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Finally! Found a site that offers both English and Chinese on their recipes (same set of recipes). Very authentic Chinese cooking (Hong Kong style), with pictures of finished dishes: (Chinese version): http://www.icare.com.hk/PC/cook/c_cook_sear_main.asp (English version): http://www.icare.com.hk/PC/cook/e_cook_sear_main.asp Note that there is a "mui choy fatty pork" in the list.

mudbug: if you can read Chinese, this site would be great for you. Anyway, this page is specifically on making beef shank: Beef Shank Recipe (in Chinese) Roughly it's similar to how I make it. But I forgot to mention using cooking wine. Per their recipe: - 3 slices of ginger - 1 lb of beef shank - 2 cups of water - 2 star anise - 4 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine - 1 cup of dark soy sauce - couple pieces of rock sugar Cooking instructions: - Boil water, add beef shank and cook briefly, strain and run under cold water. - Combine the above ingredients and bring to a boil, add beef shank, reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Found another helpful translation website: English to Chinese and Chinese to English, with Mandarin pinyin. http://cdict.giga.net.tw/?q= Just type in your English or Chinese characters at the input line.

I was just reading this webpage about salted fish: http://www.soa.gov.cn/kepu/changshi/123142.htm The page was written in Chinese. I would just like to translate a couple of the sentences which I found helpful: In general, there are 2 kinds of salted fish: "fermented fragrant" (mui hern [Cantonese] and "solid meat" sut yuk [Cantonese] (literal translations). The difference: "fermented fragrant": raw fish are fermented first for 1 to 2 days, wait until the meat texture has changed and the body expanded, then add salt to cure 7 to 8 days. Sun dried. The salted fish would have a special fragrant, and the meat texture soft. Taste: salty and fragrant. "solid meat": raw fish are cured by salt directly without fermentation. The meat texture is harder. Will not fall apart. Taste: salty but fresh.

On another food forum, the subject of "sizzling plate" dishes came up. Many of the Cantonese seafood restaurants in my neighborhood also offer sizzling plate dishes. Examples are beef with green onions, oyster with ginger and green onions, chicken with black bean sauce, etc.. When served, the waiter would bring out a hot iron plate on top of a wooden base and the cooked dish separately. Then in front of the customers, he would pour the beef/oyster/chicken dish on to the hot plate. Instantly some sauce would boil and vaporize, creating a puff of aromatic smoke which radiates out all around. I am familiar with these sizzling plate dishes, but am puzzled at the origin of the "sizzling plate" style. Though they are served in many Cantonese restaurants, I am not convinced that this was a traditional Cantonese dish. For one thing, I had not seen these sizzling plates during the 20 some years that I lived in Hong Kong. Yes there were sizzling plates but they were only used in Hong Kong style western dishes - steaks with a black pepper sauce. The traditional Cantonese style cooking includes hot pots. Are the sizzling plate dishes uniquely American-Cantonese? Does anybody know the origin of these dishes? How long ago do they date back?

What is the white sheet underneath the mandu? Is it a sheet of cloth? Looks like steam can permeate through it. Is it customary in Korean steaming to have a sheet of cloth underneath? (It's so interesting because I have not seen it done this way in Chinese dumpling cooking.)

Sorry, I seem to be attracted to recipe sites written in Chinese. Here is another one, with over 100 recipes and pictures. All home style Chinese cooking. Mostly non-Cantonese style (Taiwanese style? - I am not sure). http://blog.yam.com/joyce0010041/ If you don't understand it, just look at some food pictures. Click on the links to various categories on the lower left.

Yes the meat remains fairly tender. Fall apart easily when eating. The use of pork loin is by our choice. Most people would use pork shoulders which are great too.

Yeah, we all make congee or soup with left over carcass, bones, meat scraps, shells and such. If I make congee with turkey/chicken carcass, I first boil then simmer the bones/meat for about 2 hours, strain off the bones, then add the rice to finish the process. So I don't need to spit out these bone when eating.

*sigh* Teochew, Teochew... roll everything into balls!

Some great points. Between yours and Irwin's, I gotta try making congee with glutinous rice, bicarb and dried scallops next time. I always blame it on the MSG factor but I know I can do better even without MSG.

