cooking

[Sylph]

Y'all are lucky . I'm not very gifted at cooking.

I can make pancakes and some insta-noodles and that's it .

I'm actually better at preparing food for animals, then I am for people ... so if you ever get a pet and need a meal plan... you know where to find me lol.

Zuzu, you are like a master cook :eek: . I'm so jealous .

[pellaz]

looks great:
what herbs did you use on the chicken, could you use tofu instead of chicken?
for the rice you can blacken some of the black pepper, ever try things this way?
thanks

[zeon]

One meal i did tonight which was damn lovely is a pasta mixtation

Boil pasta > throw in a whole tin of tuna in a seperate pot and plum tomatoes > getting a fork swirl it up into a paste and add as much sweetcorn as ya like and then pour in the pasta and mix it all up and place onto the hob on a low heat... As it curdles and boils the pasta will absorb the tomato sauce giving it extra flavour and grate cheese down... Place four portions into tubs and sprinkle the cheese on top and then to leave for 1/2 hour with lid on allowing cheese to melt directly onto the top before dishing up at a luke warm temperature and feel free to SMOTHER (YES SMOTHER) in dare i say it????? Tommy Ketchup..... Bloody gorgous x

[pellaz]

you British know how to cook

[Matty71]

you British know how to cook

I love British food. I have heard people make disparaging comments about it over the years but I do not agree.

I was in a relationship many years ago with a British person and their parents always invited me to home-cooked, English meals. I truly enjoyed it

[Jay]

looks great:
what herbs did you use on the chicken, could you use tofu instead of chicken?
for the rice you can blacken some of the black pepper, ever try things this way?
thanks

I used

• Black pepper
  
• Mixed herbs whole
  
• Cayenne Pepper Powder
  
• Oregano
  

I think tofu is too soft/moist. You should try Tempeh instead. I'm not sure if you can obtain Tempeh though.

This is how Tempeh looks like.

Tempeh is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans and formed into a patty, similar to a very firm veggie burger.

Depending on the brand, one serving of tempeh (100 grams) provides around 200 calories, 18.2 grams of protein (that's even more protein per gram than tofu!), and 10% of the RDA of both calcium and iron. Tempeh is a naturally cholesterol-free food

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/Tempeh.htm

Speaking of Tempeh.

I was born in Indonesia and Fried Tempeh is a well known snack in Indonesia. But you can use microwave to make it too. Never tried with oven though.

You can eat Fried Tempeh plain or dip it in sauce. Some folks love to fry it with sauce and some do it plain.

Ingredients

2 cloves crushed garlic
1 cup water
salt to taste
1 (8 ounce) package tempeh
2 cups vegetable oil (or any oil that you prefer) for frying

Directions

• Place the garlic in a small mixing bowl. Pour water and salt into the mixing bowl, mix well.
  
• Slice the tempeh 1 inch thick and score both sides of the tempeh. Marinate the tempeh in the garlic, water and salt mixture for 20 minutes.
  
• Pan fry the tempeh in a skillet with oil. Brown the tempeh on both sides.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/fried-tempeh/

[pellaz]

tofu is too soft/moist. You should try Tempeh instead. I'm not sure if you can obtain Tempeh though.
This is how Tempeh looks like

-I tried it a few times here and it was good but more expensive and less available. The average super market here you can walk into and find 90% of the food is way too fat and or un healthy.

a good thing; maybe the only good of the VietNam wars; was at the end there was a larger than average population of Asian (Hmong) immigrants assigned to Denver CO. These people are now all second generation but there are some excellent Asian markets.

all good tho but your pic of the tempeh didnt match how we see here.

I am a little concerned about eating raw tofu. Please confirm this; generally it should be cooked like a meat product. Is the tempeh come from a cleaner process?

thanks!

[Jay]

-I tried it a few times here and it was good but more expensive and less available. The average super market here you can walk into and find 90% of the food is way too fat and or un healthy.

a good thing; maybe the only good of the VietNam wars; was at the end there was a larger than average population of Asian (Hmong) immigrants assigned to Denver CO. These people are now all second generation but there are some excellent Asian markets.

all good tho but your pic of the tempeh didnt match how we see here.

I am a little concerned about eating raw tofu. Please confirm this; generally it should be cooked like a meat product. Is the tempeh come from a cleaner process?

thanks!

Hmm, Tempeh is very cheap here. Typically one raw cake of Tempeh only cost $1. Most probably because Tempeh are produced by local farmers in mass number.

Sorry if I confused you with my post, Pellaz. I always cook my tofu/tempeh. I don't recommend eating neither Tofu nor Tempeh raw. Tofu best to eat after being steamed at least for 5 minutes (To kill bacteria. Touch wood). Tempeh is impossible to eat raw. So you have to cook it too.

Tempeh is typically made by cooking and dehulling soybeans, inoculating them with a culturing agent and follows by incubating the inoculated product overnight until it forms a solid cake.

I think the hygiene/cleanliness aspect of Tempeh depends on the producer itself. Tempeh can't last long. Usually only for two days or three before fungus gets it. You can easily identify a rotten Tempeh through green fungus on it. Tempeh is usually sealed in plastic to maintain its freshness. Traditionally it is packed in banana leafs or alike.

A fresh Tempeh is creamy white and has no smell (Beside the soy smell). Less fresh Tempeh is light brownish creamy.

I've eaten Tempeh since I was a kid and so far everything's okay. Touch wood.

That's the best answer I can give you, Pellaz.

Oh yes, do you have Whole Foods or Trader's Joe in your place? You can try to find Tempeh in these markets if you worry with its hygiene (if obtaining from smaller local markets).

[mrk2010]

One meal i did tonight which was damn lovely is a pasta mixtation

Boil pasta > throw in a whole tin of tuna in a seperate pot and plum tomatoes > getting a fork swirl it up into a paste and add as much sweetcorn as ya like and then pour in the pasta and mix it all up and place onto the hob on a low heat... As it curdles and boils the pasta will absorb the tomato sauce giving it extra flavour and grate cheese down... Place four portions into tubs and sprinkle the cheese on top and then to leave for 1/2 hour with lid on allowing cheese to melt directly onto the top before dishing up at a luke warm temperature and feel free to SMOTHER (YES SMOTHER) in dare i say it????? Tommy Ketchup..... Bloody gorgous x

I'll teach u some proper cooking zeon ;-)

[azulai]

Does anyone have a lot of expertise with making vegetables more interesting?
Not a vegetarian, but I try to include a lot of vegetables in my diet and I find it's hard to make common vegetables more interesting than just the normal steaming or blanching or baking. Anyone have any ideas?
Richard

I don't have a lot of experience but here's some ideas from what I've been learning.

You don't mention sautéing. Since making that lentil dish I posted above, I've grown to love cooking with olive oil. It just makes so much difference in the flavor. Sauté some onions, (I add salt) let them get golden then add mushrooms. When it's almost done add some spinach. You can add this to some brown rice for a meal.

Jay's sweet potatoes are really good. We actually did that tonight with a steak.

PA's Mushroom Sauce is incredible! I translated it if you need the English. It's not difficult but damn I felt like a chef after fixing it! It's delicious!

I don't know if you grill but here are two veggie recipes I eventually want to try.
Grilled Lemon Butter Zucchini and Lemon Pesto Vegetable Skewers.

Just a few ideas. mile: