myriadin

>...black sesame paste and an egg white custard/pudding. >For the black sesame paste, I found several recipes, all of which calls for rice. I >was wondering, will the rice cause the black sesame paste to be more bland, or >are there other recipes which only calls for black sesame? For such a possibly pbscure (?) recipe, you may not get a difinitive answer in these forums. Maybe try it out and tell us the rusults? If you wrote a polite letter to the restaurant, they might give you the recipe (especially if you explain that you're from out of country). The dessert sounds wonderful. Please post when you have it down!

Did you get yours in the states? Are they still available here?

The link you posted has evidently expired. Can you post another one, or the brand/model of your burner so I can run a search? Thanks.

The Big Kahuna is recommended for up to 22" woks, though if you plan to do any flipping with it (lifting the wok to toss contents), something 18" or under would of course be better. A 22" is for medium to large scale projects. Also consider these models if you'd like table-, stove- or counter-top usability (I have no idea what BTU these produce): "NEW GAS STOVE / PORTABLE WOK" at http://stores.ebay.com/PACIFICWESTCO_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQtZkm or "Cajun Cookware Cajun Cadillac Cooker by Guillory" at http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=379770 Oh, sorry, I just re-read and see that you want one with a stand. Try this, perhaps: King Kooker Heavy Duty Wok Cooker at http://www.cajun-outdoor-cooking.com/kikoheduwokc.html The King Kooker -includes- an 18" wok and other tools for a price less than that of the Big Kahuna. The stand is bolt-together and not collapsable. They claim a "high-pressure regulator" but I can't find specification of 10- or 20-lb. In addition, it does not have a flip-top ring for pots, though I imagine one could use pots on it anyway or modify it somehow. Consider also that most turkey fryers have BTU ratings similar to these models. Many of them could be used for woks, and you'd then have a dual-use burner. Still not sure which one I'll buy.

Gave me shivers and more to remember it. Fortunately I was able to steam some young artichokes and eat them with tarragon vinegar mayo the night of my previous post. They helped me get through reliving the trauma. Gotta love steamer baskets. Asparagus was nearly the only vegetable I "hated" as a child (the other was boiled canned spinach, served at my pre-school). Fortunately, I later felt compelled to re-try asparagus when it was served by a good friend, and it was delicious. To think I might have gone my whole life thinking boiled asparagus was the only way it was made! I still hold a bit of a grudge against potatoes au gratin, but I do eat them. I somehow doubt that I'll ever give salmon pie another chance. (I won't go into detail about the time I got food poisoning from tainted fried clams [not cooked by my mother],...but I couldn't eat clams for two decades.)

I use a small variation which eliminates horizontal cuts altogether. 1. Peel & halve the onion as described in the course. 2. Make the long vertical cuts...but save the middle cut (through the highest point of the onion half) for last. Then make this last cut all the way through the root area, resulting in quarters. 3. Flip the quarters on their new flat sides, the ones just cut. 4. Make long vertical cuts again. 5. Finish with vertical cross-cuts. This method might take a tenth of a secong longer than what's in the course, but there's comparatively little danger to fingers and (more importantly) little danger of irregular onion pieces. edited for clarity

What I've read in this thread so far reminds me of partial lyrics from the song Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang: Have you ever went over a friends house to eat And the food just ain't no good? The macaroni's soggy, the peas are mushed, And the chicken tastes like wood So you try to play it off like you think you can By saying that you're full And then your friend says, "Mama, he's just being polite He ain't finished, uh-uh, that's bull!" So your heart starts pumpin' and you think of a lie And you say that you already ate And your friend says "Man, there's plenty of food" So he piles some more on your plate While the stinky food's steamin', your mind starts to dreamin' Of the moment that it's time to leave And then you look at your plate and your chicken's slowly rottin' Into something that looks like cheese Oh so you say "That's it, I gotta leave this place I don't care what these people think, I'm just sittin' here makin' myself nauseous With this ugly food that stinks" So you bust out the door while it's still closed Still sick from the food you ate And then you run to the store for quick relief From a bottle of Kaopectate I don't know if Kaopectate is still marketed, but it was a green chalky version of Pepto Bismol. My own worst meal cooked at someone's home was also from childhood, as was posted by some other members: My mother produced "Salmon Pie", tins of salmon blended (yes, in a blender) with eggs, flour and gods know what else. It was baked in a pie crust (the edges of her amazing pie crust were the only edible part of the meal) with a resulting consistency equivalent to that of undercooked pumpkin pie. The soggy uncooked egg/flour/fish in the center was spooned onto our plates after each slice came apart in pieces. This was served with asparagus cooked until the stringy bits of the overmature stalks were the only solid portions remaining (this was before she learned the value of using a steamer basket). The asparagus was served with margarine. Next was "potatoes au gratin" consisting of crunchy undercooked potato slices covered with burnt cheddar cheese, all swimming in a tasteless skim milk soup...with no spices at all. The spam color of the pie filling didn't help. My mother's policy with her children was to insist that we eat a whole portion of any dish the first time it was served, to prevent us from deciding we didn't like something before giving it a fair try. I thought one sample of the unfresh salmon odor was a fair enough try for me to turn around and visit a friend's house for dinner that night. My mother disagreed. My older sister was a straight-A student all through high school. I realize now that her evening study sessions at friend's houses often coincided with my mother's plans to serve certain dishes, such as Salmon Pie and notable others. Thank the gods my mother was so good with Mexican food, pot roast and other items, or I might have become a straight-A student also. Edited for clarity, grammar, spelling and a touch of humor..