Dejah

I don't have the time or energy to make mooncakes, so I bought a tin of 4. They look really fresh. The brand is Riwei. I've never seen these before. One cake is lotus paste with egg yolk, one is 5 nuts and egg yolk, one is green tea lotus paste and egg yolk, and the fourth one is sesame paste and egg yolk. I'll be taking them into class for my students, along with taro cake.

Is "Kung Pao" the name of a sauce? I think it's the name of a style. ← Among the Americanized Chinese restaurants, "Kung Pao" sauce is general term for brown sauce. ← Really? Maybe only in America, but definitely not at Soo's, my restaurant of the past. Our Kung Pao sauce is made with chicken stock and toban jang. This dish, Pan, has the green peppers in it. I know you don't like the peppers, but at one time, green peppers were not common fare for prairie towns. It seemed exotic to them, and it was colourful. It is considered by some that baby corn and waterchestnuts were a no no for kung po, but aren't waterchestnuts an Asian ingredient? I, perhaps in my ignorance, also thought baby corn was Asian fare. Anyway, at one time, our customers thought this dish was "exotic"... The base for our sesame chicken sauce was simple: vinegar, sugar, 5-spice powder, crushed chili peppers, and lots of sesame oil. The chicken pieces were mixed with an egg, seasonings, and a mix of flour and cornstarch, then rolled in cracker meal. These were deep fried, then tossed quickly into thickened sauce, finishing with lots of sesame seeds on top. The orange beef/chicken used the same base as above except for the sesame oil. In its place, we added orange extract, rehydrated chun pei (dried orange peel) for the flavour. Brown sauce has been mentioned several times in this thread and others. To me, brown sauce is gravy for egg foo young. This is nothing like the sauces we used for kung pao or sesame/orange chicken. The gravy is using oil from the deepfryers to make a roux, then adding chicken stock. To me, that's brown sauce.

I thought it was just me and my inferior taste buds. ← Perhaps it's just the way my favorite chinese restaurant makes it, but I've always thought the sauce for General Tso's Chicken had a definite "kick" to it. It's spicy and not at all comparable to the mild sauces in Sesame and Orange Chicken. ← Orange flavor chicken is supposed to have plenty of dried hot red peppers in it, I think. Not so? ← My version of orange and sesame chicken both had kick. We didn't have General Tso's, but I equate Kung Po chicken with the General except with "colour" (bell peppers, etc). The flavourings and base for the sauces were different, but they all had chili peppers.

I would not substitute more than 50% of the flour for bran because adding bran makes a recipe denser and a little drier in my opinion. What I do when a recipe calls for say 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour is substitute 1/2 cup all-purpose (I use 1/2 cup + 1 tablesoon cake flour) + 1/2 cup wheat flour. I think this would work for you muffin as well. So, say the muffin recipe calls for 2 cups all-purpose. I would substitute 1 cup by using 1/2 cup all-purpose (I would still use 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cake flour), 1/2 cup bran, or in other words, swap out a 1/4 of the flour portion. ← Thanks, Rodney. I'll give your proportions a try.

I am using a couple of fruit based muffin recipes: mango in one and canned cranberry sauce and dried apricots in another. Neither of these have bran. I would like to add some bran in place of the flour. Can I do that, and what proportion would work the best? Any other alterations to a recipe when I add bran?

One non electric waffle iron - check - I'll keep my eyes open. ← The waffle iron, it's made by Nordic Ware. The ones they have now are made without the "heat indicator" which I find really useful. I was given a used one years ago and have been searching for another since then. The only place I found one with the dial was on eBay. This second brand new one I got for $34.00 US. I have used mine on both gas and electric. I find mine works better on electric. As Snowangel said, these never wear out, never fail... I've enjoyed your blog very much. It's been wonderful reading, as with all the great blogs on eGullet!

Not sure you'd want to make it at home. I googled and this seems to give some information about making cho dofu at home: http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faqs/stinkytofu.html

I made ribs with brown bean sauce and brined plums for supper last night. The ribs were pork side ribs cut into 1.5 inch pieces. Steamed at a vigorous boil, it took an hour for them to be tender. They were not "toothless-tender", just "al dente" if this term could be applied to meat.

Any chance of seeing a picture of these wrappers, aprilmei?

I think with spareribs, you may want to steam them separately then add to the rice after most of the liquid in the rice has boiled off. Otherwise, mudbug's mom might not be able to chew the meat. For cured fatty pork, try salting thick slices of side pork or pork butt in coarse salt for about 3 days ( in a cool dry place, not the fridge). Then rinse off the salt, dice and add to the rice. The flavour is pure comfort food. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, mudbug's mom.

Thanks for all the posts confirming that freezing nuts is ok. I have always frozen raw nuts used for baking, but I wasn't sure about roasted salted nuts. Now that I know it's ok, and the nuts are so fresh and cheap, I picked up another 3 kgs, stored in sealed containers in the freezer. I'll be making up care packages for the kids when they come home for Thanksgiving.

gfron1: Your customer is correct. The wrappers shown in the link you provided are rice paper used for "salad rolls". The confusion comes from people calling them "spring rolls". Some people call them "summer rolls" but salad roll probably best describes these as they hold raw ingredients like a salad. These are dry discs and are sold in the grocery section. They must be moistened with warm water before wrapping. These rolls are eaten fresh. I have heard someone saying that you can deep fry them, but from Shaya's results, I don't think they worked well. The spring rolls that shaya described, with the delicate crispy texture are made with wheat flour wrappers. They are often called lumpia in recipe books (took me a long time to find out what lumpia was). These are sold in the freezer section and labelled Spring Roll Wrappers. They must be thawed completely, pulled apart very carefully, and used to wrap cooked fillings. These are best made then deep fried immediately.

