We're coming to dinner, what's cookin?

[sanyuja]

Is only Moto invited? I love Indian food. My wife loves the rice-rasam, and I love all the curry (chicken, mutton) to go with the rice. Yum. Any papadums to go with that?
ds

You are most welcome ds! I make really good rasam. Will make it extra spicy for you
I am sorry I dont eat meat and know how to cook either!
Yes, you can have papadums for sure. And special chutney to go with it.
So, when can I expect you?

 

[jenn]

I..or else my special green salad, which has pistachio pudding mix, cool whip, mandarin oranges, and crushed pineapple. It sounds strange, but is wonderful!

oh i love those kinds of salads. i don't know what they are called,i've always called them foamy salads. one of the canadian provinces, saskatchewan i think, has a festival of jellied salads. it's my dream to go.

 

[jenn]

"but I think a lot of people do similar."

Ummm...no.
My bet is that you are quite unique. Certainly in the US.

I'd bet there are more people who can run a full length marathon than cook the way you do.

I grovel in your shadow my lady......

i too cook from scratch 3 meals a day. i find it is waaaaay cheaper than to buy pre packaged or eat out. you have control over the fat, sodium, sugar etc that you consume, and i get a great deal of satisfaction watching my family eat something that i made. it is my own personal contribution to their happiness and health. also, as i have young kids, i find it difficult to do some of my more creative hobbies, due to space and time, so cooking is a good creative venue for me. i can experiment, and while it doesn't always have the best results, it's fun.

 

[novella]

i find it is waaaaay cheaper than to buy pre packaged or eat out. you have control over the fat, sodium, sugar etc that you consume, and i get a great deal of satisfaction watching my family eat something that i made. it is my own personal contribution to their happiness and health. also, as i have young kids, i find it difficult to do some of my more creative hobbies, due to space and time, so cooking is a good creative venue for me. i can experiment, and while it doesn't always have the best results, it's fun.

Yes, I do agree! I went through a couple of spells when I could not do this because I had a 9-5 office job, and we were all terribly unhappy. Having interesting meals together is part of our family culture.

Hey, jenn, I never had poutine, but I've seen it in pictures. You can't get the ingredients around here--cheese curds especially. Some day I'm going to catch the train to Montreal and try some. It looks yucky, but I bet it tastes good.

 

[jenn]

it is awesome. we eat a bastardized version of it using leftover gravy, whereas in montreal they use a saltier,spicier sauce. but the key is really the curds, mozerella just doesn't cut it.
it is a heart attack on a plate, best consummed with a cold diet coke.

 

[Kookamoor]

Brr! Horrendous stuff, poutine! And I had the proper Quebec City stuff, too. Mind you, what's worse is the stuff that McDonalds has. Blerrrrk... I guess there's some cultural 'delicacies' that I will just never assimilate to.

 

[direstraits]

I am sorry I dont eat meat and know how to cook either!

Sorry sanyuja, I was being insensitive there. I should asked that first.

So, when can I expect you?

Where exactly are you? Lemme guess - somewhere in northern India. Right? Malaysian Indians typically visit southern India. I don't know why. Could it be due to the language - majority of Malaysian Indians speak Tamil (but it doesn't stop them from watching Bollywood ).

ds

 

[sanyuja]

Sorry sanyuja, I was being insensitive there. I should asked that first.

Dont be sorry ds. I dont mind at all!

Where exactly are you? Lemme guess - somewhere in northern India. Right?

Wrong. I am in south India. Bangalore to be precise. Been here anytime?
Just FYI, rice-rasam is a typical south Indian dish which is very rarely (or never) found in north India. And so is papadum!

Malaysian Indians typically visit southern India. ds

Really? I didnt know that! Havent seen any Malaysian Indian around.

 

[direstraits]

I know of papadums and rasam because that's what the Indians here typically serve.

And I guessed northern india because I saw a picture in your profile of a young girl. I made a huge leap of logic and guessed that she must be a relation. My Indian friends have mentioned that northern indians are fairer skinned than southern indians.

As you can see, my guess was wrong. And I hope I didn't "open my mouth to put my other foot in", as someone posted.

ds

 

[sanyuja]

Oh! The baby in the picture has no relation with me whatsoever! Someone forwarded that picture to me and I put it up there bcos I like it
Yeah, its true that north Indians are fairer compared to south Indians. No, no, you didnt put your foot in your mouth, but you did open your mouth though

 

[Wabbit]

I would make a huge paella de Valencia! A real paella

Everybody gotta try it at least once! Yuuuuum.

 

[Motokid]

"paella de Valencia"



Can you explain, or would that ruin the surprise?
I have no clue what this is.

 

[Wabbit]

Oh sorry

It's a dish from the city of Valencia, Spain. You can find paella in other parts of Spain but they often not very good. Touristy, and Valencia is the home of the paella so they make it better. Well, guess you might get argument from other regions on that count

It's actually hard to explain. I would have to cook it for you to make you really understand how good it is. I know it might not sound that great. It's one of those things that is more than the sum of it's parts. The cooking method has a lot to do with things and the certain type of rice.

