C. sapidus

Apparently I missed this thread, so just chiming in to say that you have a lovely kitchen @FauxPas

Improvised chile verde with leftover carnitas, leftover salsa verde, and roasted chile Poblano. Jazzed up with bird chiles, garlic, cilantro, Mexican oregano, fish sauce, and grated Parmesan cheese. Sliced radish for crunch. Tasted good and made room in the refrigerator - double win.

Lunch concoction with bay scallops, green beans, roasted chile Poblano, and leftover carnitas. Seasoned with pickled jalapenos and carrots, garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, and crumbled feta. I made last night's carnitas mild for house guests, so I really wanted something a bit more pickled jalapeno-forward.

Yesterday: Grilled five-spice chicken with grilled zucchini salad Today: Carnitas tacos! With guacamole (uh, would have looked better if I removed the plastic wrap), sliced radish, minced white onion, house guest's salsa verde, corn tortillas, and fried (burned, sadly) plantains. Cubed pork butt was simmered with white onion, garlic, pickled jalapenos, and Mexican oregano, sauce reduced, and then baked at 450°F with orange peel, orange juice, Coca-Cola, and black pepper.

I have exactly zero paid food biz experience, but I did get to help in the "kitchen" at a wedding I attended. I say "kitchen" because the food was cooked on a grill in the alley. Southeast Asian, maybe Burmese, and quite delicious. I started out walking around with trays of sate and whatnot, and ended up prepping some sort of wrapped rolls. The funniest part was the reaction of the guests. There were some very high rollers at this wedding - people everyone here has heard of - and they were very confused about a guest helping out with the food. 😆

Bay scallops, Merguez sausage, green beans, and baby butternut squash, each separately seared and removed. Deglazed the pan, sauteed onion, garlic, and bird chiles, then finished with roasted Poblano chile, black pepper, fish sauce, Mexican oregano, thyme, garam masala, a splash of half-and-half, and crumbled feta. Lovely, spicy, complex mix of textures and flavors.

Credit to @Tropicalsenior for the shriveled gonads 😆 Those all sound good to me!

I like LGBoD / shriveled gonads of ancient hedgehogs. Creamy braised LGBoD / SGoAH from 'All About Braising' is our holiday go-to.

Chicken in cilantro, spinach, and mustard sauce: Saute bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and whole cloves. Brown chicken drumsticks in the flavored oil, and then simmer with yogurt, black pepper, and cayenne. Finish with a blended sauce of ginger, green chiles, cilantro, spinach, and stone-ground mustard. Cucumber raita: Thinly-sliced cucumber, yogurt, sliced shallots, minced green chiles, shredded mint leaves, and cilantro. Garnished with cumin and smoked paprika (should be cayenne but dinner guests were chile-averse). Basadi dal: Simmer red lentils in water until tender. Fry sliced onion in ghee then add panch phoran (equal parts freshly-ground cumin, black cumin, aniseed, coriander, and fenugreek), turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cumin, and crushed tomato. My favorite dal of all time.

House guest cooked dinner the other night - this was leftovers for breakfast. Pork loin on a bed of onions and home-grown sorrel, and a delicious cranberry chutney with apple and pineapple. The actual dinner also included bulgur wheat, plus roasted chickpeas and chopped walnuts for crunch.

Grilled beef salad (yam neua): Marinated strip steaks with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, and then grilled over charcoal. Rested, sliced against the grain, and served with Boston lettuce, sliced cucumber, sliced shallots, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and crushed dry-roasted peanuts. Dressing was cilantro, serrano chile, garlic, lemon juice, palm sugar, white pepper, and fish sauce, whizzed up in the blender. No pictures of the final product and no leftovers.

I cook green beans similarly, except tossed with fermented black beans and garlic, maybe with a splash of rice vinegar and chicken stock, and finished with sesame oil. Riff on a Fuchsia Dunlop recipe for bell peppers.

Roasted chile Poblano, seared bay scallops, Merguez sausage, white onion, red bell pepper, garlic, and chile Serrano, sauteed and deglazed with chicken stock. Finished with ancho chile powder, Mexican oregano, thyme, and a splash of half-and-half. So now the pantry is officially empty. Time to get groceries.

Welcome! Also interested in Bengali food, and your personal twists on it.

Chorizo and butternut squash fried rice with onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, red curry paste, cumin seed, fish sauce, and an egg.