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Recipes ​

balela ​

cabbage ​

  • 1 big or 2 medium head cabbage cut into small bite-size pieces, dump into pickling brine in shop fridge for 24-48 hours

spice ​

just a half-batch of the standard spice mix, so 50g of cumin instead of 100g, etc.

ginger/garlic: ​

  1. weigh out 300g each of garlic and ginger
  2. peel and rouch chop the garlic to the size of the garlic cloves
  3. mince all 600g in the food processor

Flavor Molecule Enhancement Fluid (curry base) ​

8 onions, chopped however (slices, rough chop, your choice) ~1800g 2 bags sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into nice bite-sized pieces 8 regular potatoes, peeled and chopped into pieces just slightly larger than the sweet potatoes total potato weight (sweet + regular): 5000g 1 qt chicken stock, defrosted 1 big (#10) can whole peeled tomatoes 90g spice mix

  1. heat big pot empty for 5 minutes
  2. add one cup oil to bottom of pan, add onions, stir now and then 5 minutes
  3. add spice mix, stir across bottom of pot, let it stick and get fragrant for ~30 sec, then stir and reflatten, repeat a couple times and at first sign of smoke, deglaze with chicken stock to a slurry
  4. add potatoes and tomatoes, stir, and simmer until big potato pieces are just starting to be tender

braised chicken: ​

7400g / 20 lbs chicken 95g salt 95g Distro Spice 95g ginger/garlic 1 cup vegetable oil

  1. mix garlic/ginger, spice blend, oil, salt all over chicken in deep hotel pan, stick in shop fridge for 4-24 hours
  2. preheat the oven to 400
  3. open one big can (#10 can) coconut milk, save one quart of it for salsa verde
  4. pour the rest of the coconut milk over the chicken in the same hotel pan
  5. add 1 qt chicken stock
  6. put hotel pan of chicken in oven for 90 minutes
  7. remove chicken, mix it around to even out heat distribution
  8. put it in the oven for another 45 minutes
  9. remove from the oven, use meat thermometer (long floppy wire thermometer) to check for min 160 degrees across six pieces from different areas of the pan
  10. if any chicken under 160, put it back in the oven for 20 minutes and check again then
  11. once all 6 read 160+, remove from the oven and put hotel pan on a cooling tray (diningroom table is good)
  12. grab gallon jugs of ice from shop fridge, rinse/wipe them off (they were washed before freezing) and distribute them throughout hotel pan to cool

stew total ​

yield: 18 gallons cost: ~$145

ingredientquantity (g unless specfied)
rice5000
chickpeas5000
cannellini beans2000
chicken~38lbs (or ~17kg, 7 packs)
frozen peasXg (4 bags)
lemon juiceml (5 bags)
garlic, minced680
ginger, minced400
butternut squash or cauliflower6000g (or 8 cauliflowers)
onions, slicedXg (12-14 onions)
marinated potatoes5000
chicken stock8 liters
coconut milkXml (3 large cans)
marinated cabbage1500
pickled cabbage2000
spice mix2 qts
peppers, sliced (mix bell/sweet)12qts
canned whole peeled tomato(2 large cans)
salsa verde6qts
  1. prep the garlic/ginger
  2. mix the spices
  3. assemble salsa verde
  4. prep the chickpeas
  5. prep the cannellini beans
  6. produce chicken stock
  7. marinate the cabbage
  8. pickle the cabbage
  9. marinate the potato
  10. prep the squash or cauliflower
  11. prep the chicken
  12. cook the rice
  13. process the cabbage, onions, and peppers
  14. cook stew
  15. pack rice, salsa verde, and stew for distro

garlic-ginger ​

yield: 1080g

ingredientquantity (g)
garlic680
ginger400
  1. peel ginger with a spoon or veg. peeler
  2. rough chop ginger to the size of garlic cloves
  3. pulse mixed garlic and ginger in batches in food processor until minced
  4. portion into quarts

spice mix ​

yield 1 qt

ingredientquantity (g)
---- whole -------- whole ----
cumin seeds100
coriander seeds100
fennel seed50
cloves (whole)3
caraway seeds23
--- powdered ------ powdered ---
tumeric165
cayenne25
paprika20
cinnamon15
  1. toast whole spices together in a pan until aromatic, ~4 minutes
  2. grind whole spices in nutribullet/spice grinder
  3. combine all spices
  4. portion into quart containers

