kangarool

I think I remember seeing a few options, though definitely not a 'focus', at King and Godfreys (sp?) in Lygon Street. Much more italian/australian focused of course. I am sure there is something like you're looking for around ...

whups sorry wasn’t very clear. I think it really is more of a Malaysian/Singaporean thing so should post there… but it’s often described that way. ‘Creamy’ describes the texture, not the dairy ingredient. It’s simply an egg thickener, and typically used in sauces like Ipoh-style noodles/Char Hor Fun/Wat Tan Hor, or sometimes used in a sauce to go over pan-fried (chow mein) noodles. Here are a couple of pics, you’re sure to recognise it: does that help?

I found this link to something I’ve been meaning to try for some time: e-fu noodles I have 2 questions before undertaking, though: 1) do you have any opinions on the technique of the various stages of cooking the noodles? Sound right? The reason I ask is that in searching eGullet for previous posts on e-fu noodles, Fat Guy mentioned a few years ago how hard they are to do well (link). What do you think? The difference between this recipe, and the one Fat Guy discussed, is a final 'crisping' stage of the noodles, which sounds interesting. 2) Also, on the ‘egg creamy sauce’: in the past, whenever I attempt something with this kind of sauce, say Char Hor Fun, the recipes always say to simply crack the egg in at the end, and stir through. But I’m always disappointed, in that the sauce is rarely ‘creamy’ but more gluggy and too thick… not like the restaurants. Do you think this woman's technique of partially crisping the egg bottom, but leaving the rest uncooked, may help with this problem? The sauces I have with these noodles in restaurants are invariably better than those I make at home, even if I reduce the amount/number of eggs. I suppose Point #2 should be posted in the SE Asian section, as this kind of sauce is more Malaysian/Singaporean, so maybe I’ll post over there…but any knowledge you might have would be great to hear.

The closest you'll find to Joe's (do you mean the one at 23rd and Lex?) are probably the names mentioned, especially I Carusi or Ladro; I think I Carusi has opened in St. Kilda, and I've heard Mr. Wolf is also in that vein. Still, it's not exactly the same, and in some ways is superior, depending on your tastes...much less oily and greasy, for a start. One thing you won't find is (or rather, I certainly haven't) is any worthwhile pizza to just grab by the slice. It's pretty much come in, sit down, order a whole pie... Maybe a entreprenuerial activity for you? The point about the different ethnic make-up of Melbourne, compared to NYC is excellent, and will give you a real taste of something different to NY. Cafe Zum Zum, or Rumi in north carlton/fitzroy are good value and great food, and something I never saw in 15 years in New York: Middle-Eastern food that does more than start at schwarma and end at falafel. For that matter, forego those comparatively upmarket spots, and stroll up Sydney Road in Brunswick trying everything you find: turkish pizzas, spiced flatbreads, dozens of different dips, salads and tastes, haloumi cheese pies... revelatory. For range, quality and value of inexpensive, quick casual food, I think you'll find Melbourne does it better and easier than New York. enjoy your time it's a great city

And while we’re on the topic, what about this: why is there such variation in your preferences in sesame paste? I’m not questioning your tastes, rather, I’m wondering what ELSE is in Sesame paste besides… sesame ground into paste? And a bit of oil to keep it in? is it the oil that the different brands use that causes such variation in flavour? Because I wouldn’t expect much variation in the flavours of different cultivations of standard sesame seeds. Seems odd. I was thinking that for this noodle dish, instead of buying a jar of paste, I’d just toast a heap of seeds, crush/grind/pound, a couple of dollops of sesame oil to slightly liquefy a bit more, and call it “chinese sesame paste.” But now, maybe not … ???

I've never bought or cooked with chinese sesame paste before; any recipes with sesame that I've used in the past have called for whole seeds. But I came across a recipe in the local paper I thought i'd try tonight, and it does call for Chinese Sesame Paste. I'll have no problem finding some at the asian shops nearby, but thought I'd call for a quick opinion on the brand mentioned, Punchun. Any experience? If not I'll look for the Lian How brand hzrt8w mentions. scroll about half way to the Sichuan Spicy Pork Noodles recipe think i'll go the shanghai noodles rather than the rice noodles...

In my (very limited) experience with both, I have never noticed any connection whatsoever between the two... I've always been puzzled why "sherry" is so often given as a substitute ingredient when cooking chinese recipes. And as for the taste of the two when drinking, not cooking, I'd expect the gap to be even more pronounced. hzrt8w and others would have a more expert opinion, but it's worth seeking out whichever of the two you're looking for, if possible.

so if i read you correctly, muichoi, it sounds as if your advice would be, "spend a bit more, get a lot more" ...?

