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11 votes
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The home museum displaying over 10,000 beer steins
5 votes -
How yogurt fueled the rise of civilization
4 votes -
Why a Belgian sourdough librarian flew to Canada for yeast
9 votes -
What are y'all having for dinner tonight?
I'm either going to make a chicken stir fry or chicken pasta. I'm making a big pot of pinto beans right now but that's really just to have around for the next few days.
15 votes -
Foodora announced on Thursday it would stop operating in Australia by the end of August
2 votes -
How much is "about two" really?
11 votes -
Pastry chef, Claire Saffitz, attempts to make gourmet Oreos | Gourmet Makes
7 votes -
A flower in the debris: The legacy of Benihana, Rocky Aoki's all-American empire
4 votes -
How Aussie flat whites and smashed avocado have taken New York
4 votes -
Yes, Hellmann’s has frozen over. Mayonnaise ice cream is here.
2 votes -
How to survive a twenty hour Basque breakfast
5 votes -
An illustrated compendium of Chinese baos
8 votes -
It's animal tissue grown in a vat. But is it meat?
15 votes -
Easy, homemade alternative to store-bought protein bars
Thought I would share this simple recipe for protein bars I've been making for the last year or so. I used to spend something like $50-$60 per/mo. on the store-bought kind so these have saved me a...
Thought I would share this simple recipe for protein bars I've been making for the last year or so. I used to spend something like $50-$60 per/mo. on the store-bought kind so these have saved me a good bit of $. Bonus points for taking, at most, 10 minutes to put together.
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (chocolate also tastes good)
- 3/4 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 tbs. almond milk
Mix together and mold into bars or roll into balls, and refrigerate for 30-40 mins before eating. Each batch makes about 6 bars or 12 balls.
19 votes -
The Truth About Japanese Tempura
13 votes -
What is your favorite beer, does it differ by season or by what you're eating?
With the fourth of July tomorrow, I'd really like to hear what everyone's favorite beer is and hopefully learn a few new ones to try.
14 votes -
Curried chicken wings and a fat tire beer
Frozen chicken wings, about $5 a pound at the local Winco. Defrosted half in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Rubbed on Olive oil, threw in the air fryer for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees (f)....
Frozen chicken wings, about $5 a pound at the local Winco. Defrosted half in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Rubbed on Olive oil, threw in the air fryer for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees (f). Sprinkled on Tumeric, Paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper.
Holy shit is this good.
5 votes -
Here's what fifty years of food supply data says about Canada's eating habits
9 votes -
World's oldest bread found at prehistoric site in Jordan
3 votes -
The making (and unmaking) of a Canadian brand: Tim Horton's
8 votes -
How pie-throwing became a comedy standard
4 votes -
Review of some Vahdam’s Masala Chai teas
Masala chai (commonly and somewhat falsley abbreviated to just “chai”) literally means “spice mix tea” – and this is what this review is about. I got myself a selection of Vahdam’s masala chais...
Masala chai (commonly and somewhat falsley abbreviated to just “chai”) literally means “spice mix tea” – and this is what this review is about. I got myself a selection of Vahdam’s masala chais and kept notes of each one I tried. Some came in the Chai Tea Sampler and others I either already bought before or were a free sample that came with some other order.
Classical CTC BOP
CTC BOP is usually cheaper than more delicately processed whole leaves. Although the common perception is that it is of lower quality than e.g. FTGFOP or even just FOP or OP for that matter, the fact is that they simply a different method with a different outcome. You can get away with breaking cheaper leaves, though, than whole.
Also bare in mind that while BOP is the most common broken leaf grade, there are several more.
It makes for a stronger brew and a more robust flavour– ideal for breakfast teas. The down-side is that it can coat your tongue. But if you want to recycle it, the second steep will be much lighter.
Original Chai Spiced Black Tea Masala Chai
The quintessential masala chai – the strength of the CTC BOP, paired with the classic mix of spices. A great daily driver and a true classic, but for my personal taste a tiny bit too light on the spice.
Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper
Double Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
Same as India’s Original Masala Chai above, but with a bigger amount of spice. Of the two I definitely prefer this one.
Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper
Fennel Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
Due to the fennel, the overall taste reminds me a lot of Slovenian cinnamon-honey cookies[^medenjaki], which we traditionally bake for Christmas. The odd bit is the cookies do not include the fennel at all, but most of the other spices in a classic masala chai (minus pepper). I suppose the fennel sways it a bit to the sweet honey-like side.
In short, I really liked the fennel variation – could become firm winter favourite of mine.
Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, fennel, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper
[^medenjaki]: The Slovenian name is “medenjaki” and the closest thing the English cuisine has to offer is probably gingerbread.
Saffron Premium Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
When I saw the package I thought that saffron was more of a marketing gimmick and I would only find a strand or two in the whole 10g package. But no! The saffron’s pungence punches you in the face – in a good way. It felt somewhat weird to put sugar and milk into it, so strong is the aroma.
Personally, I really like it and it does present an interesting savoury twist. It is a taste that some might love and others might hate though.
Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, saffron, almonds
Earl Grey Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
I am (almost) always game for a nice spin on an Earl Grey. In this case, the standard masala complements the bergamot surprisingly well and in a way where none of the two particularly stand out too much.
The combination works so well that it would feel wrong to call it a spiced-up Earl Grey or a earl-grey’d masala chai. It is a pleasantly lightly spiced, somewhat citrusy and fresh blend that goes well with or without milk.
Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, bergamot, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper
Cardamom Chai Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
Now, this one is interesting because it only has two ingredients – black tea and cardamom. While not as complex in aroma as most others, it is interesting how much freshness and sweetness a quality cardamom pod can carry.
I found it equally enjoyable with milk and sugar or without any of the two.
Ingredients: CTC BOP Assam black tea, cardamom
Sweet Cinnamon Massala Chai Black Tea
Similar to their Cardamom Chai, it is a masala chai with very few ingredients. The cinnamon and cardamom get allong very well and while it lacks the complexity of a full masala/spice mix, it is a very enjoyable blend.
Recommended especially if you like your masala chai not too spicy, but sweet.
Ingredients: CTC BOP Assam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon
Ortodox black
What is described with “orthodox” usually means a whole leaf grade, starting with OP. These are much weaker than CTC, but therefore bring out the more delicate flavours. It is a bigger challenge therefore to make sure spices do not push the flavour of the tea too much into the back-seat.
Because the leaves are whole, as a rule you can get more steeps out of them than of broken leaves.
Assam Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
The more refined spin on the classic masala chai – with whole leaves of a quality Assam, it brings a smoothness and mellowness that the CTC cannot achieve. Because of that the spices are a bit more pronounced, which in my opinion is not bad at all. The quality of the leaf also results in a much better second steep compared to the CTC.
Most definitely a favourite for me.
Ingredients: FTGFOP1 Assam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper
Tulsi Basil Organic Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
I have not had the pleasure of trying tulsi[^basil] and regarding masala chais, this is a very peculiar blend. The taste of the Assam is quite well hidden behind the huge bunch of herbs. In fact, for some reason it reminds me more of the Slovenian Mountain Tea than of of a masala chai.
In the end, the combination is quite pleasant and uplifting.
What I found fascinating is that it tastes very similar both with milk and sugar, and without any of the two.
Ingredients: organic Assam black tea, tulsi basil, cinnamon, ginger, clove, cardamom, black pepper, long pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg
[^basil]: For more about tulsi – or holy basil, as they call it in some places – see its Wikipedia entry.
Darjeeling Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea
As expected, the Darjeeling version is much lighter and works well also without milk, or even sugar. Still, a tiny cloud of milk does give it that extra smoothness and mellowness. It is not over-spiced, and the balance is quite well. The taste of cloves (and perhaps pepper) are just slightly more pronounced, but as a change that is quite fun. It goes very well with the muscatel of the Darjeeling.
Ingredients: SFTGFOP1 Darjeeling black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper
Oolong
Maharani Chai Spiced Oolong Tea
Despite the fancy abbreviation, IMHO the oolong tea itself in this blend is not one you would pay high prices as a stand-alone tea. Still, I found the combination interesting. If nothing else, it is interesting to have a masala chai that can be drank just as well without milk and sugar as with them.
Personally, I found the spice a bit to strong in this blend for the subtle tea it was combined with. I actually found the second steep much more enjoyable.
Ingredients: SFTGFOP1 Oolong tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper
Green
Kashmiri Kahwa Masala Chai Spiced Green Tea
A very enjoyable and refreshing blend, which I enjoyed without milk or sugar. The saffron is not as heavy as in the Saffron Premium Masala Chai, but goes really well with the almonds and the rest of the spices.
When I first heard of Kashmiri Kahwa, I saw a recipe that included rose buds, so in the future I might try adding a few.
Ingredients: FTGFOP1 green tea, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, almonds
Green Tea Chai
As is to be expected, the green variety of the Darjeeling masala chai is even lighter than its black Darjeeling counterpart. The spice is well-balanced, with cinnamon and cloves perhaps being just a bit more accentuated. This effect is increased when adding milk.
It goes pretty well without milk or sugar and can be steeped multiple times. Adding either or both works fine as well though.
Quite an enjoyable tea, but personally, in this direction, I prefer either the Kashmiri Kahwa or the “normal” Darjeeling Spice masala chais.
Ingredients: FTGFOP1 darjeeling green tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper
Glossary:
- BOP]: Broken Orange Pekoe
- FOP: Flowery Orange Pekoe
- OP: Orange Pekoe
- CTC: Crush, Tear, Curl
- FTGFOP: Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe
- FTGFOP1: Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe (1st grade)
- SFTGFOP1: Superior Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe (1st grade)
10 votes -
Costco removes the Polish dog from US menu
8 votes -
Does eating sustainable caught food help or hurt this?
5 votes -
I smoked a lot of meat last weekend!
24 votes -
What are your I-don't-want-to-cook-but-I-have-to-eat- recipes?
As the title says, I am looking for your go-to recipes for when you are not in the mood to cook. They should be fast and simple to make and be preferably not too expensive. Let me start this:...
As the title says, I am looking for your go-to recipes for when you are not in the mood to cook. They should be fast and simple to make and be preferably not too expensive.
Let me start this: Tortelloni with tarragon-cream-sauce (3-6€/2servings, depending on the tortelloni)
*500g Tortelloni, 250ml (sweet) cream, 2 tomatos, tarragon/salt/pepper;- Water with salt in one pot, cream with tarragon and 4 short splashes of water in another;
- Cut the tomatos into pieces and add the to the cream when it boils slightly
- When the tomatos are added, stir the cream (it should get slightly red from the tomato juice
- add salt and pepper
- at this point the water should be boiling, add the Tortelloni
5.1 I usually buy the Tortelloni from the fridge, they only need to be boiled for 2 min, adjust the timing when you heat up the cream according to needed time to boil the pasta - When everything is finished put everything together and enjoy
25 votes -
Coffee drinkers are more likely to live longer. Decaf may do the trick, too.
14 votes -
Microwave mug recipes that prove no-fuss cooking for one can actually be great
6 votes -
What is your favorite tea?
I apologize, everyone. I posted the question in the wrong sub and felt I needed to repost.
15 votes -
He could've been a colonel: The story of Ollie's Trolley
2 votes -
How to eat right - an extensive and informal Q&A with Mark Bittman and Dr. David Katz
12 votes -
Summer dinner salads suggestions please
I always look forward to fresh ingredients for substantial salads during the hot months of summer. Unfortunately, my repertoire is wanting. I make the same basic salad every time just changing a...
I always look forward to fresh ingredients for substantial salads during the hot months of summer. Unfortunately, my repertoire is wanting. I make the same basic salad every time just changing a few ingredients depending on availability. This consists of greens, sometimes cold penne or other pasta, usually garbanzo beans, sometimes meat of some kind, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, basil or oregano and/or mint and perhaps hard boiled egg, sometimes pickled beets.
Thanks for any suggestions or recipes.
4 votes -
Why Beans Were an Ancient Emblem of Death
8 votes -
What's your favorite "treat yourself" meal?
What I mean by "treat yourself" is something which makes you happy, not just something which satisfies an urge. We all get days where we just want to gulp down a nice plate of spaghetti but what...
