liuzhou

Yes I have my mother's stains and smears!

Rousong

Here's my jar. This is my mother's baking book from when she married in the early 1950s. I now have it, but never use it. I'm not really much of a baker. But it's nice to have it. It is the oldest cookbook I possess, apart from reprints of ancient classics such as "Apicius" and The "Forme Of Cury". Be-Ro was, and still is, the main flour brand in the UK. It was founded in 1875 by Thomas Bell who invented self-raising flour. Amazingly, the cookbook is still in print - now in its 41st edition.

Indeed I do.

I've had Irish Moss jelly. Not bad. Lacto-fermentation is a very common pickling method world-wide, including here in China. There is a good article, with recipes, here. I have one of the fermentation jars with the moat as shown.

A surprise dinner tonight. I was walking home from the city centre, intending to cook, when I accidentally ran into a good friend who was on her way to meet yet another mutual friend and she invited me to join them. Other friend had booked a table in a busy, popular new restaurant in town. It is not usual to have to book in China, but apparently it's necessary here. It is a Thai menu but also with pizza! I was told the chef is Thai. We three shared this lot. Tom yum soup Spicy beef with pickled bamboo shoots and herbs Steamed eggs with goose liver Steamed fish with chilli and lime Stir fried greens Fried rice with pineapple, green soy beans, peanuts, cashew nuts, pork and pork floss. The spread I thought she had ordered way too much, but we demolished it in reasonable time. Now we weigh too much. The restaurant is called 范生活 (fàn shēng huó) which means 'model life'. I don't think many models eat as much as we did.

Last night. Fish and chips. Cod in beer batter. Triple cooked chips.

At 7 am this morning it was 36ºC and rising. It's a little cooler tonight. It rained, but forecast for tomorrow is to go back up again. I'm thinking ice cream for breakfast.

I have an "alien travel permit". Let's me into restricted parts of China. I have been eating breakfasts recently, but I seem to be in a repetitive rut so few posts you haven't seen 100 times before.. I blame the weather. It's so hot. Even at 7 am.

Fiddleheads (Brake Fern) is in season here in China now, but look like this. 蕨菜 (jué cài). Yesterday, I also spotted them pickled in my local market. Haven't bought yet. Pickled The fresh ones are usually stir fried. With garlic

I used it a bit when I first got it, around 30 years ago, but the only real keeper was her risotto. That is not a reflection on the book. That is a reflection on me. I just prefer cooking the traditional way more, for most things. And, it was one cookbook that didn't follow me to China. China had no microwaves when I came, so that was a more powerful reason.

False assumption. (what about she boards?)

Food writer Barbara Kafka, recipient of the James Beard Foundation lifetime achievement award has left us. I only have one of her books - Microwave Gourmet - but read many of her articles over the years. I still make her microwave risotto when I can get hold of risotto rice here. Don't scoff! I did, but it works a treat.

Last time I went home, the UK, including Wales, was north of the equator.

Yes, every market, supermarket and restaurant has it, although the locals usually cook it. As do I sometimes. Tap water. The local water is fine. At least, I've never had a problem with it. I don't drink it, though. Some people (not locals) use bleach solutions or sterilising kits designed for babies' milk bottles. Totally unnecessary. But I'm just talking about where I am. As you say, Vietnam (and other SE Asian countries) do eat raw vegetation and happily wash it in the local public supply. In 22 years in China, the only time I got food poisoning was in a Western restaurant in Xi'an.

Another hot, hot day. Another salad. Baby squid and clams with couscous, tomato and basil. With a side of green salad.

Well, it looks like every lamb breast I have been buying, cooking and eating for the last half a century. Spring lamb, at that. Of course "Agneau de pré-salé" comes with salt and fat. Sublime.

Lamb breasts are fatty. That's what's good about them. Fat = Flavor. Leave it on!

Late dinner. Simple dinner. Linguine alle vongole.

I may be getting boring, but I'm not getting bored. It's hot here. 35ºC/95ºF at the moment. 9 pm. So another duck salad. Or maybe more than one salad. Busy plate. Duck breast meat sliced thinly and quick fried with just salt and black pepper. Lettuce, red onion, cucumber salad dressed with a lemon and olive oil dressing. Raw asparagus with basil and lemon juice. Tomato. Couscous.

Pork, shrimp and shiitake wontons in chicken broth. With lettuce.

Wait till you try live shrimp. If you can catch them. Chasing live shrimp wriggling around my plate, while only armed with chopsticks was.. was... was... interesting!

Toaster ovens are all crap at making toast. Buy a pop-up toaster for a fraction of the price and a fraction of the running costs.

Just as I read that the famed Mediterranean diet is going down the pan, that is what I decided to cook tonight. A mixture of French, Italian and Greek, I initially thought, but also included ingredients from China and India. Pork loin cubed and marinated in EVOO (Italian), white wine (French), garlic (Chinese) and crushed coriander seeds (Indian), salt and black pepper. Stir fried. Tomato, onion, raw asparagus and balcony basil. Dressing from same EVOO and Chinese wine vinegar with a drop of Dijon mustard. Served with orzo (Italian) and Tsingtao Beer (Chinese). No wonder I'm always confused.