Dejah

Been doing ground turkey burgers lately - with chopped onion, a bit of egg white, and crumbles of low-fat feta cheese mixed in. The pattie with Cajun rub was fairly thick, pan seared in 1.5 tsp. olice oil, then baked in 400F oven until cooked temp. It stayed juicy and flavourful. Tonight I had Shanghai bok choy stir-fried in a little olive oil and fat-free, no-salt-added chicken stock, ginger and garlic, brocoslaw with reduced calorie dressing, and steamed cauliflower topped with melted fat-free mozz slice and crushed chili flakes. Very satisfying meal. Dessert was 4 oz. of fat-free plaiun Greek yogurt with half packet of caramel flavoured Krisda. I love this new flavour! I split a turkey fillet, rubbed with Cajun seasoning, seared and baked for hubby. He had it on a slab of pumpernickle bread. On the 13th day of the 17-Day Diet and down 8 lbs.

I can see why the boiled pork ribs would be tender and tasty. I love them when I simmer the ribs for one of my favourite Chinese vegetable soups - with bok choy, celery, carrots, and ginger. I will be interested in seeing what you do with the pig stomach and large intestine!

Was butchery something you got interested in after (if indeed you did) you moved out of the city? Did you take a course on butchering your own animals?

Crispy Ginger Beef is similar to crispy Sichuan Orange Beef. Orange beef is made with rehydrated orange peel and orange flavouring in the batter and the sauce. I make ginger beef with ginger powder and shreds of fresh ginger in the batter and in the sauce. The sauce also has a little 5-spice, chili peppers, sugar, vinegar, and water. Have to be careful when coating the crispy strips with the sticky sauce (thickened with cornstarch slurry) as too much would ruin the crispiness. You'd want just enough to coat SOME of the surfaces. I usually deep fry some strands of ginger to put on top before serving. This was a popular dish in my restaurant. The spiciness is adjusted to presonal requests.

Very much looking forward to your blog. Will this be more "village focused"? Sechuan cooking and offal...Welsh ingredients...Irish food...wonderful teasers.

Heidi: Cauliflower rice is very easy. Other's say use only florets, but I just take a big chunk of cauliflower, hold it by the stem and grate on the largest-holes side of a grater until it gets too close to my finger tips for comfort. You can also do this with a food processor, but I find the grater easier for clean-up. I grate into a shallow Corning ware casserol. DO NOT ADD WATER. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes on high on my microwave. I stir at half way and may sprinkle in a bit of salt. It has the texture of steamed rice - "fluffy".

Hi rotuts, This was the way I made char siu when I had my restaurant. At that time, we used a cut called "buckeye" because customers wanted lean meat. Now, at home, for ourselves, and for char siu baos, I use pork butt roasts for the fat in them along with the lean parts. I cut the roast into 1 to 1.5 inch slabs, poke holes in them, and marinate them in the following combination. I don't have measurements, just eyeballing from years of doing it. Marinade: hoisin sauce, a glug of oyster sauce, soy sauce, Chinese wine, liquid food colour, salt, MSG (optional), sugar, sesame oil. The marinade is still of fairly thick consistency and will cling to the meat as it marinates. I use a glass lasagne dish to marinate the meat, making sure every part is covered. I turn it after a few hours, and usually leave it in the fridge overnight. To roast, I turn the oven to 400, and have a pan of water on the bottom rack to keep the meat moist while roasting. I used to use S-hooks (made from cheap poultry skewers) to hang the meat from the rack that holds up my broiling elements. Think I've done that too often with too many chunks, and one of the brackets came away from the top of the oven. (would that be a good enough reason to get a new oven?!) That was the perfect way to get all around "charring" on each piece. Now, I lay the pieces on a broiling pan with water in the bottom pan. This way, I have to turn them after the top has "charred", and finish the other side Right out of the oven, I brushed them with honey diluted with a bit of hot water. This gives them a nice glaze and an immediate hit of sweetness when you bit into a piece. I use this meat for char siu baos as well.

What great combinations, Percyn and Bruce! All of them would be my choice any day. I'll have to remember to work on these combinations next time I have leftovers.

Had a mini-cooking class / feast in our friends Bruce and Suzanne's new kirchen last night. I prepared char siu, hot and sour soup and char siu bars at home. Suz is a NOT a Hot 'n' Sour soup any more... She loved it. Bruce has had it before in my restaurant and was our karate sensi. We started with slices of char siu and dark ale: Suz's first taste of the soup. Good thing I took lots as she loved it. I made some small baos - 2 mouthfull size ones. Larger ones were saved for their freezer. Here are some of the items Suz learned to make: She loved the rolls in restaurants but now she can make her own! Siu Mai with pork shrimp, and waterchestnut Coconut shrimp with mango chipotle dip We stir-fried the choy with ginger and garlic. Chicken breast was added later and topped a big plate of Cantonese noodles. We cooked and ated from 7 - 10. I was happy to leave the messy kitchen to Bruce and Suz...

This was another concoction with ground turkey: 1 can of Alymer's Diced Tomato with Red Chili Pepper simmered with Italian herbs. I dded a small can of tomato sauce as well to make a pasta sauce. Ground turkey was browned with diced onion and herbs. I sliced an eggplant, salted it to remove some of the liquid and to soften it. These were fried in the non-stick pan with a spray of Pam, and used as pasta replacement. The whole lot was layered into lasagne with a sprinkle of grated parmasan cheese, topped with slices of fat-free mozz. I liked it, but hubby misses real pasta.

Xmas was a killer - gained back 4 of the 8 lbs I lost before the holidays. So last Monday, it was back to the 17-Day Diet. I've been using Simply Eggwhites (comes in a carton) done as an omelet with curry powder, diced onions, mushrooms, and sweet peppers. If I have fresh herbs, especially dill and cilantro, I'd chop some of that up and cook in a non-stick pan. As fat-free mozzerella cheese is allowed, I sometimes add a slice then fold the omelet over. Salsa goes well with this as a lunch. Fish plays a big part in this diet. I love basa with cajun spices, pan seared with a little olive oil then finished in the oven. A squeeze of fresh lime adds the sparkle. I use grated cauliflower a lot to replace rice. Sometimes, it's just plain if I have a dish that is distinct on its own. The other day, I had odds and ends of veg to use up, and a package of ground turkey. I browned the turkey in a little olive oil followed by a short simmer with fat-free sodium-free chicken stock to keep the meat moist, and separately, the vegetables, and some egg white in flat form then diced. In a clean pan, I stir-fried the "rice" for that "wok hei", then added everything back in. Mixed it all up with a dash of tamari soy, and voila! Mock fried rice. It was very good, especially qwith a spoonful of Saigon Chili Oil. The leftover fried rice, I had it for lunch the next day. I added a few smashed fermented soy beans, a quick stir-up in the pan, and ate it as lettuce wrap. No picture on that, but you get the idea...

Scotty: That's a beautiful picture...who said that the plate has to be full to be beautiful?!

Thanks, Nickrey. If I had searched more diligently, I would've seen the image for "rice paddy herb". I also saw packages at the store that were labelled "rice paddy herb" and they looked different. Maybe the others were labelled incorrectly. I see it is used mainly in Vietnamese dishes. Think I'll pass it along to my students from Vietnam. I just can't get the initial aroma and taste past my brain this time to try and cook with it.

The peachbuns posted by dcarch are more for birthday celebrations, a symbol of longevity, rather than everyday food. Most of my students and many of our new immigrants are from Beijing area. They eat a lot of mantou - as mentioned by Shalmanese. I was curious when I saw them buying bags and bags of flour, so I asked. They also make the filled baos but more often, it's mantou. When I made filled baos for them, they couldn't believe how much filling I put into them! They prefer "more bun"....

I picked up a package of this herb while in the Chinese supermarket. It smells like cumin, but the aroma is so strong when I was cutting it up that I couldn't face using it. It kind of turned my stomach and I LOVE cumin... Any suggestions? It doesn't match any images of the cumin plant that is grown for cumin seeds.

What is it about oozy egg yolks that is SO damn delicious?! All of the above look great! Seems runny yolks are becoming the "sauce of choice" on so many items offered on food trucks on Eat St. And yet, I've often been told I couldn't have a soft boiled egg at hotel restaurants. 7 more hours then I can have an oozy yolk!

Nothing fancy; only ooey gooey goodness: Soft yolk fried eggs, back bacon, spicy ketsup on toasted English muffin...

So many wonderful meals and enticingly beautiful photos. Think my shutter's fogged up and need cleaning, but here are the imcredibly tender and juicy lamb chops we had last night. Chops were slathered with whole grain Dijon mustard, covered with panko crumbs, browned in the pan, then finished in the oven. I made a quick fresh mint sauce with sushi seasoning... It works!

Traditional, in our family, Christmas Eve prime rib roast - with some chicken fingers and Butter chicken for the two who prefer chicken to beef... It was a 5-rib cooked at 225F for 5 hours - pulled at 140F and rested for 35 minutes while Yorkies cooked... Dessert was 9 different kinds of baking - exchanged with different members of the family. No trifle this year. Saving the extra calories for another big meal and cheesecake tomorrow! Merry Xmas everyone!

We'll be having prime rib and Yorkies for Xmas eve along with trifle for dessert. Xmas day, my d-i-l will be hosting with turkey and ham. I've made a cranberry/apple/orange/pecan chutney for the last 2 years to go with ham or turkey. Brussel sprouts will be done up with Dijjon mustard and bacon. The chutney recipe if anyone care to make it: A delicious cranberry chutney with apples, oranges, golden raisins, and spices, perfect alongside pork, turkey, and chicken main dishes. Ingredients: · 1 orange, peeled, tough membrane removed, chopped · 1/4 cup orange juice · 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries · 1 3/4 cups sugar · 1 large Golden Delicious apple, peeled, cored, chopped · 1/2 cup golden raisins · 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts · 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar · 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger · 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon Preparation: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cranberries are bursting. Chill until serving time; freeze surplus in small containers. Makes about about 4 cups of chutney.

LIOR: If you're talking about the birdseed bar, it really just takes about 30 minutes to pull together if you have all the ingredients.

Amazing ... from a Bedouin village to your chocolate kitchen...and you're just starting your blog!

2o dozens of hand rolled shortbread: flour, cornstarch, icing sugar: some as gifts, some to be consumed by family soon... Six 9x13 trays of Birdseed Bar: again as gifts and family consumption:

Bruce: I should have just said "fermented black beans" but sometimes readers confuse them with, well, ordinary black beans... You would be familiar with the name "dow see"...the Chinese fermented soy beans commonly used with spareribs, mapo tofu, etc. I steamed the ribs for 50 minutes - tender-fall off the bone!

Made the full sandpot of Lap Mei Fan for 4 Chinese students stuck in university residence with only fried chicken quick food cafeteria open for the weekend. Also steamed some fermented soybean spareribs, and winter melon soup with pork neck bones. Hope they'll think it is comfort food as I do...