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Chard posted:This recipe calls for something called Hing, which wikipedia tells me is another name for asafoetida. Since I've never seen either of those in stores where I live (although I've also not looked that hard), what could work as a substitute for a chutney like this? Wikie says it is similar to leeks, I was thinking that or some onion powder ( You can just throw in some scallions instead. It'll taste great. For Broccoli person: 1 TB oil (canola, vegetable, peanut, olive) OR ¼ tsp oil/nonstick cooking spray rubbed into a nonstick pot 1 small onion, sliced thinly (white, yellow, scallions, or leeks work great) 4 boiling potatoes, diced (if using cooked, add at the end) 2 cups water 1 lb broccoli, chopped into florets (stems peeled and diced) ¼ cup coconut milk ⅛ tsp nutmeg 3 cups water, reserved Salt & Pepper to taste Add the onions and oil to a cold pot, and turn on the heat to medium high. Cover the lid of the pot, and allow the onions to cook gently, until they’re tender. This should take roughly 15 minutes. You don’t need the onions to get colour. Just let them soften. When the onions are soft, add the diced potato (if using cooked potato, add with the broccoli). Add the water, and let the water come up to a full, rushing boil. Cover the lid, and drop down the heat to medium low. Let the potatoes cook for about 20 minutes, or until softened. Add the broccoli, and turn off the heat. Do not stir. Slam on the lid, and let the whole contraption sit for five minutes (if using frozen broccoli, just thaw it separately, and skip the five minute steam bath). This is roughly how long the broccoli will take to steam with the residual heat. Stir the broccoli through the soup, and add the coconut milk and nutmeg. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender, if you don’t have the immersion kind), puree the soup until it’s finely blended. Add the reserved water to thin out the soup to your liking. If you did not peel the stems of the broccoli, you will have to strain your soup, or else the tough fibres in the stems will stick in your throat, and be unpleasant. Add salt and pepper to your taste, and serve in warmed bowls with croutons. RE: Brown Rice You're going to have trouble with it on the stove UNLESS you soak it overnight. Just pour over it some hot tap water, and cover it in cling film. Let it soak overnight. The next morning, drain it off, and put it in your fridge to use for dinner or something. When you go to cook it, sautee it lightly in a bit of fat of your choosing, sprinkle on some salt, and pour in enough water that it comes up to about 2 cm above the surface of the rice. When the water comes to a full rushing boil, drop down the heat to low, and slam on the lid. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, and turn off the heat. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, and check for done-ness. You should be set. If you don't soak your brown rice, this will take freakishly longer, and half the grains will be undercooked and gross. dino. fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Feb 14, 2012 |
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Feb 14, 2012 02:03
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) might fit.
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cereal eater posted:Can anyone tell me the differences between different oils for cooking/frying/deep frying? As in when I want to use vegetable vs olive oil vs bacon grease vs butter, and what I should be considering when making this decision. I wrote a blog entry about this: http://altveg.blogspot.com/2009/01/downloadable-pdf-spreadsheet-i-got.html
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Feb 14, 2012 04:32
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Cyril Sneer posted:Whats the best way to re-heat day old roasted vegetables (potatos, carrots, turnp, etc.) I was thinking of tossing them in a frying pan and heating over low heat.
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Feb 15, 2012 00:23
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:I've been having a bunch of leftover rice lately, and rather than frying it for lunch, what else could I do with it? I could, technically, keep it in the rice cooker for a few days, but I don't eat rice every day (maybe I should???), and I don't trust my extremely lovely rice cooker to not gently caress something up. Or, you could cook it up with a tin of beans, a bit of garlic and scallion, a bit of thyme, and coconut milk for Jamaican Rice & Peas. It tastes awesome, and is wicked easy to make.
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Feb 15, 2012 03:12
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GrAviTy84 posted:It's usually just Citric or ascorbic acid. You can mail order these or buy them at a homebrew shop. Other than that, they're just hard candies.
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Feb 17, 2012 17:16
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aricoarena posted:I have way too many limes! What can I do with limes? They are really good limes but we got a bag of costco limes for the superbowl for cooking and gin and tonics but everyone was a total light weight and didnt drink that much so now I have way too many limes! Baking! Should I make lime bars? Can I make keylime pie with non-key limes? I have a chicken, lime chicken? Im too scared to ceviche, I don't know how many gin and tonics I can drink -i have to work tomorrow! Indian lime pickle.
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Feb 17, 2012 23:34
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Lullabee posted:We picked up two fresh artichokes on our way to Monterrey Bay today, and I'm completely lost as to what to make with them. I know there's the normal artichoke and spinach dip that everyone does, but I was hoping for maybe a side dish/main dish recipe I could use it in. Any suggestions? http://www.spicelines.com/2008/01/stuck_with_a_bowl_of_pesto_her.htm Julia Child put artichokes into her pesto soup. :3 It's very good.
