Dejah

I love beef tendon! When my sister visits from Vancouver, she always bring us lots. I dole it out...keeping some in double ziplock bags in the freezer. I like to eat them cold, with chili oil...mmmmmmmm Pig stomach is another favorite, cooked in soup with tofu sticks.

wongste: When it comes to food, an advantage the dead have over the living is... they don't gain any weight! Ok, that's sick. That's funny browniebaker: My father and mother have a forty-year battle going, about whether the food that's offered to the ancestors should be foods that the ancestors liked to eat or foods that we the living like to eat. I was taught that the "sam sang" is a must...as with all ceremonies such as Lunar New Year, bdays, anytime offerings are made to the dieties, ancestors. The meal following usually has Chinese mushrooms in oyster sauce, bean thread, white simmered chicken...etc. I suppose raisins would be regarded as the fruit component.

In the thread on chopstick etiquette, there is discussion on visits to the cemetery to pay respect to our ancestors. When we lived in HK, it was a whole day affair as we had to take the ferry to Kowloon where my grandparents are buried. We had to carry so many things: paper money, gold paper ingots, incense, red candles, sam sang ( crispy pork, whole chicken and a fish). fruit, a variety of baking, etc. For us kids, it was like a picnic...after the serious business was completed. Now in Canada, we usually visit my father's grave end of May. As in HK, we take all the "necessaries". We take a metal can to burn the paper money. Strange thing tho'...the money is printed with Hell Bank as the issuer. My non-Chinese hubby thought he should keep a "million dollar" bill as a collectible...but my Mom stopped that... The money is burned so my father will have lots of money to spend in heaven. The food and wine is also offered for his enjoyment. Crispy pork tastes the best on this day...perhaps because we always go around lunch time and we are starving, and the weather is always lousy! We go home after and have a feast On the Sunday after father's Day, our whole Chinese community gather and do the same thing, but we visit ALL the Chinese graves, especially the very old ones whose families are all gone or moved away...the forgotten ones. We just place incense and clean up. After, we all gather at a local Chinese restaurant for a traditional banquet...at lunch time. This restaurant has provided the food for the last 10 years. We all donate money towards the expenses, and local restaurant suppliers donate meat, veg, fruit and drinks. Funny how all traditions are food focused!

Chicken feet, aka golden palms or pheonix palms served for dim sum. I teach ESL at the university. This term, 99% of our students were from China. We were in Winnipeg for a field trip and dim sum was for lunch. Only one of the 6 caucasian teachers would eat the chicken feet. I sided with the students, but then I am Chinese I like my palms with black bean garlic and lots of chili. They should be so tender that you can just suck the skin and tendons off the bones. One of my Mom's specialties was stuffed large intestine of pig. She'd clean and soak them in salted water for an hour. Then she'd stuff them with rice and black beans. The ends are tied and the whole "coil" is steamed. Mom would slice the coil into disks. We would dip them into soya, fresh ginger and chili oil. Food from memory always "taste" so good!

or have a smaller mouth

My weekend of making joong got delayed by company, so this Saturday is J-Day. I just finished boiling and washing about 350 bamboo leaves. The pork butte has been salted, rinsed and cut into 4 " finger width pieces,as with the lapcheung. My son brought back a BBQ duck yesterday. The peanuts and dried baby shrimp are soaking. I will make some without pork for my Muslim friend, then the rest will be loaded. I will have my digital camera handy and plan to take pictures on the wrapping process. This will be especially useful as I want to learn how my Mom makes her special shape. My young students from China all want to come up for lessons, but there are too many. This way, they can learn from the pictures. If they were honest, they'd just tell me they'd like to be here when joong are cooked and ready to eat! Not sure how I can post pictures on the forum. If anyone can help me with the proceedure, perhaps I can upload acouple, or I may just post them in a series on our swebsite. Wait for it...

I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm guessing stabbing is verboten for the same reason the Chinese don't use knives at the table. It's barbaric! I am from Canton/ southern China and all the chopsticks I have ever used are blunt ended, so "stabbing" would have looked like a food fight When setting the table, chopsticks are placed perpendicular to the edge of the table, on the right hand side, big end down. This way, the chopsticks are ready for use when the guest is ready to eat. When not in use, place your chopsticks back as they were first placed, with or without a "rest". I have also seen chopsticks placed with the ends resting on a "bone plate" if one is being used. I was taught to serve others with the big end of the chopstick because it has not touched your mouth. I often serve my Mom that way when she is visiting. When eating from a communal dish, never reach for food on the side away from you. When the dish is not close to you, place your bowl close to the food before picking it up and placing it into your bowl. This way, you don't dribble onto the table. When eating noodle soup, I pick up a small amount of noodles with my chopsticks, and hold the spoon under this as I transfer (daintily ) the noodles to my mouth. So many rules...When do I get to eat!?

My Mom makes a dish with blanched centres of Shanghai bok choy, topped with pre-soaked shredded dried scallop in a light sauce. I usually just use dried scallops in jook, or as mentioned in another thread, in joong.

I will be making my second batch (freezer batch) of joong this weekend. By the time I finish, I should have about 100 joong, a steamed up kitchen, tired hands but happy family and friends! The following is my family's traditional joong mixture: -glutineous and jasmin rice, half and half mixture -dried scallop, Chinese mushrooms, and peanuts, softened in warm water, seasoned then stir-fried with sliced Spanish onion - lapcheung, each cut into 4 long pieces - pork butt that I have had in coarse salt for the last 3 days, will rinse then cut into finger size pieces. I use a traditional Chinese tea cup to measure just the right amount of rice for each packet. I start with one leaf folded into a "cone", add half cup of rice, add a second leave, then lay out my filling on top. This is then covered with the second half cup of rice. A third leave is added, folded to hold everything in, tied with string, then into a container waiting to be boiled for 2.5 hours. I freeze these in Ziplock bags after they cool off. If I have time, I thaw and boil them for about 10 minutes before eating. Other times, I zap 'em in the microwave. They survive well in the freezer. good even after a year ( found strays at the bottom of the freezer)

Tsk, tsk, you didn't check out the link to the cute Flash tutorial on Zongzi from Hong Kong in my original post. You would have learned, like me, that Beijing White Zongzi are just glutinous rice, no stuffing, steamed and served with sugar. I just started my morning in the LINK...getting a lesson on zongzi I am always afraid to go to links...they take me deeper and deeper... Thanks for kick starting me this morning!

OK, I give up. That won't stop the sticky-rice chicken at my favorite dim sum parlors from reminding me of Jiaxing zongzi with their simple, moist savory filling. BTW, Beijing "white zongzi" are steamed, yet they're referred to as zongzi..... Apples and oranges are both fruit. Giving up so soon, Gary? Anyway, Beijing white zongzi are steamed? Hmm, I'll have to try one next time I'm there. I'll agree with the comments pointed out by Ben. I do think that if someone used just sticky rice with its filling and boiled it in leaves for eight hours, I wouldn't like it texturally. That's why I also like it with zongzi with both kinds of rice, as someone else mentioned. Gary, What exactly is Beijing white zongzi"? I DO make a boiled zongzi with just sweet rice...as well as the mixed rice kind. Neither is boiled for 8 hours! I boil mine, about 24 at a time in a large pot for 2.5 hours. Acouple years ago, my Vietnamese staff forgot and boiled one batch for 4 hours. It was VERY silky. I prefer mine to be smooth but still a little bit of a chewy texture. I find that I can indulge in one and a half packets of the mixed rice variety, but with just sweet rice, one is plenty

I suspect what you're talking about here is different and not zongzi. At dimsum, it's noh mai gai. They're shaped differently, without the points as in the photo. They would be shaped sort of like squarish pillows, with rounded corners. They also use only one kind of rice, where as zongzi should use regular rice and sticky rice. A variation on that would be jen juh gai, which are smaller versions of noh mai gai. 25 of the ones I made with Mom on Sat were noh mai joong...made only with sticky rice, with the meats and wrapped in bamboo leaves. I prefer the mixed rice ones...not quite as sticky. The noh mai gai , I make it with lotus leaves and not bamboo leaves. In these, the rice is steamed first, then seasoned and savories added. This is all mixed together, then a large handful is placed in a lotus leave, wrapped then steamed again for 20 minutes. Does this sound like what you had at dim sum? Jason? Mom froze most of the ones we made. I usually have some for supper, then freeze the rest. My kids used to take them to school for lunch. They also make great picnic fare...good even cold!

