cook's profile


Rhianna
 
Home Town: Lisboa, Portugal
Living In: Usa, New Mexico, USA
Member Since: Jan. 2009
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Grilling & BBQ, Stir Frying, Slow Cooking, Asian, Mexican, Indian, Italian, Nouvelle, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Healthy, Vegetarian, Dessert, Gourmet
Hobbies: Gardening, Walking, Photography, Reading Books, Music, Genealogy, Painting/Drawing, Wine Tasting, Charity Work
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Ninety Minute Cinnamon Rolls
Rasgullas in Rose Syrup
Rasgullas in Saffron Syrup
About this Cook
My palate & experience is wide & varied. I tend to minimize or exclude meats. I prefer making & eating healthy, organic foods, but am able to enjoy the occasional fast-food/pre-prepared foods. My newest ventures are: using a pasta machine, the panini grill, & a clay roaster with lid. Also, the cuisines of Hawaii, Vietnam, & Korea ~ while continuing to perfect what I already do know, and learn what I don't.
My favorite things to cook
Almost everything from around the world, although meats are usually minimized.
My favorite family cooking traditions
American Thanksgiving & Christmas meals; baking holiday breads & cookies. For their birthdays and other special occasions, my family members can ask me to bake & decorate for them ANY cake (from scratch) that they can possibly imagine. I especially enjoyed this when my children were younger, as my creativity burst forth with ideas that coordinated all aspects around a theme/interest: designing & making the cake, invitations, pinata; tying in the activities & party favors with that.
My cooking triumphs
I can make feasts (from scratch) of many countries' cuisines. Mostly proud of teaching myself Indian cooking, methods, and accumulating/sourcing the vast array of spices necessary. The current intriguing (non-Indian) spice is peppery, cinnamony 'Grains of Paradise'. Next? Perhaps Avocado Leaves....The spice I haven't yet found is the Piri-Piri (aka Peri-Peri) hot peppers necessary for a Portuguese sauce & marinade of the same name. I learned through AR that 'Malagueta' peppers may be the elusive Piri-Piri.
My cooking tragedies
Several attempts at a 19 layer European sponge cake for a 19th birthday. At least I scaled back the grandiosity before 19 attempts!
Recipe Reviews 91 reviews
Bangaladumpa (Potato) Upma Koora
Packed with many great flavors, they come together to make a terrific dish. I followed the recipe precisely, except that I used 2 Tbl. urad dal only - with its black skin on - instead of the 2 dals. I served this with palaak panir, shahi panir, basmati rice, a dal dish, raita (cucumber & yogurt) for a vegetarian feast. (In case you don't know about it, here's an important ingredient note: do not use curry powder instead of curry leaves! The powder is a mix of several different spices. The curry leaves are from a tree & are green. They have a unique aroma & flavor - unsubstitutable, so beg your Indian grocer to order it for you.)

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: May 29, 2012
Bengaladumpa Vepudu (Potato Stir-Fry)
Delicious! But please do NOT confuse CURRY LEAVES with curry POWDER - they are NOT interchangeable! The leaves give a unique & great aroma & flavor to Indian dishes. You will have to seriously search Indian grocery stores (ask about ordering it) & possibly online stores. When you do find it, freeze the fresh green leaves in a plastic bag to have it around for 1+ years. To clarify: curry powder is a mixture of several spices, often including turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, etc. The curry leaf is a green aromatic leaf.

0 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: May 29, 2012
Jan's Pretzel Dogs
Very good. I wrapped organic hotdogs & also made bite-sized ones, some with sausage slices & some with jalapeno slices. (Next time I'll try wrapping the jal. ones so that water can't make them mushy; also will try finely chopping them to add to dough as jalapeno tasted great with the pretzel dough.)

5 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 15, 2011
 
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