Recipe time!

Mundane & Pointless Stuff I Must Share: The Off Topic Forum

Moderator: Moderators

User3
Prince
Posts: 3974
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Recipe time!

Post by User3 »

About a month ago I got this great book, full of both fluff and crunch. No, it isn't an RPG book, it's
[counturl=16]Breath of the Wok.[/counturl]

I tend not to contribute much to discussion here, but I tend to get a lot out of it. Anyway, a comment Frank made comparing RPG design to cooking got me thinking. There are two recipies from this book which have gotten a lot of play time, and I figured I'd share them.

Hopefully this won't mark me forever as a freak who has interests other than gaming...

Anyway, feel free to share any recipes you have, I'm sure there are some great ones out there. A lot of this is actually doable in most dorm setups :P

For everything you need a wok, preferably ~14 inches. I got mine at an asian grocery for less than $15. Don't get nonsick or any of that bullshit, just stick to the standard steel or iron.

"Open" the wok by stir frying a bunch of chives in about 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, after washing it out with soap. Then never use soap on the wok again.

Always cook at as high of a temperature as you can. Avoid lifting the wok from the heating element. Electric stoves kinda suck for this :(

So, at risk of turning this into some kind of old-maid recipe swap forum:

My girlfriend loves this one...
Martin Yan's Genghis Khan Beef

1 Tbsp Black soy sauce (this is like the regular stuff but stronger)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 &1/2 tsp Cornstarch
12 oz "Lean flank steak" (whatever, just get some steak and trim the fat and connetive tissue) cut into 1/2 inch (I usually do more like 3/4 inch) cubes.
10 Scallions (green onions :P)
2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 Tsp Chili sambal (this is an indonesian condiment)
1 Tbsp + 1 &1/2 tsp Vegetable oil
3 Tbsp thin sliced garlic (I usually cut the cloves into ~1/8 inch slices)
6 Fresh red Thai chilies, stemmed (I usually use about 8-10, and cut then in half and seed them. They're sometimes dangerously hard to find in the meal, but it gets nice and spicy)

0) Cut up the beef.

1) Combine Soy sauces and corn starch in a bowl, add beef. Marinate for 20 minutes (Until you're done with the rest of the stuff).

2) Cut the first 3 inches of the scallions (from the white tip) off, and save. Sliver the rest (really thin slices, as thin as you can get without it being obnoxious).

3) Combine hoisin, chili sambal, and sesame oil in a bowl.

3.5) Prepare the garlic and chilies if you haven't already.

4) Heat the wok until it is freaking hot. A bead of water should vaporize in under 2 seconds (Its kinda cool watching them skitter around. Same deal as liquid Nitrogen on a table.)
Swirl in the Tbsp of oil and add the beef, spreading it evenly over the surface of the wok. Let it cook undisturbed for 30 seconds, then stir fry until barely browned (1-2 minutes).
Transfer to a plate or bowl.

5) Open the windows and put on the fan for this part, uness you want your roommates to come crying.
Swirl the 1 &1/2 teaspoons oil into thw wok, and add the chillies and garlic. Stir fry until "fragrant," ~15 seconds. Add the white scallion things, and stir fry a minute (or until you're worried that the garlic is burning).

6) Put the beef back in the wok. Add the hoisin mixture. Sir fry until combined/cooked, "about 30 seconds."
Transfer to plate or bowl, garnish with ~1/4 cup slivered scallion.

...

I like the following, even though it has celery. You can cook this as a meal in a dorm fairly easily, your room mates will either love you or hate you, depending on if you give them any...

Mrs. Miu's Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashews
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into 1-inch cubes.
1 &1/2 tsp Shao Xing rice wine, or dry sherry. Or whatever else you have lying around.
1 tsp + 1 Tbsp vegetable oil.
1 &1/2 tsp cornstarch.
1 &1/4 tsp Soy sauce.
1 tsp ginger juice (this is a bit of a pain, just grate ginger into a bowl and then squeeze out the grated stuff to get the juice).
3/4 tsp Sugar.
3/4 tsp Salt.
1/3 cup Cashews (unsalted)
2 tsp thinly sliced ginger (I peel it, cut it into lengthwise slices, cut perpendicular to that, and then cut into matchsticks Probably more work than is neccesary).
2 cups Diced celery (1/2 to 1 inch slices?)
1/4 cup chicken broth.

