What is your signature dish

@vingyan06 (2486)
Malaysia
November 10, 2009 10:54am CST
What meal do you know how to cook better than anything? ( or anyone ) else? From who you learn your signature dish? How often will you cook this signature dish? Anyone likes your signature dish? For some restaurant, they will have their signature dish. People can come from far for its signature dish, which they like it because of it is unique and couldn't get it from others restaurant. This is a way of one of the business tricks. Share your story of your signature dish !
6 people like this
19 responses
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
10 Nov 09
Hello vingyan, I do have my signature dish...my kids loves the way i cook "spaghetti" an italian pasta dish. Even fastfood chains can't defeat the way i cook spaghetti (that is how my kids says about it) Yah,my kids doesn't like the taste of spaghetti serve by famous food chain here in our country. And even when they attend children party where spaghetti is one of the main dish,they keep comparing how it taste with how i cook.(ahaha...naughty kids) To my friends,i am also known for making good pasta salads...like tuna macaroni salad...macaroni fruit salad...and also the garden fresh salad with fettuccine.
2 people like this
• United States
11 Nov 09
I love spaghetti too. Sometimes I had the craving for spaghetti, and I would love to bring my girlfriend with me to Olive Garden. Also, I would to taste the pasta salad too, Yummi. I wish that you can share your cooking with us here.
1 person likes this
@jaiho2009 (39141)
• Philippines
11 Nov 09
yah...it's my pleasure to cook for mylotters...that would be a great party and i like that !!!
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
Hi Jaiho, Look like your signature spaghetti has gain the big fans from your kids. No doubt, home cook spaghetti is more healthy and we can put what ever ingredients that we like. The ingredient that we like more we can easily put more! I like to eat pasta salads too. But I can't make any own my own, !
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
10 Nov 09
hi vingyan05 my spaghetti with italian meatballs is my signature dish as I put plenty of garlic into it along with extra basil and oregano too, and always use Bartollis spaghetti plus that contains extra protein, and Bartolli spaghetti sauce with my garlic, basil and oregano addeed to it,plus italina meat balls. Even my son likes it and he is one tough critic too.
2 people like this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 Nov 09
Hately! Barilla Plus is the only one I use too, although I usually make my own sauce, plus I grow the herbs on my window sill. I am fussy about my spaghetti and it is good to see some other people are too. This is a good discussion that bingyan05 started! All of the responses are interesting to me.
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
10 Nov 09
Hi Hatley, I am from a traditional Chinese family and my mom never cook spaghetti in her life. Ii only get to eat spaghetti when I grew elder. But honestly speaking, I am not too fancy on spaghetti. Once in a while I will like to eat spaghetti, but not too often. I cook spaghetti once . I am glad I get the simple recipe from My sister. I put mushroom and bacon . Glad that my hub and my son like it, but my daughter does not like it. She still prefer to eat Chinese dishes go with rice. Happy for you as your son likes your cooking. Keep up your good cooking with Your signature dish .
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 Nov 09
Probably my chili because I grow a special vegetable (Purslane is the English name for it) and chop it up in the beans. Purslane gives the chili a lot of nutrition and also a delicious texture and taste. Of course I put lots of other things in the chili too. Anything I make with good I grow is my signature dish for the day. I don't have an outdoor garden, but I grow lots of thing indoors, so I have home-grown munchies year-round.
1 person likes this
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
11 Nov 09
Purslane - for my chili
Here is a photo of some of my purslane vegetable that I grew indoors in water (no dirt) before I chopped it up and put it in my chili.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
hi, thanks for the picture, really appreciate. I have never see this Purslane plant before. It looks cute and its leaf is so small. So this plant can only grow in the water? I don't know if this plant can be grow in my country, which is a tropical country. If you don't mind, please share your ready made chili dish photo with me. Thanks and have a nice week ahead.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
Hi Drannhh, I like to grow something eatable too. But I don't have any space to plant as I live in a condo. Now I try to plant an okra plant. It has just started to grow a small okra and I am already feel so excited. My hub even joke at this and asked me how to cook with this okra. So your signature dish is chili? It makes of your home grow plant, this is awesome. DO post a picture here if you have any!
1 person likes this
@sweetie1026 (1718)
• Philippines
12 Nov 09
I have a special dish which i always prepare on special family occassions. It is a dish that can be made with chicken or meat sauteed in garlic, onion and tomato sauce. It is called "asado" a dish which i learned from my mother and which she learned from her mother too. The preparation is a quite complicated but i enjoy preparing it for my family and friends.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
16 Nov 09
I think it will because as early as now, my youngest daughter is into cooking. Sshe loves to help me when i am cooking and she is very eager to learn how to cook. Yes, next time i prepare asado, i will take a snap shot of the dish then post it on here. Have a pleasant week, my friend.
