jo-mel

I just checked a small jar that has been in my refrig, for a long time. "Hsin Tung Yang" brand. It is plenty salty, but has no kick. I'm going to toss it. I also checked an unopened jar of "Kimlan" that I've had a while --unopened. It is hot! I tasted some and started coughing!!

Oops! I thought I replied to this. I wonder where I sent it?? LOL! Anyway, the Koon Chun, as with any of the Chinese BBQ sauces, can be used as a marinade, to brush on while grilling, as a flavoring like hoisin sauce, used in baking, BBQing, etc. It can be used on any meat -- chicken, wings, pork strips, ribs, beef, lamb, brushed on shrimp while grilling, etc. Very versatile! Now, let me click on 'add reply' and see what happens ------------

You just described me! I like my own cooking, but what I really like to try is someone elses meatloaf. We all have our own way of making it, but tasting one, other than my own, is always fun.

I have a copy of that great book, also. (Still use the recipes) Bemelman is the author of the beloved "Madeleine" children's books. They have always been popular, but have made a big comeback with DVDs. He also did the drawings. You can probably do a google on him for information.

Only 9 1/2 miles?? Are these books being lined up the long way? Huh? Huh? Can we open them up? LOL!

What are joong? I don't know what Ben's Mother's Joongs are, but my guess it is the same as ZongZi (Mandarin) --- Rice and stuff wrapped in Bamboo, or Lotus Leaves. (or Banana Leaves) After a long day, they must have been wonderful!! Like comfort food!

LOL! OK, then ---- what did you eat?

OOPS! I found 5 more--- on the shelf under this desk.

I'll chip in 375. Are we at the moon, yet?

I would think the basting of the breast area would keep that skin moist and the air around it, also moist. If the skin dried out too much, the flesh just below it might also dry out. Probably basting helps in the flavor and color of the skin -- only. According to McGee's "On Food and Cooking" --"There is some disagreement on the value of basting, which does interrupt and slow down the cooking process. Excpt for very lean cuts, and areas like the chicken breast, which are easily dried out, the fat content of the tissue can probably keep the meet moist by itself." For turkey, I don't concentrate on basting. I turn the bird on all four sides, ending breast side up,----then I baste for color.

I haven't been there, but I just did a search. I see they have two menus. What did you all order?

Being new here, I am still going through old threads. I hope you all don't mind my resurrecting an old one, about 'pantry items'. It is not a specific item I have a question about, but the storage of some of them. When did all these "Refrigerate after opening" on the labels come about? Years ago, I don't remember as much as I see now. LanChi's Chili Paste with Garlic never had it on the label --that I know. But somewhere along the way, it appeared. Is this just 'legal protection' ----just in case? I refrigerate a lot of my stuff, because I don't have that much shelf space, but when people ask me how to store things I usually tell them to do as the label says, but where to draw the line? Koon Chun's Barbecue Sauce has no refrigeration caution, but Lee Kum Kee's Char Siu Sauce does. LKK says it has no preservatives added, yet it does have 'acetic acid' as an ingredient. KC doesn't claim 'no preservatives added' and doesn't add them specifically. The vinegar in the list is a flavoring -- not meant as a preservative, but I guess it acts as both. But why does one brand require refrigeration and another doesn't? Different brands of soy sauce also differ on refrigeration. I'll continue to do as I've done for years. I've never had a problem, and don't expect to, but what is the game going on?

About the Chinese lady with the S/S Pork --- that was probably a mis-judgement on my part. I didn't know anything about the woman, if she was an ABC or whatever. But it was my first reaction -- especially when I was selecting the Fried Oysters and whole shrimp - smugly. It was 'ethnic profiling' in reverse. I've only been to those Buffets a couple or three times. But now I see signs offering Chinese, Japanese and Italian selections in the same Buffets. Talk about your 'melting pot'!!

As 'Fat Guy' and 'bilrus' say ---- judging a restaurant by the clientele, chefs, or popularity can be misleading. A restaurant may get a critic's rave and the word gets out that this is the new chic place to go. And it may BE- pretty special. People even line up to get in. But sometime the chef moves on, and the food changes, BUT -- that line is still there! That has happened in NY's Chinatown. Some places are the 'in' place to be, no matter what is happening in the kitchen.

That's another factor to reckon. That ---- and about "taste buds being in sync.". I've known Southern Chinese who turn up their noses at, say, chili laden foods, or heavier Eastern dishes. They have their favorite, built-in tastes. Just as I carry my New England prejudices for corn or clam chowder, and look down on Manhattan Clam Chowder, ----so do regional Chinese have their biases.. In my dealing with Chinese foods, I've found that my neutral-ness (is there such a word?) is a plus. I love it all. It has to be good, of course, but I'm not set in any one of the regions. Such a complex topic! PC or not, we are what we are, and this includes our tastes. A delicate, subtle broth should have as much weight as a sauce with depth. Back to the topic --- I guess we judge a restaurant because of our own expectations, and those expectations are influenced by our own experiences. I want to hear Chinese music in a Chinese restaurant --- not soft jazz or anything else. I guess that is ethnic profiling, too. I'm guilty!

I guess I evaluate a Chinese restaurant by its clientele, --- if I'm there for the first time. But it is hard to judge taste -- or to generalize. I saw a Chinese lady in one of those China Buffet places with a plateful of Sweet/Sour Pork --- when, in my mind, there were other selections that were better. I probably judge more what is in front of a customer than who the customer is. If the tables are set with knives and forks, I pre judge, and if there are only chopsticks in sight, I have a different view. (BTW- I am not Chinese) I know Westerners who know how to, and do, cook good Chinese food, and I've been in Chinese homes where the food was always the same and rather so-so. To carry this further, I find I judge a Chinese restaurant when the waiter/waitresses/servers are not Chinese. Perhaps unfairly, I might add. The chefs may be talented (and Chinese) but I want the full experience to extend to those who take my order, too. I don't know what to call this bias. I don't know if others feel the same way, or not. The first time this happened, I was surprised at myself. I wanted to order in Chinese, but couldn't, and I felt cheated. However, I was in a Chinese place in Colorado, and 2 of the Caucasion women COULD speak Chinese, but I still felt a lack of something! I don't think I answered this too well. If I had my choice between two restaurants, one heavily Chinese, the other not, I'd go Chinese. Unfair? I guess.

My smallest (practical) steamers are 9 inches in diameter. I usually use them in a 12 inch stainless wok that I reserve just for steaming. I use my 14 inch stainless wok for my larger steamers. The 8 inch pot, you spoke of, just won't serve you well. I usually stack just 2 at a time. When I have stacked 3, I usually invert the top with the bottom, half way through, and add an extra 5 minutes. Too high a stack, the steam just isn't that effective. At least I've found it to be so with my regular kitchen stove. May I ask what your menu is? You can have a good dimsum party without all steamed foods. Pot stickers, scallion pancakes are pan fried. You can deep/fry shrimp toast,or mini egg/spring rolls, taro, fritters, wontons, or turnovers. You can bake buns, braise ribs, braise beef balls --- there's so much to dimsum than dumplings, altho they can be a highlight. Or as herbacidal suggested, let your dumplings spotlight a larger meal. Have we helped or hindered?

LOL! Leave it to an engineer to find a way around it!

LOL! --------" No forks"?? Catastrophe! You would think "When in Rome --------" The Texans (some of my best friends are Texan) were on the Li River with us. Hugh had seen some fishermen, and bought a few freshly caught fish, and we had them steamed, while going down the river. That was when we heard their complaints. A couple of nights later they had their steak and potatoes. The beef was a huge slab of meat (?aged?) on a platter and a huge bowlful of large boiled potatoes with their skin. Now you can't boil large potatoes without having them fall apart, in the attempt to get the insides cooked. It didn't look very tempting. At the risk of stretching this out, may I tell what we had at that dinner? It was at the Banyan Tree Hotel in Guilin. Aside from the cold dishes and a Peacock Ensemble, we had" Bamboo Rat with Vegetable Heart (A regional specialty) / Quails Eggs with Bok Choy Heart / Roast Suckling Pig Skin with 5-Spice Powder / Steamed Mianbao / Sauteed Turtle with Black Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots / Whole Roasted Pigeon with Soy Flavor / Roasted Duck in Brown Gravy with Chinese Broccoli / Steamed Pork Dumplings / Stir Fried Green Bean with Simple Sauce / Turtle Soup -- Light Broth with Chicken and a Whole Turtle. ( Dessert was a Sponge Cake with Buttercream Frosting with roses and leaves piped on top. Yuk!)

Dollars to donuts says it was hami gua. As I recall, it was a red melon, and the slices were curved as tho they came from a small watermelon ----not like the humongous ones we see in the markets here.(NJ) It was a sweetness I've had never had in the melons, here, either. Listening to my tapes (I don't write much when I travel. It's easier to tape as I see things, or to rehash the day.) That restaurant was not Hugh's choice as he had a bad experience there the year before. The hassle was with 'Intourist'-- the travel agency inside China. They wanted what they wanted and Hugh stood firm ---not an easy thing. This was a culinary trip, after all. I was hoping the tape would tell me more about the melon, but not so. I still, in my mind, see a platter of red, not green. As I said, this was a culinary trip, and we had some fantastic food. There was one great story of a group who paralleled us ---- from Texas. They got sick and tired of Chinese food and wanted their steak and potatoes. They finally got their wish. DISASTER!! LOL!

