Dejah

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