liuzhou

“Have a break! Have a Qiqiao!“ I could buy KitKats (奇巧 - qí qiăo - literally “exquisite“) in China 20 years ago, then they disappeared. Looks like they are relaunching them. I am amused that they come with instructions! Inside that box are three of the smallest KitKats you ever saw!

Proper breakfast! Sausage, fried tomatoes, fried egg on toast. Granola? Hmmmph!

Talking of 酸菜鱼 － fish (usually grass carp) in pickled cabbage soup - the best I ever had was made with fresh (undried) green Sichuan peppercorns, but they are difficult to source, even here. They grow in southern Sichuan near the Yunnan border, but seldom travel far.

Wow! They saw you coming! A jin (500 grams) is a ludicrous amount to sell to anyone. I buy my peppercorns in 30 gram packs! BTW, Mala Market states on their website that their peppercorns are not heat treated. That said, I also think their turnover might make for a better product. 酸菜鱼 (suān cài yú) is correct.

What I thought all along.

I have a real problem persuading my Chinese friends that Brussel sprouts even exist. I even went out of my way to take a picture of one when I was in the UK in 2019. They all think I Photoshopped it and it's really a full size cabbage. Anyway, when I'm in places which have them (i.e. not China), my favourite treatment is to simply half them and stir fry them with garlic and ginger, a splash of Shaoxing wine and a drop of Zhengjiang black vinegar.

The biggest problem with Sichuan peppercorns outside south-western China is freshness. They quickly lose potency. I have surprised a number of European and North American visitors by serving them mala dishes using fresher peppercorns. Even avowed Sichuan foodlovers have been astonished at the difference. They realise they've never really eaten them at their best. Only buy in small quantities from a vendor with a high turnover. If they have been heat-treated, then game over - they are already dead. As to ground Sichuan pepper, it isn't used that much, but when it is, it is ground 'to order'. That is, the home cook only grinds what they are going to use in the dish they are currently making. I've never seen anyone making a batch and storing it for later use. Commercially ground peppercorns are worthless. Avoid.

Home made chicken liver pâté with 白吉饼 (bái jí bǐng), a pitta-like Chinese bread.

They're definitely not offal-shy round here. I fact, I actually made two offal dishes tonight. Dinner as above and a bowl of chicken liver pâté, which is in the fridge to set.

Spicy, stir-fried pork kidney with shallots, shiitake, scallions and chilli. Served (unusually) with coriander / cilantro laced couscous.

Bought them. Emergency food during move.

See topic title.

Thai green curry shrimp with rice.

I fried two eggs in the same pan, at the same time yesterday, too. With the same result. I guess two eggs from the same batch ain't necessarily the same.

I'm sure that's the best decision. Let's know how well it works - with pictures!

More of a brunch really. Instant seafood noodles pimped up with lobster balls, Vietnamese fish sauce and Tabasco green label (jalepiño). Still trying to find best place in new apartment for food pictures!

Yes, I know.

It just seems crazy to me to risk blowing up your rice cooker (and any warranty) to force it to do something it was designed not to do, especially when you can buy a machine designed for the job for less than $70. (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)(eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

My eggs go nowhere near the fridge, thank you. Peculiar American habit.

I love olive bread and certainly wouldn't even pretend to resist yours.

I still make these regularly. Didn't know they had a name. Also, prefer toast separately.

The Epicurious article has one major flaw. It says “The main difference between a Persian rice cooker and Asian ones is that the latter, like the highly-rated Zojirushi, has a setting that prevents the rice from burning—a great feature if you want a bowl of steaming, fluffy rice. If you want the crispy bottom, however, you're out of luck (unless you rig the timer on the machine, as some people do).“ Very few Asian rice cookers have timers. They have 'thermostats' to switch them to 'keep warm' mode when the internal temp reaches 100°C, meaning all the water has been absorbed. To achieve the crisped rice mentioned the temp must rise above 100°C which the machine simply can't do, unless the thermostat is disabled, thereby ruining the cooker for its intended purpose. If you are deperate for the crisped rice, buy a Persian rice cooker - they aren't expensive.

Some will know I recently moved to a new apartment. It involved the usual stress and trauma. But it threw up some culinary curiosities. I'll mention a few over the next few days. I had hired someone to help me pack 25 years of essential detritus from a dissolute life prior to the move, but my dear friend J also turned up to help. While she was packing some kitchen stuff (80% of stuff to be moved was food or food-related), she found this. For years, I've been using this double lidded ceramic pot to store my precious supplies of Maldon salt. She was horrified. I knew it had some ancient Chinese script on the outer lid, but never investigated I can read modern Chinese, but this is like 6000 years old. J, being a genius can read it! Turns out the pot is a funerary urn designed to hold the ashes of my ancestors. I told her that a) my ancestors can't read ancient Chinese either and b) Maldon salt is derived from the Dead Sea. Of course, she didn't believe that. Like I said, she ain't stupid! Anyway, I have no plan to change my storage method.

Perhaps, but the OP seems to trying to make it with a conventional rice cooker and a clock! Can't see it working.

Rice crust (锅巴) is also popular here in China, but now that almost everyone has a rice cooker, no one makes it at home any more. Rice cookers just can't do it. Now we just buy it from the market where enough customers makes it worthwhile for someone to make by the old method.