Ce'nedra

Ramen and butter just didn't go for me...I hated it; had a really hard time finishing my bowl (and this is coming from a die-hard ramen fan!). The Chinese have also been using mayonnaise alot so I suppose adoption of all these 'new' products is pretty common these days that noone really bats an eye (well depends on which ingredient). Actually, I remember being really surprised the first time I knew ramen and butter even existed (I believe I posted a thread about it somewhere discussing 'fusion' cuisine). Which brings me to another point; what is fusion and what isn't? Butter and soy sauce, mayo and blah blah seems so natural that I don't really consider it 'fusion' (more like 'make do' or 'substitutes' that just happen to live on...or even Asian Australian/American/etc since many Asian families pick these ingredients up when moving to their 'new' country -for eg oil = butter) but when I come across certain other meals (like asparagus and mushrooms in rice paper dipped with mango sauce), I label them 'fusion'...maybe it's just me. Someone help me clear up my mind! Anyone ever tried cheese kimbap? Or cheese ramen?

rarerollingobject: Ooo nice. Campsie. I know the place (great mini KoreaTown!); I have a good friend whose parents own a fish shop in the area so I could ask her for further details if I get lost hehe. Anyway, thank you! Those marinated crabs sound delicious -and cheap! So they have a wide array of Korean meats ready for bbq? Yum yum yum!

Ahh thanks for the details DylanK. Sounds very refreshing indeed! I posted this in the 'dinner' thread before (ages ago I think) but forgot to post it here. Sweet Mayonnaise Prawns (with Asian salad, which is more Vietnamese than Chinese) -you get these at Chinese restaurants and we tried replicating it at home (I believe they used honey -I'll need to try this again). Obviously, it's a new-age Chinese recipe (just like soy sauce and butter, as discussed in the Japanese forum!)

DylanK: How do you make fried radish leaf cake? That looks really unusual yet so delicious! I've eaten fried radish cake but I've never seen this GREEN variety. Also, what exactly is Liang ban doufu (other than being tofu) and how does it taste?

rarerollingobject: Which Korean butcher do you go to? I ask seeing as you live in Sydney

Aww thank you! It's good ol' simple rustic food which I think many people can appreciate hehe. And did I hear NO bubble tea (I call it 'pearl tea') in Rochester?! That's nutters! Don't worry, I'm sure there's some foodie places around there that other places miss out on lol. Which reminds me, I could go fetch soem pearl tea after prac work tomorrow -it's right next door (aren't I evil) P.S. What was different about your mapo tofu? Looks yummy in tummy!

Noodle soup with char siu, pork on the bone and prawns (as you can see, noodle soup is a strong standby in our family)

Noodle soup with char siu, pork on the bone and prawns

WOW this page is full of colours! I see alot of delicious greens and charred reds mmm. No green from me. Went over to aunt's place for bbq lunch yesterday, everyone brought over so much food that we were forced to stay back for dinner and had some of the bbq meats with vermicelli noodles. Let's see what we ate: Chinese five spice chicken, Thai noodle salad, Vietnamese meatballs (nem nuong), good ol' Aussie sausages, and alot of other bits of meats. Good day!

To see what I'm talking about, watch this (towards the end): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9t-5E3OpQ&feature=related Anyone ever tried it? Details please?

FISH SAUCE and BUTTER???!!!?? ← Why YES indeed Maybe you should give it a try and get back to me (I don't want to be the first)?

Hmm can't think of a Thai dish with butter either...but that's because don't have an in-depth knowledge of Thai cuisine. I forgot to mention that there's yet another Vietnamese dish that uses butter -it's shrimp/prawn sauteed with fish sauce, pepper and butter (it might be similar to the beef dish I described above). But I wouldn't have a clue what it tastes like since I've never had it before.

In Vietnamese cuisine, there's a popular beef dish that uses butter, salt and pepper. Quite a number of Asian cuisines have incorporated butter into their diet for awhile now -and yes, like you said, not just for Western style cooking either. That's not to say that it's common practice though...

