The Ducks Guts' Profile

From: Melbourne, Vic Australia

Joined: March 26th, 2010

About me: Just in case my mother finds this website, I don't buy all my cookbooks new. A lot are second hand from garage sales and op shops. One of my favorites is a 1960's high school cookbook from Malaysia bought from a garage sale. I use to love the Time-Life Good Cook series and the Food of the World series, but I haven't had a lot of success cooking out of them. They are wonderful to read tho', so they are still in the bookshelves, and not relegated to storage.

Favorite cookbook: Thai Food by David Thompson


Latest review:

August 12th, 2012

Lentil Soup from A Month in Marrakesh

A good plain soup which made a large potful. I made it with water, not stock, and it still worked, which is always a good sign. read more >


recipe reviews (154)
book reviews (14)
useful review votes (56)

The Ducks Guts' Reviews


Search Reviews:

3 recipe(s) reviewed. Showing 1 to 3Sort by: Title | Date | Rating

Madhur Jaffrey Cookbook

By Madhur Jaffrey
Tiger Book - 1992

7th February 2011 (edited: 7th February 2011)

How To Make Fried and Baked Wheat-Gluten Balls : page 213

If I can't find fresh gluten at the asian shops, or gluten flour in the supermarket, I use this recipe to make it out of ordinary bread or white flour. Good detailed instructions. I always bake them or simmer in meat stock, rather then deep-fry, just to minimise the calories. I've seen it in other books as seitan.
Just a warning, if you do simmer it, it expands to an astonishing degree.

useful (1)  


OK, but nothing to rave over, even substituting chicken stock for the vegetable stock.

useful (0)  


22nd May 2011 (edited: 22nd May 2011)

Very Spicy, Delicious Chick Peas : page 106

Disappointing. Possibly if I hadn't read the paragraph at the start of the recipe, I wouldn't have expected so much, but I certainly wouldn't sneak out of the house for this. I used tinned chickpeas, and had to double the cooking time to get them close to the mushy stage that I prefer, but that is the cook, not the recipe.
I might try the recipe again, but will be prepared to tweak it substantially. Also, 5 tablespoons of oil is way too much for frying the onions. Possibly the recipe is just showing its age / era.

useful (0)