Dejah

My brother brought me three cans of Bailing mushrooms and a package of fresh oyster mushrooms. I've been waiting to do a side by side test for flavour and texture, but the mood and motivation is not cooperating. I did stir-fry a few of the oyster mushrooms and found the stems quite tough. The caps were fine, but not like the firmer texture of the bailing. I also wanted to steam the pickerel, but it's been pouring rain for 3 days. I need to go outside to scale the fish!

It was many years after her escape to Hong Kong before my mother would eat sweet potatoe and taro. We were a family who was persecuted for being landowners. Our land, house, and anything of value were all confiscated except for a small plot half a day's walk away. On that plot, my mom grew as much sweet potatoes and taro as she possibly could. The stalk and leaves were selectively culled as a green vegetable, leaving enough for tuber development. When the tubers were harvested, they were sliced, diced, dried, then stored in big crocks. A handful of these would stretch the decreasing rice supply. Because of the fibre and nutrition in these tubers, she said they held off hunger longer. I remember my grandfather saying that if she wasn't so diligent in cultivating and hoarding, the family, and some neighbors, would have starved. Meat? If and when there was a little, the elders ate that. She said they ate a lot of ham ha. It was expensive, but at least you only needed a small amount each time. She had two dogs. They disappeared during those hard times. Someone was hungrier than she was.

I make the version of steamed beef balls from Chinese Dim Sum, part of the Wei-Chuan series. It combines ground beef and fat pork. They are by no means bland. I use regular ground beef and omit the fat pork. These are like the spongy ones served at dim sum. Muichoi is correct in saying a strong arm and baking soda are what makes them smooth and spongy. I use my KitchenAid and the paddles when I make these. The mixture is pretty squishy to work with, but an hour or so in the fridge seems to help in the formation process. When I make these, it's an all morning session. The balls are formed by hand, placed on baking sheets, and froze individually. Once hard, I put them into freezer bags and containers. I love having these on hand. They can be steamed up in 20 minutes from the frozen state. Put several on top of a plateful of vegetables, add rice, and it's supper. I add them to Chinese noodle soup if I'm too rushed to make wontons. Pearl balls are great to have on hand too. Not sure if it's the meat balls I like, or the rice on the outside FLAVOURED by the meatballs.

Peter, This has been a most educational and entertaining blog. Thank you for your excellent writing and photography, and to Yoonhi and your delightful vermin for their endurance and entertaining antics travelling across three kingdoms. Now, I would love to see you blog - and reproduce some of the dishes that impressed you the most!

That steamed bass looks delicious! I was given 2 large pickerels last week. Tomorrow may be the night for steamed pickerel with ginger and scallions.

It wasn't so much the taste, but the texture that really caught my attention. I will have to look out for fresh ones now.

I picked up a can of "Bailing mushrooms" on one of my jaunts to Winnipeg. I hadn't seen this type before and was curious. Opened it last night and the mushroom was huge! It was cut into chunks and looked like abalone. It sliced like abalone and had a similar texture when you bite into it. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry and didn't take any pictures. I had stir-fried it quickly with some asparagus - thinking to have a quick supper with the mushrooms and rice. I googled it today and it is "abalone-like". My brother went to Wpg. this weekend, and I've sent him in search of more. Anyone familiar with this fungi?

Looks like Nova Scotia, so it must be Shaya.

Chufi, Your third blog is a feast for my eyes. I am sorry we didn't get to meet when I was there so briefly in April, but I love seeing all the places I missed! We only had four days in your beautiful city but we loved every minute of it. Blog on and make me salivate!

So much catching up to do! Back from holidays, back to teaching, then my computer got infected when my housesitter's gf opened a "postcard". The tech said +3000 viruses! They had to wipe my hard drive clean. Anyhow, did someone say "Joong"?! How about these? http://www.hillmans.soupbo.com/soos/joongzi.html or http://www.hillmans.soupbo.com/soos/joong2.html It's getting to that time of the year again! I bought some fresh bamboo leaves while I was in Winnipeg. At least I won't have to soak them before using. Mom tells me I should still boil them in vinegar and water beofre using.

Hey Folks! Here I am in Amsterdam - actually at the seaside resort of Scheveningen. It was 29 C yesterday! We are here as guests of Disney International for the Eueopena opening night of Tarzan the Musical. Haven't tried any Chinese food here - but we did go to the New King in Amsterdam's Chinatown on Chufi's recommendation. The food was very good but man! the prices are something else! Back to topic: XiaoLing: Try using the fatty pieces with ham ha. Lay some pieces of the pork on the bottom of a dish, smear some ham ha on top, add slivers of ginger, steam. YUM! The fatter pieces are the best.

