What's something you always see at the grocery store....

[mudbug]

The following is taken from my post under the topic You Ate WHAT? Contest.: Gold Medal Winner

"Even though they are called "1000 Year Old Eggs" it only takes 100 days to cure them.

You should be able to find them at your local asian grocery store. They are usually duck eggs. They are extremly unique in appearance and smell. They look like black/grey jello with crystals (once you peel off the shell) and they have an extremely strong sulfuric aroma. (so don't be surprised by the smell)

This is a Chinese delicacy and the eggs are cured, well, not for a 1000 years, but only 100 days! Originally, duck eggs were used and are still being used in China but you may substitute chicken eggs. If you are on good terms with your Chinese take-away, forget about the cost and buy a dozen or so cured eggs. Otherwise, start preparing!

Lime: from your building supply store
Coarse salt: from your grocery or supermarket
Dry green tea leaves: you only drink coffee? Well buy a packet of tea or two
Ashes: you will have to ask a friendly guy in Ismailovo, making Shashlik, for any leftovers.
Charcoal: from the household section of your department store, you have to crush them into a fine powder. Depending on how many eggs you want to make, you need about 3 kg of the above mixture for 12 eggs.

Prepare an equal amount of all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them well. In an
earthenware pot cover the bottom with the mixture and spread the eggs evenly upon it. Make sure they do not touch! Fill the spaces with the mixture and put another layer off eggs on top. You can press the coating down a little, but it is not recommended to age eggs that are cracked or completely broken. Cover the last layer of eggs completely and put a lid on your container. Store in a cool place for three months. Do not put in a Refrigerator, remember THIS was the main way the Chinese preserved their eggs in the old days. They did not have refrigerators then!. (The Chinese Chef, who gave me this recipe, also told me that if the temperature is too cold the mixture will not ‘work’ and the eggs will not be cured.)

How should they be eaten? Either shelled and sliced and then served cold, (uncooked of course). Or you might want to serve them steamed with your next Chinese take-away!

This from an article 1000 Year Old Eggs by Chef Morak"

[UniChef]

Ziggy-

If you are from Arizona 95% of the cactus you see in the store will be purchased by Mexicans who fry it up in scrambled eggs for breakfast. Unless they have a hangover, then they just laddle up a big bowl of Menudo- "the breakfast of champions"!

Mike
formerly of Albuquerque

[MikeLM]

cchiu:
Parsnips ain't bad. Someone already mentioned frying them like potato chips, which sounds good.

I was advised to cut them lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices and sautee them in olive oil. They are remarkably sweet and tender. You can go from lightly browned to crunchy, depending on your taste. As with chips, salt enhances their flavor.

Other than that, I don't do much with them, either.

Mike

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by shroomgirl

at least 15 years ago I ate dim sum in San Francisco with my then 4 year old and he wanted to try this rolled (cylindrical) grey (yep grey) gelatinous shtuff....not sure to this day what it was...

Hey shroomgirl,

Better late than never... any chance this comes close?



Black sesame rolls can vary in colour from a translucent grey to completely black. This is from a dim sum in Hong Kong.

[redace1960]

tamarinda. it's an ingredient in worcestershire sauce and pop.....otherwise a mystery.

[Harpua]

Yucca Root

[phoebe]

So shroom, mudbug,and redace, what does it taste like?
Or is it one of those foods that don't taste "like" anything else? Which brings up a question I've had:
If some food/taste doesn't have a clear referent--something it is very similar to--does that excite you, repulse you, confuse you? Years ago, I went to Japan, and it seemed like every other dish I ate contained a green herb I'd never tasted before (you all probably know what this is, but I still don't). I was startled because there was no taste in my vocabulary to compare it to. So I began to feel a little queasy. I don't think it was the herb, but my own discomfort at not knowing how to define what I'd tasted. I think that if it had tasted like something I knew and disliked, that would have been easier to deal with.
Has anyone else had this experience? Or am I just a wuss (or a delicate flower ) when it comes to food strangenesses?

[gbhunter]

But rarely is it good! Most of the roots a flacid and some are even rotting!
Its rare but sometimes I can get a nice root that makes allot of horse radish!! I love that Stuff!

[redace1960]

tamarinda smells like barbeque sauce-except not. hits you in the same registers that merlot, nutmeg and espresso do, very deep and assertive. on the other hand it LOOKS like brown beanpods that have been hidden under a doghouse for thirty years.
new tastes? if i smell it and it doesn't incite a gag reflex, i'm good to go. then i think about it and pick at it in between sips of water for the rest of the meal and drive everyone else at the table nuts trying to describe it.

[liv4fud]

mine would be a orangish-yellow mini football type thing with some kind of spikes coming out of it. spikes are few and seem equi distant.
Haven't had a nice jewel/dominicks person to get me even the name of it. Its usually on a small table with all the unusual fruits of the store.
Feels like it could be squishy to touch but haven't had the guts to even touch it.

[jenni belle]

liv4fud, I think you may be referring to either a cherimoya or a guanabana. They are simliar fruits. But I have not tasted either!

mudbug, I love parsnips!!! They are so sweet! I like to roast them with some carrots and potatoes and serve with a lovely roast or chicken. MMMmmm......Problem is, they are pretty expensive. At least in my neck of the woods. They are a treat to us!

I don't know who brought up the cactus, but it is quite tasty. It is served a lot in my area (southern Colorado) and it is mainly served for breakfast. Here it is know by it's Spanish names though. If you see 'nopales' or 'nopalitos' on a menu, cactus is your dish!

I think my useless item would be jicima. I don't know what to do with it other than in salads. And I can only eat so many salads.......phooey......rabbit food.

There's also pumpkin. Pie and soup. Is there anything else???

And what about radishes. Bleck! Other than giving you bad breath, are they really good for anything???

[Mezzaluna]

Liv4fud, you're thinking of the kiwano melon. Here's a picture . Is that what you meant? I've always been intrigued, but they're pretty pricey (over $3 each).

[phatch]

Yucca root is GOOD.

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by liv4fud

mine would be a orangish-yellow mini football type thing with some kind of spikes coming out of it. spikes are few and seem equi distant.
Haven't had a nice jewel/dominicks person to get me even the name of it. Its usually on a small table with all the unusual fruits of the store.
Feels like it could be squishy to touch but haven't had the guts to even touch it.

Don't be afraid to try new things. Ask around (as you did here). Do google searches, etc on how to select and when to eat.

Kiwano Melon
http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

If you try a single fruit you are not familiar with, don't base your judgement on that one fruit. Like strawberries or peaches, you can easily get some that look fine on the outside but just are simply not the optimum representatives taste wise.

By not trying new things, you could be depriving your taste buds of something you thoroughly enjoy and may have been missing all your life.

[ricib]

there's probably a million things I pass by, but never think to use. I can say I've been using parsnips for years. They're "cheap" here at times. I add them in my oxtail soup, and it's that much better.

I like trying new stuff.