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    1. Food Escapades & Curry Fridays ! Pork chop bhooni // masala pork chops

      Text 567 words
      Greetings fellow Tildes users! It has been quite a long time since I have found myself on this website. I hope everyone is doing just fine today :). For a while now, I have been getting...

      Greetings fellow Tildes users! It has been quite a long time since I have found myself on this website. I hope everyone is doing just fine today :). For a while now, I have been getting increasingly more interested in food and everything that has to do with the cooking process. I have put it into my hands to try to learn as much as I can about this beautiful art, starting with a special type of dish that really speaks to me: Curries!

      My uncle gave me this odd little book once called "Curry Cuisine: Fragrant Dishes from India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia" by David A. Thompson and Vivek Singh. (here's a link if you're interested to buy it: https://www.amazon.com/Curry-Fragrant-Thailand-Vietnam-Indonesia-ebook/dp/B07HXVWFCJ) I hadn't really thought of it that much until one day I had a mind blowing night at an Indian restaurant, which, I cannot remember the name of right now :/.

      During that time, as well, I hadn't really been feeling that great mentally and I didn't really know what to do with my spare time without just getting bored all the time. So, combining that exquisite culinary experience plus the fact that I needed new activities to get me out of the boredom I was feeling, I decided to start up cooking for my parents and myself, and what better place to start than the cookbook my uncle gave me as a gift ! So now, every Friday, I make a curry from this little cute green cookbook I own, and it brings me a lot of joy to make it!

      for the two months I have been doing this so far, I have posted little blog posts on various discord servers about the dishes I make, and due to some people enjoying what I write and do on the discord servers and due to some demand, I have decided that I will post those blogs up here in Tildes for you people to enjoy and share! I will also be putting a question at the end, just to not make it too dry in the comment section :P If asked, I will post the previous posts from the 7 first weeks in a separate post, if you would like to read :)

      But enough of that, here's what I made today! (I usually make these on fridays, but I am doing this one day early because I got stuff to do tomorrow hahah. You do with what you've got !) Today I made a pretty simple dish that I ended up fucking up somewhat. The potatoes ended up being a bit overcooked and not crispy at all, which was disappointed. But at least that was just the side dish! Main dish was a very simple "hogao" like sauce on some pork chops. Man, it's impressive what you can do with water, onions, tomatoes and a few spices! It's tasty and very simple, I'd do it just for any day weeknight meal ! Highly recommend this kind of curry for anyone trying to spice up their weeknights, it'll give ya a nice kick :)

      Picture of the dish: https://imgur.com/fAZyj7F
      [EDIT: will put a picture of the recipe from now on due to demand !] recipe: https://imgur.com/GUN52uz

      Today's question: what is your favourite recipe containing pork chops?

      Have a great day <3
      Tomi, your friendly neighbourhood marshmallow~

      9 votes

    5. Homemade Brazilian foods you may not know

      Text 694 words
      With my sister arriving from another continent along with my nephew/godson and brother-in-law, and my mother also coming from abroad to stay with us, I had the first reunion from this side of the...

      With my sister arriving from another continent along with my nephew/godson and brother-in-law, and my mother also coming from abroad to stay with us, I had the first reunion from this side of the family in more than 2 years. It was awesome for obvious reasons, and one of them was the fact that women in my family usually love food and cook very well. I'm not a bad cook myself, but they're tough competition.

      So I had the idea to take a few pictures and share them with Tildes, along with some commentary.

      Theses dishes are typical of our region of Bahia, Brazil. They may have versions in other states, usually with significant differences.

      All foods are savory.

      With one exception, all photos were taken in my kitchen.

      1. Shrimp Stew

      Just shrimp with some spices and farofa de mandioca[1]. The quality and freshness of the shrimp are one of the most important factors, and living in front of the ocean certainly helps.

      Images:

      2. Lambreta

      A kind of clam that's only available in Bahia (or at least mainly appreciated here). Like many things from our coast, it's naturally tasty and doesn't require much preparation. Salt, onions, tomatoes and lemon juice are more than enough. They're quick to cook — lambretas are ready when they naturally open.

      Image: Lambretas on the plate (source).

