prasantrin

Thanks! There was another woman in the conversation who lived in Japan for 20+ years, and she doubted my double brewing story so I needed to come up with the varieties. I've never seen genmaicha double brewed, though. My co-worker always served it straight--could it be out of laziness (not necessarily laziness, but perhaps lack of time)?

Thanks, all, for the replies. I'll see what my local wine store has to offer of the recommended wines. Glad to know less expensive wines are satisfactory, since those best suit my pocketbook right now . I had never thought of using creme de mure or any of the other fruity cremes. With peche, it would be a perfect summer drink! Too bad we're experiencing our first snowfall today . For some reason, I've never cared for Kir Royale--I think it's because I don't care for carbonation--even in Champagne (the exception being root beer, heathen that I am). But the red wine version sounds interesting. Who'd have thunk it?

Thanks. My mother said she rinses dried salted fish to get off the cooties, too! But we usually use the salted fish that comes in a jar (oil-packed). Another question--how do you feel about the dried stuff vs the oil packed stuff? Do you think there's a difference in quality? And another question I thought of...Do any of the Chinese ethnic groups steam their rice as Thais do? (You know, water and rice in bowl, steamed in bamboo or other steamer.) Kasma Loha-Unchit says this results in much better rice than the boiling over stove top or rice cooker method. I've never done it, since I'm lazy (when you grow up with a rice cooker, it's difficult to use anything else ) but I'd be curious to know if other cultures do it, as well, and if there is really a difference in texture between the boiling and steaming methods (guess I'd have to try it myself for the latter question).

I couldn't decide whether to post this here or in the beverage forum, but here I am... I was having a discussion about tea yesterday and someone mentioned a particular way of brewing tea. The leaves are first steeped for about 30 seconds but that steeping is thrown out. Then the leaves are steeped again and this second steeping is the one that is served. I vaguely remember my co-workers making tea this way in Japan, but only with one type of tea. I think it was kukicha--can anyone confirm this? Or is it another type of tea? Hojicha perhaps?

I've used it to make Filipino-style ensaimada. I think there are a few Filipino desserts that make use of evaporated milk, including halo-halo (similar to kakigori with a lot more stuff). Here's a link to a recipe for halo-halo and one for ensaimada (you can omit the cheese--I prefer it without, personally).

I'm trying to make the perfect Kir (okay, it doesn't have to be perfect, but close would be nice ). I have the Creme de Cassis (Lejay-Lagoute) and now I need to get some white wine. But what kind should I get? I know little about wines--the only thing I know is that dry white wines are preferred for Kir. I used to just buy whatever white wine had the nicest bottle (I probably shouldn't admit that, but oh well!). Any suggestions out there?

Does it have to be a cookbook? I've always liked the Hawaiian Electric Company's recipes. They seem to have the variety you want, plus it's free! You do have to register to access the recipes, though. You can find their homepage here.

re: the use of salted fish Is it traditional to rinse the salted fish before using it, or is it done specifically for claypot-type dishes, or was it a personal preference? We've always used it straight, though we always fry it (nothing better than freshly cooked rice and shredded salted fish, except maybe freshly cooked rice, Chinese sausage, and one egg sunny-side up ). Great class, and great pictures, too! (Headbutts to the cat--hope she's doing well )

It's about $700 US (probably a bit more).

I have always avoided dipping truffles since I have never been very adept at tempering chocolate. Your method of rolling the truffles, therefore, intrigues me. Would you heat the couverture until just melted, or does it need to be a little hotter than that? And you say to coat your palms in the chocolate--is the coating smooth once the couverture hardens or does it ever have "palm marks"? What are the benefits of rolling twice rather than once? I recently made 6 batches (half batches, really) of truffles using 6 different chocolates (most if not all bittersweet) but I have not yet done anything with them. The two or three people to whom I have given a few have not minded the lack of coating or dusting of cocoa, but I'd like them to look a little nicer before presenting them to others. Another question, which may deserve another thread--do you have any comments on reducing the cream when making truffles? The recipe I use calls for reducing the cream until most of the liquid has evaporated. I have never made truffles any other way so I have wondered if the flavour of the truffles might be affected negatively by doing so. People seem to like them, but most of my friends are far from chocolate connoisseurs (nor am I--I don't really even like chocolate ). Finally, may I ask which chocalterie in Montreal does hand-rolling? Just so I know for the next visit .

