Weird Food Fixes That Actually Taste Great

[divalasvegas]

Okay everyone, I just had this tonight. My brother's girlfriend made fried chicken and it was delicious. That's not actually surprising since we both make pretty damn good fried chicken, except this was extra crispy, juicy and very tasty. When I complimented her on how wonderful it tasted, she said that the secret was mustard. WTF? I asked her what kind of mustard she used thinking she would say dijon, honey mustard, creole mustard, something. But no she showed me the squeeze bottle of plain old "yeller" mustard (a co-worker told her about the secret ingredient). Not even French's mind you but grocery store brand. But the chicken had no mustardy taste just the best crunchiest chicken crust one could imagine.

That's why I came to you my eGullet brothers and sisters. How the Hell did regular yellow mustard create fantastic fried chicken? And do you have recipes that include bizarro ingredients that result or improves upon a standard recipe or even a not-so-standard recipe?

Please share.

[spaghetttti]

Peanut butter!

It's supposed to be a secret ingredient in many chili recipes.

And our ever gracious Marlene makes a fine peanut butter burger with it.

Look here to see how she makes it.

Edited October 23, 2005 by spaghetttti (log)

[divalasvegas]

Peanut butter!

It's supposed to be a secret ingredient in many chili recipes.

And our ever gracious Marlene makes a  fine peanut butter burger  with it.

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Thanks spaghetttti since I was beginning to think that I was weird or something.

[Jason Perlow]

Gochujang (고추장), which is a Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste.

There's a fried chicken joint nearby, owned by a Korean guy, which makes a dish called "Spicy Oriental Chicken". Its basically cut up chicken parts that are fried in a batter, and then are tossed in this BBQ sauce that is heavily laced in Gochujang (although I think it may also contain Ssamjang, which is Gochujang combined with Doenjang, which is like a very fermented Miso paste with spices) with crushed peanuts dusted on top.

Here's a photo of the dish:

Basically its a take on Hot Wings, with a funky Korean kick.

[divalasvegas]

Gochujang, which is a Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste.

There's a fried chicken joint nearby, owned by a Korean guy, which makes a dish called "Spicy Oriental Chicken". Its basically cut up chicken parts that are fried in a batter, and then are tossed in this BBQ sauce that is heavily laced in Gochujang (although I think it may also contain Ssamjang, which is Gochujang combined with Doenjang, which is primarily fermented bean paste with spices) with crushed peanuts dusted on top.

Here's a photo of the dish:

Basically its a take on Hot Wings, with a funky Korean kick.

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Wow Jason that's beyond lovely fried chicken porn! Now if I could just get a recipe for mambo sauce.

[rooftop1000]

I put cayenne pepper in my apple pie, and there is not a soup in Euro/American cuisine that doesnt benefit from a good shot of hot sauce. I havent made any Asian soups yet.

tracey

[M.X.Hassett]

Gochujang (???), which is a Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste.

There's a fried chicken joint nearby, owned by a Korean guy, which makes a dish called "Spicy Oriental Chicken".

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Address please

[Pan]

Miracle Grill, here in New York, makes a flourless Ancho Chocolate Cake which is really good. The subtle smokey bite of the ancho chili with the rich chocolate really works.

[KatieLoeb]

Maple syrup in my chili recipe HERE

I was taught this trick by Chef Robert DelGrande of Cafe Annie in Houston. He told me that something sweet like sugar, molasses, maple syrup or cane syrup would slow down the attack of the heat of the chiles. Damned if he wasn't right. The maple syrup makes the chile heat kind of sneak up instead of instantly severing the nerve endings in your mouth. Brilliant. I'll never make a recipe with chiles again that doesn't take that into consideration.

[Jesse A]

Mexican brownies. Not too much flour, lots of butter, chopped walnuts, cinnamon and good, smoky chili powder. Too gooey to eat by hand, but beyond heavenly with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. The sweetness does slow down the heat -- it comes on gradually, then builds and heightens the cinnamon and chocolatey richness.

[fifi]

Great topic . . .

To add more to the chile pepper theme, I find that adding chocolate to chili causes the mix of flavors to kind of "round out" . . . or something. You don't taste chocolate but it does make a difference.

For my various bean salsas the addition of a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar makes a big difference. Again, you don't really taste it but it brightens and blends the flavors . . . sort of. The first time I made one of these for my dad years ago, he tasted it and said "It needs something." That is when he grabbed the cider vinegar and poured in about two tablespoons to a big bowl full. He was right! For some stupid reason, cider vinegar is the only one that works like that.

[SuzySushi]

A spoonful of peanut butter often adds the finishing touch to curry.

[Jason Perlow]

Gochujang (???), which is a Korean hot pepper and fermented bean paste.

There's a fried chicken joint nearby, owned by a Korean guy, which makes a dish called "Spicy Oriental Chicken".

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Address please

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Read this Sunday's New York Times NJ dining section.