Dejah

Susan: Did you do anything with the chicken feet after making the stock? I would have sauteed some fermented black beans, garlic, ginger and Thai chilis in the wok, then toss in the now more than tender feet for a "dim sum" order of Golden Phoenix Claws!

Talk about differences in techniques! Poor Gastro Mui won't know how to make this by the time we all put in our 2 cents worth. To me, you don't "velvet" the meat by browning. It's the marinating of the meat with seasonings, oil and cornstarch that results in the velvet texture once you chow the meat. You don't have to remove the meat at medium rare unless you like it medium rare. I would blanch the bittermelon for a very few minutes - only because my husband doesn't really like his vegetables crisp. (Too much old style English cooking by the female relatives on HIS side!) The dow see ginger garlic paste is then stir-fried before I add the fu gwa. Remember, you want the melon to have the dow see flavour. Mix and stir-fry this a couple of minutes, then add stock. Let it simmer for a couple minutes ( I go by visual, so don't ask me how long!). Without thickening the liquid, remove the melon and the liquid. Here, I differ from Ah Leung. My second step is the browning of the beef. Once I clean out the wok (all the bits are in the plate with the melon), I chow the meat in the hot oiled wok. Once the slices reach the degree of doness I want, I'd put the melon back in with some of the liquid. The cornstarch used to marinate the meat will thicken the sauce somewhat. If you want it thicker, then add a little more slurry. If you want lots of sauce, take out the now thickened melon and meat, add the rest of the liquid held back, then thicken this and pour on top. Sometimes, I will just thicken at the end the melon step, plate this, chow the beef, add a bit of stock to form a light sauce coating on the meat, and serve the meat just on top of the bittermelon or other vegtables. Whew! Thank you for your patience, Ladies and Gentlemen. Dejah will now leave this post!

I buy the black beans with the ginger in it, but I also add fresh ginger. I often add slivers of ginger to the meat to be chowed. Oyster sauce doesn't complement the black bean garlic sauce. Added to meat, it will "mask" the natural flavour of beef, pork, or chicken, and muddle the flavour if they are to be part of a flavoured dish, as with black beans and fu gwa. I DO enjoy oyster sauce - as a dip for simmered chicken, as a base for sauce for vegetables such as gai lan, or for sandpots with bland ingredients such as tofu. It's also great with ho fun - my kids' favourite. With Chinese mushrooms, oyster sauce seems to complement its strong flavour. Or, is it good because all that sauce seeps down into the bland lettuce? Now, I'm wondering as I write this: Is the tendency to use oyster sauce frequently or infrequently dictated by what we grow up with and how our elders cooked? I know Ah Leung favours it for marinades whereas I, and maybe Ben Sook, do not use it as often.

Being of the "older generation", I too cook as Ben Sook - basic ingredients in this dish. To be honest, I very seldom use shiaoxing wine in my cooking. I will use it with fish, squid, but that's all. This is used to counteract any "sang mei" - fishiness. Otherwise, I don't care for the taste of the wine. Guess my cooking is just not elevated above "gah hing". To marinate meat, I just use salt, pepper, msg, oil and cornstarch if I want to velvetize. Oyster sauce?! 5-spice? These do not pair well with dow see. I even at the sesame oil although I love the stuff and may cave. If you use a lot of stock, then you'd need to increase the amount of dow see for flavour. If the sauce is too runny, use a more concentrated slurry made with stock, not water. For the bittermelon to really absorb the flavour, stir-fry the black beans WITH the melon rather than the meat. To me, it's the melon that should be flavoured.

Congee. Wonton soup with shrimp roe noodles. Hot 'n' Sour soup - pushing it? edited to add: Way ta go - PamR. Do Manitoba proud!

Hey Folks: Meet a foodie pal of mine from Brandon: Inga. Now that she's joined, I'll have to show her how to post! How did your chicken stir-fry with oyster sauce turn out tonight?

Bruce: Your descriptions are OVER THE TOP! Your photos are very much appreciated when Ms. Dunlop doesn't have visuals of dishes such as this one. And now, I'll have to get the Vietnamese Kitchen book that you have been showcasing. Trying to keep up with Bruce - never mind the "Joness"!

Shaya, What did you use to make the dipping sauce for the Vietnamese Beef Rolls? Your marinated beef sound good. I'll have to try that instead of the usual shrimp.

The paler green ones you see may be grown in a greenhouse. They are the same as the usual ones in the summer. You can stuff them with ground pork, sauteed then gently braised. Or, make soup with melon chunks, rehydrated oysters, pork and some ginger. Our local Asian store brought in a case, but most of the melons were bought up by their East Indian customers. I bought my share and had dow see gnow yuk chow fu gwa served on top of ho fun.

I can attest to what Ben said. I work for an interpretor service out of Tuscon, Arizona. Many of my calls for Toisanese are from hospitals in New York, Brooklyn, Conneticut, Boston, Sacramento, Denver, you name it. This was such a surprise to me. Years ago, when we went to a Chinese restaurant anywhere, Toisanese and Cantonese were the main dialects for the wait staff, and Toisanese for the kitchen. They were able to understand eachother as there are similarities. Now, there is a lot more putongqua spoken. That's a whole new "language" to me. I switch to English, and even today, I get "Chinese don't know how to speak chinese". So, Peony, don't feel bad; you're not alone!