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Feb 19, 2012 14:08
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Econosaurus posted:Can someone give me a good rice and beans recipe? Preferably brown rice and black beans, something spicy with a lot of taste? I'm thinking about getting a batch together and throwing it in a tortilla with some eggs and sausage for a breakfast burrito kind of thing. I have stovetop pans and all that, but no slow cooker or anything. Brown Rice & Beans 1 cup beans (black beans, kidney beans, white beans, whatever you have), soaked overnight, and drained 3 cups brown rice, soaked overnight, and drained 9 cups water 1 TB oil (canola, peanut) 2 tsp cumin seed 3 green Thai Bird chiles, chopped finely 1 large Spanish or Red onion, diced 1/2 tsp thyme, dried 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 inches ginger, grated Salt, to taste In a large stock pot, boil the 9 cups of water. In a separate stock pot, add the oil, and allow it to heat over high heat. Add the cumin seed, and allow it to crack and pop. Add the Thai Bird chiles, and then IMMEDIATELY add the onions. If you're not quick enough to add the onions, your lungs will fill with fiery hot chile oil. You want the chiles into the fat first, so that they flavour the fat immediately. Add the dried thyme, and red pepper flakes. Cook with the onion over medium heat, until the onions are softened. Add the rice and beans, and the boiling water from your other pot. Let the whole thing come to a rapid boil. Maintain that boil for 10 minutes. Set 9 cups more water in the first pot to boil, in case you need to add water later. Drop down the heat to a bare simmer, and cover the lid. Let it simmer away cheerfully for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot, and check it every 10 minutes or so, to ensure that you've got enough water in there. If you need more water, use only the boiling water from the first pot. If you use cold water, you're going to reset the whole mess, and it's going to take forever to cook. If it's not cooked through in 30 minutes, let it cook longer. If there's too much liquid, open the lid, and let the water evaporate away as it simmers. You're going to have a bunch of factors affect how much water you'll need, up to and including the age of the rice, the age of the beans, and the type of beans you have. Just keep checking it periodically, and adjusting up or down as needed. When the rice and beans are cooked about 90% of the way through, stir through the garlic and ginger. This will ensure that your ginger and garlic have a strong, bold taste. If you're not a fan of ginger or garlic to where you want to taste it almost raw, feel free to add it in with the onions. I personally like a strong, punchy taste. Add salt to taste, and adjust heat with black pepper as needed. Variations: Stir in about 2 cups of coconut milk at the end. Add lots of fresh chopped coriander. Add lots of fresh chopped parsley. Omit the chilies, and use a bit of cayenne pepper instead. For less hot spicy, omit the red pepper flakes. Add about 1 tsp of garam masala at the end, and stir through along with the salt. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric with the onions. It'll give a wonderful smell. Add 1 tsp crushed coriander seed along with the cumin seed. Add 1 TB Berbere along with the onions for a most lovely smell. dino. fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Feb 22, 2012 |
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Feb 22, 2012 18:43
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Serendipitaet posted:I'm trying to clean the metal grease filters in my kitchen's vent hood. It's a student house so I assume I'm the first person trying to do that in a couple of years. Oven cleaner. The kind you don't have to turn the oven on for. Let it set overnight, and the grease will wipe off, as if by magic.
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Feb 26, 2012 17:56
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Econosaurus posted:If I want to make vegetable soup do I just throw a bunch of veggies in water? What spices/how much is good to toss in? Do I need to get some kind of chicken or beef broth as a base? Please don't do that. It'll taste like wet dog. To make a vegetable soup, you need to start with a solid flavour base, and then build it up by layers. Here's a relatively quick one: 2 TB olive oil 2 large Spanish or red onions, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces 2 carrots, diced 3 ribs of celery, diced 1 dried thai red chile, crumbled 1 tsp thyme 1/4 tsp sage 5 - 8 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tsp paprika (optional) 1 cup white wine 3 medium potatoes, diced (if it's a baking potato, peel it too) up to 3 lbs of vegetables of your choice, chopped into 1 inch pieces 6 cups water 1 bunch parsley, chopped finely Salt, to taste Pepper to taste In a stock pot, add the olive oil and onions, and cook until the onions turn translucent. Add the carrots, celery, thyme, sage, garlic, thai red chile, and paprika, and stir to combine with the fat and onions. Cook over medium heat until the carrots are tender. Increase the heat to high, and stir constantly, until you hear everything sizzling like mad. If little bits stick to the bottom, this is good. You want this to happen to build flavour. Add the white wine, and stir well. Scrape off the little bits that stick to the bottom of the pot. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and any long-cooking veggies. Stir to combine, until most of the wine has evaporated off. Add water to just cover the vegetables, and cover the lid. Let the water come to a boil, then drop it down to a bare simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Finish with parsley, and add salt and pepper to your taste. I've found that dried chiles tend to be more spicy than the fresh ones. Use them more sparingly, and you'll be fine.  For me, the above soup would be a little on the bland side, because I'm used to a more Indian version, with lots more spices. Here's an example of a South Indian one that's absolutely lovely: 3 TB peanut or canola oil 1/2 tsp black mustard seed 1/2 tsp cumin seed 1/2 tsp crushed coriander seed 3 - 5 dried red chiles broken in half 3 large Spanish onions, diced 6 cloves garlic, minced 3 inches ginger, grated 1/2 tsp turmeric 3 chayote, diced 2 potatoes, peeled and diced 2 carrots, chopped 1 head of cabbage, chopped finely 1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets 1 bunch of collard greens, mustard greens, or kale, chopped roughly (stems chopped finely) 2 cups coconut milk 4 cups water 1 bunch cilantro or parlsey, chopped finely In a deep stock pot, heat the oil over highest heat. When the oil shimmers, and is hot, add the mustard seeds, and step back. The mustard seeds will pop and crackle like mad, and will likely fly out of the pot, and try to hit you in the face. When the popping subsides, add the cumin seeds and coriander seeds, and lift the pot off the heat. Swirl the pot around to combine all the spices into the hot fat. The cumin seeds will pop for about 30 seconds. Immediately add the onions, garlic, and chiles, and stir well. When the onions are softened, add the ginger and turmeric, and stir well. The turmeric will go from bright yellow to an orangey golden colour. The smell will be absolutely incredible. Add the chayote, potato, and water to the pot at the same time. Let the water come to a full boil. Continue to boil for 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower and greens. Allow the water to come to a boil. When the water is boiling, drop the heat to a bare simmer. Let it simmer until the potatoes are tender. Add the cabbage, coconut milk, and cilantro to the pot, and DON'T STIR. Turn off the heat, slam on the lid, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Now feel free to stir. Serve piping hot, over rice. dino. fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Feb 26, 2012 |
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Feb 26, 2012 18:27
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Econosaurus posted:I seem to have accidentally bought long grain rice (my Czech isn't great). Do I still need to soak it?
