Dejah

Are these Ya Cai considered expensive? Are they similar to other regular bean sprouts or entirely different?50 grams does not seem a whole lot for bean sprouts, which regularly are sold by the pound (e.g. US$1.00 a pound in California). Since they used the word 四川 (Sichuan) in the name, do they grow the Ya Cai in Sichuan then transport them to New York (by air?)? ← Ah Leung, I don't think they mean actual sprouts. Read pcbilly's statement again:

Headcheese is quite common in my neck of the prairies. haven't had it for a long time. I suppose you can add the Chinese touch by drizzles of sesame oil, or you can incorporate oyster sauce to make Ben Sook cringe. I guess we'll have to wait for Qing to tell us about

In comparing my sand pot with the clay pots I have seen, it appears that the clay pots are glazed both the inside and outside, and possibly fired in a kiln? My sand pot is glazed only on the inside, and I don't think it would have been fired. I was told to never put a sand pot on high or direct heat. Another bit of advice was to soak the sand pot before using?

Oh...my...

This is reminiscent of A Christmas Story by Jean Sheperd. The turkey was left to cool on the kitchen table when the neighbor's gang of dogs raided. Off to the local Chinese restaurant for Peking Duck and singing waiters! "Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra" I love that movie, and Peking/Cantonese roast duck!

That looks great! Ah Leung. I guess I will have to make mine in a Dutch oven. I have a sand pot only and it would not hold up to the "chow" method. Add to Xmas list: clay pot...

I agree that lap yook must be raw when you make nor mai fan. I just have never seen lap yook so fresh that it would require firming up before slicing. Must check next time I am in Chinatown.

Good Grief! You don't think lap yook is hard enough already without freezing it? The ones I have used are either hanging naked by the cord, or in cryovac. I find them hard and have to be very careful cutting them. It's much easier to cut(soft) after they are cooked.

Ben Sook sent our family a dozen lively ones from NEW BRUNSWICK

Now THAT'S what I call a good tip! Thanks, Irwin. I think that's what I will do. But, now, I have to stop in my quest for that "other gadget"...

My parents have that same set-up. Dejah - I saw a knife block in a magazine that was basically a rectangular box that was stuffed with bamboo skewers. This allowed knives of various sizes and shapes to fit in. Do you have wall space? You can also use one of those strip magnets like this one. ← My stove is on an island so jo-mel's suggestion is out. The walls in my kitchen are either covered by cupboards or tiles. I do have a magnetic strip, but have no convenient place to mount it. Right now, I have my most used knives in the block on the window ledge above my work space. The cleaver sits inside of my utentials drawer on my cooking island. I just have to turn 180 degrees from my prep. area to my stove. I would just like to have another block...as I said, I love gadgets!

All this talk of nor mai fan/nor mai gai makes me wanting some! So much to eat, so little time!

I think a lot of aspiring cooks should clean out their kitchen drawers and jettison a lot of the toys therein, and really start to learn techniques. Like you said Ah Leung, is there really a need for egg beaters, garlic presses, 5 different tongs, mandolines, 20 different knives, etc., ad nauseam? A pair of chopsticks, a sharp medium Chinese cleaver (or a heavy 8" chef's knife) will meet 95% of my needs. I absolutely hate wasting time looking for, setting up,and washing the "toys". Garlic press indeed ← Well! I, for one, love kitchen gadgets.hrumph! I may only use them once in a blue moon - or is it on a full moon?, but I love getting them as gifts. My drawers are getting full, so I try to keep all these "useless gadgets" in one place. They are fun to use when China and I are trying new recipes. My knives are in a wood block, and I like different knives for different purposes. It really depends on my mood (so full moon may well explain my eccentricity!) On the topic of knife blocks, has anyone ever found a block that has an opening for a real Chinese cleaver? I am tempted to "saw" one in my block myself.

Dry turkey? There's no such thing! I agree with Ben, leave Thanksgiving turkey and fixings non-Asian. I used to cringe everytime a customer says, "Where's the turkey chop suey? lemon, turkey, etc." This is not Chinese cooking, but a hint given by a local chef said to roast the bird breast down. This way, the fat will drip to the breast and keep it moist.

Lovely looking liu rjwong. I'm glad to see someone else think in the same mode as I. There's no point in taking the time for all the prep. with more rice than liu! With what rjwong has in his pictorial, you can eat it as is, served in bowls with a light soup on the side, or wrapped in lotus leaf. If you make lots of lotus leaf nor mai gai/fan, you can freeze them and just steam from the frozen state for 20 minutes. My s-i-l steams the whole mixture rather than cooking the rice and ingredients separately.

I'll have the mussels, escargot, and seafood and pasta. You are spoiled! Tepee!

Plates lifters are still being sold here in Manitoba, but I never bother with them. I guess old skin is tougher.

Not at all; think wintermelon. My version is more like Azian's, with the melon in juliennes, and perhaps with BBQ pork along with the dried shrimp. I use a light soya only because my kids like it that way. You have to make sure there is liquid in the "wok" before you add the mung bean thread; otherwise, they will turn into a big clump.

The ham yu is about the same price then, depending on the weight. I noticed that the fermented variety was a little more expensive than the firm texture ones. Really! They charge more for the "rotten stuff!" Shouldn't they charge less for "old stuff gone bad?" I can't believe $2.50 for a soya chicken! Can't buy a fresh one for that! Are you sure it is not infected with avain flu ?

This looks very much like what I served as chicken lo mein.

Same as what I used on the other pictorial (steamed pork). It's mackerel (but this one is not immersed in oil). ← I've been meaning to ask: Does this frozen salted mackerel qualify as ham yu? Is it frozen salted fresh fish, like salted cod? Ham yu is salted and wind dried...

It's only because you are a haam sap lo! Laksa. Food porn, again. ..

I do have Wei-Chuan's Chinese Snacks book. The picture looks like what we had in Winnipeg. I guess the restaurant just made them to look prettier with the tail as a handle. Thanks Gus_tatory and Betty for both recipes!

I just use tobanjan for mapo and kung pao dishes..and no hoisin. I too think that the sugar will smooth out the heat too much. I brown the chilis in oil and garlic just before I add the pork. I find this lets the heat into the bits of meat.

This "shrimp football" was definitely not coated with bread crumbs then deepfried. The surface was more like the deep fried taro puffs. Must look up taro puffs then maybe go from there. I can see the insides being what you described, hzrt.