Now that I am home and have access to my notes, I want to tell you about another memorable meal -- in China. (I always keep lists of what I've had in China) This was in 1984, in Beijing, and I was on a culinary tour with others who had an interest in Chinese food, and led by Hugh Carpenter -- cook book author. We were in the SunAltering (spelling?) Restaurant in Beijing. Hugh had arranged the meal ahead of time, but when we arrived, they served the usual tourist stuff. As Hugh called it --- Dormitory Food. ----Various stews, greenish cauliflower, less than warm rice, etc. Hugh was surprised, as he had made prior arrangements. He spent some time in the kitchen haggling with the chefs, thru the local guide. Hugh knew what he wanted, we had paid for it, and he wasn't going to be denied---and we weren't! What finally was served was: Braised Scallops & Abalone with Bamboo Shoots / Deep-Fried Stuffed Shrimp / Green Beans Stir-Fried with Chinese Almonds / Stir-Fried Shrimp in the Shell with a Piquant Sauce (exceptional) / Jiaozi - Steamed Pork-Shrimp filled Dumplings / White Fungus Soup / Sweet Bean Paste Cakes / Fresh Sweet Melon (delicious -- we had seconds) It was amazing that the kitchen could produce two such different meals. Nineteen years ago -- yet reading my notes, it all comes back so clearly.

Well, while it is always crowded, it is not exactly a tourist hangout -- that is what I meant. Sometimes I've had to wait outside for a place at a table. The diners all seem to who know their soup noodles and such, but I've seen people peer in the window and pass on. I'd made friends with one of the workers, there. (Can't remember his name!!!!!) I believe he may even be the manager, but he never introduced himself as such. He lives in NJ and spends most of the day at the restaurant. I often talked with him about the terrible commute. He mentioned some problems with the owner, and was was very unhappy with the problems he was having -----to the point that he was going to leave and open up his own place - probably taking the chefs with him.. The new place was going to be that barber-shop next to Joe's Shanghai. (The barber shop was for sale.) Well, nothing seemed to happen for a year or so, and then came 9/11. The last couple of times I went the Noodletown, that worker/manager wasn't there --- and the barber shop was still there, unsold. 9/11 was devastating. I've been back several times since. I hope they all recover.

As you have found out and as others have said, there is no ONE Sweet and Sour Sauce. You have 5 chefs, you have five different S/S Sauces. The sauce is geared to the main ingredient in the dish. Restaurants vary as to the palate being pleased, and the trend in many places is toward the Western taste for sweetness. Sweet/Sour sauce is as different as your meat loaf and my meatloaf, and the meatloaves of all in this forum. Barbara Meyers' book - :The Chinese Restaurant Cook Book has 3 dishes with S/S Sauce -- for wontons, for ribs and for pork. They are all different. But I've listed the essential ingredients for each, if you want to give them a try. The last one, with equal parts of vinegar and sugar ratio, is more to the ideal, rather than the ones that are heavier on sugar. But it is your families taste that you are concerned with. For dipping wontons: 4 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tbsp. red rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar 1 tsp. light soy sauce 2 tsp. ketchup 1/2 tsp. MSG - (opt) 3/4 cup water 2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch Mix the above, heat while stirring until it is bubbly and clear. (I've edited it a bit, but this is essentially what it is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- For glazing ribs: 2 thin slices fresh ginger 1 scallion 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce 1 Tbsp rice wine or dry sherry 1 Tbsp. black rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 1/2 Tbsp. water Chop the ginger and white part of the scallion fine. Combine remaining ingredients in a cup. ( Meyers' note: You may need slightly less wine vinegar. Taste to determine. ) Stirfry the ginger and scallions in 2 tsp. oil for a few second. Stir the sauce mix to mix up the sugar and cornstarch. Add to the ginger/scallions and heat, while stirring, until thick and clear. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ For the pork: 4 Tbsp. white rice vinegar or distilled white vijegar 4 Tbsp. sugar 4 Tbsp. chicken broth or water 2 tsp, light soy sauce (My note: The above is added to the dish along with vegetables, carrots, pineapple, pork, etc. and thickened with cornstarch/water mix.)

Thanks for that! After that eating experience, I saw mention of the restaurant in Lilah Kahn's Sandy pot cookbook. (I'm not at home with my books - so I may have the spelling wrong) The recipe wasn't quite as I remembered, but with a few adjustments, I came up with something that pleased me. It is now my 'cold-weather, rib-sticking' dish. I'm pleased it is still there. It's been awhile since I've been back to SanFrancisco. When I go again, I will make a bee-line for Bow Hon! It reminds me of Noodletown, on the Bowery, in NYC. Great homey food, by-passed by most, but a treasure for those who love good hearty Chinese food.

Gary Soup ----Thanks for the source of that Chop Suey quote. I've always laughed at it. ----But , actually, for a few years, now, I have a new respect for 'chop suey's' humble beginnings. I have to tell a story about canned La Choy chop suey (or was it chow mein?) I was giving a series of Chinese cooking classes in my home, and the last class was a banquet, putting all they had learned, into the dinner. Each person had to cook something. My high school daughter and a friend came in. I invited them to join us. Anticipating this, they pulled out their contribution --a can of La Choy. Laughs all around! HaHa. Well, being Scottish, I couldn't throw the stuff away, so I put it on the shelf with all my other Chinese stuff. Later, at another class, I had to get something from that cabinet. I opened the cabinet, in front of a pile of students, and what do they see? That stupid can which I had forgotten all about. It obviously stood out like a sore thumb among all the sauces and seasonings. Was I embarrassed! I hastily explained what had happened. Good thing! One guy saw that can and immediately thought something was very wrong with his teacher! LOL!