Thanks for the informative reply. It sounds like Royal Thai cuisine would be difficult to duplicate without proper instruction . Oh well, maybe that could be the next Thai cooking class ? I'm looking forward to reading anything else you have to add on the subject!

I'm not sure about the protocol for replying to questions (i.e. if non-instructors may reply to question) but here I go....! In my experience, Thais don't really eat sweets after a meal, except perhaps fresh fruit. Sweets are normally eaten as snacks and boy, are they sweet! One of my father's favourite snacks was shaved ice with flavoured syrup on a bed of stale white bread and condensed milk. Easy to do at home, but I much prefer it without the bread . Some of my favourite Thai snacks are sticky rice with sangkaya (coconut custard--I prefer this to mango with my sticky rice, and prefer it with sticky rice than in pumpkin), roti sai mai (a soft crepe which you fill with sugar strands--sort of like hard strands of cotton candy--not to be confused with with the harder crepe filled with foy thong--can't remember its name but I think Pim mentioned it in her post about Royal Thai cuisine), and khanom bah bin (a little pancake made of glutinous rice flour--different from khanom krok). I know Kasma Loha-Unchit has a recipe for khanom bah bin in It Rains Fishes and it looks rather easy to make. I also like kluay kaek (fried bananas) and prefer it to peurk kaek (fried taro) and mun kaek (fried sweet potato). All of those would be easy to make, as would bananas in coconut milk. Oh, I love roti from the street vendors doused with a condensed milk and sprinkled with a bit of sugar. Interestingly enough, I was never able to find this in Bangkok, only in Chiang Mai. I think we just went to the wrong areas in Bangkok for this. Other desserts that I've never been thrilled about are jackfruit and ruby and lukchup (beautiful little fruit-shaped sweets made of mung bean. They look even better than well-made marzipan fruits.). I've never really liked foy thong and it's relatives, either. When last in Thailand I noticed a couple of cookbooks devoted to Thai desserts. I didn't pick them up, unfortunately, but if you're very interested you might be able to find them on-line.

There's a cake shop in Kyoto that sells the most wonderful chiffon cakes with buttercream icing. I love chiffon cake and find that US or Canadian made chiffon cake tends to be heavy and dry with fake buttercream. The place in Kyoto, though, was perfect! I don't think I ever knew the name, despite going there many times. It was on Shijo-dori and there was a bookstore on the main floor (not Junkudo, though) and it was just a block or two from Daimaru. I liked the desserts at Mariage Freres, too.

While I missed the class, I am wondering if you might be able to tell me what makes Royal Thai-style food different from commoner (?) style. I'm thinking of curries in particular, especially massaman. It seems that my father's massaman curry was very different from other massaman curry I have had--both in and outside of Thailand. He spent many hours at his mother's side while she supervised the cooks and from what I was told, she instructed them to cook in the style of the Royal household. Unfortunately, my father did not pass his secrets on to us before he died, so we are at a loss as to how to recreate his curries. The only thing I can remember is that his curries seemed to be richer than others. I think he may have added powdered coconut cream to canned coconut milk to make it richer, but I'm not sure about this. Is richness a characteristic of Royal Thai cuisine?

My favourites include takoyaki (with mayonnaise), mochi dango, and croquette (kurokke). And freshly roasted chestnuts--do they count?

I was just at the Fork's yesterday and it seems that Chutneys is no more. In its place is another Sushi Train (like Winnipeg needs yet another inferior sushi place). I guess East India Company is concentrating on their main restaurant and the new pub-style place they are opening soon (it may have already opened).

Tengu (the izakaya) used to have mochi chiizu--mochi with loads of melted cheese on it. Yum! My favourite grilled mochi is with butter and sugar--much better than the soy sauce-sugar version. But another favourite of mine is mochi-age in dashi. I remember it was only my second night in Japan and I was one of the guests of honour at a kangeikai/sobetsukai. The other guest of honour wanted mochi-age and offered me some. I almost choked on it, but I loved it! I have a recipe somewhere for mochi lasagne. I'm sure I'd like it, too, but I have never made it.

