What's cooking? part 4

And yes do not cook with sesame oil - its not for cooking with, it'll burn and taste bad. Drizzle at end of cooking over rice/salad.

I think some '70s cooking show host infected the country with the toomeric

lol i learned the do not cook with sesame oil rule in college when i did so and my roommate, who was allergic to sesame, FREAKED when it started burning and 'sesame fumes' were released into the air.

what sort of ratio to canola oil should i use the sesame?

(i don't like olive oil much)

this is embarrassing but could i get some no-fail advice for cooking rice on the stovetop (i usually microwave it)

what kind of rice you got? basmati or regular ol' long grain white rice?

if you are gonna make something delicious like be bim bop or an asian-flavored dish i love to put a little sesame oil in the rice while it cooks. helps keep it from sticking to the pot and adds awesome flavor.

a little goes a v v v v long way

if it's basmati, you need to wash it real good first, there's a lot of starch on the outside that will make your rice gummy if you don't

My perfect-every-time-rice (no sticking, even in stainless steel):

1. wash a cup of rice if it's basmati, don't bother if it's generic long grain (rinse it in a strainer until the water runs clear)
2. saute the rice in your saucepan with olive oil (or canola I guess) until the rice starts smelling like popcorn
3. add 2 cups of water and a good pinch of salt
4. cover and drop the heat down to VERY LOW
5. set a timer for 20 minutes and fuhgeddaboudit
6. when the timer goes off, turn the heat off, don't take the lid off, set the timer for 10 more minutes and fuhgeddaboudit
7. PROFIT

I usually get the water boiling first before I turn it to VERY LOW for 20 mins – do you not do this?

Also I have never sauteed rice 'cept for when making a pilaf or risotto. Perhaps I will try yr method some time (subbing an auditory,visual or temporal cue for the smell one).

depends on the rice. for some rices that take longer to cook i put them in and bring the water to a boil so they get more heat.

i've been thinking about getting a kitchen timer actually

thanks WmC! (i have boring white rice, short grain i think)

Amount of sesame oil is literally in the 2 or 3 drops category btw, shake it like tabasco, the bottle should already have a tiny opening anyway.

justine, your oven should have a timer on it!

and if not that, microwave.

our oven is really basic - no timer!

also: i have a lime. also bought on impulse.

I just put the water in at room temp -- I've sauteed the rice at med-high heat for long enough that I get a big dramatic WHOOOSH and the water pretty much comes up to a boil/simmer immediately.

BTW, J, just use barely enough oil. About a tablespoon for a cup of rice?

Perhaps I will try yr method some time (subbing an auditory,visual or temporal cue for the smell one).

I forgot about you not having a smeller! I think the visual cue would be the rice turning opaque and maybe just a tad golden.

WmC yr method sounds v similar to the tasajara method iirc!

what sort of ratio to canola oil should i use the sesame?

Just a shake or two really. You want 1 part oil to 1/2 part balsamic to 1/2 part cider vinegar, with 1/2 part (or more) sweetener and a healthy amount of paprika (1 Tablespoon per cup of oil) and a few shakes of sesame oil.

so we made this tonight!! jaq, you are AMAZING! i used the pumpkin, which was a nightmare to prep, as expected. that shit is rock hard.

i also caramelised some onions to toss through it, which gave it a bit more flavour.

i used wmc's rice cooking method... but when i turned it down low, the flame went out at some point, so it took awhile longer, but was successful!

