Greetings fellow food consumers!

Hello all! Dan Pendergraft a.k.a d-pend here. Although it's odd to say, this will be the first food post I've ever made. Odd because I've been an avid cook for several years and have definitely created over a thousand original dishes. I once was the designated cook for my touring band and cooking daily for four guys (that's a lot of food!) I also enjoy cooking for my friends and family on a plethora of occasions. There have been days where I have spent upwards of five or six hours cooking, planning, testing flavor combinations, cleaning, etc. rarely leaving the kitchen. But yeah, about most of those created dishes: most of them are unknown to posterity because my cooking style is very in the moment, improvisatory, and based on flashes of intuition. So I never jotted down any notes, and rarely even took pictures of the final result. The series I am starting: the "Mad Chef" is the vehicle for changing this sad fact!!

Why the name?

I think the "Mad Chef" is a great title for the being I transform into while in the kitchen for a couple reasons. I think I function a bit like a mad scientist that is surrounded by the insane clutter of hundreds of ingredients, especially spices (ask my parents or any of my past roommates about the mass quantities of spices I utilize; I am not exaggerating.) However, there's a reason to the chaos and a method to the madness. Also, as any serious cook will tell you: the process of creating dishes, executing them with the proper timing, serving them in a timely fashion, and cleaning up after all the mess you make, especially when you're cooking for several people in quantity, can be extremely maddening to say the least! I'd imagine many chefs have a love/hate relationship with all the mundane and time-consuming processes required to create a great dish. Therefore: "let the Mad Chef come to life!" I scream and watch this frankenstein-esque being arise from its inanimate slumber to terrorize the kitchens of humanity. To my horror this creature is an aspect of myself!

What is this series about specifically?

"Mad Chef" will be focused on cooking experiments, where I deviate from the "standard" dishes I know and love and attempt new flavor combinations. High risk, high reward. I will list the ingredients and document the general cooking process. After I make the creation I will give a rating between 0 and 10 as to how well I thought it turned out, and how I would modify it in the future if I were to make something similar. Also, since this is an experiment, I welcome any and all feedback regarding how to better structure these posts, so please let me know if you have any ideas or want any further information! Also, I'd love to connect with other foodies and cooks, so feel free to leave comments or links below if you have recommendations of things I should try in the future. Without further ado let's go into the first experiment.

The Mad Chef in all his Crazed Glory (Or Fury?)

Episode #1: Turnip & Carrot Yellow Curry w/ Almond Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

Two medium-large turnips, cut into 1/4 in. strips
Two small white carrots, finely sliced
Two small purple carrots, finely sliced
Fresh ginger root, chopped
Fresh turmeric root, chopped
Grass fed ghee
Almond butter
Yellow curry powder
Ceylon cinnamon powder
Allspice powder
Mace powder
Garlic powder
Spring water

*Optional:

drizzle of
honey/ stevia/ coconut sugar
for serving

dash of sea salt to taste
for serving

dash of cayenne pepper
to make it spicier

dash of garlic powder
to make heartier

Equipment:

Large pan with lid
Large bowl
Cutting board
Chef knife
Spatula
Fork for mixing almond butter
Clean spoon for scooping ghee
Bowls for serving (serves two)

What the experiment is about:

Normally I would a different main vegetable in a dish like this, perhaps sweet potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions etc. However the challenge is to use white turnip as the main vegetable, a challenge because of its odd flavor and aroma that can be difficult to work with. Let's get to it!

Step One

Chop the turnips and carrots, put in a large pan with enough spring water to keep them from boiling dry (not too much or the cooking method I use won't turn out right!)

Step Two

Let cook on medium high for a couple of minutes while chopping a small amount of turmeric and ginger. Then add the chopped roots to the pan. Add a bit of water if the pan is almost completely dry.

Step Three

Add around 1.5 tablespoons of organic yellow curry powder to the pan (see picture below to read the ingredients in the mixed curry powder. I used the "Frontier" brand.)

The powder will soak up the water in the pan, so a few seconds later, add a small spoonful of grassfed, organic ghee to the pan and stir to coat. Turn the heat down to medium low.

Step Four

Add the large spoon of almond butter to a few tablespoons of water in a small bowl and mix into a thin paste with a fork. Then add a couple tablespoons of ceylon cinnamon powder, and a dash of allspice and mace. This will thicken the sauce.

Check the vegetables for doneness with a spatula. Once they are soft, remove the pan from heat and turn off the burner.

Step Five

Scoop the sauce onto the vegetables, and mix to coat. It's ready to serve! Add any/all of the optional serving touches (touch of healthy sweetener (pref. stevia), cayenne pepper, garlic powder, sea salt) and enjoy!

Results

Disclaimer: I am quite hard on myself, so don't be alarmed about any low numbers. I also generally think of ways to improve it if made again, some of which I will put into the recipe (for instance I did not add any garlic powder when I made it, yet I put it under optional additions because I feel it would have improved the dish.)

Here is a general guide to the number ratings:
0 = Disgusting
1 = Atrocious
2 = Horrible
3 = Mediocre
4 = Below Average
5 = Average
6 = Good
7 = Great
8 = Excellent
9 = Fantastic
10 = Sublime

Let's look at the results:

Flavor:
5.5 / 10

It was slightly better than average, but nothing to write home about. I think the main issue was the turnip's slightly odd flavor overwhelmed the dish, and it was a bit too boring with only two vegetables. Here some suggestions for what I would change next time I make something similar:

I would add bit of onion, sweet potato, a touch of garlic, perhaps spinach, and perhaps some poblano pepper. I also would add a bit of coriander powder and perhaps some organic tamari soy sauce. I think this would bring the flavor up to at least a 7.

Texture:
5.3 / 10

The texture was average, with nice soft turnips and still soft but a bit firmer carrots. The reason for the low score even though it was enjoyable is it just was too bland. The suggestion above to add more types of veggies would bring this score also up to at least a 7.

Special Mission Success:
3 / 10

Even though it was pretty good, the special mission to learn to work with the odd flavor/ smell of turnips wasn't too successful, in my opinion. However I learned a lot! It confirmed my suspicions that turnips are difficult to incorporate into curries. Also, I think a different mix of spices could provide better synergy in the dish. Better luck next time!

Overal Experiment Success:
7.1 / 10

I actually quite enjoyed this one overall, despite its shortcomings, and think I could built on the concept to create a better dish in the future. Alright everyone, that's gonna do it for this first episode of the "Mad Chef!" Hope you enjoyed it and maybe even learned something ;)

Please leave your questions/ comments/ suggestions below!
Feel free to follow me @d-pend or re-steem if you so desire.

Disclaimer: I am not professionally trained in the culinary arts. Therefore I am not a "real chef." I don't give cooking advice, I just talk about the things I like cooking. Also, I am quite insane. You thought the title "Mad Chef" was a joke?!? You'd have to be nuts to take advice from this guy. I mean, look at that unkempt hair, patchy beard, and the alarming smirk on this joker's face.

Second Disclaimer: Don't listen to the unhinged individual who typed the above comment. He is simply jealous of my prowess in the kitchen. You can trust me to deliver your eccentric cooking needs and I am entirely sane. Come again soon!

Love,
Dan Pendergraft a.k.a. the Mad Chef

@d-pend