h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

said not much. Drink milk or beer or eat bread...

It'll be with pasta, and I can give himself some garlic bread on the side. I'm Ok with Quite Spicy, and if there are leftover, they'll do for my lunches.

Would coconut milk help?

Creme Fraiche would be best.

B

I have added half a tin of coconut milk. This has improved matters. Have no creme fraische - have natural yoghurt, and fage greek yoghurt, and double cream, and ricotta.

Ricotta would probably be your best option.

The capsaicin in chillies is fat soluble, so the best way to ease up on the heat is to add something high in fat, and then drain or skim some of the sauce while dishing up.

B

Add ricotta while it's cooking, or near the end?

You won't gain anything by adding it early. Add it late, let it melt down and split, and draining off the liquid should take some of the chilli heat with it.

B

While it's cooking, I'd say. You'd need to give it some time to act...

Lovely, thank you!

I love this thread.

Bea - can I ask again about the tortilla-crumbed chicken breasts - are you putting them in the bag with the crumbs on and then practically baking them, or using the bag to coat them with the egg more evenly, before taking them out and crumbing them?

Bag to coat them in the egg. Then dip into the tortilla chips (in a shallow bowl)

I don't do the bag bit, just chuck them in a dish with beaten egg, hot sauce, black pepper (+ salt if your tortilla chips are naked), and some crushed oregano.

B

I did pork fried rice. Cooked the rice this morning and spread it out in a large flat dish to dry out, furtling it around now and then to break up lumps and help drying. The pork was a couple of decent chops, dumped in a marinade, also in the morning. In a dish that's just big enough to take the meat without overlapping mix 2 tablespoons red wine, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp honey, a sprinkle of cinnamon, finely chopped clove of garlic (out of my garden!) and a heaped teaspoon of fennel seeds (in lieu of star anise). Puncture the pork chops vigorously with a fork and put them in the marinade, cover, turn now and then.

Cook the chops in a hot oven about half an hour before you want to eat until the fat is blackened and crispy. Let them cool, cut off the bones and pretend that you've got a spare rib starter, and cut the meat into small cubes.

To put it all together, chop up some vegetables. I only had red onion (garden again) mushrooms and peppers, plus garlic and finely chopped root ginger. Throw the vegetables into a hot pan with a little oil, give them maybe 20 seconds. Chuck in 2 beaten eggs, and then add the rice. Stir vigorously to coat the rice, add the meat and a handful of cashew nuts, let it stand for maybe ten seconds so the stuff at the bottom of the pan starts to get a bit crispy and then stir it all up vigorously again. Pour over a mixture of 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and a squirt of Sriracha chilli sauce. Mix and serve immediately. I now weigh too much.

Most of those things are Not Available in Germany. Well, rice and pork chops are, and, of late, you can get hold of root ginger in the better supermarkets, but most of the others - I'd have to send abroad for.

I used up some aubergines tonight - and the ubiquitous courgettes - in a pan, with some diced lamb steak. Thick tomatoey sauce over that, served it with couscous.

my mum has a rather brilliant carrot and courgette carrott cake recipe if you want that?

(getting totally sick of the YouTube/Germany thing )

What Youtube/Germany thing?

B

"Not available in your area" or equivalent.

Actually, I have found out that outside of the UK you can watch lots of British television programmes which would be blocked inside the UK - so now I have hours of fun on Youtube.

really, Where, TC?

MB - when we click on YouTube. GEMA, who protect the rights of performers in Germany, have often blocked the content. More than one small German group, trying to break into the mainstream, have complained about that.

Eh? What? I'm a bit confuddled. Are there cooking ingredients that you can't get in Germany, or are you just not allowed to look at YouTube videos of oyster sauce