Dejah

Got the peppercorns at Lucky - 6.00 for a lb. That was the only size available. I didn't know at the time how to use them, so I didn't realiz that's one heck of a lot of peppercorns! However, I will persevere... We had ptime rib tonight, so I made a green peppercorn cream sauce with white wine instead of gravy. It was delicious - a lighter version than the one I made last Xmas with green peppercorns in brine, morels, etc. I liked the way the peppercorns sneak up in the mouth - the aroma of fresh cracked pepper rather than the heat. C. sapidus gave acouple of Thai suggestions so that'll happen in the next few days. I also have a package of ho fun and Thai basil, so maybe I'll try that for lunch tomorrow. I love these peppercorns. Tried acouple fresh and they just "popped" with aroma.

This was the first time I have ever seen fresh green peppercorns. I seem to remember someone had posted a dish with this ingredient, but I can't rmember who...Prawncracker? C.sapidus? I have found some recipes for sauces and Thai dishes, but I would appreciate any suggestions - tried and true recipes, etc.

Jean-George's "fried rice" doesn't even looked fried. As for cooking the egg, taking it out, cutting it in pieces and adding it back at the end, that's the way we served it in our restaurant, unless it's deluxe fried rice. With the latter, the raw egg is added after everything else is incorporated and cooked in the wok, then the egg is cracked into a cleared space in the wok and worked into the fried rice. The result, there are flecks of fried egg thoughout the dish. A question about "grilled cheese". What makes a grilled cheese a grilled cheese if it's not done in a frying pan or griddle? Enquiring mind needs this cleared up... That's quite the "curing room" you've got Prawn. Great to see you blogging!

I guess we'll just have to wait for hzrt8w's next trip to Hong Kong to send us samples of the "authentic version" I have had lapcheung in mine - in some restaurant, somewhere (Vancouver? Toronto?). I can see using lapcheung at home IF there was no char siu on hand. "If I make a Rueben Sandwich with chicken breast and ketchup and mayo... is it still called a Rueben Sandwich?" I think the Rueben statement is a bit too far out as comparison. The fried rice with a variation of meat (chat siu or lapcheung or Chinese ham?)at least would still have some semblance. You could still tell it is something fried rice, and COULD be Yangchow fried rice. But with chicken breast, you KNOW it's not a Rueben on sight...I hope.

It seems everyone has their own version! I was just checking out a Youtube Epicurious episode for this fried rice. I've never had it with oyster sauce, but this made by Chef Shirley Cheng of the Culinary Institute of America used oyster sauce. It also had fresh mushrooms, ham, peas and scallions. I'd think that oyster sauce would be too heavy and strong for this dish because it has so many other flavours - char sui or lap cheong, and the milder shrimp. I don't even add soy sauce, but in the restaurant, we added a tiny splash of light soy only because my Canadian customers rhink colour is beautiful - NOT brown, just beige.

You probably are the only one, Prawn I've been known to leave out the egg while cooking, and just add it into a depression in a plate of fresh hot fried rice, mix quickly, and have "wat chow fan". I always thought Yangzhou fried rice had Chinese sauage?

What a good idea about mixing the egg in with the rice before adding it all to the wok. I usually add the eggs on top of the rice in the wok and stir to incorporate. So, you mix up the rice and eggs THEN add it to the wok? Do you think the addition of peas is a European thing? I know, in HK, my Mom used to add diced green beans and scallions, but it was only after we came to Canada that she added peas - availability.

Run the hens thru' a hot water and honey bath. Hang them to drain and dry. Season with salt, pepper, 5-spice powder and deep fry until skin is crispy. Or, you can stuff them with rice - stir-fried with diced onion and Chinese sausge (any spicy sausage will also work), or pre-cooked sticky rice with dice onion and Chinese sausage. These you would have to roast in the oven. I sew the openings close then hang the hens on S-hooks like I do with char siu.

Well, I may be beaten by imageGullet, but it can't beat my baozi Thanks for being so patient, and I hope you were able to see the pleats, nakji. They're not all so perfect, and really, after steaming, the pleats are not so distinct. Besides, I've never seen anyone examin the pleats before they wolf them down!

Please help me delete if this attempt doesn't work! http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1286609993/gallery_13838_6880_7665.jpg

OK. I give up on posting the pictures, so I'll just put up the link to the album in imageGullet: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?/gallery/album/13838/6880-baozi/

No. Sorry. The lettuce came off with the bao but slipped off easily. But I could taste lettuce on the bottom of the bao. Not offensive, but not MY baozi... I'm going to upload the pictures; at least; I'm going to try!