It's a rice dish made in a large flat pan. The rice has a high starch content. Similar to Italian Arborio rice that is used to make the risotto. This makes the dish really creamy as the starch is slowly released. In addition to the rice is saffron ( which gives it a nice yellow colour ), some beans, a little fine chopped tomato, olive oil, chicken and rabbit.

It's VERY good! It's served up in the pan and everybody eats together from the same pan. You can put lemon juice on it too. Very, very good!

I find it hard to by rabbit so have to make mine with just chicken. Hard to actually try it outside of Valencia, Spain and even then you need to be careful. You can make a good one at home though. If anybody is interested I will give you a recipe and a link to buy a pan. This is a good recipe. I have looked online and they are ALL of them wrong!!!!! Any Spanish person would spin in their grave at the recipes posted on the net calling themselves paella! It's many things but its not "rice with bits in it"

EDIT

here is a pic of a paella

 

[novella]

Oh sorry

It's a dish from the city of Valencia, Spain. You can find paella in other parts of Spain but they often not very good. Touristy, and Valencia is the home of the paella so they make it better. Well, guess you might get argument from other regions on that count

It's actually hard to explain. I would have to cook it for you to make you really understand how good it is. I know it might not sound that great. It's one of those things that is more than the sum of it's parts. The cooking method has a lot to do with things and the certain type of rice.

It's a rice dish made in a large flat pan. The rice has a high starch content. Similar to Italian Arborio rice that is used to make the risotto. This makes the dish really creamy as the starch is slowly released. In addition to the rice is saffron ( which gives it a nice yellow colour ), some beans, a little fine chopped tomato, olive oil, chicken and rabbit.

It's VERY good! It's served up in the pan and everybody eats together from the same pan. You can put lemon juice on it too. Very, very good!

I find it hard to by rabbit so have to make mine with just chicken. Hard to actually try it outside of Valencia, Spain and even then you need to be careful. You can make a good one at home though. If anybody is interested I will give you a recipe and a link to buy a pan. This is a good recipe. I have looked online and they are ALL of them wrong!!!!! Any Spanish person would spin in their grave at the recipes posted on the net calling themselves paella! It's many things but its not "rice with bits in it"

EDIT

here is a pic of a paella

I agree. Paella is one of the world's great dishes. For Christmas I got some top-quality Kashmir Mogra Cream Saffron from Penzey's and have been making paella and biriyani with it since. Fantastic stuff. When I was in S. France last year I bought my first paella pan. Used to use an American-style casserole, which was completely insufficient.

Paella is one of those dishes that's very hard to find a great version of in US restaurants. Always too dried out or the seafood is overcooked.

 

[Wabbit]

As I mentioned, it's even difficult to find a good paella Spain.

I think it's a time issue and a chef quality issue. Paella requires practise to make it well and also takes quite a long time to cook it. Most restaurants have neither the skill nor the time to invest in the dish.

The important point of making a paella. The NUMBER ONE rule.... NEVER, EVER, STIR the paella! Not once, not ever! It ruins it.

 

[Motokid]

Sounds good Wabbit. I was just concerned it might be goat testicle, or wolf nipple chips, or something disquised by a fluffy name....

 

[Wabbit]

You never know That's all part of the excitement at eating in wabbit's place!

 

[cajunmama]

Mmmmmm, paella!! We have a similar dish called Jambalaya. There is a lot of Spanish influence in my region (the Louisiana Territory was briefly owned by Spain and my paternal grandmother's people came from the Canary Islands)

That being said, as a true blue Cajun, I would be skinned and hung by my toenails if I didn't cook true Cajun cuisine for my "yankee" friends.

One very large pot of chicken and sausage gumbo, all the potato salad you can eat, as well as garlic french bread.
Or
I could also serve you boiled seafood- crawfish, crab or shrimp, whatever is in season, although shrimp is my favorite. In with the seafood, you would find short ears of corn, onions, sausages, potatoes, lemons, maybe mushrooms and heads of garlic. All well seasoned, with ice-cold beer, sodas or iced tea.

 

[Motokid]

Cajunmama:

What goes into your potato salad if you don't mind me askin?

My bet is it's outa-this-world awesome.

 

[Wabbit]

Mmmmmm, paella!! We have a similar dish called Jambalaya. There is a lot of Spanish influence in my region (the Louisiana Territory was briefly owned by Spain and my paternal grandmother's people came from the Canary Islands)

That being said, as a true blue Cajun, I would be skinned and hung by my toenails if I didn't cook true Cajun cuisine for my "yankee" friends.

One very large pot of chicken and sausage gumbo, all the potato salad you can eat, as well as garlic french bread.
Or
I could also serve you boiled seafood- crawfish, crab or shrimp, whatever is in season, although shrimp is my favorite. In with the seafood, you would find short ears of corn, onions, sausages, potatoes, lemons, maybe mushrooms and heads of garlic. All well seasoned, with ice-cold beer, sodas or iced tea.

THAT ALL SOUNDS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!

Cajun food is something I would really like to try. Always wanted to visit that part of the US too. Maybe I will make it down there some day