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Kerry, I just made a batch of the butter crunch and as I chew into it there's a tendency for it to stick to my teeth. I think I may have let the temperature get too high. Would that have something to do with it? I really appreciate your taking the time to answer our questions.

Kerry, I have a question about sugar. Do you have a preference between cane sugar and beet sugar?

Honestly, even in (authentic) Cantonese restaurants there really aren't that many purely deep fried items. However, there are often foods that are either deep fried or blanched in hot oil as one step in the cooking process.

OK, thanks!

Kerry, thanks for the course! I have a question about the almond butter crunch. Do you wait till it is completely cooled before dusting it with cocoa powder?

Soy sauce is not a traditional dipping sauce for spring rolls as far as I know--the soy sauce would make the crispy skin soggy. I personally go for hot sauce or mustard, or nothing at all.

No kidding about opening up the windows!! I would never make that quantity of chili oil inside. It'll have to be outside or else I'd have to be wearing a gas mask. Looks tasty though.

I think for a first timer it may be a good idea to go for a more "foolproof" method. Brining is a good one, but probably the easiest and most foolproof method is the Reynolds Oven Roasting Bag method. If you're in Asia I don't know if they sell them where you are, but there's still probably time to have them shipped to you. Or maybe you have something similar available to you over there. Typical side dishes include mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, winter squash, corn, cranberry sauce, Campbells green bean casserole with fried onions and pie for dessert.

New Concept in Monterey Park is a Nouveau-Cantonese style restaurant that has a lot of unique items on the menu. Here's a recent review. I'll refer you to a recent Chowhound discussion. In particular pay close attention to a post near the bottom by "Jerome," one of the resident experts on Chinese restaurants.

Those still look quite pretty, Peony! I agree with Tepee that the dough should not be too wet. Most of the lotus paste buns I've seen are hemispherical with no pleats, but I understand that they use a different formula for that type of dough to keep the tops from splitting open. I don't like those because they are usually not as soft and fluffy as the dough used for the steamed char siu bao.

Yeah, ham ha is fermented so it's nothing like dried shrimp. It's like comparing fu yue with regular tofu--just no comparison at all. Ham ha is an acquired taste and has a very pungent odor. I personally never did acquire a taste for it growing up.

Yes, I'm trying it again this year, too.

Lee Kum Kee makes both Sa Cha and Satay sauces. Descriptions from the website: Sa Cha: Lee Kum Kee Sa Cha Sauce is a regional Chinese Sauce made from selected shrimp, brill fish and a mixture of spices. Its aromatic seafood flavor makes it best as a hot pot soup base or as a dipping sauce. Satay: Lee Kum Kee Satay Sauce is a Southeast Asian inspired sauce with a spicy peanut flavor accented by sweet coconut. Satay Sauce is great for marinating, dipping or as barbecue sauce.

I have always heard the "salad roll" type things called Vietnamese spring rolls. Never heard them called "salad rolls" before, although that's a good way to describe them. The fried type of spring rolls are Chinese. Lumpia is the Philipino version of the Chinese spring roll.

This looks like the same as the one available on HSN for $50. http://www.hsn.com/cnt/prod/default.aspx?w...945868&ocm=sekw

Cheese is the most obvious choice, although it's become a lot more popular with the younger generations. I also know a lot of Chinese who don't care for marinara sauce. If you order spaghetti w/ tomato sauce at a Hong Kong cafe that serves western-style foods, the sauce it comes with will be almost ketchup-like in taste. Finally, I know many Chinese who can't stomach cumin, despite its common use in certain Chinese regional dishes.

There's plenty of stuff that many Chinese people don't care for, but I think the difference between Chinese and a lot of people from Western cultures is that we are a lot less squeamish about the foods we eat. With a good number of Americans, for example, they have to overcome both psychological barriers as well as taste barriers in order to appreciate something like sea cucumbers. Whereas for Chinese the only problem is with taste. We have no problems with the idea of eating strange animals, organ meats, etc.

How about deboning a whole chicken? http://www.annamariavolpi.com/page44.html DOH! forgot about thte vegetarian requirement! Some dim sum items can be tricky and be made to conform to the vegetarian requirement. I've always found taro puffs (woo gok) to be quite challenging; here's a recipe for a dessert version: http://www.globalchefs.com/recipe/dessert/web/des015woow.htm

I've never been a big fan of kitchen gadgets, but I've recently enjoyed using my cheapo immersion blender, mainly for smoothies. The problem is that I like to use frozen berries in my smoothies, which unfortunately killed my cheapo blender in under a month. So right now I'm looking for a new one and from what I've read it sounds like the Bamix is the best, but it's also by far the most expensive. Do I really need to go for something like that or will a less expensive brand/model suffice? I don't really make blended soups, sauces, or anything else like that, so I'm primarily getting it for the smoothies. Although if I did buy the Bamix deluxe model I could possibly use the small grinder attachment. Recomnendations appreciated.

I had dim sum at Phoenix some years back and I thought it was ok. Not mind blowing or anything--the quality seemed ok, but prices were relatively high and selection limited-- but it was probably as good as you could get in the Midwest at that time. I don't know how they are nowadays or if any better places have opened in Chicago recently.

For anyone who still has problems with the rice noodles sticking just do what I do: spray the noodles with Pam and rub them with your hands to coat evenly. Once I started doing this I've never had aproblem with sticking. My local chinese grocer hasn't been stocking the fresh noodles recently so if I want chow fun I'd have to use the dried. I don't like them as much, but as Dejah said, you do what you got to do.

Exactly the same. Chow Fun means "stir fried rice noodles."

I've used this recipe with success in the past. The key to making it less dense and chalky is to partially cook the rice flour before steaming. See my comments at the end. LOR BAK GO - TURNIP SQUARE "Have Some Dim Sum" by Evelyn Chau 4 oz white rice flour 2 oz wheat flour 2 C daikon raddish, shredded 3 oz cured meat, finely diced 2 tbsp coriander 1 oz dried srimp, soaked, drained and coarsely chopped 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder 1/2 tsp sugar 1 1/2 C water 1. Cook the daikon in on cup of the water for 5 minutes. 2. Dissolve both flours in the remaining water. 3. Combine the daikon and its cooking water with the flour mixture. 4. Stir-fry the diced meat and the shrimp with salt, chicken boullion and sugar for a few minutes, then add it to the flour mixture. 5. Pour it into a deep glass dish or oiled cake pan about 2 inches high. 6. Steam on medium heat for 45 minutes. 7. Cool and cut into squares. Pan fry in a small amount of oil unti golden brown. Serve. Comments: - I prefer using 100% rice flour. -Boil the daikon until it is tender, at least 10-15 min. I also prefer adding the seasoning to the daikon and not to the meat/shrimp. -To me it is better to add the flour/water to the daikon while the daikon is still very hot. I bring the daikon to a rolling boil, remove it from the heat, then immediately stir in the flour/water. Doing it this way allows the flour to partially cook, and the process of stirring incorporates air into the rice pudding-like batter, resulting in a spongier, less dense end product.

Old days? Boy, do you make me feel ancient becauase I remember this very well.

The cornstarch may be to slightly thicken the coating, or else it may help to crispen the skin a bit more. I think it was in a recent issue of Cook's Illustrated that they used brushed a cornstarch solution over a roast chicken to help make it crispier.