KennethT

@huiray Thanks for rubbing salt in my wounds!!! Actually, in Manhattan, there are very few Vietnamese restaurants... I gather there are more in parts of Queens and Brooklyn, but it would take much too long for me to get there and back to do any regular shopping there. It takes way too long for me to get to Manhattan's Chinatown for regular purchases for that matter! But, as you've shown, rau ram roots very very easily.... very nice!

Here's some updated pics of my Rau Ram plant.... Here is the hydro clone (that's been given a haircut several times): And here's the mother, that's kind-of growing in soil... I say kind-of because it has long outgrown the pot in which it is planted, but I've been feeding it some hydro nutrient liquid every day, so the soil it's in is just acting like a root substrate, but not actually contributing anything

Here's this evening's yu choi harvest (cooked about 10 minutes after harvest): and here's what is still growing:

@Paul Bacino I just planted some Vietnamese perilla - which is similar to the Japanese shiso. It's good with a mixture of other herbs - try using it with thai basil, garlic chives and sawtooth coriander. You can take virtually any protein, add the herbs, and maybe some rice noodles and make a lettuce wrap (even better if you use mustard greens) and then dip in some fish sauce mixed with lime juice and some chilis... simple and delicious. Also good in salads.

If it was legal, I would certainly convert a 2nd bedroom into a grow room - it would pay for itself and then some... but right now, in New York State, it's certainly not legal and while, chances are, I would never get caught, I'd rather not wind up in jail for any length of time. I'd be someone's bitch in about 20 minutes. But, I do love growing herbs and veggies hydroponically, and the pot growers are on the forefront of the technology!

A lot of the modern stuff is hydroponic. But even if you grow in soil, there are tons of fertilizer additives you can use to increase flavor or aromatics in veggies or herbs, but increases potency of cannibis also. Most of these additives temporarily shock the plant into thinking it's dying, so it puts out tons of fruit or flowers, then you take the additive away, and give it tons of nutrient so they all get to maturity. Not only does it increase flavor but it also greatly increases yield.

To me, the berries look like pink peppercorns (which are not true peppercorns at all)... here's a crappy shot of that plant - it seems to look similar? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schinus_molle

And now, the NY Times is getting into the food delivery business themselves!!!! http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-05/new-york-times-to-start-delivering-meal-kits-to-your-home

@JoNorvelleWalker Sorry - you are completely correct... I had gotten myself confused - it's the difference in temperatures that is to the fourth power, not the distance...

Is it possible to move the rack with the tiles closer to the top of the pizza? Infrared radiation (which is what is coming off the tiles to heat from the top) decreases by the distance to the fourth power, so the closer you can get it to the top of the pizza, the more effective it will be. If it's too far away, it's almost like it's not there at all.

I agree with Lisa - on my own tree, I've experienced limes turning almost a yellowish-green when they get very ripe (meaning I've left them on the tree too long!)

Just got a new plant light for my bucket nursery.... holy crap is it bright!!!!! Hope the neighbors don't complain!

hilarious!

Please cross your fingers for me.... after 4+ weeks, my sawtooth coriander finally sprouted and is in my bucket nursery! Unfortunately, my daylight CFL died in the middle of the night last night, but I think it'll do fine in the ambient light for a few hours until I can pick up another one.

I would use raw rice and cook it like a pilaf - first sweating the aromatics in a little oil, then toast the raw rice and then add water or stock, cover and cook like normal rice. Or, you could do it like a risotto, and add water/stock gradually, simmering away uncovered.

@Pham Tat Thanh Thanks for your comments. I try very hard to learn the names of different foods before we travel to any place. Besides, I love the food in Vietnam, so it is easy to learn! I am sorry if I mis-named the beef stew. I can only blame the hotel, as they called it Bo Kho on their menu! Thank you for the fried noodle dish link. Very interesting! It seems like it is a pancake made from noodles. Looks very tasty!

I still dream about that last banh mi... the flavors were explosive - everything so fresh.. and the bread there was incredible. There have been a lot of people trying to figure out how the bread is done - some people add some rice flour to the dough, but I don't think that is traditional.. according to Graham Holliday in his book, the dough uses just plain commercial flour (no rice flour), which has some kind of additive (called 'dough conditioner') already added. I think he discussed the additive a bit, but I forget the details.

hi Pham, and welcome! My wife and I recently had a wonderful holiday eating our way around Saigon, which I wrote about here: I look forward to your comments!

I love quail - typically I will partially debone them (removing the rib cage) which renders them flat. Then I'll cook SV to 140 for enough time to pasturize. Then I'll chill it down to about room temp before torching or searing because they're so thin, they overcook quickly.

@Anna N I understand you completely... but I think these packaged meal companies don't have eGers in mind as their model customer. I think their model customer is someone like my friend who I described upthread - someone who does not consider his/herself a cook in any sense of the word, and has limited time for shopping. To us, a thin pork chop is not very agreeable, but to many Americans, it may be a good choice as we have been victims of the years of advertising pork as "the other white meat" - so it is perceived as healthier than beef, lamb or other red meats, which appeals to many people, but it is not as 'boring' as chicken... it is something different, and maybe something people who don't cook often wouldn't consider on their own.

@Anna N I agree with you completely... a thick pork chop is awesome - but, I think it's much harder to cook 'safely' than a thin one. I'd imagine that these boxed meal companies have to assume that their customers don't have sv at their disposal... so to do it traditionally, you'd sear and then pan roast in the oven, which A) would take a lot of time and B) would require the use of a thermometer at some point to make sure that the chop is cooked through, which these companies probably assume their customers don't have either. One thing to consider for these companies is food safety and liability - they'd much rather err on the side of a meat being overcooked than undercooked and getting someone sick. That would be horrible for their PR. And kale is just horrible... whoever started the kale trend should be strung up by their toes...

My wife took this picture and posted it to Instagram yesterday... this is the yu choy - ready for harvest!

I have been researching making some Nyonya dishes at home... one of the dishes is kari ayam - curried chicken. I have looked at probably 8 different recipes recommended by Mr. Google. They're all pretty similar with a few exceptions - some use a curry powder and make a curry paste, some use a curry paste but incorporate a few pre-toasted and ground spices, some use galangal, some leave it out, etc etc... 6 of the 8 have used shrimp paste (belacan) in the the curry paste, and I am sure that that would be traditional.... but some of the recipes instruct to toast the shrimp paste before adding to the curry paste, and some do not. So, the question is, to toast or not to toast.... keeping in mind that the curry paste will be fried in a little oil prior to the addition of water/stock/coconut milk. Previously, I have always heard you had to toast shrimp paste prior to using it... but, if it's going to be fried anyway, does it really make a difference?

For those of us without chamber vacuums, you can also fill zip lock bags with water, seal them using the displacement method, and freeze them. Works just fine....

Can you vac/seal and freeze them for a longer shelf life? If so, take out a small amount, that would last a month or two, then freeze the rest.