KennethT
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Posts posted by KennethT
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I think I'll try @heidih idea to use the broiler since it doesn't require me to purchase anything. I don't know why I didn't think of it before!
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For dinner tonight, my wife and I ordered in delivery from one of my favorite restaurants in NYC lately, Fish Cheeks - a Thai seafood restaurant (no photos - it was devoured before I even considered taking pics). They change out about half their menu periodically, and the last two times we had a fantastic dish - a filet of branzino, coated in a house made red curry paste, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled. This method of cooking is very common in Thailand (and all over SE Asia).
We will soon be moving into a new apartment with no gas service - so all my cooking will be electric from then on (or maybe a portable butane burner) which will take some getting used to, but I am looking forward to getting my induction burners. But, how do you think I could replicate the grill for this type of banana leaf thing? Many years ago after watching some Rick Bayless, I made a cochinita pibil in my Cameron's stovetop smoker - the pork shoulder was wrapped in a banana leaf and I cooked it with a combo of oak/mesquite chips in teh smoker for maybe 30-40 minutes, then bagged the whole thing and cooked it sous vide until tender. It worked really well - the smokiness came through as did a bit of the charred banana leaf flavor. But it's not like grilling - it's more like baking with smoke.
I've been considering getting one of those Philips infrared grills, but I hesitate because it seems like the non-stick coating on the grates comes off over time and that makes me uneasy. I have a cast iron grill plate, but that won't give it that smoky flavor.
Any other ideas??? For what it's worth, my kitchen will be outfitted with a LARGE activated charcoal filter/fan combination, but my hood does not vent outside - just recirculates. But there is a vent shaft duct in my kitchen wall as well as in the bathroom (right across the way from the kitchen) with pretty strong suction. So maybe I could rig up a small hibachi and not kill myself with carbon monoxide????
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Assuming it was still good when frozen, then it depends on how well it was wrapped and how cold the freezer is. If it's a non-self defrosting freezer (like most chest freezers) and it was wrapped well and kept really cold (say -10F), it should be just fine. If it was in a self defrosting freezer, maybe not since the temperatures in those types of freezers fluctuate which could create ice crystals. I don't think it would be spoiled, just not as juicy as it should be since it would probably leak a lot of moisture during the defrost.
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3 minutes ago, weinoo said:
Eat 2 and call me in the morning? 🤣
I brown 'em in some butter, salt and pepper, then add liquid (water or stock - I used water + some stock I had), bring to a boil, braise (covered) for a while till nice and tender - then I uncover, put back on the stove and reduce till the liquid is basically gone. This is pretty classic per Olney, Lulu, Julia, et al. Some add a dash of sugar to aid browing.
I used to do this from time to time.... Love 'em that way.
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2 hours ago, weinoo said:
Birthday dinner last night...
First delivery of ready-to-eat food since pandemic began. The place I wanted to order from wouldn't deliver to us...too far. Yes, they are more than 2 miles away. So I took a chance and ordered from a fairly new place we'd never tried, but which had good feedback. They had actually opened 2 weeks before everything shut down here.
We were not disappointed. The chirashi platter (on the left) was for Significant Eater, and I had the sushi sashimi combo. They use partially milled rice, which is new to me for high-end sushi!! Don't worry, they didn't forget the uni - it was just hidden under the green stuff. There were 2 of these, just brimming...
Only disappointment is that I had no idea what some of the fish is.
do you mind me asking which restaurant this is from?
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Yes, it includes overnight shipping from over 1000 miles away. I'd think that shipping is the majority of the cost. If I could get fresh ones locally I wouldn't even think of it, but the quality in the photos looks really good.
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I just joined a new group on Facebook called Fruit 4 Sale or something like that.... it basically connects growers/importers directly to consumers.
Today, a seller popped on to advertise fresh (not frozen) mangosteen imported from Guatemala. Currently selling a 10# box for $130, including overnight shipping from Houston, TX which is about 50-75 fruits (there's 10-15 fruit per kilo).
I was thinking about buying a box as this is my favorite fruit, and I probably won't get to Asia (where they are sold all over in season) for another year. The frozen ones seen normally in NY are probably even more expensive and have been frozen, which completely degrades them.
Does anyone in the NYC area want to go in on a box with me? I'm afraid that I won't be able to enjoy 10# of them before they start to go bad....
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41 minutes ago, Duvel said:
I had never heard of neither the brand nor the product before, but one day the delivery service of our supermarket in Hong Kong dropped off a wrong delivery and our domestic helper went bananas over the two bottles of syrup that it contained. Literally half of the first quart bottle was consumed before I came home. I paid for the two bottles at the store (and am sure the clerk never forwarded the money to the shop) and let our helper keep the bottles. That stuff was so incredibly popular with her and her friends - me and the little one were not as impressed ...