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Mar 3, 2012 18:10
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wheatpuppy posted:I scored 2-3 pounds of lovely brussels sprouts from the farmers market section of my grocery store. Problem is I've never cooked with them. My only experience is the frozen variety that my mom used to boil into gray bitter oblivion. I plan to cook some in a skillet with onions and garlic (maybe some bacon) for a side dish with a beef roast but I'll still have a lot left over.
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Mar 3, 2012 18:42
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TychoCelchuuu posted:Is there any website or book or person or anything that explains varieties of rice? Specifically whenever I shop at my local Indian place there are like, 20 kinds of rice all with various names that don't mean anything to me (this list on Wikipedia is pretty representative, I think: I'm not sure about the specific names, because it's all Greek to me, but if I see hasan serai rice, joha rice, and patna rice for sale, I dunno what's up). 90% of the people who work at the store aren't Indian people so they can't really help me. Sona Masuri rice is a medium grain rice that takes a little longer to cook than typical long grain rice, but retains a bit more of a firm bite, and tends to be more fluffy than typical long grain rice, because fewer of the grains tend to break up. Ponni rice is a South Indian varietal that takes 3 parts water 1 part rice, and is favoured in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, because it gives you more rice (cooked) for less of the raw product. It works as well as Patna rice does in all cuisines of the South. You can add a titch more water than normal, so that it's a bit softer and mushier, for uses like with rasam, kootu, or sambhar, or you can add the exact amount of water, and end up with fluffy separate rice for mixed rice (coconut, tamarind, tomato, lemon, etc). Patna rice is standard long grain white rice. It's long, fragrant, and beautiful. It's similar to, but prettier than (in my opinion) standard Carolina rice that you get in the USA. The rest are pretty much variations on a theme: medium or long grain, and cook up nice. Generally, you're not going to go wrong by trying it out, and seeing where you go. Even red rice, which is ostensibly "as healthy" (all marketing lies) as brown rice (which it's not, but w/e) will cook up fat and chewy, and absolutely delicious. Sona masuri and ponni are particularly good for idli and dosa, because they tend to soak up a fair bit more liquid than American varietals, and tend to break down more thoroughly.
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Mar 4, 2012 14:22
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Turkeybone posted:MY GIRLFRIEND made some acchapam the other day and they're pretty tasty -- she was on a whirlwind tour of south india for 6 weeks. @Serendip: I'm glad it turned out well for you! That oven cleaner stuff is freaking magic.
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Mar 5, 2012 16:57
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NiVRaM88 posted:Going to NYC this weekend and looking for some food recommendations. I've already read through the New New York thread in the A/T Travel forum, but wanted to double check here with some more serious foodies.
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Mar 7, 2012 03:07
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Jose posted:I was lucky enough to be with other people who ordered it Dordogne region and they boiled it after stuffing it with itself and according to those who ate it as if it hadn't been properly washed. Chitlins?
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Mar 8, 2012 17:48
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Cooking dinner for a girl on Friday, and trying to do something vegetarian and also not too heavy/greasy/romance-killing. I have some home-pickled lemons, so was thinking some Moroccan-influenced cous-cous dish would be good. Any (veg) recommendations on things to do with cous-cous to make it more of a main course and less of a side-dish? If you're looking to go vegetarian for a meal, please don't ignore beans. The starch is good as filler, but the beans will up how full you feel afterwards. I'd say start off with some hummus of some sort. Sprinkle on some olive oil and paprika just before serving, along with generous heaps of parsley to offset the garlic breath. Have it with toasted pita bread. Then into the cous-cous, toss some fava beans or lima beans, a good hit of toasted cumin seed, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, a bunch of different roasted veg (eggplant, red and yellow peppers, squash), and some lemon juice, olive oil, and walnuts/pecans/slivered almonds/cashews, depending on whatever you have on hand. If you have it, some olives and a bit of saffron makes everything delicious. If you have it, some pomegranate seeds make it even more lovely, especially with the pretty colours peeking out between the grain. Top it generously with deep fried onions. You cut the onions into thin rings, and deep fry them until they turn dark brown and crispy. They taste sweet and smoky all at the same time. For sides, serve some kind of wilted, garlicky greens, like kale or spinach. Basically, you just sautee off the greens in olive oil and garlic, with a bit of salt. Have some kind of raw salad on the side, like one made of cucumber, spring onion, parsley, tahina, lemon juice, and avocado if you can find them ripe. It'll be a nice counterpoint to the smoky cumin in the main.
