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Dejah: Let me know if you want a good Chinese recipe for cooking lobsters. I just need to recruit some of your foot soldiers for the demonstration. I think half a dozen would do...

Not used to quoting my own words. But I happened to meet someone who knows both Malay and Mandarin Chinese. I asked her this same question. The answer: ..... Kuih originated from Hokkien, as in Hokkien, we pronounce it as Kuih too. So Gao (糕) [Mandarin] ==> Kuih [Hokkien (Fujianese)] ==> Kuih [Malay]

L.A. is a big place. There are a dozen different cities in the San Gabriel Valley. It would be very helpful if we know the cities were these restaurants are in (or the major cross streets). Does anybody know? I am tempted to try some of these mentioned.

No, it's not an American Chinese thing. We ate that in Hong Kong all the time. The closest translation is "Almond Jello", although it's not really jello. Actually the tranlation from Cantonese would be "Almond tofu". Yes, it is considered as a dessert. In Cantonese we call it Dai Choy Goh. Goh is like Kuih/Kueh. It is an any-time snack. I think there tends to be a misunderstanding of the Chinese eating culture. In the western world (European, American/Canadian/Australian), dessert is an integral part of a meal. If you eat a meal (especially dinner) without dessert, there seems to be something missing. But in the Chinese culture, dessert is much less significant. No dessert, nothing is missed. In fact, many Hong Kongers, me included, don't like dessert that much -- especially those that are overly sweet. However, it is popular for restaurants to provide complimentary dessert soup, such as the one made with red bean, sweet potatoes, or from honey dew and tapioca, or almond jello.

It is interesting that you considered these buns as desserts. Sweet, yes they sure are (well, some of them). However, in Hong Kong most of these buns are consumed as breakfast and as an afternoon snack. After we eat a full meal, either lunch or dinner, I don't think we would be too motivated to consume more carb.

That's too bad. You can make good soup out of the remains of a turkey. Throw all the remains of a turkey in a hot. Fill up with cold water to about 2/3 full. Take it to a boil. Then turn down to simmer and simmer for about 1 1/2 hour to 2 hours. After 2 hours, if you don't like the bones remain in the soup, you may take them out at that point. Add the following vegetables (just a suggestion, you may add any of your favorite vegetables): - 1/2 stalk celery - 2 medium size onions, wedged - 4 medium size potatoes, wedged - 4 stalks of carrots, wedged - 3 to 4 tomatoes, wedged - 1 or 2 green/red bell peppers, wedged - 1 chili pepper or jalapeno - 1 can of tomato sauce - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 stalk of leek, cut 1 inch lengthwise - 1 to 2 tsp salt (or to taste) - 2 tsp ground black pepper - some Italian herbs Add all these ingredients in the soup and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low to simmer for about an hour. To jazz up the taste, you may use a pan to heat up some olive oil, 3 tbl spoon of butter, add in wedged onions, shallots and galic to caramelize for a few minutes. Add some pesto sauce. Then add in 2 tsp of red vinegar, and 1 cup of red wine. Bring the mixture to a boil. The transfer it to the pot of soup at the same time as you add the vegetables. The above recipe is not quite Chinese, but it is a good way to use the remain of your turkey.

I think one can dice a turkey and make stir-fries and such, Chinese style. It may be hard to make turkey whole Chinese style. Soy sauce turkey? Deep-Fried turkey (Jah Gee Fo Gai)? Salt bake turkey? The main problem is: turkey being so much bigger than chicken, the timing can be hard to master. Besides, turkey meat is usally tougher than chicken. If anynody have tried it, I would love to hear the results. I hope your family doesn't give you funny faces. The risk is high...

Yeah, that's how to treat the turkey left overs too. Shred the turkey meat and use it for Turkey Fried Rice and Turkey Chow Mein. The bones and drum sticks and wings and neck -- use them to make soup, or congee. I am wondering if anybody has attempted to make turkey (the first round) Chinese style.

In the spirit of the U.S. Thanks-Giving holidays... Let's talk TURKEY! Turkey doesn't really exist in the Chinese food dictionary. There is no traditional dish that uses turkey as an ingredient. Heck, we don't even raise any turkey! Has anybody made any turkey Chinese style? Soy-sauce turkey? Kung Pao turkey? Turkey stir-fries? Orange peel turkey? Any stories?

One of the crucial element contributing to a successful bi-racial relationsihp, or in general a relationship between 2 different cultures, is the mutual respect to each other's eating habits. My wife, though born in Hong Kong, is practically an American-born Chinese. In her world, eating internal organs is almost unthinkable. But growing up in Hong Kong, eating organs is just a fact of life. Since we got married, I needed to adjust my diets. Our meals are now mostly chicken, pork, fish and other seafood. She refused to eat beef in recent years because of mad-cow disease. And she would not eat anything deep-fried. When we go to dim sum restaurants, it is very tempting for me to order dishes like beef tripes, beef stomachs, deep-fried taro croquetes and so on. Out of respect to her presence, I refrained myself. And I would imagine that in other bi-cultural relationships, you would sacrifice yourself a little bit to keep your other half happy?

