Going back to your parents for dinner.
Discussion
I always look forward to getting back to the parents for dinner even though I cook quite regularly and also run a smokehouse restaurant so don’t eat poorly anyway.
Got a day off tomorrow so after some decorating, I’m heading back for a traditional Vietnamese meal. Pork chops marinated with fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and spring onion. Grilled and served with rice, sliced omelette, pickled veg and a chilli and fish sauce dip.
So, what standout dishes do your parents knock up that nobody else’s can hold a candle to?
Got a day off tomorrow so after some decorating, I’m heading back for a traditional Vietnamese meal. Pork chops marinated with fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and spring onion. Grilled and served with rice, sliced omelette, pickled veg and a chilli and fish sauce dip.
So, what standout dishes do your parents knock up that nobody else’s can hold a candle to?
My top two are haleem and biryani
Haleem is a mix of five types of daal, barley and red meat - usually lamb in our home. Slow cooked and garnishes with fried onion, lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander, chilli and ginger. No haleem anywere even comes close
Lamb or chicken biryani with raita and a tomato chutney. No other biryani anywhere even comes close
Haleem is a mix of five types of daal, barley and red meat - usually lamb in our home. Slow cooked and garnishes with fried onion, lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander, chilli and ginger. No haleem anywere even comes close
Lamb or chicken biryani with raita and a tomato chutney. No other biryani anywhere even comes close
MrJuice said:
My top two are haleem and biryani
Haleem is a mix of five types of daal, barley and red meat - usually lamb in our home. Slow cooked and garnishes with fried onion, lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander, chilli and ginger. No haleem anywere even comes close
Lamb or chicken biryani with raita and a tomato chutney. No other biryani anywhere even comes close
Need her recipes!Haleem is a mix of five types of daal, barley and red meat - usually lamb in our home. Slow cooked and garnishes with fried onion, lemon juice and finely chopped fresh coriander, chilli and ginger. No haleem anywere even comes close
Lamb or chicken biryani with raita and a tomato chutney. No other biryani anywhere even comes close
Lost my own parents around 15 years ago, but the parents in law, take them up on every offer of dinner.
Yesterday was a BBQ by the old man, day-marinated steak and pork loins, garlic and salt squid, selection of butchers and hand made spicy burgers, posh sausages and sides to feed the five thousand even though there was only ten of us.
Always a plentiful supply of good beer and scotch too.
Most Sundays MIL will do a roast, its amazing, pigs in blankets, slow cooked chicken or beef, cauliflower cheese and home made horseradish/apple sauce.
When we were living with them for about a year (house purchase fell through) FIL used to make a shepherds pie just for me on occasion, with beans and ham like my Mum used to. I really couldnt want for better in laws.
Epic.
Edited as brain fail caused me to put "cottage cheese" instead of "cauliflower cheese"
Yesterday was a BBQ by the old man, day-marinated steak and pork loins, garlic and salt squid, selection of butchers and hand made spicy burgers, posh sausages and sides to feed the five thousand even though there was only ten of us.
Always a plentiful supply of good beer and scotch too.
Most Sundays MIL will do a roast, its amazing, pigs in blankets, slow cooked chicken or beef, cauliflower cheese and home made horseradish/apple sauce.
When we were living with them for about a year (house purchase fell through) FIL used to make a shepherds pie just for me on occasion, with beans and ham like my Mum used to. I really couldnt want for better in laws.
Epic.
Edited as brain fail caused me to put "cottage cheese" instead of "cauliflower cheese"

