liuzhou

When I first came to China in 1996, olive oil was impossible to find. I first found a bottle on August, 23rd 2005. I only know the date because I took my first ever selfie holding the bottle to send to family and friends, some of whom had lamented my serious deprivation. Since then it has become commonplace but not of great quality but great expense. This one is the best I've found but is even more expensive, being imported from Italy. It's also from a cooperative rather than a massive multi-national distributer of oils which could be from anywhere. Much of the olive oil sold here is used for skin care by my lady friends I think. No one I know cooks with it. I never use it in Chinese dishes. Totally unsuitable, but I use it in western food, of course. I've never seen it here in bread before except when I've baked the bread myself. My olive bread and its oil

I ordered this olive, bacon and cheese ciabatta loaf online (actually I ordered two) and they arrived at 8:30 this morning when I was setting up my coffee machine for my morning fix of caffeine. Perfect time for breakfast to turn up. Lovely bread infused with olive oil flavour. I just ate it as it came. Got through half a loaf. Here's one slice.

I hope you mean 'gourmet'. 😂

Tonight, I made an experimental dish of fried rice with prawns and shailan ham from Hunan. I described that more in this post back In September. It also contained garlic, chilli. Shaoxing wine and Chaoshan fish sauce. Finished with coriander leaf/cilantro and Chinese chives. I slightly over-salted it because I forgot the ham and fish sauce are a bit salty, but didn't ruin it. I'll certainly repeat. The shrimp and ham nicely complemented each other.

The person who posted about the aprons is no longer a member and hasn't been for around for 16 years so is very unlikely to answer. Perhaps someone else may know.

My machine doesn't work if I don't. But it sounds like you are speaking from experience?

黄豆酸笋焖鱼仔 (huáng dòu suān sǔn mèn yú zǎi) - Soy bean, pickled bamboo and rice paddy fish. Also, pickled chillies and garlic. Served with rice.

... get up in the morning and wash the jug for the filter coffee machine, get the coffee from its cupboard, fill the water reservoir and switch it on while I wander off to do some routine tasks, return five minutes later with my favourite cup and attempt to fill it, only to find out that, because I had forgotten to actually put the coffee in the filter cone, all I had was a jug of hot water.. But I have an excuse! I hadn't had my morning coffee yet!

This one goes into more detail.

No.

Yes. That's why Chinese cuisine uses white pepper much more than black but much less than chilli. In fact, it almost always only uses black with western food (or their re-imaginations of western food).

Have you considered aloo bhorta? That's what I call it and I'm definitely not your mother!

Chilli in all its forms (and spellings) 🌶 .

And another Beuckelaer The Butcher

Mala fried rice with beef and squid and fried dried daikon radish. Sichuan flavours.