liuzhou

มัสมั่น Thai Massaman Prawn Curry. Wild prawns, potato, peanuts, massaman curry paste, coconut cream, garlic, garlic chives. Massaman is normally a mild curry, but my mild and theirs is different so I added extra chilli. Served with rice and flying fish roe.

Nothing wrong with supplying your own anesthesia for a medical. Great looking lunch, though. Never had a lamb pizza that I remember, although there is a Xinjiang dish whose name escapes me which features lamb atop their "nang" flat breads. Very pizza-like and wonderful. Sadly the restaurant (Alibaba) closed down years ago when the owner/chef retired. Before he went, he did donate me his special extra long slicing knife, which I still use daily.

Braised chicken with arrowhead - 慈菇 (Mand: cí gū; Cant: ci4 gu1) , button mushrooms, shiitake, shallots, garlic, ginger, Zhenjiang black vinegar, and Vietnamese fish sauce. With rice.

Kale does exist here, I'm told, but I've never come across it. That said, gailan or kai-lan is a variety of kale, but I seldom see that here either and never venture down that road.

Today, a home made version of 兰州牛肉拉面 (lán zhōu niú ròu lā miàn). Not 100% as you would find in Lanzhou in Northern China, but close. Fresh hand-pulled noodles (拉面) in a broth with beef, garlic, ginger, chilli and greenery - in this case non-traditional endive. It's what I wanted to use up. As with ramen (which was derived from the Chinese dish, but then took its own path), this needs a good broth. No, I didn't pull the noodles myself. They were bought from a lovely Muslim couple from Lanzhou in the market

Tonight, what I call 一点这个，一点那个 (yī diǎn zhè gè； yī diǎn nǎ gè) or "a little this, a little that". It's freezing and I really didn't want to venture out. Also, I had things that need using, so... Penne rigata with Italian style sausage (actually Chinese), mushrooms, endive, leeks, garlic, and chilli. A second round ensued.

No. They weren't blue, but the light was. 😀😀

Pork in Zhenjiang black vinegar (you may know it as Chinkiang vinegar - 93% of Chinese wouldn't), with garlic, lemon zest, basil and chilli. With stir-fried endive and rice.

I've never come across anything like that. Hot pot broths are usually chicken based here although they can use other meats elsewhere in China (Sichuan often uses beef, for example) but ham is also often used in preparing stocks, too, but only in addition to the base meat. I often make chicken stock with a bit of ham. Chillies are very commonly used in hot pots, either in the form of sauces or just the fresh things. Especially in Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou provinces. Although, as you say, China has many excellent vinegars. I think I've only had them at hot pot dinners as side dips and not in the hot pot itself All that said, endive is not a common vegetable. I think the season is quite short and. thankfully. the locals like their food to be seasonal.

The last of the New Year's Day chicken 鸡肉蘑菇粥 (jī ròu mó gū zhōu) Chicken and mushroom congee (rice porridge). Chicken,mushrooms, shallots, garlic, chilli flakes in a broth made from the chicken bones. Again, not very visually appealing but just the thing on a freezing January day.

Black garlic flavoured cookies. Good with a capital 'goo'.

The first sighting of a new arrival for the new year. Cichorium endivia var crispum 苦苣 (Mand: kǔ jù; Cant: fu2 geoi6), literally 'bitter lettuce' or 苦菊 (Mand: kǔ jú; Cant: fu2 guk1), literally 'bitter chrysanthemum. Curly endive. This pleasantly bitter greenery is typically stir-fried with garlic or used in hot pots.

Lunch today was leftovers from yesterday's New Year dinner. Cold chicken sandwiches mainly. No pictures.Not very visually interesting, but filled the hole.

Chicken Part 2 I removed the breasts from my orgasmic chicken, boiled some spuds and grilled some mushrooms. Simple dinner. Too cold to hang out in the kitchen any longer than strictly necessary. A fine bird. Legs, wings and random bits are stowed in the warmest part of the house. The fridge.

and just for New Year, possibly the most popular food comedy ever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinner_for_One

Happy New Dinner! I spent a small fortune yesterday on a beautiful organic* chicken. Today decapitated and de-feeted it and slow poached it. It should feed me for a few meals, but I'm sitting now thinking it might end up being eaten later tonight - just by me. It's sitting resting now, and I'm going to be adding the neck and head to the poaching medium for stock. The extra fat was removed and will shortly be rendered for purposes yet unknown, The gizzard and kidney will be the chef's reward. * "Organic" has no legal definition here, but I've tried birds from this supplier before and they sure taste better. BTW, I have one Chinese good friend who, despite being fluent in English and French alongside her three Chinese languages, always gets a little confused about one linguistic point. A few years ago I cooked for her and she asked me, "Is that an orgasmic chicken?" I told her that I had tried my best, but it was up to her to decide!

Yes, the Year of the Pig starts on February 5th. 2019

First breakfast of the year, on a freezing morning. 三鲜馄饨 (sān xiān hún tún) Home made three taste wontons (pork, shrimp and shiitake) in a spicy broth. Photos taken through a filter of steam.

It's thin slices of tenderloin, simply pan fried with black pepper and salt.

Here's my local chestnut man - about five minutes walk from my home. Taken this morning.

Fresh ramen with pork.

Er, thanks, but I am a linguist and that wasn't my point anyway. I was in no way suggesting that the English was wrong. P.S. Murder was a noun first.

Almost everyone cooks on gas, but in the last ten years most also have electric portable induction cookers for hot pots. These are sometimes used with woks (not stainless steel) but more often with stainless steel hot pot pans. All I am saying is that I've never seen a stainless steel wok in China.

I have held back from commenting here, because I just don't understand what is happening. After 23 years years living in a country that perhaps knows a thing or two about woks and stir frying, I've never seen a stainless steel example. Perhaps, for good reason. They have stainless steel, but not for woks. And "I'm having a stir-fry for dinner" makes as much sense in Chinese as "I'm having a cooking for dinner".

Spicy carrot soup to warm me up.