liuzhou
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Posts posted by liuzhou
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This is the city's signature dish. Snail soup with rice noodles, pickled bamboo, peanuts, chilli and more. The link above is for a tentative recipe.
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At 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, an unexpected, sudden, violent tropical storm struck the city and killed my optical fibre internet connection right at the start of a three-day public holiday (Qing Ming (link to somewhat inaccurate Wikipedia description)). So, I couldn't immediately get it restored. I finally got it re-connected today. It took the China Telecom guy three hours.
The tropical storm also wiped out the long planned visit from my young friends from out of town. We are rescheduling.In the meantime, I have been cooking and eating.
I'd already bought the oysters one friend wanted to taste with lemon. She couldn't make it, so I had to eat them myself! What a tragedy.
La zi ji (辣子鸡 là zi jī), wo wo tou buns (窝窝头 wō wō tóu) stuffed with pork and Hunan pickled vegetables, salt-baked fish.
Shiitake, asparagus and peanut sprouts.
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I haven't posted any dinners for a couple of days for the simple reason that I haven't had any. I have eaten but it's been meal-ettes while on the run between increasingly pointless meetings. Anyway, got back home this afternoon and took a deep breath.
Still a bit of a thrown together repast, but one of my own choosing and cooking.
Pork with black fermented beans, chilli, garlic, ginger with scallions and sesame oil. Stir fried bitter chrysanthemum greens (苦菊 kǔ jú) and rice.
The next three days are a major public holiday here so more cooking should occur, especially tomorrow when I am required to entertain two (or maybe three) young Chinese friends for the day and all its meals. Then Monday I'm off on a two week business trip around southern China and Vietnam.
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11 hours ago, KennethT said:
soft, flaccid cooked chicken skin is loved all over Asia... I've never seen chicken cooked without its skin, and most of the time, it's in some kind of stew or sauce that keeps the skin soft. I've also never seen it discarded or not eaten. In my experience, it's also rare to see boneless chicken as well (although the bones are discarded - typically after being chewed and cleaned). So I think the judge's aversion is more of a cultural thing, or maybe the judge being an a$$hole thing*
* I didn't watch the episode or the clip, so I can't make a statement about the judge, but it seems like an a$$holic thing to say...
Exactly. I agree with everything you say, although I do have a few Chinese friends and colleagues who, like me, don't particularly care for soft skin. One close friend's mother, now sadly departed*, always liked to sit beside me at dinner and grab the bits of skin I discarded. In exchange she would give me the white meat, which she thought worthless**. It became a family joke. And yes, everything on the bone. I prefer that, too.
I've never seen the show nor wanted to, but the guy does sound a bit of a dick.* The departure was not at all chicken skin related.
** It's not my favourite. I'm a leg man. But not worthless. I mean the white meat is not worthless; I may be.-
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58 minutes ago, DiggingDogFarm said:
@liuzhou, any more on this?
I think about this frequently.
I sure wish I could find the answer.
Anyone else?
Sorry, I've drawn a blank, but I am going to Vietnam later this month, so will continue to ask.
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Take wine. If they think your choice is less than "perfect", then they might not serve it which is OK, but if they are reasonably reasonable people will appreciate the thought (and drink it when no one is looking).
If not, you probably don't want to make friends there anyway!
It's a dinner invite, not a life changing exam. Relax. Five years from now you will be laughing at yourself for worrying about nothing..
Or you could just call them and say you really want to bring something, then they will demur, but insist and ask what they would like.
Etiquette is largely nonsense invented hundreds of years ago by very uptight people.
Flow with the go!
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1 hour ago, rarerollingobject said:
And my new best friend (an 80yr old grocer I met in Chinatown) gave me some very high grade red AND green Sichuan peppercorns and the green is so different; very sharp and floral and not at all musky or smoky like the red peppercorns.
Yes. I love both, but the green are special. Nice looking laziji. I am planning some on Wednesday.
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6 minutes ago, Shelby said:
... do an early lunch and then spend the afternoon leisurely putting together your evening meal.
Oysters for hors d' oeuvres ....on the half shell with lemon wedges and some kind of hot sauce.
evening meal #1: Mini hamburgers--sliders if you will--topped with a poached egg and fries
evening meal #2: Mapo tofu
Good suggestions, but they have specifically requested that they have everything exactly as in the photographs they saw.
I think I'll do a three parts, three meals in one dinner. Breakfast (egg), lunch (oysters) and dinner (something Sichuan - maybe not mapo tofu).
They'll be happy with anything!-
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On Thursday next, two (or maybe three) young Chinese friends are coming to see me. They have never been to my city before and very politely asked me to entertain them for the day, which I am more than happy to do. Apart from visiting some must-see spots in town, they have also asked that
a) Take them to the best place for the local, legendary speciality,- luosifen or snail noodles, for lunchb) Cook them dinner.
Of course I am happy to do so, but they have made a few specific requests.
i) They want to taste and perhaps learn the art of poached eggs. Poached eggs are unknown to most Chinese people and they barely believe it's possible. My friends just saw a picture of one I made a few months back.
ii) They want raw oysters with lemon juice. This is particularly brave. Most locals consider eating anything raw utterly foolhardy, but raw oysters are beyond comprehension! I mentioned a while back that that was the only sensible way to eat them and they thought I was joking, but finally realised I was serious. So, bless them, they have decided to try.
iii) They want a real hamburger and fries as opposed to a McD's
iv) They want some Sichuan food
Now, I'm comfortable with all the above, but together? Poached egg, raw oysters, burger, fries and mapo tofu, anyone?
I'm going to have to put my thinking head on. In the meantime, I am still eating.
