hzrt8w

Something might have been lost in translation. I couldn't figured out what it is. Can you describe it a little more? What it looks like? Tastes like? Color? Shape?

Inspired by the discussions in this thread, yesterday when I passed through the isles of a local Asian grocery market I grabbed a bag of Big Bunny candies. Unwrapped one, popped it in my mouth, started chewing... Mmmmm, the childhood memories instantly came back. How I used to love this candie. I haven't had one in the last... gosh... must have been almost 30 years. And the best part... you guys are right... the edible wrapping paper. I looked at the outer wrapping paper and the plastic bag design... nothing had changed from the last time I had them. Did time stand still? Same white/blue/red scheme and same bunny artwork. Is it because good thing stands the test of time? They must have the same design for over 40 years! I used to love another milk candie. I think they mixed in some crushed roasted peanut or something. That was the best! Not sure if I will ever see it again.

Wow, origamicrane, your chili crabs looked really good! Reminds me of my one and only time in Singapore eating this signature dish. It's unforgetable. Indeed eating crabs with shells on is a hassle. When I have family dinner with my extended family: 2 caucasians, rest is ABC/mix and parents-IL from Toisan. Most of them don't want to get their hands dirty.... I usually have almost 2 crabs all to myself! LOL. How many crabs did you cook? It's enough to feed a whole village!

I think the key characteristic of the five spices is "aroma". They smell very good in dried form. When used in cooking, the aroma gets soaked up in the food. Chinese five spices: Star anise Cumins Cinnamons Szechuan Pepper Corn Cloves I like to use the whole spices in cooking. You gotta taste them to learn how they... taste. The best is to taste these spices individually as they all taste different. Although I personally can't taste too much of anise... its strong taste and smell makes me dizzy. In Chinese BBQ, we don't sprinkle them ON the chicken. We mix five spices with salt to rub the INSIDE of the chicken. Or five spices are generally added to soy sauce + water + rock sugar to simmer chicken/pork/beef. Cinnamons are used very often in European/American pastry/dessert. Cinnamon and sugar is a very complimentary combination. You taste it in cinnamon rolls, apple pies, cakes, etc.. Cumins are key ingredients in making Mexican food. Star anise: many candies use anise as a flavoring. e.g. Peppermint candies, jaw breakers. Szechuan pepper corns: used very often in Szechuan style dishes such as Mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken, etc.. Clove is the best smelling one of them all. I think out of the 5, anise, cinnamon and clove have the strongest fragrant and thus are very suitable to be used in sweet food such as desserts and candies.

I took a look at it. It looked fairly close to what Yuki posted. Except that I have never thought using salted fish to make XO sauce... hmmm, may be a bit too fishy for a chili sauce.

Cantonese like to add soy sauce to joong while eating it. Perhaps Taiwanese like to mix raw glutinous rice with soy sauce before wrapping? I think the brown color, since from your descriptions that the joong is savory, is most likely from the soy sauce.

Like Yuki said... they are just like other dried noodles. But the addition of dried shrimp roes sure make they much more tastier. From my experience, most Asian grocers carry only the plain dried noodles but not the shrimp roe noodles in the States. Perhaps that's why you haven't seen them. They taste pretty good, if you can get your hands on some. Try them next time. Noodle houses in Hong Kong don't offer shrimp roe noodles perhaps because they only make fresh noodles and not dried ones. And I have never seen fresh shrimp roe noodles. Shrimp roe noodles are mostly for home consumption. I remember when I was small, my great grand mother used to make shrimp roe noodles for us. When the noodle were ready, she scooped up all the fallen dried shrimp roes in the bag (kind of like tiny sesames), and sprinkled them on top of the noodles. Yum!

Okay. Got it. It seems that different restaurants do it a bit differently. Szechuan peppercorn is one of the five spices...

I suspect not. Five spices, in their seed/grain form or powder form, are used very often in Cantonese cooking. Most Cantonese BBQ items that you buy: Roast duck, roast pork, BBQ pork, deep-fried chicken, all of them have five spice powder as a dry rub inside (with BBQ pork they are added to the simmering master sauce). The Hung Shao dishes (red braised dishes), five spices are added to the soy sauce to braise beef, pork, chicken and such. Snacks: chicken wings (red braised or deep-fried), tea eggs... Five spices are used in many Cantonese cookings. The condiment that comes with Cantonese fried chicken (Ja Gee Gai), which you just had: salt mixed with five spice powder

"Ham Sui Kok" is kind of in the dim sum family. It is glutinous rice flour dough with savory minced pork fillings, deep-fried. There is a sweet version of fried dough in the "Yau Cha Gwei" family, which is called "Ngau Lei So" (literal translation: Ox tongue puff). Perhaps the name was given because it shapes like an Ox's tongue? Kind of...

