Dejah

Thanks, Ben Sook. I might get the chance to work on this stuff tomorrow. Waiting to hear from a new butcher shop to see if I can get beef tendons. Any guidance on that?

The lobak goh at dim sum places is sometimes greasy because the slices are pan fried prior to serving. The taro cake in the title is similar to radish cake except that it's made with diced cooked taro. The taro puffs you described are quite a different thing, but also delicious!

There's a recipe in Wei-chuan cookbook: Chinese Snacks - revised - by Huang Su-Huei. Rona: I've sent you a PM.

I want to try making tripe dim sum style. I've eaten lots, but have never made it at home. I bought some yesterday, and it had a nice beige/white appearance. I assume these have been prepared for cooking at home. Do I still need to "clean" it in some way before using? One recipe said to braise it like Chinese beef stew: with star anise, hoisin sauce, peppercorns, garlic, etc. Anyone make this at home or have a recipe? I'm STILL looking for curried baby octopus recipe too!

Dejah, I used the recipe from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Do you have that book? If not, I will be happy to PM it to you. ← Oh! I actually have that book - from your recommendation. I'll look it up. Thanks!

I can't remember who sent me the recipe for hom siu gok - someone here, and the recipe had mashed cooked yam in the dough - 6 oz. of yams to 1 lb of glutinous flour. For sweet version, the recipe called for Chinese brown sugar. Can someone please chime up if you sent me the recipe? Glad you made the baos and hom siu gok, Rona. Joongzi next?

What can be better than pork belly for char siu! It will stay moist even after sitting in the fridge for a day or so. Any other cut tends to dry out a little. Rona: Your char siu looks great even blurry. Is your Momma proud? June: Have you posted your dough recipe? It looks white and fluffy, and I'd like to try it. What recipe did you use for the marinade, Bruce?

Every once in a while, I get a craving and have one for a snack with pickled ginger or shallots, but mostly, I like pei dan diced into my jook.

I know I can't rely on the backs of the packs cuz some of the caloric values don't make sense, but based on common sense such a thin layer at 15 or 20 cal/ makes sense. They also expand my mind in terms of wrapping. I now find that wrapping my protein and pickled and fresh veg in a sesame/perilla leaf is as satisfying as the rice paper wrap. I am also wondering how the tofu skin can be used in such a fresh application. So much to explore... ← Re soaking the rice paper: I use a 10 inch pyrex pie plate filled with warm water. One wrapper is immersed until pliable, and as I pull it out to use, I slip a new one into the water. I do the wrapping on a wooden board. If the wrapper is too wet, I blot it with a wrung out wet paper towel. I see people usually use raw vegetables and softened rice noodles in their filling, but I have always prefered to stir-fry my filling (bean sprouts, julienned carrots, green onion, rice noodles, fish sauce) just a little to blend the flavours. Fresh mint is good herb to include as a see-thru' decoration and for accent flavour. Thai basil and cilantro can also be used in place of mint. Heidih: You'd probably enjoy lettuce wraps/cups with stir-fried diced vegetables, waterchestnuts, and Chinese mushrooms with a touch of hoisin sauce.I served those at my son's wedding rehearsal dinner and everyone enjoyed making their own. With tofu skin, you'd have to steam the rolls before eating. I think they also deepfry them as dim sum.

Yeah, yeah...don't believe a word of the above. Like Robin said, gorgeous! I've never seen ferns like in your picture, TP. Are they just more fully grown fiddle heads? I love those but haven't been able to find any in our markets the last couple of years. Dejah aka Sue-On

Thanks for the suggestions. I picked up the bitter melon on a whim, so stir-frying was easy. I could see it adding a nice something to scrambled eggs or a slow-cooked brothy concoction. ← Bitter melon is an acquired taste. The degree of bitterness depends on the melon. Sometimes, a quick blanch will tone it down. For stir-fries I cook the slices with garlic, ginger, femented black beans, and beef. If available, I put this on top of ho fun. We also like it in a slow simmered soup with pork, rehydrated oysters, and lots of ginger. It took a couple of looks to associate your slices with the whole melons. I've always cut them across to form little bumpy arches.

