Kent Wang

The slogan is actually very effective as you can't stop thinking about it.

American egg rolls also seem to exclusively use ground pork. The use of strips seems more traditional -- and also more expensive and time-consuming. I've never tried, but you can probably make a big batch of the filling ahead of time and then wrap and serve whenever you want. I wouldn't wrap and then refrigerate as the skin will quickly become soggy. If you're real lazy, you can also just eat the filling straight. Ha, I do that with chicken pot pie and a bunch of other dishes. I am ashamed to admit that.

See: Anti-Brining, Not crazy about "hammy," watery meat. Or jump to experiment results with pictures.

I like a lot of browning and crispy skin. I don't add any water, just pan-fry only.

Filling definitely varies a great deal, it is a matter of both regional and personal preference. Each family from a single area might easily have vastly different preferences for filling. When my mother taught me this recipe I was surprised at the use of black pepper. This is actually the only recipe of hers that uses black pepper. It doesn't seem very Chinese but I can't argue with how well it complements the flavor. I prefer to have all the items be in the shape of strips. Ground pork would not fit that restriction though cellophane noodles, bamboo strips and bean sprouts would. I, in fact, did consider adding them but decided against it as it would decrease the ratio of meat in the filling. My family never used dipping sauces; the filling is seasoned enough that that should not be necessary.

How big do you usually make each meat ball? Golf ball size? I recently went to a restaurant that served tennis ball sized ones that were incredibly puffy and perfect in texture.

Pictorial Recipe Spring rolls There is some confusion with the name of this item. In Chinese they are called cun juan, literally spring roll; we don't call it an egg roll. In the West, both the terms egg roll and spring roll are used, sometimes interchangeably sometimes meaning different things. I have heard some define spring rolls as unfried and egg rolls as fried, or that spring rolls are the Southeast Asian rolls and egg rolls just the Chinese type. There is no such dichotomy in Chinese and so I will use the name spring roll as it is a direct translation of the Chinese term. Chinese spring rolls also differ from American restaurant egg rolls as the skin is not as thick. They are thin, crispy, much less substantial. I believe American egg rolls might also be battered before frying. Serving Suggestion: 3 - 4 Ingredients: - 1 lb pork loin - Napa cabbage - shitake mushrooms - spring roll skins (see below) - soy sauce - Chinese cooking wine - starch - baking soda - salt - black pepper 1 lb pork loin. Slice into strips. When the fat cap is not too thick as is the case with this cut, I just leave it on. You may want to trim it, but I like having a bit of fat to add textural interest and flavor. Each strip should be about the same width as a chopstick. Make sure to slice against the grain (zoom in to see the grain). Add soy sauce, cooking wine, starch, baking soda. Mix well and marinate overnight. Remove stems from shitake, slice into strips, approximately the same shape and size as the pork strips. Slice Napa cabbage into strips. You may want to discard the leafy parts completely as all they do is just release a bunch of water. It's the stem part that you want. Prepare starch slurry. This is just starch added to water and mixed well. I'm using tapioca starch and duck stock here. Heat oil in wok. Add pork. Cook until half done. Add Napa cabbage, shitake and some black pepper. Reduce heat, cook for 5 minutes, or when shitakes and pork are both done. This is the spring roll skin that I like to use; Wei-Chuan is another brand. There are lots of skins on the market but you want the kind that are quite stretchy and elastic, unsalted, and not the translucent, rice-based ones. Place filling in skin. Flip up the bottom corner. Fold in the sides. Roll it up. I've been told that this rolling method is the same as rolling up a burrito but as I know very little about Mexican food I can't vouch for that. At this point, you can eat the spring rolls without frying. See Unfried spring rolls. You can deep-fry or just pan-fry. I pan-fried these for about 1 minute on each side. Done!

Honestly, I don't think Asti is very good. See: [Austin] Italian restaurant round-up. It doesn't belong in the same tier as Vespaio, Siena and La Traviata. Their only redeeming feature for me is the dessert menu. No chance. The very concept of a pan-Mediterranean restaurant is deeply flawed. And as much as I think Asti is second-rate, I find Fino even worse. One nice thing I'll say about the Foxes' restaurants is that the graphic design used for Asti and Fino are terrific. Really hip, colorful, clean. I say go just to check out their menu covers -- if that sort of thing excites you.

Austin Chronicle is your friend: http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Gu...ation?oid=47264 Remember that if you don't look Chinese you'll have to ask for the secret traditional menu. Yimay, it's interesting that you had to ask. I've gone with white friends and the hostess immediately starts speaking to me in Chinese and gives us the traditional menu. I love these opportunities to measure how Chinese you are.

Its structure is quite different from mammalian stomachs. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gizzard

One great thing about Central Market is that they always have a dozen or so Foodies on duty, staffers that are chosen for their knowledge of food, how to use which product, etc. Small store attention and knowledge in a supermarket. Whole Foods has no such equivalent.

The Library of Congress has a page on "Food Worker's language ... used only along waterfront and its diners." I can't claim credit for finding this little gem; it was unearthed by the Austin Soup Peddler, whose weekly newsletter I subscribe to.

No, you're right. I'd rather go to Malaga's happy hour than Fino's. On another note, has anyone tried the desserts at Fino? The menu online doesn't look very interesting. I love the desserts at Asti.