Tonight, I messed about and came up with a sort of ravioli which would have every Italian mama rolling in her grave or send her there if she hadn't already departed. A somewhat Chinese stuffing of pork, shiitake and garlic chives.
I served these (and more) with a long slow-cooked fresh tomato sauce. I totally forgot to photograph the finished dish. Too busy thinking about poached eggs with oysters.
Then,
Mulberries with home made yoghurt. I may well serve my friends that, too. They have no idea that yoghurt isn't thin, sweet industrial effluent.
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I can't believe it.
I had a meeting this afternoon with someone in an area of town that I don't know well, so we arranged for someone to come to meet me and lead me to where I should be. The most convenient place to meet and one that I did know was outside a branch of McDonald's. Not that I ever ventured inside.
Anyway, I was 5 minutes early for the rendezvous and spent my wait scrutinising the promotional gunk on the windows. Which is when I saw this -
The idiots have only gone and tried to introduce their American Sichuan sauce to China!
The locals, by all reports, are deeply unimpressed. Where is the chilli and peppercorn! It tastes like Japanese teriyaki sauce!
QuoteAlthough the sauce is supposedly inspired by the spicy cuisine of the southwestern province that was formerly known as Szechuan, Chinese customers struggled to find anything recognisably Sichuanese about it – not least because it lacked the chillies that are a vital element of the local cuisine.
A Beijing-based reporter for the China news portal Inkstone concluded it had nothing to do with Sichuan cuisine, describing it as “very sweet, a little sour and saltier than other sauces”.
South China Morning PostThey also offer two other flavours, supposedly Sichuanese. Sweet and sour and Gongbao (Kungpo) flavor. Sweet and sour isn't a Sichuan flavour and Gongbao again needs chilli which is absent.
I'm told they also offer hamburgers in which taste is absent.-
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39 minutes ago, IowaDee said:
Oh my, I glanced at the item (chicken or duck I assume) on the top left. I thought it was a bat
A fat one but none the less a bat. I think I just April Fooled myself!
This one?
Yes, I sort of see a bat. But actually it gets its name from something quite different. The spatchcocked chicken is considered to resemble a pipa, a four stringed Chinese musical instrument.
This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Nancheng is just the name of the supermarket chain.
I agree, more batty than pipa-like, but ultimately more like a spatchcocked chicken.
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1 hour ago, Smokeydoke said:
You can buy a watermelon for less than 32 cents. Yes, amazing.
Oh, it didn't occur to me, is that per pound? That isn't as amazing, but still good value.
Prices for everything except the luo han guo and the turkey legs are per 500 grams, equal to 1.1 pounds. The other two give the price each.
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My Easter egg.
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This weeks bargains in the local supermarket. I've added translations. Click on the images to enlarge.
The exchange rate as of now is 1元 = 16 cents US.
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Unapologetic liver and onions liver and onions. OK I couldn't resist a Chinese twist and marinated the pig liver* in Shaoxing wine for a bit. With simple boiled new potatoes and quick stir fried spinach.
The liver was saucier than it appears. I've met people like that!
* Yes @Anna N I'd prefer calves' liver or lambs' liver, too, but it seems Chinese cattle and sheep are born already adult. I've never seen anything other than beef, pork or chicken liver here. With pork liver being ubiquitous. I can buy goose or duck liver if I re-mortgage my home and all my friends.
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On 28/03/2018 at 4:09 AM, Murunga said:
I live in USA
9 minutes ago, Anna N said:So in order for any of us to help you we do need to know where you live.
Yes, and please don't just repeat "the USA". It's a big place and as you seem to be averse to online shopping, then it is reasonable to suppose you are also not interested in mail order, as it's the same thing really.
And should you happen to be in, say Florida and I know that one shop in Alaska, I guess you ain't going to get on your bicycle and go there to pick it up personally!
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46 minutes ago, Murunga said:
Like kroger, fresh market????
I meant geographically where?
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More soupy noodles.
This time red-cooked tofu (红烧豆腐 hóng shāo dòu fǔ), fresh shiitake mushrooms and spinach in a chicken stock with fresh ramen noodles. Chilli and white pepper for kick.
Red-cooked Tofu
Noodles without broth
Noodles with broth
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4 minutes ago, Murunga said:
Any stores have it?? Other than online?
Stores where?
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1 hour ago, caroled said:
What a lovely gift... Enjoy!
Well my friend enjoyed. I'm a long way from Copenhagen and chocolate-less.
Easter-less too
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A friend sent me these pictures. Chocolates served on an Easter flight from London to Copenhagen on SAS Scandinavian Airlines. He described them as "rather nice".
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4 minutes ago, Anna N said:
Damn tI do try to catch these repetitions but it’s still early in the morning. At least that’s my excuse. I will edit it so it is fixed.
Oh! I thought it was deliberate!
Can't have too much liver and onions.
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I know I've made and posted this before, but it is a favourite, so no apologies.
Lean pork marinated in olive oil and lemon juice with garlic, crushed coriander seeds and chilli. Stir fried and served with rice and a simple red onion and tomato salad dressed with olive oil and rice wine vinegar vinaigrette and sprinkled with sea salt.
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55 minutes ago, Anna N said:
I spotted calves liver in the grocery store yesterday and just couldn’t resist. Liver and onions with steamed sugar snaps.Liver and onions with steamed sugar snaps.
"So good they named it twice!"
Breakfast! 2018
in Cooking
Posted · Edited by liuzhou (log)
I've had no internet connection for three days, but I have had breakfasts.
Rice flour pasta rolls with seafood. (卷筒粉 juǎn tǒng fěn)
Rice noodles with Conch meat
Roujiamo