Hey... I am always looking for sponsors for a pan-Asia gastronomy trip! I can hit Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing and KL, perhaps Singapore too in 30 days. I will bring my Cybershot, laptop and will detail everything I eat during the trip. Would you be interested to be a sponsor? Now is a great time to sponsor me because I don't have any other contract obligation! School? Oh, hell with school! Eating is top priority! Yes they roast the peanuts - the one with red skins - with some salt separately. When serving the congee, they grab a few of the peanuts (6 to 10, something like that) and scatter them on top. A texture contrast: crunchy peanuts with smooth congee.

Typically only with a Chinese spoon for most varieties of congees. Sometimes, only when eating congee with pork stomachs, squids or other "easy to grab" items then we use chopsticks along with a spoon. Re: toppings Both. The toppings can go with favored or plain congees. What toppings will be given depends on the restaurants. Of course, you may ask for specific toppings when you order. In Hong Kong, also, when we eat congee as breakfast we usually order something else along with it (or else it's a bit boring). The typical choices are: - cheung fun - steamed rice noodles, topped with soy, sesame, hoisin sauce and (optional) hot sauce. The rice noodles typically have dried shrimps and green onions as well. - soy sauce chow mein - you2 tieo2 [Mandarin] - deep-fried bread dough - zha leung [Cantonese] - single deep-dried bread dough with steamed rice noodles wrapped around, top with sweet soy sauce - joong - boiled sticky-rice wrapped in bamboo leaves

Also Cantonese. In Cantonese cooking, there are basically 2 styles: 乾炒, Gon Chow [Cantonese], gan1 chao3 [Mandarin] - meaning "dry stir-fry". This style uses dark soy sauce as a base to stir-fry noodles. The result is a dry, dark-shiny looking fried noodles dish. 濕炒, Sup Chow [Cantonese], shi1 chao3 [Mandarin] - meaning "wet stir-fry". This style first pan-fry the noodles to crispy brown. Then cook the meats and vegetables separately, gathered with a sauce (typically chicken broth plus oyster sauce and soy sauce), the pour the mixture on top of the crispy brown noodles. The hot sauce will soften the noodles a bit. The result looks like a regular meat-vegetable stir-fried dish, with the softened crispy noodles as a bed.

This style of noodle: Soft. Not crispy at all. If I make the Cantonese style chow mein (with gravy), then I won't boil the noodle first. They will be pan-fried in oil first (to crispy and brown, maybe a little bit dark brown). Then stir-fry the vege/meat with the sauce to pour on top.

mudbug: okay, let's try this version: Use a piece of ngau jeen [Cantonese] - beef shank. Use a pot of water (just enough to submerge the piece of beef shank). Boil the water, add the beef shank to cook for about 2 minutes. Take out the shank and rinse under cold water. This step is to "cleanse" the blood in the meat. Use a pot, add lo shui [Cantonese] - Chinese Marinade, dark soy, some water. The quantity to use depends on the size of the shank. Mix the above in a 1:1:2 ratio, or even 1:1:3 ratio. Mix enough to cover at least 70% of the shank. Add 2 to 3 big pieces of rock sugar. Or if you use grain brown sugar, about 7 to 8 tblsp. Add some star anises (8 to 10) and other "five spice" spices (whoe spice) if you have them. e.g. 2 tbspn of cloves, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tblsp of cumins. Simmer this mixture with the beef shank for at least 2 hours (maybe 3). Take it out. Cool it to room temperature, then thinly slice it. Drizzle some sesame oil on top when ready to serve.

jkonick: You can now! I have written this recipe for you. Better yet, illustrated with over a dozen photos on the process. Soy Sauce Chow Mein with Chicken

#14, Soy Sauce Chow Mein with Chicken (豉油王鸡丝抄麺)

Thanks Kent. I mix the soy because I want saltiness and the "light" flavor from the light soy sauce, and the richness of the dark soy sauce. If you want to use only one, use dark soy sauce. Do not use only light soy sauce to make this dish. Re: Burner... Mine can get pretty hot, but cannot sustain the high temperature (gas stove, only 1 ring). Re: Not much browning on the chicken... that's by choice. You can brown it a bit longer if you like. My wife refuses to eat anything that's burnt.

