kangarool

Bigboy, your link contradicts your earlier recommendation. You initially suggest "Break your eggs into the dish as if your were frying eggs, and then stir into an omelette mixture in the hot pan! Why? Because the heat will harden the albumen of the egg before you incorporate it into the omelette mixture" ... but the content you linked to as support says "When egg albumen is beaten vigorously, it foams and increases in volume 6 to 8 times. Egg foams are essential for making souffles, meringues, puffy omelets, and angel food and sponge cakes" ... Not much chance to foam the albumen if it has already hardened from the heat.

The restaurant's at 166 Bridport St. in Albert Park. The description in the magazine reads The cassoulet is terracotta coloured and rich with Toulouse sausage and proper confit duck, gelatinous pork belly and white haricots.... L'Oustal is not overtly - jingoistically - French; there is no Piaf on the sound system and no obviously Gallic decor flourishes. Yet its food will have Francophiles wistfully recalling that bisro somewhere in Champagne or Bordeaux that, without being spectacular, did everything spectacularly right... and at a very fair price." OK, very typically glossy-magaziney copy, but still, sounds like it might be worth having a look. Even if it means steeling myself to head south of the river.

That reminds me, I've been meaning to add to this thread for the past couple weeks. I've come across several (well, 3) mentions in the past month or so about L'Oustal, in Albert Park. The write up in the most recent Gourmet Traveller profiles the restaurant (glowingly) in the "Melbourne News" section, and specifically points out the cassoulet, going on about the individual ingredients. Work colleague lives around the corner and is hooked, though she hasn't had the cassoulet. I'm sure plenty of others on eGullet have had a chance to try it, I haven't but plan to in the next couple weeks. Cassoulet would be at the top of my list to order, regardless of what else is on the menu.

Back again, sorry for the time lapse in reporting, but here’s what happened. I simultaneously succeeded brilliantly and failed miserably with the experiment (story of my life). The miserable failure was in creating anything closely resembling the bits of pork in Fenix’ laksa. Just didn’t happen. It was probably doomed from the start, as the belly I used was actually quite meaty, so there was lots of actual, fibrous meat in the little cubes, whereas I remember Fenix’ dish having lots of little crunchy bits of cooked fat. So, I need to better embrace the fat next go. The suggestions as described upthread, however, did indeed get me close in flavour if not texture, had I better selected the meat itself. So thanks again everyone for your advice. Now, the wonderful success was in coming up with something that was still hugely delicious. Cooking even meaty bit of pork in the way you guys sugggested still gave me a great dish of flavoursome little bits of pork. V. v. rich, but still yum would have been great with just a bit of steamed rice. As it was, we basically devoured it straight out of the pan! I had another bonus that night, too. Since I had that big slab of belly to contend with anyway, I used half of it in the Fenix experiment. I used the other half to attempt some Carnitas (learn all about it here), which was an absolute stunner, and we had it wrapped in some white corn tortillas with a sort of ancho salsa. so good. Might try the laksa'd pork again with a more appropriate cut some day. More likely instead just head back to Fenix.

How important are the tomatillos to a good mole? I have access to all other ingredients except these. I could get a can of tinned tomatillos shipped down from a Mexican food importer in Sydney, but question if it's worth the cost time and effort (I want my mole now!) Are there any substitutes for tomatillos? Googling provides no answers that I could find. I'm not sure, but I think they would provide a tartness or slight sourness that might offset the richness of the other ingredients. I don't think just adding a bit more tomato will provide what's otherwise missing ... but then I don't know what else could be added in their place. Or, is their omission no big deal in the grand scheme? Any suggestions?

PCL, what were the lentils your mate chucked in? A standard brown lentil that fell apart with cooking and mushed up a fair bit, or purple-black puy or something else? I might have to follow in your lentil-and-smoked-pork-belly footsteps, now that winter is upon us. Also wondering if you've found a good source for smoked (not just fresh) pork belly around town? There's that great Polish meat stall in the Queen Vic market that I suspect would stock some good stuff... keep us posted!

