Random Food Questions

[tyckspoon]

Cook the egg. Mostly.

"Real" tacos? Never made by a "real" Mexican, but... shell, mince, beans (sometimes refried), sauce, salad, cheese... Don't really know what you mean by "real".

Small tortillas, either flour or corn, soft. Most of the authenticity comes from the seasoning on the meat used, I suppose... it's kind of like the difference between a 'real' chili and a chili-like stew, I guess? For those of you who are chili buffs? *shrug* Real Mexican food works with a broader and usually more intense set of flavors than you usually find in Taco Bell-style restaurants or home cooking.

[Lycan 01]

Tacos do not use ground beef.
Tacos do not have "taco spice".
Tacos do not use toppings.

This is what tacos should look (kinda):

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Those are more of what I'd either call Taquitos or Chimichangas...

Then again, I'm from Mississippi. We have our own style of food. Mmmm, Squirrel Brain Stew and Chitlins. Yummy.




*I've never eaten boiled squirrel heads or pig intestines. But my dad has. A lot.

[Crimmy]

I dunno what the "soft taco" variety is like.

Recipe is:
-Tortillas, usually made of cornmeal. They should be flat, thin, and flexible enough to bend. They tend to be more flexible after you've heated them in over a slow fire in a metal sheet we call "Comal".

-Chicken:
You prepare it usually as a Hendl, and then you tear it into little "hebras"...
You use them to stuff the taco.

-Guacamole, that is, onion, avocado and sometimes chilli and tomato, all blended.

-Salsa:
Take 2 serrano chillis:

four tomatoes, and a garlic clove. Boil them in a lot of water, filter them from the water, and then blend. Ad a lot of salt.

-Prepare, the tacos, then fry them to make them stay like that. You might wanna use some toothpicks to help you.

-Add Guacamole and put the salsa on the side.

-Add some refried beans.

-???

-Profit.

[Crimmy]

@Kyuubi:

Hey, I don't take it kindly that you attack escamoles like that.
First of all, they have a lot more protein than you average food.

Second, they are NOT nasty. They are quite tasty, and they have went through all kinds of regulations to make sure they are not bad (I assure you ,they're not bad.)

Third, that job and that food were considered so important BECAUSE of the difficulties of getting such eggs. And the collectors were important people, because they were able to get the eggs without much problem.

Fourth, just because they're insect eggs doesn't make them food for "insane people". So by saying you eat them while being insane, you're actually addressing half the mexican population, and 5/6ths of the Aztec population.

Fifth, by eating them, the Agave destruction is reduced, thus providing more plants to make Tequila. Note that Tequila is the name for the Blue Agave beverage that is produced in Tequila, Jalisco.

[Kneenibble]

What's your problem? If the eggplants felt too hard/not cooked enough, the trick is to bake them in the oven FIRST before cooking them as intended in the recipe, like stir frying them. I heard that steam could work too.

What's your problem?!

Heh.
My problem is that they are either firm and the skin is hard, however long they cook, or that they just turn to flavourless, unpalattable mush. "The" recipe? Is that the standard way to prepare eggplants for a dish?

Crimmy, those pictures you posted look far too delicious. And now I shall pine away in longing.

[Crimmy]

"The" recipe? Is that the standard way to prepare eggplants for a dish?

One would assume so, just for the term he used.

Crimmy, those pictures you posted look far too delicious. And now I shall pine away in longing.

Well, if luck's on your side, you might find one or two guys around wherever it is you live that might sell you "real" tortillas. With that and the recipe above, you're in the process of living the mexican taco.

[tyckspoon]

A rolled fried tortilla makes a taquito or occasionally a flauta around here. Tacos are distinguished by being open-topped and served in such a way as to be consumed as finger foods (albeit somewhat messy ones for the better tacos), which your pictures definitely aren't.. that particular serving style actually looks a lot more like an enchilada plate to me, served dry for some bizarre reason. The rest of the preparation sounds right, the meat and dressings are just stuffed inside an open tortilla instead of rolled into a fried one.

I suspect probably 'taco' also has uses as a generic term for 'anything served inside a smallish tortilla', as opposed to burritos that use much larger tortilla rounds.

[Crimmy]

A rolled fried tortilla makes a taquito or occasionally a flauta around here. Tacos are distinguished by being open-topped and served in such a way as to be consumed as finger foods (albeit somewhat messy ones for the better tacos), which your pictures definitely aren't.. that particular serving style actually looks a lot more like an enchilada plate to me, served dry for some bizarre reason. The rest of the preparation sounds right, the meat and dressings are just stuffed inside an open tortilla instead of rolled into a fried one.

