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This may be a regional thing? In Cantonese cooking, I have never heard of (or tasted) fish sauce being used. Until recent years maybe... that Vietnamese style cooking had infiltrated into our culture?

Unless they meant the tiny Chinese tea cups.

What is a fake yolk? What is it made of?

I found that for long beans, they really don't last and must be cooked right away. They turn brown and dark brown very quickly. String beans seem to keep longer. I am not sure about the recently mentioned "gow gee". Do they last? I have only seen my in-laws make them. And they grow their own in the backyard.

Does that mean all the mooncakes sold in the USA are made in the USA and not imported from Hong Kong or else where in China?

If you go to do some shopping along Stockton Street in San Francisco Chinatown, here are 2 more specialty food shops that are worth dropping by: Gourmet Delight BBQ 1045 Stockton Street (415) 392-3288 (it is between Washington and Clay on the uphill side) They have the best Cantonese BBQ items I have found in California. Roast Pork ~$5 to $6 a pound, best! Must try! Cantonese split (flat) roast duck, ~$12 each. Best! Must try! Cantonese roast duck (regular), ~$10 each BBQ pork, very good Soya sauce chicken, $3 each, very good White boiled chicken etc... And just right across the street (the downhill side of Stockton St): AA Bakery It offers the best Hong Kong style bakery (e.g. bread, pineapple bao, curry puff, mooncake, etc.) I have found in the SF area. Here is a picture of the shop: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1007357

As for shopping for Chinese dried food ingredients... The best is to shop in Chinatown San Francisco - in terms of price and quality. I feel that while I can go to other shops in other places, but since I don't shop for those ingredients too often (like once a year, because I can buy enough that lasts me a long time), the best is to wait until I visit San Francisco. In SF Chinatown, many of these shops are along Stockton Street, between Jackson and Broadway. The prices for stuff are very competitive. Just shop around and use your eyes to compare. The one I usually go to, and sorry I can't provide the business name - because I am a visual person I only memorize spatial relationships... - the shop is on Stockton St., between Pacific and Broadway on the East side. It has a big storefront and very bright inside. You can't miss it. They have all kinds of shark fins (whole variety of price range), dried mushrooms, dried scallops, oysters, etc.. The staff are friendly. I shop there. I do go to other smaller shops nearby too - I had shopped enough times to know which store offers the best deal for what item. :-)

This is my "semi home-made". In Cantonese cooking there is a dish called "yau lum gai", which literally means "oil poured over chicken". The basic idea is laying some shredded green onions on top of a cooked and chopped chicken, and then splashing on some fumingly hot oil, and followed by dashing in some light soy sauce. Some restaurants make the chicken steamed, some deep-fried. Mine was a store-bought Cantonese Fried Chicken, chopped. And I did the easy part.

Add to my list: Chinese eggplants. That's a tricky one. The key is: no moisture. In early days I kept the eggplants in the refrigerator in some plastic bags. The condensation which was trapped inside the plastic bag caused the eggplants to grow "dark spots" after a few days. The best to keep them is to leave them in room temperature. Just keep them in a cool, dry (dark - avoid direct sunlight) place. They may dehydrate slowly but better than turning moldy in a few days. Any melon/squash that has a hard shell can be kept for a long time. e.g. kobocha and winter melon. (Until you poke a hole in it and introduce bacteria. )

Bean sprouts can be kept alive longer in water, if the roots (tails) and heads are not clipped off. Change water daily as jo-mel suggested. Heck you can *grow* your bean sprouts in water. Use mung beans for the small sprouts and soya beans for the big sprouts. It takes something like a week? But the down side is you need to remove the bean shells. A lot of work... You can let all kinds of beans to sprout. But I have not tasted other ones.

