jo-mel

A couple more comments ----- I know the dish, in that I enjoyed it at China46 (NJ), where they called it Ruby Pork. I guess the name just reflects the actual cooking method - Red Cooking - (Hong Shao). The recipe which follows is from Shanghai cooking in the Wei Chuan series. The picture with the recipe is similar to the one posted by Tommy ---before being cut. A 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder is is washed, dried, and a couple Tbsp soy sauce is rubbed over it. It is then deep/fried in about 6 cups of oil at 360' , until it is golden. The piece is then steamed for a couple of hours with a couple cups of stock, 1/4 cup soy, some scallions and 3 thick slices of ginger. From there, it goes into a deep pot with 1/2 cup ShaoXing wine, 1/3 cup crystal sugar (rock sugar - amber colored hard pieces of sugar), and 2 Tbsp soy until only5 Tbsp. of the sauce remains. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deh-Ta Hsiung's " The Chinese Kitchen" has a one-step recipe in which a 3 to 4 1/2 pound pork shoulder is cleaned, hairs removed, punctured a few times with a knife, to the bone, (to shorten cooking time) --- then placed, skin side down, in a big pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil, skimming off the scum. Add a Tbsp. sliced ginger, a couple cut scallions, 3 Tbsp. light soy, 1/3 cup dark soy, 4 Tbsp. rice wine and a couple ounces of crushed rock sugar. Simmer this covered for about 1/2 hour, then turn the pork over so the skin side is up. Cook a couple more hours, covered. The liquid should have reduced by 3/4. Raise the heat, and cook for another 5 minutes without the cover, so as to reduce and thicken the liquid further. (This same recipe can be found in his "Chinese Regional Cooking") -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yan Kit Martin has a similar recipe as the last one. She has a tip to prevent the skin from sticking to the bottom of the pot ------place a small lattice bamboo mat (if you have one) in the bottom of the pot. I wonder what could substitiute? Several short chopsticks? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One last one from Calvin Lee's "The Gourmet Chinese Regional Cookbook". This one has a couple of flavorings you often find in 'red cooking' --- cinnamon and star anise. Did you detect those flavors in the pork you had? A small pork butt - 1 1/2 pounds. Put it in a pot with a couple Tbsp. dark soy, 3 of light soy, a cup of chicken broth/stock, 3 quarter-sized slices of ginger, a couple of cut scallions, 1 1/2 tsp. light brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. gin, a piece of cinnamon stick about 1 1/2 inches long and a star anise. (that is 8 sections --- one whole one has 8 cloves) Bring the whole thing to a boil, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, turning the pork every 15 minutes. The directions then say to cool and slice. Nothing about reducing the liquid, but if I were doing this recipe, I would use the thickened sauce to serve with the warm pork. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you can see, there is no one recipe for Red Cooked Pork --- Each chef has his own variation on the theme.

I can't find anything, labeled Ruby Pork, in the books I looked in. I have found Shanghai red-cooked pork using pork butt and simmered for 1 1/2 hours, another from A Shanghai cookbook, where a pork shoulder is first deep/fried, then steames, then simmered in a 'crystal sugar' sauce. Other books have similar recipes. However, I did a 'google' and came up with several Red-Cooked Pork recipes. The first one in this link looks good to me. It has more flavorings than the others, which are straight red-cooking: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=...G=Google+Search The word 'Ruby" may just be the chef's own term for his 'red-cooked' dish. Hope you find something.

Sounds like great selections!! You are so right about Cecil! I had been there once, with Jason and Rachel, and when I went again, with a friend, he came right up and started speaking like an old friend. He remembered that I can stammer in Chinese, and so he started a simple conversation -- which pleased me to no end!! I was there again, a week or so ago, (my 4th visit) and when we first sat down -- the usual sweet sauce with noodles appeared on the table ---- until a waiter recognized me, and out came the chopsticks and spicy cold cabbage appetizer!! About the dumplings -- try JOW-dzi. (2 syllables) There's a little 'I' after the 'J', but it is not really strongly ennunciated. Or have I just confused you?

