Yuki

I think that 100 yen shops are better value than "value" shops in other countries. Obviously many of the products in the 100 yen shop are made in China but even in Hong Kong, I can't find anything that cheap. I am still regretting not buying that large sieve...... it only costed 100 yen. They have a really good kitchen supply section that I would like to stock up on.

If you have a pot with a divider, might want to get some different flavour soup going at the same time. I am really lazy so I just make a basic stock with left over bones and vegetable then pour bottled sauce into it. Since I assume you are not making hot pot with water only so the stock part should be done already. Satay sauce is easy to find and what is better than meen gun and fried bean curd soaking up all those spicy soup.

One year my uncle made a turkey with sticky rice stuffing, it was so good because of all the oil from the turkey. Although that turkey meat was not that great.................. Then they would threw all the necks, bones and the white meat for a good pot of congee. Probably not a good way to use up a turkey but I guess they just don't like lean meat.

One of the main reasons why services are so good in China because workers are dirt cheap. One of my mother's friend who work as an accountant in a large restaurant told me that the waitress only makes around RMB 600-1000 per month. Also, they probably don't earn any tips.

Glad to hear that you had a great time in Shanghai and Hong Kong. I really want to try the sheng chian bao but didn't make it to Shanghai last summer, maybe I will be lucky this summer. I am sorry to hear your experience at Yung Kee was not great, but I still love Cantonese food(heh, not a surprise). edited: I meant sheng chian bao and not xiao long bao, personally I don't really care for xiao long bao.

Actually, there are sites with chinese(or should I say new Cantonese) dessert recipe, but they are all in Chinese. Is the mango pancake more like a mango crepe then filled with mango chunks and whipped cream? Black Sesame Roll Recipe (In Chinese)

Most people make home style char siu, and buy restaurant style char siu. Home style usually just involves some garlic, ginger, soya sauce, sugar, salt, wine and Lee Kum Kee char siu sauce. I would be interested in knowing how to get restaurant style char siu at home.

Pork chop would be too lean and rough for char siu, I use the shoulder butt for this. Can anyone confirm that 梅頭 is shoulder butt? My grandma likes to glaze some honey on the pork when it is in the oven at the last minute.

I save the tip of the dried shiitake mushroom for soup. Also, there are chicken bones, turkey necks, and pork bones in the freezer. The broccoli stalk, core of the cabbage, and left over onions for more soup.

It is good for...... -stir fried with ton choy (perhaps the most famous dish made with the shrimp paste) -steamed fatty pork with shrimp paste -deep fried chicken with some shrimp paste coating. I tried that at a restaurant in Hong Kong, the saltiness of the shrimp paste matched perfectly with the deep fried skin of the chicken. -stir fried with squid (I don't get this combo, but it is popular)

I got some match drink powder during my visit in Kyoto this summer and it is great. I like to enjoy it hot with milk or cold with honey.

Anything with condensed milk, perferably on cheap white bread -Melted Butter, Condensed Milk with a sprinkle of sugar -Peanut Butter & Condensed Milk Nutella, and banana placed on a slice of baguette then it goes into the oven. When it is done, add some whipped cream. Yakisoba with some mayo

Remember to try the milk tea, fresh egg tarts and pineapple buns with a slab of cold butter during tea time in Hong Kong. You might also want to try the mix of milk tea and coffee. Since you will be spending lots of time walking around in Hong kong, load up on the street food or jump into small restaurants and get a bowl/plate of food for two people to share. Yung Kee offers good cantonese cooking at a decent price, but when I was there in the summer, they did not have roasted goose. I wonder if they are getting their supply back yet? The wonton noodles are good too but I think it is only available in tea time. They still make the old style small wontons with a nice soft tail.

I go back to Hong Kong every summer for two months but during that time, I spend 2-4 weeks in other Asian countries. There is no great Chinese food where I live so I need to go back to Hong Kong and refresh my memories.

Not exactly insects but I had worms steamed in eggs before, it tasted like fish intestines steamed in eggs.I prefer fish intestines more due to its richness but it is still interesting to try the worm. If it is on the table next time, I will still take some.

