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http://www.goonswithspoons.com/Adai I made Dino.'s adai. Right now I only added ginger chilli and onion to the batter. I'll add more things later, because since I'm cooking for one today I'm not going to go through the batter especially fast. Eating it with a mint chutney and enjoying the poo poo out of it.
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May 14, 2016 21:41
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My Chinese is bad and I accidentally bought whole masoor dal instead of my usual split red lentils. What do I have to do differently to cook this? Longer time I'm assuming but anything else?
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May 15, 2016 06:44
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I cook those all the time and treat both the same, and in my experience it doesn't make much of a difference even in cooking time.
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May 15, 2016 09:35
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Red lentils fall apart incredibly easily, whole or split.
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May 15, 2016 13:29
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Has anyone had any decent results making naan bread at home? I have tried a few recipes/methods but it never really comes close to stuff from a proper tandoor oven.
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May 16, 2016 01:40
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Yeah I have had some pretty good success. I preheated my oven to 550 and cooked them on my pizza steel.
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May 16, 2016 14:52
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Dread Head posted:Has anyone had any decent results making naan bread at home? I have tried a few recipes/methods but it never really comes close to stuff from a proper tandoor oven. My mom does the dough in the bread maker and fries it up one at a time on the stove top. Turns out pretty good, but I have little legit naan experience.
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May 17, 2016 20:49
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Ok time for eggplant talk. I'm a big fan of the (what my googling tells me) is "Arabic-style" babaganouj - salt eggplant, fry or roast the poo poo out of it with tons of oil and turmeric, mash the snot out of it. I'm not sure if that's the right name for this dish in this context, but I'm going with it here. One time I ate at a south Indian restaurant and they had the most amazing version of babaganouj I've ever eaten - it was nearly chocolate brown and it had the most wonderful caramel taste to it. I asked the waiter what made it taste that way and he replied, in broken English, "vinegar." I was kinda puzzled, and I tried a few times, and I never got it to work. Until this week. I was making adai (as I posted earlier) and I decided to make some of this basic baba to go with it. Sliced up my eggplant, salted both sides, drizzed a bit of white wine vinegar on it, and forgot about it. Like I literally forgot about my eggplant. I ate my meal, cleaned up, and came back hours later to look for a drink and went "oops, I forgot to cook my eggplant." So I rinsed it off, smeared some turmeric on it, roasted it until the skins were cooked, and jammed it into a container, promptly forgetting about it for two more days. Today I finished it off on the stovetop, and holy poo poo, it was almost exactly like the stuff I had eaten a year ago. Holy poo poo. Now, which of the variables here could be responsible for my eggplant being so ridiculously delicious: 1) Added vinegar, 2) Let it sit in the salt/vinegar for a ridiculously long time, 3) Twice cooked. Any ideas?
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May 18, 2016 04:35
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I dunno about the vinegar, but I think it's a combination of two and three. Eggplant is hard to caramelize because it has so much water inside it. By letting it sit in the salt and cooking it once, you dried it out considerably, which (I believe) is what allowed it to caramelize on the second cook. The vinegar may have played a part in this as well, I don't actually cook with eggplant much so I don't know if acidic compounds can help break down sugars in it, or assist in drying it out, or whatever.
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May 19, 2016 11:18
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I'm taking a road trip to a larger urban centre tomorrow and I'm going to hit up the specialty shoppes! My shopping list includes curi leaves and keffir lime leaves. What else should I get/try?
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May 26, 2016 16:44
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Tamarind paste, garam masala (or the spices to make it yourself, see also curry powder), jasmine rice, coconut milk, asafetida (hing powder).
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May 26, 2016 17:06
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toplitzin posted:Tamarind paste, garam masala (or the spices to make it yourself, see also curry powder), jasmine rice, coconut milk, asafetida (hing powder). I have all of those things except the tamarind paste already. I may get some tamarind paste, then.