Ben, Lo wah kiw! I live in Brandon, close to where you were stationed in the 70's...Shilo. Wait until I make my 150 joong, then do a drive-by...

I am one of the lucky ones, to have my 95 year old mother to teach me all the old ways. My mom, my 18 year old daughter and I made 85 packets of joong this Saturday...for Mom's freezer and observance of June 22. Per her request, we made a dozen sweet rice with lye water joong. She didn't want red bean paste this time, just a piece of red stick (joong sum) for the red colour in the middle. These will be eaten dipped in white sugar. We made 50 packets with a mixture of jasmin and sweet rice. These were savory ones, filled with BBQ duck, lapcheung, salted fat pork, stir-fried onions, peanuts and dried baby shrimp. To finish, we made 25 packets with just sweet rice, with the same fillings as the above. I was boiling joong from 1 pm to 9:30 pm on a wet rainy Sat. Can you imagine the humidity in the house?! I am going to buy one of those "turkey deep fryers" before I make my own supply of about 150. This way, I can boil outside! The hardest part in this activity is soaking, washing and boiling the bamboo leaves in water and vinegar. Then the cutting and chopping of the filling takes time. I enjoy this once a year time tho', especially since it fills my freezer for the year The only thing I haven't been able to learn is, how to make the special "twisted" shapes my mom makes. My non-Chinese hubby says they taste better.

Just watched a program on TV this afternoon...on kitchen make-overs. The home owner happened to be Jamaican and operated a restaurant in ...not sure where. She made jerked chicken on the show. She used a wet marinate, of scotch bonnet peppers, brown and cane sugar, olive oil, thyme, lime juice?. The chicken was 2 halves, bone in, flattened and marinated for an hour or so. The BBQ was charcoal...burned low. She first put down several pieces of pimento wood, then the chicken, topped by pieces of oak. The meat was cooked, covered, over a slow fire for 3 to 4 hours!? They didn't show the final results, but she said it would slow cook to tender juicy jerked chicken!

I have YEO's yellow bean sauce. Haven't done much Thai cooking, but I use it for my steamed pork ribs or belly with plums in brine. Have never rinsed the sauce before using. Would that not lose much of the "flavour"? For my pork dish, I just scoop some sauce and mix it in with the meat. I don't usually add salt as the sauce is salty.

"Sizzling hot plate" items were a big attention-getter when we had the restaurant, with our own BBQ sauce, curry, black bean garlic or sechuan sauce. But, I am not sure what the "Black pepper sauce"is. Do you have an secret ancient Chinese recipe to share?

jo-mel, I made your recipe for Pearl Balls for my students' international food fair. The first batch I made, I mixed by hand, stirring in one direction with a wooden spoon. My Mom said they were good, but I thought they were a little mushy rather than soft. Yesterday, I made my second batch, same recipe except a little less Chinese mushrooms as I found the first ones a bit overpowering. This time, I used my KitchenAide, with the paddles. I "beat" on low speed until everything was mixed up. These were better texture, soft but not mushy. I took a chafer of 70 meatballs...nestled on a bed of fresh lettuce (not steamed). They looked great and were gone in no time flat! As we don't have any dim sum in our small city, the Chinese students loved the treat. Thanks for the great recipe. I may try out the "parsley factor" with my beef ball recipe this weekend.

