What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Evo]

I've got supermarket curry powder, but it's pretty bland, not at all spicy, and just the yellow variety. They don't have blocks and they don't have red, and definitely don't have spicy.

There are many different prepackaged curry powders, or (preferably) make your own curry blend according to your taste preferences.

Curry powder is a blend of up to 20 different herbs and spices, including the commonly used: cardamom, chiles, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mace, nutmeg, pepper, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, saffron, tamarind and tumeric (which gives curry its characteristic golden color). In Indian cooking curry is freshly ground each day (making it far more flavorful and pungent than the mixes sold in the store), and comes in "standard" and "Madras" (hot) versions.

http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=487

Alton Brown's curry powder (that's what I'd like)

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25741,00.html

Experiment and make a curry powder using what you like.

 

[turbo]

For those who would like a decent (though mild to my taste) supermarket curry powder, I would recommend Javin Brand curry. I can use this as a base seasoning in many dishes, with the addition of more seasonings, like cayenne pepper, ground (in my mortar) crushed red pepper, black pepper and my chili relishes. Javin is a pretty good base to make stir-fried curried chicken with onions and green peppers. It has a relatively balanced blend of spices, IMO, even though it is a bit too bland to use alone.

 

[Moonbear]

There are many different prepackaged curry powders, or (preferably) make your own curry blend according to your taste preferences.

Easier said than done. I've never seen saffron in any local store (in fact, I've only seen it once in a specialty/gourmet type food store when I still lived in NJ and never since). I'd really prefer to just get a curry that's pre-mixed...that would cost a small fortune to get all those specialty spices just to use a little bit of each.

And, I STILL don't know where to get red curry...I LOVE red curry...what's in red curry to make it red instead of yellow?

 

[Evo]

Easier said than done. I've never seen saffron in any local store (in fact, I've only seen it once in a specialty/gourmet type food store when I still lived in NJ and never since). I'd really prefer to just get a curry that's pre-mixed...that would cost a small fortune to get all those specialty spices just to use a little bit of each.

And, I STILL don't know where to get red curry...I LOVE red curry...what's in red curry to make it red instead of yellow?

Hmmmm, I have always been able to find saffron in the spice section. I always make my own curry powder since I don't like a lot of the spices sometimes added to commercial mixes.

 

[Astronuc]

And, I STILL don't know where to get red curry...I LOVE red curry...what's in red curry to make it red instead of yellow?

Ground red peppers.

I use McCormick's Hot Madras Curry Power, which is reasonably spicy, or Tone's Curry Power which is milder. (contains sulfiting agents)

Durkee also makes spices - http://www.durkee.com/homeuse/spices-ethnic-creations.php
I'll have to try their Thai seasoning. I'm not sure about their curry powder, but I seem to remember that it was mild. http://www.durkee.com/homeuse/spices-cooking-spices.php

As for Red Curry -

McCormick's Gourmet Collection Red Curry Powder
http://www.mccormick.com/productdetail.cfm?ID=6544
(Warning: contains sulfur dioxide as a preservative)
One could also make one's own red curry by grinding red peppers and blending them with curry powder. I often add curry power and hot sauce to a dish (my own that is).

Thai "Nam Prik Krung Kaeng Ped" Red Curry Powder
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/thai-nam-prik-krung-kaeng-ped-red-curry-powder

Some curry recipes - http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave2/durban.asp

For those who like fiery foods - http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/index.asp
FYI Jeans and turbo - http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/jolokia_compared.asp


One of my favorite places - http://www.2hotlicks.com/ - I visit their store in San Diego.
See - http://www.2hotlicks.com/mixes.htm


One can find McCormick's, Tone's and Durkee in larger grocery stores, or one can order on-line.

 

[Astronuc]

I've got supermarket curry powder, but it's pretty bland, not at all spicy, and just the yellow variety. They don't have blocks and they don't have red, and definitely don't have spicy.

Supermarkets these days sell mild or medium spices, because the really hot stuff appeals to a small minority. I've noticed mild and medium picante sauces or hot sauces, but not really hot stuff.

