Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To

[mikeyjh]

Paneer, discovered on one India trip when bird flu was around. Basically there wasn't much meat to be had so I had to explore vegetarian option - Only slight difficulty these days is getting hold of it. Same hotel I also tasted Jalapeno poppers for the first time, marvellous....

 

[whitelion]

Paneer, discovered on one India trip when bird flu was around. Basically there wasn't much meat to be had so I had to explore vegetarian option - Only slight difficulty these days is getting hold of it. Same hotel I also tasted Jalapeno poppers for the first time, marvellous....

Did you get high?

 

[mikeyjh]

Did you get high?

Not quite! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalapeño_popper

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Remember reading an interview with Delia Smith where she said at the time her first cook book came out, olive oil could only be got at chemists in Britain!

That's absolutely true, it was not used for cooking by Brits, it was used for blocked ears, if I remember correctly. One thing that has improved my curries lately is fennel seeds, a great ingredient.

Not an ingredient as such, but a sauce making method of sugar based sauces. Heat sugar in a frying pan, then add to it - this can be for sweet or savoury dishes. For sweet it's basically the sauce for crepe souzette where you add Grand Marnier and orange juice to the melted sugar and reduce till it's sticky, and add your pancakes. For something like a roast duck breast, you can add red wine vinegar and red wine, reduce and add cherries. Really nice. A flexible sauce technique worth knowing.

 

[BensGrandad]

On cooking and techniques sister in law, who does a lot of cooking and entertaining, was telling me she was having trouble getting her mayonnaise to thicken using dijon mustard as per most recipes so she tried using english mustard instead, problem solved.

 

[pearl]

I don't think rapeseed oil is good for you though - check out how they make it, it's not very natural.

I stopped cooking with olive oil because I read rapeseed was healthier ... after seeing your post I checked it out and you're right! Will now go back to olive oil - thank you!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Had never used harissa paste.
My brother made some homemade kebabs, rubbed the inside of the pittas with a generous smudge of harissa

Beats chilli sauce every day of the week

I was in Tescos yesterday looking for Harissa but didn't find it. I've never bought it but it sounds like a good things for a real tasty dish. I watched a Mary Berry recipe on Sat for a spiced lamb stew using it and thought I'd give that a go. I have checked Tescos online and see they have it, so I must have been looking in the wrong place.

 

[Triggaaar]

I stopped cooking with olive oil because I read rapeseed was healthier ... after seeing your post I checked it out and you're right! Will now go back to olive oil - thank you!

You're welcome. I'm no expert on it, I just heard something on radio 2 about different cooking oils (a yer or two ago), their comments didn't make sense, so I read a few bits of research online and got the impression that olive oil is the best.

 

[pearl]

best friend at school introduced me to brown rice

bit off subject, but 2 years ago my immune system was shot to pieces, a friend gave me a natural remedy booklet, since then I always have cider vinegar, lemons and organic honey in the kitchen and take garlic perles

 

[Brok]

That's absolutely true, it was not used for cooking by Brits, it was used for blocked ears

And is still better, and cheaper than all these things that are on the market now. (olive oil)

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

best friend at school introduced me to brown rice

As my mum used to say about Corn Flakes, there's more nutritional value in eating the box. Same applies to white rice, plus brown is tastier (imho).
https://authoritynutrition.com/brown-vs-white-rice/

 

[Hillian1]

Sesame Oil for me.

Fantastic stuff to cook with and also drizzled on salads/pasta etc.

 

[looney]

Why dont you just put more cumin in your spice mix to begin with?

Its a purchased mix that I add to, I cant taste any cummin in it without. There Is a store in Crawley, next to the shades pub that sell spices at discount. I go there.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Sesame Oil for me.

Fantastic stuff to cook with and also drizzled on salads/pasta etc.

You may already know this.
But if you are making say, Thai Green Curry with white rice, put enough Sesami Oil in the rice to just about stick it together, then get something like a large cup and pack the rice in and turn it out onto the plate.
It makes a nice change from boiled or fragrance rice and goes very well with Thai, Chinese food.

 

[BensGrandad]

Its a purchased mix that I add to, I cant taste any cummin in it without. There Is a store in Crawley, next to the shades pub that sell spices at discount. I go there.

When next in Crawley I must look that out. Is that the pub nearly opposite Morrisons and the walk through to Wilkinsons.

 

[Hillian1]

You may already know this.
But if you are making say, Thai Green Curry with white rice, put enough Sesami Oil in the rice to just about stick it together, then get something like a large cup and pack the rice in and turn it out onto the plate.
It makes a nice change from boiled or fragrance rice and goes very well with Thai, Chinese food.

That's quite scary, I'm doing a Thai green curry tomorrow and have been at a complete loss as to how to do sticky rice.

 

[looney]

When next in Crawley I must look that out. Is that the pub nearly opposite Morrisons and the walk through to Wilkinsons.

yep

https://www.google.co.uk/#q=oriental+emporium

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Crawley, unsurprisingly is very good for spices. I used to use the asian supermarket in West Green near the Swan.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

We really ought to run a recipe thread, lots of good knowledge out there to be shared.

 

[Munkfish]

That's quite scary, I'm doing a Thai green curry tomorrow and have been at a complete loss as to how to do sticky rice.

Cumin it. That should do the trick.