We need a Wow!! button for this. I wonder what your helper would have thought about real maple syrup? It's definitely not as sweet as the AJ stuff (which is mostly corn syrup)....
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1 hour ago, weinoo said:
RE: Next year - it'll have to be a different date, as we plan on being far away at this time next year!
Fingers crossed for this! I was hoping things would be cleared up enough to be able to travel int'l this summer, but from teh looks of things, it doesn't seem like that's in the cards. So many countries still not allowing int'l travel (or have restrictions like a 5-10 day quarantine which is basically the length of our entire trip!)
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@liuzhouI think this is a good entry for the misconceptions about Chinese food thread. Growing up, when one first sat down at the table in a Chinese restaurant in suburban NYC, they would put down the dish of fried noodles discussed elsewhere, along with the "duck sauce" and "Chinese mustard" which is like a tan/yellow mustard with either horseradish powder mixed in or something like that - it was sinus clearing. Many people would use the Chinese mustard to season their dishes...
Even today, in NYC (not in Chinatown) when I get Chinese takeout/delivery, they include a handful of packetized sauces including soy sauce, "duck sauce" and the Chinese mustard.
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47 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
Hmmm.
Technically, shrimp and prawn are two different but related species. Though that distinction tends only to be observed by zoologists and pedants.
Normally, I would call most of them prawns. In the UK, 'shrimp', is usually reserved for the smallest varieties. In fact, 'shrimp' is a common expression used to describe anything or anyone of less than average stature.
I suppose, living abroad for half my life in places where 'shrimp' is preferred, I have reluctantly taken to calling them all 'shrimp', irrespective of their true nature. Saves endless explanations. Although 'prawn' is more common worldwide.
I'm not sure what you mean my crustacians look uncleaned! They are most certainly cleaned.
I never split prawns/shrimp to devein them. It is easy to do so by other methods. I use the toothpick method. That said, many I buy have been starved for some time and have naturaly purged themselves.
Frozen critters are often sold here deveined, but also unsplit - not that I buy them often.Sorry - I didn't mean that they weren't clean - just not split. I've tried the toothpick method but it seemed so slow compared with splitting and washing under running water. Maybe it's just that I need practice.
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15 minutes ago, liuzhou said:
Shrimp with ginger, garlic and spring onion (scallion). Rice.
Looks great. I've been wondering about a few things... sort of in the Language thread vein, I notice you call them shrimp (as do I) yet it seems as though most of the world calls them prawns. Is it common to call them shrimp in Scotland/UK? Also, I've noticed that they typically appear uncleaned - do they have a way of removing the digestive tract without splitting the shrimp, or are the shrimp small enough where there isn't enough vein to worry about?
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Has anyone in the NYC area tried asian-veggies.com? The prices are on the expensive side (compared to what I can get at my local H-Mart) but if I didn't live within walking distance of one with a decent selection, I'd consider them... I'm curious as to the quality/freshness of their produce.
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@DuvelMe too!!!
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7 hours ago, weinoo said:
The "meez" (with apologies to Anthony Bourdain RIP)...
For a Chinese dinner.
Simple stir-fry. Salt, tiny bit of sugar. The rather unpicturesque main...
Mapo tofu.
Looks good. One thing I've been adding to my veggie stir fries is a bit of chicken powder. Takes it from great to "is this from teh restaurant?"
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1 hour ago, Duvel said:
Tonight we move from Catalonia to Germany to a true classic: Hasenpfeffer! I hope that @chromedome will forgive to make this first - I am looking very much forward to your version!
This is again a triangulation between this version (which is in the tradition of the Rhineland) and a more simple „housewife“ version from Thuringia ...
Hasenpfeffer is a robust dish that works well with hare (hence the name), but is equally good with rabbit. The stew is usally thickened with rabbit blood, which poses a difficulty if you buy the rabbit already butchered. See below for a decent workaround.
I chopped up the rabbit yesterday night into 9 pieces, that were marinated overnight with salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, onions, cognac and red wine.
Tonight, some bacon cubes were fried and subsequently the marinated rabbit parts were fried in the bacon fat. The rabbit was removed and onions plus carrot were fried, dusted with flour and fried some more.
In parallel, in a enameled cast iron pan icing sugar was caramelized, some tomato paste was added and fried briefly before being deglazed with the rabbit marinate. More wine was added, together some garlic, juniper berries, peppercorn, bay leaves and all the prefried items from before. In the oven it went, and 45 min later the meat was ready.
