Gastro888
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Posts posted by Gastro888
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Wow, Ben, I never knew there were restaurants like that! We certainly didn't have them in the DC/DelMarVa area. There were probably restaurants like that in NYC/SF, I'll bet. Wow. That's fascinating. (UNCLE BEN, WRITE A BOOK, WILL YOU?!)
Honestly, my mother never made lo fo tong the way you describe. I love choi gon tong - I always feel healither after drinking those soups. Growing up, I was rarely sick and I attribute it to the power of the tonic soups my mom made. Even drinking simple Chinese tea will make you feel better on a so-so day. Ah, the blessings of the Chinese cuisine.
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Now if I lived in a European country, I'd be more apt to seek out a Chinese restaurant to try like nessa. But if I'm on holiday, forget it.
Deflated egg rolls...that's funny.
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Hey PCL, there was no egg wash on the neen goh - it was just pan fried. Perhaps it was firmer than the typical neen goh b/c it had been cured? I don't know. But the orange color was slightly disturbing
only b/c I was expecting either a "wong tong" color or a reddish color.I'm sorry for the lack of pictures! The banquet didn't start until an hour after the posted time on the invite (par for the course for Cantonese banquets - but for those who haven't done one before, that's usually the case) so by the time the food came out it was every person for themselves. And my mind was in 50 million places being overly concerned about people mingling and having a good time. Man, no wonder the person who organized it last year was so thrilled that I was doing it.
Huh. I thought it was black cod. My dad said it's Chilean sea bass. But I've never seen this fish in Western restaurants when they say they serve Chilean sea bass. I'm leaning towards cod.
Anyone else with an idea?As for me in the cheongsam, I will have to see how the group pictures turn out. Forgive me for not posting the pictures of me in the cheongsam right away. Since I do want to be a little anonymous on this forum, I hope you understand.
PS: Man, I've never been compared to a TVB serial...that's kinda flattering. Sorta takes away the stigma of being an ABC, huh?
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Well, the Chinese food I had in Rome was not Italianized - it did not use olives, cheese, pancetta, balsamic, lemoncello or other Italian ingredients in their cooking. It was like any other "Westernized" Chinese food I had in America. The Chinese food on the buffet table in Frankfurt had alot of fried items and all the items were EXTREMELY sauced. Honestly, it looked like a buffet you'd find in the States. No wurst or kraut to be found. I think Chinese food outside of Asia is going to be Westernized - esp. in Europe/America.
I can appreciate acknowledging and exploring the successes of our cousins in other countries but I'm not wasting my food opportunities in a non-Asian country eating Chinese food. I can eat that at home or eat it properly back in the motherland or where they do it right (ex: CTs in NYC, SF, Philly, Boston, Canada...)
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Ai ya! I'm sooooooooo sorry!!!! I really apologize. Man, I can't imagine organizing a wedding banquet with all those tables. Two tables was bad enough.
The "pan poon" consisted of roasted suckling pig, cha siu, jellyfish, cuttlefish, cold boiled beef and decorated with orange slices and eggplant slices. The suckling pig was tender and crispy - not bad for outside of NYC's CT! I was disappointed they didn't have pig knuckle - perhaps they didn't include it b/c the people attending were Asian and non-Asian.
Then the golden mushroom seafood soup came out - which was good, but I think too much cornstarch. Not gooey or gluey but too thick, IMHO. A bit less would've been perfect. The seafood taste was subtle, but that could be a profit issue, not a cooking issue!
Then we had the "gai jee gai", which was slightly disappointing only for two reasons - they didn't serve the "wai yeem" on the side because they sprinkled it on the chicken prior to serving and they didn't have the chicken tail as part of the pieces of chicken. The head was there but the tail was not (it's my favorite part...I was disappointed.)
The "suet yee" was the hit of the table - people devoured it. So I guess we're not being authentic in leaving some behind. Oops! It was steamed and they cleaned the skin, which allowed us (me mostly...I eat stuff no one else eats) to enjoy the lovely skin. The lobster was from Canada and it was fresh - the meat was firm and tasty.
