Dejah

This should really be posted in Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner threads as that's what happened yesterday! Rhubarb pie!

Ann_T's lamb riblets had me wanting lamb, cumin lamb to be specific. But, I forgot to pull the lamb out of the freezer, so I made Hunan cumin beef instead as I had top sirloin in the fridge. Instead of the 15-20 dried chilis this dish often calls for, I used Old Mother Chili oil, 4 chopped dried hot chili peppers from my garden last year, cumin powder and cumin seeds. It was hot enough and full of cumin flavour. I love it when I bite onto cumin seeds!

Kids and families were home this weekend, and they reminded me that Fifth day of the Fith month is June 12: dragon boats and joong season! AND, they brought home packages of bamboo leaves...How clever! So, this morning, I was up at 6 am, got all the ingredients ready: lap cheong, salted pork, salted duck egg yolks, peanuts, dong goo, Spanish onion, glutinous rice, jasmine rice, seasonings, and leaves (soaked and washed leaves 2 nights ago). Reminded my daughter how to wrap the joong as she had made them a few years back with my Mom. Taught my 8 months-pregnant daughter-in-law how to make them ( I took my Mom's role:-), and left them to it while I made another of their requests: steamed Chinese sponge cake. They ended up with 84 packets of joongzi. I am boiling the last 2 doz now. Each family left with 18 packets plus cake.

heidih: This is the chili oil I added to my congee: It has a nice flavour and I love the crunchy bits from the chili peppers and the few peanuts. huiray: THose baby zukes look lovely. Our FM doesn't start until June, and I imagine it'll be slim pickins' as we didn't get spring until this week!

It's a cool dreary cloudy day but perfect for gardening. Congee in the slow cooker seemed to fit the bill while I spent time working outside. I made the congee thicker than usual, with several chicken backs, necks, and thighs. I swear, I eat congee just for the fixings: century egg, pork floss, Old Mother Chili with peanuts, and a lovely grind of white peppercorns that I brought back from Malaysia. Missed the cilantro tho'.

So, will there be a run on Lee Kum Kee Char Siu marinade now?! Good job on the wonton hats!

Keith_W: Will have to try your simmering-liquid with the wolfberries next time. I have a berry bush at our farm location. It's about 35 years old and still produces even though neglected. The berries are very sweet and flavourful, so may add another dimension to the broth. Your HCR looks great!

C.sapidus! I AM feeling better, thanks! And now, I'll have an order of that curry chicken, please! That will be on the table, maybe Sunday, as I need some curry dip for roti jala! Looking forward to using my little jala ladle souvenir!

Ann_T: HCR is one dish that can be put together in fairly short order if need be. Yours looks great! Had nicely marbled chuck roast cut up and made rendang early in the day. Pretty much simmered for the whole afternoon and was ready for supper. The house smelled great, as did the aroma coming out the air vent to the garden where I was working! In the past, I made the dish drier, per David Thompson's recipe. I always missed the sauce, so this time, I didn't let it cook down as much and enjoyed a saucier version over nasi lemak.

huiray: Yes. I did have HCR in Malaysia and Singapore. I was too busy enjoying both so much that I really didn't bother to analyze the differences between them. But I know I will be making it more often at home now!

Prawncrackers:Shame on you...tantalizing sausage! I'll remember your suggestion of salting the leftovers next time! huiray: Kampong chickens, to me, are best kept for stock...not much eating to them. I like garlic, but not if it overpowers, so I add mainly lots of ginger and simmer that with a chicken carcass before I simmer the chicken itself. I think the Singapore version of the rice is more garlicy but not overpoweringly so. There was more of a sheen and toasted flavour to it then on mine. Next time, I'll sautee the raw rice in rendered chicken fat before adding the stock and ginger. I only use the electric rice cooker when I have a lot of company. Otherwise, it's always on the stove top 'cos I love fan jew!

Morkai: As Keith said, easy to make. Not a required step but I seasoned the interior of the chicken the night before. Bring about 3 litres of water and lots of sliced ginger to boil. Plunk in the chicken, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in covered pot for about another 10 minutes.Take the chicken out and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking. This also gives the skin a "tightening". Use some of the stock to cook the rice. I added a couple of drops of sesame oil in with the rice. The leftover chicken will be used with a salad for lunch tomorrow!

Another dish I enjoyed while in Singapore and in restaurants. Now, I've made it at home. So simple, light, and a lovely change from heavier meals. Hainanese Chicken Rice Had 3 kinds of dips: oyster sauce, sriracha, and ginger, chicken fat, and a bit of salt and sugar in hot oil. This developed some crunchy clumps which were delighful to crunch on along with the silky mois6t5 texture of the chicken I particurly enjoyed the "burnt rice" on the bottom of the pot, softened with more of the chicken stock!