0) If the cashews are raw, roast them. The recipe says to do this on a cookie sheet in the oven at 375F for 7-10 minutes, I just do it in a frying pan to keep an eye on them.
If they aren't raw, don't sweat it. It they're salted, omit the 3/4 tsp salt from the marinade.

1) Combine rice wine (or alcohol), 1 tsp oil, cornstarch, soy sauce, ginger juice, sugar, salt, and chicken in a bowl.

1.5) Do the ginger slicing, celery dicing, etc. If you haven't already.

2) Heat wok, swirl 1 tbsp oil in, and add ginger slices. Stir fry 10 seconds. Add chicken mixture and spread evenly over walk, allow to cook undisturbed 1 minute.
Then stir-fry until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes.

3) Add celery and stir-fry 1 minute. Add broth and stir fry 1 minute, or until chicken is just cooked and sauce is slightly thickened.

4) Sprinkle with cashews, serve.

Ya, have fun. If there are any vegitarians pissed at me for posting only MEAT, I'll give ya a veggie recipe too.

If you like these and have the cash, buy the book ;)
MrWaeseL
Duke
Posts: 1249
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by MrWaeseL »

In before takeout or microwave dinner is posted.
Username17
Serious Badass
Posts: 29894
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Username17 »

I don't use recipes, by and large. When I want to make something I get an idea in my head of what I want to make and then I make it.

So if I want to make a pecan pie, I take butter, flour, milk, and baking powder and make the crust. That's a lot of butter and flour, and very little baking powder and milk. Sometimes I also put in some vanilla extract or sugar. Whatever. Then I take a different bowl and mix brown suger, dark corn syrup, molasses together. It gets a little bit of milk, flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, butter, and an egg. When it's all together, I pour in an ass tonne of pecans. The sugar slurry should have pecans embedded in it all the way down. Then you press the crust (which is basically biscuit dough) into the pan, and fill it up with the filling. Then you bake it at about 350 degrees until it is done.

And that's how I cook. I don't measure this stuff, I just know how much I need.

When I make peanut butter noodles (which some of Emma's friends have actually called me up at home asking me to come over and make them), I do so by just throwing stuff into the pan until it has the right sort of taste. Not only are the quantities of each ingredient different every time, the ingredients themselves change based on what is in the house.

And yet, it's recognizably the same dish. It's about how you cook it I think. You boil the noodles separately, and if you are using broccoli or carrots, you'll want to throw them in the boiling water at the end. Those kinds of vegetables don't need to be boiled soft all the way through, they just need a head start on the frying pan. Then you have a pan with some oil in it. Use olive oil if you can, but it's not really important. Heat the pan and put some chopped garlic/onions/whatever aliums you have in there. Also put peanut butter and mustard. Now dump in the noodles and whatever vegetables/meat you have and start tweaking the flavor until it's right. You want stuff like oyster sauce, but terriyaki sauce can be used, as can black bean sauce. You are looking for a richer umami source than soy sauce, but if that's what you have go for it.

I'm dead fvcking serious. That's how I cook. It's gotten some good reviews, but I'm not sure how much good explaining it to people in text form is going to be.

-Username17
User avatar
Desdan_Mervolam
Knight-Baron
Posts: 985
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Desdan_Mervolam »

That's about how I cook too, when I can be bothered to cook. The only problem is that you need a modicum (Not that much though) of knowladge of how you make things before you can cook like that. Of course, once you know your building blocks, everything else is easy. Cooking is a wonderfully imprecise artform.

-Desdan
Don't bother trying to impress gamers. They're too busy trying to impress you to care.
User avatar
Maj
Prince
Posts: 4705
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Maj »

Like Frank and Desdan, I've been cooking on the fly for decades. However, I love reading recipes because they're inspiring. People constantly come up with ways of putting things together or techniques for cooking that always seem to lead to something yummy (someone's recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder led to really yummy chicken tortellini soup, and I got the idea for the way we eat chicken satay from a fondue book).

So, Catharz, thank you for posting.

