What do you eat? and how to make it.

[Aether]

ive only ever had veggie sausages or chicken sausages...

 

one more congee thing - use lots of water! you should have some left over after the long cooking process...also the water is supposed to have healing properties so have a bit with your rice or you can drink it by itself if you fancy it ....

 

aren't century eggs essentially old moldy eggs???    no thanks! 

[durendal]

Not old moldy eggs, they just don't have enough sunlight on them.  Century eggs are made by a mixture of salt and lime, wrapping them up for 4 to 5 weeks thus creating a chemical reaction turning the eggs dark green with a creamy consistency.

 

Additionally, when making congee, you also need to have the right kind of rice.  With different kind of rice resulting in different kind of congee.  Normally you use long grain rice or jasmine rice.

 

And yes, we also eat sausages for breakfast.  Sausage with eggs and muffin, what we normally call an English Breakfast.  Although I'm not sure if an English breakfast does indeed include sausage, eggs or muffin.

[*Jess♥]

muffin is unusual for us.

 

classic ingredients would be sausage, egg, bacon, beans or plum tomatoes, maybe black pudding, maybe hash brown.

 

It's very unhealthy these days, it was originally intended to be eaten to start off a day of hard labour, such as mining or working in the steel mills. It has perfect amount of calories and fat for that kid of work, but far too much for today's office work.

 

I'm confused about congee now. I thought it was a particular type of rice, now it sounds like it is a method of preparation.

I'll have to check wikipedia.

 

That century eggs sounds interesting. I doubt we would be able to get them easily in the UK.

[*Jess♥]

I'd like to ask about Curry.

 

I make a curry last night, as I normally do, but I find that my Curry is generally very same-y and I can't instil enough variety. it could be two things. first it could be the spices. second it could be my base ingredients.

base ingredients is usually cooked and puréed potato and carrot. fried onion, ginger and leek, with beef mince. then the spices.

I am quite liberal with them and generally have bit of chilli, cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, bit of cinnamon and bit of turmeric.

 

I think the main problem is I don't have a strong base flavour. maybe if I added tomatoes as a base flavour, it would all taste better.

well I am hoping for any suggestions from you guys!

[Aether]

can't help with currys i'm afraid...

 

congee really is the method.... just think you end up with something similar to a bowl of gruel / porridge rice, rather than a bowl of fluffy rice.

[*Chernaudi]

I was thinking of discussing spices here, after being influenced by my use of salad dressings in pasta salad and finishing off a bag of salt and pepper potato chips.  I'm pretty interested in things like salt, pepper, peppercorns, garlic, basil, and things of that nature and the flavors that they add.

 

What kind of flavors are you looking to add/change Yuki?  I'm not the greatest cook in the world, and I'm not familiar with curries, but if you want a stronger meat flavor, you could try beef with a lot of marbling in it, or adding beef broth.  Or, as you suggested, tomato flavor, add some diced tomatoes.  You can always play with ingredients and their portions until you get headed in the direction you want.  Though I've never made anything directly like a curry, but I do favor, bold, pronounced flavors, especially warmly spicy or slightly sweet.

 

You could also add a rub or marinade to your beef before you cut it up or cook it, or marinade or use a herbs and spices mix on your vegetables.  I don't marinade what I cook often, but I've always liked the results when I have done it.

[*Jess♥]

some good ideas.

yes using a stock cube will really help the flavours along. I generally prefer to use only vegetable stock so I'm limited, but the idea of using a marinade is a good one.

I recently started playing about with vinegar, mainly to make sweet and sour chicken,. but I found that I could get an interesting flavour into the 'meat' (quorn) by putting it in the vinegar and combining with some other spices. of course, the whole lot went into the sweet and sour sauce, so it didn't really create a separation of flavours. I'll have to try it differently next time. maybe make a sweet and sour marinade and then just make a separate sauce without the vinegar and sugar. interesting idea actually.. I can make a very simple tomato based curry sauce with tinned chopped tomatoes, chopped up bell pepper, and spices.

 

The spices you listed are very good basic spices, but you should try getting some variety to add to your cooking. that's how you can become a good cook. branch out and experiment.

 

something I remembered.

I did make a curry that was very different. pineapple. I used to get a dansak curry from the local indian. I pretty much think the thing that made the flavour was the pineapple so I bought one and made a curry with it and I was right. it was very nice and a different flavour. based on that observation, I think perhaps fruit can be a good thing to add a distinctive basic flavour to a curry.

[*guyverfan]

try some coconut milk

[*Jess♥]

ah, that would result in a korma type curry wouldn't it? good idea!

[*Jess♥]

I bought some cabbage and some cauliflower.

 

today for breakfast, I fried cauliflower with peas and broke two eggs over it. I don't think hte eggs really go with it, but teh cauliflower was very nice. a good method of preparation!

 

I also sliced quarter of teh cabbage finely and after throwing some paprika in there, I poured in some oil and vinegar. it was kinda bland so I put in some salt.

not sure If I did it right, it's not really very exciting. what sort of measures should i be using?

