Underrated foods....

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rmrf said:
If you want to use up more fish sauce...
  1. Marinades for meat (lamb + fish sauce is a fun play of lamb and anchovies which is classic south of france dish). I usually use squid or 3crab here for cost reasons but redboat would be delicious.

  2. Any kind of meat stews benefit from umami. I like beef stew with a good squirt of fish sauce. I usually add miso and fish sauce when I want to up the umami. I like it better than powdered dashi, at least the cheap stuff.

  3. Salad dressings can often use a teaspoon or so.

  4. If your cooked veggies are a little old, hot pepper, fish sauce, and scotch/whisky will make them better. I can't drink much scotch anymore, so I end up using laphroaig. Cognac is too smooth. I used to use cutty sark.

  5. Mix it with soy sauce to add a misc asian feel to your food (or just a thai feel...). I like 1 part soy, 1 part fish sauce, 1 part maggi. I often leave some on the table in a squeeze bottle.

  6. You could try it on pasta. I think french, german, or swiss Maggi is significantly better than fish sauce on pasta, but fish sauce + soy isn't bad. Some people say fish sauce was the original choice for garlic noodles.

  7. Sandwiches benefit from a hit of umami, particularly if there's salad or pickled something in the sandwich. Maggi is superior in my opinion (you're just making a banh mi) but redboat isn't bad.

  8. If you need a dipping sauce for dumplings or ravioli/pelmeni, I like polish maggi, but fish sauce + soy is a better match than just soy. I like it better than browned butter for pelmeni.

  9. If you make sauerkraut, adding fish sauce instead of salt gives a wonderful flavor. Thats how I used up an entire bottle of 3crab.

  10. Fried rice
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#’s 2, 5,8 and 10 ……especially 10……yep to those. Sauerkraut one sounds interestingly weird but yeah I can see that. Pasta….ehhh if I’m gonna do that it’s going to be Thai or Vietnamese/ SE Asian noodles… but … I’ll give it a try.
 
Borealhiker said:
#’s 2, 5,8 and 10 ……especially 10……yep to those. Sauerkraut one sounds interestingly weird but yeah I can see that. Pasta….ehhh if I’m gonna do that it’s going to be Thai or Vietnamese/ SE Asian noodles… but … I’ll give it a try.
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🤣 Pasta is better with Maggi imo (unless you're doing pad thai), but lots of people swear by an oyster + soy + fish sauce mixture with lots of butter and garlic (I use like, 6 cloves / lb dry pasta). It is a vietnamese recipe, but I eat it with western foods a lot. I use just Maggi + garlic + evoo. Add a little fresh parsley or sauteed mushrooms and serve with chicken thighs or pork chops. For Maggi, I usually add like 1-2 teaspoons / lb of pasta, just enough to color the noodles. You can always add more but once you add too much it becomes too asian for a western meal or too salty. Sometimes I use a 1/4 cup of pasta water to mix the maggi (fish sauce) into so it distributes more evenly.

Sauerkraut isn't my idea; its basically how to make kimchi minus hot peppers and probably sugar. I was just super lazy and poured in the fish sauce and called it a day.

Fried rice with fish sauce is definitely a winner. Don't sleep on the salad / sandwich ;)
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Refined sugar in many forms plays havoc on body. Most sugar substitutes are bad too.There are so many healthy spices like garlic & ginger you can make tasty meals cutting out sugar completely. Get enough in fructose eating whole fresh fruit & frozen fruit for veg. Protein smoothies.
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:Iagree:


Keith Sinclair said:
Make a lot more food from scratch these days.
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Exactly, that's the way!

The trick for me was that I became aware of what negative effects sugar and industrially pre-processed foods do to my body. Once you've figured that out, it's easy to switch.

And if you notice after a short time that you feel better, then you could kick yourself in the butt for not doing it sooner!


Keith Sinclair said:
Sugar is as addicting as cocaine.
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I totally agree with that! The first week I changed my diet was tough, and it was only then that I realized how bad sugar withdrawal can be. But after a good week, the withdrawal wears off.

And my wife felt the same way...we both had a lot of "fun" in the first week - withdrawal makes you really irritable! Thank god that we both have a very good and stable relationship.
 
Mrf are you referring to Vietnamese sandwich with french roll bread? Daikon carrots salad with whatever meat you want. I like the lemongrass chicken with fish sauce dressing on the salad. Warm french roll.

King Shapton
Cherry Garcia ice creme & oatmeal raisin cookies took a while to get over.
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Mrf are you referring to Vietnamese sandwich with french roll bread? Daikon carrots salad with whatever meat you want. I like the lemongrass chicken with fish sauce dressing on the salad. Warm french roll.
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<rant>
Technically yes, but most of those aren't strictly necessary for a Banh Mi (vietnamese sandwich). (technically speaking, banh mi refers to the type of bread...).

From a loose interpretation, I think all you officially need for a "Banh Mi" sandwich is 1) bread 2) some sort of crunchy "pickle" 3) some sort of herb 4) some sort of filling 5) maggi or fish sauce on the bread.

The Maggi or fish sauce imo gives the sandwich its distinctive taste. Here are two examples of sandwiches that fit that description but that few would define as "banh mi".


  1. I saw someone in NYC make a pastrami on rye sandwich with herbs (maybe sprouts?), quick pickles, and fish sauce on the bread (maybe mixed with mustard). I'd call that a banh mi, not a pastrami sandwich.
  2. Pan Bagnat (french tuna sandwich). Technically, you're supposed to use tuna and anchovies, but I love anchovies too much to put them in a sandwich. I want to see them.