Very unhappy to report that I've entered an incredibly tumultuous period of sick children, whinging clients, emergency work travel and other annoying but unavoidable demands on my person that Pork Belly Experimentation has been forced to the bottom of my To Do list (while still remaining very near the top of my Want To Do list.) Divine Mrs. G, not sure if you're in Melbourne or know about Fenix, but "Tradition" isn't its calling card ... some things they do might start with a traditional dish or idea (e.g., "laksa") and then deconstruct/reconstruct to see what happens. It certainly worked with the Laksa. I will definitely still tackle the Pork, and I will definitely post the results. As I have one more necessary bit of travel (Perth this long weekend) ahead of me, current prediction of Belly attempt is probably midweek next week. Off topic but still appreciated would be any recos for good spots to eat this weekend in The World's Most Isolated City. ?? Or maybe better if I start a new thread to see how many good things can be said about eating in Perth. See you there.

Ah! That could be the answer I'm looking for, thank you Rachel. I should have checked RecipeGullet from the start, I'll give it a try when I get home from work tonight. One question, "Better than Boullion" ... is that like a liquid equivalent to boullion cubes (I find the cubes pretty useless)? I looked at this site. I don't recall seeing such a thing here (Aussie) on supermarket shelves, but that's not definite. Does the dessicated coconut disintegrate and then get absorbed into the rice? thanks again/kanga

Coconut Rice: This should be one of the simplest and easiest things in the world, no more difficult than simply cooking rice, right? I put together a Nasi Lemak recently, and, as usual, everything turns out well enough except the rice. Something isn’t happening, or more likely, I’m not doing it right. The problem is, I always get a gluggy, stuck together mess that doesn’t look attractive, and tastes like rice sort of stewed in coconut milk, rather than coconut rice. It turns out really thick and sticky, and the individual grains are all pretty much obliterated. I know the end result is heavier than regular steamed rice ... I’m not looking for, dare I say, "fluffy" rice … just pleasingly separate, reasonably intact grains. I thought once that it was because I used only coconut milk, and that perhaps some combination of water + c. milk was the answer. I don’t remember what happened, exactly, but I do remember it wasn’t the answer. I think I remember it being still fairly gluggy in texture, but with the flavour thinned compared to cooking it with only C. milk, so it was a step backwards. I’ve also varied the rice (long grain, medium grain, jasmine) all to no avail. Let me add that my "normal", steamed, jasmine rice comes out exactly right 99 times out of 100. I invariably go the stove-top-absorption method, and it always comes out right. Here are some possibilities I’ve considered for a remedy, but haven’t had a chance to try yet: o Coconut cream instead of milk (v. doubtful); o Flaked/dessicated, unsweetened Coconut, added to normal water/rice o coconut oil?? One last note: I’m also pretty unsatisfied with texture when cooking rice with stock – not risottos, but pilaf/pilaus, etc. Again, a dense mish mash of rice with a heavy texture that just isn’t right. What am I missing?

THAT is exactly why I tuned in. fantastic idea, I'll give it a shot, maybe photodocument if I'm really ambitious. Regardless whether that yields the Fenix pork or not, it sounds great, thanks for the tip.

I finally got a chance to make my way to Fenix recently, and made a point to try the deconstructed laksa... refresher, from Tim White's post "Dinner@Fenix" "Pork Laksa 2005 - probably the signature dish at the moment - a 'deconstructed' laksa served as a warm salad with a curry viniagrette. The pork was tiny goujons caramelized, the noodles, coconut set with agar and the viniagrette was to die for. All agreed this was perfection..." the thing was indeed superb. and now I'm determined to conjure up a couple of my favourite bits from the dish, starting with the caramelised pork goujons. I'm not a professional chef. In fact, I'm not a chef at all. But I can follow instructions and then mess around til I get something I'm happy with. Could anyone who has tried it help me figure out how to turn a slab of pork belly into the little sweet/savoury cubes of beauty? Would you start the experiment by simply dicing the meat, then maybe roasting, then caramelizing, then crisping? thanks for any pork belly help you can provide, kanga

anyone have word of advice on the Freezability of xiaolongbao? I have my dumplings to a point that I'm reasonably happy with, but ideally, I could make dozens and freeze them for later. Something makes me suspect that if I make them, freeze them, then cook later, the soup bit will sort of get too assimilated with wrapper and the rest and they won't be as juicy as if they were cooked fresh ...??? What do you reckon?

