Dejah

The recipe that I've learned and have tried calls for marinating the inside of the chicken with salt and five spice powder. Then par-boiled in straight red vinegar to about half cooked. (5-10 minutes) Hung up to chicken to dry for half a day. When ready to eat, deep-fry the chicken to fully cooked. I think the vinegar (acid) extracts the water out of the skin, and hunging up the chicken helps to drain the excess moisture under the skin. So the result after deep-frying is a very crispy skin on the chicken. BTW: This is my 500th post. A big mark. What prize do I get? ← That seems like a lot of red vinegar? Would it not flavour the chicken? I have used about 1/4 cup of vinegar to enough water to cover the chicken for the first step. The vinegar does make the skin crispy. I add a couple tablespoons of honey to the water also. This helps to produce a nice golden colour without having to deep fry for a long period of time. Welcome! agog! Speaking of fan noong, did your parents ever scrape it up, then gently squeeze it into a ball so your little hands can hold it and nibble on as you leave the table to go and play? Or, cook fon see (sweet potato) chunks with the rice, then mash acouple pieces into the fan noong before adding water to make fan jeu? Or, in lap mai fan, cook taro with lap yook, lap ap, then eat the meat sandwiched between slices of taro? GuangdongRen = here comes your Cantonese and Mandarin, hzrt! And I get my Cantonese and Toisanese mixed together! Guangdong YUN...Gongung geen...people of Canton (Guangdong). Right? Ben Gaw Gaw? You really explained the Toisanese sounds well, Ben. I knew the sounds but never tried to express them in writing. You did say when you were visiting that you have made the study of our culture a lifetime effort. It really shows in your sharing of information. Thank you! I noticed that, although many of us speak "Toisanese", there are also variants within this dialect. It all depends on where your village is in Guangdong. I must ask my Mom when she comes on Sunday for the "exact description" of our home. LAKSA et all: Do you often cook with clay pot? I got a new one for Xmas and haven't used it yet. Any suggestions on how to prep. it for the first use? and how to keep it from cracking? No high heat...etc

← That's before she knew the real punchline of the story. ← That is so funny! My face is still red. I can't read any Chinese... But I like romantic stories,regardless of the "punchline"!

Nope. It's Swiss chard. The two are related, though. [Edited because I can't type.] ← Hmmm, I could have sworn it was bok choy. The stalk looks too white, too firm and too smooth to be swiss chard. Usually chard has a slight curl to the leave as well. But then, there may be many varieties of swiss chard. I want to add my words of admiration for your finess in all aspects of blogging! I have so much to learn from you!

I believe I may need to take the gai mo so to all of you!

That's a cool story! I remember the love letters now that I've seen the picture. Thanks, Tepee et al. In one of the other threads...perhaps in Chinese candy, I mentioned about a treat made with eggs etc, like a very thin pancake with cilantro on top. It may have been the same ingredients as love letters, except it was flat and not folded. Once, the wind caught it as I left the shop and it all blew away except for what was between my fingers

In telling me stories about her early days as a daughter-in-law, my Mom said that she always got the neck, the head and feet of the chicken. Ah Yeah and Ah Geen got the "butt" and the drumsticks. I like to eat the neck after supper, taking the time to nibble off every little bit of meat.

Love Letters? Not sure what those are. Someone show me a pictrue other than the neen go stuffed one. Those look gooey and sweet and yummy!

Only if it faces you . ← I USED to eat the tongue part....strange little V shaped cartilage....crunchy, grossed out my kids Anyone read The Jade Peony by Jason Choy? Chinese Immigrants on the West Coast. Do we need to start a new thread on related books?

BC, As Ben said, don't underestimate the Causacian half of relationships.My hubby is Scottish/English and he eats everything and always insists on using chopsticks. I also came to Canada in the 50s. Smuggled out of China when I was 2, left HK when I was 10. Been here ever since. I just met another Toisanese from another forum. She lives in Winnipeg! I have invited her to join eGullet. She's excited to hear about our "family" here. She's coming out sometime for a visit, probably when my Mom and I make doong. Her family didn't agree with her bi-racial marriage so she is missing the Chinese part of her life. It is a painful split, but we will try to help her heal and rediscover her roots again. She misses Chinese food! May have to educate her husband as well;-) I am still waiting for a recipe for ham sui gok! Any help with that? Ling? Gastro, where have you been?! Say nui bow! Where's the gai mo so

Are those the ones you boiled for "8" hours? (The question I asked in my first post on eGullet) ← I remember I've made some interesting friends since my doong webpage was posted. Going to boil this year's batch outside. (Gotta start searching for baggy pants and crochet vest)

What is rubitan? or is that rambutan? The "hairy lycee"? I haven't been able to get durian past my nose! I promised myself I will REALLY try again this summer. My mouth waters everytime someone tries to describe how wonderful durian tastes. I've even tried durian candy. My mouth just clamps shut and my nose turns into itself. (Think of someone gurning) Hubby handled it ( the candy) but we will both scrounge up the strength this summer for the real thing. BTW, we have 3 neighbors, 2 on the west side and one on the east side who have sold their homes since last week. When did this talk of stinky dofu start?