Wesza - "I'd like to recommend for your Cooking class several standard Shanganise items that are fun, interesting and unique to the region." Those are things I would like, but most people who take these classes don't want to delve deeply into what is beyond the usual Chinese menu. They want basics. Even some of the Chinese people I have in the classes want the basics!! When I've done Eastern Regional Chinese food, in the past, I've had Yang Chao Fried Rice, (some wanted it soy darkened!) and have used rice wine sediment paste, have made Shanghai Duck, Hong Shaos and so on. Mostly I use any regional cooking to illustrate a form of cooking, or introduce a special flavoring. (for instance steaming and deep/frying for the Shanghai Duck, and using the sediment paste.) Some of those who take my classes want to really get into new things, some want the tried and true, some want to only work with what they can find in their supermarket, and some want a night out. ((((((sigh)))))) The classes are good for learning techniques. My most popular are basic stir/frying, and dim sum - where all is hands-on. I use regional foods to give variety and to make it interesting for me! The classes next month will include WuXi Ribs, XingCai in Cream Sauce, the Lion's Head and something else that I have not decided on. Since we have 2 great Shanghai Restaurants here in Northern NJ, I thought the slant on Shanghai might get them to try these places. Maybe some banal tastes might be stimulated. I've found that those who have visited China are more willing to try something not usually found here. There is great satisfaction in seeing someone appreciating a dish for its content and not just something to put on top of rice. Ham/vegetables/egg/potato salad??? In a roll from the oven?? Interesting!

Maybe it's not quite the same thing, but there is a 'pizza' place near me with great pizza selections and even better cheese calzones. The bread on those calzones are starch-junkie heaven. Yeasty, soft inside and a nice lightly crusted exterior. Pure anti-Atkin fare. BUT, they ALWAYS want to pour a tomato sauce on top!! To keep this post in the Chinese mode ----- Those calzones look like a huge dumpling!! LOL!

After his doctors get him out of the present pickle, he should try eating a bowl of old-fashioned oatmeal for breakfast (not instant or 1-minute), an apple during the afternoon and some metamucil once a day. That only requires one glass of water. Constant constipation medication isn't good --- only makes the problem worse.

Hot deep-fried rice crusts are dropped into hot soup --- for the sizzling effect.

<<<<<~~~~~and germany (featuring sausage, sausage, sausage, sausage, eggs, bacon, sausage and sausage)--~~~~~>>>>> Mongo ---If there was crusty, soft/chewy rye bread also, then we may have been at the same place!!!!! HeeHee!

I love buffets! Usually I skip the side things, like salads and breads(unless it is a salad buffet) and go directly to the entrees -- sometimes even skipping the desserts -- sometimes. The Windmill, south of Denver had the most wonderful complete buffet I've ever seen. Long closed. Just as well. It showed me what a pig I can be when unleashed. The one time I made bread the highlight of a buffet was in Germany where the breakfast selections of sausages and breads were to die for. I can still smell and taste those breads! Other breakfast buffets, of which I have wonderful memories, were in good hotels either in China/Japan or HK, where European and American foods shared space with Chinese foods. The selections were extensive. It made me realize that I could be a 'breakfast person' if the right things were there! May I tell a story of a buffet incident between my Dinty Moore, ChefBoyArdee, loving DH and me? In NYC's Fulton St. Seaport marketplace, they had a wonderful international buffet (not the one they have now) and we went there for brunch. We found a table, then went our own ways down the buffet lines. I came back to the table and my husband asked me what in the world I had. I pointed out sushi, sashimi, empanadas, stuffed grape leaves, shao mai and so on. I looked at his plate ----- he had waffles and bacon!!!! AARRGGGHHHH! I've done buffets for groups, but they were simply different things to put on rice. No real plan, except to balance the flavors and textures. One salad (no selections) no breads, one dessert. Not a true buffet.