The snowpea sprouts were green and fresh and the noodles and rice were well prepared. It was Yangchow style fried rice and the noodles were the classic egg noodles fried with bean sprouts, onion and scallions. My only complaint is that the golden beef dish was a little subpar. The beef was fluffy - too much tenderizer was used. I felt like I was eating beefy tofu, if that makes any sense.
The prawns were large and very fresh - the shells came off the shrimp easily. They were the larger prawns that were almost tiger prawns but a little smaller. My only complaint is that the batter could've been heavier but that's only b/c I like the water chestnut flour batter on the shrimp - I know you're not supposed to have the batter heavy like a battered shrimp!
The neen goh was ORANGE and fried. (Needless to say the color threw me off) Oooh, PCL, it was good!!! It was firmer and less sticky than I anticipated and it wasn't cloyingly sweet. Maybe it was cheater's neen goh, who knows? We also had sliced oranges as well. Very sweet.
Sorry for the lack of photos. I gotta make it up to the forum. *sighs*
Oh and for the record, I'm not blonde - I just have blonde MOMENTS.
(I guess I'm off the selling block now, huh?
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Tonight was the big night of the banquet and it was a success! Par for the course, I was slightly late to host the event (hey, I am Asian after all...we run on our own standard time...late) but we had two full tables and everyone enjoyed the food. The restaurant did a fantastic job, I would recommend them to anyone.
It was hard for me to bop about between the two tables (c'mon - Cantonese host...we gotta make sure e'rythang is going well. It's not our nature to sit back and relax. Must have iron fist controlling the situation!) but it was fun seeing everyone enjoy the food and all.
Does anyone know the English word for "suet yee"? (Snow fish) Is it sea bass or black cod? We were debating the English translation of the fish that is normally served in filets.
The food was fantastic - the sucking pig was crisp, the prawns were delicious and the chicken was tender. I didn't get to eat much - too busy talking to everyone and making sure they were OK. That's OK as long as everyone was happy!
*sigh* Only one small, tiny problem. I didn't take any photos...I'm sorry!!!! People were hungry when the food started to arrive and there was no time for me to take shots - chopsticks were flying everywhere and I, in an Asian blonde moment, forgot to hurry up and snap photos amist the banquet melee.
I know, I know, I get a low score for not having photos. I'm sorry!!! *kowtows*
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Ack, no dehydrator! That'll just remove the moisture and not do the semi-freeze dry thing you want from the winter air. I think you definitely need "bok fung" for lap yook. The cold air is what makes it good. And no humidity, either. (Err, from what I understand. This ABC could be wrong...)
Thanks! I just need to get it steamed before the party. Hopefully my local dry cleaner will indulge me.
"Yoon" is Toysanese for "yuan" - glutonous rice balls. My mom makes them savory - in a chicken broth with lap cheong, beef, black mushrooms, loh bak, cilantro and scallions. That's what I'm having for lunch tomorrow. Woo hoo!
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9 organic roasted suckling pigs! At least!!!!
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Irwin, props to you for eatin' like a country boy. Holla back, young!
Funny, when I was eating Chinese food in Frankfurt and Rome, there wasn't hot mustard OR duck sauce at the table, just soy, salt, and pepper.
During my trips to HK, I never saw hot mustard at the table - dim sum or otherwise. I don't know many HK people who use mustard - far as I know within our community, it's considered a Western condiment. Usually the spice is provided by chiles and not mustard. Mustard on cheong fun? Who does that? (Then again, I think the yeow tew in cheong fun is a little much....)
Whatever and however people want to eat is cool by me but I don't think it's authentic to use duck sauce or mustard. But if you enjoy eating it, go for it.
Sidebar: Funny story about condiments: I went out to eat with a friend and we were eating Asian food and the first thing he does before he eats is shower it with soy sauce. I was mortified b/c:
1. He didn't taste the food before he used the condiment (big no-no according to my pops, master foodie)
2. He was Asian (AI YA!!!!)
I'm just sayin'....