[durendal]

Cabbage.  For Salad?  Have you tried mixing mayonaise, ketchup and small doses of sugar?  I think that's what other people would call Thousand Island Dressing.  That might help bring out the Paprika flavor.  I don't think you would get the full flavor of Paprika if you only mix it with oil and vinegar. It's supposed to be a spice and not meant to be used as the sole flavor of the food.

[*guyverfan]

well, i've only ever used sweet paprika, so wether that gives a different taste than the other types of paprika, i don't know?

and its not really meant to have an explosive taste, it's just throwing something together in 2mins and to make eating cabbage slightly more doeable.

i even roast potatoes with a sprinkle of sweet paprika and pepper.

 

but, everyone's tastes are different, judgeing by some of your posts yuki, you seem to like the full textured,flavoured, spicey foods and curries, towards the indian and thai cuisines.

where as i am the opposite, i really can't handle spicey food, and i'll never eat curries. the most curry i'll ever have is maybe when mix alittle when boiling rice, but it wouldn't even be enough to turn the rice yellow!

 

as for century eggs, i think i'd be running for the bathroom as soon as it touches my lips

 

 

[*Jess♥]

I do like thai now and then. but I also love Japanese food so I can certainly appreciate subtlety.

 

I was just wondering what sort of measurements I might use to get the same result. like would we be talking about a tablespoon of oil and tablespoon of vinegar? or more?

 

I won't use ketchup since it is very difficult to make it myself. I don't really trust the bottled stuff.

It's too common/popular and therefore more likely to be filled with preservatives and chemicals etc.

[*guyverfan]

ahh, well, i've never measured anything out! i generally just throw it together until it either looks, smells or tastes good!

i definitly use alot more than just a tablespoon of oil and vinegar.

i have acouple of small bottles that i've drilled a whole in the lids and i transfer the oil and vinegar into. so when i say a swirl of oil over the top, its a swirl from the bottle, so it could be as much as 3or4 tablespoons i guess.

a good,pure olive oil(extra virgin) is much better than other blended olive oils.

i normally just shake the vinegar bottle over the top but don't put awhole lot in 'cause i don't like an overpowering taste or smell of vinegar, so perhaps 1or2 tablespoons.

i have sweet paprika in an old salt shaker and sprinkle from that so it'll be alot more than acouple of pinches. generally until the top has a uniform covering and once its all tossed well the cabbage should have a nice coating of everything.

 

so i guess in sequence it would be

1 cabbage

2 sweet paprika

3 oil

4 vinegar

a smell test tells me how much vinegar to put in and a taste test tells me how much is enough, if that makes sense.

and typing all this out was actually harder for me than making it! i might have to throw up some photos next time(no pun intended)

 

 

 

[*Jess♥]

heh heh...

I think what the main problem is... I used sunflower oil. not anywhere near olive oil really is it?

I should buy some olive oil, haven't had any for a while.

 

also, used malt vinegar which maybe isn't the best to use.

[*Biggabertha]

First thing's first:

 

Yuki: "I can't be bothered to cook my own tea"

 

Wow, what a nice topic!

 

SO nice to see the development (from no cooking repertoire to more challenging dishes!) and enthusiasm here!

If there are any more miso soup tips/methods, I would REALLY like to know them! I've been pretty happy with the sachet ones bought from TESCO but they're so expensive and chock full of preservatives (and salt).

 

I think that curries can be improved greatly by making a large batch of stock and then keeping it cool with a film of vegetable oil covering it. My dad used to make some great curry stock before he started forgetting what he put into it. Off of the top of my head there was:

 

Flour

Madras Powder (I think that that's just normal curry powder)

Vegetable oil

Garlic

Ginger

White Ginger powder

Sharlots

Leeks

Onions

Bayleaf (like the pokémon!)

Coriander

Cinnamon

Five Spice

Citrus peel (lemon, lime and orange)

Banana peel

 

It was a really big pot and always an effort to carry from the cooker to under the table - always taking at least two people to do so! (We've even kept the stick that's stirred the same pot for over thirty years!)

 

I really like a mix of ginger and spring onion dressing with my white meat. It's one of the very few bits of flavouring that I have with my food. It can be a little too oily for me but I really like it when it's done just right (still can't do it as good as my parents...)

A very nice dressing I tasted when I was at my friend's place was a mix of Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil - went very well with anything to do with bread.

 

 

Thousand year old eggs are so not for me! Neither are salted duck eggs or congee! I used to have to add a dollop of Bovril just to be able to eat my congee when I was young and it kinda defeats the purpose of it, I feel, if I'm having almost equal parts congee and Bovril, lol

 

 

Errr... onto what I eat...

I looooooove the idea of a full English Breakfast! Before my local greasy spoons closed down while I was at University, I was always tempted to get their gut buster!

Nowadays, I settle with having Jordan's Crunchy Oats and Crispy Nuts instead. If I'm gonna cook, it'll be some kind of omelette and ham sandwich for something warm or if I have the time, I'll steam then stir-fry vegetables with either quorn mince or leftover meat and leftover rice (for an impromptu fried rice).

