gretchen
Ned Coleman's Partner
Posts: 177
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Post by gretchen on Feb 2, 2005 3:11:16 GMT -5
what's your plan? Where are you going? What are you gonna make? We hate going out because it's too crowded so I'll make some Thai food (actually it's my version of Thai food LOL) Jasmine rice, of course Satay -grilled chicken with peanut sauce and cucumber/vinaigrettedipping) Green curry -pork with egg plant, green beans, green peas and whatever I have in the fridge. Chicken Corriandor - fried chicken marinated with soy sauce, pepper, corriander, oyster sauce, with fresh cucumber & carrot Thai spicy salad - tofy and ham in spring mix and Thai spicy dressing hehehe. I'm drooling.
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Post by Nana on Feb 2, 2005 12:49:36 GMT -5
Gretchen, V-day in Brazil in June 12th, when I was leaving in the US I used to celebrate both, it was a lot of fun. Anyhow, I hardly cook on these occasions, I'd rather go out and save my energy for the other part of the celebration... ;D So I don't have any special treat to post...
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Post by Heathahhh on Feb 2, 2005 21:21:16 GMT -5
I love to cook.
I mean it...I LOVE IT!
We have no money to go out to dinner...and my husband is one of those who truly believes Vday is made up by card companies to make men feel like they MUST buy something or their women will hate them. He still gets me a card though hahah
So since we'll be staying home, I will probably make something Italian...cuz thats what I do best. my favorites are Carbonara...tube pasta (such as penne) tossed in a simple sauce of pancetta, garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes, white wine, egg yolks and Romano cheese. Mmmm its heavy and fattening and so good! True comfort food! or we may have my current favorite...Linguine all'Amatricana...once again whatever pasta you have (I usually use linguine or bucatini) tossed in a sauce of onion, garlic, pancetta and olive oil...with crushed tomatos, red pepper flakes and fresh parsley.
My husbands current favorite are pannini sandwiches...basically a grilled cheese made by brushing the bread with olive oil instead of butter, then smushing it flat while it sizzles up. I use thin sliced italian bread you get at the bakery part of the grocery store, jarred roasted red peppers, green olives finely chopped, a bit of fresh oregeno, and fresh smoked mozzerella. MMMMMM!!
I got these recipes from a cookbook by Rachel Ray. She's on the Food Network show "30 Minute Meals"...I have a couple of her books and the stuff is so EASY and quick! She writes the books just like the show...its set up by complete meal, not by categories like most cookbooks (such as beef or poultry or desserts)...she tells you how to cook the meal in stages so everything is done at the same time. Thats my biggest problem...I can follow and make most any recipe...but nothing is done at the same time! I get several cooking magazines that I like, but 9 times out of 10...I'm cooking something from Rachel's books. I also like that in addition to being quick meals, she uses clever shortcuts and uses lots of stuff you normally have in the pantry any way.
I probably cook 3 or 4 meals a week from her book "Cooking 'Round The Clock" and "30 Minute Meals 2" (I don't have 30MM 1)...maybe for my birthday haha ;D
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gretchen
Ned Coleman's Partner
Posts: 177
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Post by gretchen on Feb 4, 2005 1:55:05 GMT -5
oh, those sound delish! I got these recipes from a cookbook by Rachel Ray. My friend likes her and has that book. I'll have to borrow her sometimes. I don't know how to make pasta, sadly. I also have a habbit of not following the recipe book. When I tried to make something something pasta with angel hair, I added this and that and got something look like padthai or chinese noodle. Am I gifted or what?
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Post by Librarian on Feb 4, 2005 8:25:45 GMT -5
Gretchen, I have tried cooking green curry and spicy basil chicken. The basil chicken turns out much better. What is the trick to green curry? I buy green curry paste and I wonder if buying it prepackaged is the problem. Do you have any hints? I use fresh red bell pepper, bamboo, fresh thai basil, fresh cilantro, serrano pepper, fish sauce, coconut milk and I can't remember what else.
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Post by Natalie on Feb 4, 2005 15:00:31 GMT -5
Heathahhh, that is so cool that you know all of those Italian dishes. I'm half Italian and have lived in Italy for a long time (I'm back in Florida now). It's cool to hear those dishes. I love making risotto, especially because you can add whatever flavors to it - mushrooms, zucchini, shrimp, sausage. Whatever! But no Valentine's dinner for me! I'm single! I am going to cook some salmon and zucchini tonight though. ;D
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Post by hurltomato on Feb 4, 2005 18:35:48 GMT -5
While I Was Sleeping... My husband knows his favorite dish is always on the menu. It is simple fare know only as HT Baked Chicken and Wild Rice Supreme, but "wild isn't -in the rice"... It is in the dessert--Far, Far away from the table!
The Supreme is in the morning after -over Irish Breakfast tea, and a promised smile for later in the day! HurlT ;D
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Post by Remi on Feb 4, 2005 20:01:47 GMT -5
Whoa HT! So when is your cookbook gonna be out? ;D
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gretchen
Ned Coleman's Partner
Posts: 177
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Post by gretchen on Feb 6, 2005 1:49:27 GMT -5
I use fresh red bell pepper, bamboo, fresh thai basil, fresh cilantro, serrano pepper, fish sauce, coconut milk and I can't remember what else. I use premade paste too, can't find fresh ingredients here. But cilantro in green curry or any curry is a no-no. I am a bad cook, I don't measure thing. I eyeball it. Here's how I make green curry or red curry. 1. add curry paste to coconut milk (I don't shake the can, just open it and scoop out the the thick part, set the watery part aside to be used later), stir until the paste dissolve. Heat at med-hi, stir occasionally, until you see the oil coming out of the coconut milk. 2. add meat/tofu, stir until they are cooked. 3. add the watery part, add 1-2 can of water depending on how dilute you like (or how much cholesterol you can take---I like my curry thick). 4. when it boils, add vegetables- something that take time to cooked go first, something that turn mushy easily go last. I use egg plants/ zuchini/bamboo/green beans/mushroom/asparagus/spinach/bell peppers hatever I like. You can also add tomatoes in red curry. 5. When vegetables are cooked (i.e. eggplants are soft and absorb the flavor), add fish sauce or soy sauce, a bit of sugar (i use 1-2 tsp if I use 1 can of coconut milk). You want it to be spicy (hot), salty and sweet in that order. I usually add 1/4 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp ground corriander to boost up the spice. 6. Garnish with basil leaves, red or green pepper.