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Mar 15, 2012 21:00
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Mr SuperAwesome posted:A friend gave me some vegetables. I'm not really sure what they are. I think the one on the left is a fennel? the white one is apparently a kortoba or something (he wrote it down but i forgot it) the one in the middle is brown and could be a turnip but I really have no idea. It looks a bit off and is squishy so w/e I guess. The one on the left is indeed fennel, and the one on the front is kohlrabi. I can't /see/ the one in the middle, so no clue what that is.
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Mar 20, 2012 17:09
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Mr SuperAwesome posted:Ah, thanks. Yeah, I can't make out what it is, because of the blurry. Google Images seems to think it's either a dog, or a black man: http://tinyurl.com/7sk5lt4
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Mar 20, 2012 17:24
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Mr SuperAwesome posted:Cool, thanks! 1 beet, peeled 1 granny smith apple, cored 3 carrots 1/3 cup peanut butter 1 lime, juice 3 pinches salt Shred the beets and carrots with a grater. Chop the apple up finely. Add the peanut butter, lime juice, and the salt. Mix thoroughly, until the peanut butter is creamy and incorporated. Serve the mixture over a green salad of some sort. Optionally, garnish with pine nuts, pecans, or cashews.
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Mar 20, 2012 22:29
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:I can't buy one of each, because they pack them at the grocery, but here's one item from the haul. That, my friend, is bitter gourd. And holy gently caress is it bitter as all get-out. It's called Karela in Hindi. Split it in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds. They're pretty bitter as hell too. Slice it into 2 cm pieces. Salt them well, and let it sit for half an hour. Then, wash off the salt, and rinse the karela in plenty of cold running water. This will reduce the bitterness. In a skillet, heat some fat (peanut, canola, corn, whatever). Add in about 2 tsp of cumin seeds. They will pop and crackle, and smell amazing. Add in a medium onion (diced), and as much green chilie as you can take. Add some salt, and turmeric (if you have it). Sautee until the onions are just softened. Add the sliced karela, and stir-fry until it's tender. Turn off the heat, and stir through some tamarind paste, and a pinch or two of sugar. Just a tiny bit, no more. Then, eat it in small doses with whatever other stuff you're eating. For bonus points, add in lots of freshly grated coconut towards the end of cooking, and stir through. dino. fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Mar 22, 2012 |
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Mar 22, 2012 20:00
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Tig Ol Bitties posted:Because I like fried rice every day. That was my question, whether I could indefinitely grow them in a cup of water or eventually have to plant. I obviously need to do some reading on growing plants... Thanks! You'll likely be able to get one or two re-growings tops (get the pun haha) from it, before it's spent.
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Mar 22, 2012 20:06
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Didion posted:Oh I know and thank you for taking the time to reply, I guess I'm just wondering in general, but also, what would be the benefit of a paper bag over a bowl and a plate?
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Mar 26, 2012 12:45
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Very Strange Things posted:One of my local stores just posted a picture of "Fresh Organic Curry Leaves" so what do I make? The Macaroni? Start with a pot with about 1 cm of oil in it. Heat it on high heat. Sprinkle in a generous portion of black mustard seed. Lift the pot off the heat, and swirl the mustard seeds around. You'll need to lift the pot and put it back onto the heat a couple of times, because while the seeds should get hot and pop, you don't want them to burn. Then, add some cumin seeds and urad daal. Swirl the pot around again. The urad daal will get a nutty brown colour. Sprinkle in some asafoetida. Rip about 10 - 15 curry leaves in half, and throw them into the hot fat as soon as your urad daal is browned lightly. The smell will be amazing. Use that to season beans, vegetables, or rice (when using with rice, add some grated ginger, sautee with some turmeric powder, and then finish with lemon juice for some stellar lemon rice). Or, make medu vada. Soak 1 cup of urad daal in cold water for 1 hour. In a food processor, combine the drained urad daal, and as many curry leaves as you can possibly afford. Be generous. Add a few knobs (heh) of ginger, some salt, some cracked black pepper, some whole green chiles, and grind down some more. Add water as necessary. You don't need an absolute paste, but you want it to be somewhat smooth. Drop by tablespoons into hot fat, and deep fry until medium brown. Eat with happiness and joy, for your house will smell like heaven for the rest of the day.
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Mar 28, 2012 18:06
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Turkeybone posted:How can i tighten up falafel if if doesnt want go hold together? Assume no fancg chemicals. Falafel should not need anything except chickpeas, herbs (boatloads of parsley, preferably), any spices you like, garlic (optional, though delicious), and a bit of water to move things along. Begin with dry chickpeas, and soak them overnight in cold water. The next morning, rinse them well, and drain them. In the bowl of your food processor, combine your soaked chickpeas, your herbs, spices, garlic, a bit of salt, and give it a few pulses until everything is chopped up. Scrape down the sides, and let the food processor rip on full speed. You want the whole thing ground down until it's kind of the size of little breadcrumbs. You will need a bit of water to move things along, so feel free to pour a bit in, a couple of tablespoons at a time. By the time the whole thing is pureed down, you'll end up with a lovely mix, which you can drop by spoonfuls into hot fat. This lady has a solid recipe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWBh5-CfPHk She adds onions, which gives you the liquid that I'd be adding. You're welcome to follow her recipe, as she's got the authentical version going. The beauty of mastering the technique is that you can use the same basic technique for any bean. I use black eyed beans, white beans, mung beans, etc. They all come out lovely. I don't use the fava beans, but there you go.
