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  1. Today
  2. By far, the most widely eaten eggs in the world are laid, of course, by female Gallus gallus or Gallus domesticus – chicken hens. S:鸡蛋; T: 雞蛋 (jī dàn), chicken eggs are no less popular in China. Note that in Chinese the bird is always specified, 鸡/雞 (jī) being ‘chicken’. According to Statista, in 2022, China had over 5 billion chickens, more than any other country by a wide margin. Indonesia was second with 3.5 billion and the USA was 5th with a paltry* 1.5 billion. Of course, not all of these were layers, but most were. I should note at this point that eggs are never refrigerated here in China. In fact, they aren’t in most places. I’ve never put eggs in the refrigerator in my life. The USDA regulations mean that most eggs are washed before sale, removing the natural protective coating eggs have, without which they have to be refrigerated. Also, in most of Europe, chickens are vaccinated against salmonella. This NPR article explains in further detail. As usual, in China the eggs are sold fresh (by weight unlike in some countries where they are sold by number), but again also come in disguise. They are often boiled and eaten on the hoof or dropped into noodle dishes. They are, of course, used in egg fried rice. They are scrambled with tomato; fried; steamed etc. Omelettes are made, but eggs are very seldom poached. Boiled eggs They are often sold salt cured. Salt cured chicken egg Also, a good proportion are processed into 皮蛋 (pí dàn), aka century eggs, 100-year-old-eggs, thousand year eggs, millennium eggs, and many other names. Pidan This is the unwary shopper’s danger zone. Often century eggs look exactly like fresh eggs. Read the labels! Pidan will be clearly marked 皮蛋 or 松花蛋 (sōng huā dàn), the latter being a prized version in which the egg develops a pattern supposedly resembling a pine flower, which is what the name means – they are nutritionally and taste-wise, identical. Pine Flower Century Egg Traditionally made pidan are easily identifiable. they are coated in rice husks, but factory made eggs, the majority today, are indistinguishable. Traditional style pidan Pidan are often served with chilli as a side dish or chopped in congee. Pidan with chilli dip My favourite breakfast is 皮蛋瘦肉粥 (pí dàn shòu ròu zhōu), century egg and pork mince congee. Century egg and pork mince congee S: 茶叶蛋; T: 茶葉蛋 (chá yè dàn) are sold in mom and pop stores or roadside. These are boiled eggs with cracked but unpeeled shells which are then stewed in black tea with herbs and spices. The tea enters the cracks and ‘paints’ intricate patterns while flavouring the eggs. A common snack. * Weak pun intended!
  3. The next egg to be laid is the one I see least often. And it will be the one I have least to say about. S: 鸽蛋; T: 鴿蛋 (gē dàn), pigeon eggs only very occasionally turn up in my local markets and stores, but I can buy them online. They are only a little larger than quail eggs. When boiled the ‘white’ takes on this strange looking blue-tinged translucent appearance. Otherwise, they taste just like quail eggs. I have no idea how people use them; none of my friends have eaten them.
  4. My next (not so) few posts are going to be about an ingredient that is used almost universally. The humble but amazingly versatile source of life itself – the egg. When I arrived in China, I was surprised to find almost every market and supermarket carried a larger range of eggs than anything I’d seen anywhere else. Not only were there eggs from more types of bird, but I also had to be careful within the choice from any one bird. Even small neighbourhood mom and pop stores carry more than one type of species and type. I’ll start with the smallest and work my way up. 鹌鹑蛋 (ān chún dàn), quail eggs. Not only are these sold everywhere; they come in different formats. Fresh quail eggs are boiled and served in soups, noodle dishes and hotpots. I’ve had them as a garnish with fried rice and fried noodles, as well as other dishes. However, also available most places are S: 咸鹌鹑蛋; T: 鹹鹌鹑蛋 (xián ān chún dàn), salt baked quail eggs. These are often prepared in-house by supermarkets but also sold individually wrapped as snack items. In the supermarkets, the eggs are buried in a mound of salt and baked. The salt is cracked open and the eggs extracted to be sold by weight. As you will see, the fresh eggs in the yellow bowl above look identical to these salted eggs. It took me a few attempts to buy the ones I really wanted! I had to learn to read the labels. This applies to eggs from almost all species. The individually wrapped salted eggs are sold like this. A bit easier. Another snack item is S: 卤香鹌鹑蛋; T: 鹵香鹌鹑蛋 (lǔ xiāng ān chún dàn), stewed, spiced quail eggs. They are usually stewed with 5-spice powder. For those who find peeling boiled quail eggs difficult or boring, they are sold peeled by some supermarkets. Several years ago, I had a student who was funding her studies by working part time in a large, local supermarket. Her main task was peeling the quail eggs. She taught me her secret method. The eggs are placed in a bowl and covered with a 50:50 mix of rice vinegar and water and left for 15 minutes. Lo and behold, the shells dissolve and leave prisitine peeled specimens which are then washed and sold. I've tried it and it works without leaving a vinegar taste to the eggs. Not a Chinese preparation, but I usually use quail eggs to make mini scotch eggs. Quail scotch eggs with duck meat and panko casing.
  5. Batch 35: 90g blanched Spanish almonds 90g apricot kernels 350g water 280g sugar 60ml Wray & Nephew Overproof In addition I made a batch with only 100g sugar and no rum which I froze into almond sorbet.
  6. NadyaDuke

