well. I got the right pictures when I googled it.

Kecap or Ketjap is an Indonesian soy souce in which they've added gula java or 'Javanese sugar' (hence the Manis, Sweet) which is some sort of Palm sugar.

Kecap/ketjap--sounds phonetically an awful lot like catsup/ketchup. This can't be a coincidence.

CommanderRoss

Perilagu_Khan wrote:

CommanderRoss wrote:

@SirHenry with rasped i meant grated. I'm not quite sure if it's a Dutchism, as i was tired, or if it really is English as well. I got the right pictures when I googled it.

Kecap or Ketjap is an Indonesian soy souce in which they've added gula java or 'Javanese sugar' (hence the Manis, Sweet) which is some sort of Palm sugar.

Kecap/ketjap--sounds phonetically an awful lot like catsup/ketchup. This can't be a coincidence.

As always, @Khaners, it seems you're right on the money:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketchup

Perilagu_Khan

Aw shucks, CR. It was just a shot in the dark. ;)

SirHenryLeeChaChing

CommanderRoss wrote:

@SirHenry with rasped i meant grated. I'm not quite sure if it's a Dutchism, as i was tired, or if it really is English as well. I got the right pictures when I googled it.

Kecap or Ketjap is an Indonesian soy souce in which they've added gula java or 'Javanese sugar' (hence the Manis, Sweet) which is some sort of Palm sugar.

Now that we got ketchup/catsup resolved, I assume that "union" is a typo and you meant onion. I'll go back later and look at that, right now I am eating the last of the General Tso's pork and some freshly made corn maque choux that is giving me quite the contrast between the sweet pork and the heat. Quite tasty.

It looks like no one is familiar with abalone and I am surprised. They are called ormers in the British channel islands, I would have thought someone here knew something. They are known in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In China they are used in soups for special occasions. In Japan, live and raw abalone are used in awabi sushi, or served steamed, salted, boiled, chopped, or simmered in soy sauce. Salted, fermented abalone entrails are the main component of tottsuru, a local dish from Honshū. Tottsuru is mainly enjoyed with sake.

In California, abalone meat can be found on pizza, sautéed with caramelized mango or in steak form dusted with cracker meal and flour.

Ringing any bells yet with anyone?

I will be making a seafood gumbo this weekend. Now, while perfectly delicious the same day, a trained chef friend of mine who makes gumbos says I should make it tomorrow and serve it on Sunday. He says the flavors and any spicy heat will intensify as it cools and kick it even better when reheated the next day. Anyone else here experienced with making or eating this quintessential Cajun/Creole dish?

4EverBonded

I've eaten raw abalone here in Japan as sushi - delicious! But I don't have a recipe for it, SirHenry. We often have a choice of octopus or squid on our pizza; and many pizzas have corn kernels (so popular here in salads and pizza - just sprinkled on), and often an egg.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

4EverBonded wrote:

I've eaten raw abalone here in Japan as sushi - delicious! But I don't have a recipe for it, SirHenry. We often have a choice of octopus or squid on our pizza; and many pizzas have corn kernels (so popular here in salads and pizza - just sprinkled on), and often an egg.

Can you give me an idea as to what it tastes like as sushi? I might like to do a California combination as a flour dusted steak with the caramelized mango. Not that I dislike sushi at all, but I haven't got that kind of intensive training to make it myself. I usually just settle for going to a Japanese restaurant when I'm in the mood for some.

4EverBonded

It's been a while since I have eaten abalone sushi, but it was mild and a bit chewy (but not tough like squid or octopus). Sorry to be vague. You could do many flavors with it, I think, because it does not have a strong flavor itself.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

Let me know next time you do :)

My gumbo by the way will have shrimp, crabmeat, crawfish tails, and andouille sausage along with some okra, tomatoes, the trinity, a bay leaf. I'll use chicken stock to mellow out the intensity of seafood flavors and make them stand out better. Oooh, I can't wait to get started tomorrow \:D/ \:D/ \:D/

4EverBonded

Next time I go to a sushi restaurant I will definitely try some. Probably within 2 weeks; I'll let you know.

Do you know how to cook bland food, SirHenry? Somehow, I think not. ;)

SirHenryLeeChaChing

Depends on what you consider bland. I like big flavors, that doesn't mean it has to spicy either. Take a baked potato. Butter or sour cream, bland, I'll take the big flavors of cheddar, bacon, and chives with the sour cream. See?

My favorite dinner of all time is surf and turf, filet mignon and a lobster tail. Loaded baked potato and some buttery peas for veggies. Can't get simpler than that.

My best breakfasts, when I'm in the mood, are steak and eggs, or homemade chocolate chip pancakes.

4EverBonded

I mean bland. Like vanilla pudding. Plain hamburger patty with no salt.

I don't advocate bland! I just think it would be hard for you - or any good cook who likes to use different spices and flavors - to restrain yourself.

I adore a properly cooked filet mignon. Medium rare please and thank you!

SirHenryLeeChaChing

I like pudding. Speaking of sweets, I think I'm going to pull out my breadmaker this weekend and make some banana chocolate bread, that will be nice warmed up with some light butter for Sunday breakfast. Anyway you're right, I love to experiment with spices and flavors and a plain steak just won't cut it. I have to say this though- about a month ago I made my son Alex and I a simple T-bone steak each along with some loaded potato skins, and all I seasoned the steaks with was a little sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder before they hit the skillet. He said it was the best steak he ever ate (one day I'll take him to the Outback or a Longhorn and maybe around tax time I'll splurge for a Ruth's Chris real steakhouse, I'll be in trouble against those places where they have pro chefs), and it was indeed delicious. How simple was that?