Ann_T: Love those lamb shanks! Will need to dig some out of my freezer soon... Basquecook: Where in China? We just got back also, 14 days preceeded by a month in Malaysia. Wish our 14-days had more of a culinary focus, but that doesn't happen on these "shopping tours". Next time... Meanwhile, I am experimenting with some of the dishes that we did enjoy in Malaysia. Tonight, it was Nonya Fried Chicken...really good. The recipe included a dipping sauce, but we thought it overwhelmed the flavour already on the chicken. Corn on the cob and broccoslaw dressed with Mango Chipotle, dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and coconut flakes were good sides. I was quite surprised at how often corn was served in China - mostly stir-fried kernels with some sweet pepper bits.

Inspiring meals, everyone! I need to try my hand on many of Soba's recipes... Keith: Would Cornish game hens be a good size or still too much for one person? Still feeling lazy, so I fried udon noodles topped with black bean garlic pork, sweet peppers and a couple of serrano peppers for a bit of heat. FInaly getting up enough energy to make Singapore Coffee Pork Ribs last night. Actually, I used boneless pork shoulder instead of the ribs that we enjoyed while in Singapore in April. They turned out quite well. Also cooked up some rice in coconut milk and soybean sprouts with a serrano pepper, scallions, and a few pieces of chicken. Apologies for the steamy camera lense!

After a month in Malaysia and 2 weeks in China, having just gotten back on Wed, and now under the weather with a lousy cold , I finally got around to cooking a meal at home. Maybe it's the cold, but the lamb didn't have much lamb flavour or the cumin I rubbed on it. But, it was still good, moist and tender, along with mint sauce, jeera and cardamon basmati rice, carrots and asparagus.

Couldn't believe it, but the first "meal" we had in Beijing upon arrival was McD's! THat's only because we were tired out with the flight from Penang, Malaysia; it was very late in the evening and no street food close to the hotel, but McD was across the street. We had the chicken burger, and it was surprisingly fresh and tasty. Was it because we were tired and hungry? Don't know, but the bun was a little sweet, and the coating on the chicken was still crispy, AND spicy. The patrons were a strange lot - including us! One group of college-age young folks were playing cards, one couple asleep sprawled across the table, and a few couples obviously just coming in from a dressy party. Ice cream cones were 4 yuen each but I can't remember how much for the burgers. I was glad they had a picture menu as I can't speak Mandarin! Can't believe that's ONE picture I didn't take!

Been holidaying with friends in Malaysia since April 4th - enjoying lots of Malaysian home cooking kampong style! Our friends are Muslim, and we've enjoyed lots of fresh fish, shrimp (their home is in northern Kadah state, close to fishing village), chicken, beef, veg, nasi lamak, roti jalal, etc. Great stuff! I'm missing my kitchen but had an opportunity to cook Chinese food for 27 family members just before we left! Kinda sorry I checked in on this thread as I now really want to get back to cooking. We are now on a 14-day tour in China until mid-May. Not much planned in terms of food-quests, but we hope the guide will suggest some good eating for us. We are in Beijing until next Wed. Then it's off to Shanghai, Hangzhou, Souzhou, Wuxi, and Xi'an before heading home to Canada. We did go to an interesting local restaurant in the hutong area yesterday. The atmosphere was colourful and loud, as a Chinese restaurant should be! Most of the patrons were eating noodles, but we had Spicy lamb chops (crispy, fatty, cumin-flavour dominant, and just enough heat), and bitter gourd stir-fried with lily bulb and garlic.

Thai Lemongrass Beef Shortribs: simmered in slow cooker for 4 hours with lemongrass, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, cloves, Kaffir Lime leaves, Thai pepper, fresh green peppercorns, fish sauce. Broth reduced then added coconut cream. Accompanied by Jasmine rice sauteed in ghee then finished off with peas, carrot, more Kaffir lime leaves.

Pulled out a Cantonese roast duck from the depths of my freezer - purchased a couple of weeks ago on a trip to the city. Made up some Singapore rice noodles with sweet bell peppers, julieen carrots, green onions, and bean sprouts to go with a couple of pieces of the duck for supper last night. Took 3/4 of the duck and made up 2 big containers of the noodles for my international students' lunch at school today.

huiray: Those "baby green tips" - young gai lan. We have them in our supermarkets at the moment - so tender and sweet. A quick blanch, fresh ginger and garli slivers, drizzled with hot oil and a drizzle of sesame oil - the whole lunch by itself!

Cumin lamb and cauliflower steak along with gai lan:

Salmon fillet sandwiched between a bed of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, lime slices, cilantro, green onion, ginger, Thai chili, olive oil, salt, fresh ground black pepper. I didn't have any banana leaves, so this was wrapped in foil and baked in a 375F oven for 35 minutes. Sides were steamed carrot with green cardamon and green beans steamed with fresh ginger.

Tried these Thai salmon cakes by Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen. I've been "off" salmon for the last while because no matter what I did, salmon tasted fishy. These were great! Loved the Thai flavours that came thru', and being finished in the oven made getting sides together more timely. I ate mine with squeeze of lime juice and warpped the bite with Thai basil leaf. Hubby had Mango Chili sauce with his, along with squeeze of lime.

JTravel: I'd be interested in knowing why the chicken was not to your liking. We will be in Hangzhou in May, at a tea plantation, so maybe I should avoid the chicken...