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Forgot to mention that one of the best meals I had in London was in their Chinatown. I think with the large number of ex-pats from HK they have a very decent restaurant business in London proper. I had an excellent bbq meat over rice dish and my friend had prawns with chow fun in black bean sauce. It was the best meal I had in London - well, excluding the crisps I ate from the stores. I would put the food on par with NYC Chinatown food.
The Chinese food elsewhere can be described as food best fit for the LaChoy company. For those of you who don't know what LaChoy is, it's the bastardized Chinese food in a can they had (still have) in the States back in the day. Why can't they open a noodle stall or a mantou stall? Shoot, a well-prepared bowl of wonton mein or dan dan mein or a perfectly steamed mantou would make more money than these slop joints they call restaurants. Ick, ugh and gack.
Honestly, except in London, I wouldn't bother eating in Chinatowns in Europe (I have heard that Paris has good Vietnamese food, though). I really wish I didn't eat Chinese in Rome because I missed out on another chance to eat spaghetti carbonara. Ooooh. Excuse me while I have a moment...*sigh*
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Thanks!
I'll see if I can post a picture of me IN the cheongsam, Auntie Dejah. I wouldn't want Uncle Ben hijacking my photo and bumping up (or bumping DOWN) my price on the market.
Oh man, my parents' lop yook is sooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I have to ask them how they make it. Give me lop yook and rice and I am a very happy girl. I've noticed that it doesn't take much to make Cantonese people happy with food - simple dishes that are well prepared are the way to our hearts.
Speaking of which, mom is making yoon tomorrow for lunch! Yippy!
(Sidebar 1: This month's issue of Saveur has an article on bacon and it mentions lop yook as the ancestor of bacon...hey, I can dig it!
) (Sidebar 2: I think I can eat with the dress on, I'll just have to chew carefully...)
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Apologies for not posting this last night - my body was screaming for sleep and I passed out for about 15 hours yesterday. Whooo boy. Ok, below is a detailed shot of my cheongsam/kay po/outfit.
It's a vibrant blue - not silk and not tailored to me but for USD 35.00 not bad. (Shipping was USD 15.00 from Shanghai...that's where they make profit, ya know?)
Here's a not-so good bigger picture of the cheongsam. Note to anyone who's going to purchase a cheongsam - buy one size up if you're curvy (aka J. Lo). If you're not curvy, just go by the measurements.
And here's the little trinket I'm giving away as party favors. It's supposed to say "Meen Yee" ("As You Wish", like a desire, heart's wish) on the drum (a different character on each side) but they just have the "Yee" character on both sides. *sigh* Ah, well. I hope they like it regardless.
My dad commented that it's Communist shorthand.
I tried to take better pictures (a la Auntie spaghetttti) but I'm new to the whole digital photography world (I prefer film...old fashioned girl!) so if y'all have any hints for me, please PM me as I'd like to post nice pictures of the banquet for y'all.
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I was coerced to give up two great meals in Italy to two friends who wanted to have Chinese in Rome. It was subpar to say the least. Needless to say I don't like wasting a meal opportunity to eat Chinese food outside of North America or Asia.
I was forced to eat Chinese food in Frankfurt one night. It was buffet and subpar. I was surprised that it was not terribly horrible but then the next morning, well, I paid my dues.
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WOW! Nice picture!
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So how many organic roasted suckling pigs is it now?
Wow, it is way cool to hear someone praise Toisanese cooking who's not Toisanese. (are you wesza?)
In my family, we don't do condiments at the table. That's a no-no. If something needs salt/soy sauce you get up and go get it. Duck sauce and mustard have their place for sure (hey it's like me liking the Marriott Hot Shoppe cafeterias as a child) but authentic cooking doesn't have the thermonuclear orange duck sauce or mustard.
Sidebar: my friend's father takes duck sauce, mustard, soy sauce and catsup and mixed them together to dip Chinese food in when he's eating it. Since it's her father I can't say anything but I recoil in horror every time he does it...ai ya!!!