Someone here was asking about Shao Hsing wine sources recently, which reminded me of a question I have been meaning to post. My question is simply, what is the general consensus of the brand of shao hsing wine acknowledged as the best... or if not 'best', then very good quality, flavour, aroma, and all other related factors? Another way to phrase the question is, while I'm lucky enough to be faced with probably a half-dozen choices of the wine on the market shelves, does $$ spent typically equate to better wine? And how much better? Because we're talking about taste, and about cooking with a wine rather than drinking and tasting on its own, there's obviously no concrete answer ("$8.92 is the exact price one should pay, anything less and your dish will be ruined, anything more and the improvement is too incremental to notice"). But, as an example, recently i needed a very small amount for a recipe, so picked up a bottle on the cheap (v. cheap) end of the spectrum (sorry can't remember any brand names). While it did the emergency trick I needed it to do, sort of, the remainder of the bottle will go to waste: the taste was harsh, overpowering and, well, cheap (I got what i asked for). In other words, in a general sense, does $ = quality, as in many things? For perspective, the bottle I bought was around $3/750ml. (!!!) Options went from there to about $20 or so. Obviously I'd prefer not to pay $20 if the difference will go unnoticed in a final dish. While I have your attention, I'll add one more thing. Clearly, the dish in question and the amount used of wine, will determine the answer to my question. I had a steamed fish recently in a restaurant, that had been steamed in an absolutely heady wine/broth, absolutely magnificent and truly different. The wine was such a critical component of the dish, that just 'any' wine wouldn't have done... but again, back to my question, would simply purchasing the most expensive bottle I can find, be my best bet for replicating this dish? hope my question is clear...

Mate, a deconstructed cassoulet has been done, spectacularly well, but don't let that stop you. If you're interested, Chef Shannon Bennett of Vue du Monde here in Melbourne has (or had; now 1 1/2 years since I had it) on the menu a cassoulet/vol au vent, which was the highlight of that meal for me. my notes included: " (6th dish of the 8 course meal was a) "cassoulet/vol au vent", on top of a white-bean puree; there was a thin but tasty bit of smoky pork belly on top, sitting next to that was a cylinder of duck confit, then a cylinder of seared duck breast and then a cylindrical duck sausage, all lined up. A stand-out for me, absolutely the highlight." Quite different from what you're proposing, if that's your concern. Surely various ideas on the theme have been done around the world. But why not give it a crack, see how you go... would love to see some pics if you attempt it.

Are they typically fried or baked? I miss the ones I used to pick up where I used to live in NY, near 23rd & 3rd... how do they typically make them in Jamaica? Looks superb, going to try them this weekend with your method ChryZ

thanks Paul, that's good advice. You're right, i hadn't considered it's not an "all or nothing" proposition, it's a "if not now, try again in a couple days". I'll get it started tonight. By the way, what was your MO on the starter, flour + water, potato water, etc? Also would be interested to hear your "feeding schedule" for that first week... how frequently did you replenish?

I have just started... I mean JUST started ... to look into making and baking sourdough. I have read the recos about not attempting to start your own starter when just beginning, but I want to. The only question i have about the starter at this point is: how long in general should you allow it to ripen, before using in your first loaf? In my bit of research, I have seen a very WIDE range of opinions in how long you need to grow it, until it's ready for use. Interested in opinions of those of you on this forum...

I’m a rice-noodle fanatic; my family isn’t. So, usually when the fam is out and not having dinner, but I’m home, I’ll wok up a char kuey teow, char hor fun or other fresh-rice-noodle meal for myself. So far so good; but because it’s nearly always a ‘meal for one’ I’m usually left with a quantity of unused, good ingredients, but that won’t keep in the fridge til next time. Specifically I wonder if anyone could give me a quick opinion on the freezability of: Fresh rice noodles; Fish cakes* (packaged, but in fridge section of store when purchased) I suspect both are easily freezable.. I just question the quality (esp. the rice noodles) once thawed. Roughly similar quality when brought back to life, or a different thing altogether? And what's the best way to unfreeze gently: boiling water? room temp water? Any opinions/advice/knowledge would be appreciated. PS re: the fish cakes, someone who actually invented a “char kuey teow Scorecard” here opined that “It must have prawns and Chinese pork sausage (lap cheong). Pleeeeease no fish cake!!! But I don’t care, I love em.

It's funny... I'm an American here for good, but when I first got here, there was an awkward feeling when I left a good restaurant experience without a tip... when I tried to leave a little bit (out of habit), my local friends reacted with near-hostility, as in "don't bring your American ways here, we're not like that." I got over the awkwardness soon enough and stopped tipping entirely. Now, many years later, I find that I tip good service everytime, not because it's/I'm "american" but because, finally, it's exactly what the word says it is: a tip, a gratuity, and expression of my gratitude. Versus the meaning of the concept in the US: "wages". Anyway Pat, tipping in Oz wasn't your original post. I don't know about Greco, but the "Champse Elise" quip on their site is equal parts hilarious and bizarre... what are they actually trying to say? I haven't eaten "high end" southbank in years, even tho I worked there til recently - nearly all of them looked like I'd have exactly the experience you described (although Blue Train was always good for a cheap tasty dahl and several pots of Coopers, on the deck looking over the Yarra for summer lunches though).

