Dejah

Irwin:>Whole Steamed Winter Melon Soup with Yunnan Ham, Ginkos and Flowers. Do you remember ? Darn you! It's still -35C and and I am without whole winter melon! However, I do have a quarter, so will make my quarter melon soup for supper tonight, with sliced pork belly steamed with ham choy and slivered ginger Someone mentioned that the price of pork belly will go up now that it's been "discovered". That happened about 4 years ago in our area. Pork belly used to be one of the cheaper cuts, so ku lo yuk was a mainstay in our buffet. Then the price went double, and it became a menu item instead.

errr...trillium... did you say it might hit freezing temps on the Pacific coast? Try -41 C on the Canadian prairies with 30 cms of snow Savory tang yuen sticks to your ribs and everything else...an extra layer to keep me warm...

Savory tang yuen with lo bak, dried shrimp, lap cheung, topped with fresh ground black pepper, splash of sesame oil, lots of chopped cilantro with a side dish of light soya, slivered ginger and ma-la oil for dipping yuen.

Ben: KOU yuk...same as ku lo yuk as I described in my first post? Chopstickfull...hmmm I liked it better when grandma fed me by the porcelain spoonful Lop yuk steamed on top of cooking rice, add some lop gnap and lap cheung... now THAT should really go in the winter Chinese cooking thread! Then the burnt rice on the bottom of the pot, wetted down with hot water is so delicious...we fight over it

Pork ku lo yuk with sweet 'n'sour subgum: Used to cut the pork belly into one inch cubes, egg wash and lightly covered with CRACKER crumbs, deep fried a golden colour then ladled some translucent sweet 'n' sour sauce over the top. Served with a scattering of pickled subgum, a restaurant favorite. At home, I like to steam left over crispy BBQ pork belly with shrimp paste, eat with a big bowl of jasmin rice...comfort food!

House has finally settled down...time for me to jot down some results from our family hot pot night I tried the sterno under the bigger hot pot in the afternoon, with some boiling water in the pot. Not effective. The smaller pot didn't have a big enough opening to insert the sterno, so it was charcoals for both. I really appreciated the info' you posted about lighting the charcoal under the broiler, jo-mel! Luckily, my oven is close to the kitchen window, and our dining area is also open to the kitchen, so ventilation was not a problem. The only problem was that I didn't put enough briquets in the bigger pot with the taller chimney. The "squat one" was great...broth stayed very hot even when there were several food items immersed. I ended up nuking the broth from the big pot acouple times to bring it back to boil quickly. We had: sliced beef and pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, shrimp, baby squid, pickerel fillet, baby bak choy, baby spinach, whole green onion stalks, shrimp flavoured noodles. I started with chicken stock which I made earlier with ginger, celery and chicken carcasses I had in the freezer. I gave each person a platter of the ingredients, chopsticks, soup spoon and a small long handled strainer. Everyone had a small bowl of rice, a dish of light soya flavoured with slivered ginger, green onions, sesame oil and fresh ground pepper, a dish of hot chili oil, one of sweet chili sauce and one of oyster sauce. There was a big platter of sushi with crab, avocado, cucumber and julienne carrot with pickled ginger and wasabi. We ate and visited for about 3 hours...often fighting over the food and stealing from eachother. It was the first experience for our kids. They enjoyed the food but not sure if they liked having to cook their own food! :D. We had to replenish the coals under the broiler once. I was very glad I didn't have to go out to the BBQ! We had left over meat and seafood so it was stir fry for supper next night. I had fresh oysters but I didn't think the kids would enjoy them...so we breaded them with cracker crumbs, toasted sesame seeds and pan-fried with our supper with the stir-fries. They were delicious! We had lots of broth left...very flavourful. I froze it and today I used it and made war wonton soup for lunch!