I went to TC Noodle House for lunch on Thursday. The decor is very Western, open, even with upscale touches like (faux?) granite table tops. Like I said about First Chinese BBQ next door, it's like an upscale Starbucks. I ordered the shiu mai, which arrived as a quarter-pound piece of shiu mai filling placed in a cup of soup, served with a gigantic you tiao. Extremely bizarre. I don't know where in China this is called a shiu mai. The you tiao was strange as well as it was so thick that the inside dough was still soft and chewy, instead of crisp and airy like a proper you tiao. Nevertheless, both the "shiu mai" and "you tiao" were pretty tasty -- just not what you would expect. Also had the "teo chow" marinated meat. You choose three meats, so I selected the pork intestines, pig ear and beef tendon. Terrible. First Chinese does the exact same dish but much more competently. The marinade is a basic Sichuan pepper, star anise, soy sauce blend. The beef tendon was really just a large slice of beef that happened to have a few strips of tendon in it. The pork dumplings were OK. Each item was $4 or less, which is a pretty good deal. Overall, you get what you pay for but I think First Chinese BBQ is not much more expensive and is much higher quality.

I went to Fino last night with three dining companions. House Made Chorizo & Fabada Stew, Littleneck Clams, Smoked Bacon & White Beans ($8). There was hardly any chorizo in this. If you're going to make your own chorizo, shouldn't it be featured more prominently in this dish? This was just a boring thin stew. FINO Cured Salmon with Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Yukon Golds & Chives ($8.50). Is this dish Mediterranean in any way? Salmon was lackluster. They shouldn't bother to cure their own salmon if it tastes the same as commercial products. The cured salmon at Hudson's on the Bend -- now that's good house-cured salmon. Lamb-Beef Keftas, Mint-Yogurt Sauce ($8). This was pretty good. Sometimes all-lamb can be too gamey -- cutting it with ground beef was a good idea. Flatbread of Serrano Ham & Manchego Cheese, White Truffle Oil ($9). Not your typical tapas dish as you would expect as the ham and cheese are placed on top of the flatbreads and baked. Interesting variation on a staple. Grilled Calamari & Piquillo Pepper Salad, Potato & Celery, Red Wine Vinaigrette ($7). So-so. Calamari was pretty tough. Paella with Spanish Rice with Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Calamari, Tomato & Saffron for 2 ($32). "For 2" is a low estimate. Two people would be very full ordering just this. Food was sub-par, especially considering the price. I don't buy this pan-Mediterranean theme. It doesn't make sense to lump Spanish food together with Middle Eastern cuisine. The small plates were entirely uninteresting. If you want real tapas, or real Spanish cuisine go to Malaga instead. Fino becomes a much better deal during happy hour when small plates are half price. The bar has Sazerac on the menu ($8)! Decor is nice, similar to Asti but much warmer with lots of candles and soft lighting, more wood than steel. There's even a large, heated outdoor area. Not very scenic as it overlooks the parking lot but it's probably the only outdoor seating area that is suitable in cold weather. Edit: Fixed sentence about keftas.

Yes, there was a thread on the Japanese customs a few months back.

I don't think I've ever seen lotus paste used in bao. Red bean, yes.

Indeed, this is a more Cantonese treatment. My favorite preparation though is stir-fried eel strips, san shi I believe it is in Mandarin. This requires a different cut of eel, deboned and sliced into small chopstick-thick strips, stir-fried with soy sauce, scallions and drizzled with sesame oil. Is this what you're referring to, hzrt8w? Trouble is that I can't find eel sold in this cut here in Austin. I'll have to get some when I am in Houston next.

I'm very particular about chopsticks. Black, no lacquer, heavy wood (denser than water), Chinese style shape (square upper half, cylindrical lower half, no tapering). Does anyone know where to purchase a good set? I bought some in Shanghai but they turned to be really even inferior wood. They're lacquered but the lacquer has already started to come off after only six months of use. My parents have a set that they received as a wedding present and are over 20 years old. They use them every single day and they are still wonderful, no warping or fading. Only sign of wear is that the edges have rounded out a bit. I really treasure that set and hope to inherit it.

Why must God tempt us with such delicious creatures!

Strange, I can't believe that it's the same brand as the skin is definitely edible and tasty. In fact, I don't think I've ever had eel with tough skin. This brand was a little strange though as it released a bunch of sticky fluid after removing it from the package. I don't know if those are preservatives or the eel's natural juices. All other eel I've had has had only thin, fish-like blood. After cooking though, it tasted the same as the other eel that I've had.

The most dainty way to eat it would be to pick it up with chopsticks and nibble the meat off the bones while holding the piece with your chopsticks, as opposed to sticking the whole thing in your mouth.

Pictorial Recipe Eel steamed with ginger and scallions This is a very simple, pure preparation for eel. If you have not had eel before, the taste and texture is very similar to freshwater fish -- a bit like snake, too, but I doubt you've had snake if you've never had eel. Further warning for Westerners: each piece of eel has some bone that you'll have to work around; shouldn't be too much trouble for the dexterous. Serving Suggestion: 3 - 4 Ingredients: - 1 lb eel - Chinese cooking wine - salt - ginger - scallions Start with 1 lb of eel. Slice into inch-long pieces. You'll be cutting through bone so use a proper knife. Add 1 cup cooking wine, 1 tbsp salt, a bunch of ginger. Mix well and marinate for 1 hour or overnight. Add scallions, add water to submerge. Place bowl in steamer (this was a tight fit and not the best setup) and steam for 30 minutes. Done!

Yeah, Central Market is amazing but I wonder how it compares to other shops in other parts of the country? This is one of the questions that only well-traveled people will be able to answer. Oh, if any one was thinking that the Whole Foods flagship store in Austin might be awesome, it is not. Central Market is much better.

I'm writing these notes nearly a month after I tasted them. Both are pretty good, Zerto makes solid charcuterie. The calabrese (left) has a bit of spice. The cappicola (right) reminds me a lot of cooked ham in both texture and taste and is mild in taste much like ham.