Ben Hong

Heresy? Nah, but be reminded that this is strictly a meat dish, not a one pot meal. (But then there must be at least one person in the world who would add broccoli to his fish and chips too).

Thanks for all the quick replies. After further questioning, my friend mentions that it is generally served with dumplings and potstickers. Eureka! The answer I provided him was spot on. Another happy customer.

Black beans? Yes, a lot of people do it, including my mother (not me). The taste of the black beans serves to balance out the "sourness" of the dish. I like it too. Remember, this is very very much a homestyle Chinese dish, so it is infinitely adjustable- according to the cooks preference and experience.

A friend of mine has asked me for a recipe to recreate this sauce that he's had in a couple of Chinese restaurants (Indiana &midwest). I have searched but not coming up with anything reasonable. He calls it "ginger sauce", used as a dip. Any suggestions, ideas, experiences?? Maybe it's the nomenclature or translation.

NOTHING!!! Beef and tomato on top of a plateful of white rice is a match made in gastronomic heaven.

Chris, looking good.

Personally, I'd rather "swallow clouds".

Fish paste is sticky, flour on the hand helps alleviate the problem - somewhat, but it is not perfect. What is better is to liberally oil your hands frequently. And...why all the obsession about the perfect circle? I make fish cakes if and when I catch too many "trash" fish while angling for the desired game fish (freshwater). I will skin and bone them as much as possible, then I use the food processor to mince 5 parts fish to 1 part fat pork. Seasonings are light soy, or mam nuoc, coriander or scallions, salt&pepper, a bit of cornstarch and hand form into small patties. After frying up , a little bit of oyster sauce mixed with soy sauce is all that's needed as a sauce. Formed into balls, they are marvelous in a quick watercress soup, wonton soup, soupy noodles,etc.

S&S sauce is not rocket science and shouldn't be too complicated, as Ah Leung confirms. To match the dish I usually will use fruit juices as the main liquid, eg: pineapple, lemon, orange, etc. I never use ketchup, which has a tendency to "cloud" or muddy up the sauce.

1. Use the corresponding knob to regulate the flame, you know, those round things on the front of the range with hi-low markings. 2. Use the smaller burners for smaller pots and pans.

At the risk of sounding flippant, just leave it out.

BEER. Or if you are feeling expansive and generous, XO brandy with 7UP on the side. At my family's supper table, there is always soup, which is more traditional and preferred.

DITTO, DITTO, DITTO

I tried to make them once, but I learned my lesson. Too damned involved to be enjoyable. The results were "not bad" but, on balance, I will buy from now on.

I believe that it is conch you were using, not the beautiful huge ones that one thinks of, but the smaller ones that look like giant snails. Long tail on the shell, light greenish, with a hint of brown. Shells are about three -four inches in size.

Ah Leung. I am confused about your periwinkles. I have never seen them sold shelled, I have never seen them so light coloured. My idea of periwinkle is in the Toysan dialect "hien lu", or field snail. Living close to the Atlantic Ocean we pick them off the rocks at low tide, and the Chinese call these snails hien lu also. Both types are up to 1.5 inches big and the ones we get from the ocean is very hard shelled and grey/black in colour, even the meat. We never shell them, just cook them in the shell...usually with black bean sauce and perilla (coriander is a good sub). The fun is picking them out with a sharp toothpick or a pin. Done western style, garlic, butter, a bit of shallots is excellent also. I used to keep my kids busy for endless hours picking away at the delectable tidbits.

The trouble with relying on references like Google, Wikipedia, etc. is that in a lot of cases they do not take into consideration the local idiosyncrasies , generally accepted regional usages, and some uniquely social/cultural nuances. Plus, the Chinese language is not as precise as English when it comes to scientific and technical nomenclature.

Chinese cleaver/knife. Smack the bulb hard, lift off the skin, mince. Don't need no steenkin' press.

Lung lei is lterally translated as "dragon tongue" and it refers to fish of the flounder type, including in some cases the sole.

I also use soft HK egg noodles, but I dunk them in boiling water first ( hu in Cantonese or "float"). There is no advantage to my method, although sometimes I get a better mouthfeel...more contrast between the crispy outside and the very soft inside of the noodle "pancake".

Doesn't everybody? ← Urrrrrrrrr.... No. May be in my village cooking is a father-to-son craft. ← In my memory, all boys and girls were taught the rudiments of the culinary arts by whomever and in a lot of cases, especially at harvest time, boys and girls as young as 10-12 years old cooked the family meal because everyone was busy in the fields. BUT, it was the women who taught them. If my mother or my grandmother were in the kitchen, the menfolk discreetly retired to do other things.

Doesn't everybody? Little Old Popos and Yenyens know more about that art and skill than a whole library of cookbooks. And most of them were illiterate.

After reading and seeing all the delicious recipes posted on this thread on CNY, I am surprised that no one bothered to make ho see soong , or oyster soong. It is a tradition among my own family when Mother was around.

Herby, the Chinese name for lobster is what??

I am a speed demon what prepping, but come il faut when cooking.