They are also the ones used in making "Ha Gei Mein" 虾子面 (shrimp roe noodles), which are dried and coiled up in flatten egg-shape.

Silly me. When I first saw the term XO sauce, which was perhaps >10 years ago, I really thought they used XO class Cognac to make it! And I now think it wouldn't hurt to drop some XO cognac in your sauce while cooking it. If one is going to use abalone and shark-fin, what the heck! XO can only make it taste better. I understand all other ingredients, except...when you said Dried Ham, were you referring to Huo3 Tui3 [Mandarin] 火腿?

It probably depends on the city. In San Francisco and Sacramento where I live, "house" soups are very common and are all complimentary because of fierce competition in the Chinese restaurant business -- even at restaurants where they offer "specials" -- dishes at only US $5.25 during dinner time. The next time you visit San Francisco, try "East Ocean" restaurant (726 Clement Street in Richmond District).

Sure we use mustard. What's a particularly good combination is when you eat BBQ items (pork, gizzards, intestines, chicken feet, etc.), you mix a bit of sesame oil, some mustard and a bit of hoisin sauce. That condiment combination is the best. As for cheung fun... most won't use mustard. But putting on some hoisin sauce (or the locals called "sweet sauce" - more red color), chili sauce, soy, sesame paste and sesames. It's great! Yeow tew (savory fried bread dough) in cheung fun is very popular too. I love it. The "Chinese" mustard is much hotter than the mustard most Americans put on their hot dogs. When I was working as a waiter in a Chinese restaurant, I saw a young customer came in. He ordered some appertizer (fried spareribs). We served it with sweet-and-sour sauce and mustard. He poured the mustard on to the sparerib in the same way one does on hot dogs and started to get his big bite. He almost choked! Duck sauce (really should be called what it is: plum sauce) and mustard, and any other condiment as well, all have places. To a Cantonese, plum sauce is usually for Roast Ducks only. But it doesn't mean you can put in on egg rolls, fried wonton, or on sushi for all anybody cares.

That's the question I have been asking. When I am in Texas, why would I want to seek out a good seafood restaurant; whereas when I am in Maine, that I would try to look for a good steak house? Why go out of the way to look for good wonton noodle in Italy, and try to look up a good pizza/spaghetti restaurant while visiting Hong Kong?

If we don't have a place cool and dry enough, do you think one can use a dehydrator? Indeed, Gastro, that's a pretty dress! What is "yoon"? Sticky rice balls in soup?

Ripe papaya is very soft. I don't think it's good for making soup. The Pork Papaya soups I had used papayas that were pretty green.

In the Chinese way, you can use papayas to make soup. Pork + papaya. Pretty simple and basic.

Your fried mantou looks very much like a Japanese fried bread. Have you thought of mixing some curry and beef/chicken and use it as a filling, then wrap your mantou dough around it and deep-fry? I love the Japanese fried-bread. They are more fluffy than mantou though.

The "waxed" meat take a few months to cure, doesn't it?

Why do they called that "XO" sauce anyway? I once thought it was because they prepare the chili sauce with XO class Brandy. No kidding... No wonder that stuff is expensive! Oh, only later found out that the "premium" ingredient to make the XO chili sauce is the dried scallop.

I am not sure what kinds of restaurants you'd been to in Hong Kong (they have different kinds). But in dim sum restaurants bringing a small dish of hot mustard, or chili sauce, and sometimes a mix of the 2 in a ying-yang shape is almost like a standard. Soy sauce is poured on a small dish as a "service". In a lower-end restaurant, it's placed on the table. Unless you went to those that geared towards tourists... Or that the waiters didn't know whether they should bring you the mustards/soy knowing that you were a tourist... XO sauce? I really doubt it they "give" this away for free. I think they will provide you with some upon request but would add extras to your bill. Mustard for sui-yuk, char siu I understand. But shark-fin soup? Hmmmm, that's unusual. Typically what some would use is a bit of vinegar, which really brings out the taste. Any other condiment may overpower the delicate taste of shark-fin. Worcestershire sauce is not usually brought out automatically unless accompanying dim sum dishes such as steamed beef balls, and egg rolls.

I think they are talking about "Lap Yuk", "Lap Cheung", "Lap Aup" and such. Those are Chinese preserved meats (Chinese sausages, Chinese dried bacons, Chinese dried ducks). Much like salami or pepperoni to the Italians. (Did they learn it from us, like the pastas? )

Hong Kong? Maybe. I grew up eating it. West Coast? Shouldn't be. You should be able to find it in the Chinese grocery stores in DC or Philly. New York for sure. In the snack section. Don't pick those with sugar glaze on surface or sesame. Dan San looks plain, and also has 2 sheets twisted together from the inside out. Looks sort of like a double bow tie. The savory flavor with characteristic taste of Nam Yu is what makes it delicious.

Hmmm... In that spirit, the fish should be "whole" too.