As for curry, the main ingredients are fenugreek, coriander, cumin and tumeric, with the proportions determining taste and spicyness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenugreek

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a plant in the Family Fabaceae. It is commonly known as Venthayam (Tamil), menthulu (Telugu), ulluva (Malayalam) or Methi (Bangla, Hindi, Marathi). Fenugreek is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seed). It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop. It is frequently used in curry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriander

Coriander, Coriandrum sativum is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. The name 'coriander' in a culinary context may refer to either the seeds of the plant (used as a spice), or to its leaves (used as a herb), however in North American countries, for example, the name Cilantro is given to the leaves. Coriander is native to southwestern Asia and west to north Africa. It is a soft, hairless plant growing to 50 cm [20 in.] tall. The leaves are variable in shape, broadly lobed at the base of the plant, and slender and feathery higher on the flowering stems. The flowers are borne in small umbels, white or very pale pink, asymmetrical, and with the petals that point away from the centre of the umbel being longer (5-6 mm) than those pointing to the middle of the umbel (only 1-3 mm long). The fruit is a globular dry schizocarp 3-5 mm diameter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumin

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) (sometimes spelled cummin) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India.

It is a herbaceous annual plant, with a slender branched stem 20-30 cm tall. The leaves are 5-10 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, thread-like leaflets. The flowers are small, white or pink, and borne in umbels. The fruit is a laterall fusiform or ovoid achene 4-5 mm long, containing a single seed. Cumin seeds are similar to fennel seeds in appearance, but are smaller and darker in colour.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumeric

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae which is native to tropical South Asia. It needs temperatures between 20 and 30 deg. C. and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered annually for their rhizomes, and re-seeded from some of those rhizomes in the following season.

It is also often misspelled (or pronounced) as tumeric. It is also known as kunyit or haldi in some Asian countries[2].

Its rhizomes are boiled for several hours and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as a spice in curries and other South Asian cuisine, for dyeing, and to impart color to mustard condiments. Its active ingredient is curcumin and it has an earthy, bitter, peppery flavor and has a mustardy smell.

I would suggest trying all 4 to experience the tastes/spicyness individually.

I'd minimize cardamom, or not use it.

One can make a red curry by adding drying cayenne or other red pepper powder. Habanero powder would make a nice hot addition.

 

[Moonbear]

Supermarkets these days sell mild or medium spices, because the really hot stuff appeals to a small minority. I've noticed mild and medium picante sauces or hot sauces, but not really hot stuff.

I've noticed that too with the salsas. You always used to be able to select from all three temperatures, but in the past few years, it's become almost impossible to find "hot."
I didn't really need definitions of the different spices. I know what they are, I just can't easily get all of them (I don't think I've seen fenugreek in any local store either). I wanted to make a BBQ rub from a recipe someone sent me over the winter, and ended up having to wait to get some of the spices by mail order because none of the local stores carried them (and I went to ALL of them thinking someone must carry these things...I didn't think they were that uncommon).

One can make a red curry by adding drying cayenne or other red pepper powder. Habanero powder would make a nice hot addition.

I don't think red curry is just added red pepper. It never seemed all that spicy, but a flavor entirely different from yellow curry. Adding red pepper just gives me a spicy yellow curry, which I like, but isn't red curry.

 

[hypatia]

How to make red curry.
http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/red-curry.php

 

[turbo]

I've noticed that too with the salsas. You always used to be able to select from all three temperatures, but in the past few years, it's become almost impossible to find "hot."

And when you do find "hot" commercial salsas, they are always pretty mild. Newman's Own "hot" salsa has a fair taste (back before I could get back into gardening) but I would always spice it up. I'd add a bunch of hot sauce from The Mex - a restaurant in Ellsworth. Their hot sauce is 100% jalapeno chilies. At $1/oz, it's pretty pricey stuff, so I'm very happy to bypass them and make my own sauces.

http://www.themex.com/

 

[Moonbear]

How to make red curry.
http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/red-curry.php

Thanks hypatia. Indeed, that is quite different from yellow curry. Though, hmmm...now where to get shrimp paste from? I think I just have to visit NYC or Chicago again and get to a Thai restaurant.

 

[Astronuc]

How to make red curry.
http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/red-curry.php

Great site hypatia, especially

http://www.templeofthai.com/cooking/about_thai_curry.php

 

[Astronuc]

I don't think red curry is just added red pepper. It never seemed all that spicy, but a flavor entirely different from yellow curry. Adding red pepper just gives me a spicy yellow curry, which I like, but isn't red curry.

