Dejah

aznsailorboi: Everything looks disgusting, like a dog's breakfast But, I know all the ingredients would be delicious.

CFT says it's turtle jelly, so maybe search for turtle jelly? edit to add link: http://bigwhiteguy.com/archive/2001/08/26/turtle_jelly/

but the soup with half a teaspoon of salt is divine! oh i didnt salt the whole pot. i salt as i go. ← Try to use as little salt as possible in this tonic soup for the most benefit. I wonder if you could freeze the extra ginseng? Just make sure you use vacuum seal.

I think someone said they were going to send me the recipe for ham sui gok, but I checked through my folders and don't see one (just in case I was the one losing it ). So, someone, anyone, please send me the recipe. Gastro: Would be great to see pictures.

The gai jie beng I've add did look a little like baby chicks. They are chewy, sweet, salty, YUM! I think someone posted a recipe for them in the forum once? Or was that for gai lown tay/ham sui gok?

Auntie, how do u make "condensed" ginseng tea? i think i know what kinda jar you are talking about, and i think they have it available at my local asian market. is it the one that's almost always in the "blue and white" motiff, cylindrical shaped jar with a wide mouth and a cover to fit the mouth of the jar of the same material (porcelain? ceramic?)??? i need to utilize the rest of the ginseng....i don't want it to go to waste or how do i dry it so i can use it in the future. ← How much fresh ginseng do you have left, aznsailorboi? The potency is not near the Korean dried ones, so if you wait for a week or two, it would be safe for you to be energized again. To make "condensed" ginseng tea, I put the pre-sized packets into the jar, add 1.5 rice bowls water. Place both lids over the mouth of the jar. I use a string to tie the lid down (wind the string around the knob of the lid and tie each end to an "ear" on the jar). Place a wire stand (ones used for steaming) into a pot wider and deeper than the ceramic jar. Fill the pot with hot water that will come up to half way on the ceramic jar. Bring the water to a boil and keep it at a gentle boil for 4 hours. Check to make sure there's always enough water to the original level. When you drink this condensed ginseng tea, you must not eat any root vegetables for 24 hours.Otherwise, all benefiical effects of the ginseng is negated. While my brother was recovering from myloplastic leukemia 22 years ago, he had no energy and compromised immunity. My Mom and s-i-l prepared this tea for him once a week. As his condition improved, it was reduced to twice a month, then once a month, and so on. Now, they've stopped because of the latest findings about the adverse effects of ginseng on people with high blood pressure. However, my family maintains that ginseng was what helped him beat the cancer!

The fresh ginseng we get is whiter in colour, and American. They've also been growing them down east in Ontario. Do you know if that is true? Ben Sook? I think the dried ones are of a different kind (Korean) and pack more wallop in terms of flavour and potency than the fresh ones. I order these through my sister in Vancouver. The herbalist is one she trusts. He uses a special slicer and packages portions that would brew up about 1.5 rice bowls full each time. I don't make soup, but will use the china lidded jar for "condensing" the tea for the family once in a blue moon. I am lazy!

These packets make cooking so convenient, but I still enjoy going to each of my glass jars and pulling out a bit of this herb, and a handful of that: bak hap, sah tam, leen jee, hung yun, sang day, look jook, American ginseng, mui fa gwa, etc. I also love the smell of each when I open that lid.

Congratulations! You posters have done this thread proud! Ah Leung: straw mushrooms? Looks like button mushrooms.

aznsailorboi: I can feel the tonic effects of your soup through my screen. Whew! Looks like mighty fine brew there for a young'un. Did you use stewing hens for your soup? That's what I was taught to use in making any kind of long brewing tonic soups. You'd think all the nutrients would be "layed" out of those hens, but who am I to argue with the elders? I usually order them from a Hutterite colony that sells eggs. They charge a dollar a hen, and would leave the head and feet on if I request it. I'd order about 3 dozen, then drive around and gift them to my favourite vegetable-supplying aunties for sharing their bounty with me. By next week, the Real Canadian Superstore will have chickens with head and feet intact in poultry section. The Chinese families will stock up their freezers, not only for New Year, but also for special occasions throughout the year.

I'd never heard of it, either, but it's a common ingredients at the Kuali.com website. I know it sounds weird, but I went ahead and steamed a cup of glutinous rice flour just to see what would happen and to my surprise it didn't form a huge sticky mass. There were a few blobs where condensation dripped on the flour but those were easy to fish out. Then I put the steamed flour in the microwave and Using koh fun instead of regular glutinous rice flour makes the filling less gooey. ← Thanks, sheetz. I'll keep that information on file for the day I might decide to try my hand at wife cakes.

Sheetz: Those low paw bangs are amazing When can I place my order? I was reading over the ingredients for the filling. As I have never made these, I am not familiar with koh fun - cooked glutinous rice flour. Is there another name for it? In the second recipe you linked to, there were instructions on making your own koh fun. But, I can't visualize "steaming" glutinous rice flour. Wouldn't it become a "glob"? What is the function of koh fun in the filling?