My Mom will observe all her traditions...supervising my s-i-l in the preparations. They always make "nian gow" and waterchestnut cake...both sweet and sticky. I love watching her make the big deep fried balls (with glutinous rice flour?). She blows air into the ball of dough, then deep fries them. The left over ones always collapse and these are later cooked with guy choy...unusuall sweet and bitter dish that is so yummy! Then there's the white dough "worms and disks" that are steamed. These are kept in cold water. Later, she slices them and stir-fries them with veg, meat, as you would with ho fun. I also loved the deep fried sweet crescents filled with sesasme seeds or chopped peanuts. How many of you keep those round trays with sweet meats to munch on: candied lotus nuts, coconut slices, winter melon, waterchestnuts, carrot slices, lotus root, red melon seeds, etc? New Years eve they will have tang yuen (sweet ones). The big ceremony will be New Years morning...with the complete chicken, crispy pork, fish, pastries, fruit, little cups of wine, rice, soups and kumquats. The ceremonial incense urn and table always look so beautiful. The local paper sent the photographer last year and they featured a beautiful silhouette picture of my Mom making her prayers with tendrils of incense smoke rising. When we were kids, my Mom would wake us in the morning with a piece of candy to start the new year "sweet". Days before, we would be warned not to say anything negative during these next few days. We will make our new year visit on the 23rd. Being a married daughter, I can't visit my parent's home until the 2nd day of the new year. I must take fruit, candy and sweet pastry on my visit. New Years is expensive for elders! Those "hung baos" for the neices, nephews, their kids add up! For our house, nothing like the above! Last year, I hosted a dumpling party for my classmates from our Mandarin language class. Our visiting professor and his wife from Nanjing showed us how to make jiaozi...boiled dumplings...the ones that you bring to a boil, add cold water, boil again...3 times? There were 20 of us, and I lost count as to how many we made...and ate! I also served BBQ ribs, Cantonese chow mein, salty chicken and salt and peper shrimp in the shell. This year, it will depend on how many Chinese students I will have in my university class. I know the ones who studied with me last term have been hinting to come up for cooking lessons on dim sum... So, if there are around 20, that may happen ;) Before we retired from the restaurant biz, we held a "dim sum" lunch on the Sunday before the new year. This is reservations only...for 250. Those who reserved early, get to sit in the banquet room ( 165 seats), and get to see the entertainment. This is usually tai-chi and other martial arts demos, Chinese music students ( one who is a professional pipa artist), and dim sum demos with my Mom and her friends:)

Thanks for your input, Gary. Maybe I can keep my extra broth hot in the rice cooker.

I just brought my hot pots down from the shelf...and they are different from yours, Gary. Yours is one big "bowl"...Both of mine have a "chimney" up the middle so the broth would be in a "moat" around the chimney. Would this make a difference with the heat distribution? Tonkichi mentioned using a rice cooker. Would this provide more heat? I DO plan on bringing the broth to a boil before transferring to the hot pot. With 2 pots, we might be able to use one, then let it heat up again as we use the other pot? Guess I should work this out before tomorrow evening! Maybe I can use the propane torch I got for my creme brulee to heat things up!

Gary et al: With the meat for hot pot...did you marinate at all before using? Or silken? I would think the "silken method" would cloud the broth? I haven't had the opportunity to find a butane stove yet...so will use my hot pots with sterno... Superstore got a fresh shipment of pickerel fillets today...so we will have that in place of the fish balls...

Thanks for the info', Tan. I made the eggnog recipe last night and we tasted it tonight. I had some "bubbles" on top, and now I realize I should have strained it as I poured into the baking dish. Otherwise, I browned the sugar under the broiler ( as I don't have my Xmas present yet ). The family enjoyed my first creme brulee! Tonight, I was just wanting more info' as I think I am ready to try and make the recipe for the large family dinner on Thurs. I am also making my traditional trifle, just in case

I have an 18 rib crown pork roast for a dinner party. Was wondering if anyone has good recipes for stuffing, etc? In the past, I have made the old bread stuffing and just roasting. The meat was on the dry side. Is there any way to have a moist crown roast?

Karen et al, By making it stovetop, is there another recipe for this...or can I still use any creme brulee recipe? How long do I cook the mixture then? Just until thickened? Tan suggested making the creme brulee the night before....do I do all the steps, then, instead of putting it in the ramekins and baking immediately, put into containers and refridgerate until I bake them NEXT day?

Ben, You are correct to think these festive rituals are usually the province of women, unless you are the male elder in the household, who just step in at the last minute to perform My s-i-l only keep up with these rituals for my Mom's sake. I don't think she will continue when Mom is gone...too Canadianized? I am trying to record these rituals in our weekly talks. She gave me a "prayer" for Chinese new years. I wrote it down phonetically. This was very important for me when we had the restaurant biz, to ensure prosperity. I don't like the sweet tang yuen either...it's the julienned lo bak and dried shrimp in the savory tang that I love. My husband and kids dread the glutinous balls....always seem to stick in their throat. They often try to sneak them into MY bowl!

Tracey, I would really appreciate the recipe! kthull, I am going to take tan's suggestion. I am actually going to make the eggnog one tomorrow for a test run. and I realized after, that it wasn't eggnog-eggnog that I use, but rum and brandy! Please don't expect a report tomorrow night as I may be under the table from the booze!

I don't do anything special in my house, but my 94 year old mother does. This is an important date for her...but maybe not so much for the younger generation. I asked my brother why it always falls on Dec. 22. He didn't even realize that. He just does what mother tells him! My sister-in-law, with whom she lives, will steam a chicken with head and feet intact with the required "sam sang" for offering to the dieties. First thing in the morning, they will place 6 bowls of tang yuen (sweet ones), with 6 tang yuen in each bowl, on a table facing the south window. There will be incense burning. This is an offering to the gods of heaven. Then they will add a plate each of chicken, pork and fish ( heaven, earth, water), with 6 bowls of savory tang yuen for the offering to our ancestors. The table will also have 6 small bowls of rice, 6 pairs chopsticks and 6 tiny wine cups. My brother, being the only male in the family line, will do the kowtows, along with my Mom who will say the prayers. We are still waiting for the lunch invite...

