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msphoebe

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Posts posted by msphoebe

  1. Oh my, this dish is fantastic! Even though I'm in the midwest (and don't think there is anywhere in the city to get such flavorful shrimp with heads on), was able to make this and it came out super tasty. None of the ingredients are difficult to find and it was so easy.

    I'm now ready for an apprenticeship in a good Chinese restaurant.

    Thanks, Ah Leung, for sharing this really great recipe, I'll be making it often!

  2. That's kinda what I figured, it seems most everything is available year-round these days.

    I did notice that all of the Chinese vegetables were, of course, identified by the Chinese name. It was an Asian market, after all!

    I know what bok choy and baby bok choi look like, and pea shoots, and napa cabbage, but there are so many more green veggies (mostly leafy veggies) that I cannot identify and don't know what to do with. Is anyone interested in providing a short list of the most popular Chinese veggies, along with the names (in both Chinese and English?) I hope that isn't a stupid request. It just might be easier to find what I want if I know both names.

    Thanks to anyone willing to take on this small challenge or point me in the direction of an on-line dictionary of Chinese (or Asian) veggies. I'm on a mission!

    d

  3. I love greens and vegetables of all kinds. Would love to see some more recipes (or simple cooking methods) for Chinese green vegetables. Simple is good!

    In particular, I was looking for Pea Shoots today at the Asian market, but didn't see any. Is it the wrong time of year? Or was I looking in the wrong cooler (don't think so!)

    Please share any ideas for preparing the different greens. I love a nice side of veggies with any dish!

    P.S. Tomorrow I'll be making hzr8tw's (did I get that right? I can never remember!) recipe for Imperial Shrimp. It looks delicious.

  4. Thank you very much, XiaoLing, for your response. I will give it a try!

    Today I'm in the mood for soup and will be making a Vietnamese Hot & Sour Soup. Quite different from the Chinese style Hot & Sour Soup. I have tried to make the Chinese version but can't get it right. Requests for pictorial or recipe (not just here, but other forums as well) are met with either indifference or controversy. I don't understand that, but guess I will keep searching! If there is one here and I have missed it, someone please point me in that direction!

    I really enjoyed the pictures of your family's New Year's feast. Beautiful!

  5. Well I finally cracked open the can of Sa Cha sauce and made these green beans tonite. I added a bit of ground pork that I had left over from another dish. Served over steamed rice.

    Interesting flavor! Here in the midwest we think of BBQ sauce as a spicy-sweet sauce for grilled meat, quite different from the light seafood taste of the sa cha sauce.

    I have heard of sa cha beef, does anyone have a recipe for that? I'd be interested in giving it a try, too.

    Thanks so much for posting the recipe and techniqe for the green beans, it was really good!

  6. I'll be making this tomorrow and hope it turns out as well as the original post's pictures -- they make my mouth water! I did my shopping this morning at the Asian Market nearby and found everything I need with no trouble. The clerk at the cash register asked what I was making and when I told her, she reached under the counter and opened her lunch container. Naw Mai Fon! We had a nice (although short) conversation about all the things one could add (she suggested ham, and perhaps peas) for variation.

    I do have a question, though, about Chinese Celery. They had some in the produce section, but it is quite different in appearance from the standard celery I normally use. Chinese celery has very tiny stalks and a lot of leaves.

    So, if I wanted to use Chinese Celery in this dish (or any other, I suppose), would I chop both stalk and leaves and use all of it?

    Thanks for any suggestions or comments.

  7. Thanks very much, everyone, for your replies. I'm so glad to know it's okay to use canned stock (I always have Swanson's on hand) instead of boiling a pot of bones for hours.

    But in looking at the recipe link posted by jhirshon, and judging by comments of others, I see Superior Broth is a mixture of beef, poulty, and pork broths? Very interesting.

    Lately I've been using "Better than Bouillon" which has a very rich flavor. I like it. It is a paste consistency, packaged in a jar. Just add a teaspoon of paste plus a cup of water to make one cup of broth. I've used chicken, beef and turkey so far with great results. I guess to make superior broth I could use a teaspoon of both beef and chicken....if I have the concept correct in my mind.

