Fermented squash. I ferment a lot of produce I get from my garden, even stuff I could eat fresh. But squash is first tier.
this post was submitted on 29 May 2025
41 points (97.7% liked)
Casual Conversation
3346 readers
509 users here now
Share a story, ask a question, or start a conversation about (almost) anything you desire. Maybe you'll make some friends in the process.
RULES (updated 01/22/25)
- Be respectful: no harassment, hate speech, bigotry, and/or trolling. To be concise, disrespect is defined by escalation.
- Encourage conversation in your OP. This means including heavily implicative subject matter when you can and also engaging in your thread when possible. You won't be punished for trying.
- Avoid controversial topics (politics or societal debates come to mind, though we are not saying not to talk about anything that resembles these). There's a guide in the protocol book offered as a mod model that can be used for that; it's vague until you realize it was made for things like the rule in question. At least four purple answers must apply to a "controversial" message for it to be allowed.
- Keep it clean and SFW: No illegal content or anything gross and inappropriate. A rule of thumb is if a recording of a conversation put on another platform would get someone a COPPA violation response, that exact exchange should be avoided when possible.
- No solicitation such as ads, promotional content, spam, surveys etc. The chart redirected to above applies to spam material as well, which is one of the reasons its wording is vague, as it applies to a few things. Again, a "spammy" message must be applicable to four purple answers before it's allowed.
- Respect privacy as well as truth: Don’t ask for or share any personal information or slander anyone. A rule of thumb is if something is enough info to go by that it "would be a copyright violation if the info was art" as another group put it, or that it alone can be used to narrow someone down to 150 physical humans (Dunbar's Number) or less, it's considered an excess breach of privacy. Slander is defined by intentional utilitarian misguidance at the expense (positive or negative) of a sentient entity. This often links back to or mixes with rule one, which implies, for example, that even something that is true can still amount to what slander is trying to achieve, and that will be looked down upon.
Casual conversation communities:
Related discussion-focused communities
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Beans
Dates. I prefer fresh, but pitted and dried are still delicious.
Banh Mi (with crispy pork, and lots of chilli and pate).
OK, this one is going to be tough to explain. I'll start with pictures:
These are two variants of 陈年八仙果 (chén nián bā xiān guǒ or "Aged Eight Immortals Fruit"). Basically you hollow out a pomelo, fill it with a mixture of plum pulp, tangerine peel, assorted spices (including licorice), and salt. Then you dry it until it's dense. You cut it up into those wedges you see above and ... well ... you eat it.
Or you make tea with it.
Or you chop it up finely and use it to flavour meat dishes.
But mostly you just eat it as a snack.
Noodles with a chopped burger patty, onions fried in the burger grease, and a bit of barbecue sauce.
It was mostly a leftover Mashup, but if i could have it again I would.
Two things: satekroket in Amsterdam, from FEBO (I'm addicted to them whenever I go), and cottage pie I've been making from scratch.
You can't say that and not share your recipe! Let us savour it as well
I used the BBC Good Foods recipe for a cottage pie, however I thinly sliced the onions so they cook slower and sweat differently with the carrots and celery.
People also told me the red wine doesn't matter, however I chose some rather fruity and full bodied wines with the sauce/gravy - I think this really made a difference and the flavours really pop. I tried weaker red wines and they just don't bring out the flavour in the same way.
Proper Belgian waffles. I have seen two US supermarkets selling proper Liege waffles that you can take home and microwave yourself, and they taste phenomenal
I hope the ones properly made in Liege would be even better, but yeah the supermarket version is still good
It's quite mundane, as it's a very common ingredient, but I suppose I accidentally discovered New uses in my own cooking life.
I was frying some leftover noodles and I accidentally spilled corn meal in the pan and I just stirred it all in and cooked it anyways. Well holy fuck.
Started adding it in to mashed potatoes and other things, it's so versatile and mildly sweet.
You should try chinese mashed potato instant noodle combo
It sounds wack but its actually pretty good. Surprisingly works well, kinda like a creamy noodle soup
This is the one i tried
...
Poke bowls!
What's a poke bowl?;
There are different kinds but basically raw salmon/tuna, rice, maybe fruit, cucumber, lettuce, a sauce. It sounds really gross and weird but it's somehow delicious (if you like sushi).
Sounds good!
Been trying to eat less meat since some times and came across two discoveries that stuck with me : kebab sandwiches with falafel instead of meat, and red beans 'steaks' (mashed beans with a bit of flour, onions, seasoning, fried in a pan) that are amazing alone or in burgers. Also thx for the question/thread, it's very nice to see everyone slice of life
muhummara - it's a dip, Syrian in origin, made from roasted red peppers enriched with walnut paste and sweetened with pomegranate molasses
it's amazing on fresh bread
I put some on a pita for my seven-year-old and told him it was pizza, he devoured it and asked for more
I have a book with a recipe for that that ive been meaning to try for about a year now
Pretty basic, but I've been adding coconut milk to my curries and it's great because it gives it an extra richness as well as letting you add even more chilies!!