RB2, I made my way there (PP and SR/Angkor) for 10 days or so, late last year... I'll see if I can get a few spots listed, and add a couple pics. Are you most interested in typical Cambodian food ... or any good food? I have to say, I drank pretty well there, too!

Hmm, looks good, I'd like to try it. Is there a simple way to prepare it, or at least a simply-explained way to prepare it? I've heard of it, but don't remember ever seeing it on offer at any of the restaurants I go to. I'm also curious as to how it's purchased; I presume fresh/refrigerated, like tofu? AND I'm curious if there's any reason why it's unique to or "claimed" by Kyoto...? thanks for the pic and introduction! kanga

Any details, Gifted? Sounds very much like it would go over well in my house... thanks/Kanga

OK OK, everyone gets a chance to throw in their favourite (and, I suspect, the majority of people are suggesting the city they live in), so I’ll follow suit. On all criteria, lovely Melbourne Australia hits on all counts (except a couple which I’ll note) Top End. Incredibly good, and incredibly good value: the calibre of high-end is definitely on par with New York (though there are naturally far more truly top-end options available in much larger cities). But the restaurants, chefs, service, ingredients and venues are all spectacular, and rival the options of any city. And for much, much less cash. Middle and Low End. You almost literally can’t walk a block without having wonderful options for café’s and pubs with spectacular food and drink. This category also probably covers off ‘fusion,’ as the choices you have in these venues are "typical Australian cuisine", which means everyone from everywhere has influenced it. "Ethnic"/Variety. There’s pretty much no-one who is not here. Massive Asian population (pretty much every country, from Burma to Korea, is here in abundance) all cooking the real thing from home. Indisputably one of the world’s best Chinese restaurants in Flower Drum. The world’s second largest Greek city after Athens. Turkish and Middle Eastern is renowned. Spanish restaurants running riot. Italians flooded Melbourne after WWII, and haven’t stopped cooking as they do back home, ever since. Old-school English fare, French bistros in every suburb, requisite churrascarias, fresh seafood (and knowing what to do with it) is a birthright, it’s all here, and in abundance, and incredibly good value for the quality. Only complaint: decent Mexican cannot be found. (Haven’t tried Blue Moon, could be salvation.) Creativity/Pushing Boundaries. I think it’s fairly well established that the city’s top restaurants are doing a reasonable job of keeping up, though I’ll concede probably not leading the way. Wine. Beautiful Australian wines grown/produced right on Melbourne’s doorstep (literally hundreds of wineries within one hour’s drive, and nearly all with their own wonderful restaurants and food options), not to mention immediate access to the thousands of Aussie wines, which suit my palate. Markets/Home cooking. Amazing fresh fruit, veg, cheeses, breads, and pretty much any ingredient for anything you’d ever want to cook. Think NY’s Union Square Market, with much much more variety of items from around the world, AND in essentially every major suburb. Food Culture. A deep, deep passion for all this stuff is somehow genetically hard-wired into every Melburnian I know. That’s my opinion. If you don't believe me, ask one A. Bourdain what he thinks of Melbourne. If not Melbourne, then New York. - kanga