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Apr 12, 2012 04:00
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When I was trying to watch my weight, we did a fair bit of cooking in the nonstick pan. It meant that I could get a nice toasting on my spices, a nice browning on the onions, and all kind of other crap going without having to make a mess of my pots. Whenever I make pancakes of any kind, be they savoury, sweet, or crepe, nonstick pan is a lifesaver. Especially in the case of dosa, the nonstick sees to it that I'm not throwing down gallons of fat every time. I don't recall having "heat retention" issues with my nonstick, but then I don't cook meat, so your mileage may vary.
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Apr 12, 2012 12:17
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And this is why people who simply don't /like/ something end up saying that they're allergic to it. Because people can't leave them the gently caress alone about it. If someone says they don't like something, maybe it's best to just let it go and suggest something else? "Oh but you haven't tried it /this/ way!" :eyeroll: Just let it go. People have different tastes. S/he wasn't saying that s/he is some kind of bland food person who cooks out of boxes. It's a dislike for a specific ingredient. That's not a horrible thing!
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Apr 27, 2012 04:08
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RazorBunny posted:Any inspiring ideas for a green vegetable dish that would go well with spaghetti? My first thought was something like a warm wilted spinach salad with goat cheese, but I'd gladly try something new and unusual. I just can't come up with anything interesting off the top of my head. Anyway. Get a bunch (1/2 lb - 1 lb~ish) of kale, and chop it up roughly (including stems; just separate the stems and cook them first). In a large skillet, throw in some olive oil, crushed cumin seed, crushed coriander seed, and crushed fennel seed. Let the spices toast until they smell amazing. Throw in about 3 - 7 cloves of chopped or sliced (it's a personal preference; I prefer sliced) garlic. Cook the garlic for less than 30 seconds. You just want to take off that raw edge from the garlic. Add the kale stems, and sautee over high heat until they're tender. Add the kale leaves, a few handfuls at a time (they'll cook down to allow more kale into the pan), and stir continuously until all your kale is in the pan. Add salt and red pepper flakes. Finish with a bit of lemon juice. Barring that, do the roasted broccoli thing. Just toss broccoli florets in some neutral cooking oil, and throw them into a 350 oven on a baking sheet for like 15 - 20 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and a clove of minced garlic, and toss through. Or, if you're not a huge fan of broccoli, there's always the option of grilled eggplant. The weather's nice enough to do it on the grill. Make a quick marinade of oil, mustard, some vinegar, cayenne pepper, garlic, thyme, oregano, and some salt, and dip the eggplant slices into the marinade before slapping onto the grill. Or, if you don't have a grill, lightly oil and rub the eggplant slices with a mix of cayenne powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, clove, allspice, turmeric, cardamom, paprika, cumin, coriander, and salt, and bake at 400 for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip over, and bake the other side. I use parchment or my silicon baking mat when I do it this way, because I'm nervous about sticking. Barring that, do a quick cauliflower. In a skillet, heat some neutral vegetable oil. Add 5 - 7 cloves of minced garlic, along with 1 TB of curry powder. Turn on the heat to high. As soon as the garlic sizzles, add the florets from 1 head of cauliflower, and toss the cauliflower in the spices and fat. Drop down the heat to medium. Sprinkle on some salt, and red pepper flakes, and let it cook until tender. Stir every couple of minutes to avoid burning.
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Apr 28, 2012 16:19
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C-Euro posted:I made the White Chicken Chili recipe off the wiki (which is amazing, by the way) but I overestimated the size of my slow cooker and have about a pound of soaked great northern beans I need to use. Any quick ideas? DAAAAAAL! For the american version, sautee off garlic and onion, throw in some curry powder, and let the veg get soft. Add 1 tin of chopped tomato (about 2 cups), and cook until the tomatoes are hot. Cook the beans separately. When done cooking, combine the two. Either that, or do a proper daal. For a South Indian one, heat about 1 TB of vegetable oil (not olive oil, you need the oil to get very hot) in a pot. Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seed. Let them crackle and pop. Add 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds. Let them pop. Add 3 - 5 TB of chopped (not grated) ginger. You can chop the ginger big or small, as to your preference. Add 1/3 tsp turmeric powder. Sautee with the ginger until the oil is yellow. Add the beans, add enough water to come up to twice the height of the beans, and let the water come to a boil. Let the beans boil at full heat for 10 minutes. Drop down the heat to a gentle simmer, and let it simmer for 25 - 40 minutes, depending on how long the beans take to get tender. If you want a more North Indian daal, boil the beans in a pot, and get a separate pot with the spices and such. In a small~ish pot, heat 3 TB of vegetable (not olive) oil. Add 1/2 tsp fennel seed, 1 tsp crushed coriander seed, 1 tsp cumin seed, 3 cloves, 1 stick of cinnamon, 2 cardamom pods (lightly crushed), and swirl in the hot fat. The cumin and fennel will get hot and pop lightly. This is good. Add 1 large Spanish onion (diced), and stir into the spices. When the onions are half cooked, add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 5 cloves of minced garlic, and 3 TB minced or grated ginger. Stir well to combine. Add 2 cups of diced tomato, and stir well. Optionally, add 1/2 cup of white wine. If you don't like or have wine, apple juice or water will do. Let the tomatoes boil rapidly until they break down. If the tomatoes don't break down, you bought a lovely brand that has calcium chloride in, and they'll never break down. loving Americans and their obsession with perfect looking food.  If this is the case, just take an immersion blender to it, and it'll break down. Optionally, thicken the mix with a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste, although this is not necessary. When the beans are tender, stir through the tomato mix, and garnish with chopped cilantro. Barring that, make a white bean hummus. It's extremely delicious.