A+++ meal, would cook again

now what should we cook tomorrow???

i have the above ingredients (minus the spinach and pumpkin and rice) + a small lime
+ some fresh 'savoury' herbs (rosemary and some other mysterious herbs)

Good spanish-rice variant: strain the liquid out of a can of Rotel tomatoes, reserving the liquid. Squeeze the tomato/chili solids real well in a strainer to get as much out of them as you can. Add water or veg stock to the tomato/chili liquid to achieve your 2:1 ratio. Make rice as normal, adding the spicy tomato solids along with the spicy tomato liquid after you've sauteed the rice.

so i thought the 'drawer microwave' sounded like a bad idea when i was told about it... now that it's a reality, i hate it even more. and what awful placement! one will have to bend over to push the buttons!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_3CnQQEvhUBQ/Syr_sJ43oaI/AAAAAAAAB6I/cu5-aB-nB18/s640/IMG_0178.JPG

not to mention it sticks out several inches from the counter. my parents are always ruining nice things with crazy accents!

but tehresa according to the sticker that microwave is not only LARGER sleeker but also more accessible. what went wrong??

marketing.

that looks like a terrible idea. We generally only use the microwave to reheat cups of tea and melt butter. I wonder how much the cups will slosh when you open and close that drawer?

In other news, 2 pans of 7 layer bars in the oven for tomorrow's pitch-in. One standard, one with layer 7b (candied ginger bits).

yeah we are kind of chat-fiting about it now. well, 'disagreeing' bc i think it's stupid and he swears it's not. but whatever, his kitchen!

but we can truly go "Freezer or fridge to M/W" in 2 secs flat

he says...

it's also adjacent to the busiest pathway in the house - everyone always walks through the kitchen to the dining/living rooms that way instead of using the other hall. "there was no other place to put it." uhhh what about... anywhere in the giant kitchen???

ok i'm stopping.

Time from fridge to nuker has never been on my kitchen necessity list, tbh.

yeahhhhhhh

i think he was trying to come up with ridiculous justifications?

But look at the rest of that gorgeous big kitchen you will be cooking in soon!!!

"this way if food ever falls on the floor I can get it into the microwave in 2 seconds flat and nuke all the bacteria"

hahaha

Aw if I argued with my dad about something like this he'd be the same but inside he'd be quietly going ";_; i stuffed up didnt I" so I never have the heart to.

oh no, my father is *always* right.

oh dear that does not look like a wise idea. really annoying to clean, too.

i made 2 lbs of creamed spinach the other day (following spanakopita a couple days previously), and i cannot stop eating it at pretty much every opportunity, including breakfast. two of my roommates independently asked if i was pregnant this morning. (not possibly, but maybe i have some sort of nutritional deficiency, or maybe i just really love spinach). anyway, that's what's cooking for lunch and dinner, probably....

early bday present from jordan: veganomicon!!!

Any recs on things to do with parsnips?

I love them roasted - wonderful mildly carrot flavor.

Hey Jaq I made your spice cake this weekend (with orange cream cheese frosting; marmalade between the layers) and it was FAB! Thanks!

Prep for seasonal potluck #1:

Tourtiere - blend of pork / veal / beef / venison. 11 secret herbs and spices (ok, 7 or 8). Cream cheese pastry crust.
Vanilla bean cheesecake - because you can't ruin cheesecake, but it always impresses - good for inept bakers like me. Presentation is key
Turkish apricots - dried apricots candied in simple syrup / pekmez blend with cardamon, cinnamon, stuffed with mascarpone (because it's pretty difficult to find clotted buffalo milk in my corner of the continent.)

those all sound fantastic. nice.

we've got meals planned up through friday (mostly my dad's cooking): spaghetti squash and left over red thai curry, lengua tacos, homemade pizza (brother's weekly staple), shrimp & various mezes/bread/soup, traditional christmas breakfast of doom, and a ham dinner, to which i'll probably contribute vegetable sides (greens and some kind of gratin maybe). this happens whenever my trips home coincide with my dad's vacation time, and then my brother suggests going out to dinner and we're like, "...but what about all the food in the house?"

Christmas eve is going to be zakuski - blini and sour cream, smoked fish, potatoes with crab salad, beet salad, pickles, maybe some other Russian-ish kinds of stuff, plus a bottle vodka from the local-ish distillery made with all the wheat that grows around me.

Friday I'm making a peking duck and chinese pancakes. I expect a lot of semi-racist A Christmas Story jokes from my family.

<3 lengua tacos soooo much

Duck is our trad xmas dinner.