jo-mel
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Posts posted by jo-mel
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north american lobster has been closed now for about 6 months, thank god. it was terrible. there is a sign in the window announcing the coming soon of city marketplace and i wondered if anyone knew what that was.
Too bad. I use to go out of my way to go there or even better, its sister store out on Rt.46. I'm talking about the market, itself.
People would be backed up, waiting, but the lines always moved as there was lots of help. Anything you wanted -- they had! Anf fresh? Couldn't beat it! They also had all kinds of salads and soups.
I was up set when the quality turned. Change of ownership? I never knew what happened.
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Dark meat lover here, too!
But, on South Beach diet, I mostly use chicken breast fillets -- the thin ones. I do them with a marinade that keeps the chicken moist, and they are cooked in just a couple of minutes -- then glazed with something.
To a package of the fillets, I add a Tbsp. cornstarch, a Tbsp Egg beaters/or regular egg and a Tbsp. sherry. Mix all ttogether with the chicken and let sit about 20 minutes --- or longer in the refrig. Sometimes, when I don't have the time, I cook them right away, but sitting in the marinade a little while does help.
Then into a hot Pammed pan. When the top side shows the sides getting white, I Pam them and flip for another minute. Then in the same pan I add some orange marmalade (sugar free for me), and some balsamic vinegar and cool till it is bubbly.
The chicken always comes out moist and has a nice texture to it. I do it with thin boneless pork also.
Apricot or cherry jam is good, too (I use sugar free). So is marmalade, mustard and soy sauce.
No matter the glaze, the chicken is not dry as I don't overcook, and the cornstarch acts as a coating, sealing in the juices.
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can someone tell me more about this red vinegar..
I have used the black vinegar before but have never heard of red, can you tell me it's Chinese name with characters if possible.
Here is one brand - Koon Chun, but there are other brands. I think my favorite is Pearl River. But in this picture, you can see the characters.
http://chinesefood.about.com/gi/dynamic/of...%2Dgourmet.com/
In this one, go halfway down the page for a picture and a description.
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Just some background on the good general, and a couple of claims for it's origin in this country.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A59302-2002Apr16
Delfs' "The Good Food of Szechuan" has this dish with the characters 左宗棠雞, but because the general was unpopular in the PRC, it was called La Jiao Zi Ji.-辣 椒子雞. His recipe also uses chicken breast and does not deep fry it in a batter. also, no sugar.
I like the idea of velveting the chicken, but I would use dark meat. I just like it better.
What is the major difference between La Zi Ji and Gong Bao Ji? I know the latter usually is served with peanuts, but I read somewhere that this wasn't original. Is it because the Gong bao is diced and uses more peppers?
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Jo-mel
I can't see ya cai pictured there - I think the picture is of pickled mustard greens (known in Sichuan as suan cai, Hunan as pao cai), which are preserved in brine. Sichuan ya cai is a dry preserve - the leaves are rubbed with salt and spices. So they are moist but not actually wet, and they look much darker than pickled mustard greens. Confusingly, the Hunanese call this type of preserve suan cai!
Fuchsia
Got it!
Something like the texture of Tianjin preserved vegetable or Red-in-Snow.
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I went to the local Asian store yesterday in search of ingredients to make more of these wonderful dishes but was unsuccessful in finding the Sichuan preserved vegetables. Can you tell me if they are frozen or dried?
They are never frozen. Some packages are sold refrigerated and some just dried.
If the staff speak and read Chinese, show this to them. They will most likely recognize it:
榨菜
(Sichuan preserved vegetable)
Many thanks. I will let you know if this works but probably won't be able to get back there for a couple of weeks.
The Sichuan vegetable can come in cans, too. Try this link and scroll down to rows 6&7. Look for 'White Rabbit' brand. Even tho it is in a can, it doesn't seem any different than the ones I get in those big jars on the floor in Chinese groceries.
http://www.goldencountry.com/china.aspx
Here is a good picture of the Tianjin Preserved Vegetable that Fuchsia mentioned. It comes in these earthenware jars.
