markemorse

Check. I too have developed into a vast (well not that vast) storehouse of nutritional info as a result of our health-related diet changes over the years. And yes, this in itself will not lose you any weight. Even subduing the Lizard Brain on a daily basis isn't quite enough for me. In fact, as I get older, it's becoming clear that, for me, there is one critical (and difficult) element without which there will be very little lasting weight loss, and it is...building muscle. There, I said it. Now I'm going to go try and live it...my first gym visit of 2008 is hopefully in my very near future, if I can just leave my cozy apartment and get outside. Oh, and keeping yourself hydrated. Do that too. Thanks again for talking about all this stuff as openly as I know the three of you will... +++

I found the Chuao bar to be underwhelming(not to mention considerably more expensive than comparably-sized Valrhona or Scharffen Berger bars, and forget about something like Green & Black's or Droste), or at least extremely, mm...timid? Kind of waxy/plastic-y and unyielding in texture, and the flavor went nowhere in my mouth...like a dud firecracker. There you have it: my first chocolate tasting notes....

Stupendous idea for a blog...as a fellow weight-loser (and -gainer, and -loser, etc.), I'm always looking to see what works for other food-focused peeps... Blog on! mem

And this sounds amazing. Ever put a tsp of mustard in there?

Thanks, that was everything I wanted to say, but without the long-windedness I was getting tangled up in....

I've melted it and used it as part of a dressing for a sweet and sour chickpea salad, that worked out great...

Can't say I agree about this...in fact, I find that the dried stuff seems more likely to "add" a not-so-pleasant flavor, whereas the fresh version seems more likely to get down with the ginger for some rhizome synergy action...does your fresh turmeric smell good after you've peeled it? And...it also sounds like your rendang might've needed some more time on the heat....mine was yellow for hours, until it turned brown.

Just bought Yan-Kit So's Classic Food Of China (mentioned upthread) secondhand...at least a third of the book is historical/contextual/research essays and stories. The recipes look completely reasonable in terms of authenticity and my ability to cook them...i'll report back after i try some.

Not completely related to CoF, but....next time you might try to find some halal lamb and see if it makes any difference in the gameyness department...I never have any problems with strong lamb, but my mother-in-law has been averse for awhile. However, she tasted a halal leg of lamb over the holidays and said the difference was remarkable....she even liked it a little.

How long did you cook the beef for, and what cut of meat was it?

Stuff them with high-quality canned tuna in olive oil, or gor/mas (gorgonzola-mascarpone)....

Wow, this is exactly the kind of restaurant i've been looking for this week in Amsterdam....their menu looks really interesting. i assume they're dinner only? And has anyone been to Bis in Utrecht? Got in-laws in town and need to find an Utrecht lunch spot with a low-key vibe and something a little beyond the typical lunch sandwich options.... mem

Sorry, been trying to think of a suitably deft quip-slash-kudo for far too long here with no luck...NyQuil seems to have flooded the engine, but it was nice to read this in the driveway nonetheless...highly entertaining.

Wow, made Stir-fried Shrimp Sambal tonight: Amazingly good, especially considering the degree of difficulty (low). Totally a keeper.

The sun is setting at 4:30pm here in Amsterdam these days and it's hard to believe that y'all aren't that far away...thanks to all for the evocative documentation of some laid-back gourmandia...purty stuff. +++

use it in a Nyonya-style curry with coconut milk, tomatoes and shrimp....like here.

Yeah. Guess I should've found a way to clear my schedule for last night, huh...if for no other reason than to land another vote on the side of the tripe eaters. And exactly why is there no emoticon for envy here?

A couple wks ago I considered cooking the Hot and Sour Fish Stew myself, because the recipe sounded like it would taste good, but I don't like canned bamboo shoots. I thought about cooking the stew with eggplant, which I like, but then I couldn't decide whether you throw in the raw eggplant, or saute it first before adding it to the stew. What do you think? Would this stew taste good with eggplant? Anyway, I guess you took one for the team on this recipe. ← No problem taking one for the team...it was really a snap to make... Yes I would definitely try it with eggplant instead. I like the suggestion in the intro to use the tiny marble-sized eggplants, don't know if you can get those or not. If you could, I'd just throw them in there raw when the fish goes in. For larger eggplants, I'd probably follow something like the directions for the eggplant dish made earlier upthread...you know? mem

I know you said not to talk about it, but...the chocolate bread pudding looks mighty fine to me....I just can't believe there's much wrong with anything that looks so right.

I made the Fragrant Fish Stew with Lime and Basil yesterday (for the second time), and ran into a similar problem. Sometimes complex mixtures need more salt to bring out the flavors and balance them. Once you've added as much salt as you think the dish needs, and it still doesn't taste quite right, you can add a little sugar or butter to round off and harmonize flavors. Yesterday I added about twice as much salt as the recipe required, and then a few pinches of sugar. Then the stew tasted good. If you have visions of adding too much salt to the pot and ruining the dish, you can put a small portion in a bowl, salt that portion as much as you want (even oversalt it) until you find the taste you like best. Then you can salt the remainder in the pot and bring it to that point. That Hot & Sour Fish Stew looks beautiful, despite your problems with it. So did the Shrimp Satay. Thanks for the photos. ← Hey djyee100, thanks for the suggestions.... I am a pretty careful salter, in that I'm careful not to undersalt....and in this case i'm pretty sure that was not the problem. Pretty sure the bamboo shoots played some role in the incomplete flavor picture here...there were a lot of them in the dish, and they weren't that pleasant-tasting out of the can. i do like your idea of salting a tiny portion to taste test, though....will definitely try that from now on.

Marius and Greetje spring to mind, you should probably check out this thread if you haven't already.

let's see, if I leave now, i can be there by dinnertime or so..... go Chufi, go Abra, go bleudauvergne (continue chant ad infinitum)!

Tried another one today, Hot & Sour Fish Stew w/Bamboo Shoots, using cod. May have to try this one again...it really needed quite a bit more roundness somewhere, it tasted very thin and high-frequency, kind of unfinished-seeming. The problem could be my bamboo shoots, it was a brand I've never used before, which I bought because the photo on the can looked like the skinny young shoots, but it turns out they were just thinly sliced. And if they're supposed to be sweetening the pot a little, it wasn't happening. There some suggestions in the intro for variations: more candlenuts, which i would try; tiny eggplants, which i would also try, and fresh marijuana stems, which i will try on a day when i don't have anything important planned. Right now I'm going to add a little coconut milk to this so i can get someone else in the house to eat some....maybe some more basil as well. +++ ETA: half a can of coconut milk improved things dramatically. +++

In retrospect, salt was the biggest problem with our meal as well (not only too much but too little as well)....things looked beautiful but didn't always taste like someone had tasted them before i did, you know what i mean....

Ditto that. I heard the word "trichinosis" every time I ate a pork chop as a child. ← I think it was my mom's voice you were hearing. She just said it again about two weeks ago when I was making pork chops...did you hear her then? I had to cook them for 35 minutes.