what's cooking? part 5: 2017-2027

No, but I was probably in my 40s!

and the cracker is more like a steak, but

― Tracer Hand, Saturday, April 23, 2022 2:07 AM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

"toast" leaves room for interpretation. Could be covered in cinnamon and milk in a bowl. Melba toasts have cracker DNA. But I understand my post was a tangent.I am going to refocus, double concentrate. Much less of that from me now -- only the exact same amount as before.

be that as it may i’m sensing a noticeably more robust tone in your posts sufjan

i've been making large pots of turkey white bean chili to subsist on for the past few weeks.

my issue with turkey white bean chili is that it always somehow comes out a little bland no matter how much of the usual "make it flavorful" stuff i add into it.

so i literally googled "how do you make turkey white bean chili not bland" and someone suggested soy sauce or worcestershire sauce.

not having any of those, i opted for fish sauce, in the neighborhood of 1 tbsp maybe a little more. i hesitated before i did this.

folks, it is delicious. everything that was blurred and blanded together is now in perfect alignment. worth doing if you're making chili and you need umami.

Bold move, map

I’ve been making this vegan bowl regularly. My husb was ordering a ridiculously priced salad from a bougie health and wellness restaurant so I decided to try copying it:

Wild rice mix (I just use the frozen bags from Trader Joe’s)
Roasted shredded cabbage
Sauerkraut (since it already has cabbage, some other kind of fermented or pickled veg would be better)
Diced avocado
Pan fried tofu (Hodo brand is the absolute best)
Crushed honey roasted peanuts (some kind of sweet roasted cashews would be better)
Chimichurri sauce from Trader Joe’s
Lil splash of balsamic vinaigrette

ooh sounds good i might try that out

seconding Hodo being godheadlike. i like the bowl idea, too

I find that impossible meat substitute is pretty good. Now that my kids are vegetarian I’ve been wanting to try it in some of my older recipes. If only there was an impossible turkey

So I made this bean salad to go along side roasted Japanese sweet potatoes, quinoa and pan fried tofu and apart from the beans it was delicious (I don’t really like beans unless they’re in Mexican food):

2 cans black beans
Zest and juice of one lime
1 grated clove of garlic
1tsp ground ginger powder
4 tsp maple syrup
2 tbsp soy sauce
Half a cup of minced parsley and basil (original recipe used cilantro instead)
5 tsp toasted sesame oil
1-2 diced avocados

Original recipe used twice as much garlic and also chili oil (I don’t enjoy chili).

Since I didn’t like the beans I’m trying to figure what else I could use the rest of the recipe with.

Forgot to add: mix and then salt to your liking

That looks amazing

Justine, are you trying to keep it vegetarian/vegan? In which case, a non-bean protein source like lentils or mushrooms? And I think maybe some eggplant could work too.

Yeah trying to keep it vegan.

It might be too wet for this but I’m thinking of using it like a salsa over taco lentils in a tortilla with some romaine.

add some more soy sauce

I’m trying to get back into cooking again now that I have a way nicer kitchen. This recipe was from a meal kit box years ago - it didn’t have complete measurements so some of this is just my guesses, but it tastes really good and is super fast and easy.

Creamy mushroom pasta:
Get half a pound of penne or similar pasta boiling. About 5mins before it’s done, add a couple tbsp of sundried tomatoes to the pot.

Get a couple of tbsp of oil heating in a large pan. Add a punnet (like 8oz I guess) of mushrooms (my fav is shiitake but reg ones are fine. I don’t like the texture of sliced mushrooms so I dice mine) and sauté till golden (5mins).
Add half a diced onion and a big handful of frozen peas. Sauté till onion is translucent (5mins).
Add 1/2 c coconut cream, 1/4 c pasta water, about a cup of mushroom stock concentrate (I didn’t have any last time so I just used water and like a a tsp of umami seasoning), a pinch of Italian seasoning and 2 tbsp of any kind of parm (I use the cheap shelf stable powder). Stir and let thicken them take off heat and toss in pasta and sun dried tomatoes.

I made shredded and roasted Brussels last time and dumped them on top and it was a great match.

I sometimes add a dash of Braggs at the end just to pump up the umami even more.

