|
Jyrraeth posted:Is there any special techniques to making meatballs? I made some Pork/Leek meatballs the other night, and I found them delicious despite under spicing them. Though they were a little bit hard to make them meatballs instead of little patties in the pan. I know they won't be perfectly round unless I get a special pan, but just 'roundish' is good enough for me. Besides kneading it for an extended period like Mach420 said (knead until you feel the texture changing/ the meat "coming together"), it also helps to stick the balls back into the fridge for a while (that will help with keeping them perfectly round if that's something you want...also, give them sufficient space in the pan, maybe even bake them in batches if you have a lot of smaller meatballs to prepare)
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 08:03
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
Jmcrofts posted:Can anyone tell me what the deal is with Indian style rice? I mean the kind you'd get at an Indian buffet or restaurant. Orangish hue, not sticky at all compared to normal long grain rice, and very firm. I've tried to look up recipes but I've found an insane amount of variation. Is saffron worth going to? Should I add other spices? I usually make rice in a rice cooker, will this work for this style of rice? Thanks a lot! It's basmati, an especially long grain rice whose starch content keeps it especially fluffy and separate when cooked. I usually add some cumin, a pod of cardamom, 1 or 2 cloves, coriander seed, and a bay leaf with a chunk of butter to a rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water and it comes out just right. For persian rice, I will put water and butter and cook normally and bloom some saffron in warm water. Then drip it over the top of the rice when cooked. Then let it sit for a bit to absorb, then stir it in. Extra points for doing it in a cast iron pot and and letting the butter crisp up the bottom ever so slightly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 08:13
|
|
|
On the subject of Indian food, is there a good curry (type or recipe) to start with? I'd really like to cook a chicken korma but I should probably get general curry experience first.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 08:20
|
|
|
Fraction posted:On the subject of Indian food, is there a good curry (type or recipe) to start with? I'd really like to cook a chicken korma but I should probably get general curry experience first.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 13:43
|
|
|
dino. posted:Make daal. Yeah, seriously. Not hard, delicious and healthy. Fraction, just look up some basic tempering and so on and you'll be good to go. Or just toast the spices. I feel very out of my depth with dino giving a recommendation, but once you build up a good spice selection Indian food is amazingly cheap, tasty and filling. A lot of college students I know seem to eat pasta or canned food non-stop but Indian, in my experience, comes out cheaper. Speaking of daal, I made some four days ago and I've been away. It's night-time here in Aus and I had it for dinner the night I made it. Its been in the fridge. Will it be fine for lunch tomorrow, or should I chuck it and make more? Or just go the smell test? I really should have frozen it but there was no room, sadly.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 17:04
|
|
|
I had a search around and it looks like there's a lot of variation in daal recipes. Is there a recipe either of you two use that is good and not too difficult?  Also, what are some essential spices that I need? I assume things like turmeric, cardamom and cumin, but not sure what else I should stock up on. I have a herb cupboard just waiting to be filled.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 17:48
|
|
|
Fraction posted:On the subject of Indian food, is there a good curry (type or recipe) to start with? I'd really like to cook a chicken korma but I should probably get general curry experience first. Take the tomato curry recipe that was posted a couple pages back and make that. Delicious and super simple to make.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 17:49
|
|
|
Fraction posted:I had a search around and it looks like there's a lot of variation in daal recipes. Is there a recipe either of you two use that is good and not too difficult? I don't really use a specific daal recipe anymore unless I'm trying something new, but dal makhni is fairly simple. Just google a recipe til you find one that looks easy enough to take on. As for spices, apart from those three, I'd add dried chilli powder/dried chillis, garam masala (absolutely essential, a mix of cinnamon, cumin, coriander, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves, you should have all these individually too), mustard seeds, channa daal/bengal gram (which is a lentil but commonly used in tempering), curry leaves, fenugreek and tamarind paste. You'll probably want both seeds and powders of most of these spices.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 18:20
|
|
|
Pulled pork fried rice. Insane enough to work, or just insane?