Image

Catharz wrote:1 tsp ginger juice (this is a bit of a pain, just grate ginger into a bowl and then squeeze out the grated stuff to get the juice).


If I recall correctly, some time ago, I needed minced ginger for something. Silly me, I tried running it through a garlic press. What did I learn? Ginger is way too stringy to get much mass pushed through the holes, but it's a great way to juice it.

;)
My son makes me laugh. Maybe he'll make you laugh, too.
User3
Prince
Posts: 3974
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Re: Recipe time!

Post by User3 »

I must admit that I don't often follow recipes exactly either. I learned to make sesame balls with red bean paste from a physics researcher at the U of M, for example, without ever touching a measuring cup.
Just get some glutinous rice flower, mid it in a bowl with some warm water until it has the right texture, make into balls, fill with red bean paste, moisten and roll in sesame seeds, fry until done.

Unfortunately, I lack the creativity to come up with something as complex as the above recipes. And there isn't always someone available to teach.

So I buy a recipe book, follow the text for a few times, and then I'm set to 'play it by ear' (or by tongue?) pretty much forever. I'm that way with music too.

So consider the above recipes guidelines for experimentation (or creative play, if you prefer).

And Maj, thanks for the advice on using a garlic press. I've grated and squeezed about a 6 times while missing the obvious tool. :blush:


Some more good stuff for the meat eaters out there:
Get some dried chillies (the ones that smell smoky, there are a niumber of different possibilities). Seed them and grind them up with some cumin, salt, and a little sugar (I use a mortar & pestle). Rub this on a steak ~20 minutes before grilling.
-from Cook's Illustrated magazine.

If for some reason you can't grill (and I'm sure some of you are familiar with this technique already), heat a cast iron frying pan on your "range" as hot as it will get. Toss the steak in and cook on both sides for no longer than 7 minutes. Then put the steak on a cookie sheet or whatever in the oven at ~350 until its done. Works almost as well as the grill.
-from some online Jeep forum (no kidding, I was searching on how to sear/fake-grill a steak, and Google gave me the Jeep forum).
Ramnza
Associate Fence Builder
Posts: 191
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Ramnza »

I love recipe books to help break up the mundane chicken and rice dishes I usually eat. Then after a while, I start playing around. I get ideas into my head too and start throwing in a few spices here, some onions there. I especially love cooking with cream of mushroom soup or chicken broth. When I come up with something I really like I write it down, in case I have a brain fart and can't come up with anything.

Mom's White Chicken:
Brown some chicken breast and legs in a deep pot with brown sugar and cooking oil.
Add cream of mushroom soup, cream of celery soup, follow the directions in the can and add enough water.
Throw in some peas, onions if you like, and corn if you want.
Bringit to a boil.
Then let that bad boy simmer for two hours on a low setting.
Behold, mom's white chicken.
Spread that over either white rice or pasta and eat up!

What are some of your favorites?
Wrenfield
Master
Posts: 252
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Wrenfield »

I recently made this recipe, albeit with a few tweaks on the 2nd time around ... and it came out totally faboo! It was for a patio tiki party I had for 8 friends. And it got rave reviews.

It combines my love of margaritas, ice cream, and pie ... and tastes totally tropical and exotic. Bon appetite!

[counturl=17]Linkee![/counturl]
User3
Prince
Posts: 3974
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 12:00 am

Re: Recipe time!

Post by User3 »

Sounds...interesting. But I think the recipe is missing something. Tequila, maybe???
:D
User avatar
Zherog
Knight-Baron
Posts: 907
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Zherog »

Here's a few I have... I have more, but I don't feel like figuring out the posting code for it all - I yanked this from the Cooking thread over at Nifty.

here's a recipe for mostly homemade BBQ sauce. ;)

John's Kick Ass Barbeque Sauce

Ingredients

7 - 10 bottles of barbeque sauce (save the bottles)
1 jar of duck sauce
1 or 2 "big squirts" of mustard
1 or 2 "big squirts" of ketchup
couple dashes of wichestersire sauce
1/2 jar molasses
couple cap fulls of vinegar
hot sauce (I use about half a jar; vary by taste)
seasoned salt
dried, chopped onion
1 lemon, halved, juiced, throw in the lemon

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Let it simmer over low heat for about 8 hours. Allow to cool, then use the empty barbeque sauce bottles to store the sauce.

note: When I make it, I'll try and buy 7 to 10 different flavors of barbeque sauce. You can buy the cheap ass stuff, because you're going to add enough seasonings and other stuff to improve the taste and consistency of it.

