KennethT

@Duvel I have very little biology knowledge (aka squishy stuff) so I was wondering - is it even possible for mold to grow on a piece of dried kombu? I always thought that mold needed a certain amount of water to grow, but the dried kombu I have is like thin slices of wood and really brittle which makes me think that the water activity is very low.

Also, I've never done anything with the marrow - I just squeeze the bone as a test to see if I've extracted as much as I can. I don't add marrow to the stock as it makes it cloudy. But also, there isn't enough in there to try to actively remove to eat and would probably require a dentist's pick to do so.

@rotuts I don't use the Ipot, but a regular Kuhn-Rikon pressure stockpot. After an hour at full pressure, the bones are soft but still brittle. You can squeeze the bone between thumb and forefinger and the bone will splinter and break.

What's the reddish-orange drizzle over the rice with the tuna?

As if we needed another reason to make food from scratch!!!! https://scitechdaily.com/ultra-processed-foods-add-fat-without-extra-calories-and-disrupt-hormones/

It definitely was delicious - more so than the versions we had in the food court of the mall in Jakarta - so much more complex. I imagine that industrially produced sambal hitam exists (as well as lots of other time consuming favorites) and is slathered on by most people other than me, in my quest to become a SE Asian grandmother....

It constantly amazes me how much time and effort traditionally made Indonesian dishes can be. This past Labor Day weekend, I wanted to experiment in making a dish called sambal hitam - or black chilli sauce - from the small island of Madura which is just off the coast of the large city of Surabaya, in East Java. We had it several times while in Jakarta a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. After watching maybe 10 different recipe videos, it seems that, while none of them are the same, they fall into two groups - those that use kluwek (aka keluak, aka buah keluak, aka black nuts) and those that don't. I was hoping to get to make both versions to compare - spoiler alert, I only had time to make one and that was pushing it! Anyway, you make a spice paste with chillies (I used two different types - the large red chillies I can buy at HMart, and the curly red chillies that I grow using seeds that came back with me), shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves (the first time I've ever seen them blended in the paste), candlenuts and coriander powder. The spice paste is mixed with enough water to submerge the protein of choice - typically either duck or chicken - and simmered until the poultry is tender. The poultry is then removed and the spice laden liquid is then reduced to a thick paste, and then, in another wok, fried in some oil until it is a dark dark dark brown - just about black (hence the name). The poultry is then deep fried for a short while to brown, then drained and the black paste is spread on top. From start to finish, it probably took me about 4 hours!!!!! So, I definitely didn't have time to make both versions..... With some stir fried bok choy

Moisture sensor

I think "teenage dirtbag" was their only hit...

The galangal is pretty slow growing! Compare this to what it was back on 8/22... My cabe rawit plant is doing really well. Cabe rawit is usually translated as Thai chillies, but I think that they're different - much more plump. I have a bunch of chillies on the plant now - none ripe yet... this is an early one:

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of either of those salmon - at least when I used to get them from Wild Alaska... I found them too lean. I LOVE the akaroa king salmon from New Zealand - it's almost buttery and so tender. I actually get it regularly for sashimi at the Wegmans near me. Best salmon sashimi ever. What do you use to make the smoke in your donabe? Have you ever seen coconut husk charcoal available near us?

I am happy to report that I am loving the new CSO-500. I tried reproducing the above fish using the air fryer function and it may have come out even better. And tonight, we tried some frozen spring rolls from HMart in the air fryer and they were so crispy - I never would have believed it if I didn't see it.

What, do they claim, makes this pizza supreme over the others? Are the toppings buried under that thick down comforter of cheese?

That sounds really interesting - I assume the shrimp are cold? Lot of different flavors going on - pickled/bacon/apple... how did you think everything went together?

@liamsaunt Was that burger topped with deep fried avocado?!?

We were there years ago (before they were named "best restaurant in the world") and they were one of the most incredible meals we've ever had in our lives. I wish there was a "drool" button, but also, your opening line cracked me up.... so thanks for that!

Sambal grouper... The grouper was pan fried and then put in the new CSO500 in air fry mode at 350F for 10 minutes. Best. Grouper. Yet.

The galangal I planted weeks ago (I forgot how many) finally sprouted...

Many years ago (long before all the Batali controversy) we used to go to Lupa once in a while, primarily for their house made charcuterie and a pasta or two. They had one of those slicers there... maybe one from Joe Bastianich's collection?

I think it's a manually powered deli slicer.

Padang style grilled chicken. It's first simmered in gulai which is basically the same ingredients as rendang but still soupy. Once the chicken was done, it was removed and I kept the gulai going until it thickened to what is called kalio - which was served on the side as like a dipping sauce. I put the chicken in the air fryer rather than actually grilling. Served with sambal ijo...

It smells and tastes better than it looks!

I've had a super benriner for 20+ years and love it. I used to use it a lot (especially when I used to make a lot of green papaya salad). Easy to clean, and takes up only a little amount of space when not in use.

Central Java style chicken soup (soto ayam).

Wow - I could live in that bathroom!!! On your husband's steak/lobster - what is the cube next to the lobster - is it the potato rosti? What was the center like?