Um… The following could well be a red rag to a bull… but here are a couple counterpoints for your consideration. I don’t think any of the opinions expressed so far are in any way ‘wrong’ … indeed, I certainly agree that languorous hours spent in loving preparation of food and shared over several more hours with family and friends from far and wide is one of the key elements that makes life worth living … for me and for you. I seriously question if it’s all that important for everyone. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch that, for some people (actually millions upon millions), they could think of nothing worse than spending their precious few free hours in the kitchen. They may HATE cooking. They may be utterly uninterested by food that you consider healthy and delicious. They just get off on other things in life, or they just love Pizza Hut Pizza or microwaved burritos, and that’s simply their idea of the best possible food. They may know, or suspect, that it’s not good for them – and so feel ‘guilty – but that doesn’t mean they derive no pleasure from it. The thought of roasting a chicken, and inviting others to their home to share it over the course of several hours, is almost certainly anathema to millions. And that presumes they all have loving, socially adept and willing family and friends who want to spend their precious few free hours with them "sharing" it all, which is by no means a given. (God I sound misanthropic! But would you acknowledge that it could be true?) Anyway. My problem isn’t with EG opinions, it’s with the article. One major problem is how it purports to depict something that is unique to "Americans." What, exactly, is an "American?" "Americans are an unhealthy people obsessed by the idea of eating healthily." Really? I feel sorry for those 300 million unhealthy, obsessive people. Obviously — obviously — diets, fads, schemes, reengineered food products constructed to tap into certain food fashions, and new thinking about the effects of certain foods on the human body will always have a willing and sizable (pun unintended) audience in the U.S., as I’m sure it does in most developed countries. But, that article ignored so many possible factors related to "American" attitudes toward food, and cited just that one odd little "experiment" where Americans said "If I eat it, I’ll feel bad" and the French said "If I eat it, it’ll taste good." The experiment, or at least Pollan’s communication of its results, was so simplistic as to be useless, and the whole premise of the article was pretty much based on that. Here's a silly, off-the-top-of-head example, but what if one delved deeper into these "food attitudes" and discovered that Americans might have said: "If I eat that, I’ll feel guilty or bad … because I constantly consume American entertainment, and the movie and TV stars I watch are stick thin, and I want to be famous, so I’ll have to be stick thin, and if I eat that, I won’t be." Or a million other possible responses as to why they responded "guilt"? Is the problem then Americans’ attitudes to food? Or are other cultural factors and apprehensions manifesting themselves through Americans’ relationship to food? What’s the real problem? Yep, maybe if we all ate dinner with our families for longer, we’d be happier and healthier. But maybe if Americans didn’t idolise celebrities so voraciously (it depresses me that I know that Michael Pollan is Tracy Pollan’s brother!), or consume such vast quantities of media, or respond so gullibly to advertising claims, or chase fashions and fads of all kinds so manically, or if they'd just trade in that WalMart job and choose to work harder and get a higher paying job so that they weren't tempted by the apparent value represented by SuperSized fast food meals that tasted so good … then we might all be even "healthier." But then we’re not really talking about food anymore. My points in this post are hardly more coherent than his, but: my read of Pollan’s article is that "Americans" see chocolate cake, say "guilt", and are unhealthy because of that. Maybe he needs a book rather than a magazine article to make the case, because he didn’t come close to pulling it off therein. So. Let the vitriolic counterattack begin!

I love a fresh chorizo, and often use them in a bastardised rice dish that's sort of a jambalya meets risotto that sits in a peppery garlicky stew underneath ... it's hard to describe but not hard to eat. The very first chorizo I encountered was nothing like a "real" one (a fresh, plump spanish one i mean). I found it in a Cuban deli that used to be on 2nd Ave and 9th St. in the E. Village, and I needed a chorizo for a black bean dish I was making. What I came home with and used was a vacuum-packed, roughly 6 inch long, extremely dense and (when cooked) quite oily thing. The flavour was good, and because that was my first encounter with "chorizo", I was puzzled later on when I asked a butcher for a chorizo and he gave me a fresh, proper sausage... I thought maybe he hadn't understood me! Maybe that first one was akin to the Mexican ones others have described upthread?

Pretty certain that's what I saw, though didn't snap a pic unfortunately. I did a quick google and there are several travellers's tales of snacking on little seahorses at that Wangfujing Night Market as well. I was considering trying a stick's worth, but something kept me from doing so. I wasn't worried about how they'd taste, there was just something about the Cuteness Factor that seemed to risk some serious karmic retribution! But of course now I regret not popping a few of the critters in my mouth. I had the duck at Xiao Wang Fu at chengb02's reco, and it was a treat. Great duck, good value, pleasant atmosphere. The picture here shows the duck and the sauce, but I don't recall if it was more or less any of those mentioned: brown bean, hoisin or plum. I don't know that I could have distinguished amongst one or the other even if I had been paying attention. It didn't stop me from polishing off the entire meal. (BTW, the sauce that accompanied the duck at Li Family Rest. looked/tasted identical.) The duck was served only as you see it there, there were no "extra" dishes (i think that 2 more dishes with some of the duck stir fried and then in/as a soup or broth is sometimes common?). I certainly had no complaints, and wasn't told that I would or wouldn't be served any more than I was. But it just made me question, does the phrase "Beijing Duck", when ordering, typically mean just the sliced duck w/pancakes ... or the duck served in a few different ways/courses?