It raises the price per bowl a bit, but I think it's worth it to make it a little more special.
Also a calorie bomb, unfortunately. It goes in my Thai green curry and I wish I could have it more often 😩
Coconut milk is also one of those things where brand name makes a huge difference.
Gumbo. I'd never tried it since I'm not a fan of seafood dishes, but I stumbled upon Isaac Toups' chicken and sausage gumbo recipe and it's borderline life-changing.
One of the best things to ever come out of my kitchen.
Gumbo without seafood is usually called jambalaya, although I might be deeply offending someone with such a flippant remark.
Jambalaya is so good, and it's a great way to use up a bunch of leftover or home-frozen veg.
Toups said calling it gumbo is a north/south Louisiana thing, but hell if I know.
He also said to use good sausage, and if you don't live somewhere where you can get good sausage, move. Solid life advice.
been fermenting everything! Juice, onions, cucumbers, peppers, ginger. Make it fizz baby!
That sounds dope. Where did you look for information on this? I've gotten into fermented foods more recently in my life and I love them.
Kahi https://www.196flavors.com/iraq-kahi/
There's a place by me that serves this and Turkish coffee.
Not quite discovered but I recently started making popcorn at home and it's so good!! Before I only ever had popcorn at the cinema (where I don't go often anyway), but as it turns out buying corn kernels and making it myself makes for a cheap and tasty snack. Less recently, I tried eel sushi and really liked it!! Shame I only know of one restaurant that does it though
Just a few seconds before the kernels start popping, one adds one spoon of butter and it is the tastiest thing.
Unfortunately I don't like butter, but I'll keep that in mind for my brother who does like it!
Fair!
Any other popcorn tricks?
Couple teaspoons of icing sugar or crush some cane sugar into powder with a mortar and pestle.
You can make it "totally next level" for maybe 30 extra calories
Mix the butter with sirarcha and drizzle after popping!
Hummus in general but specifically: jalapeño hummus.
Turns out it's delicious. I've been eating it with carrots, chips, and on sandwiches.
EDIT: OMFG PICKLE HUMMUS TOO, APPARENTLY. SO GOOD
Best sandwich ever is hummus, grated carrot and sultana. Fucking lovely
Hot sauce and spicy foods in general. When I was younger I couldn't handle the heat, but now I'm trying hot sauce on all sorts of things.
Pumpkin sausage from the local farm. I'm usually not a sossidge fan, but darn, those are nice.
Lazy Dog restaurant serves candied bacon and a PBJ burger, both of which are incredible.
Branson Pickle spread. Ordered a toaster at a pub in London, and the guy put a little in a cup on the side. It was so good on the sandwich. Never would’ve tried that!
Ooooh I love cheese toasties so I may well do this thanks
Tomato and dry roasted peanuts 🤌
Garlic (and other veggie) confit, using said confit as an ingredient in homemeade tapenade.
Also made a Bordelaise for the first time ever. I love learning new foods.
For a given value of recent, it's between three things.
Black garlic, vegemite and marmite.
Black garlic is candy with depth. Sweet, savory, and a mild pungency that nothing else has. It's also a great ingredient, but stands as its own delightful edible.
Vegemite is basically a salt and umami bomb. It's best used as a spread, imo, but can be added to soups, stews, or other dishes that can use a little boost with only the smallest of additions.
Marmite is similar to vegemite, but has a bit more versatility, imo. It's also more of a syrupy consistency compared to the paste of vegemite. The flavor profile is different though, with marmite having a malty undertone and being slightly earthier. But it can generally be added to marinades and sauces in a way that vegemite isn't as good at.
The key with the 'mites is moderation. As ingredients, you might add at most a whole teaspoon to a pot of soup. And that's going to be a heavy addition. As a spread, you want the thinnest possible layer on the bread because both are salty and potent. But, you can layer on a little of either, with some butter, on toast and it is amazing, just like that.
Black garlic, I have trouble using as an ingredient because it's just so damn good by itself. But it can go anywhere garlic goes. Either by itself, or with normal garlic. But I prefer it along the lines of how people use truffles, and typically on dishes where it's going to have plenty of room to come though. It's expensive enough compared to regular garlic that you don't want to waste it in a giant pot of marinara where it'll get drowned out.
Not a single food, but I discovered sushi tastes good with ranch dressing.
Kelp snacks are pretty nice. It's the combination of having this wet chewy texture with savory flavours that really does it for me. Great to munch on in the summer.