Lunch 2020

[MetsFan5]

On 12/17/2020 at 5:37 PM, Kim Shook said:

Hot dog with melty American cheese, extra dark pretzel splits with honey mustard, and tiny sweet pickles:

Now I really want a hot dog. 

[BonVivant]

Squash soup with Pumpernickel and Speck.

 

Pureed kale stems and kelp. Pumpernickel and smoked sprats.

 

SV lamb's liver

 

With fried onions, apple slices and Speck.

[Dejah]

With leftover Chicken and Rice from supper 2 nights ago, I made Congee / jook / rice porridge. Love it with preserved egg, pork floss, fuyu, cilantro, and crueller.

 

                                                                       

 

                                       

 

                                                           

[BeeZee]

Office "Holiday Lunch" - COVID style. Box lunches eaten in everyone's own office. I had chicken salad on a brioche roll, it was good (white meat chicken, not too much mayo). Came with cut up melon, homemade potato chips, brownie, and pasta salad ("bruschetta style" - and the pasta was cooked properly). Too much food, I'll be taking half of it home.

 

[robirdstx]

We took a Day Trip today to the Brazoria NWR and then drove down to the Gulf Coast and took the Blue Hwy. to Galveston Island for a late lunch at Nate’s West End.

 

 

We satisfied our cravings! He had a Burger and I had the Shrimp Poboy.

 

 

[Dejah]

Found lovely fresh watercress at one of the grocery stores yesterday, and huge persimmons! They need some time to ripen but I do have a couple in a brown paper bag with bananas.

Toasted sandwich with Thai Sesame and Ginger mayo (Hellman's) - love the bite of the cress.

 

                                                                                   

 

                                                                                                  

 

 

 

                                                      

[KennethT]

Trying my hand at a South Indian style shrimp stir fry....

 

Using my home grown curry leaves

 

I think I should have left out the fenugreek. I didn't use much but it was still overpowering.

[heidih]

Seems strong for shrimp. Beautiful vibrant curry leaf!

[heidih]

@KennethT forgot meant to link the Serious Eats piece on the "pancake" smell of fenugreek. Pretty interesting and funny https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/spice-hunting-fenugreek-methi-how-to-use.html#:~:text=For Indian cooking%2C fenugreek is,Jemima than curries and kabobs.&text=It's a common ingredient in,alone can be off-putting.

[KennethT]

9 minutes ago, heidih said:

Seems strong for shrimp. Beautiful vibrant curry leaf!

Actually, the sweetness of the shrimp was perfect with it

[Anna N]

27 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I think I should have left out the fenugreek. I didn't use much but it was still overpowering.

Which did you use? seeds? fresh? Or methi - dried leaves. I love methi. 

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Which did you use? seeds? fresh? Or methi - dried leaves. I love methi. 

seeds that I toasted, then added to my masala mix and ground.

[Anna N]

22 minutes ago, KennethT said:

seeds that I toasted, then added to my masala mix and ground.

Thanks I think that explains things. 

[scamhi]

spicy garlic noodles. 10 minute great recipe.

recipe here

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, scamhi said:

spicy garlic noodles. 10 minute great recipe.

recipe here

Interesting that the recipe stresses cooking the noodles in salted water. Not something usually done to an oriental noodle is my understanding. 

[scamhi]

1 minute ago, Anna N said:

Interesting that the recipe stresses cooking the noodles in salted water. Not something usually done to an oriental noodle is my understanding. 

I didn't cook in salted water but my "gourmet master shanxi fresh noodles" were made without salt. The noodle sauce was salty enough.

[KennethT]

58 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Interesting that the recipe stresses cooking the noodles in salted water. Not something usually done to an oriental noodle is my understanding. 

I, too, was of the understanding that Asian noodles were not cooked in salted water.  With that being said, whenever I make noodle soups using the fresh Shanxi knife peeled noodles, I cook them in salted water so that I don't have to oversalt the soup to compensate... If I don't, the soup will taste great when tasted before adding to the noodles, but soon after, it will taste flat.