Jo-Ann, I made the Pearl Balls last night and they turned out very well. My daughter said they looked like sea urchins! I ran out of pre-soaked rice, so will finish the rest of the meat today. However, I found the meatballs to be very soft and fine textured...not the same bouncy texture as the beef meat balls I make. Is that the way they are supposed to be? I have never had Pearl Balls before, so am not sure of the texture.

jo-mel, Your recipe for PEARL BALLS: Can these be frozen after I steam them? Can't imagine they'd freeze well before they are steamed...? Ok...duh... I should have read BOTH pages I printed out instead of focusing on... " I gotta get to the store before closing for waterchestnuts!" I will steam then freeze;-)

jo-mel, I was wondering if you did any updates on the parsley factor on meatballs? I was planning to make some for our students' international food fair. I will not be there to explain the "pinkness" to all the people, and definitely do not want to see all my meatballs in the garbage!

Whenever people from China come to visit me, they bring me boxes of "fat choy", especially when I was in business. It sounds the same as the Cantonese for "prosperity" When I make soup with it, I mix some with ground pork, shaped into meat balls. After the pork bones stock is done, I add cut up suey choy, more fat choy and the meat balls. I love the texture. I am able to buy fresh lotus root in Chinese grocery stores on the prairies. Sometimes, they are in cryovac, other times, in sawdust or straw. I use it in soup, with lots of octopus(not squid) and ginger. Stir-fry is a favorite method also. I prefer the starchy one for soup and the crunchy ones for stir-fry. Seems to me that the "longer cylindrical shaped" roots are crispy and the "squatter round" roots are starchy? Will have to ask Mom Hubby thought the slices looked like the bridge on a fiddle...so our family named it "fiddle bridge soup". Anyone like the sweetened slices at New Years, along with lotus nuts, waterchestnut, carrots etc? I bought some sei kou for Mom at Chinese New Year. She hoarded afew and has them sitting in water. They sprouted and have stalks about 12" long!

Fresh, thinly sliced pickerel fillet, seasoned with fresh ground white pepper, a little peanut oil and corn starch rub...the perfect addition to jook. I like to add lots of cilantro, a dash of sesame oil and pickled vegetables. I also "silken" other meats, such as chicken, beef or pork before adding to the jook. I add the meat when the jook is ready, bring it back to boil and serve. I have never had it with pidan until this year. It's great! I too remember eating porridge as a savory. Haven't had it since my Mom made it while we were still in HK. This was a favorite as a breakfast on cold days. I'll be looking after my 95 year old Mom for the next two weeks. This is always a joyful time as I get to learn more traditional cooking. Tonight, she instructed me in making papaya soup. What a waste of a wonderful fruit, but the soup was simple and delicious. Along with the cooking, she shares many memorie of our old home. Tonight, she was telling me about the wonderful papaya trees in our yard back in Toisan...The melons were much bigger, of course

Aprilmei, Clay pot and sand pot same or different utensils? Is there any particular way to season, maintain, and prepare a sand pot for cooking? I have had 3, 4 sand pots, and they have all cracked after about 6 uses Both the "too sweet and too wet" plastic wrapped lap cheong, produced in Vancouver, I believe, and the wind dried (don't know from where) ones are available in Winnipeg. I like them both. I don't care for the chicken liver and pork ones tho'. The texture is too fine for my taste. Where are you BettyK, that you can't get these? My Mom used to make her own lap yuk, back in the 60's. I'll have to ask her if she still remembers the recipe, not that I'd try to make any. I am having visions of my 100 pound Great Pyrenees dog taking flying leaps at my bamboo pole strung with delectable strips of lap yuk!

"bo zi fan" literally means " little pot rice"...cook the lap cheong or lap yuk, or BOTH, together with your rice. I usually slice the meat and lay them on top. As the rice boils, the meat tends to "sink down" a bit, adding wonderful flavour throughout the rice. Other times, I leave the meat in whole pieces and slice after they are cooked. Anyone else like to chew and chew and chew on the lap yuk rind...after it is cooked, of course! If I cook the rice on top of the stove, the crispy rice on the bottom of the pot is especially yummy.