From Dejah's View, All Over Again: Buffet Item - Toisan Pork Chops: breaded pork chops with sweet/sour/spicy sauce. The sauce was a mix of Worchestershire sauce, ketsup, and Soo's "secret stock). A "just to use up stuff" dish: Snow Peas and Squid.

EUREEKA! I think I've got a title for my "to be written when I retire" recipe book! Memories of Soo's Do you think The Real Canadian Superstore will sue me for copywrite infringement? They have sauces called "Memories of Bangkok", "Memories of Vietnam", Memories of.........................

Another dish from Memories of Soo's for supper last night: Ginger Beef. Asparagus was on for $2.99 a lb, so I steamed and quickly sauteed these. Found a partial bag of tiny scallops in the freezer, so I threw them in. I made Tepee's herbal rice with black rice. It was good but not pretty, so no picture of that! edited to add: Next time, I will deep fry the julienned ginger for topping.

Huh, these are both very similar to Norwegian bakery items I grew up with, Krumkake and Rosettes. I guess it is that Norwegian/Chinese pastry connection? ← eje: I think you are right. One of my son's ex-gf was of Norwegian descent, and her grandma makes these delicate lacy rosettes with special irons. She used to bring us tins of these, sprinkles with icing sugar. Pan: You're not the only one who feels like a foreigner in here. I do too sometimes, and I'm Chinese! I'm almost standing on my head trying to decipher the dialects used. Gah hing literally means family/household - so gah hing tan means everday food that you cook for your family. Even tho' many of us are Toisanese, we all have "accents" from our village/area. Fluent speakers wouldn't have any problems, but having English as my main language, I have to really listen carefully sometimes. At least, with Ben, he can always explain again in English! Peony: I didn't know that "Long yuk = bakgwa = yuk gawn" was necessary for CNY. We always have the "toon hap" - a round container with small sections - filled with sweetened bits, then we'd have tea and maybe wife cake or char siu baos. I always take a filled toon hap to school for the staff and students. And, I can't read or write Chinese either. I tried to study with a visiting professor, but I just didn't have the time to devote to it. I was hoping to learn by osmosis. Tepee: I tried out the black rice last night. It didn't turn out mushy at all, but I will reduce the amount of black next time. It was like octopus ink! I didn't put ham yu or ha mai, but I cooked it with pandan, then added chopped tender lemongrass and lime leaves. It was chewy and a bit dry, but I like it. What other recipes can I make with this black rice? Ben is too modest to admit he's a skilled cook - or he's planning a cookbook and wants us to buy it in order to see his specialties: dong goo mallard, ginseng patridge, etc. Besides, I think he's just buttering us ladies up so we'll feed him when he visits.

Tepee: I picked up the black rice today, but it is black glutinous rice. I want this so much that I'm going to try the herbal rice anyway with the glutinous variety. Any suggestions on different handling?

Why are we eating tasteless meat? ← As Gastro Mui said, "We're Toisanese = frugal gourmets"... So. this tasteless meat would work well as floss. It is stir-fried with sugar, etc, so it will be tasty. Using this would just make the shredding easier, and not waste food. Think of the poor hungry children in Africa!

I followed this recipe but did the roasting in a turbo convection oven. ← Thanks, sheetz. I might splurge on a piece of pork belly and surprise my mom on CNY day 2 when I go to make my visit.

Habeas: My hubby would nod his head at "Pork and Pork"! aznsailorboi: There's no reason why you can't have this on your Aitkin's diet. This would work very well for Weight Watchers or South Beach - just no rice.

Tepee: Is boxthorn another name for wolfberry - gow gai jee? That's a new combination for teem tong for me. I'd like that as it has all the ingredients I like, especially the longan. Peony: You mentioned customers. Do you have a home business, or do you have a store front? Do you ship overseas to Canada? sheetz: Can you give more enticing details on the siu yook? I just wish the price was more reasonable for pork belly here. I remember it was cheaper back in my restaurant days. We used to buy cases for kuo lo yok, and it was a favourite with the customers even tho' gwai low always say "Fat Bad!" Now, with my kids, I could just make the crispy skin!

Supper tonight: Fresh lily bulb soup with pork bones because the air is so dry. Singapore rice noodles with shrimp. The curry to counteract the leun effects of the soup. Beef meatballs dim sum style with ginger gai lan and a drizzle of oyster sauce.

TP: how did you make the pork floss? ← You buy it ready made. ← Knowing Tepee, SHE probably makes her own.

I wonder if I'd dare attempt these...my mom would be thrilled... I'd have to take the monitor into the kitchen with me!

Just to clarify, sheetz, the candied wintermelon are the ones sold for CNY, correct? They are about 5 cms x 1 cm?

Too funny! No, it's not me because in Brandon, we don't have snowdrifts like the ones in the above photo this year. The chicken feet, yes. The pickup truck, definitely. I'm thinking someone in the more westerly provinces. They've had a lot more snow than Manitoba. Who's in Calgary and cooks chicken feet?

Please keep my order of Salt and pepper Catfish and wife cakes in separate bags! Skip the tartar sauce. Give me an extra wife cake instead - for my Mom, of course.