Here we are in Amsterdam, actually, we WERE in Amsterdam. We are now in Scheveningen? I still can't pronouce it! When we were in Amsterdam, we did eat at New King. I am amazed at the small size of the restaurants, but this one had 3 floors. It was easier for me to order as the staff spoke Cantonese - my first language. Didn't try the oysters, but the black pepper chicken, the assorted roasted meats, and the choy sum and tofu was very good. The hot and sour soup was a little different, and the duck roll was a first for me. Now I will have to try and make it. Tomorrow night, we'll tery one of the theatre menus. Thanks for a great country! and the recommendations! Dejah

Peter: Thank you so much for this gastro-blog. If I keep reading posts and seeing pictures from people like you, it just might push me over the edge and book a visit to my native land! Carry on! Dejah

It's called fish fragrant because that particular sauce/aroma is generally used for fish dishes, Dejah-Mui. ← Really? I wouldn't have thought that - with the Sichuan chili bean paste, vinegar, etc? ← Chili bean paste, black vinegar, soy and sugar (optional) is a very common way to cook fish in Wuhan, Sichuan, and Hunan. Sometimes we would leave out the chili bean paste and replace it with dried chilis but the vinegar will always be there (aka red braised.) In every household in those provences you will always find them making Dou Ban Yu (Chili Bean Fish) or Hong Shao Yu (Red Braised Fish.) ← I was right! It's so obvious I should be embarassed. I have to stop thinking that Chinese cooking means onlyToisanese style. I liked Bruce's explanation better though.

It's called fish fragrant because that particular sauce/aroma is generally used for fish dishes, Dejah-Mui. ← Really? I wouldn't have thought that - with the Sichuan chili bean paste, vinegar, etc?

I've been so busy lately that usually supper gets cooked, eaten, cleaned off without pictures. Students will write their final exam tomorrow, so no prep. to do this weekend. I'm also getting ready to go to Amsterdam and England for 2 1/2 weeks come April 9th, so will get my fill of posting before I leave! Supper tonight was lily bulb soup with pork tenderloin and pork breast bones, and spareribs steamed with meen see and plums in brine. Didn't get a pic of the soup though. I made fish-fragrant eggplant a la Land of Plenty with the addition of velvetized pork tenderloin slices served atop of panfried tofu: I was leery of the "fish-fragrant" part of the title, but it was very good. Can someone tell me WHY it's called fish fragrant? Bruce? Probably so obvious that I should be embarrassed in asking.

XiaoLing: Rachellindsay may be talking about a different liquid - poaching as opposed to your braising liquid? I know "lo siu" is used again and again - the more times, the better the flavour. I use my braising liquid, then save it in containers in the freezer, freshen with more flavouring ingredients, then freeze again. The fat should be kept on top as a sealant. I suppose you could stir-fry vegetables with the fat. This was the sixth use of this batch: braised pork butt with lobak and see goo:

Most interesting writing and photos. Thank you, peter! Could you maybe identify some of the names and faces I've encountered in your travelogue? Serena? Scud? Yoonhi? Who are the vermin? This is like a foodblog. Enquiring minds want to know and see all!

"dee toy" (Cantonese "gee choy") and "hoi dai" are not the same thing. The former: purple in color, small and curly. The latter: green in color, shaped like the leaves of plants. "gee choy" is more used in savory soups. "hoi dai" is more used in sweet dessert soups (e.g. mung beans). The green shreds that they serve in Japanese sushi restaurants (mixed with sesame oil and sesame seeds) are one kind of "hoi dai" I think. "Gee choy" (or one specie of it) is the kind they used to wrap sushis, I think. ← Hmm, interesting. So the problem, it sounds like, might be that I'm using the wrong kind of seaweed? I've never noticed this purplish seaweed in the stores, but I'll keep an eye out. The dried hai dai that I buy comes in large sheets, not really leaf-shaped. Thanks, everyone!-al ← alwang: If you do a google, for zi cai, hoi dai or kombu, you'll find information on all of these. zi cai is the one you would want for soup.

I'm not sure if it's the same stuff I call dee toy in Toisanese (purple choi - literally). I buy it as a "pancake" of dried purple seaweed. The seaweed is soaked and rinse it well for sand and small snails. When the soup bone / pork ribs have been simmering for sometime to tenderize the meat and flavour the stock, I add the seaweed. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer until the seaweed is just tender... I can't even tell you for how long! As alwang said, it can turn slimy is cooked for too long.

But... but... but... The purpose of using wrappers is to separate the meat from the broth - because meat will cloud up the broth. Chinese (Cantonese anyway) typically like clear broth with wontons. The minute you add the left over meat in it, it will cloudy up the broth. ← It won't if there is no cornstarch used in the filling.

The custard would be easy enough to do in large trays, and made a day ahead. It's the shells that would require YOUR help. If you make the chicken balls with bread crumbs instead of batter, it can be done. Let's see, six meat balls / person x 300 = 1800 - easy!

Because the wrappers are yummy? Besides, she may have a little filling left, but no more wrappers. It's better to throw it into the soup rather than freezing a golf ball size. The keyword is leftover!

Dale: On the stuffed boned chicken - check out sheetz's presentation in this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=97856&st=30 Can't remember the # of the post, but it's in his picures of his CNY meal. Incredible! The dried lily flowers you got are the right ones for Mu Su Pork. The pork dish you got from the take out was probably char siu - Chinese BBQ pork. Was it listed as appetizer on the menu? The red colour is probably from red food colouring.

From the pictorial, snekes appears to have added the sliced lapcheung as a separate ingredient with leftover wonton filling meatballs. Ah Leung Si Low-ah: Put your glasses on lah. Lapcheung would not work well IN the filling as that would ruin the texture. Slices add great flavour eaten alongside of wontons and all the other goodies in the soup, however.