    My bastardized version (that more resembles banh mi) is I make a salad from kale and watermelon radish, and tomatoes. Dress it in a mustard, red wine vinegar, fish sauce (or maggi) dressing. Spread the extra on a very dry (week old for me...) toasted baguette. Fry a few eggs hard, break the yolks halfway. Assemble the sandwich, eggs on the bottom, then 2 cans of sardines, and top with the salad. Wrap, press for an hour or so, serve with rose.

Technically, I would define both those sandwiches as Banh Mi, as fish sauce or Maggi is a highly atypical sandwich ingredient. However, neither have the prototypical wheat/rice flour blend soft french inspired vietnamese bread or the characteristic carrot / daikon pickles. I also think cilantro or another hardy herb is necessary to strictly define Banh Mi, but I've had enough Banh Mi's without that too.

Anyways, its delicious no matter its name. More so if you get better bread than banh mi....
</rant>
 
Since we eat a lot of broccoli for health benefits
Like Chinese style with broccoli mushrooms lots of fresh ginger & garlic. Oyster & fish sauce. Usually use 21-25 shrimp that cook in a little olive oil & butter. Add last minute with oil butter.
Don't like overcooked shrimp at all. This was first time used upgraded sauces no high fructose corn syrup msg, & all the other unhealthy crap in highly processed Chinese sauces. I really like the Megachef oyster sauce.
Oysters are smoked over hardwood to give a deep rich flavor. Simmered with small amount of sugar & salt. Cornstarch to thicken. It cost more than other oyster sauces it actually has oyster flavor imo worth extra cost 22.00 for 21.2 oz. The red boat only has anchovies & sea
salt. Both are intense flavors. Since I use no sugar & little salt in cooking watered down the sauce so not too salty. Served over rice. Janice said it tasted good that's what matters.
IMG_20220421_201512175.jpg
 
reading labels when buying Asian stuff (and checking sell by dates) is paramount, I recently needed fresh oystersauce (somehow the use by date was 2 years ago) and did some label comparing and was shocked by how much the list of ingredients differs and by how much the actual Oyster content differs.

:eek:
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Since we eat a lot of broccoli for health benefits
Like Chinese style with broccoli mushrooms lots of fresh ginger & garlic. Oyster & fish sauce. Usually use 21-25 shrimp that cook in a little olive oil & butter. Add last minute with oil butter.
Don't like overcooked shrimp at all. This was first time used upgraded sauces no high fructose corn syrup msg, & all the other unhealthy crap in highly processed Chinese sauces. I really like the Megachef oyster sauce.
Oysters are smoked over hardwood to give a deep rich flavor. Simmered with small amount of sugar & salt. Cornstarch to thicken. It cost more than other oyster sauces it actually has oyster flavor imo worth extra cost 22.00 for 21.2 oz. The red boat only has anchovies & sea
salt. Both are intense flavors. Since I use no sugar & little salt in cooking watered down the sauce so not too salty. Served over rice. Janice said it tasted good that's what matters.
View attachment 176114
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Ok you did it - I swallow the hook!

I just checked the prices of Megachef sauces in Germany, I'm totally fine with that.

Have you also had experience with Megachef's soy sauce and fish sauce?

I really like that there are no artificial additives, that's exactly what I value more and more.
 
I think that we should pay more attention to parsley. I noticed that parsley gives to dishes unique taste, which I can't describe. My mom often put it almost in every dish; when I grew up, I never thought why mom's food was special. Then I asked her and I can't stop adding it everywhere, so like it :)
 
did anyone mention GOOD quality canned tomatoes? I find the difference between 'brands' staggering, from soury thin watery goo to sweet and rich Umami bombs. My fave are the Mutti cherry tomatoes....(for taste and also because Mutti fights slave labor in the fields, FWIW)
 
MarcelNL said:
did anyone mention GOOD quality canned tomatoes? I find the difference between 'brands' staggering, from soury thin watery goo to sweet and rich Umami bombs. My fave are the Mutti cherry tomatoes....(for taste and also because Mutti fights slave labor in the fields, FWIW)
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+1

i like Mutti cherry cans: good taste, not really expensive, can be found everywhere.
hard to beat for convenience-price-taste ratio.
with that said there are very good options in abundance.

.
 
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/lake-trasimeno-umbria-food/index.htmlJust reminded me of the best holiday experience ever, roaming Umbrie and sampling local food made today like they have been doing for centuries. Underrated food: Umbrian cuisine
From the small Castellucio lentils to the truffles (Urbani is located there), to slow roasted Porchetta (you order a serving and they it it straight from the whole pig on the grill), Fagioli, Pappa di Brodi etc etc..
 
boomchakabowwow said:
you can use fish sauce anywhere you would normally add chopped up anchovies. maybe not a Ceasars Salad where you like to see actual anchovies.
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I make a faux Caesar dressing with Red Boat fish sauce, lemon, mayo, olive oil and parmigiana. It works, especially with the grated cheese…
If I include actual anchovies, I use boquerones, which I wouldn’t use in the dressing.
 
jjlotti said:
And the flowers(really of any herb) are the cherry on top! Been enjoying the most delicious purple chive flowers and the oregano is starting to bloom here in Virginia.... Can't wait!
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My son has some cilantro that flowered.

"Dad. Can I EAT the flowers?"

Go for it.

"It's good! We should put them on something!"

But he won't eat the crust on bread.
 
I just don't make pizza when kids are around....same ones I see eating a crap ton of bread, are chucking the crust right in the can. Don't try to reason either just order papa johns or some other pie that's best in the trash anyway👍
 
I used to be the kind of person eating other people's crusts... suits me just fine if they're skipping on them. ;)
 
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