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
Hi Sweetie, Thanks for your response. It is good to see you are getting a good recipe from your mother. And your mom get it from your grandmother, ! Hope this family signature dish can pass from one generation to another, so the family members get to eat this yummy dish ! If you have any picture of your Asado dish, do share with me here. thanks
@cwong77 (2010)
• Malaysia
23 Nov 09
when it happen to my signature dish.. I will say my Assam Laksa!! muahhaa... I just love to cook this, and will do that as often as once every 1 or 2 months if I see I can buy fresh and cheap fish in the market. I got this from my mum, and with all my effort of learning up coz those outside selling are way just too sourish or no fish can be found.. so, I decided to cook it myself. as for baking, my signature will be choc chip cookies, and it will be a must order item from all my friends and relatives as they love it for both Christmas and CNY.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
23 Nov 09
Hi busy woman, been waiting for your response, LOl. Since you love cooking, I am looking for your response when I post this discussion. Asam Laksa is one of the best food I can found in local night market. Other than here, it is hardly see in any food court or food store. I like asam laksa too. But it has been long time siince I last have my asam laksa. Can't wait to see your Choc chips cookies in Christmas!
@mrfdg1972 (3237)
• Philippines
10 Nov 09
Its gonna be my Chicken Barbecue on the frying pan, whenever i cook it my neighbors go wild and come to our house, My kids, they go insane.
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
10 Nov 09
Mmmmmm! This I gotta see (and taste). I'll be right over
@mrfdg1972 (3237)
• Philippines
10 Nov 09
Its the smell, they say its their stomach that reacts it kind of grinds when they smell the dish, the secret lies in the chicken being fresh, and slow sauteing for it not to lost its taste. YOU COME HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES, IT WILL AN HONOR TO COOK IT FOR YOU.
@mrfdg1972 (3237)
• Philippines
11 Nov 09
That was my favorite also not until i discovered chicken barbecue and chicken teriyaki, they both dont have garlic, i got the recipe from a Chinese chef in eHow.
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
10 Nov 09
I guess I would have to say my signature dish would have to be 'hot German potato salad'. Everybody always asks me to make that for pot-lucks, friends parties, etc. It's a simple dish I grew up with that my German grandmother made when I was young. It's kind of sweet and sour, hot, and has bacon and sausage in it (as well as other ingredients.) I have made this dish for so many outings it's unreal. It's one of our family favorites too, but I don't make it often for just us.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
Hi Joyfulone, Thanks for your response! In fact I am so happy to see members comments on this discussion and I get to know all kids of super dish from all over the world. I bet your Hot German potatoes is a very delicious dish, with my all time favorite bacon and sausage! Glad that you have learn this German dish from your grandmother. Thanks for sharing again!
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
12 Nov 09
Hi vingyan, my signature dish is sour pork vinegar soup. It's a type yummy soup prepare from pork feet, ginger, black bean and sweet vinegar. After giving to birth most of the moms here would take this hot soup as one of their dish to promote the blood circulation Whenever I visit a new place I always look for such delicious dish. The vinegar soup served at one of the restaurant in Gengting Highland is quite yummy. My husband and will visit the same outlet to entertain our appetite for sure whenever whenever we visit the same site. We had tasted the most delicious one when having vacation in GuangZhou in China many years back. we had another bowl after finish the first one. We ate the yummy ingredient, especially the well cooked meat, and the hot soup together with some white rice Happy posting!
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
Hi ikbooi, I think you are Chinese , because this sour pork vinegar is a Chinese dish. This is indeed a very sour and nice soup. I like it too. But I seldom have this soup, I eat this soup during my confinement month. My mother in law is good in cooking this soup. She puts all enough ingredients like vinegar and ginger, make the soup super nice. She make sure I have to finish all the soup and meat. But I personally like the meat more than the soup, the soup in fact is too sour for me. But mother in law said the soup is good for woman to warm their body after delivering.
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
10 Nov 09
I make really good manicotti. I also make really good butter chicken. We had butter chicken at an Indian restaurant one time and I liked is so much I taught myself how to make it, and I tweeked it a bit here and there and it is pretty amazing. My kids and my husband and several of our friends love it when I make Butter Chicken. I also make my own Americanized version of egg rolls and everyone really likes those two especially with my signature fried rice.
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
HI ladym, Thanks for your response. You are awesome, you have so many signature dishes there, which include manicotti, butter chicken, and Americanized version of egg rolls . You are really good at cooking, you could taught yourself the way to cook the food you ate at the restaurant. I have eat butter prawn before, but no butter chicken.
