Dejah

Tom Thomas: Several dishes you mentioned in your first post caught my attention as they sound so similar to what we enjoyed in Malaysia. We were staying with friends in the northern tip of the country, a village in Kadah province. What really got my attention was the fresh fish coated with spices and shallow frie you mentioned. My friend said they used mackerel, rubbed with salt and turmeric and fried until crispy. The flesh was almost dry and so easy to eat with the hands. Can you elaborate? I tried when we got back home and it just didn't turn out the same...

Kim: I think I had about 1/3 cheese 2/3 panko. I didn't really measure once I decided to mix the two. I've never used mayo instead of egg wash before, but I think it must be this that kept the chicken so moist. I used Himalyam Pink salt as that's what I was given in MY Xmas stocking. Ate the rest of the pulled pork with a throw together BBQ sauce on top of penne. It was good! Picked up a corned beef brisket at Sobeys and will try slow roasting it in the oven per Ann_T. Heading off across the border for some retail therapy, so I will look forward to making that belated St. Patrick's Day meal on the weekend!

Today, made the Kalua Pulled Pork as posted by Kim Shook. Started it early in the morning before I went to babysit with our granddaughter. Got home around 7:30 and the kitchen smelled delicious! Made up some carrot fries and stir-fried bok choy as sides. There wasn't much liquid in the bottom of the pot, so I added half a can of pineapple in its juice and simmered it while the carrots were roasting. It was really good! The recipe called for Hawaiian Red Salt. There is no source for this ingredient. How much would it have affected the flavour, Kim? I did wrap the meat in banana leaves. Always liked the fragrance when I used it to BBQ fish, and we liked the combination with the liquid smoke. Thanks, Kim! The carrots fries were sprinkled with Curry Seed Salt, a gift from San Diego via friends who wintered there.

Best memory of smoked turkey - "dinosaur legs" from Disneyworld. Our daughter was about 5 when we were there. In the evening, we were hungry, chilly, and were waiting for the Parade of Lights. There were 3 kids and 2 adults, and we thought we should share one leg. The vendor only had one, but more were on the way. We gave the daughter the first bite - she became VERY possessive and ate nearly the whole thing! We've never allowed her to forget that. We don't usually see smoked turkey unless it's Xmas. Maybe we'll be able to find some for Easter to provide a walk down memory lane! And, I REALLY want some now...

Hi Smithy: I use the simmering vinegar and water to clear the smell of deep fat frying or any kind of strong cooking odour. My kitchen is open to all areas of the main floor and up to my bedroom, so it's really important to "clean the air" in the winter (when I cannot open doors and windows at -40C temps!) so I can sleep. I told a friend the trick once but she thought it was straight vinegar. That definitly worked well! huiray: I must have been typing with a Toisanese accent...yes...it IS Inche Kabin. If anyone tried to google Inche Kiban, of course, it would say " do you mean Inche Kabin". Don't think it will direct the reader to Ayam Goreng . And yes, it is Penang Nyonya and double fried. We were introduced to this "fried chicken" on our trip to Malaysia last spring.

Ann_T and patrickamory: re- smell of cooking onions and whatever elses that lingers - I find if I simmer vinegar and water for about 30 minutes, it really cleans the air. I did that tonight after deep frying Inche Kiban - Malaysian Fried Chicken

Playing around with bacon! Bacon basket cooked in the oven Double bacon basket filled with scrambled eggs with mushrooms, jalapeno pepper, bell pepper - for hubby My breakfast: scrambled eggs, chopped fennel fronds, crumbled feta cheese

Ann_T - You have "breakfast of champions"!

To taste fresh shrimp would be such a treat on the prairies...I have shrimp envy, Scubadoo97!

Morkai: I brushed the chicken pieces with mayo, then coated the entire piece with seasoned panko crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. These were chicken quarters, bone in. Baked in a 425F oven for 20 minutes. The recipe I found said to mix the mayo with the cheese, coat the chicken, then sprinkle crumbs on top. I didn't read carefully, and I mixed the cheese in with the crumbs. But I think it worked better! Tonight: SPRING CHICKEN! The first chicken of spring in the Big Easy. Kaffir lime leaves stuffed under the skin. Also made nasi lemak (coconut milk, lemongrass and a touch of turmeric), and sayur lemak (Malay-style vegetables simmered in curry paste and coconut milk)

Patrickamory: we love chicken dopiaza! Sounds like crazy amount of onions, but so necessary. I like the bits you have on top of the chicken. Made oven baked parmesan / panko coated chicken for supper. The crust was crispy, and the chicken was moist. We ate this with a whole mess of stir-fried vegetables.

Thanks, Plantes Vertes! I like the idea of more "stuff" Looking forward to making and enjoying this.

huiray: Not sure what you meant by the comment " BTW, Toishan is not synonymous with Guangzhou. ;-) " I do know the difference. My comments were based on what I grew up with - re-rice cakes and nian goh

Plante Vertes: That coconut soup has EVERYTHING that I love! Any recipe or off the top of your head? For lunch, we had tofu-shirataki noodle soup with shrimp, Romaine lettuce, chicken broth, preserved chili radish and century egg - all drizzled with sesame oil.