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 18:39
|
|
|
What are some good ways to cook up some chicken thighs? I wasn't specific in the amount of thighs I needed for jambalaya and ended up with twice as much as I needed.
ambient oatmeal fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Aug 27, 2012 |
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 18:48
|
|
|
Vlex posted:Pulled pork fried rice.  Actually, I think pulled pork fried rice could be very nice, it just sounded a bit like something you'd find at his stupid restaurant.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 18:50
|
|
|
Scientastic posted:/ Well...it's just pork that has been through a slow cooker for 8 hours on low. It's not really flavoured at this stage other than the requisite brown sugar/Worcester sauce/salt/pepper.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 18:54
|
|
|
miryei posted:How do I teach someone to cook with spices? My husband's family cooks very boring food with no spices at all, including basics like salt and pepper (mashed potatoes = potatoes+milk, done). My family is from a lot of interesting places, like the Middle East and the Caribbean, and cooks accordingly (brown some beef = beef+salt+pepper+lime+garlic, minimum). Husband likes my cooking a lot better than his, but I don't know what I'm doing half the time, and am having trouble teaching him. My family's recipes tend to list only half the ingredients and none of the amounts, so that's no help either. Well the first thing I would check is does he want to learn how to use spices. He may be happy in his ignorance. But failing that, and if he's in to cooking, do a side by side. Cook up a chicken breast in a pan with no seasoning and one with. Have him taste them side by side and see the difference. Playing with spices is one of my favorite things, and It's something that you just learn through experimenting. Here's another sort of station that you can set up. Make a big batch of plain popcorn (from kernels on the stove top would be best). After that hit the spice rack and try different combinations with small amounts of popcorn, and see what tastes good together. This way you get the experience, get to try new things, and if it sucks, you're out 25 cents for some nasty tasting popcorn.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 19:00
|
|
|
ItalicSquirrels posted:Take the tomato curry recipe that was posted a couple pages back and make that. Delicious and super simple to make. Favourited the post, will have a try of it soon! PTizzle posted:I don't really use a specific daal recipe anymore unless I'm trying something new, but dal makhni is fairly simple. Just google a recipe til you find one that looks easy enough to take on. Got all these written down as well as the ones I mentioned, thanks! I'll have a look in the shops tomorrow. Do you have any idea where the tamarind paste and channa daal will be? I assume the daal will be with the chickpeas etc, but I have no idea what tamarind paste is so not sure where I'll get that.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 19:21
|
|
|
Fraction posted:Favourited the post, will have a try of it soon! I live in Australia and I find the channa daal either at an Indian grocery or in the spice section. Otherwise get split yellow lentils from the dried section. Tamarind paste should be at any Indian or Asian grocer. I'm not 100% sure where it'd be if it was at a supermarket, probably with sauces or in the 'Asian' section, if your local has one. It's not 100% essential for starter cooking but will definitely come in handy as you branch out. If you can find an Indian grocer nearby I'd just go and load up, they should be able to help with anything you need. EDIT: Just on tamarind/tamarind paste, it's a sour/acidic/sweet fruit that works well in a heap of dishes, not just Indian. I find it delicious, it makes for some great desserts. For Indian cooking even if the recipe doesn't call for it, it makes for a delicious chutney (a recipe should be easy to find). Just make sure to dilute the paste with water as it can be a bit too acidic. PTizzle fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Aug 27, 2012 |
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 19:27
|
|
|
Enter Char posted:What are some good ways to cook up some chicken thighs? I wasn't specific in the amount of thighs I needed for jambalaya and ended up with twice as much as I needed. Chicken cacciatore is my favorite way to use up chicken thighs. Unless that would be making every other chicken dish with thighs instead of boring old breasts, in which case that would be another good dish. Throw them into soup, into pies, wherever good chicken is found.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 19:30
|
|
|
PTizzle posted:I live in Australia and I find the channa daal either at an Indian grocery or in the spice section. Otherwise get split yellow lentils from the dried section. Alright, I should be able to load up on lentils if I can't find channa daal. For the tamarind paste I could have a problem if I can't find it at ASDA/Sainsburys/Aldi (the supermarkets I can get to), as despite the large population of Indian and Asian folk in my area, the only ethnic grocers are Polish. I don't think I'd find it there. Here's hoping the supermarkets have it!
