The food thread

See if you get Bhakarwadi or roast Bhakarwadi, the latter is a spicy baked flaky pastry, a sort of introduction.
The real garlic one can make me sweat, it can be so hot, and I can stand more chilies than most Caucasians...

A friend grew up in Africa, he says some of the food there uses more chilies than we do in India, he has not tasted Telugu chilies loaded food to my knowledge.
 
A friend of mine visited Rajasthan, a desert state for the most part.
He wanted to go potty, a man sent him to another man, who gave him a bit of cotton with a little oil on it.
He said apply before release, it won't stick...and go anywhere in the open.
No paper or water was available in the area, so this was the sanitary method.

In Iran and Sindh, the fields were fertilized with human waste, and it was not seen as an aberration. People did their stuff in the fields...water was the cleaning material / method.

Now, that may have left a bad feeling, so back to sweets...
How many of you have vermicelli and similar items being used in sweets?
In South India and Indian Sindhi cuisine, vermicelli is added to sweet reduced milk, and served, sometimes with a garnish, or sprinkle of nuts etc.
 
Last edited:
Home sick from work today with a head cold. Running low on bread, so doing a "hands off" method for sourdough. I think I have 4m37s of actual work in this. This recipe makes 2 loaves or 6 baguettes

1000gr high protein artisan bread flour
750gr water 88-90°F
186gr ripe 100% starter
20gr salt

Mix 700gr water and starter, add 1000gr flour, mix to shaggy dough. Let fermentolyse for 30-45 minutes. Dissolve 20gr salt in 50gr warm water while resting. Add salt water after rest, work in using rubaud method combined with stretch and fold for 1-2 minutes. Move dough to bulk ferment container, proof at 80-82°F for 3-5 hours to 30-40% rise. (Oven turned off but light turned on makes a great proofing box)

Normally I would handle the dough every 30-45 minutes trying to build gluten structure with various techniques like stretch and fold, coil folds, rubaud, slap and fold, etm. However heavily working it early on and using strong starter that is at peak you get stretching from the gasses building up and it rising.

After bulk ferment, dump dough onto floured work surface, divide and preshape with big stretches. Bench rest 30-40 minutes. Final shape very tight and move to lined baneton for final proof at 80-82°F for 4-5 hours or about 40-50% rise.

Last hour preheat oven to 500°F with cast iron Dutch oven in it. Turn out dough onto parchment, score and place in preheated Dutch oven. Add 1-2 ice cubes under the parchment and put lid on. Place in oven on middle rack, immediately lower temp to 450°F bake 20 minutes lid on, then 20 minutes lid off. Done temp is 208-210°F internal at sea level (at altitude, use whatever temp water boils at for your done temp).

Cool 2 hours before cutting unless you plan on eating the entire loaf warm.

20240127_160526.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Member
Joined 2010
Paid Member
If it wasn't already obvious, that is for the girls.
For men, next time you're in Costco, look for the Hello Brown Trout brand.

The Hello Kitty TP and the Japanese "makes your life happy" TP are for collecting!

I've always wondered why they don't make brown TP.

BTW, we got a few rolls of Hillary Clinton TP. I bought them as a joke. We put them on display in the bathroom when we get visitors... Otherwise they are unusable because they are way too abrasive.
 

Attachments

  • 20211203_174455.jpg
    20211203_174455.jpg
    654 KB · Views: 20
  • 20220211_151540.jpg
    20220211_151540.jpg
    641.5 KB · Views: 19
  • 20220627_155632.jpg
    20220627_155632.jpg
    499.4 KB · Views: 19
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Member
Joined 2010
Paid Member
Real men don’t use bidets or even rolls of paper. They use leaves and after just a bit of experience they know what poison ivy looks like!!!

Perhaps now back to food, not the other end.

They go together. Actually, sequential...

Intake->Process->Exhaust.

Real Men use bidets... we're clean! We also shave and use deodorant.