I suspect probably 'taco' also has uses as a generic term for 'anything served inside a smallish tortilla', as opposed to burritos that use much larger tortilla rounds.

I would beg to differ for 2 reasons:

1.- WE invented tacos, tortillas, flautas, enchiladas, chilaquiles, etc. So I guess we know about it.

2.- Taco is what I've shown. Taco is a way of serving lot's of things ROLLED inside a large tortilla, not a small one. Unless you talk about "Tacos al pastor", which is kinda like a Shishkebab put between 2 small tortillas put one over the other, served with pineapple, chopped onion and parsley. Adding lemon or salsa to it is nice.

Or unless you talk about "Tacos acorazados", in which you use two large tortillas put one above the other in order to turn it into one broader one. It's usually filled with mexican rice and beef milanesa.

So, as you can see, Mexico knows what he is talking about.

[Serpentine]

Hey, I don't take it kindly that you attack escamoles like that.
First of all, they have a lot more protein than you average food.

He didn't. As he clearly states, that all came from a site called Cracked.com.

Second, they are NOT nasty. They are quite tasty, and they have went through all kinds of regulations to make sure they are not bad (I assure you ,they're not bad.)

Escamoles have a surprisingly pleasant taste: buttery and slightly nutty.

Third, that job and that food were considered so important BECAUSE of the difficulties of getting such eggs.

Like a lot of ridiculous (not saying this one is - I'd probably try it) delicacies.

Fourth, just because they're insect eggs doesn't make them food for "insane people". So by saying you eat them while being insane, you're actually addressing half the mexican population, and 5/6ths of the Aztec population.

No mention of "insanity" was made by either Kyuubi nor the article. "Horrifying", yes, but that's a very subjective term not directed at the consumer particularly.

Fifth, by eating them, the Agave destruction is reduced, thus providing more plants to make Tequila. Note that Tequila is the name for the Blue Agave beverage that is produced in Tequila, Jalisco.

That's interesting.

You should put that recipe in the Cookbook Thread, if it's still revivable! Anyway, here's the tacos I know:

And the "soft tacos" which, it seems, are closer to the original:


I love the Old El Paso taco sauce P=

[Amiel]

For eggplants, you could cut each into strips, combine in a light batter, season to choice and make pancakes.

You could lightly steam the sliced eggplant and once they're done (cooked), you could serve with a dipping sauce; guacamole.

You could also dice up the eggplants, combine (cook) with pasta sauce and serve with pasta.

Another method would be to slice the eggplant into fan shapes, slit each down the middle and fill with a filling (whatever you wish) and then cook that in the oven.

[Crimmy]

You should put that recipe in the Cookbook Thread, if it's still revivable! Anyway, here's the tacos I know:
And the "soft tacos" which, it seems, are closer to the original
I love the Old El Paso taco sauce P=

The first one, I wanna cry.
The second one, all you need is change those tortillas to something a lot more soft, so you can roll it, and it's aces. Almost.

The cookbook thread?... Hmm. Mah be.

[Mystic Muse]

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Judging by the way this was recieved I better delete my post and just link the article to Vorpal. Sorry that I accidentally offended you.

I don't usually judge people by what they eat. I might question the sanity of somebody eating casu Marzu just because it's illegal everywhere for a reason But I won't judge somebody just because they like weird foods. (or more accurately, food I consider weird.) However, don't expect me to eat things just because they're a cultural dish. I don't think I'm ever going to try lutefisk or Haggis. Escamoles might actually be good and I'd actually be willing to try them if they really weren't too bad. I'd just need something to get the taste out in case they were. I have very specific tastes and textures I like.

[Serpentine]

They are soft, and you can roll them, they're just used like taco shells.

[Asta Kask]

The thing is, lutfisk is nothing compared to the horror that is surströmming.

*shudders*

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

However, don't expect me to eat things just because they're a cultural dish. I don't think I'm ever going to try lutefisk or Haggis.

Haggis is very nice, and in no way bizarre in texture or anything like that. Highly recommended.

[Serpentine]

Witchetty grubs feel like sandy paste wrapped in prawn shell I don't remember what it tastes like.

[KuReshtin]

The thing is, lutfisk is nothing compared to the horror that is surströmming.

