How do you cook it?

[Sebastian]

A couple pics of yesterday's work. My eldest son is nine and I wanted to do something different to engage him in a project. So little is open, but the Asian grocery store is just weird enough to feel like an adventure. First we grated daikon and carrot to make the Do Chua. Dressing: 1/3 cup of white sugar and about one teaspoon of salt dissolved in a 1/2 cup of hot water, then 1/2 cup white vinegar.

View attachment 3630

Then I did most of the work for the Vietnamese noodle salad with mahi mahi. I used a griddle instead of the grill this time because I just want a 2 minute sear on each side. The dressing for the noodle salad is as follows:

1 minced garlic clove
2 tablespoons of lime
2 tablespoons of white sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
Equal parts chopped mint, basil, and cilantro

Then most of the rice noodles get tossed in the dressing. The veggies I threw in included the Do Chua, shaved fennel, shaved iceberg lettuce, mung beans, green onions, and cucumber. I topped it with crushed peanuts for texture. It was pretty hot and I'm going to be eating this for a few days. Here's what it looked like:

View attachment 3631

I was proud of the nine year old for essentially doing a beef pho on his own. There were shortcuts, but he measured everything out and mixed everything himself. I'm eating his leftovers right now.

The items cost a little over thirty bucks but it gave us all something to do besides fuck around online.

How did your Pho come out?

Does your son cook regularly?

 

[Randolphkeys]

How did your Pho come out?

Does your son cook regularly?

My son has loved being my sous chef since he was four or five. Lately with two kids I forget to ask him to be my helper because it's hard to have jobs for two kids. He does take pride in making his own breakfast and occasional lunch. This was the first time I was basically hands off and just gave him directions for a family meal.

There were shortcuts. The packet above gave us the spice profile for half of the broth, and the other half was Better Than Boullon. That is the right move because the packet didn't really give beef flavor, but it is a fail safe for the spice. The meatballs below are pre-cooked and took one step away from what he had to do. I'm pretty sure the Vietnamese restaurant in our neighborhood uses these as well.

As soon as we have a other foggy day, I'm assigning him the pho for a family lunch. He had a great deal of pride since beef pho is a favorite family night out.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Fam went to the beach at low tide today and my kids touched mussels clinging to the rocks. I decided to make a dish with store-bought live mussels so they can make the link from land to table.



Here is the Tyler Florence recipe for Thai mussel soup, I also made a side of rice noodles for a starch beneath the broth.

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles Recipe

Tyler Florence likes making this one-pot dish for parties because it requires so little cleanup.

www.foodandwine.com

The kids loved the mussels, didn't like the broth and that shocked me. They love Southern Asian flavors. I may make some French style mussels next, but rice noodles are a great low carb component.

 

[Sebastian]

Fam went to the beach at low tide today and my kids touched mussels clinging to the rocks. I decided to make a dish with store-bought live mussels so they can make the link from land to table.

View attachment 3667

Here is the Tyler Florence recipe for Thai mussel soup, I also made a side of rice noodles for a starch beneath the broth.

Steamed Mussels with Coconut Milk and Thai Chiles Recipe

Tyler Florence likes making this one-pot dish for parties because it requires so little cleanup.

www.foodandwine.com

The kids loved the mussels, didn't like the broth and that shocked me. They love Southern Asian flavors. I may make some French style mussels next, but rice noodles are a great low carb component.

Love mussels. They are a super food.

Coconut milk is great with a lot of things.

Monsieur Benjamin's does an amazing job with a lemon sauce.

 

[Kouki]

My son has loved being my sous chef since he was four or five. Lately with two kids I forget to ask him to be my helper because it's hard to have jobs for two kids. He does take pride in making his own breakfast and occasional lunch. This was the first time I was basically hands off and just gave him directions for a family meal.

I distinctly remember doing this when I was a kid and taking pride in it and that has carried through to my adult life, so, cheers.