If one looks at the site that hypatia posted, they have a recipe for 'red curry' powder.

http://www.templeofthai.com/recipes/red-curry.php (actually a paste).

The key is ground red chili peppers - http://www.templeofthai.com/food/spices/redchilipeppers-3111107210.php and tumeric.

Otherwise the taste is determined by the proportions and types of ingredients.

 

[hypatia]

Moonbear, you can get the shrimp paste from the same site in the link, they have a store. Thats how I found the site, I've bought a few things from them, all very good.

 

[turbo]

I may try making up red curry paste and canning it next summer. My wife and I do lots of stir-fries using pork, chicken, etc, and it would be nice to have some red curry to accent the dishes. Now, we make do with a commercial curry powder, and add chili oil, powdered chilies and/or my chili relishes. I'm betting that habanero curry past would be really exciting!

 

[Math Jeans]

I may try making up red curry paste and canning it next summer. My wife and I do lots of stir-fries using pork, chicken, etc, and it would be nice to have some red curry to accent the dishes. Now, we make do with a commercial curry powder, and add chili oil, powdered chilies and/or my chili relishes. I'm betting that habanero curry past would be really exciting!

See my earlier recipe .

 

[~christina~]

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/920/547901bs4.jpg http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7038/aaaaakuproyaaaaaafzpbgse8.jpg
wow

Those are GIANT sprinkles oh and yeah, the cupcake is supersized as well

 

[msamelia]

http://www.photogiga.com/out.php/t10256_hamburger202.jpg

 

[GeorginaS]

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/920/547901bs4.jpg http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/7038/aaaaakuproyaaaaaafzpbgse8.jpg
wow

Those are GIANT sprinkles oh and yeah, the cupcake is supersized as well

I love that baking pan! Where is that from, christina?

 

[Moonbear]

I agree...that's an adorable baking pan!

Oh, and I'm thrilled that the grocery store expanded some of the international foods selection recently, and I was able to find red curry paste (they had green curry paste too, and a few other things I'd never seen before that I'd been wanting...yummy!)

 

[Moonbear]

Today I got a nice treat at work. They got in a bunch of laying hens on the farm and they've happily started laying. They were trying to give away about 15 dozen eggs today! I took a dozen fresh eggs off their hands. Yum. Had fried eggs and toast when I got home. Maybe I should get more and bake up a storm this weekend. The only catch is they're all medium-sized eggs (at least the flats they brought down to the building I was in)...I usually use large eggs in my recipes, and I'm not sure how to adapt the recipes for medium eggs.

 

[wolram]

I now have a brand new 3.5ltr slow cooker, so i expect my chili cooking to improve, do you have to do any thing different cooking this way?

 

[turbo]

I tried using a slow-cooker (crock-pot) years ago to make chili, and it came out like mush. I even tried browning my onions, peppers, and meat in a skillet before adding them to the slow-cooker. Slight improvement, but still it didn't come out as good as my chili cooked on a stove-top. I have a large, lidded SS Revereware pot with a very thick bottom, and that's really the only pot I can use to make chili. I don't like the idea of leaving my house with a cheap electrical appliance running, anyway. All I can think of is that "made in China" POS is going to crap out and burn my house down.

 

[lisab]

I use my slow cooker for stews, pulled pork, corned beef...really, any dish that requires a long moist simmer. My stove runs on gas, not electricity. It makes it hard to maintain a low simmer on the stovetop, but the slow cooker is perfect for that.

 

[NateTG]

I usually use large eggs in my recipes, and I'm not sure how to adapt the recipes for medium eggs.

One medium egg=7/8 One Large Egg.

http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/sizeequivalents.html

 

[Moonbear]

One medium egg=7/8 One Large Egg.

http://www.georgiaeggs.org/pages/sizeequivalents.html

That's helpful. So, I can only use these eggs if the recipe calls for 7 large eggs so I can use 8 mediums? I don't think I'm that ambitious. I think I'll stick with omelets with these.