*shudders*

Agreed. And I refuse to eat either Lutefisk or Surströmming. They are both vile, disgusting and just plain wrong.
Lutefisk in and of itself tastes of nothing. As in. It has no taste. The consistency is like half-coagulated snot. It's just plain wrong.

Surströmming is rotted fish. There's no other way to describe it. Several places in Sweden have banned surströmming from being eaten indoors because of the stench setting into the walls of the building for weeks afterwards.

Haggis is very nice, and in no way bizarre in texture or anything like that. Highly recommended.

Haggis is nice. the only reason people won't try it is because they know wat's in it.
To be honest, though, a lot of these people are also very happy to eat a hot dog without batting an eyelid, even if a hot dog has a lot more crap in it than does haggis.


On the question of Aubergine/eggplant, try making Moussaka. Traditional greek dish, comparable to lasagna, only using eggplant instead of the pasta.
What I found when cooking Moussaka was that you get more taste to the eggplant if you let it soak in a bit of salt and pepper before you start cooking it. Kind of like marinading it with some spice beforehand. Worked really well for me.

[Yora]

The thing is, lutfisk is nothing compared to the horror that is surströmming.

*shudders*

Any scandinavian food made from old fish is disgusting.

In northern germany, we only have Labskaus. It's mashed potatoes mixed with grounded fish and beef, boiled eggs, beetroot, and onions. It's not so much the ingredients, but they way it's served. Completely disgusting.

[Amiel]

What is the most delicious food that you've ever had the pleasure of omnoming eating.

[KuReshtin]

What is the most delicious food that you've ever had the pleasure of omnoming eating.

I don't think I can specify one specific food that is the best I've ever had. It depends a whole lot on the circumstances.

I quite liked the alligator I had in New Orleans, but every time I go home to visit the family in Sweden, if they serve 'kroppkakor', that is absolutely awesome. They don't look very tasty, but they're soooo nice.
Or sometimes, something as simple as some pan-fried salted belly pork with boiled potatos and onion gravy can be absolutely divine as well.

[Anuan]

What is the most delicious food that you've ever had the pleasure of omnoming eating.

Probably either my dad's Steak Dianne with homemade chips and a salad, or a good Kiev. You can't go wrong with chicken, breadcrumbs and garlic butter. Mmmm...

[Mystic Muse]

here's the difference between haggis and a hot dog for me.

I don't know what's in a hot dog.

[Crimmy]

They are soft, and you can roll them, they're just used like taco shells.

Well, I didn't know that. But from the image I can tell those (in the photo) are hard shells... I no like 'em.

Anyway, talked with more mexicans about this, and most of them agree with the fact that Taco Bull is only lying to most of you. I'd love to know what made them think these things are chalupas:


Because, clearly, these are:

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They, too, are soft tortillas.

[Kneenibble]

On Youtube somewhere there's a beautiful gay man who puts on his drag persona, a mouthy black woman, and records prank calls she does. One of them was to Taco Bell to complain about her chalupas. It made me fall in love with the word. I can't find the video again though.

Crimmy, I hope you're happy: I'm making the sound a dog makes at the dinner table right now. Would you please stop continue posting authentic Mexican food porn?

[Crimmy]

Crimmy, I hope you're happy: I'm making the sound a dog makes at the dinner table right now. Would you please stop continue posting authentic Mexican food porn?

I'd dig that video...

And... mexican food you say?
I'm about to crash this precise frigging page.
...
The order is:
-Chilaquiles and eggs.
-Oaxacan Tamales.
-"Cochinita Pibil" (Pibil Swine, Pibil pig.)
-Chiles en Nogada

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[Mystic Muse]

the egg dish looks good but the eggs don't look fully cooked. I'm not a fan of eggs that aren't fully cooked.

[Crimmy]

the egg dish looks good but the eggs don't look fully cooked. I'm not a fan of eggs that aren't fully cooked.

It doesn't look fully cooked because it isn't fully cooked.
Have you never even tried sunny-side up eggs?

[THAC0]

the egg dish looks good but the eggs don't look fully cooked. I'm not a fan of eggs that aren't fully cooked.

Sunny-side eggs are win.

Though some people get too squicked out to even try them, I don't know why! Best things ever!

[Serpentine]

Well, I didn't know that. But from the image I can tell those (in the photo) are hard shells... I no like 'em.

The ones in the second photo are soft. Small tortillas.

Mexican food looks veeeery tasty P=

Hrm... Any questions about Australian food?

[Kurien]

What does kangaroo meat taste like? What is the best part of the kangaroo, the tail?