I think the char siu baos I've had, made with yeast, were baked. Never thought to add cassia in the filling, but I suppose the 5-spice powder that I add, once in a while, would be similar. I did the experiment today, some baos with lettuce as the liner, and others with my usual cupcake liners. I found the lettuce ones had more moisture on the bottom of the baos, giving it an "uncooked" appearance. There was nothing stuck to the bottoms other than the aroma of lettuce. They tasted fine and I tried a piece with the lettuce on. The only real drawback may be when you want to freeze the baos. Not sure how the wet bottoms would turn out - may become doughy? I think I'll keep using the paper liners. Need to process the pictures then post. Hope I can figure out how as it's been a lonnnnngggg time!

Dark soya would do the same. My mom used a large diameter straw to make circles rather than dots. You could get real fancy and make the Olympic rings! You got me going here, nakji. Got my char siu done and will be making my grandson's fav. tomorrow - char siu baozi!

When I use ground chicken, I add water, a little oil, a little cornstarch, and diced onion. Chicken is leaner than ground pork, so I do add the above ingredients.

I use the shirataki noodles, both the clear ones tied in knots and the egg-coloured ones in soup. Just rinse off, add to fat free chicken stock, add romaine hearts cut length-wise into quarters. I sometimes add shrimp, or any other kind of thinly sliced beef or chicken, or leftover roasted meats. Very low calorie and low points if you're on WW. I find the texture of the noodles take me longer to chew - slows me down as I tend to often rush through lunches.

I like your additions to the pork filling, especially the shitake mushrooms as they are so flavourful. The addition of water and beating it into the filling makes it "fluffy" or "fow" in Cantonese. Otherwise, the pork will become a hard, harsh lump of meat. I put my baozi on a square of wax paper or cupcake paper liner. There is still a tiny bit of dough sticking to the paper but never enough to tear the bao on the bottom. My family will clean off the bits left on the paper! The cheesecloth may be too textured, so it may cause more sticking.

Yes. The dried flower mushrooms. Stir-fry diced chicken, onion, lapcheong, slivers of ginger, and rehydrated mushrooms in oyster sauce. I finish it off with a thick sauce of cornstarch and oyster sauce. Let cool, make into baozi. For "pigs-in-a blanket" I should have said 1/2 a lapcheung instead of a quarter. No sauce is needed because of the full-bodied flavour of the lapcheung. Some people, like my husband, still wants sweet chili sauce, sirracha, or Saigon chili oil for his.

For the restaurant, I made char siu baos. For family, I make two other kinds of filling: chicken,Chinese mushroom,lapcheung; curried chicken. If I have left over dough, I use 1/4 of a piece of lapcheung for each "pigs-in-blanket"...

Yes. Baozi can be steamed then frozen. I used to make dozens at one time, froze, re-steamed and served as luncheon platters when I had the restaurant. Dim sum was not our regular fare but made to fulfill some special requests by regular customers.

The extremely crispy bead-like noodles under the calmari at Spice Avenue are likely deep-fried mung bean threads. They are probably more for plating in this dish. Other times, hot food with a sauce may be poured onto the crispy noodles at the table - for the crackle presentation. Then the noddles soften and soak up the sauce. I remember my mother deep frying these then sprinkling fine sugar over the pile for a sweet treat at Chinese New Year. A mess to eat as they basically crumble when picked up.

I agree with Ben that anchovies would not be a suitable substitute - wrong flavour. If you're serving it as a light soup, forego the oysters, mushrooms, conpoy. Just boil up then simmer some pork neckbones for a good broth, add slices of wintermelon, then silkened pork tenderloin slices at the last minute. For the heartier version, I'd cut the melon into chunks with the rind on. This version would be "lo fau", with dried oysters, red dates, ginger,but no beans.

As mentioned in the youtube video, she only used "a few" of the bitter almonds because it is stronger in almond flavour. I don't think anyone has to worry about cyanide poisoning. My grandmother-in-law always put bits of apricot pits(cyanide)in her peach and apricot conserve for a touch of bitterness to the sweetness. And she lived to be healthy 87. I've also added a few to one of my Chinese herbal soups. If you are concerned, I am sure you can substitute a good quality almond extract for the flavour boost.

Dan: Are you sure it's glutinous brown rice and not just brown from flavouring? If it doesn't have to be specifically vegetarian, check out this thread: Cantonese = leen yeep joong (sticky rice in lotus leave) Or search out the thread on joongzi / joong (sticky rice in bamboo leaves)

Is it traditonal dim sum restaurants where you've had the great almond tofu? In dim sum restaurant, they usually serve tofu fah - which is totally different from the almond tofu you can buy, or make at home, unless you are making tofu from scratch at home. That's the ancient Chinese secret.