 

[wolram]

I tried using a slow-cooker (crock-pot) years ago to make chili, and it came out like mush. I even tried browning my onions, peppers, and meat in a skillet before adding them to the slow-cooker. Slight improvement, but still it didn't come out as good as my chili cooked on a stove-top. I have a large, lidded SS Revereware pot with a very thick bottom, and that's really the only pot I can use to make chili. I don't like the idea of leaving my house with a cheap electrical appliance running, anyway. All I can think of is that "made in China" POS is going to crap out and burn my house down.

My stove will some times allow a slow simmer on the small ring set at 1, other times it is to cold or to hot, depends on the supply i guess, and with all these micro power cuts we keep having my cooker reverts to auto and shuts down.
I guess most tvs are made in China and people leave those on stand by, not my favorite situation but beggars can not be to choosy.

 

[turbo]

Moonie, I rarely use recipes, and almost always cook "by feel". It should be easy for you to adjust. When baking, extra eggs can result in better binding of the final product, and perhaps a little more moistness, too. I'd probably use the same number of eggs when cooking recipes with only one or two eggs, and add an extra egg when going over that number. If you are concerned about losing moisture in baking recipes with just one or two eggs, I'd suggest maybe adding a teaspoon of Cain's Mayonnaise to the batter.

 

[undrcvrbro]

Anything Italian for me. Nothing like a good canole!

 

[Moonbear]

Ooh, cannolis are good! If anyone has a really good recipe for those, please share! I've tried making them homemade before, and they were okay, but not as good as the ones I used to get from the Italian bakery in my hometown.

I'm so disappointed tonight. I made homemade andouille sausage...my first ever attempt at making homemade sausage of any kind. The recipe I followed is WAY over-seasoned. TOO MUCH SALT! And, I never thought it was possible, but too much garlic too...though if it wasn't so over salty, I might not mind the garlic as much. Darn...I should have just made a half recipe to test it. I'm hoping I can still use it if I add it in small amounts to other dishes and don't add any more salt so the salt will dissolve out into the rest of the dish. At least I know what to adjust for the next time I make it.

 

[Evo]

I'm so disappointed tonight. I made homemade andouille sausage...my first ever attempt at making homemade sausage of any kind. The recipe I followed is WAY over-seasoned. TOO MUCH SALT! And, I never thought it was possible, but too much garlic too...though if it wasn't so over salty, I might not mind the garlic as much. Darn...I should have just made a half recipe to test it. I'm hoping I can still use it if I add it in small amounts to other dishes and don't add any more salt so the salt will dissolve out into the rest of the dish. At least I know what to adjust for the next time I make it.

Wow, you are brave! That's too bad about the seasoning. I accidently oversalted some meat recently and did just what you suggested, I left the salt out of what I mixed it with and the salt leached into the rest of the food and it came out just right.

 

[turbo]

Salt is an EASY over-do! You can never recover from that, either...

 

[Moonbear]

Yeah, without having ever made it before, I had no sense of what was right or wrong in the recipe. Fortunately, I make andouille sausage to put in things like gumbo, so I hope I can rescue it by just not adding any more salt to the rest of the dishes I add it to. But, now I know how I want to change the recipe for next time. I decided to try this one because andouille sausage is hard to find in stores around here (I'd probably have to special order it from the butcher except for the once in a blue moon they make a batch and sell in the butcher case at the grocery store). You have to start somewhere, and I'll start tweaking the recipe for next time based on what I know didn't work this time.

 

[chaoseverlasting]

Ive heard a lot about chilli, but what is it exactly?

 

[lisab]

Ive heard a lot about chilli, but what is it exactly?

There are many ways to make chili. Usually, there's meat, such as beef, pork, or even chicken. The sauce is tomato-based. For seasoning, ground chilis are essential, and I like cumin in mine. Chili can be made quite spicy-hot, but it can be mild if you want.

Chili usually has lots of onions, and garlic. Most people add beans, normally pinto beans.

I feel like I'm forgetting something...

There are hundreds of variations, so this is just a basic description.

 

[undrcvrbro]

Ooh, cannolis are good! If anyone has a really good recipe for those, please share! I've tried making them homemade before, and they were okay, but not as good as the ones I used to get from the Italian bakery in my hometown.

As far as good cannolis go, I wouldn't know how to begin making one. Theres a place called Mama Santa's in the Little Italy district of Cleveland. WOW! Can't get enough. I'm assuming you don't live near Cleveland and driving 5 hours for some cannoli may be out of the question, so I guess I'm useless.