What is your cooking nemesis?

S

Sarah BDnO

Active Member
Joined
3 Jan 2021
Local time
9:23 AM
Messages
14
Location
SPain
Is there a recipe that is not supposed to be so difficult but you can't get it right?

I'll start, for me it's falafels. I love it and the first time I made some, with canned chickpeas and after just a glance at a recipe, they were great. But it seems that it was pure beginner's luck, because since then, I've tried 4 or 5 times, both with canned and then with dry chickpeas when I read it was better, but I still can't get the consistency right, and they disintegrate in the pan. I am so upset about this =D I gave up for now because you can buy good ones easily, but I haven't said my last word!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sarah BDnO said:
, I've tried 4 or 5 times, both with canned and then with dry chickpeas when I read it was better, but I still can't get the consistency right, and they disintegrate in the pan.
Click to expand...

The 'correct' way to make them is with dried soaked overnight chickpeas. The chickpeas shouldn't be cooked when you form them into balls. Is that what you did when you used dry chickpeas?
 
Morning Glory said:
The 'correct' way to make them is with dried soaked overnight chickpeas. The chickpeas shouldn't be cooked when you form them into balls. Is that what you did when you used dry chickpeas?
Click to expand...
Yes, but I thought that the consistency was still too dry and I could not form proper balls, so I added a bit a water every time... Clearly I am doing something wrong! Maybe I should try to mix them more next time
 
Sarah BDnO said:
Yes, but I thought that the consistency was still too dry and I could not form proper balls, so I added a bit a water every time... Clearly I am doing something wrong! Maybe I should try to mix them more next time
Click to expand...

I must admit the once or twice I made them they seemed a bit dry too. It put me off doing it again but perhaps I should persevere. I also found them too 'crunchy'. I mean the inside. Maybe I am simply used to falafel packet mixes rather than the real thing.
 
Hello!

For me (and maybe you can advise me :) ) - it is Paella! I've been trying to follow along a traditional Valencian recipe over the years, but my results are quite inconsistent; sometimes it tastes quite good with nice grainy rice and well seasoned, other times it is a bit of a stodgy mess with bland taste. I think part of the problem is that I have not eaten a Paella while I was in Spain so not really sure what is the correct way it's supposed to taste. I end up overcompensating by adding all kinds of fancy seafood when I should perhaps be focusing on perfecting how the rice turns out...

I have a small bag of Bomba in the pantry so might have a go this weekend...
 
vernplum said:
Hello!

For me (and maybe you can advise me :) ) - it is Paella! I've been trying to follow along a traditional Valencian recipe over the years, but my results are quite inconsistent; sometimes it tastes quite good with nice grainy rice and well seasoned, other times it is a bit of a stodgy mess with bland taste. I think part of the problem is that I have not eaten a Paella while I was in Spain so not really sure what is the correct way it's supposed to taste. I end up overcompensating by adding all kinds of fancy seafood when I should perhaps be focusing on perfecting how the rice turns out...

I have a small bag of Bomba in the pantry so might have a go this weekend...
Click to expand...

A few years ago we had a Paella Cookalong on the forum. The CookingBites Cookalong: Paella
The top post contains some useful links. The second post is the basic recipe I use.

This was the prawn & clam paella I made:

54415
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom