jo-mel
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Posts posted by jo-mel
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I agree that if I HAD to have Americanized Chinese food, I would choose Mr. Chu or Harry/David. They pay attention to their food.
Actually, C46's menu ---(not the 'authentic' one ---- probably has good American/Chinese food. But, I've never really looked at that part of the menu!
About C46's decor. I can see why people might pass it by while driving by, but I find the atmosphere inside very welcoming. Homey, warm, and inviting. I like the art work, and especialy like the artifacts in the large room on the left. Of course, Cecil and his wife and staff help with the welcoming warmth, but physically I love the interior.
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Curlz --- I should have clarified the 'deep/fried' part. The recipe in the Shanghai book asks for a 1 1/3 pound piece of soy and wine marinated pork (layered with skin-fat-meat) deep/fried with the skin and fat only, enveloped in the hot oil. It then goes in iced water for a while, then cut into thick slices, brushed with the marinade, and arranged in a steaming bowl. The preserved mustard green goes on top and that is topped with the crystal sugar. The whole thing is steamed for 3 hours.
The picture in the book shows what appears to be tender, thick pieces of fatty pork with rind over a bed of dark chopped vegetable.
I know what preserved mustard green looks and tastes like. The picture looks more like preserved 'Red in snow", a chopped salted winter cabbage, and called Mei Gan Cai in the book. (mei as in 'plum' -- for those who know the characters, and gan as in 'dry')
Now I'm curious about the dish and will look for it the next time I'm at C46.
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LOL! Sorry...should have made this clear...they ALSO had scallion pancakes out, and I know those (too well). This was more of a bread, about 2-3" tall, and cut in big squares, with sesame seeds on top--hence the comment that it looked like Chinese foccacia!! So I'm still wondering... Cecil? Jason? Anyone?
And I forgot to mention one funny yesterday; I went back up to the buffet and found a brand new dish up there that I couldn't i.d., but it looked like it had slices of bacon laid on top of a pile of carmelized onions. I asked one of the women who works at the front of C46 what it was, and she said "Pork." Then she proceeded to tell me what it was IN CHINESE. All I could do was smile and laugh!!
I was curious about the dish you described. In one of my Wei-Chuan books (on Shanghai cuisine) there is a picture of marinated pork belly slices( fresh bacon) that had been deepfried, then steamed with preserved mustard greens and crystallized sugar. Could that have been it? Did you try the dish?
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How about razing the Pathmark and rebuilding it and keeping it clean?
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Oh those pictures!! It brought back aromas and tastes! Thanks, Jason!
What a wonderful evening we had, and how nice to be with great people who enjoy good Chinese food, good conversation, and ---- were so generous with their potables --- as were others from other tables
I wish I could make a list of what I liked best, but alas, I can't! However the flavor of the fresh bamboo in the noodle dish stands out, as well as that first bite into the Fried Shrimp Ball. How about that Stuffed Chicken with the wonderful, flavorful sticky rice? And I can't forget the welcomed lightness of the vegetable dish or the lightness of the fruit as a last course. Wonderful flavors and textures all around. Each dish could stand on its own.
A great night and a hand to Rachel and Jason. Good job! But I also have to mention Cecil and his staff. They were busy!! But, as usual, always attentive and ready to please. And---- how about those masters in the kitchen? I wish they could have come out and taken a bow! Next time???
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Taboni -- My married name was on that Olde English name listing, when it was listed in the NYT about 45 years ago. Melhuish is an old name too, and the proper pronouncement is supposed to be Mel-hwish.
But back to the food names, QUINOA can be added. I believe pronounced Chee- nwa , or cheen-wa ?
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I get some comments from non-Asian wait staff at Asian restaurants when I ask for chopsticks about how slow chopsticks are, but I find that I am just as quick. I guess if you use them nearly everyday, they indeed become an extension of the hand.
Are they trying to hurry you in and out?
Actually I really don't like Asian restaurants that don't have like staff. It may be one of the reasons I was completely turned off by my first visit to PF Chang. Guess that sounds prejudiced, but I like to think the staff 'knows' the food. That's not fair, I know. I'm not Chinese, yet I know their food very well.
