Dejah

Now I know what I have to make for supper next week when I am back in my own kitchen:Cantonese egg foo young with the brown gloopy gravy. We just made the omlettes in the big wok. The trick eas to form each one on the SIDES of the wok, moving it around so that it would cool properly, without any "hot spots". Bean sprouts, char siu, tiny shrimps, green onions and eggs. These were not the firm patties like the "ordinary" egg foo young. These were fluffy patties". My gravy was made with some oil (lard) from the deep fryer. I made a rue with this and flour, then added hot chicken stock...Best gravy ever! When my kids were small, they loved the "egg foo young" my Mom made: diced lap cheung, peas, onions, and eggs scrambled together into clumps.

I love "har kow" with snowpeas. That adds another colour and texture to the dish. Fish slices are also very good. Cook the fish separately and lay on top. Add a touch of cilantro and voila! hrzt: Why do you add the vinegar? I have never heard of that...

So, Tepee, are you going to do the first pictorial of a banquet dish? I know, I know, you made the cake...but that's something you do all the time. I want eGulleteers to try their hands on a banquet dish that they have never made at home. What say you? We could add other dishes as well that were not part of Ben's banquet. These could all be part of the banquet menu for the cyber restaurant: www.WOK. A little explanation on the name: Being as we are all from different parts of the world, and the wok is, traditionally synonomous with Asian cooking, I thought it would be a good name for a cyber restaurant with an international staff.

hzrt: Any idea what the English name for "Sam gnah wong/ three teeth yellow?" is? That's the kind of wind dried salty fish I always buy. It's also "mui hern" texture - soft, melt in your mouth texture. It's quite expensie as well, runs around $12.00 a fish about 12 to 14 inches long.

So what ISthe difference between mooncakes and chess cakes? They are both filled with lotus paste. The pastry looks the same...Are the words/decorations on the cakes different? I didn't know that about eating eggs. I DO know that the person celebrating a birthday is not supposed to eat bananas on that day. Does anyone else know the custom of say "Gnow aw see/cow pooping ? for saying someone has a bday? I remember my Mom saying that as she was preparin g the bday feast. For my dad's bday, or other MALE members of the family, there is always "sam sang" (crispy pork, fish, chicken) for "by sun" in the morning. The women get zilch...

he must be still napping after gorging on all that cyber banquet food!

Jo-mel, I assumed it was Happy Birthday song in Chinese...and do know the words, but when I saw your post, all I saw were ??????? all in bold red font! I wonder why I can't see the Chinese characters?

Do I need to drop this post into a Chinese translator? (name hrzt?)

I have copied and printed out this list for my next Chinese food party. Thanks Jack! Hope everyone enjoyed them at our first cyber banquet at the restaurant www.WOK! At least we didn't need DDs... Now, if we can get eGulleteers to do pictorials on these banquet dishes... I will be trying my hand at one or two...after my stint of Po-Po sitting...

Is the pink chicken because "red" is the lucky colour, and the white noodles themselves would be an "unlucky" colour? I see you have 2 eggs in the pic with the noodle box. Is there egg worked into the soup? Or just an indication that these are egg noodles?

Cost factor in restaurants...altho' we didn't have shrimp toast on our menu. At home, we can spoil ourselves silly!

Look for Bird's Custard powder in the dessert aisle or baking products aisle, in any supermarket, mudbug.

Well, wesza was made honourary Toisanese, so I can't see why we can't grant you Honourary Chinese status! Besides, you TEACH Chinese cooking classes!

JO! Are you SURE you're not Chinese? Have you checked the mirror lately?

All the BIG O birthday parties I have attended have given out sets of rice bowls and chopsticks as "party favours". At my grandfather's 60th while I was still in HK, I remember the large living room/dining room that we had was set with 6 round tables, each seating 8. This was the supper just for family members. Granny had engaged the chef and kitchen staff from one of her favourite restaurants to cook the meal. The only dish that I really remember was the snake soup! I was enjoying the "crisps"...so light and transluscent...crisp and delicious. Then, my brother told me it was deep fried snake skin! I was given a new set of clothes for this party. Still have a picture of myself sitting in my red coat with fake leopard skin collar. The rest of the family also got new clothes for that celebration. For dessert, I know we had miniature fruit and birds shaped from marzipane, fruit and a sweet soup with noodles.

Would this be the same custard powder as "Bird's Custard Powder". I use this for trifle, but not sure if it would be the same.

I mentioned the addition of honey to the blanching water in a previous post.

Looks more like a sautee pan than a frying pan... have you always used this type of cookware? hzrt? I have woks, but have been eyeing a sautee pan...

Watch for the FIRST cyber event of the Chinese Forum! 12:01 am, October 8, 2005 Come and join in the special first cyber banquet Visit the venue... Drool at the banquet fare prepared for this special event... Drink to his health of our guests of honor... Join us as we sing and make merry...

Hey! How did you get a hold of my platter?! A good looking dish. hzrt! We'll have to make up a menu with all your dishes for the virtual Chinese home cooking restaurant we talked about in another thread...

Very interesting. I don't think I had this before. I wonder how they tie it in with West Lake (Sai Woo). Would this be a Hangzhou speciality originally? ← That's what I was told about West Lake duck, West Lake tang, West lake etc, etc...tied to Sai Woo.

Tepee! You are so cruel! I am drooling...(starting to sound like Ben Sook!

The red bean soup is served more often hot than cold. You can also make a thicker, sweeter version and turn it into ice lollies. Yum! ← I prefer my red bean soup hot...love the lollies! Must make some...

Why NOT, if one likes wine? My gut feeling is that white wine would go well with Chinese food. I, like Ben, can't drink much alcohol...no tolerance, but I do like sips of white...not too dry, with ANY cuisine, and red or white meat.

Save the wine for before and after, Tepee... I am not much of a drinker, but I love a sip of ice wine after supper...just a sip...or two at most...