Dejah

Many thanks, Jo-Mel. for all the info'. I'll be checking into the restaurant supply and Chinese stores when I next hit Winnipeg. I enjoyed your response on HomeEc stations... The perfect teaching station may be the semi-circle counter, like on Emeril Live, with the students and their own cooktops facing the instructor. Ah....dream on.... I think most of my "potential students" would just like me to cook my recipes for them as they watch. I love to cook for them, but it gets expensive. Someone suggested a "private dining club" at my house...not worth the hassel! and really, what could one charge? The cooking itself is quick, but the prep..... I've packaged up Xmas care parcels for some friends...assortment of dim sum that they can steam at home. For our own extended family Xmas dinner, we are having Angus Prime rib roast!

Well, if project won't deviate from his "geometric precision", then JO-MEL's idea: "The proof, tho, no matter how perfect the pleated dumpling, is in the eatin'. No words, please. We want samples!! " is good enough for me! Accept the challenge, PROJECT! please....

PROJECT: We will want to SEE results, ie...pictures of picture perfect geometric pleats!

Is huo guo the Mandarin pronunciation for hot-pot? Cantonese pronunciation "da bing lo"?

JO-MEL, Yes, please! send information and tips for the butane burner. My daughter laughed this morning when I called it a bunsen burner...LOL!

Ok, Guys, Thanks alot! Now I'll have to have another party! Haven't had a hot pot party for about 20 years. Time just hasn't permitted a relaxed, many hours of eating kind of party. Years ago, we used an electric deep fryer, clear chicken stock, a variety of meats, seafood, vegetables and cellophane noodles. The broth at the end was so incredibly delicious I have since acquired 2 stainless steel hot pots. Now that I have been inspired, I'll get them down from the top of the cupboards and test them out with the family. A question: Until I get a butane burner, would a can of sterno keep the broth hot enough? I would heat the stock to boiling first before transferring to the hot pot.

PAN: si gup (jup) pi gwut = black bean garlic ribs, which I do marinate in soya sauce and cornstarch before steaming. My phonetic translations are terrible. JO-MEL: I understand what you mean about convience of teaching at home...everything you'd need would be right on hand. I wish I had the HomeEc. kitchen I had when I taught high school...8 cooking stations! We did do stir-fry, wontons, etc. In my evening immigrant ESL class, one of the lessons on following instructions was making Jell-o no bake cheesecake. The first time, I forgot the sugar. This term, I forgot BOWLS! Luckily, a good friend lived close by... Next summer ( I hope) I am installing an old commercial gas stove in the backyard. Perhaps then, I can think about doing some classes. What are some of the dishes you have "taught"? Are your classes for Chinese cooking or a mixture?

Second load of dishes going now. Mainly pots, pans, platters left to do. I ate very little while cooking and serving. Like you, I find it hard to eat when I have a large party. Being a good host, anticipating and looking after others' needs is foremost, I guess I had sui mai, beef balls and congee left over, so that's what we just finished having for lunch. My counter space was pretty much full...but I have a 2 tiered island with my stove top on one side. This was great for keeping food in chafers. I have seen the butane stoves. Must get one before the next party! You are right about being organized. I make planning notes, then post a "work-list" right on the fridge close to my stove. Can't trust my memory when there is a crowd trying to visit with me as I cook! Didn't serve anything in bamboo steamers. With the quantities needed, it just wasn't practical. I do have a restaurant size steel steamer, but my stove wouldn't allow anything else then. I transfer the food to platters, and many have bamboo motifs...Good substitutes? Cooking classes?! Tell me more!!! We have a Chinese cooking class at the local community college. I'd love to be able to do something like that, but the instructor has been teaching the course for several years...entranched I've had many requests, but I don't want to ruffle any feathers. From what I have heard, he doesn't do alot of authentic. Couldn't do it at home. My family would rebel!