    Perhaps when I have some time off during the holidays, I'll boil up a big pot of stock to put in the freezer. It really tastes best, but convenience usually wins over in my house!

  8. Hi there, I continue to enjoy all the great posts here and the tutorials/recipes by Ah Leung. Dinner tonite will be the beef fried rice.

    I have a question and a suggestion.

    First, you refer to "Superior Broth" in some of your recipes. Can you give instruction or source for this ingredient? I have a feeling it is a broth or stock that one makes with bones, etc. but would like instruction, if possible.

    Secondly, at one time I read your thread on Chinese ingredients/condiments. Would it be possible to pin this thread for easy reference?

    Please continue to do what you are doing, and know that there are many of us who don't have enough expertise to post a lot, but who enjoy all the discussion and tutorials. Thank you very much!

  9. It's been a long while since I bought any prosciutto and had to pick some up yesterday for tonite's dinner. One supermarket had only domestic prosciutto, so I opted to look elsewhere.

    At Costco, in the import meats/cheeses section, the only prosciutto I saw was Citterio brand. Having had Cittero's Rosmarino Ham (and loving it) I was pretty sure the prosciutto would be good. I was under the impression that it was imported.

    Now I haven't yet tasted the prosciutto, but in researching prosciutto a bit on the internet, I discovered that Citterio is an American company producing Italian style dry cured meats. http://www.citteriousa.com/plates.html

    This link discusses European Style deli meats and has some interesting information http://www.specialtyfood.com/do/news/ViewNewsArticle?id=1481

    So my question is...do you always buy imported prosciutto, or are there American products that are just as good? Am I really missing a lot by not searching out the real deal?

  10. Thank you all for the suggestions. I will make a list and see what my local wine store has to offer from your suggestions.

    I appreciate you all taking the time to explain why a certain wine would pair well with the dish I'm preparing (or why it wouldn't). I'm all about the learning process! Thanks again.

  11. I'm going to prepare pan roasted halibut with prosciutto, lemon, and capers. I need a white wine to add to the roasting pan, and plan to serve the same wine to drink with dinner.

    I'm thinking either a Chardonnay or even a Pinot Grigio....but as a novice in the area of wine pairing am looking for suggestions.

    Thanks for any help.

  12. Last time I made guacamole (a weekly event around here) I happened to be out of fresh lime. Subbed red wine vinegar and found it to really add a new dimension to the flavor of my guac. GREAT. I don't think I could ever add oil to avocado. The mouthfeel is already so silky, more oil would be too much.

    And on another note, recently I was discussing Vietnamese cooking with a co-worker who is Vietnamese. One of the things she recalls her mother making regularly is an avocado shake. Lo and behold, I recently purchased the book "The Little Saigon Cookbook" and it includes a recipe for...Fresh Avocado Shake!

    Basically it is avocados, crushed ice, sweetened condensed milk (or coconut milk and sugar).

    I haven't tried it yet, but it actually sounds pretty good!

  13. Mo-Hoe! I love it. We have a large Hispanic population in my city, and Goya products are everywhere. In the meantime, I will plan to use my Badia brand (adding a bit of oil as Scott suggested) this weekend. I have both pork tenderloin and pork "country style" ribs in the freezer. Are country style ribs the same as pork butt, only sliced into "ribs"? Those should do nicely marinated in the Mojo.

    And then, I will try making my own marinade, using the recipe linked above. I'm sure the fresh citrus will make it even better.

    Tks everyone!

  14. Yes, yes, yes! Just what I'm looking for. What is a good ham to use in a dish like yours, clive? I guess any "good" ham would do...the dish sounds wonderful.

    And, oh my, Italian? Never thought to look for ideas in my Marcella Hazan cookbook. Now I don't need to! The dish sounds fabulous and right along the lines of something I'd love, Pontormo. I'll make it a point to peruse the Italian forums here at eG.

    Thanks to all for the great ideas. I'm going to have a great time trying all these dishes, and believe me, I will be trying them all!

