Dejah

When I first started reading, I thought you were preparing for being stuck in a snowbank during a blizzard! It is Manitoba, after all! ← I thought the topic meant what's in my trunk right now. Come winter, I'll switch some of the contents for our Manitoba winter: candles, dried fruit, crackers, cookies, peanut butter...

Always in my trunk: a see-through plastic box with packets of coffee from various hotels we've stayed at, along with the packets of creamer, sweetner, stir-stix, cans of ready-to-serve Campbell soup (Southewest Chicken, Fajita Beef), a jar of peanut butter, 2 Corel dinner plates, bowls, mugs, and a serrated knife. We never know when we might head out to our house on the original farmstead. Today, I've just unloaded 5 spaghetti squash, a kobacha squash, an ice-cream pail full of late-season strawberries, a bag of red onions all from the farmer's market which has moved into a plant nursery for the next 2 weeks. The produce are from an organic farm close to the city. We are heading off to "the farm" so we'll take a cooler with a roast chicken, salad fixings, the strawberries, French bread, a big blue jug of water, and our inflatable bed. It's beautiful and quiet out there - a good place to relax and rejuvenate before another work week.

Thanks, Prawn. I'll have to give it a go during Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend.

Thanks! Will try it next time I get rice roll! ← hzrt8w has a simple solution if you can't find the bottled stuff, but I think you'll find his mixture is not quite the same as what you have had in the restaurant. I buy Lee Kum Kee Sweet Soy Sauce. It has a viscocity similar to what I've had in restaurants and seems to "cling" to the rice rolls better than ordinary soy sauce.

Those prawns and pepper tempura look great, Prawn! Recipe and method please? Did you use panko as well as a batter?

Thanks, Bruce. The lamb was good, and I'll need to make it again for the kids when they come home. I've never cooked plantain. Must try that next. I too have crab meat in the freezer, so will await your recipe for the crab soup. The stuff I have is frozen crab claw meat. That would work? Have you cooked soft shell crabs? I would love to be able to cook them crispy with a tempura-like batter. My attemps have been "limp"

Your plate of noodles and crab look very inviting! The kau yook was enjoyed mostly by my mom and brother. The rest don't like fatty meat, but liked the taro. Mom and brother said it was delicious. They only allowed themselves a couple of pieces of the pork each meal (cholestrol control ), and they spread the dish out over 3 days! My dish didn't look as photogenic as Prawn's, so no picture. I'll be making it again in about 2 months time, so will attempt a better plate next time.

Made the lamb shanks today, and luckily our son, d-i-l and grandson came over to help us eat up all the food! I posted pictures of the finished product in the Dinner! thread. Here are acouple of prep. pictures: Lamb shanks with herb butter tucked into slits between the meat and the bone. I had lots left over (recipe was for 4 shanks. I did 3), so I smeared the left over butter on the surface and the vegetables. Instead of chopping the leek, I cut it lengthways and laid them under the other vegetables. I also added celery. For the curry, I added many small potatoes I picked up at the farmer's market this morning. The recipe called for one potato, diced. What's curry without lots of potato!?

First experience cooking lamb shanks. I tried two recipes: Lamb Shanks and Potato Curry, and Jamie Oliver's Spectacular Baked Lamb Shanks. They were both great! Luckily our son, wife and grandson came up to help us eat the 6 shanks. We also had 11-grains "rice", naan, green and yellow beans, and a marinated mixed veg. salad. Our son bought us a Spanish red wine - vega del Rio Crianza. It went very well with the lamb. We had freshly picked locally grown strawberries for dessert. ETA to move image.

One ice cream pail full of freshly picked strawberries. Yes, apparently these plants still produce until temps drop wayyy down. The berries varied in size, but they are so fragrant and sweet. I also bought a box of ground cherries, sweet bi-coloured corn, red onions, small potatoes, orange "sunrise" cherry tomatoes, several zuchinni, yellow small squat-shapes squash, and green beans. I used the beans and red onions for our lamb shanks supper tonight. The strawberries were the prize tho'!

I use beef short ribs for stew with carrots, potatoes, celery (leaves as well), and onion. The veg are left in large chunks so they don't break down completely. I brown the flour-dredged meat, deglaze with a splash of red wine, and add beef stock. All this is brought to a boil, then simmered in the oven for about 3 hours. I use a cast iron casserol. This was the way my dad made it back in the '40s (without the wine tho') You can reduce the broth after it comes out of the oven, or thicken with potato starch slurry. I buy packaged potato dumpling mix (can't remember the brand) and these are great for soaking up the gravy.

I've found frozen lamb shanks for the first time in our supermarket. It's the weekend and I'll have time to try cooking them. One package of 3 is marinating in yogurt and garam masala in the fridge for Lamb Shanks and Potato Curry. The other package I'm going to try Jamie Oliver's Baked Lamb Shanks with chopped veg in foil.. Wish I had another package as I'd like to try Nigella Lawson's Lamb shank stew. There'll be lots left over as there are only two of us eating. Hope they'll freeze well.