Thanks mate. I made it to the Duck restaurant in Sanlitun that you suggested (have forgotten the name)... beautiful. The duck was superb, juicy without being fatty, really fresh. Unfortunately didn't get to South Beauty as you often recommend. Hooray! now I can attempt it at home for friends. That combination does indeed sound as if I'd get a very similar result to what I had. My cleaver skills are, however, embryonic, so I don't hold out too much hope for replicating the "worms". Thanks again, would definitely be interested in a recipe, please feel free to email if it's easy.

The night market was good fun... I think I remember seeing the beetles, but didn't get to sample! The tofu soup was very similar to Hot & Sour soups I've had in the U.S., but more subtle in flavour (less hot and less sour!), much more tofu, and with fewer ingredients. I would guess that these kinds of soups were "the original" and over the years has been translated into what we now get in Chinese takeaways? As a side note on Hot/Sour Soup, I've noticed that it's a staple on menus throughout the US, but is infrequently available from chinese takeaways here in Oz, although most other items are mirrored. I've never been able to guess why that might be...

Thanks jo-mel... with the shredded pork, either suggestion you mention is completely plausible. I'll see if I can find a jar of both, and see if one is closer to the taste I remember. And I also think you're right on the addition of vinegar in the zhou, as well as the octopus/squid hanging over the cart. There were so many items to choose from - several kinds of squid, seahorse, various insects, scorpion, you name it - but I didn't get to try them all. I meant to say that I was actually thinking of you while in Beijing, as I remember from other posts you often recommend finding Jian Bing from street vendors. It's one regret I have, as I missed finding it... I actually did see a vendor one night, and that was definitely what he was making/selling, but I'd just had an enormous dinner, and couldn't fit any more in, thinking I'd come across many others. But I just didn't see them again, so will have to try again next time! I did find some good pancakes from street vendors, stuffed with flavourful meat and cabbage - is this shao bing?