A bit of oyster sauce, a tiny bit of dark soy sauce, chicken broth, sugar, bit vinegar, corn starch to thicken.

When it comes to black sesame porridge, I get lazy. I just buy a ready-made package from an Asian market (in powder form). Mix it some water, heat it up, it's ready in minutes! Same goes to peanut porridge too.

I think stickly speaking the term "barbeque" is referring to cooking in slow heat in an oven. When you grill something over open fire, it should be called "grilled". A lot of people mis-labelled their dish. (e.g. "Come to my house to do some barbeque!", and they refer to grilling some hamburger patties on a home "BBQ" stove)

It's just a dessert popular in Hong Kong. I think the Malaysians borrowed the red bean soup technique hundreds of years ago, and added taro, sweet potato, coconut and tapioca. Now the dessert infiltrated back to the Chinese market.

Did you try some Bubur Cha Cha in Hong Kong? My recipe: Bubur Cha Cha How about the black sesame porridge?

I think you are right. I was afraid that cooking at 400F would char the outside and leave the inside still raw. Perhaps I should cut the pieces bigger, and experiment with different cooking time. One thing to mention: making condiment for char siu... on a small dish, put in 3 tsp of hoisin sauce, 3 tsp of mustard (dissolved in water), and drip in 2-3 tsp of sesame oil on top. And a dish of light soy sauce on the side. We dropped by Milpitas about 2 months ago on the way to Monterey. We went to a Chinese restaurant called "Won Kee". Their char siu is excellent! Very juicy, soft, has rich BBQ flavor, and sweet (I can taste the honey). The best one I had for a while.

For those who are interested in touring Hong Kong, I just found a website "ypmap.com" which offers online interactive maps of Hong Kong. You may search by street name, building name, and it even has an area showing tourist attractions. I tried it and it works fairly well. It offers searches in Chinese as well. You may also use it to find restaurants. For example, I entered the restaurant name as "luk yu", category "restaurant - Chinese", district "Hong Kong", it returned the address "G/F 26 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong" and Tel "25235464". But the links don't work too well. Looks like this website still needs some work. But overall it is nice. http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?mapService=LocationMap

BettyK: glad you like the recipe. I think the name Chinese Marinade may have been used only by Lee Kum Kee. This English translation is not well known, or not well agreed upon. The Chinese name 卤水 (Lau Shui [Mandarin]), however, is very well known in both Northern and Southern style Chinese cookings. It is basically a mixture of soy sauce, water, five spices and other ingredients. Some cooks may not use the ready-made mix and opt to cook with soy sauce and five spices. The result would be similar. I agree that there are many different approaches in making Char Siu. They all revolve around using garlic, soy sauce, brown bean paste, five spices, sugar, honey and such. Just go with whichever recipes that fit your taste. There really is no standard. Over the years I had all kinds of Char Siu from restaurants. Some are good ones, some are really really good ones. As far as the cut of meat... Lean cuts usually turn out a bit dry. Fatty cuts are softer and juicier. My wife and I opt to stay away from fatty pork, so we trade it off in taste. I don't like buying Char Siu from restaurants any more because they use really fatty cuts. I agree that the S-hook (thanks jo-mel!) and a pan of water in the oven make a world of difference. As far as dimension... I typically cut mine about 1 inch by 2 inch. You don't want it too thick because you risk not having the meat cooked through. You don't want it too thin because you risk burning the surface too soon (and it dries up). It is important to remember to bake the pork in low temperature (e.g. 300F) first for 1 to 1.5 hour (don't baste the pork yet). Then turn up the temperature to 400F in the last 0.5 hour after basting. This will achieve the caramelized effect on surface and make the pork shinny.

amyknyc: I am trying to catch you before you take off... but if not, perhaps someone else can benefit from this post. Hong Kong is basically very safe for tourists. But like all big cities, small crimes and pick-pockets are common. I have several tips for you: For guys: try not to put your wallet in the back pockets of your pants. (A lot of people do that in the USA.) Wallets in back pockets are the easiest to be picked, especially in crowded places. For girls: try not to carry hand bags that have open tops and especially have your wallet or valuables sticking out. If you carry a back pack, when you get onboard a crowded subway train or bus, don't carry the back pack on your back because you cannot see it. Turn the bag around, carry it in the front. I strongly advise you to keep your passport in your cloths and not leave it in a pocket in the back pack. Try to keep your passport or ID or credit card separate from your wallet. You wallet is the focal point of the pick-pockets. This way, in case you lose you wallet at least you don't lose your identification or credit card together. Local pick-pockets love to prey on foreign visitors especially in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. Visitors are not familiar with the local conditions. When they are victimized, they usually wouldn't even report it. If the pick-pockets are caught in the action, they can easily out-run and ride from the visitors. Always leave cash in at least 2 places. Hide some in a hidden pocket or something. This way, if you get robbed you still would have something to help you deal with the situation. Be mindful of your cell phones, camcorders, digital cameras and such. Try not to leave them on top of the table during your meal. They can easily be swept off by an "innocent" patron walking by and you wouldn't even notice. Hong Kong is a modern city. Credit cards are accepted everywhere. (Except buying from vendors on the street). There is no need to carry a whole lot of cash. Don't use the money exchange at the airport or those along Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. The exchange rate they give you is generally very bad. Try to get some Hong Kong currency before you go. If you must, exchange only enough to get you by to get to the hotel and for the next day or two. Go to Heng Sang Bank (the best) or Hong Kong Bank (they are every where) to do the exchange the next business day. You will get a much better rate in the bank.