Brown rice is at the bottom of my list because I've had it rancid too often. The first time I tasted brown rice was in California at the beginning of the healthy "hippie"?phase. Chinese people originally thought brown rice was for poor people - couldn't afford to get the grains polished. Now I believe, brown rice is more expensive. We eat mostly jasmine rice, followed by basmati, and lately, enjoying a 10-grains cereal in place of rice. This 10-grain includes Australian brown rice (guess I'm still eating brown! )sorghum rice, buckwheat, barley, pearl rice, wheat, oat, Job's Tear, millet, Gordon Euryale seeds, and black glutinous rice. The instructions said cook as for rice or as porridge. With all these grains, the finished product is soft and chewy. For porridge, I cook it with more water. I am confused about the difference stated between rice cooker and stovetop method. The process is the same for both: first the water is brought to a boil until a certain amount of water has evaporated, then it is finished by "steaming". Rice cookers are automatic whereas stove top needs watching. (I have forgotten many times I've had a roomful of smoke and ruined pots.) The difference in the finished product is governed by the amount of water and heat used. Any rice will be mushy if you use too much water.

← Maybe if your soaked the apricot pieces in a sweet wine, like Mogen David, fo a while? HTH! ← Sounds like a good idea! Bought some nice big taro and several slabs of pork belly while visiting daughter in the city. Think I'll attempt Kau Yuk as a treat for my Mom tomorrow.

Those look gorgeous! I love seeds in my mooncakes. Wonder if I have to wait until Ben gets here to enjoy the last one...

Do you mean the one on William (but in the phone book it says Elgin, because that's the only door that's ever open)? My mother said it opened last March. I thought it seemed kind of dirty already, but it was definitely cleaner than it used to be! ← It must be the one on Elgin as that's where my daughter's house is, and we drove past it to get to her place. I didn't realize it's been opened for so long. Daughter just moved to that street and said it was new, so I assumed it just opened. It definitely is cleaner than the one on McPhillips, and not as crowded. I guess it seemed so clean compared to Sun Wah, although they seem to have cleaned up somewhat.The salty chicken and char siu I bought there were very good. Re: dim sum at VS: They didn't try to "sell" xiaolongbaos this time, so we didn't get any. In May, they were just bringing them onto their menu, and we tried them that time. They must not have been great as I can't remember too much about them. I tried them at Ken's restaurant on Ellice, and they were disappointing. The wrapper was very thick and the lump of meat was non-descript. We didn't dare order the rice roll wrapped youtaio as they were terrible the last time: chewy tough youtaio inside bland rice roll. My kids said these were very good at Kam Ho. Your are right about the rice rolls at VS. They were bland until you put sauce on them. I like them with green onions as well. I agree with your parents on the filling for sticky rice. I make mine with lapcheong and mushrooms, so I found VS good but a little too "simple" for my taste. Hubby and I were at Kum Koon on another day. I need to learn to control myself better when the carts come around - don't grab everything all at once! So, the cold food might be my own fault. There is one dish that I haven't been able to get again - a really delicate and delicious shrimp, perhaps wrapped in taro and chopped shrimp on a whole shrimp? The coating was like tempura. We had those at Kum Koon when Ben Hong visited a couple years ago! I found the servers pretty good this time at KK, not overly friendly but seemed more "patient." Here's a shocker for you, I saw Smiling Johnny SMILE! Well, he actually flashed his teeth like a smile at something a customer said! It's strange to see a security guy at the front. Do customers get rowdy waiting? I don't know what it is with Chinese people in the food service sector, whether it is in restaurants, grocery stores, or Maxim's bakery. The young lady who finally came out to serve me on a Sunday morning was very abrupt. Is it against the Chinese culture to smile, be polite and courteous? I am Chinese, and ran my own restaurant, and I would never be rude, even for one-time customers.