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gretchen
Ned Coleman's Partner
Posts: 177
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Post by gretchen on Feb 6, 2005 1:58:20 GMT -5
Here's my recipe for Satay, peanut sauce and Ajad: It's very close to what I used to eat in Thailand. LOL.
Peanut sauce (2 ¼ cup serving)
1 cup ( ½ can) coconut milk (shake a can before opening) 2-3 Tbsp red curry paste ½ cup sugar (may need to add 1/8 cup more if you like sweet) 1 tsp salt 2-3 Tbsp white vinegar or Tamarind juice 2 cups peanuts, ground ¼ -½ cup water
1.Dissolve curry in coconut milk using “medium” heat. Stir until dissolved. 2.Put peanuts, salt, sugar, vinegar into the mixture. Mix well. Add water. Heat a little bit more, repeat that until you see oil on top of the mixture. Warning, when it gets very hot, the peanuts will try to jump out of the pot. So be careful, just take the pot off the stove, stir it a bit, put it back on, reduce the heat, etc.
Note: - You can add more red curry paste later if it isn’t hot enough. Just dissolve it in a little water before adding. - If it is too hot, add more sugar, water, (and salt and vinegar to keep the taste balanced) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ajad (seasoned cucumber) –this is served along with the peanut sauce and Satay. You eat this after taking a bite of Satay+peanut sauce, it will cut off the sweet from peanut sauce. 1/3 cup vinegar 2-3 Tbsp sugar ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp sliced onion 1 cup sliced cucumber 1 Tbsp sliced chili (jalapenos/ Hungarian chilies, etc. ) 1 Tbsp cilantro (optional) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Satay --------This is applicable for extra firm tofu, beef and pork.
4-6 pieces (1 small pack) chicken breast, thin sliced Marinate mixture: 1 cup ( ½ can) coconut milk ½ cup water 2 Tbsp yellow curry powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cumin powder (optional)
1.Mix coconut milk with water. Set about ¼ cup aside for brushing. 2.Put curry powder, salt, cumin powder into coconut milk. Mix them together. 3.Marinate chicken in the sauce prepared. Can be grilled immediately or next day. 4.During grilling, brush the chicken with coconut milk to keep it soft. Take off the grill when slightly brown.
Tip: -If don’t want to grill, you can place chicken on skillet (don’t use oil/butter). Brush it with coconut milk, when one side is brown, flip. Brush with coconut milk. So, don’t forget to set aside about 7-8 Tbsp of coconut milk for brushing. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Note: - Can use (pinch of salt + pinch of sugar) or (soy sauce + pinch of sugar) instead of 1 Tsp of oyster sauce. - Salt can be used instead of fish sauce or soy sauce. - You can use Kikkoman soy sauce, but you might want to use light soy sauce because it is mild and goes better with Thai food. - If you want to try fish sauce, pick “oyster brand” or “Tipparos brand’. These two brands are less salty and smell milder than “squid brand” that you may hate. - Can use (vinegar + pinch of sugar) instead of tamarind juice.
I wish I could post pics. They may encourage you to try.
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Post by WilsonFreak on Feb 6, 2005 9:22:49 GMT -5
Hi Lib and Gretchen!!
Just a side note to Lib - don't worry about not being able to add cilantro to your curry. The coriander that Gretchen adds is just another name for cilantro. They are the same thing!! It's probably just the fact that the coriander is ground up that makes it suit the recipe better than fresh cilantro.
You guys must be amazing cooks, there are so many funky ingredients in these recipes!!
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Post by Librarian on Feb 6, 2005 11:19:48 GMT -5
Thanks WilsonFreak! I love cilantro/corriander and was very sad that I was not going to be able to use it.
Gretchen, you are amazing. I will definitely try your recipes!
Heathaaah, I can't wait to try your homemade paninni sandwhiches.
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gretchen
Ned Coleman's Partner
Posts: 177
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Post by gretchen on Feb 6, 2005 18:21:30 GMT -5
Corriander and cilantro come from the same plant, one is seed and another is leaf. Crushed corriander gives more concentrate spice scent and won't interfere with the curry flavor. The cilantro will change the taste of the curry. You can use it if it doesn't bother you. I don't know, I can always tell if someone add cilantro in curry and it just doesn't taste right. We use cilantro mostly in soup (clear soup) and as garnish on some salads. I've been away from home for too long I can't think of other uses.
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Post by Librarian on Feb 6, 2005 18:43:09 GMT -5
Thank you for the clarification, Gretchen! I wonder if the cilantro has been the problem with my curry. I have always added a lot. So I could have been ruining it thinking I was giving it a flavor blast.
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Post by WilsonFreak on Feb 6, 2005 23:52:19 GMT -5
I LOVE to put cilantro in my home-made salsa! That's the only thing I've done with it so far. Any other favorite cilantro suggestions???
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