Dejah

In my Toisanese family, for as long as I can remember, we've always had soup. It can be simple like watercress, melon, or chayote in pork stock, or a long simmered soup. So when my Mom came for supper, there is always a soup, a stir-fried vegetable, and a steamed dish. Maybe in China, people are not so obsessed about a "pot for everything", so much of the meal is prepared in the wok. Me? I have a soup pot, a wok or two, and a steamer. I use 'em all...IF I don't have to do clean-up!

Everything looks so good, but the rhubarb pies really got me salivating! Doen't feel much like spring here, but the image of Ann_T's pie can help me pretend spring is on its way. Picked up 12 year old grandson for supper and sleep over, and he loves noodles of all kinds. So, tonight, I made him Cantonese chow mein: beef tenderloin, egg noodles and mixed vegetables. He also had a small grilled tenderloin steak!

There are differences between brands of rice noodles. The ones I get in the local supermarket are usually packed tightly onto styrofoam trays. When I can't get to the city for the Chinese supermarket, these are what I have to contend with. Like Chris, I take them early, in the morning for supper. I go one step further and take them out of the package, separate into as many layers as I can, then cover loosely with saran wrap. If I am in a hurry, then I take them out of the package, separate layers as best as I can, then mixcrowave for a couple of minutes. Take the plate out and remove pieces that are soft and separate each strand. Return the rest for another minute. It's tedious but well worth the effort if you want good noodles. The ones in Chinese grocery stores, the YEO or YOUNG brand from Vancouver (all the way to the Canadian prairies), are looser, and easier to separate. I follow the same proceedure as above. However, I don't rinse with water, neither hot nor cold. This rinses off the oil which will keep it from sticking to the pan and to each other. Rinsing will also make the noodles softer and you lose that "chewy feel". I like them dry-fry with a light splash of soy sauce. My kids love it with loads of oyster sauce. So, I take mine out, the bottom layer with the crunchy bits, then ass the sauce for the rest. My favourite way is topping with fermented black bean and garlic stir-fried wirh bitter melon and beef.

dcarch: Siimple stuffing...like your artisitc plating... Fermented black olives...the Chinese ones called lam see? Tomato powder is a new one for me. Specialty food shop?

Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments on the ribs and crustaceans. I'll be sure to pass them onto Ryan-Boy. After the weekend of gluttony, we're trying to "reduce", so last night, it was steamed ground chuck with preserved Sechuan vegetables(jai-choi) and a big plate of bok choi stir-fried with lots of ginger and garlic. Tonight, maybe another steamed dish and vegetables. Ann_T: Your Greek meatballs are on for the weekend. I see Ryan has left half a bottle of bourbon here. I wonder if he'd mind my using it for Borgstrom's Bourbon-ancho sauce? I already have the pork tenderloin... Dcarch: Tilapia and siu choi are two of my favourite foods - nice pairing. What did you stuff the fish with?

Ann_T: Any specific recipe for the Greek meatballs? I like the idea of using ground chicken breasts, which I have a lot of on hand. To reward my future s-i-l Ryan for fixing the bathroom sink and my computers, at his request, seafood night! We had steamed dungeness crab, Alaskan King Crab with ginger, cilantro, and Chinese wine, soft shell crab, and Emeril's crab cakes.

Finally got my picture program fixed up and can now post: Feb 12 Chinese New Year supper with our kids at home:

Long weekend with daughter and fiance home always kills any diet plans I may have. Ryan-Boy is quite the cook and loves to mix up his own dry rubs and sauces for ribs. Sat. night we had lobster tails and bison strip loin steaks. Sunday was Ryan's dynamite ribs which nearly did this future m-i-l in! Tonight, Louis Riel Day is clean out the freezer of seafood night. Not sure what we'll be doing yet, but there are 2 dungeness crabs, a bag of Alaskan king crab legs and claws, 8 soft-shell crabs, and tins of crab meat for crab cakes.

I'm making dried tofu sticks soup (foo yuk tong) today. It's rehydrated tofu sticks, rehydrated dried oysters, pork neckbones and ginger.

When I can, I like to get fresh off the boat pickerel (Gimli, Manitoba) and poach it whole in water with slices of fresh ginger, celery, and stalks of green onion. Once done, I scatter on some slivers of fresh ginger, green onion, light soy sauce, followed by very hot vegetable oil. The hot oil takes the rawness off the ginger and onions.

I like to steam pork ribs with yellow bean paste (man see with whole beans) and plums preserved in brine. Fermented mustard greens (mui choi) steamed with beef, fresh mint leaves, and fresh chili peppers. Sechuan vegetable (ja-choi) steamed with beef. Ham Ha steamed with leftover crispy pork belly (siu yook). The previously crispy rind now soft, silky, full of flavour mixed with the ham ha. Pour the sauce over fan jiu (crispy rice from the bottom of the rice pot).OMG!