One of the reasons why people boil water in Hong Kong is to get rid of the chlorine smell. Another problem is probably with the pipes in buildings, back then there was not much regulations on what kind of pipes can be used so many times, water will turn yellow due to rusty pipes. Some times the water at my home will be slightly yellow in the morning but after a minute or two, it will be back to normal. Also, many Hong Kong people don't trust their water source from the Dongjiang, there are many factories and village living along it that the water is polluted. Although there are agreements between Hong Kong and Guangdong to keep the Dongjiang water clean, but I still think there are pollutions being dump there everyday. So overall, people can't trust water that came from such a dirty source and would rather be safe than sorry, so they boil their water. My counsins from Canada drank tap water when they visited us in Hong Kong in 1992, and my parents freaked out. Anyways, they are too lazy to get water from the jug and still drank water out of the tap when no one is watching.

I went to Guangzhou during the summer and my experience certaining was not that bad. Did you go to some really remote area? Is the tap water yellow? So did you eat any food in the restaurant and found out the food was bad? Or was it just your conclusion that food is bad because water quality is not high. The water I got in the hotel in Guangzhou and restaurant(including the washroom) are clean water. From the Hong Kong Water Supplies Department, the water in Hong Kong have been safe to drink straight out of the tap for many years. Wonder why most people still boil their water?

The tea eggs that I've always been eating is always kind of ugly. Although a couple years ago, I did read a article on tea eggs being sold in a stall in a famous tea producing region of China. They use fresh eggs and lately poach the eggs in tea, there is tea flavour but the eggs are still soft and light in color. Don't think these great tea eggs will ever make it out of the region............ If you are interested in Chinese eggs' preparation, I would recommend getting into a Shanghai restaurant and try their smoked eggs. The outside of the eggs are brown, but the yolk is a golden orange and runny.

If I am in Hong Kong, wouldn't go to Sai Kung for seafood, it used to be the new place for seafood but they couldn't maintain the quality anymore. Going to Cheung Chau island would be a better idea combining with some sight seeing around the island. Luk Yu Teahouse, it is an old style restaurant but the restaurant next door has some pretty good roasted goose(I like bbq pork and other dishes more) if they have any in stock . Are you planning to go in the morning or night? Some dishes I would recommend in Luk Yu at night Pork Lung Soup with Ground Almond - the lung is incredibily tender and is the only lung that I would eat Congee with bird meats - it is a cross between a congee and thick soup, the flavor is amazing Any old style Cantonese dishes Ask the Waiters for recommendation, I think some of them know English. It would be a good idea to visit some local restaurants (where people from all classes in Hong Kong will visit for the good food).

My grandma always make those soup, but when I try to replicate, it just doesn't taste the same. I am fond of soup made with any kind of melon or carrots because they are lighter. There is some storage of dried herbs and other goodies for soup in the cupboard. I don't know how they will affect the taste of the soup but I just add it in anyways(following the advices of grandma). My worst nightmare about soup happened during my elementary school year, my mother heard from my grandma that drinking soup made with dong quai, black chicken and other herbs will aid a child's growth(the vertical kind.....). Ahhh, the horrible smell and taste during every Saturaday's lunch. My sister love those soup so she would secretly drink it for me but her body is too "hot" for dong quai. She ended up having a quite severe nose bleed................

Soup is an important part of a Cantonese home meal and grandmothers all have a calendar thar decides which soup is most suitable for the weather and health of the family. The soup could be one that takes over 8hrs to simmer or a quick soup that can be done in 15min. Since the Oxtail is on special today, I brought some along with some green and normal(orange) carrots to make a soup. It is still simmering on the stove and will be placed into the thermol pot to stay overnight. My mother used to make a similar version with ox tongues, and then after the soup is done, the tongues are still flavourful so she would mix it up with ketchup to make spaghetti. My favourite soup of all time: Fuzzy melon with chicken and salty egg yolks. I once drank the whole pot (3L) in an hour. Please share your favourite homemade soup.

Nope, we call it Kraft Dinner in Alberta too.

I went to Singapore over the summer, and I've been to some supermarket and hawker store. The trend I notice is that most food items are cheap, except for vegetables and some type of fruits. The price of vegetables and fruits are high compare to other dishes in the store/market. Also, for an Asian country, the vegetables and fruits prices are relatively high. Am I going to the wrong place for vegetables?

I don't think it is swiss, most likely cheddar, mozerella or parmesan cheese. Cream cheese is very popular for desserts if you consider it a "cheese". I wonder what they make cheese sauce out of, I think it is most likely cheese powder or processed cheese.

I made a Kobocha dessert soup today. It contains smashed kobocha, fresh lotus bulb, coconut milk, water, tapioca, and brown sugar. It is so creamy and not too sweet.