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May 26, 2016 17:27
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Would you like a vindaloo recipe? Of course you would! This is a recipe I've cooked a couple of times and it's a Goan version of vindaloo which is itself based on the Portuguese vinha d'alhos (meat with wine and garlic). It is quite spicy so have a raita with it. This makes a big batch enough for 6-8 servings. I usually make a full batch of the paste but only cook 1/2 of it with 1 kg of meat and save the other half in the fridge for another time. Lamb Vindaloo 2kg lamb leg meat cut into 4cm cubes (or you can use chuck steak or pork shoulder or leg) vegetable oil 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped Vindaloo Paste 1 tsp mustard powder 2 tbsp chilli powder 2 tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp black pepper 1 cup white vinegar 2 cups dry white wine 1/4 cup caster sugar 12 cloves garlic 2 tbsp grated ginger 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped Combine the paste ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Pour the paste over the meat in a non reactive bowl and marinate for at least 3 hrs. Heat about 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot over high heat until very hot. Remove the lamb from the marinade leaving behind as much of the reserved marinade and juices as possible. Fry the lamb in batches until well browned, adding extra oil as necessary, and set aside. Fry the onions in a little more oil until golden brown and return the browned lamb to the pot. Add the reserved marinade plus 1/2 cup of water, reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour or until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened. If it starts to go dry add a little water or cover it. Serve with rice and/or bread and a cucumber raita and maybe a simple tomato salad. Cucumber Raita 2 Lebanese cucumbers, unpeeled 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups Greek style plain yoghurt (I use Chobani) A handful mint leaves, finely shredded 1/4 tsp ground cumin Remove the ends of the cucumbers, split them in half and scrape out the seeds. Grate the cucumbers in a bowl and scatter with the salt. Put them into a fine sieve and let them drain for 10 mins. Then gently squeeze out any excess liquid. Mix the cucumber with the yoghurt, mint and cumin and serve.
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Jun 11, 2016 03:08
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I love curry because its my go-to "i don't feel much like cooking but i do feel like eating a rounded meal like an adult" meal, but there IS such a thing as too hot as it turns out. It's too hot when your hard palate swells up because of a reaction to the chilis you didn't realize you had until just now 
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Jun 11, 2016 17:52
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Yesterday I tried my hand at making samosas and it turned out to be incredibly easy, at least if you're not picky about getting the shape exactly right. I strongly recommend it. They're just as good as any I've ever had in a restaurant. The only thing that didn't go to plan is that due to a slight miscalculation I made approximately 50 of them. It's just as well they turned out good cause that's lunch for the week sorted.
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Jun 13, 2016 09:38
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Helith posted:Would you like a vindaloo recipe? Of course you would! Hey, guess what? You are my new favorite person 
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Jun 14, 2016 14:46
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Re: samosa shape There's this book I read that suggests making them in a cylinder shape. Easier to make and way easier to eat. Also they fry up much more easily.
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Jun 24, 2016 17:29
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I finally tried out the Tandoori Chicken recipe from the Classic Indian Cooking book that you guys recommended in Dino's North Indian thread. I adopted it to kababs by just cubing the meat:   Served it up with some saffron basmati and then went impure with some pitas and fired vegetables because that's what I had. Delicious! This was the first time I used a meat tenderizer that had Bromelain in it--now this is all from the book that claims tradition is to use green papayas to tenderize, then suggests a commercial tenderizer that purports to use papain. As you can see there isn't any papain in it! So my question is, what do you guys use? I got some generic brand that has the same ingredients as the link from the Indus foods store but it was either that or MSG. Finally, now that I feel good about the Tandoori chicken, how can I go about making this sauce? One of my favorite Indian restaurants calls the dish "Chicken Tikka Masala", which when translating isn't that helpful.  Is this Velvet Butter Chicken? The next recipe in the book is that so I might just give it a whirl. I would basically like to make the tandoori chicken again but when it suits me also have a side of this gravy/sauce to put the chicken in and eat. It tastes kind of tomatoey and I think has some garam masala in it. This forum is awesome for Indian cooking and I really enjoy reading all of the discussion here and trying new things 
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Jul 11, 2016 01:41
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I've make a Chicken Tikka Masala with finely chopped onions (browned first), a plain yogurt base for the spices, and then pureed tomatoes and some heavy cream to finish the sauce. It comes out pretty similar to the restaurant stuff.
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Jul 11, 2016 02:40
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The thing with Tikka Masala is that it's not as such an Indian dish, but rather something Indians in the UK came up with. Basically tandoori chicken in what I'd very respectfully call "the generic British-Indian curry sauce." My approach to that is to brown some chopped onions, add some chopped garlic, stir in the freshly ground spices for a minute (cumin, coriander seeds, turmeric, chili; sometimes fenugreek seeds and/or cloves, sometimes not, I eyeball it), add tomatoes and let them cook down a bit, then finish with cream, or greek yogurt, or sometimes coconut milk. Honestly, I don't think there's any shame in using a paste from a jar, Patak's or something, where this dish is concerned.
