KennethT

Last night, we had (again) chicken curry with homemade prata. The standard way to do this is to cook potatoes along with the chicken in the curry (I posted the recipe in RecipeGullet). I've been using Yukon Golds, but every time, they come out much grainier then they should be. Does this mean that they are not cooked enough, overcooked, or the wrong kind of potato? I don't think they have yukon's in SE Asia - I'm assuming they use some kind of waxy potato, so I subbed the yukons... maybe there is something better that I could use next time? Suggestions? Thanks.

@gfweb I didn't use a commercial hotplate - I made my own... I'll try to post pics a little later... @dcarch I am curious about that as well - and how are they setting up a rotating mag field slow enough to spin their stirrer plate without causing problems with the inductive field?

I made a DIY version of this many years ago (soon after joining eGullet after reading the initial SV threads). I still use them (I made more than one) today. Mine aren't induction, but that works for me since my cookware is AllClad LTD and is non-magnetic

Personally, I've never met a ripe papaya that I've liked. Even the most ripe (picked about 10 feet away) was pretty tasteless. Oddly enough, my wife REALLY dislikes ripe papaya - she says that the smell reminds her of vomit, slightly, and finds it just completely off-putting. We are both big fans of unripe papaya, which has even less flavor than ripe papaya (and no vomit odor) but has a great crunchy texture and is a good vehicle for dressings or dips in chili salt or sugar.

They look a little like longans

I see algae issues all the time with hydroponics - any time there is water and light, you will get algae. So, the best long term solution is to get rid of the light. Is it possible to wrap the tank with aluminum foil?

@BeeZeeThat's penne a la vodka pizza, started in the early 90s during the craze associated with that pasta for a time

I can't imagine the warm/hot durian pizza... I imagine you would be able to smell it from around the corner.

@ShelbyThe candle is to keep the pizza warm! Because no one likes luke warm pizza, except maybe half the world....

I just saw this topic now. Thanks so much for posting - it's always so interesting to see an insiders view into another culture!

Viet lemongrass chicken Ga Xa Xao Ot with stir fried yu choi

I have even heard that B. Cereus can reproduce and produce toxins at refrigerator temps - but I'm not 100% on that.

@liuzhouIs that the total amount of rice made, or is there extra lurking off camera? I have been looking for a rice cooker that specializes in small amounts - most of the ones I've seen here are great for large families or a very small restaurant, of which I have neither. I'd love to find a rice cooker whose wheelhouse is like 1-2 cups of rice...

I wouldn't be surprised at that... fortunately my building is definitely not like that!

Malaysian night tonight... Nyonya chicken curry (kari ayam) Belacan baby bok choi Our apartment now stinks like a putrid garbage heap... It smelled great during cooking and eating. But I stepped into the hallway for a few minutes and when I came back I realized the reality... Sorry neighbors!

I haven't read that article, but I've read similar ones to it recently. That's actually what I'm researching now. I've got a bit of warehouse space I'm not using, so I figure why not make some money from it. Plus, my proximity to NYC gives me a market for high price high quality fruit. I'm actually experimenting with some uncommon varieties prized for their flavor, but not typically grown around here, and dont' take kindly to shipping, which should give me a nice niche, so long as the costs of production (A/C, lights, etc) are not prohibitive... but not paying rent should certainly help profitability.

Yeah, that Breville indoor looks great. I'd probably be more interested if I wasn't surrounded by great pizzerias, though.... and if my kitchen wasn't more than a 8 foot x 4 foot box with no ventilation!

@liuzhou does your friend make the jaozi from scratch or purchased? I am always curious as to what people do at home versus restaurant culture...

Freeze drying requires vacuum to directly sublimate the frozen water to gas

No pics (I'm sure I've put them up before), but last night was Malaysian chicken curry with homemade prata and some stir fried yu choi that I found in my recently discovered H-Mart 4 blocks away from me! I wonder how long it had been there for? Obviously, I am probably the last person to know about it since the place is constantly packed. They've got great quality fish and very nice asian produce which makes me happy. The yu choi was almost as good as the one I used to grow in my windowsill - except it was full of dirt, which my hydro plants never get. I'm really happy with last night's prata - it was the same dough as before (I made 4 meals worth and froze them), but I let the pan heat up more and cooked it for less time - this time, the texture was much better.

@liuzhou Does the bitter melon need to be peeled first? I don't know anything about its cookery - I had once heard that it needed to be soaked to remove bitterness, but I don't know if that's true..

Finally letting my strawberry plants fruit!

The last few times I've done it, I did it in the microwave in a glass bowl... Start out at 30s at full power, then stir, then 10s / stir - repeat... done in about 5-10 minutes and a nice dark brown.

What was the price of the meal you had?

Yes, like the others, I'd like to thank you both for taking us along... I always enjoy seeing what you gals get up to! Have a safe trip home!