How good can a holiday be? Pretty bloody good, even if it was, as always, much too short. My wife and I have a little bun cooking away in the oven (bao in the steamer?), so I took off for One Last Adventure for myself to China and Cambodia, two places I'd always hoped to see. I opted for Beijing in China, and Phnom Penh/Siem Reap (Angkor temples) in Cambodia. I also had a bit of transit in Singapore and Bangkok, enough time for about one meal each. There was so much that was wonderful about it, not least of all the food. I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures. BEIJING (I’ll save my Li Family Restaurant experience for another board, I have some photos to supplement Pan’s previous posting, and some opinions and questions) NEARLY EVERY BREKKY: Phenomenal baozi. Gobbled them up by the dozen, at shopfront after shopfront. Usually went the standard Pork filled ones: But nearly as often went with the "Greens" version. I think the filling is primarily spring onion (scallions) and chinese spinach? I’m not sure, here’s a look. Also wonderful at breakfast were the soups. There were so many different kinds, but a few examples I found interesting include: Zhou. I didn’t enjoy the zhou nearly as much as I like (what I’m guessing to be) Cantonese style conjee… my preference is for all the rice to basically be obliterated, and the porridge to be rather thick and starchy, but it seems the northern style is to serve it thinner, and with grains of rice still somewhat separate. It also had a somewhat sour taste, which I think may have had to do with the addition of a kind of red bean? Maybe someone can help inform. SWEET PORRIDGE. I thought initially this may have been a maize-based porridge, but perhaps it was millet (I don’t know that I’ve had millet, so couldn’t identify it if it was). It was very good, very filling, and was topped with a sesame or hazelnut (?) sauce that added a great dimension. The closest taste I can compare it to would be if you made Nutella into a sauce! Not that sweet, though. Seemed extremely common, I saw it everywhere. The breads on the side were filled with various things, the ones you see here are filled with Roast Duck, Red Bean Paste, and unfilled. TOFU SOUP. My name for it, I’m sure there’s a more "official" name… but have a look at the pic and I think you’ll agree! It was delicious: so fresh, warm and filling, earthy and almost smoky somehow. Because too many dumplings are never enough, I munched on some Tang Bao at First Floor Restaurant, washed down with some cold Yanjing beer. Regardless, they were so good I had two steamers full every time I went, one pork, one prawn. Spicy Tofu and Minced Pork. This dish, the breakfast soup, and several other dishes has changed my mind about the value that tofu has to offer the world. I also appreciated that when restaurants promised ‘spicy’ they delivered it by the truckload. This dish is red from both ground chilis and chili oil it was cooked in. STEWED PORK. After walking all around the Lakes area one day, I was ravenous and popped into a little street corner "café." I was looking over the menu when two businessmen at the next table were served something that looked both unfamiliar and really yummy, so I asked for it too, whatever it was. It turned out to be "Stewed Shredded Pork" (only name given to me), and it was served with a stack of fresh, thick boiled wonton wrappers, in which you wrapped the pork and some shredded cabbage. So simple but stupendously good. I wonder if anyone can tell me what the pork would have been stewed in, it tasted salty and sweet, somewhere between a garlic sauce and a hoisin. Another appeal of the dish were the perfect worm-shaped morsels of pork, how do they get them cut/shaped like this? BEEF NOODLE SOUP. A ‘simple’ noodle soup that was wonderfully rich and filling, but light at the same time. The broth/stock was studded with cloves, the cubes of beef fell apart from my chopsticks, and the noodles as fresh as they look, almost certainly just made. SNACKS LAO SHE TEAHOUSE SNACKS. Thanks to Bleaudavergne for her suggestion to visit the performance at the Teahouse … though the atmosphere was a tad "dinner theatre"-ish, it was still very enjoyable, and I saw some new things I’d not have experienced otherwise. (How, exactly, does the ‘face-changing dance’ work!?). The snacks and tea served were pretty good, esp. the roasted melon seeds. SILK WORMS. The Night Market was full of tempting challenges; I opted for the silk worms, skewered, grilled then sauced. As you’d expect (or not), I ate the first one for the ‘challenge’, but the rest of them because I liked them! Impossible to describe, but they weren’t very worm-y … more nutty than anything else, or another way to think of them is as a crunchy mushroom. Actually what was really good was the sauce that was painted over them after they’d been grilled. Laden with cumin in a dark, salty glaze. WONTON NOODLE. This one in Singapore, on the return flight. Had to try it if for no other reason than to have a benchmark by which to compare my local. CAMBODIA Cambodia made for a great holiday, if not quite the culinary calibre of Beijing. Having said that, I’d have their noodle soups quite happily everyday for the rest of my life without a single complaint. For example, this one: Beef Loc Lac (sp?) was very tender, flavourful and reasonably hearty – at least, as hearty as you’d want in 38 degree heat (100F). The dish is sort of a lite oyster sauce meets lime marinade… the crunchy tomatoes and bite of onions was a nice contrast to the tender and savoury beef. That’s it. Thanks once again to chengb02, Pan, Bleaudavergne, estufarian and others for the tips and recommendations. I, and my gullet, had a blast.

Thanks for the tip. There's a cooking show here in Australia wherein the woman who was making dumplings picked up the handful of minced pork, and repeatedly threw it back into the bowl, I mean just really hurled the thing, again and again, breaking down the fibres and "pieces" of mince ... likely to the same general effect as what you described with the food processor. I'm making jiao zi tonight!

Looks beautiful... the shot of the filling looks fantastic. A question about the filling: Did you buy pre-minced pork, or did you buy a cut and have it minced for you, or minced it yourself? The reason I ask is that, I’ve bought pork shoulder (and had the butcher mince it) my last batch of dumplings. I didn’t (forgot to, actually) add any pork fat to it at all, and predictably, the filling came out with very little flavour, and the texture was too crumbly, almost dry tasting, even after steaming or boiling. You didn’t mention adding any pork fat, so wonder if you found the same result? Also curious if there’s A) a "right" cut of pork to buy that has the right ratio of meat and fat for juicy dumplings, or B) is there a right ratio of meat to fat, if you’re adding pork fat to relatively lean meat. thanks for the pics!