I didn't know what garlic germ was either! Here's a link:

https://www.google.com/search?client...&q=garlic+germ

thank you pal! My spouse might enjoy this new tidbit of info. The onion / salt tip from LapLap is already highly appreciated :-)

Bought a fantastic box of yellow peaches from Costco this week and made this again. Bc damn it is so good. Sons toasted some of those Costco Belgian waffles, topped with ice cream and stewed peaches. So good. But I digress. I’d like to finish off the rest of the peaches by making this and freezing for future use when peaches aren’t in season. Don’t want to freeze cut up peaches and don’t have a pressurized canning set up. Do you all think this peach, butter, sugar reduction would freeze okay? Any tips?

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Baked striped bass

Caught a huge striped bass yesterday and baked about 60% of it on the grill last night for dinner. The recipe is basically using skin-on fillets you bake it on aluminum foil on the grill so the skin stick to it. Easy to make, easy to serve. The marinade varies based on what's available but in this case included:

Coca-cola
Italian dressing
An onion bbq sauce my dad brought with him
onions
mushrooms
worchestershire sauce

Bake over medium/hot in a aluminum trays (disposable in our case) and serve directly with the jus and crusty bread.

I think the texture would change when frozen but since you like them mushy anyway, i say go for it. Try a small amount first and see if you like it.

I’m trying to cook a basic curry stew (like a yellow thai or japanese curry with potato and carrot) and it’s just not adequately spicy. Besides curry powder and paste, what should I add? I’ve read suggestions for paprika and Serrano Chile. Do I need more Serrano Chile or is there a better solution?

I used to keep two different blocks of Japanese curry roux, one was a “sweet mouth” mild version, another was hotter kind, because my daughter couldn’t tolerate a moderate spice level. Rather than make two batches, I’d make it with “sweet mouth” roux first, scoop out a serving for her, then add the spicier roux for us adults. She’s caught up with us now (to a degree) so I no longer need to buy the mild style of curry roux.
Personally, I think that merely adding intense chilli oil to a mild curry isn’t enough, curry should be about balance.

First of all, have you tried Japanese Curry in different heat levels?
Here’s a post by a regular contributor to the Japan Forum who prepared an “extra hot” curry in the USA:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32260373-post58.html
Even with an “Extra Hot” curry roux, he still prefers to customise it a little with extra flavours.

You also have kids at your table, so another trick to individually adjusting heat levels for a bland curry is the accompanying pickles or chutney. Japanese curries REQUIRE a sweet/sour accompaniment. The standard in Japan is called Fukujinzuke, but we’ve had Atchara recommended to us (@Gradfly) and I suggest pickled beetroot. But you could use really spicy condiments instead as a way to introduce heat - a spicy beetroot relish or an intensely spicy mango chutney would work.

I love those curry roux blocks but fear the high sodium levels. I don’t think the curry powder and paste has as much sodium. I have this idea that sodium daily limit should be 2000mg and I think the curry blocks are considerably higher. So I’m hoping for another solution to spice up a curry - if adding more Serrano peppers works, that’s fine. Mentally I consider Serrano peppers to be an ingredient for Mexican and Latin American food, and not Asian food. So I’m torn because then I’m pondering if I’m just eating something that is more Latin American as opposed to Asian.

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These are huge carrots I bought at the korean grocer Kukje in Daly City. At 9a for camp dropoff, they weren’t busy. Before the 2p camp pickup, they were so busy that there was a queue for people to enter the store.
anyway, how do these carrots get to be so huge? They’re not organic. Is it a carrot chemical? Is it just for korean grocers? I’ve never seen such big carrots. I assume that big carrots are sweet. I bought them for a short rib curry stew except the curry wasn’t adequately noticeable or hot but the stew was still yummy. I just want heat but I do really need answers on these huge carrots. Colossal. Colossal carrots.

Actually I think smaller carrots are more likely to be sweet but these will be just fine in a stew. I doubt if it is chemicals...just big carrots. Is there fresh ginger in your curry? Ginger can be hot.

I bought a cast-iron skillet last weekend. Just been playing around with eggs etc with it. It's a lot of fun to cook on. I think it's the culinary equivalent of flying a 747; small adjustments to the engine and wait a while for anything to happen. It is great how it holds heat though, you can pretty much get it hot then cook eggs on it with the burner off.

And also, totally OT, but it is the weekend:

https://www.sadanduseless.com/radish-hotness/

I think it’s just genetics. Every once in a while I can find them this big. Maybe they’d all be that big if the farmers just left them in the ground longer.

Bird's eye chilies sliced thinly. Or turned into a sambal (smash them up with garlic, shallots, and a bit of salt, sugar, and vinegar, then add to the curry). You'll get all the heat you want and maybe more.

More southeast Asia than Japan, but you did say Thai curries, too.

thanks - I’ll look into birds eye chili. Yeah, I just want more Asian than Latin for curry. A spicy curry or vindaloo that doesn’t need to blatantly have high sodium. I love the Japan curry blocks but they’re so high in sodium. I guess I could also google vindaloo or similar hot India curry.

I think the top carrot has an STD. ;)