The chicken and broccoli is simple, but so satisfying. Those ten inch pyrex pie plates are perfect receptacles for big portions. I use the very same ones, and have often seen them used in restaurants. The sauce doesn't spill, and the handles make for easier removal from the steamer. I also use them when I steam ground meat patties, fish fillets, chicken and mushroom, etc. We had steamed ground beef with ja choi, stir-fried Shanghai bok choi with lots of ginger and a touch of garlic. Soup was lotus root simmered with octopus and pork breast bones. There was just enough leftover from Sunday for hubby and me! Our daughter is now studying at med school about 2.5 hours from home. She's missing traditional soups, so I'll be making the lotus root again with lots of octopus, foo juk with dried oysters, bittermelon with oysters, dried bok choi with dried duck feet and honey dates. Her brother is visiting her this weekend so I'll be sending in a care package.

Oh Majra! Causing envy with your first contribution! You're a lucky woman, especially if your hubby is the cleaner-upper. I would love to have a set up like yours. Perhaps when we can reclaim the backyard from the dog. At the moment, it's not a great place to cook in.

Cover and simmer for a few minutes until seafood is 3/4 cooked. Remove from heat, give it a toss, adjust the seasoning and serve. The pot keeps the food hot so it will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat, which was annoying because I had to rush to take pics before the seafood would get overdone. ← A suggestion: After you add all the ingredients except the seafood, bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Then, add the seafood and take it off the heat right away. As you said, the pot will keep the food hot and it will continue to cook. This will keep the seafood from overcooking while you put out the rest of the food. Don't you just love how the fried tofu soaks up all that flavourful sauce?

Our little Asian grocery store has started to bring in some sweets for Chinese New Year. I gave her a list of the goodies for "toon hap". So far, they only have coloured coconut, along with some cookies with sesame seeds, and big sesame coated balls. I want candied leen jee, leen gnow, wintermelon, persimmons, coconut wedges, carrot slices, red melon seeds. My favourite is the leen jee (lotus nuts). They have brought in 2 cases of bittermelon. It's not the Chinese customers, but the East Indians who have been buying them. They also had lotus root (leen gnow). I hope they'll have some closer to New Year! As for astrological signs:I am a RAT. Most of my friends are PIGS. They say that's typical because a RAT can always find food, and a PIG always wants to be around someone with food! You can find lots of information on Chinese astrology if you do a search on google, etc. Not sure how we'll celebrate this year as SON1's bday is on Feb. 17th. I want to go and eat at my mom's table, but being a married daughter, I can't. Maybe they'll save me lots of leftovers for next day when I can go for my visit.

We've been having some kind of tong everyday: guy choi, choi gone, say may, etc, etc. Tonight, we're having lee gnow (lotus root) with pork and octopus. Supper will be "fusion" - red braised leg of pork, another pork shoulder butte roasted with rosemary and dijon mustard. Our son, his fiancee, my grandson, and my mom are coming for supper. I wanted my mom's opinion on the braised pork. Cookwithlove: Look in the technical forum for instructions on how to upload images. I believe Ah Leung can also give you a quick and easy lesson as well. We will look forward to your pictures!

Glad to see Alanamoana and I were right on the guess! Hubby and I were supposed to go to a conference around your area last fall. Now I wish we did. Looking forward to seeing lots more of your cooking and photography!

Here are some of the dishes we've been eating: This couldn't have been very memorable as I can't even remember what it was called or what cookbook I culled it from! I THINK it was chicken breast stuffed with chopped shrimp, coated with panko crumbs and deep fried. This seemed to have been a favourite of everyone in this forum: beef, bittermelon and dow see. I usually make lots of sauce and have it in a side dish. This cold snap we are experiencing on the prairies - with the windchill factor = -50C - is perfect for hot 'n' sour soup. Hubby always adds steamed rice to his. Thursday was hubby's bday. My mom said he must have chicken on his bday. As I was teaching an evening class, I had this braising in the oven for supper: chicken legs, Chinese mushrooms, daylily buds, bamboo shoots, and deep fried tofu in chicken stock with a touch of oyster sauce. At the end, I added suey choy and thickened it with a cornstarch slurry. The sauce was wonderful on rice. Atticus, our Great Pyrenees dog is minding his manners, waiting patiently for his handouts. We are invited to a house party this evening - after supper. There will be lots of finger foods to snack on, and they didn't turndown my offering of summer rolls. Just got these finished. WHEW!

Two of my favourite ingredients: Thai basil and chilis. I add them to whatever and whenever I can!

Which one is better? Big tapioca balls or small ones? I had the impression the bigger the better but it seems that the smaller the balls, the more tea you would have. The big ones really fill me up quickly. ← I like the big ones myself - love chewing on them. I just bought a bag of multi-coloured ones for the grandson. The black tapioca was great for Halloween!

That would be a better method - just like slipping branches of rosemary under the skin when roasting a chicken. The flesh is not pierced, so the juice would stay in the chicken.

I would say yes to both. So, the next blogger is definitely someone really into, or knows a great deal about, or seriously trying and learning about SE Asian cuisine. But, Susan needs to say, "Getting warmer!"

If you poke holes, then you'd probably lose some "juiciness" in the final product as you are roasting the chicken breast down. The breast meat can be very touchy with the baking method. I like the lovely contrast between the colour of the skin and the white of the meat. The trick is to eat each piece WITH the skin, but I suppose your better half would say, "NO, No!". If you want the colour and flavour to infuse throughout the meat, then you would simmer the chicken in the marinade.

This has been a terrific diary. Thank you for sharing with us. If you have any leftover pictures, please keep posting them! I have a love-hate relationship with this thread: I love all the pictures and the descriptions, but I hate the fact that I can't taste as well as see all the food!