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Shalmanese --- that mashed potato dish threw me for a loop! Is it based on anything traditional?
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I don't think that hygiene had anything to do with the adopting the use of eating utensils, be they chopsticks or knives and forks. It was something more practical, like hot foods from a communal pot or a roasting beast on a spit. The human animal has a unique way of creating rituals, rules, customs and taboos about new "inventions". Over time they may even stylize certain aspects of this new method or implement. Witness the evolution of the early basic pictograms of the Shang Dynasty in China to the ultra refined and beautiful calligraphy of today. Or how the act of slapping a puck with a hockey stick evolved into a game that is defined and regulated by a rule book that is 2 inches thick. The evolution of customs and rituals is part of what defines a community/society.
I had read that sticks, in the forest, were the first 'chopsticks' --- used to pick meat off cooking pieces of meat. Wasn't it also influenced by Confucious who didn't think that knives should be on the table? He was a vegetarian, and knives meant slaughter. Another bit I read was that knives on the table were threatening to visitors.
On one of those wonderful timelines, forks were introduced to European tables in the 1400s, while chopsticks were in use in China in 300 BC.
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At some of the CNY dinner parties I've done, I bought the 'gold' wrapped chocolate coins and put them in Hong Bao packets. They were pretty on the table. I just wish the candy itself tasted better!
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I switched from all 'regular' to a ratio of 1 to 4. Maybe it is psychological, but I still want that first cup in the morning, !immediately!, and even the lower caffeine wakes me up in a few minutes. I sip the stuff all day and feel just fine.
BUT ---- one time, I made a mistake and made it 4 regular to 1 decaf, and after about the 4th cup, I was jumping out of my skin!
Decaf is now so good, that I drink it for the taste -- not for the jolt.
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The first time I made these, I used Rhoda Yee's recipe which calls for steaming the batter on an oiled pie plate. It turned out just fine.
The second time I made the same recipe, it fell apart. I failed!
After that --- I bought the ready made! Easier!
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I also have an array of chopsticks -- wooden, laquer, jade, porcelain, silver, ivory, plastic, inlaid, animal zodiac ones and also a collection of over a hundred chopstick rests that I've collected over the years. For the fun of it, I often set a table with a conglomeration of them all. But for myself I prefer no rest and just wooden chopsticks --- however I like the Chinese wooden ones with the tapered point, rather that the blunt ends. The blunt ones warp more than the others. Some of the wooden ones are a dark brown. Neat.
As far as chopsticks in the kitchen, I have a number of sizes by the stove. I use them constantly. Aeons ago, we were at the home of a friend who had married a Vietnamese girl. She was cooking with chopsticks which wowed me. I tried it and was immediately taken with them. Using 3 at one time is just as good as a whisk for beating eggs or making a gravy.
handy tools!!!
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I solve the problem by carrying chopsticks with me. I have a case that holds two pair of chopsticks and it lives in the bottom of my purse until I need them.
I thought I was the only one who carried chopsticks! I have a pair of plain wooden Chinese chopsticks that I've rarely had to use --- but they are there when I want them. I don't mind the better-grade polished chopsticks from those little packages, but I really don't like the ones that feel like balsa wood. Not because of the splinters, but because of their lightness.
Some Chinese restaurants near me have cutlery plus chop sticks. When no chopsticks --- I simply ask for them -----Plus, when I place an order, I automatically ask for individual bowls of rice. When I do this in Chinese, I really get good attention! And I much prefer to hold my rice bowl in my hand. I've been doing this for so long that it seems awkward to eat off a plate, when rice is the platform for the saucy meats of vegetables.
One restaurant near me has the four seater tables set with cutlery, but the big round ones all have chopsticks. When I asked the waiter why --- he simple said that the large tables always seem to be Chinese. Reasonable answer.
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If you are having a problem in a Chinese store, just ask a housewife who is also shopping.
At Kam Man, when I've had a problem locating something, I find the manager, or someone who seems to be circulating. Always have been helpful. Most of the stock people don't understand you or they aren't Chinese and so can't help you.
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I love the chewy ginger candies with the edible inner wrap. These have a picture of ginger on the wrapper. Great for staying awake when you are driving . . . sweet and hot!
I must look for these! In the regular candy aisle?
I've always likes the red wrapped 'lucky' candy, but mostly for the bright color. The candy itself tastes butterscotch to me, but I don't think it is.
But if I had to choose only one, it would be sesame peanut.
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I love the chewy ginger candies with the edible inner wrap. These have a picture of ginger on the wrapper. Great for staying awake when you are driving . . . sweet and hot!
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I just looked at that picture and grabbed a TUMS!
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1. - Smelt
2. - Fresh water Perch
3. - Walleye
4. - Salmon -- and not just for health reasons
5. - Scrod
(Those last two, must be served with a Black Bean Sauce)
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I have a couple that I usually use.
One is thin diagonal slices of celery. carrots, broccolli stems and snow peas. They are blanched to barely take the raw out and change the color to brilliant green -- then tossed in ice water to retain the color.
Arrange in a pretty pattern on a plate - (spiral) and dress with a soy/vinegar/sherry/sugar/sesame oil dressing. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
The other comes from the Hush/Wong 'Chinese Menu Cookbook' -------Watercress and Waterchestnut Salad.
In this one a couple bunches watercress is trimmed and blanched in boiling water. Rinse in cold iced water, then squeeze the water out and chop. -----Finely chop 12 waterchestnuts -- fresh is best, but canned will do. About an hour before serving, mix the two and dress with 1 Tbsp. rice viinegar, a couple tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. sesame oil. Don't add the dressing too early as the green will turn.
Do pickled vegetables qualify as salad? Lots of recipes for those.
In a dormitory situation in Beijing, they had "Sala" --- peeled fresh tomatoes.
If China goes to chemical fertilizer and away from human fertilizer, is salad next?
How do they wash the lettuce on MacDonald burgers? Import the lettuce, or wash it with cold boiled water?
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I resisted them for years. No new-fangled stuff for me, thank you!!
But I did give in and I use it constantly ---- for all the things mentioned above. What originally hooked me was not having that sticky oatmeal pot to clean. Then came the crispy bacon. Then the baked potato trick. When time is short when baking a meatloaf, for example, I will start it in the MW and finish it in the pre-heated oven.
I like the microwave as I make it work for me -- without actual cooking something.
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I see what you mean by the selections at the Wok Shop. Quite a list!
But, as Ben said, a plain, good quality carbon steel will serve you well. If you can buy two, go with a 14" and a 12". If you can only buy one, I would say the 14"er.
I have woks with just the side handle, but it is easier to use the ones with 'helper' handle --- the long handle that you can grasp.
Also, I use a separate cheap stainless wok just for steaming. You don't have to worry about losing your patina on your seasoned wok.
In that listing, the 'Stainless from China' has some fairly inexpensive ones. 14" for $14.95 isn't bad. I have a couple of sizes of that cheap stainless (or some sort of shiny metal) and I use it constantly -- for steaming, for boiling noodles, for mixing stuff. Very handy!
Do you have access to an Asian market?
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You did it, Itch!! Congratulations!
Having done it, you can now see where the pitfalls are and what might be done to avoid them if you do it again. But sometimes just saying that you did it is enough!!
Now you can make Duck Bone Soup!!
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Frankfurters and canned beans ---- DH's choice!
Plus some homemade lamb/mushroom/barley soup. I have to do some 'nesting' when it snows like this, and soup is usually it!!
The fireplace is lit, I'm warm and dry, homemade soup --- how better can it be?
Chinese condiments
in China: Cooking & Baking
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I'd read that XO sauce was named so, because a bottle of it was as expensive as the brandy. I guess the name worked as the name gets your attention.
Am I the only one who likes to have her egg rolls, dumplings, etc, WITHOUT any condiment dip? I lust like the mixed flavors of the food as it is. (Altho I do like oyster sauce with steak) Even my beloved New England Fried Clams --- one with tarter sauce is enough. I want the rest just plain ----- and NO ketchup on the fries!