Someday, if you ever come back to the US and I haven't croaked from eating all this good food and smoking cigars, I'll make you that filet mignon cooked to order. Or whatever else you want on my homemade menu that drives you nuts :)

WillyGalore

As I'm really rather pleased with my latest batch of Yorky Puds, I thought I'd share with you all my moment of basking in glory :-)

Sandy

WillyGalore wrote:

As I'm really rather pleased with my latest batch of Yorky Puds, I thought I'd share with you all my moment of basking in glory :-)

I'm impressed @WillyGalore.

@SirHenryLeeChaChing I'm an advocate of simple food. When the meet is good (and I say good as in really good, all-natural, etc.) it will be great grilled with just sea salt ;) Concerning the shortbreads, you can make them without your spices of choice if you don't appreciate anise (you reminded me of Bond with that one, I must confess. I would suggest cardamom, nutmeg and ginger and, why not, some pepper (I suggest pink). Yes, I may advocate simplicity in main courses but when it comes to deserts and bakes I go slightly crazy.

4EverBonded

Well, I am learning a lot on this thread, I must say.
Now I find there is a "pink" pepper; I have never heard of that. White, yes. Pink? Hmmm. Please tell me more, @Sandy.

I usually read these threads when I wake up in the morning, pretty early here (4:30 to 5:30 a.m. is my usually wake up time) and I end up wanting all this incredible sounding food - NONE, I tell you none, of which I can get here. :o3 Waaaaaaaaaaah!

But I've always liked cooking and enjoy great food, so I'll keep reading and making myself miserable at times.

SirHenry, I'll make you a list for my visit (a few years off, alas). :)

Cookbook photo perfect Yorkshire Puds, Willy!

Perilagu_Khan

Tonight it's potato, garlic and chipotle soup, along with some nice dinner rolls at Khan's place.

4EverBonded

I think Khan's Place is a great name for a special neighborhood cafe.
Nice if you could do that someday. I enjoy garlic very much and Indian food (but I need the heat turned down on it for me).

Perilagu_Khan

Come to think of it, that's not a bad name. And I would love to be able to open my own restaurant, but I frankly don't have the guts to throw all of that money into such a hazardous profession.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

My first attempt at gumbo finishes in about 3 minutes with the shrimp (they'll cook in the hot pot because I'll turn off the heat then), 1/2lb crab meat, and a 1/2lb Louisiana crawfish tails will finish. Andouille sausage and okra look happy, happy, happy. This was intensive and sweaty, I'm only going to do this once a year, I don't get paid to stress that I got the roux right and everything else.

WillyGalore

SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:

My first attempt at gumbo finishes in about 3 minutes with the shrimp (they'll cook in the hot pot because I'll turn off the heat then), 1/2lb crab meat, and a 1/2lb Louisiana crawfish tails will finish. Andouille sausage and okra look happy, happy, happy. This was intensive and sweaty, I'm only going to do this once a year, I don't get paid to stress than I got the roux right and everything else.

Are you able to upload a photo @SirHenry? I'd love to see what it looks like. Sounds absolutely scrummy.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

I'll try to get you something tomorrow when it's spooned out over white rice. I am refrigerating it overnight to let the flavors build. It seems to have some good heat to it, about 2-3 seconds after I taste a spoonful I get the heat and then it goes away. Right now it just looks like brown liquid with pieces of crab meat floating on top.

CommanderRoss

@SirHenry so the president doesn't deliver 'the state of the onion' every year? Anyway, I seem to have been quite off track when I wrote that. edited the lot. Coolies were supposed to be cookies as well..

Sandy

@4EverBonded, pink pepper is this

Very good in chocolate recipes by the way.

I managed to find octopus here (a rare find around here) and today I made one of my favourite diches: octopus rice. Yesterday in the market I also found chestnuts (another rare thing here) so I've been enjoying some lovely boiled ones this afternoon. In days like this life is good :)

Regarding abalone @SirHenryLeeChaChing I never had it, but there is one fool-proof way of cooking seafood: get seawater and boil them there. If you can't trust the seawater put enough salt in water to resemble it and cook it the same way. Personally when I boil seafood I usually add some onion, a few cloves, bay leaf and a few grains of black pepper to the water, can't go wrong with that.
However, since it's a shell, perhaps it's better to cook them in a different way. I would throw them (in their shells) into a frying pan with some oil, wait for them to open and then add white wine and whatever spices you like, and finish with fresh parsley.

SirHenryLeeChaChing

@Sandy- what you describe with cooking shellfish in a frying pan until their shells open is something I'm sure you're familiar with, the classic paella. Something I would like to get around to trying one day in the future. My brother is an aficionado of Spanish cuisine, as in Spain and not Latin America/Caribbean Hispanic, and swears that it is amazing and I need to try it. I'm not against the idea either, I don't much like oysters or mussels but clams are a different story and I adore those whether fried, steamed open with some butter for dipping, and most especially as what's called "clams casino".

It is rare that I will eat things like octopus (polipo in Italian) or squid. Squid for me is simply calamari as I've always known it. And there is a huge difference between fresh and frozen. If it's fresh and prepared in a classic Italian manner to my satisfaction, and I always ask with great detail before I say yes to an order of some, I'm usually game for it. If they say it was frozen, I move on. Scungilli (or conch, and we know Bond likes his conch chowder) I am the same way with, although I find it a bit tastier and am less demanding in it's preparation. My high school buddies had grandmothers raised in Italy and Sicily, the no speaka English types, but those women were amazing cooks who could have easily worked at a gourmet place and had them lined up outside the doors every day and night. I picked up a lot of great techniques for cooking authentic Italian by just watching them, that serve me well to this day.

Next week I want to start talking about my favorite A, the amazing and delicious fruit known as the apple. Whether simply skinned and eaten as is, or used in a gourmet manner, one of the tastiest treats known to humans and one I always enjoy as described.