I've got my first ever microwave oven arriving tomorrow. If there is another heatwave this summer I'm only using the instant pot or the microwave. And also cooking becomes absolutely exhausting at times. It can be a really stimulating activity when you are learning new tricks and recipes, but doing it routinely for years without a break it becomes like too much work. Perhaps ultra-processed dross in plastic boxes is a necessary evil that I'm going to have to get into for a bit.

I never had a microwave until a couple years ago. Use it pretty regularly to heat rice/grains/soups/etc. Also think it's perfectly acceptable for steaming veg.
Have fun with it!

I've not really got into anything other than warming up chicken chow mein ready meals yet. It's quite liberating having the option of taking a day or two off cooking and just warming up some ultra processed food in a carton, which has actually turned out to be much more substantial and decent than I was expecting.

just made some rice in a microwave steamer pot. It wasn't really any quicker but an easier washing up job and creates less heat and gas is so expensive. So yeah that's one thing I'm into now.

Those microwave rice steamers changed my life. So much easier and zero guesswork.

This certainly broccoli soup is epic, and pretty easy!

https://rainbowplantlife.com/vegan-broccoli-soup/#recipe

xp

yep, just filled it rice with a 2:1 water ratio and pressed the button on 12 mins. The 20th century was pretty neat in some ways!

calzino do you have an immersion blender? it's great for things like humus and gazpacho when it's too hot out too cook on the stovetop.

something like this is a good option during a heat wave:

https://thewoksoflife.com/cold-skin-noodles-liangpi/

i can't be bothered with making the noodles from scratch. i just make the dressing and the toppings. i live next to a Korean super mega market but you could cook some rice noodles or something in the microwave if fresh ones aren't available.

I have to cook for a young autistic guy with multiple sensory issues with food and trying new things can be difficult and unpredictable. I can't explain the heartbreak I feel when I've been working on a culinary masterpiece for hours and he coldly pushes the plate away and says "bin". Lol it's funny really, but at that moment it really fucking isn't.

aw man, now that's a tough critic <3

feel for you. how many things do you have that are accepted easily?

he generally errs towards spicy food, it's hard to nail anything that he will reliably accept. Some days it takes him 2 to even 3 hours to eat a meal and I'm never sure if it will end up in the bin or be eaten. I'd say the most reliable one is any curry with chick-peas and some other protein with some rice. At his college he frequently misses the afternoon program because by the time he has finished his dinner it's time to go home!

this trend is what has driven me to get a microwave oven and say bollox to 7 days a week cooking for a bit. I still made a curry for dinner today though, just a basic one with jarred spice paste. And it was much more successful than ones I have planned and spent hours on marinating and following instructions pedantically from an Indian food cookbook.

successful = he ate it within half an hour of being served!

that's quite a responsibility and sounds very challenging emotionally and everything. if processed or packaged food gets the job done and gives you some relief, awesome. i also hear you about cooking becoming a drudgery when you have to do it all the time. i've been feeling that way lately.

I finally made tofu (for my husband) and chicken (for me) satay this weekend and it was so fuckin good! I didn’t make the satay marinade or peanut sauce from scratch though so maybe it doesn’t count. It’s always my fav Thai food to order and it never occurred to me how easy it would be to make at home. Made a quick-pickle cuke and onion salad, roasted broccoli and jasmine rice to go with it and it was delicious.

This is delicious, made it last night but added lemon juice at the end:

https://www.platingsandpairings.com/spaghetti-alla-nerano-recipe/

I also didn’t really deep fry the zucchini they way they say to in the recipe - I just fried them in about a 1/4” of oil in a wide cast iron enamel pan, and they came out just the same.

I've been obsessed w/Korean bbq, I tried this marinade with beef ribs, then chicken thighs, then round steak, delicious every time

https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/korean-grilled-marinated-short-ribs-yangneom-galbi

1 Asian pear (see headnote), peeled, cored and cut into rough 1-inch chunks
10 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup mirin
Ground black pepper
3 pounds thin (⅛- to ¼-inch-thick) bone-in, flanken-cut beef short ribs (see headnote)
Lettuce leaves, to serve
Ssamjang, to serve

