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Cooking Ingredients You Were Introduced To



mikeyjh

Well-known member
Dec 17, 2008
4,489
Llanymawddwy
Paneer, discovered on one India trip when bird flu was around. Basically there wasn't much meat to be had so I had to explore vegetarian option - Only slight difficulty these days is getting hold of it. Same hotel I also tasted Jalapeno poppers for the first time, marvellous....
 




whitelion

New member
Dec 16, 2003
12,828
Southwick
Paneer, discovered on one India trip when bird flu was around. Basically there wasn't much meat to be had so I had to explore vegetarian option - Only slight difficulty these days is getting hold of it. Same hotel I also tasted Jalapeno poppers for the first time, marvellous....

Did you get high?
 




Tricky Dicky

New member
Jul 27, 2004
13,558
Sunny Shoreham
Remember reading an interview with Delia Smith where she said at the time her first cook book came out, olive oil could only be got at chemists in Britain!

That's absolutely true, it was not used for cooking by Brits, it was used for blocked ears, if I remember correctly. One thing that has improved my curries lately is fennel seeds, a great ingredient.

Not an ingredient as such, but a sauce making method of sugar based sauces. Heat sugar in a frying pan, then add to it - this can be for sweet or savoury dishes. For sweet it's basically the sauce for crepe souzette where you add Grand Marnier and orange juice to the melted sugar and reduce till it's sticky, and add your pancakes. For something like a roast duck breast, you can add red wine vinegar and red wine, reduce and add cherries. Really nice. A flexible sauce technique worth knowing.
 


BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
On cooking and techniques sister in law, who does a lot of cooking and entertaining, was telling me she was having trouble getting her mayonnaise to thicken using dijon mustard as per most recipes so she tried using english mustard instead, problem solved.
 
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pearl

Well-known member
May 3, 2016
12,816
Behind My Eyes
I don't think rapeseed oil is good for you though - check out how they make it, it's not very natural.

I stopped cooking with olive oil because I read rapeseed was healthier ... after seeing your post I checked it out and you're right! Will now go back to olive oil - thank you!
 


Tricky Dicky

New member
Jul 27, 2004
13,558
Sunny Shoreham
Had never used harissa paste.
My brother made some homemade kebabs, rubbed the inside of the pittas with a generous smudge of harissa

Beats chilli sauce every day of the week

I was in Tescos yesterday looking for Harissa but didn't find it. I've never bought it but it sounds like a good things for a real tasty dish. I watched a Mary Berry recipe on Sat for a spiced lamb stew using it and thought I'd give that a go. I have checked Tescos online and see they have it, so I must have been looking in the wrong place.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
50,206
Goldstone
I stopped cooking with olive oil because I read rapeseed was healthier ... after seeing your post I checked it out and you're right! Will now go back to olive oil - thank you!
You're welcome. I'm no expert on it, I just heard something on radio 2 about different cooking oils (a yer or two ago), their comments didn't make sense, so I read a few bits of research online and got the impression that olive oil is the best.
 




pearl

Well-known member
May 3, 2016
12,816
Behind My Eyes
best friend at school introduced me to brown rice

bit off subject, but 2 years ago my immune system was shot to pieces, a friend gave me a natural remedy booklet, since then I always have cider vinegar, lemons and organic honey in the kitchen and take garlic perles
 










looney

Banned
Jul 7, 2003
15,652
Why dont you just put more cumin in your spice mix to begin with?

Its a purchased mix that I add to, I cant taste any cummin in it without. There Is a store in Crawley, next to the shades pub that sell spices at discount. I go there.
 


Raleigh Chopper

New member
Sep 1, 2011
12,054
Plymouth
Sesame Oil for me.

Fantastic stuff to cook with and also drizzled on salads/pasta etc.

You may already know this.
But if you are making say, Thai Green Curry with white rice, put enough Sesami Oil in the rice to just about stick it together, then get something like a large cup and pack the rice in and turn it out onto the plate.
It makes a nice change from boiled or fragrance rice and goes very well with Thai, Chinese food.
 




BensGrandad

New member
Jul 13, 2003
72,015
Haywards Heath
Its a purchased mix that I add to, I cant taste any cummin in it without. There Is a store in Crawley, next to the shades pub that sell spices at discount. I go there.
When next in Crawley I must look that out. Is that the pub nearly opposite Morrisons and the walk through to Wilkinsons.
 


You may already know this.
But if you are making say, Thai Green Curry with white rice, put enough Sesami Oil in the rice to just about stick it together, then get something like a large cup and pack the rice in and turn it out onto the plate.
It makes a nice change from boiled or fragrance rice and goes very well with Thai, Chinese food.

That's quite scary, I'm doing a Thai green curry tomorrow and have been at a complete loss as to how to do sticky rice.
 




Tom Bombadil

Well-known member
Jul 14, 2003
6,033
Jibrovia
Crawley, unsurprisingly is very good for spices. I used to use the asian supermarket in West Green near the Swan.
 








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