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Apr 29, 2012 02:09
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If you have a microwave, oats take like 3 minutes on 50% power. Just use a large bowl, because it tends to boil over otherwise.
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Apr 29, 2012 15:25
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Yehudis Basya posted:Last night, I made vangi bhat from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking, which is spicy eggplant and rice. Since I've only done a tiny bit of Indian cooking, I followed the recipe fairly closely. Couple of things to note: Indian sesame oil should NEVER be substituted with any other sesame oil. It's got a very particular flavour, and any other sesame oil will overpower the final taste, especially smoked sesame oil. If you don't have it, use regular cooking oil (canola, peanut, corn, etc), and add a few drops of the smoked stuff at the very end to give the flavour of the sesame. Til oil (also called "gingelly oil") which is Indian sesame oil, will stand up to more heat than the Japanese stuff. Smoked sesame oil's flavour is extremely powerful, and it doesn't care for high heats. I wish I'd explained this more in detail at some other point. If I haven't, let me say it now: don't trust anyone asking you to do a tarka that involves mustard seeds with any other fat except a high-heat fat. My sister-in-law uses Indian sesame oil for her cooking, and I frequently dislike the amount of smoke that her tarka produces. It shouldn't smoke that much. However, she feels like the sesame oil gives better flavour, and doesn't care about the masses of smoke. I prefer to have an oil that can stand up to the heat, and then add the sesame oil for flavouring at the end, which is what it's best suited for doing in the first place. Second. In most South Indian cooking, you don't cook the actual sesame oil itself, as the South Indian tarka involves mustard seed, which requires very high heat to pop sufficiently. North Indians, on the other hand, only have a passing acquaintance with mustard seed, which is why they tell you to do asinine things like heating up sesame oil for a tarka involving mustard seed, and adding both mustard seed and cumin seed at the same time. Mustard seed should always go first (when it's being used), and then anything else goes in, because they take so much longer to pop than any other seed. If they don't pop fully, the final dish turns out too strong and off-tasting. Finally, doing any kind of tarka over a medium high heat assumes that you've got a super powerful flame that's sitting underneath a fairly thin kadai (or wok). Trying that mess over medium with a giant hulking brute of an enamelled Dutch Oven is asking for the thing to take forever and a day. Whenever I or my mother are doing a South Indian type tarka, we'll put the pan over bare heat, while gathering the spices and the curry leaves, and giving the ginger a quick grate. Then, when the pan smokes, in with some fat, and lift off the heat. The fat of choice needs to be canola, peanut, or corn. It needs to be able to stand up to very high heat. Then, in with mustard seeds, swirl, and wait for about 10 - 30 seconds; swirl again. They will splutter, they will pop, and get all over the place. It's fine. Put the pan back on the stove. Then in with any other spice, like cumin, coriander, asafoetida, etc. Then in with the curry leaves. Then in with the ginger. FINALLY now you can add any powdered spices, like turmeric, paprika, ground red chile, etc. Why? Because the aromatics prevent the powdered spices from burning. Bla bla more than one way to make a tarka, bla bla differences of opinion. There is a right way and the North Indian way to do things. :P dino. fucked around with this message at 22:01 on May 12, 2012 |
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May 12, 2012 21:58
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First and foremost, never feel shy or ashamed of asking questions. The reason it seems so natural and "obvious" to me is because I've been watching my mother do this sort of thing since I was old enough to toddle, and spent hours upon countless hours in her kitchen with her, cooking the entire time. She was trusting me to make meals for the family by the time I was in middle school, and this is a woman who's known far and wide for having exacting standards of taste. If you feel the need to ask more questions, it's because I haven't managed to explain myself clearly enough, so my apologies for that. If there's anything you think of, and you want to poke me personally, just shoot off an email to altveg@me.com and I'll do my best from there as well. quote:1) Alright, I won't use the Dutch oven monster again! The thing with tarka is that you can ostensibly use any pot or pan you have in the house. I've even used cast iron to great results. If you're using a big hulking brute of a pot that takes a long time to have temperature adjustments go through, you'll just need to preheat it more. Let's try this. Suppose I have a tiny little tarka pan. It'll be about 3 - 6 inches in diameter, and hold a total of about 1 cup. I'd put the stove on high flame, pop the tarka pan on, and get to work immediately, because it's going to heat up within seconds of touching the flame. I can easily control the pan itself, because it's faster to move the physical pan than to fiddle with the gas. So, to prevent the fat or the spices from burning, I'd move the pan further away or closer to the flame. That's how I'd control the heat. Suppose I have a wok, or wide shallow skillet with decent handle. Suppose it's got a standard bottom for a wok or fry pan. We're not talking super thin, like the dollar store pans, but not super thick like cast iron. I can actually control the heat of the pot by adjusting the level of the flame, and to lesser extent, the electric stove. If I've got the heat so hot