I might buck the trend here of not missing my mums (or my dad's) cooking. Not that they were rubbish, but they taught me a lot about cooking and it's one of my hobbies so I've kinda refined and bettered what they have taught me. I"m happy enough if the inlaws invite us around for food, but their approach to good is the old 'oven / nuke / boil / fry the f
k' out of stuff and is restricted to meat, potatoes and the spice jars they were gifted in their 1970s wedding.
So I am more grateful towards my parents teaching me cooking than I am towards their cooking. Nothing I can't replicate or better myself.
k' out of stuff and is restricted to meat, potatoes and the spice jars they were gifted in their 1970s wedding. So I am more grateful towards my parents teaching me cooking than I am towards their cooking. Nothing I can't replicate or better myself.
KungFuPanda said:
Got a day off tomorrow so after some decorating, I’m heading back for a traditional Vietnamese meal. Pork chops marinated with fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and spring onion. Grilled and served with rice, sliced omelette, pickled veg and a chilli and fish sauce dip.
I go to my parents for Lobster and occasionally Cuttlefish, neither of which I can justify cooking at home as I'm the only one who likes them 
eltawater said:
KungFuPanda said:
Got a day off tomorrow so after some decorating, I’m heading back for a traditional Vietnamese meal. Pork chops marinated with fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and spring onion. Grilled and served with rice, sliced omelette, pickled veg and a chilli and fish sauce dip.
I go to my parents for Lobster and occasionally Cuttlefish, neither of which I can justify cooking at home as I'm the only one who likes them 
I'm more or less in the same boat as devnull, though there are a couple of stand outs from my mum - tres leches cake, and she also does the best cheese quiche.
My dad used to make his own scotch eggs and we'd also get corned beef fritters as part of his repertoire...but I don't think he's cooked either in the last 30yrs
MiL does the best roast ham bar none. She also nails home made oven chips - ham, egg and chips at theirs is top notch
My dad used to make his own scotch eggs and we'd also get corned beef fritters as part of his repertoire...but I don't think he's cooked either in the last 30yrs

MiL does the best roast ham bar none. She also nails home made oven chips - ham, egg and chips at theirs is top notch

I used to when my Dad was still alive. They'd roll out the red carpet for me if I was home for a weekend, which was probably 5-6 times a year due to the distance, Saturday would usually be a roast dinner or something else substantial and would start with pre-dinner drinks and nibbles, the main course with lots of wine, nice dessert, and then cheese + port. Couldn't move much after that lot. Retire to the sofa for coffee and Cognac.
Now days I see my Mum so infrequently and she seems to get stressed out by my kids that we often suggest eating out or for her to keep it simple. Added to that the tension between her and my missus just makes the whole experience unbearable.
My in-laws are both vegetarian and on the whole terrible cooks. On odd occasions they'll come up with something okay, her Mum makes a decent quiche, but it'll often be basic stuff like a jacket spud + cheese and salad often with undercooked spud seeing me returning mine for a good blast in the microwave. The kids eat it though so it's fine I guess. Always over the moon when they suggest getting a curry in
Now days I see my Mum so infrequently and she seems to get stressed out by my kids that we often suggest eating out or for her to keep it simple. Added to that the tension between her and my missus just makes the whole experience unbearable.
My in-laws are both vegetarian and on the whole terrible cooks. On odd occasions they'll come up with something okay, her Mum makes a decent quiche, but it'll often be basic stuff like a jacket spud + cheese and salad often with undercooked spud seeing me returning mine for a good blast in the microwave. The kids eat it though so it's fine I guess. Always over the moon when they suggest getting a curry in

Like the OP I like to cook and I'm pretty good at it but it is nice to "go home" to get a good meal. I haven't done it for a good few years now though and it is something that I do miss, however I am finding now that it is me that does it now with my family.
My mum isn't really a great cook and she's a veggie so I'm not missing out on much with her, however my late dad's wife cooked an awesome roast, she may be a b
h and may have screwed me and my sister over but her roast beef/lamb/pork was fantastic, I do miss the big gatherings for Christmas or Easter or just a random Sunday.
My dad was also great with BBQ's as he wasn't shy when it came to spending, so a summers evening at his place in the garden was also brilliant as there was just copious amounts of meat and booze.
My mum isn't really a great cook and she's a veggie so I'm not missing out on much with her, however my late dad's wife cooked an awesome roast, she may be a b
h and may have screwed me and my sister over but her roast beef/lamb/pork was fantastic, I do miss the big gatherings for Christmas or Easter or just a random Sunday.My dad was also great with BBQ's as he wasn't shy when it came to spending, so a summers evening at his place in the garden was also brilliant as there was just copious amounts of meat and booze.
Edited by HTP99 on Monday 23 April 15:32
foxbody-87 said:
My mum’s Sunday roast. I don’t know how she gets the potatoes so crunchy on the outside. She isn’t shy with the servings either.
Parboil, rough them up in a colander. Dust with flour and then add to preheated very hot fat (ideally duck). Do it on the hob if possible with heat underneath. Turn then for about 5 mins under starting to colour and then put them back in the oven. Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff




