Favourite Recipes - Food!

[LAwaters]

Any sourdough starter, or do you have a specific one?

I made my own starter with the basic flour + water + time to ferment method. Good point though. I should have mentioned that it’s a high hydration starter. Equal parts water and flour. For a drier starter, you would need less flour in the biscuit dough, or you’d need to add some water.

I’ll also edit the recipe to make it clear that you use your “discard” sourdough, which is the amount you use or toss before a feeding.

 

[LAwaters]

GOBI MANCHURIAN (Batter-dipped and deep fried cauliflower in a spicy, tangy sauce)

A favorite dish at Indian restaurants that’s even better made at home!

Don’t be put off by the number of steps. It’s well worth it. The most time consuming part is chopping the ingredients for the sauce.

The end result is not crispy because you stir the Gobi into the sauce. The softening of the batter is expected for this dish.

Doubling the amounts in the recipe makes 2 full entree servings. I modified this a bit for the ingredients I have and like, such as Korean chili flakes.

Original recipe link (shows steps):
Gobi manchurian recipe | How to make crispy cauliflower manchurian

To make gobi manchurian (appetizer size portions)

• 250 grams cauliflower florets (or gobi cleaned)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (or 5 to 6 tbsp maida, prefer organic or at least unbleached)
• 3 tablespoons corn flour (or corn starch)
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder or paste (less spicy variety) (optional) (USED KOREAN CHILI FLAKES)
• ¼ teaspoon pepper coarse crushed
• ¼ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• Oil for deep frying as needed

For Manchurian sauce (appetizer size portions)

• 1½ tablespoons oil for sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon ginger finely chopped
• 1 green chili chopped (Used Anaheim from Sprouts, was a bit mild, try spicier) (optional)
• 1/3 cup onions or spring onions finely chopped (When doubling: about 8 green onions)
• ¼ cup bell pepper (capsicum chopped finely) (optional) (When doubling: 1/2 SMALL GREEN BELL)
• 1 tablespoon Soya sauce (organic or naturally brewed) (USED LIGHT PREMIUM)
• For doubled recipe use 2 to 3 tbsp of Sambal Oelek (Huy Fong brand is best); this amount depends on how spicy you like it. [or 2 to 3 tablespoon Red Chilli sauce (less spicy kind, adjust to taste)]
• ½ teaspoon Red chili powder (optional) (less spicy variety) (I USED KOREAN CHILI FLAKES)
• ½ tablespoon vinegar (I USED RICE VINEGAR)
• 1 tablespoon tomato sauce optional (INSTEAD, I USED ABOUT 1/2 TBSP TOMATO PASTE FOR THICKENING)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (adjust to taste)
• salt as needed
• 3 to 4 tablespoons water
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon pepper coarsely crushed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons spring onion greens chopped for garnish

HOW TO MAKE THE RECIPE

Preparation for Gobi Manchurian

1. Clean 250 grams of gobi and cut the florets to medium size.
2. Add florets to 3 cups of hot water and rest for 5 minutes.
3. Later drain the gobi completely and spread on a clean cloth until no moisture remains on the gobi. You can also leave it in a colander until all the water dries up. Any moisture in the gobi will cook it to soft and not crisp.
4. Heat up the oil for deep frying on a medium heat.
5. Meanwhile make the batter by adding corn flour, plain flour, red chilli powder, pepper and salt to a mixing bowl.
6. Mix and add water little by little as needed and make a free flowing lump free batter. Stir constantly as you add the water. The consistency has to be medium and not too thick or very runny. (USED 1/2 - 2/3 CUP)
7. Adjust salt as needed by tasting the batter.
8. Then add the gobi florets to the batter in batches, coat them well.

Frying cauliflower

1. When the oil turns hot enough, check by dropping a small amount of batter to the hot oil. The batter has to rise without browning. This is the correct temperature.
2. Pick up each cauliflower floret with a spoon or fingers & gently drop them one by one to the hot oil. The flame has to be medium initially and should be increased slightly as more gobi is added. Reduce the flame to medium and fry until the florets turn golden and crisp. Keep stirring in between for even frying.
3. Drain them to a kitchen tissue or a steel colander. Repeat the same steps of adding the rest of the cauliflower florets to the batter, coating them well and then frying them in hot oil until crisp.
4. For extra crisp gobi manchurian, you can also refry the once fried gobi again in oil. I usually do not do it as frying them once is good enough to get very good crisp manchurian with this recipe.