    P.S. The Trio of Savory Beans was great. I subbed a can of Cannellini beans for the cranberry beans, because we have hard water here in my little suburb, and I attempted to cook the dried beans using a pinch of baking soda. The beans cooked but turned to mush -- the texture of refried beans -- to which I added minced garlic, salt, and a bit of olive oil. Enjoyed with some freshly fried corn tortillas, salsa, avocado, and a teensy bit of sour cream.

    Six years living here and still can't cook beans from dried. But I'll keep trying!

  15. It's never too late to share a good recipe!

    Okra...the only times I've ever experienced okra...once had it pickled as a garnish for a bloody mary (yum)...and once sasw it being cooked in a skillet in Jr. High School Home Ec class. The lady from the Gas Service Company came to do a demo "cooking with gas". Why oh why she picked okra I'll never know. It was indeed slimy...I don't think any one of us was brave enough to try it.

    What other veggies emit this slime when cooked? It's a very strange thing...

  16. While shopping for cranberry beans at Wild Oats this morning, I came across a bottle of Badia brand "Mojo Marinade". For those unfamiliar, it is a "marinade for meats, poultry, fish and seafood." Ingredients are: Grapefruit and orange juice, vinegar, MSG, Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, "spices", and bitter orange concentrate.

    Having recently purchased a new grill, I've been trying all kinds of marinades, usually prepared fresh in my own kitchen. But I've never seen or heard of "Mojo" marinade.

    Would like to know what is best to marinate and grill in this, and any suggestions for complementary side dishes. I'm anxious to try it!

    Thanks in advance for any help.

  17. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I think the succotash and the idea of using the limas in a mixed bean salad are what I'm looking for. Doesn't seem to be a very popular food, these limas!

    One of the cookbooks in my personal library is "The Bean Bible" by Aliza Green. It contains a recipe for "Trio of Savory Beans" that I'm going to try. Basically cranberry beans (which I could/might sub cannellini beans), fresh green beans, and lima beans, sauteed in olive oil, shallots, and savory. I love savory so these sound great.

    The other half of my limas will go into a succotash -- with fresh corn (cut off the cob) and tomatoes, for another meal.

  18. In the mood for lima beans. Have some in the freezer.

    Having sauteed scallops with a lemon vinaigrette for dinner tonite. Looking for ideas to make a salad or side dish (rather than just steamed with butter, s&p).

    Have fresh corn, cucumbers, tomatoes from the farmer's market this morning but drawing a blank on the limas.

    thanks to all for suggestions

  19. I found this demo video on Weber's website, to be extremely helpful. http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/accesso...er/default.aspx

    I have used a Weber kettle grill for nearly 30 years, and consider it a first-rate piece of equipment. It's all in the technique.

    Now, if you want to enter competitions, or if you want to smoke meat for 24 hours at a time, you should consider other types of equipment. But for backyard smoking/grilling, you can't go wrong with the Weber kettle grill.

  20. Thanks for the...er...clarification, Ah Leung. Even when I shop in the Asian market nearby and ask the owner for a particular item (I asked for "ya cai" one time and he insisted they were bean sprouts in the refrigerated produce section, yet my cookbook describes "ya cai" as a pickled mustard?)

    So unless there is a photo attached I'm never quite sure what to use!

    By the way, I am familar with Napa cabbage and have cooked with it many times. Bok Choy is new to me and I'm just learning different ways to use it. Looking at the recipe method above (for pickling), I suppose either could conceivably work, but the Napa cabbage (or white cabbage as in some of the recipes I've found) would be best.

    I appreciate everyone's input.

  21. I've been searching for information on "bai cai" and am confused. Is the "bai cai" dish you are looking for made with what we often call "bok choy" or is it made with cabbage?

    I've found lots of recipes (internet search) for "Hot and Sour Cabbage" and a few for "Hot and Sour Bok Choy". Including one in a cookbook I own, Nina Simonds' "A Spoonful of Ginger."

    Thanks to anyone for clarification.

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