annachan

My friend's dad used to make this chunky chili sauce that I just love. In terms of texture, it's really chunky, even more so than XO sauce. He is Chinese but have connection with Southeast Asia, so I'm not really sure where this may originate from. Things I know is in there: -fresh chili -garlic -dried shrimp -Chinese sausage -oil Things that may be in there: -dried mushroom -salted radish -shallot -sugar -salt -fish sauce Does anyone have any idea what kind of chili sauce this is? Recipe?

Thanks for the links. I think all those recipes will work fine for a whole duck. The problem is that I don't have a whole duck. Other than the legs being smaller, it's also not completely covered by skin. Would the flesh dry up by being exposed to the air when drying as well as when it's cooked in the oven. Also, I wonder if the seasonings would be too strong if it's directly on the flesh instead of being inside the duck. I guess this isn't something people have tried. I'll do a little more research and see if I can figure out a way to deal with those issues.

Got some duck legs in the freezer along with some homemade buns (Momofuku recipe). I'm wondering if I turn the legs into something similar to Cantonese roast duck or even Peking duck. Anyone tried it before? Would I need to brine them? What kind of marinade? What temp and how long to roast for in the oven? Suggestions/guidance much appreciated.

Friend taught me to use WD40. Works very well. If none on hand, some oil (vegetable, butter, etc) will work.

Used to make lamb meatballs in korma sauce. Made lamb pie (ground lamb w/ onion and peas, seasoned with cumin and garam marsala - baked in puff pastries) for a pot luck last week. Kefta kabob is another lamb favorite.

I don't eat it but, durian!

Well, I finally got my books yesterday. Actually, I got 2 sets for the price of 1 because Amazon screwed up. Could have benefited a fellow egulleter but husband has a conscience and called Amazon. Anyway, it may be a while before we cook from it since there is a lot to read. Also, I thought I have a good collection of gadgets but when I looked at the equipment list, I now know that I have very few. So, I may try some of the recipes with what I have on hand.

I think that, unfortunately, it well may be just you. I attribute that to the power of food! If he doesn't do the housework, then I won't cook, then he won't have anything good to eat. I see it as a fair trade.

No issue with my husband since he bought them for me!

My books are here! My books are HERE! I'm in Canberra, Australia Just someone who loves to cook!

You can also give it a try. The pickled mustard is to give it a nice sourness. Oh, if you like spicy food, you can also add some chili (fresh ones) in the stew. I think the spiciness also takes the edge off the bitter.

Hmmm, I just looked back to her post. What exactly inspired you to use the word "nerdy" from her post? Is it that she's an engineer? Likes video games? Or enjoys science fiction?

I've also found that it's less bitter in soup/stew than stir-fry. My favorite is to cook it with pork bones and pickled Chinese mustard greens in a stew. I add a knob of ginger in it as well. I cook that for hours. To eat, I just spoon the stew over rice and have some soy sauce for dipping the meat in. The bitter melon still retains some bitterness, but it's usually quite mellow.

That sounds really good. I happen to have a head of cauliflower in my fridge so I'll give it a try. Will have to modify the recipe as I don't have all the ingredients mentioned. You think it'll be ok to use some lemon juice instead of sherry vinegar (don't have any). I do have rice, malt, Chinese black, apple cider, white and a lovely blood plum vinegar.

I would definitely go with parchment as well. I tried making some plain steamed buns last week. Used wax paper as per the recipe and the buns stuck to the paper a little. I used a different recipe for the second batch and used parchment and it did not stick at all. For baozi, not sticking is important as I just hate it when the paper sticks and pulls the bottom off. Parchment can go in the freezer without a problem. Will probably get my hands on making some baozi once I finish the plain buns. Those 40 buns are taking up space in my small freezer at the moment.

Tom-boyish nerdy girls? Didn't think I was one of those. Guess I better get rid of all my designer purses and shoes.... Really? Maybe it's just me, but my husband does all the housework. The only thing I do is cook, because it's something I enjoy. Mental rigor? You mean I have to think????

If curry is too hot, cumin or garam marsala (or a combination of) is another standard for me when cooking cauliflower.

Small ones, I tend to peel it kind of like a banana and go for it. The larger ones, I tend to cut the two sides around the pit. I score the fleshy parts then flip it to get easy access. Then peel the skin of the pit part and eat the flesh attached.

The books are no doubt expensive....but, I am not sure it's about socio-economic. Most of my friends won't spend this kind of money on cookbooks. Sure, they may say that they can't afford it. But those same people are spending that kind on money on electronic gadgets or purses or shoes, even if they really can't afford them. The truth is that they don't see the values in the books and therefore it's too expensive to them.

My books haven't arrived yet....

I like mine from the oven. Bacon on a rack, on a lined sheet. Toward last 10 minutes or so, top with some brown sugar or maple syrup, and a pinch of cayenne.

I love them as long as it has gooey melted cheese! At home, I do toasties more often as it's convenient. Since in Oz, I've been spreading a thin layer of vegemite of the bread before topping with cheese and going into the toaster oven. It's good stuff.

Jaymes - glad you like the recipe. The last time I made an apple filling, I used a mixed of Gala and Golden Delicious and that came out nicely. I think you would need to add more sugar if using Granny Smith. I can just eat that crumb topping! I can imagine just baking a batch of that and sprinkle it on ice cream! YUM!

We've published an on demand book before and we used blurb. We like the choice of layouts you get to choose from and it was pretty easy to work with. Had some issues with the printing, probably because we used a black background. The first book we order was fine so we ordered 10 more (you get volume discount). We inspected the books (I really suggest you do that) and found smudges on the background on some of the pages. We contacted the company and they replaced them. In that replacing batch, a few had the same problem. So they replaced those and actually did give us some money back for the hassle. Prices weren't bad and you have have the books there for other people to buy on demand. If we do another book, we may use them again.

Thanks for the tips. I think you are right, Skippy is a meat that will really show the cooks skill or lack thereof. I actually find cooking the steaks to be quite easy. I cook them the same way as I do beef. Salt, pepper, into hot pan, 2-3 minutes on each side and let them rest. If I fancy a little sauce with it, I just drizzle on some blood plum vinegar.