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Jul 11, 2016 08:45
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Yes, Tikka Masala doesn't really have a set recipe. Like most dishes, it varies up and down the country ('the country' being Britain in this case) but it's subject to even more change because it didn't have any authentic ingredients to begin with. I tried my hand at samosas and they were...edible. I cheated and made them with pastry because it's the spices I struggle with. Not having grown up in a household where pulses, rice or spicey foods were eaten, I'm bumbling around trying to put tastes to the names.
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Jul 11, 2016 09:57
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I just use this recipe, with no sugar and half the cream http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/chicken-tikka-masala-by-pastor-ryan/ It's pretty dang tasty, although I've been told that there's a number of modifications I should make to make it better.
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Jul 11, 2016 14:14
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Is there any guide to what spices tend to go well together when you're making your own masala?
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Jul 11, 2016 14:24
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So I found a meetup on meetup dot com where a lovely woman will teach Indian cooking classes in a test/school kitchen. I've signed up for the next one in the bay area, and am looking forward to learning from someone that knows whats up from their own Indian mother.
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Jul 11, 2016 17:43
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Ranter posted:So I found a meetup on meetup dot com where a lovely woman will teach Indian cooking classes in a test/school kitchen. I've signed up for the next one in the bay area, and am looking forward to learning from someone that knows whats up from their own Indian mother. Definitely report back on how it goes!
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Jul 11, 2016 17:45
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She says the next one is planned for late August but will be sending confirmation in a week or two, so for any other bay area goons http://www.meetup.com/San-Mateo-Spices-n-curry-Indian-cooking-foodie-Meetup/
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Jul 11, 2016 17:49
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Hed posted:One of my favorite Indian restaurants calls the dish "Chicken Tikka Masala", which when translating isn't that helpful. Many places have both butter chicken (murgh makhni) and chicken tikka masala on the menu What's the difference? gently caress if I know. I usually prefer butter chicken but they are usually similar. Tomato and cream sauce with spices and chunks of chicken.
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Jul 13, 2016 16:44
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The curry I make is probably awful, but I like it, it's easy, and at least it's better than the recipe I started with. If you want to put potatoes in a curry, how do you prepare them before you toss them in? Do I need to boil them first, or can I just simmer them in the tomatoes as I do that for ~30 minutes? Would sweet potatoes go well in a red curry, or should I stick with normal potatoes?
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Jul 13, 2016 20:06
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Just chuck 'em in raw, and 30 minutes is a bit much if anything. I usually cut them in roughly 1 inch cubes and they take 10-15 minutes to cook. Red curry as in Thai? Sweet potatoes are fantastic in that. Or in Indian curry, for that matter.
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Jul 13, 2016 21:18
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It kind of depends on what you're making. If you make something like this you'll want to boil them first, because that sauce doesn't need to simmer for half an hour. If you're making a dry curry without tons of gravy you're probably better off making the tarka, stir the raw potatoes around in it, add some water, put the lid on and steam them until they're done so they'll absorb more spices. What's your Probably Awful Curry?
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Jul 13, 2016 21:31
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Off the top of my head, onion, bell pepper, chicken breast, salt, cayenne, garlic (I use powder because I usually do it after work and want to get it over with), curry powder, tomatoes, full fat coconut milk. I want to add more veggies to bulk it out some more. The cookbook didn't have red pepper or vegetables and barely any curry powder. It also had lamb meatballs rather than chicken chunks, but I'm not rich like the author, who put a dish costing about$20 in a book where the title included frugal. It was about the most white person curry you could make without using ketchup, sugar, or ranch. No spice at all and there was still more than a pint of sauce left over after all the chicken was gone. This is my busy, tired, but need to cook and I might as well cook for the next few days recipe. This batch has lasted maybe three dinners for 2 and two lunches for one, and could probably give me another dinner at least.
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Jul 13, 2016 22:30
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One thing that'll improve your Indian curries is to stop using curry powder. Instead, use whole spices and powdered spices to make the flavor profile you're looking for. That also lowers the cost quite a bit - and whole spices last nearly forever without losing flavor, unlike powder. Besides, "curry powder" is basically turmeric, cumin, coriander, and mustard seed. Mainly turmeric and cumin. Nobody has time to make Thai curry paste from scratch, and many people can't get the necessary ingredients, so feel free to use a paste. Japanese curry is a pretty simple flavor profile - basically make a cardamom- and fennel-heavy Indian masala and you've got it. Grated apples++
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Jul 13, 2016 22:33
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How long does crushing spices take? TBH I don't even own a mortar and pestle. Would a Thai paste suit that recipe? And is the paste cheap?
