Food and Food Culture

Hmm, I don't think I've ever had gizzard now that I think about it.

Do you really need to soak salted cod for 24+ hours? My mom always soaked it for a few hours and rinsed repeatedly, but it never came out too salty. I don't know if an extra 20-40 hours would really change much.

Yeah, you do need to soak it for 24 hours or so to remove the salt. You want to remove as much of the salt as possible.

Edited by M84 on Jan 21st 2020 at 1:49:23 AM

Any bean recommendations for someone who doesn't like beans? I've never been a fan of beans because they always taste so bland to me, even in flavorful dishes like chili. But since my New Year's resolution has been to eat healthier without breaking the bank, I'd like to give some alternate sources of protein a try and beans seem like a good candidate.

Think Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisine if you want flavour.

And, never, ever stint on soaking times (you can also soak beans in diluted stock or spiced tissanes, if you want to add flavour from the get-go). Or boiling in good stocks for long enough: beans can't soak flavour up if they're not given the chance to. Tins have worth, don't get me wrong, but you then have to bolster your sauces to pack the flavour punch.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Jan 21st 2020 at 9:54:38 AM

Try chickpeas, or stewing black beans Caribbean style, with spices to flavor them.

Or maybe try tofu.

Speaking of chickpeas, you could always give hummus a shot. Falafel too.

Edited by M84 on Jan 23rd 2020 at 6:16:59 PM

Chicken Livers by themselves are great, especially when breaded and fried like Chicken nuggets.

You know how back in the ye olden days^note And by that I mean like 30-80 years ago, lol when people bought ice cream in brick-shaped cartons and served it in slices? Well, I picked up a brick of neapolitan while grocery shopping today and decided to give ice cream slices a shot.

Overall? A bit cumbersome (hey, you try cutting some sugary frozen milk), but still one of the best ways to eat ice cream. Way more ice cream in one slice than you can get from a single scoop. 10/10 would recommend. A shame most ice cream's sold in tubs now.

Edited by CustardAndPie on Jan 24th 2020 at 11:29:23 AM

I have fond childhood memories of eating Neopolitan Icecream. Though it took me a while to get used to the vanilla portion of it — anyone who has been following this thread knows I liked the chocolate part best.

Anyway, over the Lunar New Year holiday I enjoyed the traditional celebratory meals with my extended family. At my grandparent's place I enjoyed Taiwanese caviar and lots of homemade dumplings. We also went out to a traditional Chinese banquet restaurant and got one of my traditional favorite dishes, Peking Duck.

Well, just finished second attempt at spanish omelette/tortilla. Still doesn't look as good as the picture but it tastes as good as I expected. Good way to get rid of leftover potatoes.

So, uh, I had to bail on my grocery run today - turned out that the government just issued a DORSCON Orange announcement on the coronavirus thing and the whole island is now panic-buying every bit of daily necessity they could get their hands on. Rice and instant noodles are out; pastas are still in stock, but I've already gotten enough weird stares from my flatmates for suggesting spaghet toasties as our apocalypse food (yes, I'm being that token Aussie). On the bright side, it turned out that we had enough chicken shabu strips from earlier this week left for a group meal, so we yeeted them into some S&B Golden Curry mix for dinner. No vegs and potatoes, unfortunately.

The local hawker places are pretty cheap and I don't actually cook that much, so I think I can survive until the panic-buying spree is over. Kind of sucked that I had to delay my forbidden rice dish project yet again, though. The night will be dark and full of instant noodles.

You are in Singapore right? My sympathies. Instant noodles are alright, but they get old after a week or two. Hope you have some eggs or something to put in it.

Yeahp. The F&B sector doesn't seem to be disrupted so far, so it's not like we're in an actual lockdown or anything. Plus we're not short on rice... or eggs. _{*strokes oocyte retrieval needle lovingly*}

Also, my sister just linked me to these choice recipes. You're welcome.

Not...not those kind of eggs.

You know... nothing says you can't have a ramen toastie... Although, it'd be more like two toasties and a lot of (bulked-up with alsorts from freezer?) soup on the side.

That degree of carbo loading probably requires a legal disclaimer, however.

Edited by Euodiachloris on Feb 8th 2020 at 12:33:05 PM

I just cannot get behind carbs between bread. Protein and vitamins and fiber only.

Edited by M84 on Feb 8th 2020 at 8:35:53 PM

Somebody mentioned Corona virus and its impact on food, and I'm reminded of how Chinese beer completely lost its spot in my country's beer consumption.

Edited by dRoy on Feb 12th 2020 at 11:59:54 PM

I've seen people panicking about not going to any Chinese restaurants because you might catch the coronavirus, which I find silly. As long as it's not sourced in China (a lot of Chinese products sold in US groceries are produced in California or Hawaii or such) it should be fine.

Asian-run businesses are taking a hit in NYC. I've heard some places in China Town have 60% less revenue.

I'm currently in the beginning stages of going vegetarian (basically just starting out by cutting out red meat). Any good meat substitutes (besides tofu)?

Also, my school's having a Valentine's fondue event tonight and you bet your ass I'm going. Thankfully cheese and chocolate are vegetarian.

Edited by CustardAndPie on Feb 14th 2020 at 6:38:28 AM

Falafel for one.

I like Quorn, of all things. But, if I can get hold of it, old school soya mince is also fine either as a mince replacement in babootie, or as additional "rusk" if you wish to reduce the meat.

Mushrooms, seeds (quinoa and buckwheat count), nuts and yeasty/fermented things are also your proteiny, B-vit and mineral-rich friends, not just beans.

So, think something like "pesto-stuffed field mushrooms with jacket potato and green salad with nutty dressing".

Edited by Euodiachloris on Feb 14th 2020 at 2:05:51 PM

Chinese cuisine uses a lot of soy and wheat gluten as fake meat substitutes, and I think they taste rather good while remaining cheap and affordable. Although they may add salts and sugars so they're not necessarily always healthy.