that the fat is smoking (specifically, the canola or peanut oil, that is), then I know the stove is on way too high, and I adjust the heat down. However, if I miscalculate my proficiency with my speed, and am moving too slowly, and need to cool down in a hurry, I can lift the whole entire pot off the stove, and move it to a cool spot for a bit to chill out. Because of the medium heat, it's equally efficacious to move the heat or to move the pot. Suppose I have a big monster dutch oven. I know that the pot is not suited to quick changes in temperature either from moving it or from fiddling with the heat. In this case, I will want to err on the side of caution, and heat it up just shy of full blast, so that I can increase the flame if necessary, without risking a burnt mess. I would start the flame at like 7 (out of a possible 10), and let the pot preheat while I gather my ingredients. I pour in the fat, and swirl it around. If it starts smoking copiously and immediately, I've got problems, and need to dump out the fat, drop down the heat, and start over. If, however, when I add the fat, the fat just kind of sits there, and spreads out only slowly, my pot is too cold, and I'll need to let the temperature of the fat and pot increase to the point where the fat is shimmering and almost smoking. This is OK. It'll take a bit, but it'll get there evenutally. I'll increase the flame to a 9 while the fat gets hot. If it's still taking forever for the fat to get hot, I'll crank it up all the way. If my fat isn't hot still, I'll crank up the heat to full blast, and cover the lid for about 30 seconds. At that point, my fat will be hot, and I'll be able to proceed. With a dutch oven, you want the fat and pot to reach temperature before anything happens, because it doesn't like rapid adjustments in temperature. That is, if you want to drop down the temperature rapidly, you need to add more aromatics or water. This isn't necessarily possible or feasible during the tarka. For that reason, you fiddle with the temperatures, and get them just so before adding your spices. That being said, once you're used to your stove and pot arrangement, it becomes a matter of moments with adjusting either variable. It's just more complicated to explain when I can't show you in person. quote:2) So let the mustard seeds pop while the pan ISN'T actively on the burner? The trick about removing the pot from the stove was passed on to me by a friend who used to watch me make my tarka for about two years, and wonder why hers never came out like mine. She finally realised that whenever I make my own, I always pull the pot from the heat just before adding the mustard seeds, which is why mine never burned. Once she cottoned on to that, she told me that I do it without realising, and that I wasn't including that step when explaining to others. quote:If the pan isn't heavy-bottomed, then it seems like heat will be lost too quickly and the mustard seeds won't have sufficient time to do their thing. Along those lines, it is to be expected that the actual sputtering/popping process can take more than 30 seconds? Oh my god I am such an idiot, I am so sorry. quote:3) When adding the cumin, coriander, etc., do you add those one at a time, or is it okay to dump them all in at once? quote:Thank you again for your help and, more importantly, patience. It must seem so simple and obvious to you! The next dish I want to try is tandoo kootoo, which Sahni describes as "Tanjore Broccoli and Mung Bean Stew with Coconut"- I've got nearly all the ingredients already, so it seems a sensible choice. Also, the huge adjustments in temperature are a few degrees here and there. We're not talking about enormous changes, but rather subtleties that most people never bother paying attention to. I've paid attention to them, because I had to when I took on that fool project of writing a cookery book.
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May 13, 2012 03:06
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Aw, shucks. To be fair, most other food authors don't get to talk directly with people, and have a back-and-forth interaction that lets them explain everything. Please, let me know if you have better luck in future.
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May 13, 2012 03:48
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:I'm making tofu this weekend. Does anyone have any tips or things to watch out for when for making it? Like paneer, a good fair bit of the soy milk is going to net you not very much tofu. It's OK. The store bought stuff doesn't let you put stuff into the mix itself to make flavoured tofus. Use that to your advantage. Cheesecloth is your friend. The first time I made a batch, I tried using just a strainer. That was disappointing. Don't add the nigari until the boiled soymilk has had a chance to sit off the boil for about 30 seconds or so. I personally find that the liquid nigari you can find at the Japanese store gives me better results, but your mileage may vary. Whatever you do, make sure you're not adding straight powdered nigari to the boiled soy milk. It's best to actually dissolve the nigari in hot water first, then add the mixture to the hot stuff. Don't try to decant the stuff when you see the whole thing curdle. It'll end up in pain and tears. @Spliz: Lambics tend to /cost/, so I'd say get it when you can and enjoy it, eh? +1 for Session Lager. They're great at making tasty beer. dino. fucked around with this message at 14:24 on Jun 7, 2012 |
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Jun 7, 2012 14:14
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Ghost of Reagan Past posted:I can't see homemade tofu supplanting store-bought tofu (I probably eat more tofu than many vegetarians...), but I can definitely see making it frequently, especially once I get a proper loving mold. I used an old tofu container and punched holes in the bottom, and jury-rigged a lid...