Good Morning, jo-mel: puff...puff...puff...it was cook, serve, cook, serve... Two of our guests were unavoidably delayed...so it was a repeat performance 2 hours after we started. I had steamed some items earlier as I am limited to a 4 burner electric stove. But everything else came together well...giving us a breather between items. As our friends arrived and mingled, I started the evening with spiced beef or vegetarian cigars made with phyllo pastry, coated with sesame seeds and baked 'til crispy. Not much of a wine person, I did have Portugese mateus in honour of our Portugese friend My table (seats 14 snuggly)was set with dipping sauces, pickled cucumber, chopped cilantro, green onions, chili oil, century eggs and cut pieces of yu tiao, appetizer plates, chopsticks and spoons, and lots of napkins. By the time we were seated, my double stacker steamer of ha gow was ready. I transferred these to 2 platters. I also served the congee at this time. The sui mai and meat balls I had put into 10" glass pie plates. This way, I saved all the juices and makes it easier to plop into and take out of the steam trays. The sui mai followed the ha gow. I had blanched the gai lan earlier, placed on a platter. These I zapped in the microwave as I preped the oyster sauce and hot oil as someone suggested. The splatter was impressive! This was a welcome item. The curry chicken puffs were ready from the oven. Crazy, but I love Mexican salsa with these, so I put out bowls of this cold stuff. I had to keep reminding people: Don't fill up on any one thing! Try everything first, then go back again! Then it was meat balls that "bounce" These I served with pieces of romaine lettuce and cilantro. I found the meat balls took longer steaming than other items, because they are pingpong ball size of solid meat. So I cooked them for 15 minutes earlier in the day, cooled then re-steamed for 15 minutes before serving. Didn't affect the texture at all. I also put out the sticky rice in lotus leaves steamed earlier and kept hot in a chafer. The baos took 10 minutes of re-steaming to warm up and stayed fluffy. I made chicken wings, BBQ ribs and si gup ribs to serve with these. The wings and ribs were in foil and warmed up the same time as the curry puffs. The si gup I kept warm in the slow cooker. Ho fun with beansprouts and long pieces of green onion finished the list. Slices of fresh pineapple was a good finish after all that starch and meat. There was lots of Chinese tea, Guan Yen something...a gift from one of my Taiwanese students. We didn't get to the red bean soup...just couldn't handle it. I put thru' one load in my dishwasher before I went to bed. The counters are still covered. Must wake up obedient daughter to help! I love feeding people and watching them enjoy new foods. Made the days of prep. worthwhile...but damn! I hate cleaning up!

jo-mel. My old one is cast iron and they work the best. A friend from Texas brought one up for me, aluminium, and it doesn't work nearly as well...lack the weight, I think. It's 3 pm here, I am tidying up my kitchen before the feeding frenzy!

Ben Hong: As for "medicinal" type soups, I personally like only a couple, as most of them require a lot of procedral driven cooking methods. I do enjoy them when someone else makes them though, eg: by a little old Chinese Popo (Grandma) who really does believe in the beneficial aspects of the dishes. I hear ya! Hurray for Po-Pos! I usually cook these soups when Po-Po comes for the day. Prepare the ingredients the night before per her instructions, then cook while she is here.

sigh........................ If I had to follow your directions, I'll never eat homemade dumplings. From jo-mel's link, I would assume those in the pictures are for boiling. I have never made these dumplings with pleats. When I make my ha gow, I use a 35 year old metal tortilla press my Mom bought on a visit to NY. If you cut the dough the right size, roll into a ball before pressing, they come out perfectly round and right thickness. If you find they are still too thick on the edges, just go along the edge and press with index and thumbs, turning the disk as you press. I have, with 3 other friends, on occaision, made about 1000 in a one day marathon! The best way to learn how to pleat is to find a Chinese grandma! Acouple of turns with her and you'll be pleating with the best of them! My Mom made me practise with acouple pieces of dough until I could pleat before she gave me any filling. You can also try using playdough! These dumplings are so delicate, I can't see them "standing with only the ends touching.

Chinese long beans stir-fried with fermented bean curd....mmmmmmmmm

LOUFOOD, Thanks for your input Next time I go to an authentic dim sum restaurant, I'll have to take note of the carts. But, I am usually so keen on eating...JUST BRING 'EM ON! My guests, (TODAY!) are mostly neophytes with dim sum. I may serve the sui mai first as that's the one I have the most of... Then the ha gow as I have only 60 of those made...and so on. I am going to serve chicken congee, and then red bean soup for dessert along with fresh fruit. Didn't have enough energy left to make custard tarts I am making naw mai gai in lotus leaves without lap cheung as one of my guests is Malaysian Muslim.

Ah....lo wah kiu...me too, AND from Toisan. My hubby is Scotish/English and we have 3 "mixed blood" children Hubby is adventurous so he and the kids have grown up with my Mom's and my immigrant Chinese cooking. Don't know about in your area, but most Chinese people here often eat with forks at banquets Sometimes, hubby is the only Caucasian, AND he insists on eating with chopsticks! One of my family's favorite foods is ham yiu with ground pork. My Mom can't get over how the kids devour the stuff. Most family's cook acouple squares for a meal...my 3 kids, hubby and I would eat a whole fish! Do you cook any of the "medicinal soups'?

Herbicidal, Zhong zi...in bamboo leaves...I use salted fat pork, mushrooms, peanuts, dried shrimp, onions and sometimes shredded dried scallops. My Mom and I usually make about 150 packets, boil, cool then throw them in the freezer for quick meals. With the nau mai gai, there should be more chicken than rice? A friend of mine ate them for the first time. I was busy doing something out in the kitchen while he was eating it. I asked him how he liked it...and he complained that the leave was awfully chewy!

Oh Boy! There are so many threads for a newcomer to catch up on! My favorite recipe for these dried/reconstituted mushrooms is to stir-fry them with oyster sauce and...when I can afford them, abalone! The soaking liquid is perfect to use for simmering before adding the oyster sayce. I usually put blanched romaine lettuce on the bottom of the plate. They are drenched with the sauce...sooo good

Ok, I'm going to show my red embarassed face...what is PHO? I know it's Vietnamese, is a noodle soup? but have never had it..or if I did, didn't know what it was called. I have been deprived!