I think, but am not entirely sure, that Chutneys is East India Company's branch at the Forks. I have not eaten there (most of the "ethnic food" at the Forks isn't worth eating), but I just ate at EIC (the main branch on York, I think) last week. I went because I had been told that the food had improved a great deal since my last visit (admittedly, a few years ago). I can say that I was very disappointed. Many of their curries tasted only of salt with a bit of heat. Once every few bites I could taste cumin, but that's it (I'm sure there were other spices, but none in any discernable quantities). I was pleased to find lamb on the menu, but less pleased to find that there was very little meat on the very big bones in the curry (about 1x1x.5 inch of meat to a 4-6 inch bone). I tried a little of each of about half their curries (they had a dozen or so) and the only one I would eat again was the spinach paneer one. It didn't have a lot of flavour, either, but I liked its texture--very creamy. They did have a wide range of curries (both vegetarian and meat) but what's the point of having a wide range if they all taste the same? As for desserts, their burfy (burfee, burfi) was stale and flavourless but their jilebi was not bad. A little stale, but not as greasy as some I've had. On that note, I sincerely doubt Chutneys would be much better. In Winnipeg, ethnic restaurants that are "upscale" are generally not very good and if EIC is Canadianized Indian food, then Chutneys is likely more so.

That describes my friend perfectly . She's very simple in her tastes. She's from Saline, originally, which is a pretty small town from what she told me. Then again, I'm from Canada and pretty much anywhere outside of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal is small-townish at heart. I must be a Bobo, though (see here for the definition of Bobo), since I'm feeling the need to try that ice wine vinegar. Ice wine is good, ice wine vinegar must be amazing. I know for oenophiles this doesn't count, but I have a nice bottle of Bosc Pear Ice Wine in my fridge right now. Mmmmm!

It's possible that she meant Common Grill but she wrote Chelsea Grill. She doesn't have a great memory, though . She initially wrote that she wanted to go to Chelsea to the restaurant owned by Jeff Daniels. She later remembered that he owned a theater, not a restaurant, and then said the restaurant was called Chelsea Grill. I think the restaurant must be in or near the theater, or somehow related to it, but I'll have to ask her about it.

Thanks all! I've created my list! I'm only going to be there for two full days, and two partial days, but I think I can fit everything in there! Zingerman's has been on my list for a couple of years now, but everything on their website is so expensive that I may have to just window shop (though I would like some Cluizel and El Ray chocolate for my truffles experiment). My friend says their chicken salad sandwich is number one on her list, though in terms of value, it's only number two since it's overpriced. She also wants to go to Chelsea Grill. Hope it's good! I'll post a review when I get back. Thanks again!

What's a Cop? Is that something like ex-pats? I need to know so I can ask them when I get there So far the only resource I can remember is Kansai Time Out, if it's still around, but IIRC, anything food related is usually an ad. They do have restaurant reviews, but since they cover the entire Kansai area, Kobe doesn't get as much coverage as Osaka. Darn!

I'm hoping so, because I can't figure out what part of the USA Michigan is. I think I'm heading to Ann Arbor, MI for a few days next month. The only food place I know of thus far is Zingerman's (probably spelled that incorrectly). Are there any cheap (less than $10/person) but awesomely good eats out there? I'm thinking some Indian, Thai (not fake Thai or Laotian, but real Thai), or Middle Eastern-ish (the friend I'm visiting spent 3 months in Morocco with me so it would be fun to re-live those food moments). But good burger joints and local specialties are always good, too!

It's very sad that the Kansai region is better represented out in there in foodie land! I found very little with a Google search (at least in English). Tokyo has a lot of great food, but Kobe and Osaka food is, in my opinion, equally good in quality. Unfortunately, as far as I know the best hamburger joint in Japan is only in Tokyo! When I lived in Tochigi, I would travel to Tokyo once a month for root beer, decent cheese, and a hamburger from a place near Kinokuniya. It was an American burger place--I think from Hawaii. Man those were good burgers! Oh well, I'll just have to do my own research !

I just learned that I will be moving back to Japan in the spring. This time I'll be in the Kobe area, Nishinomiya to be specific. Any e-Gulleters out there who can help with good eats of all kinds? I'm hoping my favourite Akashiyaki shop is still where I remember it being, and according to the Mariage Freres website, their tea shop is still in the Bal building. Aside from those two places, my "where to eat" list is bare! I have 6 months to plan, but I'll be there for a couple of years, so I figure the more suggestions the better!