This sauce is thicker than what comes from the store, and has loads of flavor. It's great on ribs and chicken. I use it in place of ketchup for fries and burgers.
You can't fix stupid.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." ~ Jackie Robinson
User avatar
Zherog
Knight-Baron
Posts: 907
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Zherog »

Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 box of pasta (I like the spirals, but almost any other kind works)
1 large bag of frozen brocoli, cauliflower and carrots, thawed and cut into bite sized pieces
a dozen or so black olives, sliced
1 thick slice of ham (cubed)
1 thick slice of provolone cheese (cubed)
1 bottle italian dressing

(note regarding the ham and cheese: I go to the deli department and ask them to set the slicer to the thickest setting, and get one slice.)

Cook the pasta as normal. Drain and run under cold water to allow it to cool. It needs to be almost cold before you add the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, combine the other ingredients with the pasta. Stir to ensure the italian dressing coats everything. Cover and refridgerate for about 24 hours.

Before serving, stir real well to get the dressing off the bottom of the bowl.
You can't fix stupid.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." ~ Jackie Robinson
User avatar
Zherog
Knight-Baron
Posts: 907
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Zherog »

John's Jambalaya

Ingredients

4 Tbsp butter
3 tbsp crushed garlic
handful crushed basil
1 lb shrimp
1/2 pound spicy smoked sausage cut into bite size pieces
1 1/4 pounds chicken, cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups uncooked rice
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1/2 can water
red pepper
thyme
black pepper
chili powder

In a large frying pan or stew pot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and basil. Sauté the shrimp until cooked (when they turn pink). Add the onion, celery and green pepper. Cook until veggies are soft.

At the same time, brown the chicken and as well. Add a bit of garlic and basil to the chicken as it browns.

When veggies are soft, add tomatoes, chicken broth, water and rice. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the chicken, sausage, red pepper, black pepper, thyme and chili powder and turn down the heat to low. Allow to cook (stirring occasionally) for about 2 hours.

Serve with hot sauce to taste.

***

Sorry I can't give measurements on the spices - when I cook recipes I "invent" I rarely (if ever) measure anything. The amount of thyme I use is roughly a palmful. The amount of the others is several shakes of the container.
You can't fix stupid.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." ~ Jackie Robinson
User avatar
Zherog
Knight-Baron
Posts: 907
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by Zherog »

John's Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

1 pound box uncooked pasta (I use shells and other "fun" shapes to amuse my kids)
1 block sharp cheddar cheese, diced
1 block Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, dced
splash of milk

Cook the pasta as normal. Preheat the oven to 375.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the cheese in a saucepan. When the cheese is almost completely melted, add a splash of milk to make the "sauce" a little creamier.

When the pasta is done, drain and place it in a large baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and stir until the pasta is coated. Place in the over for about 15 minutes.

***

I serve it with stewed tomatoes. Yum!
You can't fix stupid.

"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." ~ Jackie Robinson
rapanui
Knight
Posts: 318
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm

Re: Recipe time!

Post by rapanui »

Rapa's Ramen:
1. Buy some Maruchan Ramen.
2. Crush it in the bag. Open the bag and pour the bits into a bowl. Fill bowl with water.
4. Microwave for 4 minutes. Add the seasoning packet and stir.

Optional: Throw in some cold cheddar cheese cubes or cured ham in there for extra nutritional value. If the cheese is only partially melty, that's best.
User avatar
Avoraciopoctules
Overlord
Posts: 8624
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Avoraciopoctules »

I'm gonna try cooking with sambar powder or curry paste tomorrow. Does anyone have a recipe they'd recommend?
User avatar
Avoraciopoctules
Overlord
Posts: 8624
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Avoraciopoctules »

Found a tutorial, thought I'd share it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6nOQcTeBSE
User avatar
Longes
Prince
Posts: 2867
Joined: Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:02 pm

Post by Longes »

Poor student's dinner:
Mix milk and eggs, dip bread in it, fry it, put pieces of fried sausage in between the pieces of bread. Add spices at any step.