salsa verde ​

yield X quarts

ingredientquantity
jalapeΓ±o peppers4 quart
lemon juice5 bags
scallions8 bag
cilantro12 bunch
  1. char jalapeno peppers on stove using the scorched colander
  2. rough chop cilantro and scallions
  3. juice lemons
  4. process everything in vitamix
  5. portion into quart containers

chickpeas ​

yield 5 gallons

ingredientquantity
chickpeas6200g
  1. soak chickpeas overnight, water should come up twice the height of the beans
  2. next day, all chickpeas in deep hotel pans on the stove, cover with one inch water, simmer 30 minutes skimming foam, until tender
  3. drain water and rinse in cold water
  4. cool in open air

cannellini beans ​

yield 2000g

ingredientquantity
cannellini2000g
coriander20g
cumin4g
pepper5g
onion1pc
garlic1 head
bay leaf2 leaves
  1. ask caleb what the method for cannellini beans is

chicken stock ​

yield: 14L

ingredientquantity
chicken bones4000g
water14L
  1. in large stock pot, immerse bones in water
  2. simmer for X hours
  3. let cool X hours
  4. chill overnight in fridge

marinated cabbage ​

yield: 5000g

ingredientquantity
cabbage5000g
salt1.3%
spice mix1.3%
ginger/garlic1.3%
  1. cut cabbages to quarters through core
  2. remove core
  3. cut to 1.5" pieces
  4. toss all ingredients together in large cambro
  5. marinade for 3 hours

pickled cabbage ​

yield: 2000g

ingredientquantity
cabbage2000g
salt2%
garlic/ginger2%
spice mix3%
rice vinegar1qt
sugar240g
water2/3 qt
  1. rough chop cabbage to ~1.5" pieces
  2. mix cabbage with salt, garlic/ginger mix, spice mix
  3. let stand at room temp for 3 hrs
  4. dissolve sugar into water and rice vinegar
  5. combine everything in square 8qt cambro, lid it
  6. chill and brine overnight, up to three days

marinated potato ​

yield 10 qts

ingredientquantity
potatoes5000g
salt1.3%
spice mix1.3%
ginger/garlic1.3%
canola1/3c
  1. peel potatoes
  2. cut to loose dice, ~1" cubes
  3. mix all ingredients
  4. store in fridge overnight

rice ​

yield ~45 servings (appropriate for 18 gallon stew)

ingredientquantity
rice2000g
salt60g (3.3%)
water5L (250% by weight)
  1. bring salted water to boil in pot
  2. put rice in deep hotel pan
  3. pour boiling water over rice, stir once
  4. cover with sheet tray or inverted hotel pan
  5. bake at 350Β° for 20-25 minutes, until water is absorbed
  6. cool rice to room temperature
  7. roughly mix in chopped crispy chicken skin

squash ​

yield 6000g

ingredientquantity
squash6000g
  1. peel squash with vegetable peeler
  2. slice squash in half, scrape out seeds and loose pith with a spoon
  3. cut to ~1" cubes
  4. set aside in a bowl

cauliflower ​

yield 6000g

ingredientquantity
cauliflower6000g
  1. remove base of cauliflower
  2. slice into thumb-sized florets
  3. set aside in a bowl

chicken ​

yield 17kg chicken, crispy skins

ingredientfull batchhalf batchratios
chicken17000g8500gbase
salt25.5g12.751.5%
spice mix22g11g1.3%
ginger/garlic29g14.5g1.7%
canola1c1/2cuse your discretion
  1. mix all ingredients in large cambro
  2. marinade X hours
  3. lay out chicken on sheet trays
  4. roast for X minutes at 350Β°
  5. cool one hour
  6. remove skins (save them)
  7. remove bone
  8. rough chop and set aside
  9. lay out chicken skins on sheet trays
  10. roast in oven at XΒ° until crispy, ~X minutes (close eye, don't let them burn)
  11. remove skins from trays, cool briefly, then chop and set aside until ready to be added to rice

veggies ​

yield Xg

ingredientquantity
cabbage1500g
onionsXg (12-14 onions)
peppers (bell/sweet)12qts
canned whole peeled tomato(2 large cans)
  1. slice or dice onions, not pretty, they will dissolve in the stew
  2. cut cauliflower to bite-sized florets, along the lines of the potato
  3. slice sweet peppers to half-inch rings
  4. medium dice bell peppers
  5. open the canned tomatoes

stew ​

Setup ​

  1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Clear away the dishpit (living room table), the bread station, clear/wipe the counters, get everything nice and shiny and ready to work.
  2. Two cutting boards. Gather and neatly arrange the many cambros and delis you will need.
  3. Corner Cook: tray out your chicken on the stovetop. Wash stockpot, clean out sink. Measure out spice mix. Gather marinaded potatoes, cabbage.
  4. Counter Cook: gather onions, garlic/ginger, cauliflower, peppers. Set up food processor, get a rubber spat. Begin veg prep.

