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Cooking+Resteraunts

I had no idea that jambalaya was such an international favorite.

Though (and I'm sure Dr. Chang will back me up on this) usually when a menu item says 'blackened' or "cajun" and you're not in south Louisiana or are above N 30 in latitude, its not . :p



Having spent far too much time bringing the average tooth-per-head count of Pascagoula, MS up ... I'd have to agree with you.
 
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Orange Chicken

Orange Chicken

A chicken recipe I made after reading online recipes for ideas. Serves 1-2 depending on how fat you want to get. Up the ratio of ingredients to proper proportion depending on how many mouths you need to feed.

Basics:

2 Chicken Breasts (Cut into cubes, Just pull out scissors and get it done fast)

1 1/2 cups of flour(All purpose)


1-2 Eggs(Beat them, used for breading)

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/4 Tsp Black Pepper

Oil (Olive, Veg, or Canola for frying)

3Tbsp Corn starch :: 2 Tbsp water (Thickens sauce)

Sauce:

1 1/2 Cups water
3 Tbsp Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar(White vinegar can be used as substitute but flavor will be slightly different)
2 1/2 Tbsp Shoyu (I use Kikkoman Brand)
1/3-1/2 Cup Orange Zest(Grate oranges for zest and then juice it for juice)
1 Cup brown sugar(Pack it down so you get a full cup)
1 Tsp Ginger Root (Mince it fine)
1/2 Tsp Garlic (Ditto ^)
2 1/2 Tbsp Green Onion (Chopped)
1/4 - 1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes(Adjust range depending on taste)
2 1/2 - 3 Tbsp Sake (I use Takara Sho Chiku Bai Classic, It is relatively cheap and good for cooking. Not sure on availability outside of US/Japan)



Cooking:


Combine flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Beat eggs and put them in a separate bowl.

Heat up oil in a deep fryer(375F/190C), wok or large pan(If you are like me with cruddy electric stove).

Dip chunks on chicken in egg and then roll in flour until covered. Fry chicken until crisp on outside and done on inside(I cut open a random sample and make sure batch is done)



For sauce:

Combine 1 1/2 cups of water, the lemon & orange juice, vinegar, and shoyu in a large pan. Stir on medium heat for 2 min until steam starts appearing on top of sauce.

Add in brown sugar, orange zest, garlic, red pepper flakes and green onions and mix them in until no chunks. Bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes.

After boiling for a few minutes turn down heat and stir in corn starch/water mixture to thicken sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and mix. Serve over bowl of rice and desired condiments.

Note: Sorry about retarded American measurements. I'm naive about what systems are used in what countries.
 
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I had a summer job as a cook all throughout highschool but when cooking for myself I like to have minimal prep and cleanup.

Nothing beats a sandwich with breaded veal, eggplant, mushrooms and maybe some hot peppers. That + greek salad and cold beer is my favourite meal. There is a huge indoor market a block away from me so I can get good ingrediants which makes quick meals so much better. Especially for meat, supermarket cuts are not overpriced but they are colored and injected with water to plump them up.
 
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I'm thinking about experimenting a wee bit, I want to try making butter chicken because it sounds / looks damned good. Any advice on the recipies? ( additions to recipies and such ) I've been googling around to find a few good recipies and then modify/combine them.
My advice is to just pick a recipe you like the look of and try it, once you do you can make modifications to your taste. Hell I do that all the time, experimenting is one of the best parts about cooking and I have my own personal recipe book with ones I've kept :D

I love making it up as I go sometimes, like last night for example I had some roo fillets and a whole bunch of random vegetables and spices. So I had pan seared roo (rare) with garlic and chilli seasoning and a side of home made falafel with hummus. It was delish!

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For content this is a dead easy one which is tasty, nutritious and filling;

Tuna fried rice (serves 2-4 depending on serving size)

4 cups cooked long grain white rice (should be cooked beforehand and left to cool)
1 250g can tuna with chilli in oil (if not a spice lover any tuna in oil will do)
1 large carrot cut into thin shards (I use a vegetable shredder)
1 small brown onion cut into thin shards (can dice if that's your preference)
2 spring onions trimmed and finely sliced
1 cup of green peas (if frozen defrost)
2 tbsp of regular soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

**Cook in a wok or large deep pan

1. Pre-heat your wok with a small amount of vegetable oil. Whilst this is happening wisk the eggs in a bowl and then cook them in the wok omlette style turning once, you should end up with a circular patty of cooked egg. When they're done remove the egg patty and using a sharp knife cut it into thin strips, then quarter these strips. Set aside.