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 19:34
|
|
|
This was the first Indian food recipe I ever used, and it's also delicious once you've made daal and want something else: Ingredients: 5 large chicken breasts, cut in large pieces 2 tbsp butter, melted, for brushing For the wet Rub 1 1/4 tsp red chili powder 1 tsp paprika powder 2 tsp lemon juice 1/4 tsp salt For the Marinade 1/2 cup yogurt 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste 2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp ground pepper, freshly ground 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tsp cumin powder juice of one lemon 4 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt liquid red food coloring (optional) Instructions: Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Cut them in half or thirds, depending on the size of the breasts. Cut deep slits into the chicken breasts. In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients for the wet rub. Smear the rub in between the slits and if there is any left over, rub it over the entire chicken breasts. In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure each chicken breasts is fully coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and over it, place a grill rack. Place the chicken breasts over the grill rack leaving a bit of space in between each piece. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, and after 15 minutes brush some butter over each piece. After the first 30 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over and bake for another 30 minutes, again brushing the meat with butter after 15 minutes. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped green onions.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 20:33
|
|
|
What's a good chicken stir fry sauce?
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 21:14
|
|
|
An observer posted:What's a good chicken stir fry sauce? Mine is (Roughly) - half cup Stock (chicken, I guess, for chicken though I sometimes like to use chicken stock for red meat and use red meat stock for white meat) - half cup soy sauce - a few tablespoons of honey (or brown sugar or sugar) - 1 squirt of fish sauce (worcestershire if you don't have it, or even just some of the oil from a can of fish snacks) - a couple tablespoons of peanut oil (sesame is also nice) - 2-3 shitloads of garlic - half a shitload of chiles, crushed - juice of a lemon or lime (or some rice vinegar, or both). - some cornstarch and some water I usually just stir fry my foods in oil and then add the garlic near the end and then the other saucy things. Then simmer it all together for a while. If you have veggies that will tend to get mushy, then I guess do it separately so they don't. The cornstarch gets mixed with water and then is used at the end to thicken it. I don't do much of that though. The basic premise is salty, sweet, "umami" (the stock, the fish oil, and even the soy sauce have a subtle savory flavor of protein. I usually refer to it as "deliciousness".), and a little sourness. There are some other herbs and spices that should go in there too. I use a lot of basil, myself, and "five spice". A little MSG if I have it. I don't like ginger very much, but you probably want it. A good accompaniment is some sort of bitter green. Something simpler even would just be stock + soy sauce + rice vinegar + sugar and then adjust it to taste.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 21:53
|
|
|
CzarChasm posted:Well the first thing I would check is does he want to learn how to use spices. He may be happy in his ignorance. He does want to learn, he just doesn't want to have to eat his mistakes. He can absolutely tell the difference between seasoned/not seasoned. The popcorn idea would probably be interesting. Related question, I've heard that something you can do is to smell the food you're making, and smell the spice you're thinking of adding, and see if they "go". How well does this work? I've got almost no sense of smell, and have been unable to test it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 22:50
|
|
|
BASIC Daal Tarka 2 cups of beans of your choice (or split peas), cooked RESERVE THE COOKING LIQUID 3 TB oil 1 tsp mustard seed 1 tsp cumin seed 2 tsp coriander seed 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric powder Salt and black pepper to taste In a pot, cook your beans. In a separate smaller pot, add the oil, and let it get hot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, sprinkle in the mustard seeds, and slam on the lid or a splatter guard. The mustard seeds should pop like mad. When the popping subsides, lift the pot off the heat, and add the cumin seed and coriander seed. Replace the pot on the heat. When those seeds pop, add the onion and turmeric powder. Stir well until the onions are yellow. Cook over high heat until the onions are softened, and dump into the pot of cooked beans, with as much of the cooking liquid as you like. Taste for seasoning, and adjust salt and pepper as necessary. To this basic recipe, you could keep going. Add sliced garlic if you have it. Then, when the garlic and onion are cooked through, add chopped ginger if you have it. Then, when the ginger is cooked through (takes about 45 seconds), add some chopped tomato (if using tinned, make sure it has NO calcium chloride in) if you have it. Then, when the tomato has cooked down into a gravy, add some chopped dark leafy greens if you have them. I like kale, but I've seen everything from okra to collard greens to radish greens to chopped daikon to cabbage to peas. The sky's the limit on this one. Then, once you've added the cooked beans, add some chopped basil, coriander, or mint, and stir it through. And that's just the South Indian kind. North Indian Daal Tarka 2 cups beans, cooked 1/4 cup of oil 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds 2 large onions, chopped 1/2 tsp turmeric 3 tomatoes, chopped 3 TB grated ginger 3 - 7 fresh chiles, chopped Salt to taste In a pot, add the oil, and heat over medium high heat until it's hot. Add the fennel seed, cumin seed, and coriander seeds, and allow them to pop. Add the onions, and cook until the onions are just softened. Add turmeric, and stir well. Add tomatoes, ginger, and fresh chiles, and stir well. Cook until the tomatoes are broken down to a gravy. Add the cooked beans, without any of their cooking liquid. Add salt to taste, and serve over rice. For this one, the variations are endless too. When the seeds are popped, add cardamom pods (3), cinnamon sticks (2), bay leaf (2), and cloves (5). Swirl well until the house smells amazing. Then, add the onion. Then, when the onions are cooked, add 6 cloves of sliced garlic, and cook too. Continue as normal. When the beans are added, garnish with lots of fresh chopped coriander, and a few splashes of lime juice. Daal, when cooked, will keep for up to a week.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2012 23:50
|
|
|
Very Strange Things posted:I don't have a recipe; it's a taste it as you go thing. Thanks a bunch! I'm gonna try this out tonight.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 00:53
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:It's basmati, an especially long grain rice whose starch content keeps it especially fluffy and separate when cooked. I usually add some cumin, a pod of cardamom, 1 or 2 cloves, coriander seed, and a bay leaf with a chunk of butter to a rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water and it comes out just right. Yo I made this and it was great. Thanks for the tips!
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 01:00
|
|
|
What's a good spice for peanut satay? I thought about sriracha, but I try not to be one of those solve-everything-with-sriracha kind of cooks. The one thing I could find from The Flavor Bible that sounded like a good idea was cayenne. Any other thoughts?
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 05:15
|
|
|
I bought some fresh made merguez sausage on a whim and want to make a meal out of it. Trouble is, I have no ideas and am unfamiliar with Moroccan food. Any advice would be appreciated.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 05:47
|
|
|
CloseFriend posted:What's a good spice for peanut satay? I thought about sriracha, but I try not to be one of those solve-everything-with-sriracha kind of cooks. The one thing I could find from The Flavor Bible that sounded like a good idea was cayenne. Any other thoughts? I use sambal, or more specifically: a baked sambal, like brandal or badjak
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 06:47
|
|
|
Hutzpah posted:I bought some fresh made merguez sausage on a whim and want to make a meal out of it. Trouble is, I have no ideas and am unfamiliar with Moroccan food. Any advice would be appreciated. eat it with couscous http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3503126 (leave out the chicken, make the couscous separately and bake the sausages separately)
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 06:51
|
|
|
CloseFriend posted:What's a good spice for peanut satay? I thought about sriracha, but I try not to be one of those solve-everything-with-sriracha kind of cooks. The one thing I could find from The Flavor Bible that sounded like a good idea was cayenne. Any other thoughts? If you want a nice blend of heats and flavours, I'd say soak dried chile mulato with chile ancho and chile de arbol. Grind to a paste, with a bit of salt, a pinch (and I really do mean a pinch) of sugar, and toasted cumin. Hell, you could even use serrano (fresh or dried) with great results. Thai bird peppers are especially good when added in there fresh. Check the heat. If you want it hotter, stir through some of that cayenne at that point to adjust it up, and you'll be golden. You want to avoid scotch bonnets, habaneros, or jalapenos, because their flavours will interfere with the other spices in your sauce.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 14:03
|
|
|
miryei posted:He does want to learn, he just doesn't want to have to eat his mistakes. He can absolutely tell the difference between seasoned/not seasoned. The popcorn idea would probably be interesting. This is something that a lack of smell will absolutely kill, but it goes a little something like this: Start off making a simple tomato/marinara sauce. Start with sweating onions and garlic in some oil and add your tomaotoes. While everything is heating up, take a big whiff of your pot. Try and get a sense of how those scents are all working together with just those three ingredients. Now grab some oregano and take a good sniff of that and try to see how that will play with the other scents that are already in the pot. Next, try sniffing some cumin alongside the tomato sauce. Notice how it works in a way, but doesn't seem to fit the "chord" of a spaghetti sauce the way oregano, parsley and basil will. Now try sniffing ginger or orange or cinnamon along with your sauce. That should send up a really big red flag saying that this doesn't work. (Not that you couldn't potentially add a little something odd to a basic marinara, but I'll be damned if I'd ever put any of those in mine.) There are classic combinations that have worked well throughout history, but don't let that dissuade you from experimenting.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 21:07
|
|
|
Can someone give me some Calzone tips? Should I be making the dough differently than I would for regular pizza? I was thinking maybe firmer so it could survive being stretched and folded? Should I slit it? I've looked up some recipes and found conflicting reports. Should I egg wash? Thanks guys!