 

After getting bollocked to no end about adding Bovril to my congee, I've grown so used to having bland food that I just never add any sauce, condiments, salt, pepper, spice or even soy sauce/ketchup to any of my food - but I do buy expensive ingredients... (Debbie & Andrews Harrogate Sausages, roasted ham joint from a local butcher, local eggs (that SAY they're Free Range but who knows, right..?), (corn fed) whole chicken etc.)

 

Having McDonald's and KFC over twenty miles away helps to keep my fast food intake down but when I do eat there, I binge pretty badly (I always order fries with no salt so you get fresh fries! I know I'm being a dick, I'm sorry but cold chips SUCK!)

[*Jess♥]

That curry recipe looks really interesting! It has Chinese base in it so I take it you like Chinese curry?

I have never tried Chinese style or other East Asian style, only Japanese kareraisu.

 

I do like some thai so I might try that some day.

 

Ha ha, that is so funny hearing about your bovril in your food! I actually haven't had bovril for such a long time.

I do tend to prefer putting some vegetable stock in my rice instead of plain water though.

 

some tips for miso soup?

I gave the main one, I'm not sure if there is another way to make it.

I mean.... if you want some substitutions.. you could use regular spring onions instead of welsh onions. (funny that welsh onions are hard to find in wales! ) You could use vegetable or chicken stock instead of dashi stock. I don't think there is any alternative for wakame.

[*Biggabertha]

Yeah... That's the trouble with Miso...

Getting the ingredients is a pain but maybe they'll turn out like Balsamic Vinegar and boom in demand so production of them gets acceperated..? Ahhh.... I doubt it but still...!

Yeah, it's surprising what a difference stocks make when cooking - freezing broth or soups tend to be often forgotten...

Bovril was the bomb back in the day! Man.. Maybe I should get a jar of Bovril sometime...

(Reminds me of days when a pack of Polos were 12p!)

Yeah, it's a chinese based curry but I wasn't a fan until my sister persuaded me to keep eating it and when I finally DID start liking it, she got pregnant and went off of it, blah! Eating alone sucks!

[*Jess♥]

wow! I made something that tastes GORGEOUS!!

 

here is how it goes.

 

put frying pan on medium heat with a light coat of oil, just enough to stop things from sticking. put in diced bacon, about the same amount of what  two chicken breasts would look like.

put in a small sweet potato cut into small pieces, like half inch wide millimetre thick slices. cut up two spring onions. and put them in.

now add about a heaped teaspoon of coriander and about a teaspoon of paprika, 3 tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of sugar.

just fry it for a bit, less than a minute before adding a tin of chopped tomatoes. let that simmer until the sauce is nice and thick.

 

I think this could be called Jess's Creamy Tomato Bacon.

[durendal]

Ugh.  Bacon and butter.  Although I'm sure that tastes very well, I don't think I have the heart to eat that.  I'm a stranger to the fascination of Americans have towards bacon.  I guess I never really liked bacon that much.  It's just too oily for me. 

 

I have always been partial to dimsums.  And to this day, I still pride myself having the best chives dumpling in town.  I'd make a business out of it if I had the spare time.

[*Jess♥]

bacon is oily if you cook it in oil and if you eat it on its own. If you cook it in very little oil and let the fat melt, it is basically just cured pork.

In the dish I made, the fat of the bacon would dissipate amongst the vegetables and the tomato based sauce.

[*Biggabertha]

It also depends on what kind of bacon you use!

 

For some, the rindless bacons are some of the better bacons out there while others may prefer streaky bacon and so on!

 

Personally, I've discovered the delights of cooking with real butter (such as steaks!) for about a year now and I can feel it on my waistline/veins! After going twenty or more years without using butter regularly to suddenly introducing it into my diet, my body must be going nuts!

 

 

Yuki, would you serve that as is or would you eat it with boiled rice, more (sweet) potato or so  on..?

[*Jess♥]

No, I don't like diluting good meals with starchy staples.

If I ever have rice with a meal, I would eat it plain and then get stuck in to the good stuff. that is my personal preference though of course. you could add rice to it, I think it might go nicely.

did you say butter was good on your body or bad on your body? I think it is most healthy to eat a wide variety of things in moderation.

[*Biggabertha]

Yes, keyword: moderation! The trouble about having something that tastes good is that one is tempted to overindulge from time to time!

"Yes! I got a job! Time to celebrate!"

"Yes! I got the platinum trophy! Time to celebrate!"

"Yes! I got on the leaderboards! Time to celebrate!"

 

... and so on...

 

But yeah, I'm lactose intolerant so even the milk in my tea doesn't do me any favours but it's tea so I DON'T CARE, MUSCLE THROUGH IT, NO BEING A WUSS

 

 

Ahhh... I always imagine having my meals rather like a bento - with each food group in their own pile/part on the plate or bowl and then going from there, lol

I'm very much a visual feaster!