How to make Gobi Manchurian

1. Mix together red chili powder with little water to a paste and keep aside. This step is optional and is used mainly for the color.
2. Heat 1½ tablespoons oil in a wide pan.
3. When the oil turns hot, add garlic, ginger and chilies. Saute for a minute or two.
4. Then add spring onions & capsicum. Saute them on a high flame for 2 mins.
5. Add soya sauce, red chili sauce, red chili paste, sugar and vinegar.
6. Mix and add water. Mix and cook stirring and add pepper.
7. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of tomato paste.
8. Cook on a medium heat until the sauce thickens.
9. Turn off the stove and check the taste.
10. The sauce has to be slightly sour, sweet & hot. If needed you can adjust the salt & add more sauces as well.
11. Allow the sauce to cool for 1 to 2 mins.
12. Add the fried cauliflower and stir gently to coat the gobi well with the manchurian sauce.
13. Garnish gobi manchurian with spring onion greens.
14. Serve immediately as a appetizer or as a side with noodles or rice.

 

[LAwaters]

This one is a beverage and is very easy. If you like ginger, you’ll find it quite refreshing. As a bonus, it’s very good for digestion and to ease inflammation. This is a healthy drink.

I like to crush up the ginger in a mortar & pestle. It really releases the flavor and helps it to steep better.

Ginger “Tea” with Honey & Lemon

Ingredients
8 cups of boiling water
1 “thumb” of fresh ginger, grated or crushed — this is roughly a 1 - 1.5 inch piece; you can add more or less depending on how much you like ginger
Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
Honey (to taste)

Instructions

1. Put the grated or crushed ginger (and any juice from it) in a large pot or bowl.
2. Pour the boiling water over the ginger.
3. Stir and then steep for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Strain the steeped liquid into a separate pot, bowl or your beverage pitcher.
5. If you have a pitcher with an infuser, put the strained ginger in it. This will make the ginger flavor stronger as time goes on, so skip this if you only want light ginger flavor.
6. Add the lemon juice.
7. Add honey to taste.

This is tasty while it’s still warm. Keep it in the fridge for a cold, healthy beverage.

 

[Bronze]

Lori’s recipes are intimidating and I could never compete with them so I wont try. That said, here is my recipe for Golden Grahams:

Fill bowl. Pour in milk. Enjoy!

 

[LAwaters]

Lori’s recipes are intimidating and I could never compete with them so I wont try. That said, here is my recipe for Golden Grahams:

Fill bowl. Pour in milk. Enjoy!

Winner of the K.I.S.S. award! I love it!

Question: If I don't like Golden Grahams, can I substitute Puffed Rice instead?

 

[Bronze]

Puffa Puffa Rice

Remember that?

 

[LAwaters]

Puffa Puffa Rice

Remember that?

Vaguely. So I looked it up. Definitely remember this commercial but I don’t think I ever tried the cereal. I was classic puffed rice all the way. With lots of sugar sprinkled on ‘em because those were the bad old days! The best part was when the cereal was gone and clumps of undissolved sugar remained in the leftover milk.

 

[Ceejay0875]

My mom bought that horrible puffed rice cereal in the bag. That's about when I stopped eating breakfast.

 

[LAwaters]

My mom bought that horrible puffed rice cereal in the bag. That's about when I stopped eating breakfast.

LOL! That’s the stuff I bought. It needed a lot of sugar. I used to get the puffed wheat in a bag too. Now I don’t eat breakfast either. Those cereals might have ruined us all.

 

[Ceejay0875]

LOL! That’s the stuff I bought. It needed a lot of sugar. I used to get the puffed wheat in a bag too. Now I don’t eat breakfast either. Those cereals might have ruined us all.

I'm sure my kids are thankful that there were generic (read: affordable) knockoffs of the good (read: pre, overly sugared and fake colored) stuff!

 

[Ceejay0875]

Tramp Soup

2 c. potatoes, diced
1/2 lb. sausage (I use a full lb.)
2 qts. milk, divided
1 c. onions, chopped (or a whole chopped onion cuz you're too lazy to measure it like me)
1/ 2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Cook and salt potatoes. Season, brown, and drain sausage. Heat 1 qt. milk in small pan. In 3 qt. kettle saute onions. Add flour, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Add the rest of the milk, salt, and pepper, stirring often until boiling. Add heated milk, potatoes and sausage. Serve with crackers or fresh bread, your preference.

I got this from an Amish cookbook, and the recipe said to double batch it for lunch leftovers the next day. So, the first time I made it, yep, double batch, wondering why I had so much left over. Then, like an idiot, oh! They're Amish! They have like 10 kids, I had 2...so, yeah, no need to double batch this one folks. It's good, but there's a limit...

 

[LAwaters]

For anyone interested in Dusty’s recent culinary adventures, here’s the link to his Facebook group. You’ll need to request to join, and you’ll be rewarded with tasty traditional Goan recipes.

Traditional Goan Foodies Public Group | Facebook

 

[LAwaters]

This is great soup season! @Ceejay0875 posted a yummy sounding potato soup. Here’s another.

This one goes into a food processor or a blender. The result is a rich, hearty, silky soup that fills you up surprisingly fast.

Potato Leek Soup

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped (about 5 cups)

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

7 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh thyme (not used because I do t like thyme)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

Chives, finely chopped, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary so as not to brown.

Add the potatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.

Fish out the thyme sprig and bay leaves, then purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to purée the soup in batches; see note.) Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If soup is too thin, simmer until thickened. If it's too thick, add water or stock to thin it out. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired.

Note: If using a standard blender to purée the soup: be sure not to fill the jar more than halfway; leave the hole in the lid open and cover loosely with a dishtowel to allow the heat to escape; and pour blended soup into a clean pot.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen, without the cream, for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. Once heated through, add the cream and bring to a simmer before serving.

 

[Ceejay0875]

Tramp Soup

2 c. potatoes, diced
1/2 lb. sausage (I use a full lb.)
2 qts. milk, divided
1 c. onions, chopped (or a whole chopped onion cuz you're too lazy to measure it like me)
1/ 2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Cook and salt potatoes. Season, brown, and drain sausage. Heat 1 qt. milk in small pan. In 3 qt. kettle saute onions. Add flour, stirring constantly about 1 minute. Add the rest of the milk, salt, and pepper, stirring often until boiling. Add heated milk, potatoes and sausage. Serve with crackers or fresh bread, your preference.

I got this from an Amish cookbook, and the recipe said to double batch it for lunch leftovers the next day. So, the first time I made it, yep, double batch, wondering why I had so much left over. Then, like an idiot, oh! They're Amish! They have like 10 kids, I had 2...so, yeah, no need to double batch this one folks. It's good, but there's a limit...

I also will add that I've made this with ham instead of sausage and it turned out good too. You could probably do bacon, too if that's your preference. Bacon is awesome, but everybody keeps eating it as I fry it up for stuff, so I usually end up having to fry up twice as much as I need for a recipe.

 

[LAwaters]

These days I’m especially glad I have healthy sourdough starter. If you have flour and water it’s very easy to start your own. There are lots of good tutorials online. Post questions here if you want some help.

I feed mine twice a day. Every morning I have “discard” that can be used for pancakes and other goodies.

This is my current favorite use of sourdough discard. I make this in a cast iron Dutch oven. The lid can be used as a frying pan and the “pot” part as a lid for this. A regular pan will work too but you’ll need to adjust the times and heat level for your pan and for your stove’s settings.

Sourdough Discard Garlic & Parmesan Stuffed Pan Bread

Ingredients

• 280 grams unstirred sourdough discard — 100% hydration, meaning it is fed with equal parts of water and flour; don’t stir it down so it keeps its bubbles and will be light and fluffy
• 1/2 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 to 1 tsp Garlic powder (to taste)
• Any other dry spice you like, such as oregano or black pepper, cayenne, etc.
• Grated Parmesan — amount to your taste, I use about 1/4 cup; use any cheese you like
• Small amount of vegetable oil (or your preferred type of oil)

Directions

1. Lightly oil a cold frying pan (10 inch works great and cast iron really makes this yummy)
2. Pour in the sourdough discard in a circle to get it to spread out a bit without any holes or gaps
3. Sprinkle salt as evenly as you can over the surface of the sourdough
4. Sprinkle garlic powder and any other spice you enjoy evenly over surface.
5. Sprinkle grated Parmesan or other grated cheese evenly over the surface.
6. Use a flexible spatula to lift from under the sourdough and up over the edges to the center of the sourdough. Do that all around until you have covered the other ingredients completely with sourdough. The sticky sourdough should seal together as you pull it up and over.
7. Cover the pan and turn the heat on low to medium low.
8. Do not remove the lid! Let it bake for about 10 - 12 minutes.
9. Remove the lid quickly (to keep any condensation from falling on the bread)
10. Flip the loaf, cover and bake for about 9 minutes.
11. After taking it out of the pan, let it rest for 2 - 3 minutes.
12. Slice and enjoy!