Cooking with LMNO

[LMNO]

It was intending to be more of a hash than a stew... I think Kai was right, the cauliflower were not an exact substitute for potatoes.  Needed more starch.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

Do you get a headache when you eat mushrooms, soy sauce, bone marrow, (real) chicken or beef stock, parmesan cheese, or anchovies?


If no, then no. 

Also, MSG is not only an artifical flavoring, it usually used in massive quantities in cheap Chinese food.  A little goes a long way.

Yes, I get a headache from a lot of take out chinese.  Not many places here in STL make their food without MSG, even upon request.  It sucks.  Whcih is why I make my own.

No I don't get a headache from any of the other stuff.  I was asking about the Umami.  I thought Trip 0 said it was MSG.  I lost something somewhere I think. 

Now, another question.  I have a recipe that calls for anchovy butter.  You use a full tin of anchovies.  I am seeing the paste and wondering if I could just add that with a bit of olive oil instead.  I never thought of using paste instead till I saw it in your pic. Thoughts?

[LMNO]

Think of the word "umami" as the same kind of word as "sweet", "sour", "salty", or "bitter".

So, while honey would be sweet, that stuff for your coffee in the pink package would be "fake sweet".

In the same way, a rich broth of beef stock, mushrooms, and a splash of worstershire sauce would be umami, while MSG would be "fake umami".


As far as the anchovy butter goes, YUM.  To substitute, it would depend on how it was being used, but olif oil + anchovy paste might work.

[Triple Zero]

MSG or similar glutamates that produce the "umami" flavour appears in all sorts of food. What LMNO was trying to explain is that in cheap Chinese food, they use massive qualities of the stuff. It's the dosage that creates the headache. But as he said, a little goes a long way. You might even buy a small shaker of MSG and try adding just a pinch of it, next time you're cooking Asian food. Depending on how sensitive your intolerance is, you may be able to get the more authentic flavour with a medium dose, without getting a headache (but I'm not a doctor, so if your headache is really bad, dont do it, but I can't imagine you getting one from just a pinch).

LMNO, I don't really agree that MSG is "fake umami", in the same sense that refined sugar is also not "fake sweet". Artificial sweeteners are more "fake" because they do weird things to the sweet receptors in your mouth, but MSG just activates the umami tastebuds.

[Jenne]

It was intending to be more of a hash than a stew... I think Kai was right, the cauliflower were not an exact substitute for potatoes.  Needed more starch.

Hash?  Well, then you really need the potatoes then, I guess.  Or some other kind of beans or something.

Sounded yum, though.

[LMNO]

MSG or similar glutamates that produce the "umami" flavour appears in all sorts of food. What LMNO was trying to explain is that in cheap Chinese food, they use massive qualities of the stuff. It's the dosage that creates the headache. But as he said, a little goes a long way. You might even buy a small shaker of MSG and try adding just a pinch of it, next time you're cooking Asian food. Depending on how sensitive your intolerance is, you may be able to get the more authentic flavour with a medium dose, without getting a headache (but I'm not a doctor, so if your headache is really bad, dont do it, but I can't imagine you getting one from just a pinch).

LMNO, I don't really agree that MSG is "fake umami", in the same sense that refined sugar is also not "fake sweet". Artificial sweeteners are more "fake" because they do weird things to the sweet receptors in your mouth, but MSG just activates the umami tastebuds.

[Triple Zero]

so I remember this "Home Alone" type story, only instead of a little boy, it was a maid who was supposed to look over a bunch of sisters wearing traditional japanese garments.
As the slapstick criminals broke and entered, they used an adhesive substance to incapacitate the servant.
After the thugs found the kids, they pretended to be distant relatives and demanded to cook them dinner. The kids obliged, but after the meal, the intruders felt bloated and got headaches.

And that is the story how a food additive saved the day because a bunch of girls in kimonos saw them glue the maid.

[LMNO]

Oh.



Sweet.




Merciful.




Fuck.

[AFK]

Oh my jeebus, that one hurt ME!

[Triple Zero]

[Jenne]

  Excellent troll, Zippy.

[LMNO]

Bok Choy and Ginger with... Protein.   

Ok, so in this bowl is chicken stock, soy sauce, nam pla, grated ginger, brown sugar, cornstarch, mirin (rice wine) and Schiracha.


This is baby bok choy, split lengthwise and washed.


This is tofu marinating in soy sauce and rice wine vinegar.  For those of you who consider this not to be a food, imagine it to be pork or chicken.


We also have onion, garlic, more ginger, and scallions.


Fry off your protein at a really high heat, remove.  I needs me a wok.


Stir fry the veggies, minus the scallions.  Add the garlic after the bok choy has started to wilt, so you don't burn it.  If you want, a pinch of red pepper flakes is nice.


Make sure the sauce is really mixed together (i.e. the cornstarch isn't sitting in a lump at the bottom), and pour into pan.  Scrape up the fond, and cook until thickened.


Toss protein back in to coat, and serve with rice, topped with sesame seeds and scallions.  More Schiracha at this point, if you so desire.

[Jenne]

Lovely!  I did a stir fry for Chinese New Year on Monday with some pot stickers on the side.  Good eats!  Used carrots and broccoli with some chicken. 

[Kai]

That sounds so good right now.

[LMNO]

Kai, I'd like to point out that these recipes are both easy and adaptable. This thread ain't about bragging.