My wife thinks that this restaurant I was thinking of belongs to St. Regis Monarch Beach Hotel, not Ritz Carlton. I think she's right. Sorry. From reading the following web page from the St. Regis Hotel: http://www.stregismonarchbeach.com/index.c...rt&navGroupID=6 The description: I think that's the one. It is lovely. I hope they will open it up for your party. This would be my personal choice #1. The second choice would be the one at Montage Resort at Laguna Beach.

Though I live fairly close to many Asian grocery markets, I usually only do fresh produce shopping once a week. Our regular diet includes many varieties of Chinese vegetables or melons. Some vegetables can be kept for a while in the refrigerator. But others can go bad very quickly even in a refrigerator. The following is a list of the Chinese vegetables and their shelf lives from my experience. Short shelf-life (need to cook ASAP): - Ong choy (the leaves will "dissolve" after a few days) - Bean sprouts - Choy sum - Peashoots - "A" choy Medium shelf-life (can be kept for 1 to 2 weeks): - Chinese mustard greens - Bok choy - Taiwanese bok choy - Chinese broccoli - Lettuce - Chinese chive Long shelf-life (more than 2 weeks): - Chinese cabbage - Lotus roots - Fuzzy melons - Winter melons (can be kept for a few months if not cut) - Daikon - Taro - Kabocha I found that for many of the melons or root vegetables (such as taro and daikon), the key to storing them for a long time is to keep them in a cool, dry place. They don't need to be refrigerated but must be kept dry. My routine produce shopping includes a mix of vegetables with different shelf-lives so that I don't risk ruining what I bought. And I always keep a Chinese cabbage or some melons as an emergency inventory in case that I run out of fresh vegetables.

Chris: Did you continue to season the wok surface near the rim with your method? Or would let regular cookings do the seasoning over time?

Some more thoughts: Club 19: it's a small club house restaurant overlooking the golf course towards the Pacific Ocean. I think they are owned by St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa Hotel now. The St Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa Hotel - Dana Point California They do private parties. Or Salt Creek Grille Restaurant? Salt Creek Grille Restaurant Or the lovely Mosaic Bar and Grille inside the Montage Resort (Laguna Beach), overlooking the Pacific Ocean from the bluff? Montage Laguna Beach And there is also Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa in Dana Point, overlooking the Dana Point Harbor. Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa Not enough? There are a few restaurants at Dana Point, such as: Cannons Seafood Grill or Chart House which are overlooking Dana Point Harbor from a cliff. Or: Wind & Sea Restaurant or Harbor Grill or Beachcomber which are at the Dana Point Harbor.

How about the restaurants at the Ritz itself? They have a very lovely beach-front restaurant at the end of the golf course, accessible via their guest carts. I haven't dined there but had seen their menu. Certainly within the $200-$250 pp range if dined as a small family. Do they want to charge you over 20-25K for your party?

I may need some translation service here. I lived half my life in Hong Kong and half in California. Though I lived in NYC for 2 months, I don't know what New York style Chinese food is about. What dishes would you be looking for? - Shrimp with lobster sauce? - Chicken lo mein? - Moo shu pork? I haven't been dining in SF China Town for years. Not that there are no good ones, but there are many that seem over the hill, and there are many which are geared for tourists. Over twent years ago I used to frequent "Yuet Lee" (Broadway and Stockton). Cantonese seafood. "House of Nanking" is on Kearny and Jackson. They are really "hole in the wall" but very popular with tourists because they are on the Zagat Guide from what I understand. The waiting line is usually so long that you can see it on Google Earth. But the turn overs are quick because the seatings are "elbow to elbow" uncomfortable. I might be one of the very few Chinese who likes their food, as I found myself the only Asian patron in the whole dining room the few times that I visited. Tourists just like to have some Chinese food and then on their merry way to tour the rest of Grant Street. (Either that or walk over to the bars on Broadway) LOL. Unless you want to visit China Town to walk around after dinner. If you go there solely for Chinese food, I would recommend you to go to the Richmond district instead of China Town. It's closer too from San Rafael. After crossing the GG Bridge, take the exit to Highway-1 South. It turns into Park Presidio Blvd You want to go East on Clement Street but you cannot make left turns on Park Presidio Blvd. Best is to right turn on California Street, left on 14th Ave, then down a block and make another left onto Clement Street (east bound). You will find many good, inexpensive Chinese restaurant along Clement between about 10th and 4th. The ones I frequent include: - Lee Hou - Ocean Restaurant - D&A - Coriya (hot pot and BBQ, self-served buffet) - Spice and Spice II (really good Sichuan but I understand you don't eat spicy food) Most of them serve Cantonese seafood - live from the fish tank. Prices are quite reasonable. e.g. half a salt-baked chicken for $6.50, something like that. Lee Hou is the best out of the 3. If you don't see something you like on the menu, ask them to make it for you. They would probably do it. D&A is really a hole in the wall but packed with local Chinese patrons. Parking is bad in the weekends but is better than Chinatown anyway.

