SNH COOKING THREAD

[test_recordings]

i think what he's saying is the opposite, that most people eat for flavour at the expense of eating healthily

Yep, exactly this! I also don't follow a low-fat diet though either btw since I've read so much that actually discredits the 'lipid hypothesis' that got it denounced in the first place... loads of non-UK/USA cultures eat bare fat and are healthier than the ones that don't - but it has to be good quality fat that's appropriate to its use! I.e. do not use vegetable or sunflower oil for cooking with because that definitely fucks your veins! Anything mono- or poly-unsaturated gets damaged by heat and turns in to trans-fat which scars your arteries and causes inflammation around your body. I only use clarified butter/ghee to cook with now and I feel damn better for doing so.

I have cut out most animal-based meats though because they tend to be very poor quality or prohibitively expensive BUT I had some liver from the local kosher butchers and it was amazing I only eat liver or kidneys really since they have more nutrients in, wouldn't mind trying brains either tbh...

Unpasteurised cheese only for me, too.

[Electric_Head]

We use coconut oil for everything now.
Waaaay cleaner and healthier

[test_recordings]

Unrefined though? If it's refined it's as bad for as any other refined veg oil... but yeah coconut oil is definitely one of the best oils, the thick milk makes a good alternative too

[Naan_Bread]

I have discovered polenta.

It's basically the ultimate fast food - like pasta except even quicker.

Boil milk, water or stock and then reduce heat and add polenta and a little bit of salt (4-1 liquid to polenta ratio) and then whisk for 2-3 minutes until thickened and then you're done - under ten minutes. Serve with sauce or topping of choice -I stir in gorgonzola while the polenta is hot and then add some broccoli (which you can easily blanch while the polenta is cooking) and walnuts.

Also made Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's meatballs with chickpeas recently which were pretty good and also fairly easy: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/ ... ttingstall

[test_recordings]

I bought rice noodles as convenience food - you can cook them in 1-2 minutes if they're thin, vermicilli style. I add a little bit of oil to the water before I put them in to stop them sticking together.

Today I also had burdock root with some Japanese people I know (they call it "go'bo") and we made 'kinpira', miso shiru and fried chips out of it. Quite nice actually, better than the drink!

[esfandyar]

I bought rice noodles as convenience food - you can cook them in 1-2 minutes if they're thin, vermicilli style. I add a little bit of oil to the water before I put them in to stop them sticking together.

Today I also had burdock root with some Japanese people I know (they call it "go'bo") and we made 'kinpira', miso shiru and fried chips out of it. Quite nice actually, better than the drink!

oh duuuuddee... fried gobo **droool**

[dickman69]

burdock root

did it taste like this?

[test_recordings]

burdock root

did it taste like this?

I can't synthesise the music and my memory of the taste at the moment but I would not have disapproved of playing it as a sound track to the situation.

oh duuuuddee... fried gobo **droool**

You like it? It's cheaper than I thought, we ate like 3 or 4 foot of the stuff as well... Definitely remembering that it's worth eating though

[ch3]

'Carmelised Garlic Tart' is ok..

Right time for a bump.

I made this on Sunday and was pretty impressed with the result:

recipe can be found here

Looking nice, though I can only use the garlic bit (and should soon!) Was experimenting with the eggless filling and made these mini pies the other day. Pastry is spelt, with the filling of mixed veg and mushrooms. Made the custard from tofu, soya milk and potato flour, and was pleasantly surprised how well it held together, as sometimes vegan food tends to fall apart

Do you always blind bake?




(notice my cooling rack made of chopsticks )

[ch3]

Oh dear. Tofu and Brussels sprouts recipe. AND it has shiitake in it, too. I know what I'm making tomorrow...

[test_recordings]

Yeah I do stuff without recipes, it's easy if you know how the thing cooks in general. I don't get why people are so scared of doing something that doesn't have step-by-step instructions...

I'm going to try make bechamel with soya milk and chickpea flour, with butter still though. Apparently unfermented soya is badddd for you because of all the phytates and endocrine disruptors so I stopped drinking it everyday, I just use miso or black beans instead

[ch3]

Yeah, there is the whole scare going on about soya giving you man boobs etc. As I've already got boobs and I'm actually a bit low on estrogen, I think moderate amounts are beneficial for me Miso ftw though - I use it as a sandwich spread (and black beans with ginger make an excellent dressing!)

[Naan_Bread]

Do you always blind bake?

When it comes to baking I'm usually following someone else's recipe, but if I was using puff pastry (which the pictured tart does) and didn't have a recipe I would bake blind. So unless otherwise stated I would. Don't know how all this would apply to a vegan equivalent. It's actually worth just making the garlic bit to have on toast or something like you might have onions or mushrooms.

I made meatballs (on a bit of a kick with these) baked in tahini last night with a basic pilaf on the side which was really good if you're into that sort of thing: http://saffronandlemons.blogspot.com/20 ... ahini.html

[icanicant]

Oh dear. Tofu and Brussels sprouts recipe. AND it has shiitake in it, too. I know what I'm making tomorrow...

I am sure it is very nice but I reckon for a lot of people this would be their recipe from hell

[Electric_Head]

Unrefined though? If it's refined it's as bad for as any other refined veg oil... but yeah coconut oil is definitely one of the best oils, the thick milk makes a good alternative too

totally unrefined

[test_recordings]

I accidentally bought refined last time so I'm going to use it on my hair when the mustard oil runs out...

[slothrop]

Eating healthy food is great but it's by no means mutually exclusive to flavour. If eating is something you do three times a day or whatever you may as well try make it pleasant.

i think what he's saying is the opposite, that most people eat for flavour at the expense of eating healthily

this is something i realised i did, at the expense of my health

i dont exactly eat some magnificent diet of only raw veg and whole foods now, but i eat a lot more fruit and a lot less dairy/fat than i used to and feel better for it

Hmmm, my general view is that I'm doing okay for healthy eating if I avoid ready meals, eat lots of fresh fruit and veg and wholemeal stuff, don't pile on the butter and cheese etc. But I think it's easier to stick to that if you spend the time figuring out how to make stuff taste interesting by cooking it right, using interesting flavour combinations, appropriate spicing etc rather than just by layering on loads of cheese and bacon.

[dreamizm]

layering on loads of cheese and bacon.

[esfandyar]

[Naan_Bread]

I made some pho last weekend to this recipe: http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese ... p-pho.html which I would recommend but garnish with some peanuts or papaya/shallot pickle if you can be bothered. Also sub some Viet Basil into the herb mix if available.

Proper mission but probably one of my favourite meals ever. I've been properly considering setting up a little Vietnamese market stall in Cape Town once I'm out off school. You could just have pho which is pretty much instant besides the prep work and then some kebabs on a bbq and just an alternating herby salad as a basic setup. Not considering cost or anything, just nice to dream a bit.