What I mean by "treat yourself" is something which makes you happy, not just something which satisfies an urge. We all get days where we just want to gulp down a nice plate of spaghetti but what meal do you prepare/buy for yourself when you really want to eat something special?
22 votes -
The eel trader reviving an old Amsterdam tradition
4 votes -
This Anti-Salt Narrative Needs a Shakeup
15 votes -
Best vegan curry recipes
7 votes -
Dining 'al desko': How workplace snacking adds up to thousands of empty calories
4 votes -
Hard versus soft shell lobsters
5 votes -
How to make seventeenth century coffee
10 votes -
With meta-discussions high-quality content meaning civil disagreement, let's put it to the test: What constitutes as a sandwich?
So, where do you draw the limits on what constitutes as a sandwich? I am kind of fond of this alignment chart as a starting point. I think I fall somewhere around True Neutral-ish. While I think...
So, where do you draw the limits on what constitutes as a sandwich?
I am kind of fond of this alignment chart as a starting point.
I think I fall somewhere around True Neutral-ish. While I think everything in the structural purist row constitutes as a sandwich, I do not consider Choctacos, burritos or poptarts sandwiches.
Speaking of poptarts, potential spin-off debate: Is a poptart a ravioli?
13 votes -
Do you have a favorite meal to cook?
When I have the time, money, and energy, I like cooking proper meals from scratch (as much as is reasonable, anyway). There's one that I like making more than any other, though, and that I've been...
When I have the time, money, and energy, I like cooking proper meals from scratch (as much as is reasonable, anyway). There's one that I like making more than any other, though, and that I've been making for several years now: pizza. There's nothing quite like a pizza made from freshly rolled dough, a good sauce, and cheese shredded by hand (with none of that cellulose getting in the way), and the smell of the yeast from the dough is wonderful. There's still quite a bit I need to learn to make it better, but I've so far gotten to the point of preferring it over anything you'd get from the popular pizza chains, so I'm pretty confident in what I've managed so far!
What about you? Do you have a favorite? What meal do you consider your "specialty"? Is there anything in particular that keeps bringing you back to it?
13 votes -
My oatmeal says to add salt to the water before boiling
But my grits say to add the salt with the grits, after the water boils. Why the difference? Always been curious about this.
6 votes -
Dolmas [how to legally roll your own weed leaves]
In a nutshell (TL;DR) Dolmas are stuffed grape leaves or vegetables (commonly peppers or zucchini) steamed for several minutes inside a pot with about an inch of salted water (or broth) brought to...
In a nutshell (TL;DR)
Dolmas are stuffed grape leaves or vegetables (commonly peppers or zucchini) steamed for several minutes inside a pot with about an inch of salted water (or broth) brought to a boil, then kept at a low simmer with a lid. The stuffing components vary and are easily tweaked for vegan/vegetarians or allergies, but often include a mixture of herbs and spices, rice (cooked or uncooked), eggs as a binder, and/or ground meat.
For my next trick, I'll show you how to make them using only 4 words in the next sentence. Here's the entire process.
Grocery list (ingredients in bold are suitable for vegans. Ingredients with a † are optional.)
Dolmas
- † 30 - 50 fresh grape leaves or brined leaves
- 4 bell peppers
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzling
- † juice of half a lemon
- water or stock enough to cover an inch in the pot
Filling
- 500g [1 lb] ground meat (pork, beef, and lamb are most common)
- † 180g [1 cup] uncooked white rice
- 10g [1 TBSP] kosher salt
- † 1 whole egg
- † 1 diced medium onion
- 2 - 4 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 - 4 tablespoons ground paprika
- † 2 - 4 tablespoons ground coriander
- † 1 - 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- † 1 tablespoon dried red chili flakes
Vegan prep
Double the uncooked white rice and cook as directed on the package in water or vegetable stock with the salt, pepper, and spices. Let cool, then mix in diced onion (if using) and proceed with assembly and cooking as directed below, but reduce the total simmering time to 15 - 20 minutes.
Step-by-step (with higher res photos)
- Trim the stems off your fresh grape leaves and cut the tops off the bell peppers (if using), removing the stem and seedy core. Retain the cut piece as a "lid" for each pepper.