I thought they were so-called because the color of their belly is more yellow than others.

Would you define "good"? Good as in good price? Good atmosphere? Good taste - even a hole in the wall? Good as in Americanized good or the Chinese locals good? Also, are you looking for: Dim sum? Cantonese seafood dinner? Sichuan? Shanghai? Most of the Chinese population (and thus "good" Chinese restaurants) are within the SF city and along the south peninsula, not in the Marin County. Looks like you may need to cross the Golden Gate Bridge in search of good Chinese food. There are a few Chinese restaurants in Sausalito but I haven't tried them.

There is something about 老干妈 (Old Godmother brand) chili oils.... I don't know what it is. The flavor is very strong. I think it is overly so MSGeeed. But I might be wrong. Can't take more than a spoonful of chili oil or else head will spin. Symptom of MSG side effect?

When you walk out of the Union Station, walk along Alameda Street (to your right), cross it and walk along Ord Street. LA Chinatown is along N Spring Street, N Broadway and N Hill Street. There are some plaza kind of shopping complex around Ord/Hill/Broadway. I used to have dim sum at the restaurant there (not sure of the English name). Something that translates to mirama or something. But I haven't been to LA Chinatown for ages. Can't tell you the most current ones. I believe Sam Woo, serving very good Cantonese stir-fries, BBQ items and seafood and wonton noodles, is still there. If I remember it correctly it is on Hill Street, about Alpine. LA Chinatown is more spread out than others. Hey, we are in Southern Cal. We are *supposed* to drive everywhere!!!

The Los Angeles China Town is just 2 to 3 short blocks away from Union Station. Literally just across the street. There can be some good eats to be found, like a quick bowl of wonton noodle or something (like live lobster?). But probably would be longer than 6 minutes.

Ah Leung (or anyone )....any guidance how to put this together (proportions, melding time, storage, etc.) ? Also, would it be worthwhile to do this if MSG isn't used? ← Just the basics: mince plenty of garlic. Deep-fry the garlic until crispy. If you do this at home you may need to divide the garlic into a few batches. Then add the dried chili flakes. Throw in some fermented black beans if you like. You can skip the MSG. But go heavy on salt to the sauce. Sea salt is best. That's what I remember of those chili sauce served in Hong Kong wonton noodle shops.

Gow Gay [Cantonese] is quite bitter. I have only seen it used in soup. Like many said upthread, with salted duck eggs and pork. I am not sure if it would taste good in stir-fries. I don't usually see it offered in local Asian markets. My father-in-law grows some in his back yard. They seem to be pretty hardy plants. He harvests them here and there all year around (but this is California! ) to use in soup.

You can certainly make "Ma Po Tofu" without the Sichuan peppercorns. I often do. It would be pointed out that it is not authentic Sichuan style. More like a Cantonese rendition of it. You will not get the numbing sensation.

May be not. They don't have enough Asian patronship in this casino. Melted butter is probably their best choice. Besides, they can really stuff us up with the butter.