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I also love the Hom Tee which was chock full of chinese sausage, dried shrimp, scallion and bits of preserved turnip. The stickiness of it was crazy how it would glue itself to your plate and later your palate but well worth the work! If anyone has a good recipe for that I would most certainly welcome it.
Hom Tee? What type of dough was it? What it like a clear dough when it was finished - could you see the filling? Describe, please...
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Was wondering the same thing Aunty Yetti.
On the topic of waxed meats... I miss the stuff badly. Nothing like steamed rice with a selection of waxed meats on top, served with a soy based sauce with flavored oil, hint of fresh chopped chilli, and the crusty burnt bits of rice from the bottom of the pot!!
Oh man, my parents have been making lap yook for the past two years. IT'S THE BEST!!!! We had alot of "bok fung" the past two years - perfect for making lop yook. (Bok fung - north wind, the coldest wind). Oh man, far superior than the store bought stuff.
I looooooooove waxed meats. Oh wow. Salted duck legs, lap cheong, lap yook...
I will bring my digital camera and takes lots of photos for y'all of the banquet and possibly of me in my cheongsam. My mom told me that it fits but I should've gotten one size up. Bah, I'm going to have to bring something to change in so that I can eat. The collar chokes me when I sit down. Forget the waistline, how did our ancestors swallow food in these things?!?!?!
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Bump bump bump
Have the festivities and merriment been had? So, how did it go? Where are the photos of cheongsams, kay po, etc etc etc?
Gastro, where are you, girl?
Hi y'all!
Well, I have been a bit, um, indisposed.
I was abroad checking out a school in Florence, Italy.
Sidebar: I met up with divina!!! She's the bomb diggity bomb!
Oh my gosh, a host of things happened to me on my short trip abroad.
In a nutshell - hit on by an Italian (who may have had a hidden agenda but I digress)
, lost my favorite scarf from Greece, was nearly robbed , got treated like a 3rd class citizen by the school , got stuck in the airport, got stranded in Frankfurt and didn't get my luggage when I got home. 
Oh yeah and my face broke out. Arughhh, that's going to be a doozy to fix prior to the banquet, which has NOT happened yet! 3 more days!
I was able to try on my cheongsam today. Fits but um, it's a little snug - let's just say the whole J. Lo thing hasn't picked up over in Asia....
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Ah ha! Cool beans, now I know the meaning.
Kaya/Gah yeng is the BOMB. But soooo hard to make.
Dejah, did you try the recipe yet?
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Aiiieee! You're kidding! Really? Hmm. That's interesting. I think you'd have to be very careful though. Too much and the dough will get too dark and sweet. Ick.
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Honestly, I haven't found those down here. Then again, it is the DC area. I think I'll have to trek up to NYC to try them.
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v) various waxed meat with some glutinous rice
Ooh, lovely! Welcome, yunnermeier! When you're talking about waxed meat, do you mean like "lop yuk" and salted duck leg?
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Actually, Auntie spaghetttti, I do believe you and I are the same age!
But you still outrank me! Therefore Auntie is appropriate.
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There's a great scene in the recent Hongkong Kung-Fu comedy, "Shaolin Soccer" where a petite lady uses Tai-Chi techniques to form the mantou dough...
... superb... Gastrodudette888, I think a martial-arts cooking thread is in order!!!!....
You're on!!! Bring the dough, baby!
I think the temperature is critical. Try a high temperature at first - 400?
Chinese condiments
in China: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Hey JasonZ-
Thanks for asking. I defer to our resident experts, Ben Hong and Dejah for answers to your questions about Toisan. In regards to a restaurant in NYC for Toisan cuisine, there really isn't one - you'll get the Cantonese cooking but it's hard to find Toisanese cooking. Most of the dishes are homestyle, not meant for restaurant consumption, ya know? (It's country village cuisine...good, decent, salt of the earth food but not restaurant cuisine)
Toisan people are Cantonese, so I guess you can say we're a subculture but we're definitely distinct.