Gastro888

Oh ick, who would eat plain steamed chicken without it? It's a must!!!

"Geung chung yao" Ginger scallion oil Gosh, I hope I'm correct on this one...

Ah Leung Goh, not fair since I hardly use it! Is it: Anise Fennel Szchuan peppercorn ...Uh...::googles:: Cloves Cinnamon Hee hee!

OK, thank you Carolyn Tillie! I am very curious to try the raw bar that's in the Ferry Building. I love raw oysters and the chance to have really fresh seafood in SF is very tempting. I understand your reservations about the In-And-Out burger but it's just one of those things that I need to try. It's like the time I went to Hawaii and I had to try the Spam musbui even though I knew it was just Spam, rice and teriyaki sauce!

Thank you so much for your help everyone! I am really looking forward to trying the foods in your city next week. The Ferry Building will be my first stop on Friday and hopefully I'll be able to try In and Out burger while I'm there. Is there anything else besides sourdough that I should take home?

Ah Leung Goh, what are the spices you're mentioning here? OK, now I'm really determined to get this right. I won't be able to cook pork belly until next week. Tonight I'm making dinner that's not Chinese (pan seared duck breast w/ ligonberry sauce, pasta a la vodka and salad w/ balsamic dressing) and the rest of the week, it's Western food. (STEAK!)

I pan seared it and then added the liquid, which I had brought to a boil prior to adding it to the pot. And now after reading Ah Leung Goh's tips, I realized I goofed. I did add dark soy to the pot while it was cooking but I probably goofed by not starting out with dark soy. Ultimately, yes it tasted good (for a 1st try!) and it was edible. Hey aznsailorboi, your pork belly looks great! That's an awesome job you did! Wow, you cook so well for a youngin'! (Only teasing!)

I thought the ban was lifted? Maybe I'm mistaken. I've seen fresh ones in Chinatown before but we'll just have to see what's at the market this year.

Go to Vosges chocolate! Great & interesting flavors. Plus it's in SoHo where your girl can shop her heart out. You can dull the pain of shopping in the city on a weekend by eating one of their Barcelona bars (milk chocolate w/ roasted almonds and grey sea salt).

One hour may not be enough though. Typical braising time is 2 to 3 hours. Slow fire. ← I think you might be right. It tastes quite good however, it just doesn't look that great! My fire was too strong at first and I tempered it with a metal lid. (What's the proper name for that thing that goes over your burner? And yes, I made mine out of a coffee can lid. Yes, more proof of how Toisan I am. ) I'll try this dish again and I'll repost in a bit.

Oh, thanks Ben Sook! I think it's kinda bleah looking. But then again I didn't grow up eating alot of stews or braised dishes. I ate mostly sitr fries, soups and steamed dishes. I didn't try braised pork belly until I was older. Why you gonna sell me for some roasted pigs if I don't?

It was tender and melting. Mind you, I am cooking for one and my pork belly was about the size of a deck of cards so that may have alot to do with it. I'm sure if I braised it longer it would've been even more so but there's always next time! (I plated it in a mini-rice bowl. Not true to size!) edited to add: OH! I skimmed over the part where you said you cut your pork belly up. I assumed you meant the entire belly. Whoops!

My first attempt at braising pork belly, Chinese style. It turned out to be more of a stew than a braise but it was tasty nonetheless! I marinated the pork belly in mushroom soy sauce, honey, five spice powder and white pepper overnight. Then I seared it in a pan and added chopped cabbage, shiitakes mushrooms and diced daikon. The remaining marinade was added to the pot (Is this gross? Sorry if it is.) I used chicken broth plus the soaking liquid from the shiitakes and added a touch of dark soy. It braised for an hour (after I removed the excess liquid!) and here you go. My first humble attempt.

OK, so here's the fruit of my labor, plated (kinda): It braised for about an hour. It's not what I thought it would be. Honestly, I was thinking I'd get that long simmered, rich braised taste and I ended up getting a really good tasting...stew. *sighs* Granted, I had several goofs 1) I marinated the meat (see previous post) 2) I didn't use the "proper" spice mix (oops) 3) I used wayyyy too much braising liquid. I had to scoop out some of the liquid before braising. 4) I used way to much daikon and cabbage 5) I think I shouldn't have used cabbage 6) I didn't blanch the daikon long enough prior to adding it into the main pot. My apartment smells like daikon now. And why is my pork belly white inside? It looks sickly! Another shot: Thoughts? PS: Tastes good, though!

Ok, I did it! And I took pictures, too. Now I have to figure out how to upload the darn things. And I goofed at first by adding wayyyy too much braising liquid (chix broth + mushroom soaking water. Yes, oh so Toisan of me.) Caveat: It's not pretty. It's kinda mah-mah deh looking, actually. And it has a strong daikon taste. (BTW, is daikon leung or yet hay or neutral?). The shiitakes are quite yummy.

Thanks for all the hints! Will crabs be in season when I arrive next week? I've never had roasted crab before. Oh wow. I don't want to "waste time" commuting to a specific place; instead I'd prefer to maximize my eating time. I hope someone in the Ferry Building does roasted crabs!

No, not b/c it was hot. It's because you don't want to feed such strong flavored ingredients to a baby, let alone something that's pickled/fermented. If anything, serve the wee one plain congee with nothing in it.

Garlic roasted peanuts from the Chinese supermarket! I am eating those right now and it's hitting the 4pm snack spot. I just hope they're not too calorific. Considering they're alot smaller than the typical Southern style roasted nuts, I hope I'm alright....

Have you tried adding MSG - like Mi-Won? That was added to most jigaes in Korea. When my Canadian friend in Korea was teaching me to make it, he took a bag of Mi-Won and added a big dose and said, "And then you add a big sprinkle of this stuff to make it taste better." And I said, "You mean MSG?" And he looked at it and gasped - "MSG?! This is MSG?!" ← That's funny! I don't think my friend used Mi-Won in her jjigae but she did make it from the cabbage only kimchee (what is the proper name for that type of kimchee?) Soup - what is dwenjang? I just used water, is that ok? Thanks for the rice cake tip!

Ling, you have a very healthy metabolism so you've nothing to worry about! I commend you on your eating! Some people put granola on it. I am thinking of buying some roasted pumpkin seeds (like the flavored ones) to put on it for a savory snack. I'm getting a bit bored with my honey/honey & banana combo.

Tung Shing House on Queens BLVD. I have to say they have one of the best Peking Ducks in NYC. It use to be one of my favs but now I have to pick another place. Possibly across the street. ← OH! Where on Queens Blvd? Near Woodhaven Blvd? Was this near Flushing? Yum. Peking Duck. I might have to go there this week!

Ooh! Peking duck! Where did you go, XiaoLing?

Oops. Oh geez. I didn't realize I was making so many errors! I hope it turns out ok. Ai ya! No ShaoXing wine. Hopefully I can get some en route to home.

I'm a Flushing dim sum'er myself and I've yet to explore all the options in Flushing. Thus far, I like Ping's (in Elmhurst), Gum Fong, and this seafood place on 37th st that I need to get the name of.

From what little I know, is Jing Fong really worth the trip? Now a NYC snack tour on the other hand, that'd be worthy of a bus trip. ← NO! If you're coming to NYC for dim sum, you gotta go to Flushing. Jin Fong is sub-par dim sum and Philly's got some awesome dim sum. Come to NYC, just don't bother with Jin Fong