Thanks for the link, Gary. We have a Jewish friend in Brooklyn. He's been pretty sheltered... 58 years old...was in a bit of cultural shcok when he visited us in Canada acouple summers ago. I'll forward the link to him and maybe he'll be braver next trip up.

I'm about 3 months late...but I just joined this forum. If anyone is still interested, here is my Mom's recipe for white fluffy steamed baos. Pastry ingredients: 4 cups all purpose flour ( measure to 8oz. line in measuring cup) sugar (measure to 7 oz line in measuring cup) 1/2 tsp. salt 4 heaping tsp. baking powder 2 cups LESS 1 TBSP cold milk 1 tbsp veg. oil I use my KitchenAid with the paddles. Mix dry ingrdients, then blend in milk and oil. Knead for 10 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.. Knead again until smooth. Cut into desired size balls. Roll out into circles, thinner atround the edges. Fill with desired filling. Place on muffin liners. Steam for 20 minutes. I lift the lid after 15 mintes, wipe the inside as it will be full of condensation. Then steam again for another 5 or 6 minutes. I think the MILK may be the deciding factor in white fluffy baos. I have since found packaged bao flour at Chinese grocery stores. I think it must have baking powder mixed in. All I have to add is sugar and, again, it is MILK and not water. The brand I use has a 3 bells symbol on the upper left hand corner. I often make bao with chicken, Chinese mushrooms, lapcheong, onion and ginger. If there are some left over, I put into freezer bags and into the freezer for quick snacks.

Thanks, kthull, for the lead on eggnog creme brulee. Looks like what I'll be able to handle for the crowd, and I just happen to have lots of eggnog on hand. I'll do the recipe early Xmas morning to serve that evening. I hope it is a "no fail" recipe!

What is or what are POKE? A Canuck prairie girl wants to know .

I want to make creme brulee for our family Xmas dinner. Crazy request from the family as I have never made it before, but they all love it. There will be 25 of us for the meal. Is it possible to make this in a large container, for example, the French white type lasagne dish? I am wondering if the centres will cook thru' in the same amount of time. Can I keep it cool, bake the second one, and then do the carmalizing just before serving?

BettyK and anyone interested: The recipe for KAY MAH: INGREDIENTS: 3 EGGS 1 CUP WATER 2 1/2 CUPS FLOUR 2 TBSP. RAISINS 2 TSP. BAKING POWDER 10 CUPS OIL ( FOR DEEPFRYING) 6 OZ. MALTOSE 1 tbsp SESAME SEEDS 1 1/2 CUPS SUGAR PROCEDURE: 1. Sift flour and baking powder together onto the pastry board. Spread to form a hollow in the centre. Add eggs. Blend the flour and eggs together with your fingers. Then knead the dough thoroughly until it is smooth. 2. Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/6" thick.Cut it into 2" wide long strips. Dust the strips with flour so they don't stick together. Stack the strips, then cut into thin noodles (across the width). Separate these noodles and again dust with flour. 3. Heat the oil in a deep pan (wok). Shake off excess flour in a strainer, then lower the noodles carefully into the hot oil. Deep fry the strips 1/3 at a time until golden. The noodles should sizzle and float up quickly.( I keep them moving, turning with a Chinese lie lay untensil to keep the colour even). Lower the heat if they are turning brown too quickly. Remove, drain and place noodles in a large platter. 4. In a small sauce pan, add the sugar, maltose and water. Bring to a boil then simmer and stir over low heat until the mixture is like syrup and pours out as a thread. Pour it on the fried noodles and mix immediately, carefully, thoroughly. 5. At this point, IF you want raisins, you can put them onto the pastry board. Then, put the noodles from #4 on top, pat into a big square about 1 1/2" thick. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. These can be stored in a closed container for several days.

QUOTE (Shiewie @ Nov 4 2003, 08:05 PM) the eggy dough stuff coated with treacle (sutt kay mah) BETTYK:Is it cut into big cubes? There's one we called 'macaroni cake'. Don't know the chinese name. It looks like lots of small broken pieces of dough coated with caramel and sesame seeds. Wish I could have the recipe for this. BettyK: Do you still want a recipe for sutt kay mah? I have one from Pei Mei's Chinese Cook Book Volume II I have never used the recipe. Have always made it with my Mother at my elbow.

In my restaurant days, we used Tenderflake lard in huge blocks in our deepfryers. We tried vegetable oil, but found lard gave us the lighter and fluffier batter. Canola oil was our choice for stir-fries, because of the cost factor. Canola is like a clean slate, you can develop different flavours with what you add as you cook.