- Add your stuffing ingredients to a large bowl and mix them all thoroughly with a spoon or clean wet hands.
- Hold a prepared leaf centered on your palm underside (veiny side) up and place a tablespoon of filling towards the center of the leaf.
- Fold the left bottom part of the leaf up horizontally and press onto the wet filling.
- Fold the remaining left half vertically over the filling and press gently to crease.
- Fold the right bottom part to cover the remaining exposed filling.
- Fold the remaining right half of the leaf over the left.
- Firmly roll the filled part of the wrapping up once. Press to shape into a rough cylinder.
- Continue rolling until the end point of the leaf can be tucked under on a flat surface.
- Repeat for the other leaves, but retain enough to cover each pepper lid.
- Stuff the bell peppers with the remaining filling and top with a lid and a leaf to cover the stem hole.
- Place the peppers upright in a large pot, leaning them against the sides if necessary.
- Layer the stuffed leaves on the bottom of the pot between the peppers, flap end facing down.
- Add cool water (or broth) just to cover the layer of wrapped leaves, or at least an inch. Don't worry if a few float up.
- Drizzle with olive oil, grind some black pepper on, and add a couple good pinches of salt to the water - if you're only using bell peppers, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon to mimic the flavor the grape leaves would've added during cooking.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then add a lid and back the heat down just enough enough to simmer.
- Let simmer for at least 45 minutes (60+ if using bell peppers) or until the meat is cooked and the rice soft enough to eat.
Storage
Store with the broth in the cooking pot for under a day. For longer, refrigerate and reheat on the stove or microwave. You can experiment with freezing cooked grape leaf dolmas and steaming them to thaw and re-cook, but I've never tried - they don't last long enough in my house.
Sourcing grape leaves
To identify a potential vine, look for curly forked tendrils that climb and clusters of tiny immature green grapes. This source has good photos and background info.
Wild grapevines grow in many locations that are conducive to growing wine grapes. They often thrive in moist habitats located next to streams or riverbanks, but can also be found in forested areas, meadows, along roadsides and are especially fond of any kind of man-made fencing.
Or you can get them in a jar online or in the international section of your local large grocery store.
NB: Do your research and be careful when harvesting wild plants. The dangerous lookalikes to wild grapes are Canada moonseed (Menispermum canadense) and porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipendunculata)
Storytime?
What? Does this look like a typically self-indulgent food blogger post florid with vapid musings only tangentially related to the recipe because longer word count pushes such entries to top SEO results? ...ok, just this once.
Used to work with an older Iraqi watchmaker who came to the country as a highly-skilled refugee. Sometimes I'd give him a ride to the shop from his apartment, and in limited English he'd insist on cooking us dinner before I left. When he visited another co-worker's place, he noticed wild grape leaves on several vines growing out of the property, and collected them. I saw the leaf pile on the counter and asked what he was going to do with them, and if he was sure they were edible. "Yes, yes! For dolmas. I'll show you," he said, removing a pack of ground pork and bell peppers from the fridge.
For the next couple summers, I made dolmas from the wild grapes in the neighborhood, and now I have good neighbors who allow me to prune and harvest excess leaves from their fruiting grapevines during the season.
9 votes -
What's your favorite cheap beer to drink?
Cheap as in pbr, rolling rock, and at most yeungling.
13 votes -
Nespresso introduces free coffee pod recycling by mail in Canada
12 votes -
Anthony Bourdain and the power of telling the truth
10 votes -
What's your weekend food?
What's your go-to weekend dish? Whether it's a fried breakfast or eight hour smoked pork shoulder, what do you love to cook on the weekend? Personally it's split between bacon and egg sandwiches...
What's your go-to weekend dish? Whether it's a fried breakfast or eight hour smoked pork shoulder, what do you love to cook on the weekend?
Personally it's split between bacon and egg sandwiches on homemade bread; my chili recipe, loosely based on SeriousEats Best Ever Chili and potato, chorizo, and cabbage hash with a runny egg on top.
8 votes -
Anthony Bourdain: Celebrity chef found dead at 61
8 votes