I am assuming that several posters in this forum are of Asian descent. Just wondering how many cook foods like their immigrant ancestors did. For example: hum yeau (Salty fish), beef/pork with salted turnip, dried bak choi tong, say mai tong. tofu stick tong with dried oysters...or even shrimp paste!?

PRASANTRIN: I don't make my own puff pastry. I use puff pastry sheets from Pepperidge Farm, in restaurant size boxes. These keep well in the freezer and I just pull out as many sheets as I need. I find they are very easy to work with and not greasy. When I make them, I do up acoupe dozens, freeze individually, then bake as I need them. May not be like the ones you enjoyed in Thailand, but damn! they're yummy TRILLIUM: If you can make lobak go, you can make woo to go. Most recipes tell you to stir fry the shredded turnip. I find boiling them makes them more tender. I then add them to the rest of the ingredients (which I DO stir fry before hand). With the woo to, I boil them with the skin on, then peel when cooled and dice them. Then I add them to the rest of the ingredients, mix up my rice flour with water, stir it all together, pour into my pan and steam for an hour. The lobak go is stronger in flavour, while the taro cake is more starchy...both delcious! If you need a recipe, I can copy it here for you. CWYC: Do you make your own cheung fun? I find when I DO make my own, as opposed to buying them from Sun Wah or Oriental Market, I can't keep up to the family! They devour them as soon as I take them off the steamer. When you make your lotus leave packets, what "kind" of chicken do you use? Boneless? With bones, cut Chinese style, salty chicken? More chicken than rice? HERBICIDAL: My Mom used to make hum sui gok for special events... like birthdays. I look forward to those days! Thanks, folks! You've made my first foray into the site SO ENJOYABLE!

Turnip cake is another one of my specialties, as with woo to cake (taro). I use rice flour (NOT glutinous) in my mixture, with lap chung, mushrooms and dried shrimp. The woo kok is difficult to make, I think. I do have recipes, but Mom said they can disintergrate in the deep fryer quite easily I am an ESL teacher at our university, (in Brandon, Manitoba, prasantrin), and my Chinese students really appreciate these cakes:) I'll have to check the store for nice crisp watercress...otherwise I will serve the congee with you tiao. I love eating those just by themselves! I have made potstickers with chicken and lots of slivered ginger. The addition of chicken stock. etc,sounds good, so I will try that for another party. In fact, there are so many good suggestions here I will HAVE to have another party:) Maybe I'll invite the students up after Xmas. They all want to learn how to make dim sum...so no work, no eat! Definitely, jo-mel et al, if you are close enough to Brandon, you are welcome to come "yum cha" with the gang. I have 96 sui mai, 60 har gow, 36 bao, 25 curry, 32 sticky rice and about 200 beef balls so far. I have frozen all these as I made them. Tomorrow, I will steam them as I pull them from the freezer. The curry will be baked. The almond jelly is a substitute for tofu fa. That was ok when we couldn't have the dessert tofu that is now so available. I have made it, with milk, gelatine and almond flavoring. You know what I miss?? Stinky tofu! Maybe I won't be able to handle it now...after being away from HK for 45 years My older brother used to chase the vendor away when he smelled it coming!

Thanks Gary, for the welcome I live on the prairies where majority of the population is focused on meat and potatoes, Chinese buffet, pizza, etc. Our Superstore does carry a good assortment of Chinese vegetables, a few baked goods, etc. Several restaurants have tried the dim sum menu, but only a small select group of well travelled caucasians would partake. The Chinese population is small and they like to make their own;) Such thrifty people! I would love to make the taro croquettes, at another time, after some practice IF you can give me the recipe and how-to's. Do you make custard tarts? Can you substitute any other kind of pastry recipe for the ones usually found in Chinese cookbooks. They always seem to be a lot of work I am having my party for supper...or as Americans would say "dinner".

Well, maybe I won't decide on the soup until Sat. night...wait for all the suggestions to come in! I was even thinking of a light soup...watercress, or winter melon. I love chicken feet, but not sure if all my guests would appreciate the effort and time I'd take to make them This forum is incredible. Wish I had found this sooner. There are so many "old threads" I would have loved to participate in.

Thanks! Congee it is, and gai lan with oyster sauce is a favorite... One item we CAN get here is Chinese long donuts, a must with congee!

I am having a dinner party on Sunday...for about 16 people. They requested dim sum as it is not readily available in our small city. So far, I have made beef meat balls, har gow, sui mai, curry chicken in puff pastry, chicken/lapchung/mushroom steamed buns, sticky rice in lotus leaf. I will also have ribs in black bean garlic sauce and a lomein with lots of vegetables. Questions: Can anyone suggest a good or complimentary order to serve up these items? What would be a good soup to serve with this? I know they would love hot 'n'sour or congee...but I feel these would be "too heavy". How about dessert? I was thinking of red bean/lotus nut soup and fresh fruit tray? Tea would be best? BTW, I am new to the forum, and I am having a blast reading all the posts! Thank you