      3. Mangrove Crab

      Our crabs are very different from what most people are used to eat elsewhere. They do not come from the sea, but from manguezais[2] (mangrove vegetation), an ecosystem that grows in brackish water (salt-water and fresh-water mixed together).

      These crabs are smaller and carry less meat, but are way more succulent, with a unique taste that is hard to explain and easy to love. We use a variety of ingredients and spices to enhance their flavor, but it's overall a simple preparation, mainly consisting of water, salt, onions, and cilantro.

      Many people, including my mother, used to cook them alive for a better taste. I convinced her to stop doing that and they're still delicious.

      Image: crabs cooking in the pot.

      4. Abará

      This one is neither simple nor easy.

      First there's a dough made of mashed black-eyed peas. When fried on palm oil, it becomes the acarajé. When you add palm oil to the dough and cook it in banana tree leaves, it is called abará. They're both highly sought treats across the country, and I happen to live in the most African city of Brazil, which has the best acarajés and abarás in the country :). It's really hard to digest, though, and it's not rare for tourists to feel sick after the first time they eat those. But they always come back for more! Acarajé and abará are actually "comida de santo" ("holy foods"), meaning they have ceremonial significance in the African-Brazilian religion called Canbomblé.

      It's usually eaten with vatapá, an Afro-Brazilian dish made from bread (my mother uses black-eyed-beans for that), shrimp, coconut milk, finely ground peanuts and palm oil mashed into a creamy paste.

      Abará is a popular street food in our region of Brazil, sold mostly by women from humble origins. Along with acarajé, it's a point of contention with neo-charismatic "baianas de acarajé" who sell the same product using the name calling them "Jesus cakes". They do so because, for them, religions of African origin are literally "the Devil".

      Ingredients

      Image: the ingredients together (minus the black-eyed peas).

      Preparation

      The vatapá must be constantly stirred. It is quite thick, so that's a labor-intensive job. Everyone must help.

      Image: stirring the vatapá.

      Images of the end result:

      Footnotes

      [1] A gift from our Native heritage, it's the toasted version of "farinha de mandioca", a kind of rough flour that enhances the flavor and texture of the dish.

      [2] The equivalent page on Wikipedia only address the mangrove trees, and doesn't really convey that manguezais are unique ecosystems in which includes those trees.

      17 votes

    33. Let's share recipes!

      Ask (recommendations)
      With Pepperplate.com moving their service to an overpriced subscription (queue the exodus), I've been moving some key recipes over to Paprika¹, I figured it'd be a good time to ask for some decent...

      With Pepperplate.com moving their service to an overpriced subscription (queue the exodus), I've been moving some key recipes over to Paprika¹, I figured it'd be a good time to ask for some decent recipes.

      Tuck your recipe and method in a <details> with a good <summary> so the thread is easy to browse.

      I'll get us started!

      Coconut-Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes This comes from [Food and Wine Magazine](https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/coconut-braised-chicken-chorizo-and-potatoes)

      INGREDIENTS

      Chicken

      • 2 tablespoons canola oil
      • 6 whole chicken legs (2 pounds)
      • Kosher salt
      • Pepper
      • 1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
      • 1 onion, thinly sliced
      • 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
      • 1 garlic clove, minced
      • 1 dried chile de árbol, broken in half
      • 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
      • 1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
      • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
      • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

      Gremolata

      • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus sprigs
      • 7 coffee beans, finely crushed (1/2 teaspoon)
      • 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

      METHOD

      Make the chicken

      • Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the chicken over moderate heat, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the chicken to a large plate. Add the chorizo and onion to the casserole and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic and chile and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, potatoes and chicken to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven for about 1 hour, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the lime juice and butter and season with salt.

      Make the Gremolata

      • In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Make sure the cilantro and lime zest is fairly dry, but not dehydrated.

      Plating

      • Spoon the braised chicken and potatoes into shallow bowls. Garnish with the gremolata 
and cilantro sprigs and serve with lime wedges.
      Gordon Ramsay's Stupid Simple Broccoli Soup

      INGREDIENTS

      • 1 large or two medium broccoli clusters (as fresh as possible)
      • Salt (3 tsp.)
      • Ground Black Pepper (4-5 turns on the grind wheel)
      • Water
      • Olive Oil
      • Goat Cheese (2 slices per bowl, preferably 'ashed')
      • Walnuts (about 5 per bowl)

      METHOD

      Cutting the Cheese

      • You will want to slice your goat cheese at this point
      • Dip the knife into the boiling hot water before each slice for even smooth cuts. Cut two slices of goat cheese per bowl being served. I like them about 5mm or so thick.
      • After cutting, use the hot smooth side of your knife to smooth one side of the cheese slices for appearance.