You can't have a complete food thread without having some thoughts about Numero Dos. That would be like buying a Bose system.
 
Since switching to baking all our bread myself, using a sourdough starter, my gut health has improved tremendously. Lactofermentation and the associated probiotics really have done a lot for me. I don't drink a lot, just often, and the digestive troubles associated with that are no fun. I also feel better when full, never bloated.
 
Member
Joined 2010
Paid Member
Since switching to baking all our bread myself, using a sourdough starter, my gut health has improved tremendously. Lactofermentation and the associated probiotics really have done a lot for me. I don't drink a lot, just often, and the digestive troubles associated with that are no fun. I also feel better when full, never bloated.

Hmm.. having digestive issues? Is that why you cook most everything from scratch?

Thankfully we seem to have iron guts. I can still digest Monsanto food stuffs and survive on it. We cook good food because we like to cook and we want good food, but I could survive on a diet of McDonald's if the Big One hit and we had nothing else. The only thing I might not be able to tolerate is Soylent Green. That'd be like eating myself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Speaking of spicy, I started rummaging through the cupboards wondering what I might get into today and the next thing your know, I have a hot and sour soup.
Ingredient guessing time. The broth bowl, hot sauce and the packages (Tamarind and Benito flakes) are exempt. So are the bamboo salad and the eggs. That leaves six. How many you can get right?
First one to guess the ingredients gets a free bowl and an around the world trip via Calhounia Airlines.
Total value of the prize package: Priceless.

I seem to have pic of a previous pot as well in the archives.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1569.jpeg
    IMG_1569.jpeg
    266.3 KB · Views: 29
  • IMG_1391.jpeg
    IMG_1391.jpeg
    173.6 KB · Views: 28
Last edited:
Member
Joined 2010
Paid Member
Knorr?

That's worse than Cup'O'Noodles.

What kind of tofu did you put in there? We use a Japanese brand -Hinode-, regular, for soups like that. Might use some Korean stuff on occasion for a stir fry, but only Meiji Tofu for misoyaki (hard) or yudofu/cold (soft).

Don't you take out the kombu? Normally we just add it for soup base flavor in the beginning but take it out for eating... Of course, sometimes we cheat and use Hondashi.
 
Last edited:
My comfort food for lunch today since I'm home alone and sick. A tartine of Sriracha sourdough, cured salmon salad with more sriracha, red onion, sweet gherkins, fresh evoo mayo. Slice of Jack cheese, black pepper, parsley and more onion on top. Chasing the Vicks with a beer so I'll be knocked out soon, lol!

20240201_141541.jpg




Nothing diagnosed for digestive issues, I cook because my fat a** loves to eat good food and its way cheaper at home. The benefits are just a recently noticed side effect.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Member
Joined 2010
Paid Member
Looks beautiful. That's one hell of "sick day comfort food"... I wonder what you have when you feel well?

Hint: try steak tartar, medium rear.

The only thing I'd do is add a small salad... you need those fibers in your diet.... a cup of chopped tomato and cucumber salad with some spanish olives would be a killer both in taste and look.

I had some acid reflux last night... possibly because of the prepping I did for the five year back door check up.... check up is fine.

Anyhow, Tums did nothing, then I remembered, so I drank a shot glass of Apple Cider vinegar. I slept like a baby afterwards.

I might have to slow down the Sriracha for a couple of days, 'cause I buy that by the gallon, seriously.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
What kind of tofu did you put in there?
I took the pics before I remember the ingredients that don't need the soaking.
It is fried squares, cut into pieces.
It is prepared and sold by the Monks in the Buddhist Temple here in town.
It's very good but too salty to have on it's own so it is usually done with rice but in this case, since we are big supporters of the temple, we have a lot of it so I can splurge and use one of the squares in the soup.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1570.jpeg
    IMG_1570.jpeg
    170.8 KB · Views: 26
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user