XiaoLing

My family loves hotpot. We usually do a ying yang hotpot which means half of it is really spicy numbing sichuan style ma-la and the other side is a very gentle plain. broth. Here's a pic: For the broth, you want to use a very light chicken or pork or beef or seafood broth. Or sometimes my family will just use a very well seasoned (salt, pepper, sesame oil, msg(optional)) plain hot water. As for the ma-la broth, you can buy packages of ma-la seasoning in chinese markets and just use hot water. Generally speaking you can use anything you like in the hotpot. You don't want to marinate the meats though because the meat is suppose to 1) flavor the broth for drinking and 2) the flavorful broth is suppose to flavor the meats for eating. Plus you will/could have a dipping sauce for the meats as well. For the meats, you really want really thinly sliced meats that will cook very quickly. And the meats generally used in Chinese hotpot is pork, beef, lamb, and sometimes chicken. I love seafood in my hotpot! For seafood you must have: fishballs, cuttlefish balls, shrimp balls, beefballs (yeah I know it's not seafood but I'm on a roll over here), lobsterballs, etc. Plus, shrimp, squid, salmon, etc. And finally the vegetables, you can choose: tofu (various styles), napa cabbage, pea tentrils, spinach, fresh shitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, etc. When you are half way and you have flavored the broth, you would want to start cooking the noodles. By noodles you don't want just any plain noodles. You should use noodles made by mung beans or usually clear noodles. Basically any noodles that have a lower starch so you won't cloud up the broth. Either way, just put in anything you realy enjoy eating. It's delicious, it's healthy and it's a lot of fun with friends and family! We eat it year round!

I have been really lazy lately. More so than usual so my camera has been sitting in the corner collecting dust and looking very cross at me. So, the other day I was craving Korean food and I figured I would make a Chinese/Korean mock bibimbap with whatever ingredients I had in my fridge. I made a quick shredded beef with diakon radish stir fry and then fried an egg. Simple, not really Korean since the beef was a Chinese but non the less it had some Korean flavors. It was very, very good and satisfied my craving. Before Koren hot pepper paste: After mixing (Can you tell I love spicy food?):

This thread makes me very sad. You will be missed as the specialist but I hope you will still hang around when we really need help! Pretty please...with oyster sauce on top??

Thanks Fat Guy, I guess I was just concerned with whether or not the fish would be safe to eat raw tomorrow since I read some where that it should be eaten that day. I just don't want to make anyone sick.

Thank you Hiroyuki for your fast response! However, sadly, I don't have any mirin or sake in my pantry right now. Can I wrap it in plastic wrap and save it for tomorrow's dinner? or can I pan sear it on the outside (inside still raw) and store it in the fridge that way for the next day?

Good Evening! I was in the middle of making dinner tonight and then something came up which meant I had to abort dinner. However, I have a problem. Dinner tonight was suppose to include Tuna and Salmon. I had thawed out both fish about two hours ago. Can I leave the fish in the fridge and eat it tomorrow raw? Or is it probably not safe to do so? Thanks for your advice in advance!

hmm...sandwich....that does sound GOOD! With some roast pork hoisin sauce on the bread and some scallions. Yummmm......kinda like roast duck!

I just got back from Chinatown in Boston and there were shelves of canned fried dace!!! Screw it, I'm going to eat my 2-3 cans a year. Something's bound to kill me anyway, might as well be something good.

This is a sad sad day.... Here's what I found about the canned fried dace situation. "The popular canned fried dace in black beans, as I understand, has been withdrawn in Hong Kong and the US and other parts of the world. The dace, a kind of fish, is raised in rivers to which malachite green has been added to prevent parasite growth. Unfortunately the malachite green becomes absorbed into the fish which are then caught and fried as the cheap and popular fried dace in black beans. In the long term, consumption of the fried dace can cause cancer due to the malachite green." Now where am I going to get my delicious greasiness??

WHAAAAAAAAAAA??? I love that stuff, I still have it in my pantry!!! I bought them months ago, should I throw it out?