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 21:37
|
|
|
Jmcrofts posted:Can someone give me some Calzone tips? What problems are you having? I usually use the same dough ratio as a pizza dough. Don't over stuff, don't make it too wet, I cut slits, I use a stone, no eggwash, never had a problem.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 21:41
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:What problems are you having? I usually use the same dough ratio as a pizza dough. Don't over stuff, don't make it too wet, I cut slits, I use a stone, no eggwash, never had a problem. No problems yet since I haven't made it yet  Just wanted to make sure there weren't some ~*secret techniques*~ that differ from how you'd make pizza.E: I have another question actually. When I'm making pizza dough, and I'm going to cut it into 4 pieces to make 4 small pizzas, should I let it rise as one big ball and then cut it? Or cut it first and let the small balls rise on their own. Does it make a difference? I've followed different recipes that do it different ways. Jmcrofts fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Aug 28, 2012 |
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 21:45
|
|
|
Jmcrofts posted:No problems yet since I haven't made it yet My brain is telling me to split it first and let each quarter rise on its own, but I really can't rationalize that. I can tell you that's what I'd do, but I don't know why.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 21:56
|
|
|
GrAviTy84 posted:What problems are you having? I usually use the same dough ratio as a pizza dough. Don't over stuff, don't make it too wet, I cut slits, I use a stone, no eggwash, never had a problem. I always use an eggwash. Makes it look nice.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 22:07
|
|
|
Mr. Wiggles posted:I always use an eggwash. Makes it look nice. I dunno. I generally don't like wasting food and eggwashes are pretty wasteful when used just for glazing the top of a baked thing. Most of it goes down the drain. vOv
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 22:54
|
|
|
I bought lemongrass in a jar because that's all I could find. Is this the correct stuff I should be throwing into my Thai curry? Also, what else could I use it for? This stuff is already cut pretty small into these little coils.
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2012 23:25
|
|
|
I need some ideas for healthy breakfast options. I created a log in TFLC and am trying to loose weight, here is my log. For the past 3.5 weeks, I have been eating what is basically the equivalent of a home made Egg McMuffin. It has almost all the carbs I eat in a day (I don't eat much bread), a decent amount of protein, and it tastes good enough for me to eat. Here is the nutrition/recipe for what I make: 1 slice American cheese - 45cal Nature's Own English Muffin - 100cal Ham Smoked 96% Fat Free (1 serving 3 slices) - 60cal 1 egg 70cal ------ Total: 275cal 26carb 11fat 25protein I could cut a lot more calories out easily if I switched from whole egg to egg white, or even egg substitute. I have a carton of Great Value egg substitute in my fridge, but I am simply afraid to try it yet because I have horrible memories of crappy eggs every day at college. Also, I think my caloric intake is under control enough that I don't need to worry about cutting a lot of calories from this breakfast item. I like this breakfast primarily because it has protein and I can cook it in about 10-15min (big plus when I have to be at Clinicals at 30 miles away 6:45am. . .) but after eating this over and over and over I am ready to try something different. I kinda hate cereal unless it is extremely sugary/unhealthy, I would like to find a way to create something similar to McD breakfast burrito only with more flavor/protein and less calories. I also love pancakes, but I need a recipe that is healthy. Should I add blueberries to my pancakes? I like the taste of blueberries, but will that benefit my diet? Another one of my weaknesses is hash browns, I love all forms of hash browns. But hash browns don't love my diet, is there anything I can do to make healthy hash browns?
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2012 00:02
|
|
|
I shredded a bit more cabbage than I need for some fish tacos. I was just gunna put the rest of it in the freezer. I imagine it won't be as good but will it still perform the function of being in the next batch of fish tacos that I make?
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2012 00:12
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 29, 2024 17:58 |
|
|
I also have a shredded cabbage question. I am having cole slaw tomorrow. Would it be better to make it tonight, so the flavors can meld a bit in the fridge overnight, or make it fresh an hour or so before we eat it?
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2012 00:16
|
|