<<<<<Always after you've made your mixture before forming into the Balls allow it enough time to set in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Once it been set and completely chilled then take out only as much as you intend to cook, form into balls and cook immediately. You're always better off if the Balls are still quite cold when starting the cooking process. They shouldn't be standing around before cooking, thats why you make them in batches.>>>>> Wesza -- That seems to make sense, in the matter of having a chilled mix, which will handle better when making the balls. Chilling the mix makes it firmer -- and it sounds as tho the Lion's Head mixture is a little looser than other ground mixes. Are there other reasons for this -- other than making forming the balls easier? To be honest -- When I've made them before, and have done them in my cooking classes, I never tried to attain that special texture. I just used the recipe as an example of say-----a clay pot dish, or to illustrate Hong Shao/Red Cooking, or regional cooking. I have a class coming up with Shanghai cooking as a highlight. I want to use Lion's Head Meatballs as an example of that region, and so I want them to be just right. I really appreciate your input and the hints from others.

I know pine nuts come from all over the world, but in China, I see that they were found in the 4000-5000BC levels of the Yangshao excavations. (Simoons) What I would like to know is who shells these little puppies! I've seen the pine cones with the little seeds nestled inside, and those shells are HARD! I love their texture -- either fried or unfried.

The take-out, on So. Livingston Ave, is across and diagonally down (or up) the street from the high school, isn't it? It's a bit fat for me from GR, but I do remember a memorable Beef Chow Fun from there --- that I had years ago, when my husband's office was close by. When I think of that dish, I think of that little take-out.

I've noticed that 'pink' color when it is obvious that the meatballa are totally cooked. I wonder what the parsley is reacting to? I think, when I do my testing, I'm going to include the 'parsley' factor. About the pine nuts -----They sure ARE cheaper in Asian stores! I use them with Squirrel Fish, too, and also with Lettuce Wraps. (Squirrel Fish is my favorite dish for dramatic fish presentation. It tastes good too! I keep them in my freezer and they seem fine, even after a long while. Could rancidity occur under freezing conditions?

Two here --- I was making a lobster dish for friends, including my husband-to-be. It called for cream to be added at the end of the dish. The directions said not to boil. I boiled----- and the final dish was a coagulated mess. It tasted good -- or so my gin-soaked friends said! I reached for nutmeg instead of curry powder for another disaster!

I haven't seen any comments, on these pages, about China Gourmet, on Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange. (West of Pal's and across from Mayfair Farms) (Or have I missed them?) Any thoughts? I've been going there, off and on, for several years, and usually choose from their Chinese menu, but their regular menu has some good choices along with the usual ones. I guess you would call it mostly a HK place. They were among the first in the area to have Black Pepper dishes, and to this day I can't help but order their Sizzling Skewered Oysters with Black Pepper Sauce. The sauce, which is loaded with onions, is wonderful. The Chinese menu (written in English and Chinese characters) has listings of 'sizzling' dishes, clay pot dishes and many Cantonese favorites. When I was there with DH on Friday, we had my favorite Oyster dish, Chicken and Peaches with Black Bean Sauce, and Lamb with Scallions. In the past I have had a wonderful Eggplant Casserole and Garouper with Bean Curd Skin Casserole. After Ocean King in Livingston closed, China Gourmet was the only exciting place in my immediate area. There's usually a big table of Chinese diners, and maybe 1//3 to 1/2 of the clientel is Chinese. Anyone else been there?

I'll see your two hours and raise you one.... Three Hour Shizitou Recipe Actually, the 2 hours were for Pearl Balls, ------but 3 hours for Shizi Tou??!!! Wow! That really would give a melding of flavors! Most of the recipes call for Napa Cabbage, but some of the pictures have a greener leaf, and a white stalk. Hunan Cottage used squares of Napa, while C46 used whole/half leaf and stalk of what appeared to be Bok Choy (Xiao Bai Cai). I'm not sure if they had the light green of Shanghai Bok Choy, but it might have been --- seeing it is a Shanghai Restaurant.

I see the 'same direction' in many books, but few give reasons for doing so. I guess they do as they were taught and just pass it on. I've made Pearl Balls many times and have always liked them. Then, a couple of years ago, I picked some up in a Kam Man Supermarket- at one of those 'prepared food counters'. I almost flipped at how good they were! The same texture as good Lion's Heads. I've never had them like that. Barbara Tropp's "Modern Art-----" has a recipe for them that sounds like the mix is quite loose -- and she steams them for up to 2 hours!!!! I usually do the usual 30 minutes. maybe she (bless her) was onto something. I've never used her recipe, but next time-----maybe.

That's interesting about the tofu. The last Lion's Head I had - yesterday - it appeared that the balls were roughly formed -- not packed firmly in a round ball. I take it, because of their appearance, that the mixture was rather loose. I do use clay pots for all my 'stew' dishes. I love those pots and have several sizes - even a teeny weeny one about 3' across and 1'+ high. (Just a conversation piece.) The sandy pots make a nice presentation -- aside from just being plain practical. I usually use napa cabbage. I see many recipes and pictures with young bok choy. I guess the green makes the picture prettier!

That might be te secret. The Chinese butcher I go to has different grades and leanness of pork. I might try the one with the biggest % of fat. I will be using this recipe in a cooking class, and the thing I have to keep in mind is that everyone will not want to buy pork belly and grind/chop it. The last time I made them in a class, everyone loved them ----- but ME! So I'm doing this research both for my own self, but also for others who don''t want to fuss. If the fatter pork mix does it, then that will be good for them --- but I want the ones that have that nice airy, light texture, and if it takes pork belly, then I use pork belly. The last time I used pork belly, everyone went EEUUUUUU when they saw it, but when it was put into Double Fried Pork, they had a new respect! LOL!

jo-mel, The Lion's Head meatballs, are they made from beef or pork? One recipe I have in my Immigrant cookbook uses pork only. I have never made them. I DO make steamed beef balls like those served at dim sum, and they ARE spongy. I do beat the mixture, in my Kitchen Aid with paddles. When you said "fibres from frizzing"...do you mean "thread-like" texture? I was always taught that when the mixture has "threads" that will make the meat spongy. In the beef balls, I think the cornstarch and waterchestnut flour helps with the spongy texture. I can't remember whether I ever posted the recipe. If you want it, let me know and i will post same. They are made from pork. Wrong choice of words with 'frizzy'. What I meant was keeping the fibers going the same way. I have a little card with 2 notes on it about stirring in the same direction. (Don't know where I picked up these tips) One says: 1. Evenness of texture 2. Eliminates air spaces. 3 ?Superstition? The other: "Stirring shrimp paste in 1 direction creates even texture and eliminates air spaces. Result is homogenous elastic mixture. Do not change direction, for that would create rough spots with pockets of air -- undoing earlier work." When I start testing, I'm going to have one part of the mix stirred in one direction and the other all jumbly! The hardest part wil be to remember which is which!!

Thanks for the offer, but one of my problems is that I have TOOOOO many recipes for this dish!! Too much of a good thing sort of situation! LOL! Virginia Lee's recipe calls for pork belly --- (not many of them do) so when I start expirimenting, I think I will use her recipe as one of my tests.

This is a dish I really enjoy. I have had it many times in many places, and aside from the different slant on the braising liquid, my question is about the meatballs themselves. Joe's Shanghai in NYC's Chinatown has a good one as did Ocean King in Livingston NJ. Today I took the dish 'out' from Hunan Cottage, tasted it, and they were also wonderful. I've had it twice at China 46, but the meatballs there were simply meatballs. They lacked that "Je ne sais quoi" -----that special texture that I associate with this dish. I've made them at home, several times, and have not yet achieved the spongy texture that seems to be their hallmark. Doing research on the recipe, I have come across several different suggestions in making the actual meatball. (I'm talking just about the meatball here, not the braising liquid.) Several recipes said to mix the meat wiith a wooden spoon, and only in one direction. I understand the reasons for the one direction policy (to keep fibers from 'frizzing'), but does that make the meatball spongy? Another says to mix the meat mixture for 4 to 5 minutes, while another recipe says not to overmix. !!!!!????? Several recipes say to take the entire meat mix and to throw it forcibly on the counter or on the sides of the mixing bowl. Only one recipe said that this removes air pockets. The flavorings to the meat mixture are pretty much the same. Some call for egg in the mix, some don't, and one called for a little cooked rice. I am going to be making this dish next month and I want to capture that texture. Any suggestions?

FINALLY!!!!! --- I went to Hunan Cottage! After reading and hearing about it, on these e-Gullet threads, I was dying to go there and finally went with a friend. It was at lunch time and very crowded. We had to wait about ten minutes. There were only a few Asians, so I figured it was the lunch crowd from the businesses in the area. I asked for the Chinese menu, and chopsticks in Chinese (I am NOT fluent) and so got their attention. I also ordered in Chinese. This gives me a big advantage as far as service goes, but I went for the food - not the service. (I simply love the language) We ordered Dried Crispy Spare Ribs with Salt & Pepper; Buffalo Fish Pieces with Hot Bean Sauce, and Jumbo Shrimp with Snow Pea Leaves. Not very daring selections, but all good. The ribs actually were thin sliced chops. I would have preferred actual ribs, but the flavor of the chops was great. The fish had a very fatty skin, and I couldn't make out what actual pieces we had, because they were masked by the wonderful sauce. The rice with that great sauce should be a selection in itself! But the braised meat was sweet and the bones were easily removed. The shrimp were light and the snow pea tips were really good. I ordered Lion's Head Meatballs to go, and tasted them when I got home. They were wonderful ---- better than C46. I'm going to post a question on these meatballs on the Chinese site. When I left, I took both pass-out menus - the Chinese one and the regular one. (Quite different!!) I'm already selecting what I want to get next time. I do want to try their Double Cooked Pork. My husband and I had that dish at C46 last Friday, and it was the best I'd ever had. C46 made it with Jiu Cai Hua - garlic sprouts. I'd like to see what Hunan Cottage does. I don't mean to compare the two restaurants, because all restauants have chefs who do their own thing. I just want to know which dish to order in a particular place. At any rate, I'm glad to have found e-Gullet, if only for these great restaurants.

"Savor of the Sea" (Moore) says to place the oyster on a table, flat edge up and hold it firmly in one hand, before forcing the knife (preferably an oyster knife) between the shells at or near the thin end. Insert the blade until you feel something fairly resistant. That is the adductor or eye muscle. Cut the muscle close to the flat upper shell, and the oyster will open easily. Also, they say the easy way is to use a hammer and knock off the thin edge, or 'bill' of the shells. Chip off only enough to insert the blade. Procede as above. Can't tell you how many times DH cut himself opening oysters and clams! After a while he became quite good, but found that gin and oyster opening were not compatible!

Pearl River and Amoy here --- and Mushroom. I also use regular and lower or light Kikkoman. I do like the San-J lower sodium Tamari. FatGuy asked about soy deteriorating. I used to find salt crystals in Koon Chun brand. They were not small specks, and did not affect the taste, and only occurred after a time. They melted when heated. Koon Chun sometimes turned bad with a white mold ------ in bottles that had been opened for a long time. I haven't bought that brand for years, so don't know if there are improvements. I know the brand was off the shelves for quite a while, until they improved to US standards. Funny story (I wish I had kept the article)----- Years ago there was a blind taste testing by soy sauce gourmets -- people who really knew their soys. The top soy sauce turned out to be Kikkoman low-sodium!! These people couldn't believe that they had chosen the lowly Kikkoman over the 'more superior' Chinese and Japanese soys-- and especially low sodium! Their comments were on record and were there for all to see. No mistakes ---- they had chosen Kikkoman! As a kid, I grew up on La Choy and Chung King. When I started expirimenting, I dropped them for the 'new' Kikkoman, even tho the Kikkoman tasted strange to me. It took some getting used to. I have to confess, when I see La Choy on someones shelf, I simply have to taste it. It brings me back!! LOL!