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The Sichuanese preserved vegetable used in this dish is not usually zha cai (榨菜), but another one called ya cai 芽菜. Ya cai is preserved mustard greens rather than preserved mustard tuber (zha cai), so it looks very dark and crinkly. In Sichuan you can buy it in small sachets. I can't find it in London, but Tianjin preserved vegetable (天津冬菜) is a fairly good substitute. You usually need to rinse it first to get rid of excess saltiness, and then squeeze it dry before frying. But look out for real Sichuanese ya cai - it's delicious!
Fuchsia
Fuchsia -- Do you mean THIS pickled mustard green?: (Scroll down)
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Xiao hzrt --- This green bean dish is one that never fails to please. The first recipe I had did not ask for deep frying, so the texture was not the same, but the flavor was great.
After that, I always did it the traditional way -- deep-frying.
I've never tried the shallow pan frying as you did in this recipe, but one time when I was making it for someone who had to keep his fat intake to almost zero, I boiled the beans, then broiled them, right under the flame with a spray of Pam, and got the blistered look. They weren't bad.
Today I was having green beans for dinner (Western style) and I decided to boil them, then let the pan dry out. I sprayed the beans with Pam and let them brown with a little turning.
TaDa! They looked blistered and since I'm on South Beach Diet, it means that I can do the Dry-fry bean dish and not feel guilty!
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Xiao Leung -- Is that Madras a deep-flavored curry? Aeons ago I used to get one from a small store, and I absolutely loved it's flavor. So much depth, not too hot, but strongly curry. Then the store went out of business, and I was never able to fing that jar again. I never really looked at the brand, but it was a more orange color than the one you show.
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Don't think the ribs are like that.. but oh god i want those ribs now.
And you can buy the rice powder in powder form, but I haven't a clue whether this is the best way to make the fenzhenrou. But someone here knows, for sure. I've always been told that it is super easy though..
I've soaked sticky rice, then drained it and toasted it till golden and dry. Then it is made into a coarse powder in a blender or food processor and mixed with 5-spice powder. Takes time, but not labor-intensive.
I have also used the packaged prepared and seasoned rice crumbs. I usually look for the coarser crumbs as compared to fine crumbs. Not bad.
I've read that you can use Cream of Rice cereal in a pinch. Toast it and add the seasons. I haven't tried this one, tho.
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About the Fen Zheng Rou --- Why isn't this wonderful dish seen more on Chinese menus, in the West. So simple, so tasty!
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Get some Wuxi Spareribs when you're in Suzhou or Shanghai. I had some in Wuxi, but Suzhou is not far downriver/down the road from there. My caveat is that I've been to Suzhou only once, in 1987, so I couldn't recommend any particular place for you. I do recall that the city is known for its sweets. In those days, there was a particular pedestrian street that was full of sweet shops. I spent most of a morning walking the street and stopping in one shop after another. The sweets I had were a little strange (I found the spices they used a little unusual tasting), but certainly not bad to try once.
YES! on the WuXi ribs! (無錫 排 骨) So succulent! I had some once from a train platform. Mostly knuckle bone, but the flavor on those little hidden pieces of meat were unforgettable. whenever I see them on a menu I HAVE to have them!
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I've never been able to find chick peas in China!
None of my books, on the origins of Chinese food, have chick peas listed, other than mentioning that they are from the Near East and Southeastern Europe. (5-6000 BC.) But one ingredient book says that they can be found cooked till soft, then jarred in a sugar syrup.
With the big changes, from eclectic incursions, it probably won't be long before it is seen in dishes.
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I wonder why 'chick pea' isn't 小 雞 豆??
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i was wondering if you guys know what chick pea is in chinese cantonese or mandarin? thanks.
??鷹嘴豆?? ---- Ying 1 Zui 3 Dou 4 (Mandarin) -- meaning hawk/eagle mouth bean.
I also found this, under garbanzo bean: 埃及 豆 Ai 1 ji 2 dou 4 meaning Egypt bean.
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The book I have on Chinese vegetables identifies it as "bottle gourd," woo lo gwa in Cantonese. Its use was legendary in ancient China as a receptacle to transport water or herbs, but it's rarely seen on contemporary tables.
The book describes it as fine-grained and mild when picked young; older gourds become tough.
Cook like any summer squash. Chinese uses include soups and stir-fries. You can also cut off the top, remove the seeds, and fill the gourd with soup or stuffing before cooking (recipe does not supply quantities -- treat like "winter melon pond" soup).
Suzy -- It does seem as if we have the same vegetable book. (Dahlen/Phillips)
Good book! Even tho the pictures are in watercolor, they are well depicted, and the information with each vegetable is great.
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潺菜 Chan cai / san choi
My vegetable book calls it 'mucilaginous' rather than slippery. "The taste is mild and innofensive, but the feeling of it in ones mouth is not universally popular." It is also supposed to be a mild laxative. And it says it is used almost exclusively in soups. ~~~~ oil/ginger/chicken stock/san choi/bean curd/salt/pepper ---- or a salted duck egg instead of salt.
Here is a bit more on it: (Scroll down to Malabar Spinach)
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We were visiting friends in North Jersey. Well versed in food, they knew exactly where White Manna was when I demanded we go there. Sonnova bleep, the place is closed until July 11. Like I said, they knew the grub in the area and Rutt's Hut was one heck of a consolation prize. We got the ripper. I also had as good of a cheap fried fish sammich as I've ever had--the fried oyster. They should try to make po-boys out of their fish sandwiches.
Also the onion rings were some of the best I've ever had.
They have fried oyster sandwiches?
I've been to Rutt's Hutt only once, and I honestly couldn't see what was so special about the hot dogs. (OK -- you can run me outta here!)
But if they have fried oysters, then I want to go back!!
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So much goodness in your soup Xiao Hzrt!
Mine usually is very simple with just ham, black mushrooms, chestnuts and a littleTian Tsin preserved vegetable.
But there was a time that I experimented with a whole Winter Melon Pond: The picture with the recipe showed this beautifully carved BRIGHT EMERALD whole melon with the soup in it. I followed the directions and ended up with a PEA SOUP GREEN melon. I never thought that artistic license would be taken with the picture of the completed dish. with the soup placed in a melon that had been steamed just long enough to make the skin brillant green. But I learned!
In the first ones, my primative carvings on the skin looked pretty bad as the long steaming made the whole thing pretty mushy. The worst part was keeping the thing intact as I tried to raise it out of the pot using a cloth harness.
Those were the days! Now, if I have a soup class, I stick to something simple.
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Shades of maraschino cheeries and pineapple-heavy Sweet & Sour Pork!
I tried to get that video, Jason, but it wouldn't come thru.
There used to be a Jade Fountain in North Arlington and it was like going into another world. The Chan's Dragon drink menu looks just as I remember Jade Fountain along with the knife/fork/spoons and the zodiac place mat.
Aeons ago (really do mean aeons) the fried rice in a can was as close to that brown stuff in restaurants of yore, and I loved it. But, now it is YangChow FR or no FR at all. (purist that I am)
But if I took DH there, he would love it! Chop suey on the menu??
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Just checking thru a couple of 'mainland' China cookbooks, I see the use of regular onions in beef or pig intestine recipes.
I always link onions with traditional northern cooking, along with garlic and leeks.
But isn't there some sort of Buddhist taboo on onions? Making them less popular as a vegetable?
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Too hot to do this dish tonight! But when I do, I think I will use scored bone-in or out thighs. I DO like dark meat for long-braised dishes.
But the sauce is what I think I will especially like! As Jason said -- lots of rice is needed!
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Ahhh -- now I know what to do with the excess of scallions I have at the moment. Thanks!
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???Thin-sliced and dried portobellos???
Pictorial: General Tso's Chicken
in China: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Velveting is a cooking technique where shredded, diced. or sliced meat or poultry is marinated in a base usually of cornstarch/egg/sherry/oil. The marinated meat is then stirred into an amount oil that has been heated from about 250' to no higher than 350'. The meat pieces are stirred carefully around to coat all surfaces with the oil , for about 30 seconds. The meat is then drained. It is not fully cooked, but when it is returned to the dish and reheated in the sauce, the cooking is completed.
The idea is that the juices are retained and the meat is tender and has a wonderful texture. You can't get the same result in regular stir/frying.