So, I finally took some roast duck from my freezer and made some delicious noodle soup from it! I used only what was left in my fridge, which included only enoki mushrooms. I didn't even have scallions. But the noodle soup was so good and hit the spot right on! And it only took like 5 minutes to make! Who needs instant noodles when you have frozen roast duck in your freezer??? The dish could have used more color to make a better presentation but I was hungry. And there was nothing else in my fridge. Here's my new favorite noodle soup: Here's a close up of the yumminess! LOL.

Oh my! Well, she's gotta be a little homesick. Many, but not all, recipes of spaGEEti (TM Giada) served at parties here (especially fiestas and children's birthday parties) have ketchup in them. So much so that some canned spaGEEti sauces are labeled "Sweet Style," thus making it more economical, not that people still don't add ketchup to them. ← Interesting...when we were kids, my mother decided to make spaghetti with meat sauce. Well, since we didn't know any better being first generation Chinese immigrants and all, my mom decided that ketchup was tomato sauce. (which I guess it kinda is) So growing up I ate and loved my mom's speghetti and meat sauce made with ketchup, pork, onions and rigatonni. It might sound weird but it's actually very good.

I really like Kokuho Rose Japanese rice. I like the stickiness and its so good with saucy dishes (as everyone already mentioned.) I find that Jasmine or Basmati rice doesn't really absorb soups or sauces as well as Japanese or Korean rice. My family buys 50 pound bags of Korean rice in NYC. We have a lot of mouths to feed.

I've only had pigeon soup in a Chinese Restaurtant in NYC. It was so-so. Although, I have had quail quite a bit. I love it marinated and fried Veitnamese style. Do they taste a like?

Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us!!! However, there is only one thing missing from your trip.....ME! Take me with you next time!! Just kidding. But seriously, thank you for such a great adventure, I felt like part of your family!

Isn't that King Oyster mushroom? Are they the same thing as Bai Ling mushrooms? I'm confused now.

NOW I have to visit Laos!! I had something similar in my travels to Taiwan. I love the soft velvety meat with the melt in your mouth fat. *slurp* You have to eat the meat with a piece of fat otherwise, you don't get the full experience.

I love braised pig hock Shanghai style!!! YUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!

I have been on a fish kick lately. And of course I have to "Chinafy" the dinner to satisfy the Chinese in me. I recently made a stuffed sole with garlic egg fried rice and shitake stir fried with lettuce. And then the other day I made buttered cajun talapia with crab fried rice. Both were very good and felt sort healthy.

WOW that brunch looks great! I'm hungry now.

Reminds me of a food ride in Disney...it was very...umm....interesting... The uvula is creepy but cute. Looks like you guys had a good time though. How long was the wait?

I agree with Michael, those look like Xiao Long Bao with crab roe. My favorite type of xiao long bao!!

I love Shanghai! Although about 15 years ago, I wouldn't have said so. They have really cleaned up the place. I remember going to Shanghai as a child by boat and the smell coming from the water in the Shanghai port was more than enough to burn the hairs in my nostrils. Okay, maybe that wasn't the most elegant description but it makes its point. Now a days, the water is much cleaner and Shanghai is the gorgeous! Bright lights, big city and plenty of things for you to do if you love to shop and clubs/bars. It's definitely a must-do city in China. Thanks for the photos Peter!

The egg in the beer ended up looking like egg swirls in egg drop soup, so I assumed something happened to change the state of the egg.

I will try to be as detailed as possible for my fellow inquiring minds. I can imagine it will be an nightmare with eGImage when I get back...but no pain no gain! Peter, I'm taking a wild shot in the dark over here to assume that you love beer. But did you have a...ummm..."special" beer when you were in China? By special I mean, having a cracked raw egg in a glass first and then scrambling it and slowly poor the beer into the glass while stiring? The alcohol "cooks" the egg and you end up with a egg-drop beer? I had that the last time I was in China. It was definitely an experience. Not sure if I really liked it or not. I guess I will just have to go back this fall and try it again!