Thanks, Tepee. I am glad to hear DH cpmplied sp willingly

Can you tell me the name of the little sprouts in the chowder and the grilled spring salmon. I had them in England and loved them...haven't seen them around here. Are they mustard sprouts? I like them because they are more "substantial" then alfalfa, onion, etc. Love them in sandwiches, wraps, salads, etc. Pam, I wasn't complaining about BBQ in the snow, I was sorta bragging that we are a tough lot here in Manitoba!

QUOTE(Dejah @ Mar 17 2005, 08:26 PM) How about some Tim Horton's or Timbits, eh? wink.gif Daddy-A

Dejah: If I convince any one to bring me some again I will send some to Brandon. Why isn't anyone making this delicacy in Toronto or Vancouver. I bet it would sell well in Flushing, New York located near the street side Kabob Stand. Irwin ← Irwin, If you sent me some chow dufu, you'd be my hero for life! Might be a way to get rid of unwanted neighbors.

How about some Tim Horton's or Timbits, eh? Love that oil and vinegar section.

What are the ones in the second picture? Yetty? The question first posted was about Yao Tieu stuffed with pork silk and wrapped in sticky rice. Got any pictures of those?

I don't recall birthday cakes at Chinese birthday parties...at least not until we came to Canada. We've only recently started having bday cake at my Mom's bdays...assimilation into the N.A culture and all that. I usually write Sang Yut Fie Lok in big bold red characters. My Mom loves flowers, so I'd do a bouquet of icing flowers in the corner. (one flower for each of the great grandchildren)

How COULD you! Irwin, at this hour and when there is no way I can ever taste stinky dofu here on the Canadian prairies. ( Dej throwing a tantrum) It's been 47 years.........................................Wonder if I would still enjoy it...

My s-i-l would cover the dish of yook beng and ham yeu with saran wrap before steaming so the whole house is not aromaticized. Me, I like the full blast! I like how the bits of fish sorta melts in your mouth... Saltylicious, I like the idea of ham yeu jee yook beng with mush, and waterchestnuts. I've never tried putting ham yeu on top. Why not!!!? 2 favourites in one dish! Try adding some slivered ginger and lap cheung to the jook beng too.

Guangzhou or Guangchou or Kwangchou is the name of the capital city of Kwangtung or Guangdong Province, the southeast Chinese province that abuts on Hong Kong. Toysan, Hoisaan, Taishan, Toisan is the county of Guangdong province that is about west and southwest of Macau. This is t6he hjome district of 95% of all the Chinese in North America, and elsewhere, prior to the late 1960s. By your transliteration of "doong" you are Toysanese. ← Looks like we caught another one! The cooker you described sounds very interesting, Max. Any chance of a picture? It sure beats steaming up the whole house, althought that's good in the winter when the air is so dry.

I usually buy ham yeu that is wrapped in cello and hanging in the cured meats section of my Chinese supermarket. They are in rigor mortis position. My favourite is called sam gna wong - mui hern yook. They cost around $7.00 depending on their weight. I have seen ham yeu sold in jars immersed in oil. I have never tried them. Any comments? Once I cut into the fish, I cut it all up into chunks and store them in a well sealed glass jar in the fridge. This keeps them "moist".

I have vague memories of a bar shaped chopped peanut and cococunt chewy candy. I need to spend more time in the candy aisles next trip!

It's 10 pm and I am craving for ham yeu. I have 2 fish heads and dofu in the fridge, but I dare not "aromatize" the house before bedtime! So, I will retire with the delicous visions of ham yeu dofu tong sloshing my head. hzrt, you use sesame oil in many of your dishes. I like it too, but prefer just "cooked oil" -sook yao and ginger on top of big chunks of ham yeu. My mom is quite proud to tell her friends that Sue-On must cook a whole fish each time, and the kids all fight over the big bone. The juice with the little shreds of ginger is great over "fan jew"... A friend told me she cooks salty fish on top of her rice while it is steaming. She always sprinkles 5 spice powder on top of the fish along with ginger. In my experience, there are 2 kinds of ham yeu, the firm texture and the mui hurn jook (soft flesh). I think the soft texture ones are more flavourful?

You're welcome...by the way, a high % of men are colorblind. That is cucur udang. Like people shapes, some are rounder and some are flatter. And now, we must apologize to Su-On for hijacking her thread. ← Hey! N/P There was the bonus of learning about cucur udang! You will be forgiven if either you or kew show me a picture of the sticky rice wrapped yao char kui AND include instructions for making same!