[Anna N]

55 minutes ago, scamhi said:

I didn't cook in salted water but my "gourmet master shanxi fresh noodles" were made without salt. The noodle sauce was salty enough.

And that is the way that I have always understood the reason why oriental noodles are cooked in unsalted water. I wonder if @liuzhoucan cast any light on this at least from the point of view of Chinese cuisine. 

[liuzhou]

14 hours ago, Anna N said:

And that is the way that I have always understood the reason why oriental noodles are cooked in unsalted water. I wonder if @liuzhoucan cast any light on this at least from the point of view of Chinese cuisine. 

 

Indeed. Noodles and rice are normally cooked without salt. The are intended to be a neutral background to the sauces or other dishes served.

 

When I first came to China, one of my Chinese friends was horrified to see me salt the rice water. I've never done that since.

Edited December 27, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

Indeed. Noodles and rice are normally cooked without salt. The are intended to be a neutral background to the sauces or other dishes served.

 

When I first cam to China, one of my Chinese friends was horrified to see me salt the rice water. I've never done that since.

Udon especially seems to contain plenty of salt, same with with most Asian noodles, fresh or dried, at least to my tastebuds. When I buy fresh wheat noodles in Chinatown, whether egg or plain, they don't need salt either. But I definitely salt the water for Italian pasta. The first time I ever cooked dried udon I think I salted it; lesson learned. Look at the ingredients list and the salt level can be frightening.

[liuzhou]

8 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

Udon especially seems to contain plenty of salt, same with with most Asian noodles, fresh or dried, at least to my tastebuds. When I buy fresh wheat noodles in Chinatown, whether egg or plain, they don't need salt either. But I definitely salt the water for Italian pasta. The first time I ever cooked dried udon I think I salted it; lesson learned. Look at the ingredients list and the salt level can be frightening.

 

I just checked the locally made and the imported Japanese udon noodles I have in stock. Although both do contain salt it's the last listed ingredient (the lists being in order of amount by law), so not very salty. Same with the ramen noodles I have.

I, too, always salt Italian pastas.

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

3 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

I just checked the locally madeand the imported Japanese udon noodles I have in stock. Although both do contain salt it's the last listed ingredient (the lists being in order of amount by law), so not very salty. Same with the ramen noodles I have.

I, too, always salt Italian pastas.

 

Yeah, but how many ingredients are there? And whatever is in the ramen flavor packet does double duty if the noodles themselves aren't salty enough.

 

Isn't it morning where you are? Don't you have anything better to do than check your udon packages? If you are slurping wonton soup I'm totally envious. I'm just settling in for an evening of The Great British Baking Show, from which I learn a great deal, although mostly not about baking. Cheers! 

[liuzhou]

17 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Yeah, but how many ingredients are there? And whatever is in the ramen flavor packet does double duty if the noodles themselves aren't salty enough.

 

Isn't it morning where you are? Don't you have anything better to do than check your udon packages? If you are slurping wonton soup I'm totally envious. I'm just settling in for an evening of The Great British Baking Show, from which I learn a great deal, although mostly not about baking. Cheers! 

 

9 in total.

My ramen noodles are not the dried ramen with flavour packs you are talking about. These are fresh vacuum packed noodles with nothing else. I add whatever I fancy, thereby controlling the salt levels, although it's not something I obsess about.

 

It's 1 pm here on Sunday and being retired, I do whatever I want, whenever I want (with due regard to local laws). Anyway, checking the ingredients on a pack of noodles took up a whole 15 seconds of my life.

 

No wonton noodles today. Have other plans.

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by liuzhou (log)

[BonVivant]

First time making it.

 

 

 

Before the icing sugar

 

It's a boozy Stollen. All the steeped figs went it it.

 

And the scotch went in the hot cholate

[Kim Shook]

Lunch today:

Turkey, Dukes, and arugula on Sister Schubert rolls.  And dessert:

My MIL’s sweet roll that she makes every year.  It was the best one she’s ever made.