    Dinner 2024

    Stacked green chile smoked pork enchiladas. My New Mexico cookbook assured me that sour cream and black olives are an acceptable alternative to a fried egg, which is what I’ve usually seen. I got a tortilla press for Christmas and made tortillas thinking I’d make my normal rolled enchiladas but these little guys seemed to want to be stacked. As you can see, I had a bit of sliding so I’ll be more careful putting them under the broiler next time! My cookbook said to put the lettuce in a wreath but had to settle for a crescent.
  7. Yesterday
  8. Well, when I say quick bread, I think of something baked in a loaf tin, without yeast. The breakfast cake does look good but might be messy to eat in a car or at a desk.
  9. Perhaps but they print 'Easter' on the wrapper.
  10. this is a slice of ground turkey from the slab that comes in those plastic tubs I slice what I plan to use , and handle it as little as possible season , then cooked/ browned in my 8 " non-stick fondless I then added the above white wine + demi reduced it a bit and poured over the slice of ground turkey. took about 30 seconds then poured over the turkey : came out very nice and very tasty .
  11. Boxing day is the start of hot cross bun season
  12. Long before the chili and chocolate combo became popular, I found a cut-out gingerbread cookie recipe that had a good amount of ground black pepper in it. This was long before the internet and apparently I didn't write down the recipe but now I always add finely ground black pepper to my gingerbread cookies. Makes the ginger more gingery if you will,
  13. blue_dolphin

    Breakfast 2024

    A plate like that might make me feel pressed for time, too! Cashew Celery from Tenderheart by Hetty Lui McKinnon Made with teriyaki baked tofu and I added a nice spoonful of chile crisp after I took the photo.
  14. You're a woman of catholic tastes. Mostly I'm not fond of chile in chocolate, brownies or cookies. The exception for me would be pan forte, the sweetish concoction of fruit and nuts and cocoa with a hint of pepper. But just a hint. Peanuts and chile, by all means. Ice cream sundae with both, well, I might not even taste it.
  15. Looks yummy, but the recipe sounds more like a cross between a coffee cake and a crumble. I'm not really sure what defines a quick bread either. I know it doesn't involve yeast or rising time. I guess it can be sweet, like many loaf tea cakes and breads, or not sweet, as in some brown breads and soda breads. Maybe someone has clearer parameters?
  16. If only there was someone in southern China (*ahem) who could take one for the team and report back . . .
  17. Dejah

    Dinner 2024

    @Ann_T:Your halibut always makes me envious and salivate! I see it's on the Sobeys flyer starting tomorrow: $5.99/ 100 grams. Just wondering what the price is for you, as it is from your coast. I will be biting the bullet tomorrow for some! Steamed Chicken, Shitaki Mushrooms and Chinese sausage: Had the granddaughters up for the day. Seems I always have to have a "buffet" when the two are here: one will like something, and the other one will not... I cooked back ribs in the oven, took a rack and sides to my brother and s-i-l, then we had the other for supper. The 11 year old granddaughter wanted perogies, ate 10 and tried and liked 1 rib and some beans. The 9 year old - no ribs, but would eat shrimp (6 jumbos) and Cavendish waffle fries. Hubby and I ate what was left;-) They seem like bottomless pits as they ate cinnamon buns, grazed on a small charcuterie board, more raw veg like carrots, cukes, broccoli, grapes, and Easter chocolates before supper!
  18. TJ's shrimp Gyoza TJ's Gen Tsao bottled sauce w some hoisin 12 minutes , fz Goy's , cold start . crispy tops , soft bottom , steaming hot inside. these wrappers have a wonderful flavor done in the AF.
  19. Thanks. I'll just freeze my tubs, measure out what I need, add hot water to it and let it sit until it dissolves. Problem solved.
  20. this is what Im going to use later today for the pan sauce for a turkey burger small pyrex dish : white wine ( Tj's coastal Chardonnay ) and a small slice , from the freezer ( small tub ) turkey demi. I micro'd for 30 seconds. then I let it sit. the dish is warm , not super hot . the demi splits up a bit and Im sure if I mixed this w a fork it would almost completely incorporate. then it sits until I use it.
  21. That's true. I usually either microwave or boil a little custard cup of water and let the blob sit in it to dissolve. Usually takes a couple of minutes while I'm doing something else but if you need to add the blob directly to a pan, then it does indeed take more whisking.
  22. Well, duh! You are right about freezer space. But I was also thinking that maybe with some liquid already added, it would be easier incorporate it into what I was making because it wouldn't be, for lack of a better word, as "blobby" hence requiring less whisking time. I used some the other day and found it took a while before the MTG totally dissolved.
  23. C. sapidus

    Breakfast 2024

    Huevos manchamanteles redux: fried tortilla, over-easy egg and leftover mole, topped with pickled jalapenos, feta, and Mexican oregano. Complex, spicy, tangy, salty, crunchy, rich, and aromatic. Apologies for the picture framing - apparently I was in a hurry to chow down.
  24. I am not sure of definition of a quick bread. But I made this last week and would make again. We try to eat a lot of blueberries and the ones coming to market now from South America are quite good and often on sale. https://amandascookin.com/blueberry-breakfast-cake/
  25. I generally add a cup or two of water to the SV bag for store-cured CB. It de-salinates nicely and I can cook the potatoes in it later.
  26. Not sure if I understand you properly, but there are hips of non cute/cuddly, magestic, or marketeable animal species that are protected by law. Including species with the potential to kill us, like some spiders, snakes and so on...
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