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Jun 7, 2012 15:50
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Phummus posted:I want to make my own almond flour. My understanding is that doing so in a food processor is going to release too many oils and make a paste more than a flour. So I need to do so in a coffee/spice grinder. Should I blanch/roast/toast the almonds first? Do like they do for coconut flour. Blend the almonds in a blender with enough water to make almond milk, then strain out the pulp, and roast it in the oven until it's dried out, and becomes almond flour. For the beans and rice person: http://altveg.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-saw-complaint-from-someone-who-was.html <- I wrote about it on my blog.
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Jun 13, 2012 22:18
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Turkeybone posted:Dino. -- do you have a go-to cilantro chutney recipe? Sorry, didn't see this till now. XD The vegan thread is often quieter, and I'll generally see it quicker. Anycow. I have a Kashmiri friend who does a version that's different from how my mum did it, so I tend to do a hybrid of both of theirs. 1 large bunch cilantro, washed extremely well 2 limes, zested and juiced 1 small onion (white) chopped 5 - 8 green thai chiles (I remove the stems, but my mum keeps them on, because they're going in the blender anyway) 5 mint leaves (OPTIONAL) 1 stalk of curry leaves (OPTIONAL, if you can get them) 3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and sliced 1 TB oil 1/4 tsp cumin seed 1/4 tsp coriander seeds, crushed Water, in reserve, as necessary In a small pot, heat the oil. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, and allow them to pop. As soon as they pop, dump them into the jar of your blender. Immediately top with the lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the onion, thai chiles, ginger, mint, and curry leaves. Pulse a few times until you get a paste. Add the cilantro (stalks and all), a bit at a time, and grind. Don't add more cilantro until the previous batch is ground. The reason being that you don't want to add excess water if you can help it, and grinding in batches helps avoid that. If the blender sticks, add a bit of water, about a tablespoon at a time to loosen up the mixture. Some people like to add a few pinches of salt, but I tend to avoid it, because the food will be salted already. Some people leave out the curry leaves, but bump up the mint leaves. Some people like to add garlic, but I don't care for it with the subtle taste of the herbs. Some people leave out the onion, and substitute hing, but I prefer the freshness of the onion. If you want a creamier chutney, add a tablespoon of daliya (roasted channa daal), and it'll give a fantastic flavour and texture. Just add the daliya early on, so it grinds down completely. If you can't find lime juice, you can use lemon juice. If you want the most authentic taste, you'll track down Key Limes, which taste much more similar to the Indian limes than the typical green ones. To combat the slight bitterness found in American limes (and because that's what those people like to do), Gujarati recipes will frequently call for a bit of sugar. I hate sugar in my hari chutney. 
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Jun 23, 2012 16:46
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Turkeybone posted:Thanks dino. We're making asstons of nimbu pani, so there's plenty of fresh lime juice to be had. I'll let you know how it turns out!
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Jun 23, 2012 17:09
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Chard posted:Does anyone have a reliable falafel recipe and technique? My problem is that my ball/patties don't hold up when I cook them. I've tried baking in cast iron with oil (turned into one mushy pile), pan frying in non-stick (works the best but still not great at all), and deep frying (abject failure and shame*). Is my problem that I've been using canned chickpeas? What's the secret to these delicious things? OK. I'm assuming that you're using tinned chickpeas, which is not how you make falafel. To make falafel: Soak 2 cups of chickpeas in 6 cups of cold water, for 8 hours. The next morning: Drain chickpeas well, and rinse under cold water. Dump them into a food processor with: 1 large bunch of parsley, chopped into three chunks 2 - 5 green chiles (according to your heat tolerance) Generous sprinkling of salt (they'll need some salt) 1 tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and crushed 2 TB coriander seeds, lightly toasted and crushed 1 head of garlic, peeled Pulse the mixture in the food processor until it resembles bread crumbs. Spoon in about 2 - 3 TB of water (1 TB at a time), and blend until the whole mess becomes smoother. You'll go from a crumbly texture to a more paste like one. You do not want it to be terribly wet, so use as little water as you can help. Just before deep frying, stir through 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Form into little lumps with a spoon, and deep fry at 350F (start the fat off at 370F so that when the falafels balls drop in, they'll not decrease the temperature of your fat too much, then decrease the flame so that they cook at 350 and don't burn) for about six minutes or so. You really don't need any binder if you follow these instructions. Best part is that you can substitute other beans if you're out of chickpeas. This works great with fava beans, lima beans, black eyed peas, white beans, etc.
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Jun 24, 2012 19:42
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Grand Fromage posted:How do you guys use MSG? I finally found a bag of it (pure, not mixed with salt). I've seen it in recipes, but I have no idea how to judge how to use it normally. I've never cooked with it before. Very sparingly, as a little goes a long way. It sort-of behaves like salt, so you'll be fine if you sprinkle it onto something raw, however it really shines when you're wanting to bump up the general flavour of something that's lacking a little something. For example, if you've got a noodle soup that's pretty, and has plenty of things going on in there, but whose stock isn't all it can be? Throw in a scant 1/4 tsp of MSG, and stir it through. Taste again, and the rest of the flavours will have woken up somehow. It's lovely stuff, but doesn't need to be heaved in like the manufacturers would have you believe.
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Jul 1, 2012 14:56
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