      The Soup

      • Your broccoli is finished cooking when you can pierce it with little or no effort. Remove the stock pan from the stove burner.

      DO NOT POUR THE WATER OUT!

      • Use a slotted spoon to add broccoli to a blender but be careful because it's boiling hot!
      • Pour enough of the water left over from cooking the broccoli to fill the blender half way.
      • Add a pinch (or more) of salt.
      • Use several pulses on your blender to break the broccoli up and then puree for several seconds.

      Plating

      • Add five walnuts to the bottom of a shallow bowl and then place pieces of goat cheese on top of them.
      • Pour soup into shallow bowl around the cheese, not on it. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and serve at once!
      Miso-Squash Soup with Sesame-Ginger Apples This is from [SeriousEats](https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/10/miso-squash-soup-recipe.html) and is another super simple soup that is always a hit.

      INGREDIENTS

      • 1 1/2 quarts plus 2 cups water, divided, plus more as needed
      • 1/2 ounce kombu (approximately a 4- by 6-inch piece; see note)
      • 1/2 ounce grated bonito flakes (about 3 cups; see note)
      • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
      • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
      • 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
      • 2 medium cloves garlic, sliced
      • 2 (1 1/2-inch) knobs ginger, 1 knob peeled and thinly sliced, 1 knob peeled and finely grated, divided
      • 1 (2-pound) squash, such as kuri, kabocha, or butternut, peeled, seeded, and diced
      • 2 tablespoons white or red miso paste
      • 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lemon
      • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
      • Pinch sugar, if needed
      • 1 large crisp apple, such as Fuji, peeled, cored, and diced
      • 1 large or 2 medium scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced on the bias
      • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
      • 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
      • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
      • Shichimi togarashi, optional

      METHOD

      • Combine 1 1/2 quarts water, kombu, and bonito flakes in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a bare simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard solids and set dashi aside.
      • In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add leek, carrot, garlic, and sliced ginger. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are glistening and just starting to turn tender, about 4 minutes.
      • Add squash and pour just enough dashi on top to cover vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are fully tender, about 30 minutes. Using a standing blender or immersion blender, and working in batches if necessary, blend soup until very smooth. Blend in miso and lemon juice.
      • Return soup to pot and thin with enough water to reach a pourable, silky-smooth consistency. Season with salt, add sugar to taste, and keep warm.
      • Meanwhile, fill a medium bowl with 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Add diced apple and let soak for 10 minutes. Drain apple well, then return to bowl. Toss with grated ginger, scallions, toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and remaining 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Season with salt, if needed.
      • To serve, ladle hot soup into bowls and top with the apple-scallion salad. Garnish with shichimi togarashi, if desired.

      ¹Paprika is an overpriced recipe organizer -- paprikaapp.com -- it's okay, but also kind of lame.

      16 votes

    46. What are your favorite meals to prep for a week?

      Ask (survey)
      In an attempt to get somewhat back into shape, I've recently taken up meal prepping again. I love cooking but my previous job was ~60 hour weeks, and some things had to be sacrificed because there...

      In an attempt to get somewhat back into shape, I've recently taken up meal prepping again. I love cooking but my previous job was ~60 hour weeks, and some things had to be sacrificed because there just wasn't enough time in the day. However, I have a somewhat more normal job now and I can get back into the things I love(d) to do.

      I made some teriyaki salmon and veggies for the next week: https://imgur.com/a/GCFPeJS

      Recipe: https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/one-pan-baked-teriyaki-salmon-and-vegetables/

      I'm not good with fish and I rarely try to cook with it (landlocked state so it's hard to get it fresh), l but I found that fish-based dishes very generally tend to be healthier and dairy-free (lactose-intolerant).

      What are your favorite foods to prep for a week? Got any recipes? Any tips for a fledgling beginner?

      17 votes