Chicken and Veg Prep ​

  1. Corner Cook: set a 30-minute timer on chicken. It’s done when the skin begins to crisp, and a good deal of fat has rendered. It can be partly raw at the center still. We’ll finish it in the broth later. In the meantime, help Counter Cook get veg prep out of the way. When the chicken is finished, pour the fat into a stainless steel bowl, and place the trays on towels in the garage fridge to cool. Once the chicken has cooled, pick it. Separate meat, skins, and bones into three containers. Put the bones in the bone container. With a rubber spatula, scrape the remaining drippings and bits off the sheet trays and into a separate deli. Then roughly dice the picked chicken, and transfer it to another container. Finally, arrange the skins on the trays (no need to wash them beforehand) and roast them at 450 degrees for about 10-20 minutes. The lower the rack, the faster they will crisp. They will generate a good deal of smoke. When the skin is crispy, and just beginning to burn at the edges, it’s done. Remove the trays, pour off the last of the rendered fat into your fat bowl, and set aside the skins to cool.
    1. When the vegetables are done, get a batch of rice going in the upstairs oven. See the rice recipe and mind your timers, please. While the rice is going, drain and rinse the chickpeas, get them into cambros, pop all the tomato cans, and shake and pop the coconut milk. Mix the coconut milk with the fortified chicken stock (see stock recipe for ratio).

The Actual Stew ​

  1. Get the stockpots over the back left and front right burners, respectively. Set them over medium high heat and do something else for 3 minutes. When the metal is hot, add your oil, let it run around a little, and throw in your onions. They should sizzle, not spit. Feel free to throw in testers. When they’re in, heavy hand of salt.
  2. After five or ten minutes or so, when the onions are fragrant and approaching translucence, crank the heat all the way up, and use a sturdy wooden spoon to clear an area on the bottom of the pot where you can throw your spices and ginger/garlic.
  3. When the pan is very hot, throw in your spices and ginger/garlic. With the spoon, flatten them into the area you’ve cleared. You want them to burn. The smell should be powerful. Flatten them, and don’t touch them for 30 seconds or so. Then, turn them about, mix it up, and flatten them again. When they start to smoke, vigorously deglaze, and mix everything all around. Probably this will take a few goes. Use about a half cup of water at a time, if that, and pour it directly on the trouble spots. The final deglazed result should be saucy, but not wet.
  4. Add the potatoes, stir them around. Add the rendered fat. Add the tomatoes (and juice). Break up the tomatoes, bring it all up to a hard simmer, and taste. Season accordingly. It should be very aggressive at this stage, spice-wise. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Add chickpeas, chicken, cauliflower. Stir everything around. Add coconut chicken broth. Bring everything up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, taste, season accordingly. Remember, there will be a lot of acid at the very end, so that will be lacking here.
  6. When the broth is back at a simmer, add peppers. Simmer 30 minutes. Add cabbage. Simmer 5 more minutes. Taste, kill the heat.

pack ​

  1. cooled stew ends up in four 5-gallon buckets
  2. cooled rice ends up in square 12-qt cambro with blue lid
  3. fill single 3-quart cambro with salsa verde
  4. distribute all packed food between downtairs fridge and rage fridge
  5. nest cleaned 32-qt inside 60-qt pot, set by front door
  6. ready now for Saturday morning transportation

bread pudding ​

yield ~160 servings

ingredientquantity
bread10 loaf
milk10 liter (2.6 gal)
butter600g (5 sticks)
sugar2600g
egg40
vanilla extr.100g
  1. combine milk, butter, vanilla, sugar, salt in stock pot
  2. heat mixture on stove until butter melts and sugar dissolves then cool
  3. tear bread into orange-wedge-size pieces, distribute across hotel pans
  4. beat eggs, stir into liquid
  5. pour liquid over bread, let soak 1 hour
  6. bake at 350Β° for 30-45 min, until custard is set and edges of bread have browned
  7. cool, then slice to 2-inch squares