Soy Sauce Chow Mein with Chicken (豉油王鸡丝抄麺 ) There was a question about "Soy Sauce Chow Mein" brought up on this board. I have decided to show you my way of making this dish. I also have decided to cook it with some shredded chicken meats. You may use sliced beef, peeled shrimp, sliced BBQ pork or other meats of your choice. The process is very similar. Or leave it as plain soy sauce chow mein. They all taste wonderful. CAUTION: The sequences shown illustrated using cooking wine over a pan of hot oil to induce a flame. If you have poor ventilation or do not want to risk fire hazards, skip the part of using cooking wine. Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Main ingredients: Cantonese egg noodles, 1 piece of boneless chicken breast (about 1/2 to 3/4 lb), 1/2 of a small onion, 2 green onions, bean sprouts (only a handful). If the noodles are curled up into fist-size balls, use about 4 to 5 of them (about 1/2 to 3/4 lb). Uncoil and shake the noodles with your fingers. Make them a little bit fluffy. Take the chicken breast. Trim off the fat. Cut up the meat into long and narrow strips. Use a small mixing bowl to marinate the chicken meat. Use 1 tsp of ground white pepper, 2 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine, 2 tsp of light soy sauce, and 1 tsp of corn starch. Mix well. Set aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, boil a small pot of water. When the water is boiling, add the noodles to the pot. Cook the noodles until el dante. Cooking time depends on the types of noodles used. If those are fresh noodles, which cook very fast, only 1 to 2 minutes. If those are dried noodles, it may take up to between 5 to 10 minutes. Adjust your cooking time accordingly. Do not overcook the noodles. Immediately remove the noodles and put them on a strainer. Run them under cold water and drain. (Set noodles on a strainer and drain well.) Prepare the other ingredients: Cut 1/2 onion into small wedges. Cut the green onions diagonally (trim the ends). (Not shown: wash and drain the bean sprouts). Use a small bowl, mix 3 tsp of light soy sauce (for saltiness) and 3 tsp of dark soy sauce (for rich flavor). Prepare about 1 to 2 tsp (no more) of ShaoHsing cooking wine (shown contained in the bottle cap). Use a pan/wok, set for high heat over the stove. Use about 2 tblsp of cooking oil to velvet the marinated chicken. Cooking until the meats show no more pink color. Remove. Note: The following sequences of photos occurred during a very short time frame. The technique is important. So I have slowed down the process for you, frame by frame. Start with a clean pan/wok. Set for high heat over the stove. Add a generous amount of cooking oil, about 3 to 4 tblsp. Keep heating up the pan/wok until the oil start fuming. Don't start prematurely or else you won't achieve the desired taste. You have to do the following 5 steps very quickly. First: add the wedged onions and sliced green onions onto the pan. Stir for about 3 seconds. Immediate add the capful of cooking wine. CAUTION: This will induce a big flame. If you don't have good ventilation or do not want to risk fire hazards, skip the cooking wine. I tried to take a picture of the flame. But during the half a second that it flared up, the flame overexposed the image. I ended up with a picture where every looked dark. Second: The flame will last for only about half a second. When it has subsided, immediately add the bowl of light soy and dark soy sauce mixture. Third: The mixed soy sauce will boil almost instantly. That's a desireable effect. Stir once very quickly. Fourth: Immediately, add the noodles to the pan. Fifth: Also add the bean sprouts. Stir the noodles and bean sprouts and toss. Make sure that the soy sauce is evenly distributed in the noodles. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. Re-add the chicken shreds to the pan. Stir-fry for another minute or 2. Finished. (Note: the quantity shown here is about half of the quantity made.)

Thank you, touaregsand. Wow! 30 years is a long time! I observed that Korean word "jang" kept appearing repeatedly. I venture to guess that it means "sauce". It sounds very close to Mandarin Chinese "jiang" which means sauce. When I get to taste some of these "jang", I may be able to compare them to Chinese sauces. I have never tried making Korean food. But after seeing so many beautiful photos on Korean cooking, I gotta try out some of these! I need to find out where my local Korean stores are first...

Wonderful! Thanks Irwin. I gotta give this a try next time and report back.

Rotting, fermenting, mouldy, decomposing... all are the same process. The microbes are hard at work.

Supplemental note: If you don't want to leave the crockpot on all night, or to speed up the process, set it at high and cook for 3 to 4 hours after adding rice grains. The original recipe post has been modified.

Maybe. If it has a high/low setting, and preferrably one more - "auto shift" setting, it might work. Congee needs to be made at low temperature cooking after the initial boil.