2. Scrape the wok clear of any remaining egg debris, add a small amount of vegetable oil and allow to heat. If you are using the tuna with chilli open the can, remove the small chilli peppers and finely dice.

3. Once the fresh oil is heated set the stove to medium and then add the carrot, brown onion and diced chilli. Fry this until the onion starts to go clear stirring at a good pace. Once the onion does start to go clear add the tuna with it's oil and salt/pepper (I use grinders and add 2 twists of salt and 3 of pepper). Continue to stir breaking the tuna into small chunks as you do for another 3-5 minutes.

4. Now it's time for the rice, if you have cooked it earlier make sure that it is thoroughly broken up and not in clumps (I just do this by hand). Turn the heat up to high and add the rice to the mixture in the wok along with the cup of peas and fry for 2 minutes or so stirring constantly (you do not want the rice to sit still at all). Add the egg, spring onion and soy sauce and continue frying for another 2 minutes or so while constantly strirring.

Now serve and enjoy!

Extra tips

- You can add a small drizzle of sesame oil if it's to your taste. To do this finish cooking, remove the wok from heat and stir through the drizzle of sesame oil. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving.

- If you don't like tuna, try substituting it with pork that has been finely diced and marinated overnight in chinese bbq (char siu) sauce.


 
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I have a theory that cooking is actually the perfect hobby/pastime.

It involves physical skills, such as dexterity and a good eye, and mental skills, such as timing and estimation of amounts and is, imo usually pretty relaxing... especially if you take Keith Floyd's approach (apply red wine until the chef is well soused :D).

I find that I can usually forget my day's worries when I am in the kitchen cooking, so it's a little like meditation in that respect. The results are edible and hopefully tasty and you can bring pleasure to those that know you with those results.

The perfect pastime.

Srsly.
 
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Yup, I don't put the effort in if cooking a meal just for myself. But when i cook for my flatmate or friends I genuinely enjoy it. I switch off, listen to music and create.

I've found since I got more into cooking a few months back I've used my camera far less as cooking relaxes me and partially satisfies my creative urges.
 
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Awsome thread is awsome, as a half-italian I love the feeling of enjoying a meal that you just took the time to cook for yourself, and maybe a few friends.
Shrimp Pasta w/ Fradiavolo Sauce

1 Pound of Angel hair Pasta
1/2 Pound of de-shelled shrimp
A whole lotta fresh garlic
1 Lemon
Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cans of Crushed Tomatoes
1 Onion
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Fresh-ground pepper
Chile Pepper Spice
(optional) REALLY hot Hot Sauce

To start, bring a pot of water large enough to hold a pound of pasta to a boil, then add a pinch of salt and a few drops of olive oil and the pasta to the water, stir regularly and bring back to a boil. Boil pasta until it is to your liking, in terms of texture. OK, easy part's done!!!

Now, for the sauce, pour in 2 cans of crushed tomatoes into a pot. Chop up the onion into tiny slices and add a small handful to the pot. Add a heavy dose of Red Pepper flakes (about 1/8 cup should be sufficient). Next add a few shakes of salt, 2 pinches of chile spice, and a few turns from the fresh pepper grinder. Finally, chop up 3-4 garlic cloves and add to the pot. Mix it all together and bring it to a low simmer for about an hour, if you like your food a bit spicier add hot sauce and more red-pepper flakes as needed. Be sure to stir regularly to prevent burning the sauce.

Finally, the shrimp. De-shell the 1/2 pound of shrimp, including tails. Dice 2 garlic cloves into very tiny chunks and stir it into about 1/2 a cup of olive oil. Pour a little bit of the garlic/oil solution into a shallow pan and add a handful of shrimp. Fry the shrimp in the pan, making sure to flip the shrimp regularly, until all the shrimp are nice and pink throughout, squeeze out a lemon wedge into the mix if desired (I always prefer it). Repeat this process until all the shrimp are done.

Add the shrimp to the sauce and crank up the heat a bit, and cook them all together for about five minutes, stirring regularly.

Now at long last!!! Your meal is complete!!! Pour the sauce over the pasta and enjoy!!! This is a great meal to enjoy with a date or significant other, especially with some nice white wine;)

PS I know I don't really use a lot of exact measurements in my recipe, but IMO cooking isn't an exact science, since no two people have the same exact tastes. It's more fun to play around with recipes until you find the exact flavor you are looking for.
 
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Really quick and easy way to make cauliflower. Once you've done this, you'll never go back to boiling it again.

Works well with "broccoflower" too. Really great with romanesco cauliflower.

1) Cut into florettes
2) Lay on a lightly greased (or Pammed) baking tray
3) Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon of oliver oil
4) Salt (and pepper) to taste
5) Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit
 
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Here is a recipe for a very versatile little pastry called a Dutch Baby :cool:

I like this recipe because it is relatively easy to make, the batter doesnt have any sugar in it so it can be dressed with savory or sweet toppings - your only limit is your imagination. By itself the Dutch Baby is light and airy, crusty yet chewy, with a nice freshness due to the lemon zest.


Ingredients you will need -

a 10-inch oven-safe skillet (do not use non-stick)

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
zest from one lemon (the entire lemon, preferably a large lemon)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 and 1/2 large eggs (I'll explain later how to do the 1/2 egg)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of skim milk (it is very important that it is skim milk and not 2% or whole milk)
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla



1. Oil Skillet - Make sure your oven rack is at the center position and then pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put all of the oil into your skillet and place it in the oven for about 10 minutes or as long as it takes you to mix up the batter.

2. Mix Batter - You will need two medium sized bowls for this next part, one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet. In one bowl combine the salt, the flour, the cornstarch and the lemon zest. Stir to combine. In the other bowl whisk the 2 eggs for about a minute, or until they are completely smooth, no lumpy egg whites. Then you will remove and discard 2 tablespoons of the egg mixture*. Now add the vanilla, the milk, and the butter to the whisked eggs and whisk it all to combine it.

Now you have a bowl of dry ingredients and a bowl of wet ingredients. Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and whisk them together.. it will be thick, but try to evenly incorporate the dry stuff with the wet. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk it until you have a thin and completely smooth batter. No lumps. It will be much thinner than a pancake batter.

*(one large egg is equal to a 1/4 cup; a 1/4 cup is equal to 4 tablespoons, so you remove 2 tablespoons from the 2 eggs to make it one and one half egg - that's a bingo!)

This is what the batter will look like -
dutchbabybatter.jpg



3. Bake - Okay, now you're going to take the skillet out of the oven. BE CAREFUL because it will be screaming hot; use an oven mitt/hot pad. The oil you put in the pan will be very thin because it is really hot, pour just a touch of it out of the pan, but leave a good amount in there.. if you pour it all out then there wont be enough to coat the sides of the pan when the pastry rises and it will stick to the side, you do not want that. Pour the batter into the hot pan. Now you are going to return the pan to the oven which should still be on at 450 degrees. When you do this remember to use a freakin' hot pad or you will burn yourself - I've grabbed a hot skillet handle once because I forgot I had had it in the oven, it sucked.. badly.

This is what the pan will look like just prior to putting it back in the oven. Notice the ring of oil around the edge. It needs to have that oil there or it wont rise properly, dont worry, the final product is not oily at all..
dutchbabyprecooked.jpg


Now, just leave it in the oven for 23 minutes and you will have a beautiful Dutch Baby!
dutchbabyfinished.jpg



At this point you can flavor it however you like. Nutella. Berries and whip cream. Jam and lemon juice. Savory items. Whatever strikes your fancy.

Personally I like mine simple with a squeeze or two of the juice from the lemon I used for the zest, along with a light dusting of confectioners (powdered) sugar. Not too sweet, nice and tart..
dutchbabyyum.jpg


YUM!

It may not look like much, but it's really good, easy to make (I'd say the second or third time you make it you will be able to do it in your sleep from then on), and it is a nice template for tasty additions, sweet or savory. I make these at least twice a week for breakfast. Try it :D
 
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