n a blender, combine the pear, garlic, ginger, sake, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and ½ teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. Pour the mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the short ribs, turning them to coat with the marinade, and arrange in an even layer; the ribs should be mostly submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, turning them once or twice to ensure they marinate evenly.
02
Prepare a charcoal or gas grill. For a charcoal grill, ignite a large chimney of coals, let burn until lightly ashed over, then distribute evenly over one side of the grill bed; open the bottom grill vents. Heat the grill, covered, for 5 minutes, then clean and oil the grate. For a gas grill, turn all burners to high and heat, covered, for 15 minutes, then clean and oil the grate.
03
Transfer the short ribs from the marinade to a large plate, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Place as many ribs as will comfortably fit on the grill grate (on the hot side if using charcoal). Cook, uncovered, until nicely charred on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, flip the ribs and grill until the second sides are nicely charred, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a platter. If not all ribs fit onto the grill, cook the remainder in the same way.
04
Serve the ribs with lettuce leaves and ssamjang. To eat, smear a little ssamjang on a piece of lettuce, cut a piece of meat from the bone and wrap it in the lettuce.

Ssamjang recipe, just mix:

1/3 cup doenjang
1/4 cup gochujang
3 scallions, thinly sliced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced yellow onion
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons toasted and finely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon white sugar

Just going to throw together a salad with black-eye peas, fresh chopped tomato, cucumber, red onion, maybe some parsley along with some kind of acidic dressing. We'll eat it with ham, either on the side or in the salad. I haven't decided, yet.

This was awesome the first time I made it (vegan spinach curry):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjDCJcO6njI

One suggestion would be to add a little bit of mint as well.

sleeve, that bbq recipe looks amazing. I will have to give that a try soon.

Why can’t I find light soy sauce anywhere except for a very high price online? Is “lite” the same as “light”?

Nevermind - I just read that regular and light are interchangeable. Dark is the really different one.

talking of dark and light soy I attempted a basic Cantonese Chow Mein the other day that was a fail because the noodles I used were crappy uk supermarket brand fine ones. I've got the dark and light soy sorted, just needed one of them bags of pan fried egg noodles you get from Chinese supermarkets that I couldn't find at Morrisons.

I think the light soy is cheaper and generally the standard one because it hasn't been fermented as long

homebrew green pea curry with lots of cumin, greens and coconut milk i've been making once a week all summer, my lunch most days. very bright, almost fluorescent yellow color.

heat neutral oil in a soup pot on med-high, add whole spices (1 tbsp black mustard seed, 1.5 tbsp cumin seed, 4 or 5 shelled cardamom pods, a few whole cloves, a pinch of smashed coriander seeds) and a pinch of hing. add a diced onion when the seeds start to pop. when onion is translucent add thumb sized piece of ginger (minced) and equal amount of garlic (also minced) and 1/2 tbsp cumin powder. saute for a couple of minutes until the garlic and ginger is fragrant.

add 1 lb of split green peas (rinsed), 8 cups of water, however much salt you like and 2 tsp turmeric powder. bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer until peas are more or less soft. add a can of coconut milk (pref Brad's Organic) and puree with an immersion blender. simmer until peas are completely cooked.

remove from heat and add a bunch of greens (stalked kale or baby spinach), juice of half a lime, 2 teaspoons S&B curry powder (you can use garam masala i guess). give it another quick blitz with the immersion blender to chop up the greens. serve it the next day ideally, with fresh cilantro. on its own, over rice, or with roti. i like it chilled.

the cardamom, cloves and coriander don't affect the overall flavor of the dish very much in such small amounts but you get a few mouthfuls with nice surprises.

had a really good quinoa "Alla Nerano" recently, from a posh deli next to Lennox Hill Hospital. it was $4 for a little taste, like half a serving. i might try to make it myself. there were pistachios in it!!

Is hing worth going out of my way to find? I saw that it's similar to fennel seeds.

xp yummmmm

Hing = asoefatida (sp?) or no?

I believe that's the case, quincie!

haha, i call it asafoetida irl but hing is easier to type :)

prob worth having if you make lots of dal, otherwise no. it's generally "optional" and most recipes that use it only call for a pinch (Madhur Jaffrey's daily tarka uses like half a tsp, which is a lot) so a 3.5 gram container can last practically forever.

Brahmin ascetics who don't eat onions or garlic use it to flavor their food, to give an idea of its pungency.

I've got two packets of asafoetida powder on my spice wrack only used it a handful of times for chana dal. One of them subtle ingredients where through my own ignorance I wasn't sure what it added so its become an underused one.

It's also one of them ingredients that I couldn't find easily with online supermarket deliveries - I think I got it from ebay