Franci: I like that idea of pairing the rice cakes with the clams and lobster! I've only eaten it stir-fried with vegetables. You may have known this as "nian goh" because Toisanese families typically made these for Lunar New Year. My Mom used to make piles of these in small balls or oblong pieces. They were kept in water in a cool place to be used for the next couple of weeks. Mom would bring some out, slice the thicker ones, then fry 'em up. SO delicious. Now, one can buy the dried ones, rehydrate, then cook accordingly. Huiray, of course, is thinking of the sweet version eaten as cake, sweet and sticky. These are also made for Lunar New Year. We always made one according to tradition, but none of us really enjoyed it. I was really happy to have made the halibut two ways, Ann_T and Kim. Let me know how you liked it, Kim. Kim: Do you have the recipe for Kalua pork or a link to the recipe on line? I have banana leaves, pork and slow cooker. Sounds like something to have ready for when the kids come home for Easter.

Late lunch today: Fennel, pear, orange, cucumber, dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and quarter kumquats salad with mango chipotle dressing, Scrambled eggs with dill, crumbled feta, and grape tomatoes. Loved the tang and saltiness of the feta with the eggs.

Another feed of fresh halibut: One piece coated with panko and parmesan cheese, and the second piece marinated in ponzu. Both grilled then finished in the oven. Both were delicious. Eaten with stir-fried Cantonese noodles, baby bok choy, roasted beets and grape tomatoes. MUST take a break from the halibut so we don't OD...

Have not been able to find fresh green peppercorns lately, but I did find Madagascar Green Peppercorn cheese by Bothwell at Sobeys! For breakfast today to put the fire under me for marking final exams: slices of the cheese with English cucumber on black olive ciabatta...

Oh those senior moments! Forgot that I had already posted the pics of the lamb and Ryan. Hopefully, this "edit" removed that part and left the salad on. Hubby said the salad was more appropriate as dessert, so he did. Fennel, orange, Yu pear, cucumber, Romaine lettuce, coconut flakes, dried cranberries, toasted pecans with mango chipotle dressing.

Norm Matthews: Beautiful looking cornish hens, and I know they would be delicious! Reminds me of a surprise bday party I gave for hubby many years ago. I was cooking 24 hens, started prepping them the night before and hidden in a basement fridge. The next day, he told me he was taking the day off! I still had to blanch and glaze them throughout the day. In order to keep the secret, I was only able to show 2 hens at a time. As they were ready, I had to hide them in various places...Good thing I knew how many I had in total! Daughter and s-i-l came back from a trip out west. They love lamb as much as we do. Hubby had a rack, daughter and I shared one, and Ryan had a loin chunk. I guess it would have been cut into chops, but was left whole with the tenderloin attached. These were seasoned with Montreal steak spice, seared then finished off in the oven. Perfect with fresh mint sauce, smashed baby taters with chopped mint, and peas. Ryan is very handy with any kind of repairs. I keep his tummy happy and he fixes things for us. Last night, it was the garage door opener. My car is no longer trapped.

FINALLY! Fresh halibut at Sobeys! What they had packaged was pretty thin, but they brought out a whole fillet to cut for me. I couldn't let them do it, so I bought the whole piece. Cut it up into 2 meals, and we enjoyed some last night. The halibut was coated with just seasoned panko crumbs, pan seared on one side then into a 425F oven for 10 minutes or so. It was moist, almost silky texture...Lovely! Ann_T and teapot: Did you just season and pan-seared the halibut you posted up-thread? I thought of adding Parmesan to the crumbs, but I didn't want to detract from the flavour of the halibut itself. Looking forward to the next meal!

Not sure if it was my citrus marinated roast chicken you saw, but I also did the same dish tonight for our daughter and s-i-l. tonight. They loved it and will use the leftovers for their lunch-on-the-road tomorrow. Here's the one I made a while back. The recipe is for 2 chickens, and even though there are only the two of us at home, we really enjoy the leftovers for a couple of meals and lunches after. It travels well too. I took it for a 3 hour drive to our son's home for supper one weekend.

March has been a sparse month of cooking due to flu and bronchitis, but getting back into the groove. Love all the meals shared on these pages, but Ann_T always kills me just for the halibut... Some meals I've managed lately: Beef stew with tagliatelle: MapoTofu with addition of eggplant a side of mung bean noodles and lettuce Cumin beef Something new for me - fenugreek - Aloo Methi. The recipe I tried didn't call for cumin. I checked another recipe and I will definitely add cumin seeds next time. It was a nice change from aloo gobi. Pork cutlet and aloo methi

It's been quite chilly here on the prairies due to windchill temps - hovering around -40, and to -50 last Sat. Many of our meals have been colourful and spicy with my attempts to convince my brain that spring IS coming. Well, I think it worked as it's in the single digits this week! Citrus marinated roast chicken Chicken and dates tagine with carrot fries. The dip is Spicy Mayo by Spice Goddess on Food Network? I've discovered fresh curry leaves and enjoying it. The dip is toasted brown mustard seeds (dry) curry leaves, unsweetened shredded coconut, chili powder or flakes, ground coriander, and mayo. I love this dip for anything! And my Not-your-usual-butter chicken. I got lazy while preparing the chicken and the side of mixed vegetables, so I threw it all into one pot. Turned out very well and only one pot to wash

Supper last night: Chicken Dopiaza - Chicken and Onion Curry