A timely report on dim sum in Wpg...we were at Victoria Seafood today with daughter and the Boy. We'd helped them move into their house , so dim sum at their favourite location was our reward. The Boy ordered for everyone - 21 dishes! Not sure if I can remember everything but here goes: Sticky rice: different from what my family is used to, but flavourful and moist ground meat sandwiched between 2 thick layers of sticky rice. Stuffed eggplant - lots of seafood in between 2 buttery-soft slices of eggplant. Good stuff as was the stuffed green pepper. Har gow - 3 nice-sized shrimp with that special texture we'd been discussing in the Chinese forum - "crisp". The wrapper was thin and delicate. Deep fried shrimp dumplings - with a crisp wonton wrapper. These were good fresh out, but I couldn't make myself use the mayo... Beancurd wrapped meat filling - I can't remember if it was good, but I vaguely remember eating a piece. Tripe - with sliced sweet peppers in a light blackbean sauce? - tender and yummy. I was the only one who wanted them and I got to eat the whole dish myself! Shrimp and chive dumplings - nicely filled, and again, delicate wrapper. Pork siu mai - ok. Seafood dumpling - 2 pieces of shrimp and a small scallop - very nicely flavoured and steamed 2 orders of curry baby octopus - an all around favourite. The octopus was tender without being mushy. The sauce was so good that The Boy was dipping his "baby" char siu baos into the sauce: " Too good to waste!" Steamed rice rolls with shrimp - nice soft rice rolls - similar to other restaurants. Pan fried meat dumplings - good flavour with a soft chewy wrapper. Turnip cake - I liked these better than my own as there was more turnip and "dough" than filling. I wish it was fried more so there'd be crispy bits on the outside. Sticky rice seasame balls filled with red date paste - very good I can't remember the rest, but everything was delicous and hot. I think I've been swayed from Kum Koon. The place was packed when we arrived at noon. There was a line-up with no-one leaving soon. A round table for 8 open (daughter said it was the boss's family table?", so I suggested maybe another couple or two who were also waiting can share with the four of us (Hong Kong style), but they weren't keen. Then another Chinese couple with a 1 year old came through the door, heard the suggestion, and said, "We'll share!" It saved us all a half hour wait! We were stuffed for $89.00, and that saved me some money when I went for groceries at the new Young's grocery store. I think it's on Ellen. They have a smaller section of BBQ and fresh meats meats than Sun Wah, but so nice, clean and new! I picked up 2 salty chicken, 3 lbs of char siu, 4 pieces of fresh pork belly, lots of taro root (Mid-autumn festival!), beautiful fresh lemongrass, dried oysters, salty turnip, etc, etc. I found the gigantic Pocky, so picked a box up for the grandson. I think they get baking from Maxim in Chinatown. I got there too late for egg custard tarts. They said the baking is usually gone by noon. I'll have to get there earlier next time as I don't want to go to Maxim's anymore. The staff is so rude! The staff at Young's is very polite and friendly - which is a real change. The staff at VS is also more friendly and polite than Kum Koon. These two have become my favourite places for food!

Hi jo-mel, The arborio rice worked really well. It was soft, chewy, but not mushy. I also just used it to make paella. Ping and Fushia Dunlop's were pretty much the same. I used Ms Dunlop's for smaller quantities and clarity, but I used diced leg of lamb and Ping's oven method. The carrots were shredded, but next time, I think I'll dice them so they'll show up better. I had two lamb leg bones with some meat still attached. I put them on top of the rice to cook along. Daughter's BF will enjoy gnawing on them. It definitely needed more than a pinch of salt. The fresh mint went well with the dish. Hubby and I each had a small plate for supper (and a bit of the beef rendang for punch ) The rest was cooled off and packed away for tomorrow at daughter's.

Dejah, Looks good! I was planning to make this, and will also be using frozen blueberries. Normally, I don't defrost berries in baked stuff, but this recipe specifically says to have the fruit at room temperature. So... did you defrost and drain them or just leave them frozen? Thanks. ← I did defrost them and left them in a bowl on the counter. Didn't drain them, and hindsight tells me I should maybe drain or add more cornstarch to thicken the sauce a bit more. Maybe Minute Tapioca would work better? I like the "runniness" of the innards, but a little thicker would be good also.

It's taken me THIS long to make something I really enjoyed! Here's the zhua fan I made using my friend Ping's oven method with Fushia Dunlop's recipe. I didn't have any sultana raisins, so I used chopped dried apricots. It was delicious, but I think I miss the plump sweetness of the raisins. No subsitutions next time! I used arborio rice.

Made the Blueberry - Peach Spiced Pecan Crisp from Fine Cooking again - this time with frozen blueberries as I couldn't find any fresh. It turned out fine!

The yellow beans are salted, smashed, sold in jars/cans as "meen see". I use it when I want to make Cantonese roast duck (haven't for a long time tho'). It's a cool autumn-like day and I've been cooking food to take to our daughter's house in Winnipeg. We're going in to help her move, so we'll need lots of energy! So far, I've got beef rendang, veggie lasagne. And, for Chinese food, I've got baby back ribs marinating for char siu pie gwut, and finally, I made Zhua fan combining my friend Ping's method and Fushia Dunlop's recipe for Polo (lamb pilau). I didn't have sultana raisins, so I used chopped dried apricots. I miss the plumb sweetness of the raisins. Next time there'll be no subsitutions! Will post picture of finished product in the zhua fan thread in a bit.

July issue #93 has a terrific recipe for peach and blueberry crisp with spiced-pecan topping. I just picked up another case of freestone B.C. peaches to make the dessert again for this weekend. Unfortunately, blueberry season is at an end, and they are selling at $2.99/pint. Has anyone else made this recipe? Would IQF blueberries work as well?

I've never seen the name "pork fu", but from your description, it's what my kids would eat right out of the container. Most often, we eat it as a topping for congee - rice gruel - Chinese chicken soup - comfort food.

Last spring, I made rullupyslsa with my friend Inga. She used beef flank, and it turned pinkish from the saltpeter. It was delicious! For dessert, you could make vinarterta, ponnukokur, or cheesecake made with skyr. Inga makes hundreds of ponnukokur for the Icelandic Pavilion at our Winterfest. She lent me a cookbook: The Culinary Saga of new Iceland: Recipes from the Shores of Lake Winnipeg by Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns. It's very interesting reading. Let me know if there is a specific recipe you need. It might be in this book.