Hi everyone, just thought I'd post a little progress report if you're interested. Basically, I've had v. good success with one specimen of each plant in my little soda-bottle terraria. ONE tomatillo and ONE epazote have sprouted and grown extremely well. I have several other little runts of both plants that are doing their best to get going, too, so all in all it's very promising. Couple pics attached if you're interested. Will still be several months before I can get some molés and salsas happening, but it's possibly a better start than i expected. Cheers/kanga

found it, sorry for the diversion

Natural stone? What type of rock is it? If it isn't soapstone, I'd track down a more suitable material for baking. ← Scott123 can you elaborate a bit? I want to get a tile from a local hardware store to bake my pizzas on, but am unsure of which are most suitable/least toxic(!). Sorry if i'm veering the original question off topic; I think there was an thread devoted to which tiles are best, but can't find it.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I received my two packets of seeds and am ready to plant them… again, being an absolute novice, I don’t really know where to begin, but I remember the old school soda-bottle terrarium, so I guess I’ll start there. I started reading various internet sources about germinating seeds and growing plants from seed and am now reasonably terrified of failure… fungus and disease? Not warm enough? Not sterile enough growing medium? Not enough light? Too much water? Not enough water? Just the right amount of water but poor drainage? Like everything else in life, I’m going to turn off the experts, plant the seeds and see what happens. I’ll post reports on progress (or lack thereof). see ya/Kanga

Hopefully i can glean a bit of Mexican specialists' knowledge when it comes to gardening/growing a couple key Mexican culinary items in my garden, epazote and tomatillo, both from seed. I only have a quick minute right now to post these facts, but if there's any other info you'd need in order to provide advice, fire away and I'll answer the moment I have a chance: 1) Live in Melbourne Australia, just coming into spring right now; 2) Have a reasonably sunny spot in a small garden ready for the two plants, but I can't say it's full on sunshine from dawn to dusk; 3) Melbourne's spring and summers are typically pretty warm to hot, say 26 Celsius in spring, avg. 30-32 in summer. In the middle of a long draught, so not much rainfall should be expected this season, either. 4) Have ordered some seeds from both from a retailer in Western Australia who is sending them in the next couple days. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find/purchase seedlings or already sprouted plants of either variety, they simply don't exist. And finally the reason I'm growing, rather than buying, both is that I am pretty certain it's not possible to find fresh, fully grown of either plant here, although dried epazote and canned tomatillo are available. That's it... any tips, tricks, hints, or advice for getting some successful plants grown for harvest would be much appreciated, as would insight to the nature of either plant, finicky or not, hearty and easily grown or not, etc. Basically just wondering how easy or difficult they are to maintain and grow, again any advice would be great. Thanks everyone/Kanga

Have been meaning to reply to this post for a while, finally got it together. Welcome back to Melbourne Adam... I haven't ever come across any fresh chiles here, but had incredible success (luck) with growing habaneros... dozens of little bright orange chiles all summer. I have found a good range of dried chiles (guajillo, serrano, ancho) at Aztec Products in Tullamarine, along with dried epazote, masa, etc. They have chipotle in adobo which i've seen elsewhere, and canned tomatillos -- I didn't buy any and don't know how they compare to fresh. I also have never seen any fresh epazote in Melb. Which is why I just searched for, found, and purchased seeds for both epazote and tomatillo, from this person's store on ebay (in WA): here Cheap seeds and shipping, plus I didn't see any options from the Fireworks catalogue you posted. I have to get serious about my food gardening this year, so hopefully these will work out. Good luck; I could go for a nice mole about now.

I've just started making my own pizzas for the family, and have been really happy with the results, but I haven't frozen any yet. As much as keeping the extra dough, though, the idea of freezing is also appealing as a matter of convenience... home from work, toppings on, in the oven... so would probably not want to add the time necessary to rise, rest, prepare and cook. Having said that, I would be interested in the variation in quality between the two methods.

but you have to admit a very unfashionable bloke like myself could be forgiven....

Actually it's Angela lindvall, Vogue Fashion model of the year 2000, model for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Valentino etc. Lot's of class. Hope you liked your onion soup. Cheers Paul ← touché!

I meant to post a couple months back that my wife and I made our way over to AB for a (kid free) night out. I went for several reasons, not least of which was the excellent reco's on this board ... the excitement at learning of an honest to god bistro you can just have a great, casual dinner as opposed to the typical, special occasion rarefied "french fine dining" when all you want is a well cooked steak frites or coq au vin... and, I have to say, the whinging whining sydney quote above about "God it sounds so booooring." (nice pic by the way episyd, that's Britney, isn't it? You really must be an arbiter of all things unboring. Bloody sydney). Anyway, nothing boring or mediocre about AB at all. We went as old school as we possibly could, in order to set a benchmark by which to gauge later visits: Steak frites, coq au vin, onion soup, ravioli w/crab in a beautiful bisque..."boring" stuff like that. Goddam it was good. There's no point writing up how good each item was dish by dish, because we all know how good they can and should be, at their best - and all of these were at their best. Add my voice to the growing chorus.