I suppose it all depends on what the patient is convalescing from? I remember when my Yeh-yeh was in the hospital (can't remember why), my mom made gnow yuk/ginger jup for him. This was done in a ceramic jar inside a big pot of boiling water (dun). He would drink the broth ...supposed to build up his strength.

For someone who is convalescing, I would suggest beef, chicken, pork, ham yu on top or stirred into the rice. I usually marinade the sliced ( or diced)meats with seasoning, oil and cornstarch. Mix in some slivers of ginger and lay this on top of the rice just after it comes to a boil. The remaining moisture will blend with the meat juices to provide a wonderful flavour. It's not a sauce as one would see surrounding a dish, but a sauce that permeates every grain of rice. The rice will be softer than normal which is easier to digest for someone who is not as active as usual. Ham yu, and with the above meats, can be diced (make sure there are no bones), mixed with slivers of ginger and stirred into the rice after first boil is also wonderful. I sometimes add diced sweet potatoes as well. The sweet potato can be mashed into the crispy rice at the bottom of the pot, add hot water, and mmmmm The Chinese believe that shrimp is to be avoided for someone who's just had surgery. This shellfish is thought to prevent proper healing of incisions. Ginger will help purify the blood, and beef, chicken is said to build up strength.

Chris, I knew YOU wouldn't use a commercial sauce, but thought I'd throw that in just for anyone who might be reading the thread and DOES use prepared sauces. I mean, really! You, the guy who cures his own lap yuk ...

Chris: When you say you use black bean sauce, do you mean a prepared BBS from a jar? I can see where that might be diluted with the steam. I always smash my own fermented black beans with garlic, ginger and a touch of soy sauce. It's more "solid" than sauce but when steamed, the moisture combines with the smashed ingredients and cornstarch to produce the desired sauce. I wouldn't reduce the cornstarch because you might lose that silky texture. But then, I don't know how much cornstarch the recipe calls for. Even covering the dish with just the bamboo steamer lid will reduce the excess drips. Go to your local Asian store and buy the proper dishes for steaming. They look like pasta bowls and will fit in steamers better than dinner plates.The raised lips make removal easier also.

Try covering the dish with plastic cling wrap before steaming. I do that when I'm making ham yu if I want to keep the air "fresh" in case we have visitors. I usually add a bit of liquid into the dish to keep the ingredients moist, or if I DO want some sauce.

Hey Abra..."Thanks for noticing" Been cooking and eating SEAsian all summer but too lazy to post.

I remember eating goose intestines in HK. The BQ shops used to have these goose drumsticks made up of meat pieces, a chunk of liver and wrapped all around with goose intestines. They were then BBQed. My Po-po used to buy me one whenever I slept over and we go to the market.

Our Real Canadian SuperStore has a sale on deluxe roasted salted/unsalted mixed nuts for .98/100 gms. They are usually $1.58/100 gms. There were lots of pecans, cashews, almonds, hazlenuts and Brazilnuts, and a taste test told me they are fresh. They would be great for Xmas nibbles, and anytime, of course. I bought 3.5 kgs, hoping to keep most in the freezer to dole out. Will they keep fresh in the freezer? I know the nuts I buy for baking can turn rancid in the cupboard if not used in good time. If these salted ones keep well, I might buy more to make up for gift packs later. Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Mighty fine looking lap yuk, Chris. Looks like you had a nice piece of belly to work with: a good balance of lean and fat. I love how the fat becomes transparent when cooked, and gives almost a crispness when you bite into it. I remember my mom curing her own when we lived in a rural community with no access to commercial lap yuk. Every day she'd hang out the strips of meat on the clothes line on the shaded end, and cover it with netting ( old crinoline ) to keep out flies. The line had to be high enough so that the neighborhood dogs can snatch them. I don't know what her recipe was other than Chinese wine, soya sauce and some spices. I must ask her this weekend. She'll just say "I used so much of this, a little of that..." Must be ancient Chinese secret. Thinly sliced lap yuk = Chinese prosciutto I like to eat it with pickled scallions, and enjoy it steamed with rice or in nor mai fan. But, I don't think I like it so much that I'd try to cure some myself. Would love to hear about other's efforts, of course.

I find I always need to steam mine for close to an hour, but then, it's often times when Po-Po comes for supper. She likes them melt in your mouth, so I will often braise them in the oven rather than steaming on the stove.

Which one (s), Chris? I have actual recipes for siu mai, and mango pudding, but nor mai fan and lap mai fan I just DO it. Lobak goh recipe is from Grace Young's Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen. I made one and a half times the recipe. The specific pan I use is 10" x 3", and it was to the top! I'm just glad that lobak goh doesn't "boil over".

You young'uns are so ambitious. I watched my mom's labour of love making lap yuk and decided I'm too lazy for that. We don't eat a lot of it, and the only part that I really enjoy is the rind! I did buy a piece in the Asian grocery store, only because I bought a cast iron pot and now craving lap mai fan. I also made nor mai fan in lotus leaves for supper tonight, with left over filling and making joong. We had it with dou mew stir-fried with garlic, and BBQ duck. For brunch, we had chicken congee, cruellers, sui mai, and lok bak goh. Dessert was mango pudding.

XiaoLing, Welcome to eGulltet, AND to the Chinese forum.