@ilyzium (1197)
• Canada
10 Nov 09
I've thought about this long and hard and I really can't think of any signature dish that I have. I tend to vary my recipes quite a bit and will always attempt something new. Ok, the dishes that I think are more special are: Thai chicken in peanut sauce, with coconut prawns, pasta with truffle sauce, stuffed calamari because people always ask for the recipe, salmon wellington, my cheesecakes, my turkey, pork loin in port sauce. I am a gourmand and really enjoy cooking so I do know that I'm an excellent cook.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
Hi Ilyzium, I am a gourmand too but I only know how to eat, and I don't know how to cook! LOl. I am quite a picky eater. If I don't get something nice to eat, I rather choose not to eat. Look like you are very good in cooking, all the dish you mentioned here are so unique and make me drooling now. Glad that people like your cooking and ask recipe from you.
@zalilame (880)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
I had a barbeque chicken recipe which i got from my mother. I made them during the school dinner and it was awesome. everyone loved it. they even asked me to write it down for them.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
Glad to hear that you get a signature dish from your mom. How is this barbeque chicken taste like? I bet you wouldn't want to share this recipe with your friends, LOl. You keep it as your weapon so you can cook this dish once in a while to pamper your friends.
@clorissa123 (4926)
• United States
10 Nov 09
Actually, I don't have a signature dish myself. But, I can tell you what I can cook best. It is fried rice from Chinese cuisine. My mom taught me that, and I observe it overtime. From overall opinion, it wasn't good at all in comparison to my mom and other professioanl Chinese chef, but it is edible though. So, what can I say, it is my personal signature dish.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
11 Nov 09
Hi Clorissa Thanks for your response. I like to eat Chinese style fried rice too. I like to use over night cooked rice to cook fried rice. It is more tasty! For fried rice, it is easy to cook and I normally will dump in what I can get from my fridge likes meat, beans and some green vegetables that chop till fine. Sometimes we feel satisfy with our own cooking even though it is not as good as those professional chef.
@Ritchelle (3790)
• Philippines
12 Nov 09
i cannot really say it is a dish but i can cause a competition to the big bacon manufacturers out there. i just buy the bacon cut pork and i season it with my special marinade. i would always get crisy and tasty bacon all the time. same thing for my chicken. i just did a little research of how spices react to food and wala! i won't tell my marinade though...i think only grandmas had explored it and would probably am aware of it. it's kind of old school.
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
Hi Ritchelle, Thanks for your response. Good to hear that you can make tasty and crispy bacon at home. I like to eat bacon too. It goes very nice with bread and spaghetti as well. When meat goes special marinade method, it is indeed can bring out very special dish. Most of the dish will goes super yummy with marinade. I myself tried a marinade recipe on pork belly. The pork needs to get marinade for 3 days. Once you roast the pork, you will get very delicious roasted pork with very crispy skin pork.
1 person likes this
@jugsjugs (12967)
10 Nov 09
I make a good sausage plat so i have been told and everyone loves it.When ever i make a sausage plat my mum always asks me if i will make her one at the same time.The children also love it as well,considering they are picky eaters.
1 person likes this
@vingyan06 (2486)
• Malaysia
15 Nov 09
Hello Jugsjugs, Thanks for your response. Hope to see some pictures of your sausage plat. . Glad to know that oldies and children also like your sausage plat. Some times, it is really a headache for mummies to prepare food for picky eaters. With this home made sausage plat, I am sure your kids has gain more appetite to eat more. My kids like to eat sausage too. But I only buy sausage from markets.
@Rainegurl (2156)
• Philippines
11 Nov 09
I am proud of my Chicken-Pork Adobo but the taste really vary, depending on my mood. It can be garlicky or a little spicy. But what my family really goes gaga about is my cheesecake. There was a time when I took orders and sold cheesecake and other cakes. My mother orders from me too much to the delight of my father and brothers. But I suddenly got lazy and stopped my little business so I seldom do baking. Maybe I will bake some cakes for the family this Christmas. Have a nice day!
1 person likes this
@rg0205 (2636)
• Hong Kong
11 Nov 09
My signature dish depends on who you're asking. For me, I think I'm an average cook but to my family and boyfriend, they can point out what dishes they like. My family likes my pasta and grilled food. I grill chicken, fish and steak and they like the way I do it. I learned how to cook from my Mom. She used to have a position in a Hotel and sometimes when I was young, she'd cook many interesting dishes. I sort of got the interest because of her.
1 person likes this
@solared (1207)
• United States
11 Nov 09
Banana sandwiches, but you don't really cook those...
• Philippines
11 Nov 09
My specialty is the Cheese Steak Sandwich. I put so much love into it that it always tastes so sinfully great. I put in 3 kinds of cheese into it and it just transports you to your happiest moment. Mouth watering!
1 person likes this
@Nero11 (316)
11 Nov 09
Not being a great cook, I once read a recipe that was so simple I now reel it out everytime someone is foolish enough to have me cook for them. It's salmon fillet with pesto and pecorino. Often served with poiled new potatos and a salad. It's so easy but always lovely.
1 person likes this