My understanding is that it is a bit like making a clay pot. You are thinning and bringing the dough together to make a "balloon". The trick is how to close it off - I guess you need to have just enough dough at the "neck" to pinch it closed. ← My Mom used to blow air into a completed geen dui, twist and seal the neck then deep fry - in the method described by sheets: She stopped blowing air in as she got older. Funny how she thought that as she got older, she may have some dreadful germs in her breath! It all depends on the flour used. The ones my mom makes for Chinese New Year "bai sun" deflates after a day or two. That may be because the walls are thin. Other ones, maybe called something different, are crispy. The store-bought ones last year were hard as rock! The only one who ate them - without permission - was our dog! Wait...My Mom called them "chung tay": http://www.hillmanweb.com/soos/seedball.html

I'm sitting here watching another snowfall and thinking about "dan fah tong". (and repeating what all's been said before... ) In China, there are soups that have egg swirled in at the last minute - more for presentation and as a thickener than as a star ingredient. So, the "famous" Egg Drop Soup" found here in N.A. just grew out of that. The more exotic ingredients such as shark fin, crab, were not available to many who cooked Chinese food for the masses, so local ingredients such as mushrooms, other vegetables were added(much cheaper). The soup can't be called anything BUT egg drop soup, so the name stuck, and everyone became familiar with it. The simple name is not very threatening to anyone trying out Chinese food. When we try something new, liked it, it stays in our memory - often as comfort food.

I think it's the same as fish maw. Ah Leung, That variety of kiwi looks more like slices of dragonfruit. The fruit I tried was so colourful, but there wasn't not much taste. That may be due to degree of ripeness...

THIS is what I call the A.B.C. of POWER BLOGging! Three super eGulleteers cooking three of my favourite ingredients: tripe, trotters and chicken inards.

I'll have "what Rona's having..." This could turn into Hong Kong blog tag as there are so many of you heading that way after Ah Leung returns. Keep on eating!

I thought there was a nor mai gai thread in here somewhere? But, I don't think you need to break off if there isn't such a thread. Looking forward to your experiments. School's out for me, so I might follow suit!

June, What did you wrap the rice in? For raw rice, you really do need to submerge and boil the packets for at least 2 hours to get that creamy smooth texture. The way the packets are wrapped also helps to "mush" the grains of rice together to get that texture. You can't boil the packets if you use leen yeep (lotus leaves), of course. I don't know about banana leaves - perhaps if they're fresh ones and not frozen. When I make leen yeep joong, the rice and filling are all cooked, combined, then steamed to get that special flavour from the leaves. Good experiment tho'. Thanks for the report!

Oh, but that is just perfect on a cold snowy morning. An elaborate soup would be most welcomed as we are covered by snow. Hubby and I were in Manhattan's Chinatown acouple of years ago. It was a completely new experience for me - to be surrounded by so many and so much Chinese! I felt like a foreigner (and I'm Chinese!)and was very envious of all that people in big cities have easy access to. I can't even remember where or what we ate - just the clothes we bought.

Bruce: That meal looks particularly comforting and satisfying in view of our recent cold blustery weather. I'll have to try braised cabbage. That would get me out of the usual stir-fried with ha mai or chop suey ( )mode!

If you use the leftover filling in har gow wrappers, then they are called fan suor in Toisanese. The store probably did sell your Mom wheat starch as that is the kind for har gow. If you like your hom sui gok to burst, you'd better wear a face shield and cover your arms. They can really explode on you!

Hi y'all. It's my first post even tho I've been lurking around for a while. It's so great to finally join the convo! ← A bit late on the draw, but hey! Welcome to the fray, buyo!

Now, we'd like to see your cooking in Chinese Eats at Home thread.

WHOA! That was fast! and delicious! I assume those are the deep fried tofu stuffed with ground meat/shrimp mixture then braised?

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=50599 Go to the above URL for instructions.