I'm going to take some guesses as to what the various "tay - doi" are: Back row top layer L to R: 1. "little bowl tay-doi" - steamed glutinous rice flour with probably dried shrimp and green onions 2. might be grass jelly, or century egg? 3 thought at first glance custard tarts, but nope...only see cupcake liner... bottom layer: 1.looks like Chinese New Year cake(neen goh) made with glutineous flour and Chinese brown sugar 2.steamed ma-lai goh (cake) middle row1. may be lobak goh (daikon) with dried shrimp, lap yuk and green onion 2.don't know what that is 3. taro cake filled with diced mushrooms, lap cheung, etc? 4. top with 2 "dumplings" may be what Toisan call "chicken in the cage" -but actually Chinese mushrooms, onion and ground pork bottom row 1.taro cake 2.more daikon cake 3, 4, more taro cake but 3 and 4 looked like there may be beans of some kind? Not the Toisanese style I know. The taro and daikon cakes often have similar kinds of filling.

Thanks for the info', Brainfoodie. I'll report back once we'vw had the dinner!

Waited until Saturday when the kids and their S.O came home before we had our big meal: BBQ duck, char siu ribs, shrimp, chicken, mixed vegetables, fun see, dried bean curd sticks soup with oysters. Kids brought 2 big round trays of preserved fruits and vegetables (toon hap)to nibble on all weekend. On the 12th, my tai-chi group went to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch, and we had deep fried Salt'n'Pepper Tofu, Golden Sand Shrimp, Ginger Beef, Young Chow Fried Rice, deluxe mixed vegetables, and eggplant, potato, and green pepper stir-fy. I provided mango pudding for dessert. In the evening, we went to the annual university's Chinese association's Spring Festival celebrations. Another local Chinese restaurant catered: Chinese mushrooms in oyster sauce, char siu, fun see, sesame chicken, shrimp, Chinese vegetables (lotus root, wood ear, etc). Delicious food and excellent local entertainment with modern and traditional dances, instruments, vocals, etc. Year of the Rabbit bounded off with a great start!

Our staff is planning an after-exams dinner / staff meeting. One of the restaurants we looked into offered sopa de pederas as a soup choice. I gathered that "stone soup" is Portugese and is made with anything that's on hand with appropriate seasonings, seafood of some sort? I need more information so we'll have some idea of what to expect. Thanks!

Large beet leaves are often used in place of cabbage for cabbage rolls.

Thanks, Erin, for a great week! I was happy to see your last meal was japche - reminded me to make use of the packages of sweet potato noodles I have in my cupboard. As for lobak goh, I never eat it in the restaurants. Like Kent, I find they are lumps of steamed dough. But when I make it at home, it's full of goodies, just the way my Mom made it. Then it's worth eating. I do like the crusty bits on the surface of slices after pan frying. I do remember, as a kid, having fried rice with egg. But it was a raw egg, broken over hot fried rice fresh out of the wok. Once the egg is mixed it, it cooks from the heat in the dish - very lightly scrambled egg adding a silky texture to the whole dish. We didn't worry about salmonella way back then...

No. I don't think lobak goh freezes well, but it does keep in fridge for a week or so. I've never tried as it disappears quite readily. There is no crunh in the cake. The turnip is boiled first, then mixed into the batter. It's the flavour from the turnip that makes it so good - blended with all the other ingrdients. I also use the turnip for the savoury dumpling soup. Love that stuff!

Lobak goh is Chinese turnip cake. Glutineous rice flour batter, shredded white radish (lobak), dried shrimp, lap cheung or lap yuk, Chinese mushrooms. Steamed for an hour. Let it cool and slice. Then fry slices up before eating with chili oil. It's here on my webpage: http://www.hillmanweb.com/soos/lobakgoh.html

Son-in-law brought out a venison round roast. We're looking for suggestions. Would it work braised Chinese style - like red cooked pork?

Erin: Did the bao mix you used in your blog have baking powder or did you add yeast?

Lovely baos, Erin! Think I'll be making BBQ pork ones later today. I can't do the pleating in one hand, but I have seen some of the new immigrants do that...guys who were trained as dim sum chefs in China. Finally beat the rest of the immigrants to our Superstore this morning. Picked up cruellers, lobak, etc.I love lobak braised, but students have been asking "When will you make something for us?", so I will make lobak goh for them for Monday "breakfast" - first class.

Fish maw doesn't have a lot of flavour. It's like tofu - takes on the flavour of whatever is cooked along with it. I've made it with chicken stock, Chinese mushrooms, waterchestnuts, ham bits,and an egg stirred in just before serving. I forgot about the characters for sam gna wong. I don't write Chinese, but the first word - sam is the character for 3. Literally, and character by character, I think they are 3 - toothed yellow...would it be croaker?

How could I have forgotten salted fish! The best salted fish for fried rice is Sam gna wong. These are available from Sun Wah, Rona. I like big chunks steamed over pork with lots of ginger on top. Chun pei - dried orange peel... How about those peels cut into little bits - kids call them nose pickings... Love fish maw soup or foo juk (dried bean curd sticks)soup with rehydrated oysters

v. gautam: " "So, My Gracious Princess, would you not agree with the thesis that the utility of the Canned Soup Cuisine lies precisely in using what is at hand, and what is frugal, without having to worry about buying any special ingredients. " So true! Thanks for this! Campbell's soup takes up a fair amount of space in my pantry. I haven't tried the Shrimp Bisque. Must pick some up tomorrow. Two of hubby's family's recipes were creamed salmon made with either Campbell's cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup, or creamed salmon with peas or corn in a well surrounded by mac'n'cheese. These were easily prepared comfort food for hubby and his family, and now, for our children and grandchildren.