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novapsycheI made the chicken & coconut milk recipe again, with some changes. I wanted to scale up, but not completely double. Also, I didn't feel the need to adjust completely to scale--I'm trying to develop my innate cooking chops.
I substituted shallots almost entirely for the onion. I increased the lemongrass, garlic, mushrooms, chicken & coconut milk in relation to the amount of chicken stock. I used key limes instead of lime leaves, utilizing the zest as well as the juice (the purchase was a mistake made in the haste of shopping while trying to make the next bus, so I had to make limeade from limes). I included serrano peppers, as most Tom Kha Gai recipes call for Thai chiles but none appeared available when I was shopping.
In short, I created a brand-new recipe. It still turned out.
Now I want to make further adjustments. Last time I used lemon as a substitute for the lack of lime; is that why this version seems in comparison a bit lackluster? (Not that it's bad. It just seems to have a loss of brightness, which in itself needed to be counterbalanced by the addition of sugar.) Would oyster sauce improve or ruin the dish? Would cooking it longer on lower heat allow the flavors to meld better? Basically, what can I do to make this better (and can I figure that out on my own)?
I like that I've gotten to this stage as a cook. I not only can feed myself, I can do so with really tasty dishes. I would not hesitate to serve this soup to others. I'm glad I've gotten enough of a foothold on individual ingredients that I can think about branching out into being inexact, not merely following recipes but rather relying on my developing palate instead.
I substituted shallots almost entirely for the onion. I increased the lemongrass, garlic, mushrooms, chicken & coconut milk in relation to the amount of chicken stock. I used key limes instead of lime leaves, utilizing the zest as well as the juice (the purchase was a mistake made in the haste of shopping while trying to make the next bus, so I had to make limeade from limes). I included serrano peppers, as most Tom Kha Gai recipes call for Thai chiles but none appeared available when I was shopping.
In short, I created a brand-new recipe. It still turned out.
Now I want to make further adjustments. Last time I used lemon as a substitute for the lack of lime; is that why this version seems in comparison a bit lackluster? (Not that it's bad. It just seems to have a loss of brightness, which in itself needed to be counterbalanced by the addition of sugar.) Would oyster sauce improve or ruin the dish? Would cooking it longer on lower heat allow the flavors to meld better? Basically, what can I do to make this better (and can I figure that out on my own)?
I like that I've gotten to this stage as a cook. I not only can feed myself, I can do so with really tasty dishes. I would not hesitate to serve this soup to others. I'm glad I've gotten enough of a foothold on individual ingredients that I can think about branching out into being inexact, not merely following recipes but rather relying on my developing palate instead.