I think that's at Teppanyaki, so it's Japanese hehe. I've certainly had Chinese fried rice with soy-butter though, as I said before, and I will most probably be giving it a trial at home to see how it turns out...will post back Edit: I think that's in China oops it probably would be in Chinese.

Speaking of which (the above), if you watch this video is that butter and soy sauce the chef was mixing in the beginning? I'm not quite sure...correct me if I'm wrong...

I don't think it's new. I remember eating Chinese style fried rice and the flavouring agent was soy sauce + butter (probably not very authentic but ehh) -boy, did it taste good!

Hmm sorry can't help you there...probably should get someone who can read Vietnamese/has more depth in Vietnamese cuisine...

Hahaha I was very confused the first time I went to the US and heard people calling it 'dim sum' -only realised us Aussies were the 'odd' ones recently hehe. I prefer the Yum Cha at Bondi Junction. The Marigold one is pretty good too (although Bondi Yum Cha is preferable for the service and possibly quality).

Hmm it still retained a certain texture to it but it certainly wasn't crunchy...although I don't think they're supposed to be crunchy in siu mai...I think... Dejah, these siu mai are not the Cantonese sort. They're the Vietnamese version, but the Chinese and French influence is heavy (roots are Chinese, the sauce and habbit of eating bread with it is French-based). The addition of jicama, I feel at least, didn't add a sweet taste...next time I think I'll add some more -it was a bit too meaty (delicious nonetheless). The sauce was tomato, juice from the pork (mmm!), soy sauce and fish sauce. And nope, I haven't tried making beef meatballs although I would love to so if you have a reliable recipe, you know who to go to That looks really good HabbyLab! How does Lao curry taste like? Is it similar to Thai green or red curry? And please don't tell me you "cooked [your] wonderful girlfriend"

I love love love jicama and I too have recently made meatballs with -yep- jicama! Your version looks so darn good -I can just imagine the explosion of flavour with all those lashings of delicious (was it spicy?) sauce! We were really hungry one night and wanted a fairly quick and simple dinner and meatballs are just one of those foods that's easy on the stomach for everyone. This version would be called 'siu mai'. Steaming... Sauce please! With crusty bread

HAHA watched that recently too (although I remember it was Miriam Yeung not Maggie Leung...). I wouldn't recommend it to dumplings/bun lovers as it'll put you off for awhile...as it did for me...although I have come across a few quirky people who mentioned to me they began craving for it...

Hey guys, my mum just discovered a cheat's way of producing the exact (close enough) taste of Vietnamese yogurt -mix plain Greek yogurt with sugar, leave in freezer -voila! Edit: the exact measurements I forgot to ask my mum...shall get to that..

Wow love the fusion going on That looks so good and also reminds me much of Southern cooking for some unknown reason. I could do with some good ol' crumbed fish or chicken at the moment -haven't had the sort in ages...sigh...and yours looks just mouth-watering.. My my...look at those glistening eggs. Could I have the recipe please? It looks SO lovely. The purity of the white coconut milk just does it for me! Ok recipe please? I love ragu of all kinds -ever tried the Vietnamese version? It's awesome-o! A humble meal: wonton soup

Tofu: Gosh your meals are so inventive! What was inside those delectable looking seaweed egg rolls? It looks so perfect as an entree for a dinner party! And the tofu skin rolls -they remind me so much of this particular Teo Chiu dish I love (also involves tofu skin...and in rolls..). Recipe...pleeasssee? NancyH: We just had wonton at home too! Although our soups are different -your version looks so vibrant with all those cute grape tomatoes and greens poking out here and there -and I really like how the red apples on your table mat seem to compliment the tomatoes Wonton soup

I'm wondering who else (as in which other cultures) eat chicken feet -I'm pretty confident there has to be others. I can't get enough of it! The black bean sauce that goes with it just tooo good for words...