KennethT

Thanks so much for taking us along!!!!

Old Lai Huat style sambal grouper... I think this is the last portion of sambal so I get to make a new batch soon - but I'll try 50% more dried shrimp! And bring forth our weekly kuih...

Usually in SG, the prata guys make the dough balls the night before and slather them in margarine (which stays solid at tropical temps). Then they stretch and fry to order. I wish I took pics/video when I've been there... I was too busy watching/salivating.

Thanks for that link - I just read through it - it definitely looks like it goes in the direction I'm looking for! Now I'm dying to try it!!!

Thanks and you're right - it is REALLY frustrating to know the results you want to get and not be able to get them! I have very little bread/pastry experience - I don't eat much bread or pastry at all, so I almost never make it. I think the last time I made bread was maybe 15 years ago when the Tim Lahey no knead method (in the dutch oven) came out. It turned out pretty good, but I only made it because we were having a bunch of people over for dinner who I knew liked bread. Since then, we've moved to a new apartment, and this one doesn't even have a real oven! Then again, I've seen some people do some really good looking breads in the CSO, so that shouldn't really be an inhibitor for me. I wish I understood the theory behind how various different ingredients interact - flour proteins, oil, milk proteins, salt, sugar, etc. - I feel like if I knew the science behind it, I could get a lot closer to what I'm looking for.

Everything I've ever read about making prata recommends using "warm" or "tepid" water, however that is defined. What happens if you use hot water? How would that differ from using warm water?

Yes, I've tried that too. I usually make a large batch - enough for like 4 meals worth. After the kneading/balling, I've let it rest all day/overnight then stretched/snaked, then frozen individually. Then on the day I want to use them, I'll defrost the night before and let rest the whole day before trying to flatten. But definitely good ideas. I think @dtremit is onto something. I definitely knead the crap out of the dough (by hand) thinking that I need it to have a strong gluten structure in order to stretch it without tearing. I could very well be overkneading - for this application at least. So maybe kneading less or adding more of an ingredient that inhibits gluten formation.

I've tried resting it over night!!!

Do you have ikan bilis available where you are?

I was hoping to get some advice about making roti prata - the Singaporean laminated flatbread similar to paratha in India or roti canai in Malaysia, usually eaten with some kind of curry. For those unaware, it looks a little like this: Unfortunately, I don't have an interior shot, but it's crispy and flaky on the outside, tender and chewy on the inside and has a lot of thin layers in there. I've watched them make it many times - a ball of dough is flattened into a disk by hand, and then flipped around to stretch the dough to be so thin that you can see through it. It's then slathered with either butter, oil or shortening, rolled into a snake, then coiled into a disk and pressed flat again, then fried on a griddle. The example above actually grills it over charcoal. I've been making these at home for years now, but I've never been able to get it exactly how I want it, so now I'm looking to find the theory behind how some of these bread things work. Most recipes are flour, water, salt a bit of sugar and some oil - in Malaysia they will commonly add more sugar than Singapore and will also add some condensed milk. Some recipes use an egg, some no. What does the condensed milk do for the texture? Would it be considered a tenderizer? What about oil - is it also a tenderizer? What does the egg do? I've been trying to minimize the amount of oil I use to try to keep it healthy - my latest ratio is 600g flour, 1t salt, 1T sugar, 15ml oil, 300ml water and 1 egg. I knead it by hand until nice and smooth and windowpanes nicely, then divide, roll the balls in oil then let it rest for at least an hour. The problem comes down to stretching - it is ridiculously elastic - I stretch it ok but when I roll the snake and coil the disk and press, it snaps right back to the original disk shape - I can't really get it to stay as a thin disk. I used to make it with a lot more oil (I don't remember exactly, but maybe 90ml?) - so much so that it stretched so easily, one might say that it flowed. But then, the layers also tended to meld together after shaping. I'd love to learn the theory as to what each ingredient adds to the final product. Any help I could get is greatly appreciated!!!

@gfweb has to get in line. I called dibs a long time ago! I am more than prepared to offer a trade - some doves/teal/goose/duck for some homemade curries?

Congratulations!!!

nice crust!!! What do you use for batter?

@liuzhouThanks so much for all the work you put into this. It's been a fascinating learning experience for me - I'm sure I'm not alone when I say how much I appreciate it!!!

Panang curry using the paste my friend brought back from Thailand

Surf and turf - pasta with shrimp and dried porcini mushrooms

Southwestern style Bison burgers with avocado, pretzel buns and chipotle salsa

Interesting timing - I was just having a conversation about rice porridge and the names for it. Is zhou different from congee? Is congee the Cantonese name? I've also heard the word congee used by Taiwanese (admittedly on the airplane when I used to fly EVA to Asia) when speaking to English speakers - I don't know what they called it in Taiwanese.

yeah, I saw that - but that looks like a separate roaster from the chicken one

Yes, ground bison. We like it since it's a lot healthier than beef but not too expensive. And since I only use 1/4# of meat in this dish (and the bison comes in 1# packs) there will be bison burgers tomorrow!

That seems like a really big thing to cook 3 chickens at a time!

Bison mapo tofu

Yes!!!

holy crap that looks good...

Indonesian soto ayam Pandan serimuka