EDIT:
The poorest student's dinner (aka Day and Night sandwich):
Take a piece of white bread, put a piece of dark bread on top. Eat. Add mayonnaise moon and ketchup sun on holidays.
Last edited by Longes on Wed Apr 09, 2014 6:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Maj
Prince
Posts: 4705
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

Post by Maj »

@Avoraciopoctules - I'm sorry I don't have suggestions for you. We make a lot of curries, but don't necessarily use those ingredients. I'm a fan of idli sambar, but don't have a recipe for it. :(
My son makes me laugh. Maybe he'll make you laugh, too.
User avatar
AndreiChekov
Knight-Baron
Posts: 523
Joined: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:54 pm
Location: an AA meeting. Or Caemlyn.

Post by AndreiChekov »

chili powder and oregano are really delicious together. If you have a frying pan, some olive oil and an onion, then fry everything in the house. It will be delicious, no matter what.
Peace favour your sword.

I only play 3.x
User avatar
OgreBattle
King
Posts: 6820
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 9:33 am

Post by OgreBattle »

Miso Paste Salmon
1) Spread miso paste over a salmon filet
2) broil it

You now have a very tasty, crispy salmon.
User avatar
Avoraciopoctules
Overlord
Posts: 8624
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Avoraciopoctules »

I've been getting a lot of use out of my wok this month. Stir-fried eggplant is delicious. This batch had a little carrot and mushroom, a bell pepper, and a mix of crushed red pepper and teriyaki sauce. The dry spice burned pretty fast, though. Would it be a better idea to leave the dry spice until well after I add the sauce next time?
Koumei
Serious Badass
Posts: 13871
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: South Ausfailia

Post by Koumei »

I'm going to make a nice stir-fry some time this week to get some really good use out of the habanero sauce. I was thinking thick noodles, beef strips, broccoli, carrot, capsicum ("peppers" in America?), maybe some cashews as well? Then a mix of mirin, habanero sauce and some lime juice.

Feels like it could do with some more vegetables though, any thoughts as to some others that would go really well there? Tomato sounds like the kind of thing that would mix in well, but it's disqualified on the grounds that I don't like tomatoes.

And I have no idea how much sauce I should be putting in, I'll basically taste as I go, trying to get it to a level I like without making it such that only I can consume it. I'm aware that the more "not chilli" liquids that get added, the more it is diluted, reducing the amount of pure magma that gets absorbed into any given piece.

Ooh, maybe some mushrooms and cucumber?
Count Arioch the 28th wrote:There is NOTHING better than lesbians. Lesbians make everything better.
User avatar
Maj
Prince
Posts: 4705
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 7:54 pm
Location: Shelton, Washington, USA

Post by Maj »

Mushrooms, yes. Cucumber, no. Celery, and zucchini would be OK.
My son makes me laugh. Maybe he'll make you laugh, too.
darkmaster
Knight-Baron
Posts: 913
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:24 am

Post by darkmaster »

What you have to remember about stir-fry is that you can use just about anything but if you do stir-fry right it gets cooked really hot and so you have to be careful and plan the order you put things in so they don't over cook or burn, you can use cucumber but it'll wilt pretty fast, which isn't desirable for cucumber so it should be left for the end (and yes zucchini takes to it better).

@Avor yes, you should, how long you wait really depends on what you're cooking though.
Kaelik wrote:
darkmaster wrote:Tgdmb.moe, like the gaming den, but we all yell at eachother about wich lucky star character is the cutest.
Fuck you Haruhi is clearly the best moe anime, and we will argue about how Haruhi and Nagato are OP and um... that girl with blond hair? is for shitters.

If you like Lucky Star then I will explain in great detail why Lucky Star is the a shitty shitty anime for shitty shitty people, and how the characters have no interesting abilities at all, and everything is poorly designed especially the skill challenges.
User avatar
Avoraciopoctules
Overlord
Posts: 8624
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 5:48 pm
Location: Oakland, CA

Post by Avoraciopoctules »

I made apple strudel today. The filling turned out perfect, but the pastry shell broke on the bottom when I tried to take it off the baking sheet. Any tips for avoiding that next time?
Post Reply