No Tacos 4 U!! Dinner Tuesday 9/29

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
We had arepas tonight. I remember why I'm not fond of them. The texture. Fillings were mojo marinated pork, black beans, pickled red onion, fried cubes of boniato (latin white sweet potato), queso fresco, lime/cilantro/salsa verde crema.
 

Attachments

  • 2020-09-29 18.38.53.jpg
    2020-09-29 18.38.53.jpg
    43.1 KB · Views: 71
Tonight's dinner was chili verde and cornbread.
 

Attachments

  • 78D3E193-862B-46A1-A554-967B3610C285_1_201_a.jpg
    78D3E193-862B-46A1-A554-967B3610C285_1_201_a.jpg
    48.7 KB · Views: 67
I did this Chick Fil A copy cat recipe..not sure it tasted anything like the real thing because I've never had one, but it was pretty good...
 

Attachments

  • 120375939_2393041840998694_3018466104081664896_n.jpg
    120375939_2393041840998694_3018466104081664896_n.jpg
    79.9 KB · Views: 83
Definitely no tacos here, especially crispy ones!
I had some work done at the orthodontist today, so I had to make something soft - a sambar, made with okra, eggplant, and some tomatoes, from the garden. I used some tamarind powder as a shortcut, instead of the usual paste, so the hardest part of it was cutting up the vegetables. I did this in the instant pot - sautéed some onion in a little oil, adding the garlic, curry leaves, and sambar masala, and cooking about a minute, then I added the tomatoes, eggplant, and okra, plus 4 cups water, and 3/4 c moong dal. Salted it to taste, and added the tamarind powder (started with 2 tb, but ended with about 3 tb) then I slow cooked it 2 1/2 hrs, added 1/2 c brown basmati, and cooked another 1 1/2 hrs. Had to cool it to lukewarm to eat, but it was still delicious...and very soft to eat!
About 12 ounces of tomatoes, chopped up for the sambar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Eggplant, for the sambar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Probably the end of the okra for the season, trimmed for the sambar. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished sambar by pepperhead212, on Flickr
 
We had pork patties with Vietnamese inspired seasoning. Once they were fried, I dropped them into some n'uo'k cham for a five minute bath. We had those on toasted kaiser buns with more n'uo'k cham and Boston lettuce. That n'uo'k cham really added some great flavour. I will be tweaking the seasoning of the pork patties and will serve it more like a simplified version of bun cha.
 
A/F meatloaf with mashed potatoes and sliced avocado and tomato with a sweet chili/mayo topping.

An Aldi Apple Strudel was dessert.

Ross
 
We had pork patties with Vietnamese inspired seasoning. Once they were fried, I dropped them into some n'uo'k cham for a five minute bath. We had those on toasted kaiser buns with more n'uo'k cham and Boston lettuce. That n'uo'k cham really added some great flavour. I will be tweaking the seasoning of the pork patties and will serve it more like a simplified version of bun cha.
Sounds great, TL! I love anything SE Asian!

What's your recipe for n'uo'k cham? I like that stuff so much that I serve it as a second dip sauce, when serving Chinese dumplings, and got some friends hooked on it, too.
 
Sounds great, TL! I love anything SE Asian!

What's your recipe for n'uo'k cham? I like that stuff so much that I serve it as a second dip sauce, when serving Chinese dumplings, and got some friends hooked on it, too.

I got the recipe from a Cook's Country / ATK video. I made it once before and made some changes (more pepper and garlic, less sugar). I'm still looking at maybe changing the amount of lime juice or subbing lemon or vinegar for some of it.

N'uo'k cham

4 Thai peppers
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 Tblsp sugar

use mortar and pestle to make a paste
put the paste in a bowl and add

1 Tblsps of sugar
2/3 cup of hot water

stir until the sugar is dissolved
stir in

5 Tblsps fish sauce
4 Tblsps lime juice
 
I remember seeing that Cook's Country recipe, and I thought that it looked like too much sugar - something many recipes seem to have, for just a basic dip sauce.

The one I use has some water in it - 1/4 c each lime juice, fish sauce, and water, plus 2 tsp white rice vinegar, which gives it that unique flavor. Only 1 tb sugar, and one large or 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced, and one large or two medium thai peppers, minced. If I am only using part of this at a time, I'll make it without the garlic, and add a smaller amount of garlic in what I'm using, since raw garlic changes flavor, in storage.
 
I have rice vinegar. I'll try using some next time. Is this condiment supposed to be hot? That was the impression I got from the video. Mine is a bit hot. Maybe my Thai chilies are on the wimpy side. I'll have to try them in something else. I have a handful in the freezer, so it will be the same batch of peppers.
 
My n'ou'c cham is not overly hot, though I might add a pepper, if it is something that not as much sauce sticks too. However, hose dumplings I dip in it I get a half tsp or maybe more at a time!

My peppers are around 70-80k, which isn't like a bird pepper, but still hot! These are the peppers I use dried, in Chinese, Korean, and Indian, and anything calling for this type of pepper. I also use them for crushed red pepper flakes - hotter than most, and more flavor, as well.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom