jo-mel

Does China Chalet have a liquor license?

Oh -- all those fried shao mai-ers are just catching up to me!!!!!!

Hey! I was raised on La Choy AND Chung King, but I grew out of it and now know Chinese food from Chinese food! LOL! The selections I've had at C46 have never disappointed me. My only problem is being there with just DH and myself and having to limit how many dishes we order. Their food is authentic and varied (on the Chinese side of the menu) and have me craving Shanghainese more and more. As far as comparing restaurants, that is a tricky thing to do unless you are comparing similar dishes --- like your meatloaf or my meatloaf. All restaurants appeal to us in different ways. Jason -- that House Special Saute is pork, beancurd and flowering chives. I don't recall peppers being a big part of the dish.

I did my own little innovation with shao mai one time --- just for the fun of it. I had extra frozen ones that I was going to serve, but since I already had a steamed dish, I decided to treat them as a pot sticker. They were good! Since the filling was much different from my usual potsticker, the taste was interesting ---- and even different from the traditional steamed version.

Kent -- would you mind explaining the actual cooking routine? Having just a two-burner stove, a microwave and a rice cooker is a little scary. I've cooked meals in a boat galley -- but not for 15!

Just give me a couple of plates of fried taro and I'll be happy! Inovated dim sum can be fun, but I'm one for traditional, too. Since I don't have it that often, I'm happy with whatever is served, usually. Are shrimp patties deep-fried with a shredded taro coating considered traditional or new-wave? There really is something to be said for the large bustling places with mixed groups at tables and the carts going by. The restaurants that have dim sum menus just don't do it for me, even if the quality is good. Vancouver-----------someday! {{{{{{{sigh}}}}}}} I have to confess that I was with a group of people this past week-end, in Newport, CT, and they wanted lunch at a Chinese buffet type of place. It was awful. The shao mai had a spicy filling that surprised me, as it tasted nice, but the rest was as expected. I plan to make up for it this coming week-end when I erase the memory with a visit to one of NJ's great restaurants!

I agree with muichoi, less corn starch, more oil, and quick on the spatula to stir the beef/meat around. I think the best is to sear the meat with quick intense heat instead of using a medium heat. I like to have a bit of caramelized surface instead of a watery one. ← That's how I usually do beef slices or shreds. Hot wok / hot oil / and press the slices onto the hot surface of the pan to get a sizzle. Turn like a pancake and sizzle/press the other side. I keep them on the rarish side. Mmmmm! I can smell the aroma of the caramelization (such a word?) as I type!

Another great tasting green. I think this dish will be this week's Chinese dinner! But I think I'd better get another jar of Shrimp paste. The one I have is aged and not much used, so might have lost something!

You did it! And like a pro! Imagine -- Italian pasta and chopsticks! The twain has met! I was surprised at the yellow cherry tomatoes. What would the Chinese use them for? (eating, of course, but how -- what kind of dishes?)

Sorry to hear that jo-mel. Hope you can have some Lu food during your trip. I am not quite sure, I think that in Internet Explorer, you can go: View --> Encoding --> Chinese Simplified (GB2312) If this is the first time you use it, it will prompt you to load the font or it loads it automatically, something like that. Can't remember. Perhaps CFT can help. Excuse us, Audience. We are having some technical difficulties, please stand by. ← Thanks!! Whew! At first, the view > encoding etc, didn't work. It asked me for a disc, and I used what I thought it asked for, but it was rejected -----BUT -- then all of a sudden I was able to get characters on this page. So something was working. I still can't get them for e-mailing, tho. I will be getting a return call from the Geek Squad to help me out. And I understand that I might be able to retrieve my bookmarks from the old hard drive. What a difference it makes seeing the real characters alongside food descriptions, instead of those blank boxes! Thanks for being patient. I'm back in business now!

10- 滷 Lu The "Lu" method is very common in everyday cooking. It is using the "master sauce" (Lo Shui) to braise the poultry or meat for hours. 滷水鵝掌, Braised goose feet Click through the Google image search page to view the picture: (Sample 1: 滷水鵝掌, Braised goose feet ) 滷豆乾, 滷鴨舌, 滷鴨翅, Assorted braised varieties: pressed tofu, duck tongues, duck wings (Sample 2: 滷豆乾, 滷鴨舌, 滷鴨翅, Assorted braised varieties: pressed tofu, duck tongues, duck wings) 卤牛肉, Braised beef Click through the Google image search page to view the picture: (Sample 3: 卤牛肉, Braised beef) 潮汕卤鹅, Braised Goose, a Chiu Chow specialty Click through the Google image search page to view the picture: (Sample 4: 潮汕卤鹅Braised Goose, a Chiu Chow specialty) ← #10 - 滷- Lu / Lou "Lu" is a process of cooking food (usually meat, liver, kidney, other variety meats, poultry, and sometimes fish), in a strong, aromatic, soy-herbal stock. The stock is initially prepared by simmering meat in broth with quantities of rock sugar, soy sauce, sherry, dried tangerine peel, ginger, garlic, and five spice powder (a mixture of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, anise, and star anise). The first stock produced is called the 'original stock' and as more meats and food are simmered in it the stock assumes the name of 'master stock'. The master stock is used again and again, and every three or four times it is used more fresh herbs have to be added and boiled in it. The herbal strength of the stock, as well as the strength of the other ingredients, can be varied according to taste or requirement. The master stock is further enriched each time fresh materials are cooked in it; it is not only enriched but renewed. So long as the stock is used with some frequency, and its herbs strengthened and renewed, it can be used more or less forever. Some master stocks can be ranked as living antiques!

This reminds me of a saying that I'm probably going to misquote:"Sik joi Guangzhou, ju joi Hangzhou, sei joi Lauzhou" Eat in Guangzhou (no explanation needed! ) Live in Hangzhou (supposedly the best scenery in China) Die in Lauzhou (Liuzhou, because the best coffins come from there) ← Don't forget "Born in Suzhou" -- because of all the beautiful women!

hzrt -- I was having computer problems, and the hard drive had to be replaced. So all my little handy things, like getting Chinese characters on a page, were wiped out. I have to figure how to get them pack on the pages, but it will have to wait a couple of days, as I will be away until sunday night, and I don't think I'll have a computer hook-up for my laptop. Sooooooo, I'll get to "LU" when I get back. All my bookmarked links went with the hard drive, too. And that is where I had my Chinese language links. Do you know how I get the Chinese back? Do I go to internet options? AAARRRGGGHHHH!

I have a couple of knives, made in China, but they are the lesser cleaver type -- 1 1/2 inches across. I use those on light things. One has the characters:三 桁 瓦 san hung wa. It's OK Another of the same size, also made in China has characters for Guangzhou shuang shi wei ji (广州 双 狮 为 记 but in traditional characters) Also OK. They both sharpen nicely, being carbon steel, but they are best for light weight work. Another is Hong Kong made and is a regular sized cleaver. Brand name - "Atlas". Sharpens well, but the stud on the handle is exposed and the wooden handle has split over the years. My favorite is a regular sized American made Dexter that is carbon steel with a stainless coating. The handle has the stud enclosed and altho it is not exactly a bone cleaver, it can do the job. I like its weight --- heavy, but not hack-heavy. I have other cleavers, but there are no names on them. Sara -- That is a great way to get a knife! How lucky you are!!!

I checked out Fuchsia Dunlops list. She gives credit to the 1998 Sichuan culinary encyclopedia published by the Chongqing Publishing House. Of the 40 terms in Kenneth Lo's book, 17 are repeated in the Land of Plenty list. Some of the terms in Land of Plenty are not in Lo's book. Some of the terms in the Sichuan culinary ency. list will break up a term such as "Chao" (a general term for stir/frying) into raw frying; cooked frying; small frying; and soft frying. The same with deep frying and 'shao' cooking. (I compared the actual Chinese character, rather than the definitions to get those numbers.) I wonder if I need permission to put it into print here? The terms are clearly and concisely explained. It is a good list.

LOLOLOL! That is what jumped in my mind, too! Poor project! He really is so earnest and just wants to learn. He has tough skin, too!

I have not read her book yet. Do you have a copy? (Knowing that you have all kinds of Chinese cookbooks...) I am wondering about her list of the 56 cooking methods... I thought Kenneth Lo's 40 words/methods of Chinese cooking is already a lot! What are the additional 16 that we haven't learned about? ← I'll cross check tthe list. I do see 'pao' for pickling in brine, and 'dong' for jellying or freezing. My main computer needs the Geek Squad and they won't be here until Thursday. This computer doesn't have my trusty Chinese dictionary. I'll see if I can download it later. Otherwise, I'll just list the pinyin when I finish cross checking.

All those flavorings are fine, but it really all comes down to having those seasonings only enhancing the real flavor ---- which is pork. I always wondered if the term shao/siu mai was given because the dumplings, you think of with that name, were so good that as soon as they were cooked --- they were sold.

If there should be any sand left in the dried mushroom soaking liquid, it will settle to the bottom of the bowl, and the clear liquid can be easily poured off.

I like soups in big mugs or deep bowls. Easier than a shallow bowl with a flat bottom. Chopsticks for most stove work that requites mixing, and if you can maneuver 3 chopsticks in one hand, you'll find that beating eggs is a breeze. (not whipping -- just beating) Eating Chinese food with chopsticks, of course, but it is always from a bowl held in my hands. (I'm not Chinese, but it really is the best way) Asparagus with fingers, if they are spears and not overdone. But at home, only. Anything with bones -- I cut the meat off, like a lady, then I pick up the bone, like a gourmand.

That's a fasinating story, jo-mel. Tell us more when you have time. I wish I could do the same on other cultures. I found it particularly hard to learn from just reading cookbooks. Most of the cookbooks don't provide pictures. I cannot tell what the finished dish is supposed to look like, let alone what it tastes like. Did you see dried shrimp or dried ham in the Creamed Napa Cabbage? That's the common way of cooking napa cabbage, but it is typically not found in American-Chinese restaurants. ← When I've had it in restaurants, it had ham, but those times were either specially ordered, or in special settings -- not on menus. The recipes without the ham seem geared to vegetarian foods. I don't think I've ever seen a recipe with dried shrimp. Usually it is with ham, and since the original dish probably used Jinhua ham, I use a Virginia or Smithville ham when I make it. But, I have been known to use plain boiled ham in a pinch. Since I always have dried shrimp on hand, I will try it. In my classes, I use both to show the difference in intensity of the hams. Some people don't want to bother looking for a good ham just for a cabbage dish. -"----- as if you could call that 'just a cabbage dish'!!!!

So... what exactly triggered that? Was it the time you read the character 三 on a Chinese menu in a restaurant? What helped you to distinguish the American Chinese dishes from the Chinese Chinese dishes? Was it those trips you started making in China? How can one tell the difference if haven't been to that part of the world? There aren't too many TV programs on real Chinese food. ← Xiao Leung, -- I bow in awe at your memory! I really can't pinpoint the exact beginning. Was it the red mandarin pajamas my Mother made ---- or the fact that I always wanted long braids like the pictures, in books, of little Chinese girls? As a new nurse in NYC, a former patient invited a couple of us to his restaurant in NYC's Chinatown - on Doyer St. (?1954?) No menu, just Chinese characters on the wall, but the owner chose for us. I wish I could remember what it was, but it was not chop suey -- and I was intrigued. Then a Chinese friend of my DH, who knew I was interested, invited me to a banquet in a restaurant uptown NYC. Up the stairs, round tables, all Chinese, and not a fork in sight and a banquet that opened my eyes. Everyone loved the Peking Duck, of course, but it was the other dishes that fascinated me. One was Chinese Cabbage in Cream Sauce. Such a subtle taste -- so elegant, so 'unChinese', but I was completely hooked. So I bought my first cookbook and started on my self-teaching course. My cookbooks became my teachers and my family my testees. Lots of mistakes, but what a fun time learning, and practicing, and my visits to Chinese stores! I was absolutely caught! The "三" led me to the language, and the trips to China -- and the culture / music / poetry / history. I was totally caught! The trips to China just confirmed what I was learning from all those great books ----the differences between the Westernized dishes and traditional regional cooking --- and the range of cooking beyond stir/fries. And all started by a simple dish of Creamed Napa Cabbage!!

Ben - That is funny! I'd like to know, tho ------after being exposed to all that stuff in my early years, HOW did I get beyond it to where I am today?

Xiao hzrt -- You just described my dear better-half!!!!!!! LOLOL! ---except, you didn't mention the fork!

Picture #2 looks great --- It is what I remember in my kiddie days when Chinese American was all over. I can smell the aroma just looking at your picture! AAMOF, I guess I connect bean sprouts with that food. I rarely use bean sprouts, when I cook, ---- except with beef chow fun.