The word "Kuih or Kueh" (Malay?) sounds very similar to the Chinese word 糕 (Gao [Mandarin] and Go [Cantonese]). It generally refers to these cakes, sweets and such. That makes me wonder if the word Keuh has a Chinese origin.

I came across this website where the author had posted some pictures of the giant buddha statue in Lantau Island. Apparently he took a land route to go up to the statue, which is less time-consuming than the sea route (by ferry). Take the subway (MTR) to Tung Chung. Get off and transfer to some mini-bus to go up to "Po Lin Temple". The sea route would take almost 3 hours one way. The land route would probably take only half the time. (Photos of giant buddha statue in Hong Kong)

I have posted a recipe for home made Chinese BBQ pork a little while back. (Recipe here)

I used to live right there at the corner where Haiphong Road meets Canton Road in the early 60’s. That was a time before Kowloon Park Drive was built, before the British Military gave up their depot which became Kowloon Park. The train track ran all the way to the Star Ferry (the tower used to be the landmark of Kowloon Station). Tsim Sha Tsui East did not exist. (Just the seashore along the railroad track). Today’s Ocean Centre, Marco Polo Hotel, etc.. are at the site of then Kowloon Godown. Our home was a living quarter for workers at Kowloon Godown where my father once worked. I lived there since birth until I was 8. At the corner of Peking Road and Canton Road, there used to be a Dai Pei Dong (food kiosk) very famous for their Chow Chou fishballs and beefballs. I grew up watching the workers used a spoon to carve out each beefball and laid them on top of a round tray in a spiral pattern. When the Government decided to build a Fire Station at that location, the restaurant was relocated. I am not sure if they moved to the present day location you mentioned (under the Kowloon Park Drive overpass). If they did, surely their fishball and beefball soup noodles worth eating. I concur that you can find some street food in the alleys between Cameron Road and Granville Road, near Carnarvon Road. Hot pots, braised dishes in clay pots, wontons, etc.. I mentioned the area at Jordan and Mongkok because there are a lot more shops, more eateries and more choices. However, I strongly recommend tourists to STAY AWAY from the Chung King Mansions. It is dirty, and is a notorious high-crime black spot. This building houses a few super low cost hostels (bunker beds only type), and is frequent by visitors primarily from India and the middle East regions. European and American tourists stand out like a sore thumb. You go in there, do your tourist thing, you are just inviting the pick-pockets and con men to prey on you. There are plenty of eateries in modern commercial buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tsim Sha Tsui East. There really is no reason to visit anything inside this unsightly Chung King Mansions. I was a victim of pick-pocketing during one of my trips back in 1991 when I stayed at Royal Pacific Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui. The guy preyed on me in the elevator in wee hours. Tired from the whole day’s activity and a bit intoxicated, I felt a bum on my shoulder (distracted). That guy got out of the elevator soon enough. I proceeded back to my room and slept. The next morning I was waken up by a phone call from the police outpost in the next building. Apparently that pick-pocket was an “ethical” professional. He took all the cash in my wallet, saw the US green card which he had no use for but it would be extremely troublesome for me traveling back to U.S.A. without it. He tossed my wallet (with my green card and credit cards in it) outside the police outpost in the next building. The policeman on duty (opened up the next morning) tracked me down through my address book. While Hong Kong is basically very safe for tourists, do mind over your wallets and hand bags! Hong Kong is the capital of the best Cantonese food. It certainly offers decent Sichuan food, Indian food, Italian food, and food from many other regions. But it just boggles my mind that why does one want to order steaks while in Boston, and order lobster while in Dallas?

I had posted a simple recipe of using shrimp paste for steamed pork. Recipe for steamed pork with shrimp paste When using shrimp paste as a dipping sauce (e.g. for your ong choy), I recommend that you cook the shrimp paste for this use instead of using it raw. To do that, it's really simple. Scoop 2 tsp of shrimp paste and drop it in a shallow dish or small bowl. Use a pot/pan to heat up 2 tablespoon of oil until it starts fuming. Pour the fuming hot oil on to the shrimp paste. (Be careful of splashes of oil droplets. e.g. Do it in the sink.) This makes it taste better, and more stomach friendly. Whenever I make Vietnamese curry chicken, I would like to put in 1-2 tsp of shrimp paste along with some lemon grass (finely chopped). This adds taste to the curry.

I just past by Eastern Bakery on Grant in San Francisco yesterday. They offered their left over "five nuts" mooncakes for free sampling to the tourists.