The braising liquid was filtered, given onto chopped up Flönz (a soft pure pork blood sausage) and the resulting sauce pureed - done !
The Hasenpfeffer was served with potato dumplings (the Thuringia addition) and apple sauce (the Rhineland addition) and enjoyed worh a cold Kölsch ...
Manöverkritik: This stew was unanimously deemed more tasty the yesterdays conill amb xocolata. The sauce was more intense and rounded, the meat itself was complementing the sauce. The usage of blood sausage worked well tastewise, but didn’t thickened the sauce. Thank you, potato starch.
Overall quite good ... this I will make definitively again - and I think it should be nice with duck legs, too. Next time !
This looks great... and I had a nice chuckle as I remembered some nice childhood memories watching Bugs Bunny constantly being threatened to be turned into hasenpfeffer
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5 hours ago, Eatmywords said:
Haha, how embarrassing! That was for you @KennethT (I think the fuchsia square you both share in your signature threw me! Sorry about the toe though : )
Thanks, but I don't think the chillies made a bit of difference - it was the fact that it was thick and boiling!
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3 hours ago, liuzhou said:
Near Liuzhou, where I live, is the county of Lipu, which is known for the quality of its wild hares. Several years back, my sister in law had a visit from an old classmate who brought her such a beast.
Now, S-I-L was quite simply the best cook I have ever met. Totally self taught but sublime. She brought the magic out of anything she cared to prepare.
Anyway, that hare was probably the best dish I've ever eaten. It tasted Sichuanese, but with Indian curry notes alongside Vietnamese freshness. But British gaminess shone through, too. I could have sworn there was some Dijon mustard in there, but know there wasn't. My descriptive powers fail me.
Sadly, just short of her 40th birthday, after cooking lunch for herself and mother, she went for her usual siesta and never woke up - complications from untreated diabetes. I saw her the day before in the market and had no idea she was even ill. Even now, three years later, I look out for her in the market then remember.Of course, I never gor her recipe, and she would never have given it to me anyway. She was one of those "get out of my kitchen" cooks and would never explain anything. She did however, once do me the great honour of asking me to cook one dish because I "do it better". I haven't made it since she departed.
Two great losses! A wonderful S-I-L and a hare recipe! She wouldn't find that pairing at all disrespectful. She'd be more concerned about the hare! Miss her hugely.
We don't have a button to respond to this. I loved the story but am saddened to hear about your loss.
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4 minutes ago, David Ross said:
That sounds delicious and I just might take my own attempt at something similar. I have a delicious green curry I do with prawns, so it could work with rabbit. The liver satay sounds delicious.
The liver was cut into small cubes and probably fried. It was fantastic.
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3 hours ago, TicTac said:
Absolutely.
Either way, shoes or no shoes - I doubt you will do that again.
It's like when I was younger and cut a bagel with the global bread (razor sharp) knife going INTO my palm - now, bagels (not that I eat them anymore) are only sliced outwards!
In my defense, the act was a complete and utter accident, but unfortunately, I wonder if any amount of extra care might have prevented it. I think it's a totally different situation than cutting a bagel in one's hand, which while being an accident waiting to happen, is totally avoidable by changing cutting habits.
Being in a crowded kitchen, things are bound to get knocked accidentally from time to time, especially when there is more than one person in the same space, each trying to get around each other.
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I was just reminded of a favorite dish at the time, a green curried rabbit at Vong, the once fanciful JG Vongerichten Thai restaurant. The green curry was mild enough to get the sense of the rabbit, but still really tasty, and they put some cubes of the rabbit liver on a stick (sort of like a satay)... I don't know how I'd feel about it nowadays, as my Thai experience has increased greatly since then, but in those days, we really liked that dish.
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I just pulled the trigger on the Birks... I like the idea of the microfiber insole which should help keep feet from getting sweaty, but I'm sure it will feel better than the rubber Croc - I never liked wearing them.
@TicTacSure - nothing is 100%, but wearing shoes 99% would have saved me from the ER visit.
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24 minutes ago, weinoo said:
I gave up Crocs for a number of reasons, not least of which is the orange man.
I've been very happy with these...and they have a few variations on this theme...Birkenstock
While these are a lot more expensive than the Crocs, I like the moisture wicking footbed....
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@blue_dolphin@ShelbyI used to have a pair of crocs that were gifted to me. I didn't wear them often because I found them to be sweaty and generally not very comfortable without socks. But that was years ago.... any thoughts about this?
Grilling banana leaf wrapped parcels in an apartment?
in Cooking
Posted
All the space in my bedroom is currently occupied with other stuff!!