Dejah

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...

Presentation and food over the top, Everyone! Percy:There seemed to be more sauce with the rendang that you had. I am thinking that I might like to do that next time. My version was tender and moist, but oh boy! That sauce would be fantastic on steamed rice for breakfast next day (sounds like something c.sapidus would eat for breakfast ) Prawncracker: Love how you address me as Auntie Dejah! I am thinking of salt and pepper shrimp for my jam session and food fest next week. I would love the shell-on, but I don't know if my guests can handle that. Did you sautee the shrimp or deep fry with the shells on? Also your Golden Sand Shrimp is calling me...Gotta get a set menu soon... Had a quick-fix supper tonight after a 5-hour drive from shopping therapy across the border to North Dakota. Had some plain rice rolls in the fridge. Cut 'em up and stir-fried with sweet soy sauce, char siu, green onions, and choy sum. Better than what I had anticipated on the drive home: A & W Grandma burger...

Thanks, Blether, for the details. Took some time between decorating outside trees and shrubs to make Beef Rendang by James Osland. Great reward for all our hard work. Thank goodness the weather cooperated : only -2 today!

Making this for Xmas dinner, thanking you in advance for your advice and support. Blether: Would appreciate more info' on this "pulled lamb". It will be a nice change from our usual dijon mustard/rosemary/red wine marinated roast lamb!

Just made up a batch of "Blizzard Bites in a Jar". Looked interesting and hope it'll be yummy! I've put them into nice jars from Dollarama. Made these for my colleagues - something different than Nuts and Bolts. I couldn't find dried pineapple, so I used snipped dried mango. http://christmas.organizedhome.com/recipes/gifts-in-a-jar/blizzard-bites I also make pans of "bird seed bars" and Abby's Toffee - much like Almond Roca except in pieces like "bark", as part of my Christmas food gifts. Can't remember the source for the following recipe, but I hope I'm not breaking any copyright rules... BIRDSEED BAR 1 cup sesame seeds 1 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted/salted pumpkin seeds along with sunflower seeds) 1 cup coconut 1 cup chopped cashew nuts/any kind of nuts (I prefer pecans or walnuts) 1 cup sultanas/ or dried cranberries 100g butter 1/4 cup honey 1/2 cup brown sugar Heat the first four ingredients, one after another in a large frying pan, until toasted and lightly browned. Mix with sultanas in a large bowl. Heat butter, honey and brown sugar to the soft ball stage, then pour over mixture in bowl. Mix well. Press into pan so it is 2cm thick. When nearly cold, cut into bars. Store in airtight container.

Amazing challah bread! And cheesy ramen? Cooked ramne sprinkled with cheese and herbs then baked? Sounds good! Wishing I got some of the shrimp you had, Chris! Our main supermarket had just brought out buckets of fresh Manila clams and Atlantic mussels. I caught all the ones "sticking their tongues out"! With the dungeness, lobster tails, and haddock (no halibut to be had)from the freezer, I attempted ciopinno for supper. A bit of a messy meal but so delicious. Had crusty sourdough bread to sop up the broth.

Panko crumb breaded turkey breasts (fillets), lemon sauce made with chicken stock and fresh lemons, served with Chinese long beans stir-fried with fuyu, and jasmine rice.

Poaching the yolks gently until just firm would be great in a dessert soup. I've never done this, but I wonder if it would be possible to salt the yolks and save for zongzi? I picture laying the yolks on a bed of coarse salt, then covering the top, gently, with a layer of fine salt so as to not break the thin covering? You'd have to keep it covered and in the fridge, but might be worth a try if you have too many yolks.

Good to see you posting meals again, C.sapidus! Incredible range of meals in this thread. Snow covered ground, minus temps demand warming comfort food! Made sandpot rice again, and took diyee's idea and added mung bean thread to the whole shebang... Best part was the burnt rice on the bottom - lots of oil, juices, bits of meat, etc: Last night, lamb should chops marinated in yogurt and Thai red curry paste. The chops were browned in coconut oil, simmered for a couple of hours in coconut cream with green beans and carrots added for the last hour. Served with jasmine rice. The sauce was a reduction, and it was wonderful with the crispy burnt rice from the bottom of the rice pot.

I hear ya, sheetz! I love to read food magazines, cookbooks, and posts here on egullet. Now, I don't make the dishes I pick out the same way. Rather, I adjust so that it fits my diet scheme. So far, everything is working well. I've been on "this" diet" now for 2 weeks, with a little break in there due to scheduling and being away. But, I have lost 7.5 lbs without much sacrificing. Tonight, we are going to a Chinese restaurant for a 60th birthday celebration. Again, with Chinese food, I can be selective and just eat what I "should". I have gotten over the need for real rice!

Amazing food, Prawn! I am inspired to try my hand at the Golden Sand Shrimp, but it's easier to just order it in the restaurant. For the crab and Choy Sum, did you do up crab meat in a creamy sauce? I am intrigued by the steamed rehydrated seafood and ground pork. Can you give a little more detail? Sounds like a nice dish for our wintery weather. I had a dish of lightly battered deep-fried tiny fish while in Vancouver. Really enjoyed it. Another dish I had in Vancouver confused me. It was deep-fried chicken knuckles. Very tasty with a nice bit of crunch, but chicken knuckles?! Do you know anything about these knuckles?

