Dejah

Supper tonight was Lamb Moussaka served with baby taters and carrots, and a few yu choi leaves sauteed in oliver oil, drizzled with sesame oil. The kick was provided by pickled jalepenos. Dessert was Canadian Cheddar Cheese Apple Crisp - not the usual oatmeal brown sugar topping, but rather, a drop batter of flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, milk, and cheddar cheese. Great warm or cold, with or without ice cream.

That's true about adding cornstarch last in a marinade. Once you add the cornstarch, it seals the meat so the seasoning would not be able to penetrate.

I often throw lettuce, any kind of lettuce into Asian noodle soups: ramen, shrimp noodle, etc, in place of bok choy or yu choy. I use entire leaves so they don't "melt" away. There's always lettuce wraps - for larb, or with stir-fried ground / diced meats, various diced crunchy vegetables, some fermented black soy beans, a dash of hoisin sauce.

Intrigued by the discada. Had to do some research. This will be something new to try this summer!

Genkinaonna: more info' on the sauce? My f-s-i-l loves ribsand it's usually his job to mix up the rub and BBQ sauce. I'd like to try somethign different to surprise him. I could probably add heat to your cola and jam sauce?

I requested and received a propane camping stove for Xmas, but have yet to break it out of the box. I wanted it mainly for cooking class, and now, I can add the induction as another station. This is in anticipation for my retirement hobby....sometime down the road. Nothing like being prepared. LOL!

Cook over medium heat and never beyond medium doneness. I usually add shredded mild cheese, such as Monterey Jack. We don't make many burgers, but we do BBQ NY strips. Again, a shake of Montreal Steak Spice, then grilled to med. rare on medium heat. Perfection each time: tender, juicy...

Cooking has been stifled by marking midterm exams, but reading this thread always gives me the kick-in-the-butt to start cooking again. Great meals all! Robirdstx: That bacon wrapped pork tenderloin looks wonderful. I'll just eat the bacon! I may be inspired, but still too lazy to do much. Tonight was lean ground turkey burgers seasoned with five peppercorn mix, cumin, hot paprika, tumeric, fresh ginger and garlic, yogurt, and grated cumin Gouda cheese. I also grilled some veg: mushroom caps, bell peppers, red onion, and zuchinni. Broccoli, cranberry and pumpkin seed slaw, watercress, and mango chutney fill the void left by being "bunless".

I store mine in the wall oven...at the moment. I've got a red sticker on the oven door to remind me NOT to turn it on until... I tried using sterno for hot pot and it got pretty smelly without good heat. Propane stove would work, but wouldn't it get hot and smelly too? I've only used camping gear outside. My family is too lazy to do hot pot, but I'm going to have to have one anyway!

saluki: It's a EURODIB, item #P3D, power rate: 1600W, 120V, made in China - where else?! , imported by EURODIB Inc., information number: 1.888.056.6866. It's 15" x 11 4/5" x 2 1/2". 11 temperature settings from 150F - 450F - with digital clock timer: programmable to 150 minutes.

My first stir-fry with a single "element" induction cooktop. The unit sits on counter and plugs into ordinary electrical outlet. Heats up to 425F in no time flat! So far, my carbon steel wok is the only pot that'll work on it. Costco $100.80, taxes included and free shipping. Great little unit for when I need that extra burner. Mixed vegetables: snow peas, wood ear, sweet peppers, onion, celery, shitaki mushrooms. To test how well the unit stays hot, I added the whole shebang in all at once and it didn't have noticable "cooling" effect! Had to work fast! Velvetized chicken - breast and thigh meat marinated in seasonings, oil, and cornstarch Finished product

We can be generous with the filling whereas restaurant's will try to fill you up with dough.

Lemoncake: I'm away from home until Monday. Will post the recipe for vinegar splashed meatballs for you then:-)

Victoria Day long weekend. Had time to make a few joongzi: Jasmin rice, glutinous rice, lap cheong, dong goo, dried shrimp, salty pork, Spanish onion, salted egg yolk (just a couple).

I've never seen WATER CALTROP starch. I've eaten the nut. Mom called it gnow gok nut (water buffalo horn nut). They are a pain to crack, peel and eat. I DO use waterchestnut starch. It comes in small boxes and quite lumpy, but it dissolves readily in water. I use it along with cornstarch in my dim sum beef meat balls but have never used it as thickener. I have used arrowroot powder, but it is more expensive.