My mom probably still has the "recipes" I "developed" for various soups tucked away in her cupboard.

...I also remember being super proud of identifying that oregano is the herb that gives certain Italian deli sandwiches that distinct flavor.

 

[BMAN]

Damn, I’m jealous of all you guys that know how to cook well, and what to make. Keys, I would have never even known to make that. Legit never heard of that dish before your post. Kouki, would not have thought of that either.

I just seasoned some pork chops and grilled them up and steamed small red potatoes. I suck ha.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Damn, I’m jealous of all you guys that know how to cook well, and what to make. Keys, I would have never even known to make that. Legit never heard of that dish before your post. Kouki, would not have thought of that either.

I just seasoned some pork chops and grilled them up and steamed small red potatoes. I suck ha.

I lived across the street from the "weird Asian supermarket" for four years. My neighborhood also has amazing restaurants that represent the different regions of Asia, which taught me the different flavor profiles of each region. When I lived in the Rust Belt I had no idea that Thai, Vietnamese, and Myanmar food were all completely different. That's the upside of living in an Asian neighborhood.

 

[Kouki]

I just watch a lot of cooking shows and think "hmm that sounds good"

 

[Randolphkeys]

Love mussels. They are a super food.

Coconut milk is great with a lot of things.

Monsieur Benjamin's does an amazing job with a lemon sauce.

Totally forgot to mention that we learned the hard way that my wife has developed a horrible allergic reaction. She has had shellfish her whole life, we haven't had it recently, and either the mussels or a recent purchase of kiwi has her high as a kite on Benadryl with rashes all over her face. So, I'm going to go ahead and not recommend that Tyler Florence soup.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Stoked about this onion brandy sauce I've been doing lately.

Need:

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of butter
2 medium onions cut into thin slices
1 shot of brandy
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
2 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon good paprika
Pinch of dried herb like thyme
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons cold water
Pepper to taste

Step one - Melt the butter and oil in a saucepan. Add the thin sliced onions. Cook on medium for ten minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Step two - Add the brandy, then the sugar. Cook off the alcohol on the same temperature for about 3-5 minutes.

Step three - Add the stock with the seasoning and boil for ten minutes. If you have a lid, you can use it to be sure the onion is cooked through.

Step four - Make a paste with the cold water and cornstarch. Add a little of the boiling broth, mix, and put it back in the saucepan.

Step five - Cook ten minutes more, stirring until it thinkens like pictured below. Then put a lid on and lower it to warm until you plate.



I'm putting it on everything. It tastes like perfectly seasoned French poultry dinner.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Deep fried falafel from scratch. Stoked.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Falafel batter

*1- to 1 1/2 pounds of shredded zucchini, carrot, and onion, left in a collender with salt and pepper to drain moisture.
*Add one egg.
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
*1/4 cup chopped parsley
*1/2 tsp cumin
*1/4 tsp ground coriander
*1/4 tsp black pepper

Let it all sit ten minutes.

 

[Sebastian]

Falafel batter

*1- to 1 1/2 pounds of shredded zucchini, carrot, and onion, left in a collender with salt and pepper to drain moisture.
*Add one egg.
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour
*1/4 cup chopped parsley
*1/2 tsp cumin
*1/4 tsp ground coriander
*1/4 tsp black pepper

Let it all sit ten minutes.

I am going to try this.

I got addicted to falafel in Iraq.

 

[Lee]

I am going to try this.

I got addicted to falafel in Iraq.

Thats how they get you.

You start with just one falafel a day and before you know it you are doing lines of hummus.

 

[Randolphkeys]

I am going to try this.

I got addicted to falafel in Iraq.

They were spectacular, I still have a few leftovers in the fridge. You can up the spice if you want, curry powder or garlic powder would be an excellent addition. I made them as a way to get my youngest to try veggies that look different. I'm going to do them as party food when we can go back to entertaining guests again. It's a perfect finger food.