Viktoria: When you made cauliflower rice, did you grate it? I do mine in a corningware casserole dish, add salt, pepper, cover, and microwave for 5 minutes, stir, then microwave for another 3 minutes or so. You don't add any liquid, and it "fluffs" up like rice. I also do the cauliflower fries as discussed in one of the other threads. That's amazing! I have used zuchinni strips in place of lasagna noodles. Not the same but satisfying. I've also used eggplant which is not as watery. In the WW thread, I think, I mentioned using shirataki noodles. I'm not sure if I can use them in this 17-Day diet because they are made from a yam. But, they have no nutritional value and are very high in fibre. I use them instead of ramen, and can also stir-fry them. Someone also mentioned Chinese and Thai as being diet-friendly. I made a big pot of Hot'n'Sour soup the other day, and it really filled the need. Funny thing about this soup, once I have a bite, then I crave it! Other Chinese soups are just as useful: watercress in chicken stock and sliced lean protein (fish, chicken), Chinese soup melons (wintermelon, moo qua). Being able to buy salt-free fat-free chicken broth by Campbells is very handy. Purple top turnips are a good substitute for potatoes. I peel, quarter, and boil. Drain the chunks and pan-fry in non-stick panwith Montreal steak spice. I was using this when I wanted to reduce carbs. Chayote can also be used in this manner. Tonight, we had curry chicken with lots of onion, orange pepper, blanched cauliflower, a couple of Thai peppers. Everything was stir-fried in a non-stick pan with 1 TBSP olive oil, simmered with chicken stock and thicken with 1 tsp. cornstarch in about 3 tbsp. cornstarch. We had the purple top turnips even tho' I am not supposed to have them for another cycle. I had 1/4 of one but lots of cauliflower on a bed of fresh watercress. Have any of you tried "sprouted grain" bread? It's high in fibre. I was eating it until I started this diet. It was my usual breakfast: 2 slices toasted with 1 tbgps of unsweetened - unsalted peanut butter. It was also my bread for sandwiches. Because it is drier than flour bread, I always have a big pile of lettuce and dill pickles with it. Before bed tonight, I will have my remaining 3 oz. of Greek yogurt with some stevia - IF I feel I need it. Darienne: Glad the tip about hot water will be useful for you.

I just started, 7 days ago, a diet called 17-Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno. It consists of four 17-day cycles: Accelerate (cleansing), Activate, Achieve, Arrive. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1374881/17-day-diet-Dr-Mike-Moreno-promises-quick-fix-drop-pounds-fast.html It's for losing "belly fat" but I just want to lose fat all over! There are no carbs allowed in this first cycle except of little bits that might be used in a recipe. For me, it's that tsp. of cornstarch for a sauce when I really need it. Whole grains are introduced in the second 17-day cycle. One of the questions in this thread was do you make substitions in regular recipes. That's what I do. I basically follow the allowable ingredients list and make up my own recipes. For example, I made "shepherd's pie" with lean ground turkey, the topping was steamed mashed cauliflower. All the ingredients were allowed in this cycle, and the result was tasty. Eating yogurt with fruit or sugar-free full fruit jam or spread is great for quick breakfast and snacks. I find I have to have some protein and fat in the morning or I am starving by 11 am.The yogurt fills that bill very nicely. The book recommends probiotic or Greek yogurt. Fish is another protein allowed in this first cycle. I marinated tilapia fillets with olive oil, a little soy sauce, lemongrass, citrus pepper, lemon juice, then wrapped around asparagus. These were pan seared and finished off in the oven. There was a fair amount of marinade so I made a reduction and served it with the fish. I am turned off by cooking everything with tomato, so this was a good option. I DO miss rice, but grated and steamed caulitflower provides a good "illusion", and it tastes great with any "sauce". Our meals are usually eaten with stir-fried mixed vegetables or a big salad. The hardest part was drinking 8 glasses of water everyday, one of which is hot water and lemon juice firsat thing in the morning. I have a hard time drinking that much cold water, but hot water I can handle. So, I keep a 1.8 liter thermos of hot water on hand and fill up my cup everytime I am in the kitchen. So far, I haven't had any craving even with all the leftover Halloween candy and chips! I got rid of them pretty quick by taking them to my students. The dieter is to do 17 minutes of various workouts everyday. I do a 45-minute workout with a trainer twice a week and one hour of tai-chi twice a week with a group. We'll see how effective this "diet" is. This morning, I weighed - lost 4 lbs - water weight. But, I do feel less bloated.

Darienne: I just used chicken stock, water, vinegar, and Koon Yick Wah Kee chili sauce. If I added more chili sauce or had char siu to add, it might be a little redder. Many recipes call for black or white pepper instead of the chili sauce, but I have always used this. I suppose pepper would be cheaper, but the flavour is different. I trained my former customners to this taste, and 10 years later, they still complain they can't get Hot'n'Sour soup like mine.