patrickamory

Soba, I'm definitely trying that, thanks. [edit: very rare to see a recipe call for fresh oregano. I actually grew it one summer and used it in salads and so forth - not so much for cooking.] huiray, the meat is pork rib. Good ID on the tung choy (not that I'm surprised from your other posts). The only other ingredients were ground white pepper, salt and slivers of ginger. I agree that it got too thick - I wasn't very mindful while trying to maintain a simmer and accidentally cooked it too fast in the middle section. I used jasmine rice per Dunlop - next time may take your recommendation to try basmati.

My second attempt at congee.

Four McSorley's darks. Four McSorley's lights.

Ohhhh, I love chicken pot pie. The pasta with the lentils is intriguing. Bruce, we always make the Jaffrey kheema with fried onions, but Sahni's sounds intriguing. Will try it.

Well done. Btw, the steaks look just like the KC strips I recently got at Eataly.

Beautiful looking pork chops basquecook... where did you source them?

My partner travels a lot, so I end up cooking for one frequently. I mainly do: - pasta - 1/2 lb works for one person, there are rarely leftovers - beans, soups, stews and similar items that refrigerate well - experimental dishes (new to me, complex and/or very spicy ones) that my partner might not want to eat I do enjoy the zen of cooking for myself. What I enjoy less is eating by myself. I end up consuming everything too fast and not enjoying it nearly as much. I think I enjoy dining most as a shared experience. It's just not always an option.

Just got the English version of Every Grain Of Rice - couldn't hold out for the US edition. Looks amazing, can't wait to start cooking from it.

I think hot plates are overrated. Except for pasta. I put the bowls in the oven set to "Warm" about 10 minutes before serving.

Bruce, you often list eternal cucumbers. What are they?

Steamed bass (both of them), bone marrow, burgers, steaks, all look superb. Good source for marrowbones in NYC: Ottomanelli (the one on Bleecker St. in the Village, not the unaffiliated place of the same name uptown). Recipe for chicken bhuna - adapted from Neelam Batra, 1000 Indian Recipes. I'm travelling right now, shall post it when I get home. It's interesting and worth trying - miles away from the bland bhuna you have in restaurants.

Chicken bhuna and spinach pachadi.

I did - yum! Is there a particular recipe you'd recommend? Online or in print.

I just use more fresh... one and a half to two times as much perhaps. Depends.

I've had both go bad, the ginger gradually starts to rot at the outside, it doesn't ever seem to get moldy - probably dries out first. The center can usually be salvaged if it isn't too old. The turmeric lasts a surprisingly long time - a month or more - in the fridge. Produce in NYC is often not that fresh. It is one of the huge downsides of living here - some of what can be seen at my local supermarket would horrify you - it's incredible they have the gall to even sell that stuff. On the bright side, it is very easy to source high-quality ginger and fresh turmeric from the Indian groceries near me.

Spaghetti with anchovy and chiles:

Surely Modernist Cuisine offers a way to create palatable frozen dinners

All measurements are approximate, and remember folks, the hardness or softness of your water, and your altitude, and the age of the rice, are all variables playing into the final result!

Yes jasmine and basmati are miles apart. And there's huge variations in quality in jasmine rice. For jasmine, I recommend reading Kasma Loha-unchit's brand recommendations, and buy the large quantities, and note the dates harvested on the back of the bag. The 2:1 recommendation on basmati above is with no cover. The result is NOT mushy.

This is how my partner makes tahdig: I use the "Kateh" recipe ("smothered rice") from Najmieh's book. I wash the rice 6x in warm water, simmer with water 2:1 for 20 minutes or until all absorbed, then add lots of ghee over the top and cover, then keep on medium with top on (with towel between top and pan) for 40 minutes.

One thing about rice made the old-fashioned way is that the results vary enormously based on the kind of water you have. Proportions and results change a lot it seems. And of course flavor. We have very good tasting tap water. That's not the case everywhere...

In places with dry winters - especially NYC apartments! - I suspect you'd have to do some watering. The soil would turn to sand in a couple days. That said, bague, I'm going to give your method a try! janeer, I hate refrigerating ginger too, but turmeric seems to react differently despite being a root. It does go moldy eventually though.

Very curious to hear how this is resolved!

I've always lusted after a Zojirushi fuzzy logic but the fact is we make all our rice in pots and it all comes out great. Our three basics: - Carolina rice, not rinsed, prepared according to the Julia Child "master" recipe in The Way To Cook. Plenty of salt, twice the amount of water, stir once, bring to boil, stir again, tightly seal (with foil and lid) and steam at lowest heat for 12 minutes, let it sit for 2 minutes off flame, fluff. It comes out slightly glutinous, a bit damp, soaks up any sauce like a sponge - the way we make it might not be to everyone's taste - Tilde brand basmati rice from India in the big blue resealable bag. Always rinsed 3-4 times and soaked for half an hour. When I make it, I boil/steam it according to the Madhur Jaffrey method - boil with about 1 1/3 as much water to rice, tightly seal, steam for 25 minutes, let sit for 10 minutes. When Adam makes it, he does it the Persian style that Hassouni describes above. It involves oil and ghee, a mysterious paper towel that has a triangular hole cut in it, and lots of open steaming followed by a crusting. I don't know the details. - Elephant brand jasmine rice from Thailand, in 10-lb bags. Always rinsed. I make it Kasma Loha-unchit's way, in metal bowls sitting inside a stockpot on top of a steamer. Maybe 1/4" water in the stockpot. Boiling water poured on top of the rice, amount depends on how old the rice is (date on back of bag), then steamed for 25 minutes, always turns out perfect. Can sit in the steamer for longer with no harm if need be too. We also make Thai sticky rice using the tall bamboo basket on the metal pot. So long as the rice has been soaked, it takes about 15 minutes - incredibly easy. Very occasionally carnaroli rice for risotto... I need to get back into that. Risi e bisi too. Also wild rice, black rice and other varieties. We eat a LOT of rice. (Never brown, though I don't mind it.)

Nobody else has any suggestions for the OP? I was sort of hoping to start an interesting discussion here