Buerre manie is not really suitable for Chinese cooking... I'll use reduction only when I don't want sauce / wet stir-fried vegetables, or dry-fried dishes like green beans either in chili paste or just garlic. I blanch the green beans so they don't need liquid to cook them through. Other times, I take the veg. out when I think they're done to my liking, then thicken the remaining liquid with a bit of slurry - just enough to barely coat my wok "shovel".

Ooooo...RRO! that lovely skin!

Hi Chris: My family and the restaurant have always used the cornstarch slurry in stir-fries or separate sauces for ginger beef, sesame chicken, etc. It really depends on how much sauce is wanted. Besides, who wants runny sauce? You want the sauce to stick to the surface on deep fried items and not soaking in. In stir-fries, I always mix the cornstarch with stock and only with water if there's nothing else on hand. As for starchy goob - no reason for that excxept that the cook has put too much slurry into the stock, or the slurry is too heavy with cornstarch. Like all cooking, it's a matter of balance. On the other hand, if the protein has been "velvet - ed?", then when the stock is added, it is thickened by the cornstarch already cooked into the protein. I'm speaking of marinating (velveting) the protein in cornstarch, oil, and seasonings before cooking. Others use the hot oil velveting methid with maybe different.

Lamb shanks braised in red Thai curry paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and coconut milk. Added potatoes in the last 30 minutes. Served with stir-fried zucchini, red peppers, eggplant, and red onions.

Genkinaonna: A great start to your blog - dim sum! Will have to check out Jin Wah if we go thru' Portland this summer.

Cleaned, deep-fried, then slow braise with fermented black beans, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and chopped chilis. Or use a "master sauce" - lo sui.

Chipotle Cheddar-Ale Meatloaf by Steve Reid, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada For the Meatloaf 2 lbs of ground beef 1 onion (diced) 2 cloves garlic (fine dice) 1 stalk of celery (diced) 1/2 large red pepper (diced) 1/2 cup of beer (I used ale but I am sure a stout would work well also) 2 1/2 cups of roughly chopped french bread 1 cup milk 2 eggs (beaten) 1 Jalapeño (fine dice) 2 tablespoons line zest (grated) 2 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo (diced) 1 1/2 tsp of Adobo 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (grated) 1/4 cup of cilantro (chopped) 1 tsp Ancho Chili Powder For the Glaze 1 Tablespoon Chipotle in Adobo (diced) 2 Tablespoons Ketchup Method: Take out a large mixing bowl and a sautee pan. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Sautee the onion, garlic, celery, and red pepper in olive oil until translucent. (Approx 6-8 mins) Pour in the beer and simmer it until the liquid has reduced by about 3/4. This will intensify the flavor of the beer. Remove from heat and set aside. Cut the french bread into about 1/2 inch chunks and soak it in the milk in a shallow dish. Soak this for about 5 - 10 mins, turning a few times, until the bread has soaked up all of the milk. Once the milk is fully soaked into the bread, transfer the bread to a cutting board and chop the it up into a fine dice. Add the bread to the mixing bowl along with the cooled onions, garlic and red pepper. Add in the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix. Make sure not to over mix the ingredients as this may make it too dense. Form the meat into a rectangular block on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix the glaze in a small dish and spread it onto the top of the meatloaf using a spatula. Place the loaf into the oven at 325 degrees for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees. Take out to rest for at least 10 minutes and the cut into thick slices...enjoy!

Pictures of a couple of meals lately: Seems roasted cauliflower is a popular way to encourage eating this veg. served with Shake 'n' Bake BBQ chicken: Roast Pork Loin with dry rub: Crab stuffed mushrooms: Chipotle-Cheddar-Guinness Meatloaf:

Wonderful blog, Heidi! Reading this is a great way to spend my Mother's Day! And, Happy Mother's Day to you and all the Moms on egullet.

Heidi: I am still catching up - on page three! I love all your pictures, especially the visits to the various markets and ethnic stores. I have never grilled neck bones, always used them for soup. Now I have a new use for them. I love picking away at the meat on the neck bones, but I can only imagine how wonderful they will be after grilling! Thanks.