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Jul 13, 2016 22:46
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22 Eargesplitten posted:How long does crushing spices take? TBH I don't even own a mortar and pestle. Other folks probably have better experience than me. The only spice I've ever had trouble grinding in a mortar and pestle is cinnamon. We couldn't find it for whatever reason one time and I ended up using a bowl and a spoon. Some people have a grind setting on their food processor, and other people buy dedicated coffee grinders just to use on spices. It comes in handy, say, if you want to powderize some roasted dry peppers. But with just a mortar and pestle and simple spices it doesn't take very long at all.
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Jul 13, 2016 22:55
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Cuisinart makes a grinder specifically for spices, but I just use whatever coffee grinder is cheap whenever the last one breaks. Pulse, don't whizz. I also use a mortar and pestle sometimes. For smaller amounts it's easier with a mortar, but large quantities take forever if you don't enlist the aid of electricity. I don't ever buy powdered spices, though (including turmeric, which I buy fresh and dry at home) so I probably get more use from my spice grinder than most people.
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Jul 13, 2016 22:59
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Someone critique this chicken tikka masala recipe for me. I combined this recipe with this recipe based on some recommendations I had regarding the first recipe. Pardon the formatting, the instructions are basically copied wholesale and Jamie Oliver's recipes come off a little ponce-y to me. 3-4 Chicken Breasts. 1/2c Plain Yogurt 2 tbsp Butter 28 oz. can diced tomatoes 2 Large Onion 4 Cloves of Garlic fresh Ginger (1 x 2-inch chunk) Cumin 1-2 Chili Peppers olive oil 1 level tablespoon ground coriander 2 level teaspoons turmeric 3 level tablespoon garam masala 1c chicken stock 1. We’ll get started by seasoning our chicken breasts with some salt, Cumin and Coriander 2. coat the seasoned chicken breasts with some plain yogurt. 4. Once the chicken breasts are coated with the yogurt thoroughly, transfer them to our baking sheet. I really like to use a foil-lined baking sheet with a metal cooling rack over it. This makes for less surface contact on the chicken and helps it to cook more evenly. 5. Slide the chicken in under the broiler for 5-7 minutes and then flip the chicken over and broil for another 5-7 minutes. The chicken should be about 10-12 inches from the broiler. 6. Chicken should come out looking a little burnt For the sauce, 1. peel the onions and garlic, then finely slice with the red chillies. grate or finely dice the ginger 2. Put it all into a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with a lug of oil and 2tbsp butter and cook for around 20 minutes, or until golden, stirring regularly. Add water when necessary to prevent burning. 3. Add the ground coriander, turmeric and remaining 1 heaped teaspoon each of paprika and garam masala. 4. Cook for 2 minutes 5. Pour in the tomatoes and chicken stock 6. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season to perfection. 7. Chop the chicken into bite-sized chunks and add to sauce 8. Serve with naan bread over rice I made it tonight and it was very tasty, although it would probably have benefitted from a can of crushed tomatoes for some extra sauce.
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Jul 14, 2016 02:22
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22 Eargesplitten posted:Would a Thai paste suit that recipe? And is the paste cheap? I'm not sure it suits your recipe as is, but on the other hand, Thai curry can be made quite quickly and with little effort in bulk. At the most basic level, it's just curry paste fried in oil (protip: use the solid fat from a can of coconut milk that's been standing for a while), with coconut milk added to make a sauce, and whatever ingredients you like cooked in the sauce. As an easy "lunch for the next three days" meal that's perfectly sufficient, and you can change it up by using different colored curry pastes. Also, you might want to look into lentil dishes. Those little guys are incredibly cheap and bulk up a meal like you wouldn't believe.
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Jul 14, 2016 07:11
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That Thai curry description sounds delicious, and I like curry from Thai restaurants. It sounds like it's cheaper than the powder as well. I'll go look for some cock at the Asian Market.
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Jul 14, 2016 09:39
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22 Eargesplitten posted:This is my busy, tired, but need to cook and I might as well cook for the next few days recipe. Illinois Smith fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Jul 14, 2016 |
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Jul 14, 2016 11:35
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Homemade spice mixes keep pretty well for a few months too if you have airtight containers. I usually make a few at the same time with different spices and keep them around. It also facilitates doing other things with it like sprinkling on fried eggs or roasted potatoes or yogurt or directly into the mouth.
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Jul 16, 2016 16:58
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