Ce'nedra

I forgot to mention that I prefer banh can to pho because I can actually eat this ALL the time, while pho can get a bit sickening after awhile (maybe it's the fats..).

The caramel pork looks wonderful! And bo kho looks really tender and dreamy...I sometimes turn it into a noodle soup mmm...love Vietnamese food! Banh canh -don't you just love the chewiness of the tapioca noodles?!

Wow haven't been here for awhile (not THAT long) and there's been SO many delectable looking dishes! I shall be going through all the pages I missed and making requests This page looks particularly comforting Banh canh (Tapioca Noodle Soup) -this is from last week. I really love the chewiness of the noodles!

Oh yeah, I forgot to ask what kind of fish cake is used?

This is the best char kway teow I've ever tasted. It wasn't too oily, which made it perfect for me. Probably doesn't use lard too, so if that makes it unauthentic, then unauthentic is how I like it ha! I remember a distinctly chilli-garlic sauce taste to it. I'm sure they used it! I'm dying to replicate it at home so any suggestions of making a good (probably Penang style) char kway teow would be much appreciated. This one did not have any curry taste, and no sambal as well. From taste, the ingredients could well be entirely Chinese. There was fish cakes, chicken pieces, fried tofu, bean sprouts amongst others...I can't really remember unfortunately As you can see, the colour of the char kway teow is pretty light so I'm wondering...if they didn't use alot of sauce, where did they get so much flavour from?! Perhaps a healthy dosage of chicken powder or something? Would this improve the taste of the char kway? I'm currently guessing they used soy sauce, chilli-garlic sauce and chicken powder... Also, how do I get that nice char to it?

Why thank you Or...you could do with a big mug of hot chocolate

Fish congee

Everyone's plating/food looks simply divine! Dr. J: As usual, your meals look excellent. Do/did you work at a restaurant by any chance? C. sapidus: Looking at all your dishes, I think I really am determined to by the Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook now. For sure. Adding to my cookbook list right this minute. Was the author Fuschia Dunlop or someone else? Marlene: I do love alot of sauce so your beef stroganoff certainly struck my attention Looks absolutely delicious! Did I post this before? I don't remember... anyway, Fish congee that I made awhile back...

Here's the link to the cookbook: http://books.boomerangbooks.com/featuredbo...921259760&db=au I spotted Holiday at the bookstore a couple of days ago and while flipping through, thought it looked well presented and filled with recipes that are reasonable enough for me to do. Who here has bought this book and tried any of the recipes? I'd love to hear whether you suggest (or not) buying it

Thanks so much Big Bunny for your follow-up on the book! Please do let me know more when you've tried more recipes! IndolentAgain: Was the duck hard to make? I too have the book and always lovingly turn to the duck page but it looked a bit complicated eek!

That looks delicious torakris! How did you make it?

Anyone tried any of these below? Well the Japanese sure are creative! Ice cream is a frozen dessert made from dairy products, such as cream (or substituted ingredients), combined with flavorings and sweeteners, such as sugar. In the fifth century BC, ancient Greeks sold snow cones mixed with honey and fruit in the markets of Athens. Persians, having mastered the storage of ice, ate ice cream well into summer. Roman emperor Nero had ice brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings. Today’s ice treats likely originated with these early ice delicacies. But at some point, the world of ice cream took a turn for the worse and gave us the following abominations: The Japanese have long taken pride in their ability to adopt, adapt and improve on customs, practices and styles from other countries. Having succeeded globally with cars, electronics and even fashion, it was only natural that the Japanese turned their hand to trying to surpass the West with one of its favorite culinary delights - ice cream. Fish Ice Cream: Indian Curry Ice Cream: Creme Cheese Ice Cream: Genmai Ice Cream (unpolished rice): Cherry Blossom Ice Cream: Chili Pepper Ice Cream: Cheese Risotto Ice Cream: Char Grilled Seaweed Ice Cream: Charcoal Ice Cream: Herbal Remedy Ice Cream: Hot Spring Water Ice Cream: Miso Ramen Ice Cream: Pearl Ice Cream: Persimmon Ice Cream: Pit Viper Ice Cream: Potato Ice Cream: Red Wine Ice Cream: Rice Straw Ice Cream: Salad Ice Cream: Natural Salt Ice Cream: Soy Sauce Ice Cream: Spinach Ice Cream: Squid Ink Ice Cream: Tomato Ice Cream: Tulip Ice Cream: Goat Ice Cream: Garlic Ice Cream: Abalone Ice Cream: Natural Viagra Ice Cream: Squid ink soft-serve ice cream: Sea salt and citrus soft-serve ice cream. Aojiru Ice Cream: Curdled Bean Ice Cream: Deep Sea Water Ice Cream: Dracula Cool Garlic Mint Ice Cream: Hojicha Bitter Green Tea Ice Cream: Lettuce And Potato Ice Cream: Potato Liquor Ice Cream: Chicken Ice Cream: Shark Fin Noodle Ice Cream: Silk Ice Cream: Crab Ice Cream: Raw Horseflesh Ice Cream: Picture credits: here

Thanks! And OMG your duck looks amazing, junehl! Ok let me re-read everything you just wrote...it looks like alot of effort, not sure if I can make it as I am Queen Simple

Thanks so much! You make it sound easy but I highly doubt mine will turn out like your one! What about your porkie? How did you make that? I'm going to save your picture and look at it every once in awhile (I collect delicious looking food) hahaha! Prawncrackers: Your siu yook looks divine! And oh so crunchy! Mmm...how in the world did you get suck cracking skin? HappyLab: That looks lovely Which noodles did you use? Rice? Like the ones for pho? Recipe please! tupac17616: Wow that looks JUST like the cookbook! Gotta love the colours -so vibrant! What did you use to rub the chicken? Here's my very, very simple Corn & Prawn Fritters with tartare sauce, salad and a squirt of lemon

OH MYYYYYYYYYYYY...............that is just like those pro Japanese restaurants! How did you make it?!

Surprise surprise...I've never tried it!

Np! I'd love to see a picture of it next time Domestic Goddess: Your pancit canton looks really delicious. The noodles appear nice, smooth and slippery. And your son is sooo cute! The cake is adorable too Wow that looks goood! I'm very intrigued to try. I've never heard of such a combination! What did it taste like? Sounds delightful. Thanks! Oh that looks sooo good! Too bad we don't have those Hard Times chilli (at least not that I know of) over here I take pride in the fact that we have alot of variety of different foods from all cultures but it seems we're REALLY lacking the Mexican/Southern/Texan/American department *sigh*....... Prawncrackers: Just look at the colours of your Spanish saffron rice! Thank you! And yep, it's stuffed porkie pork Sorry, I don't know the exact names although I could ask my mum because she was the one who actually bought the poor melon lol. What is loofa squash?! I have no idea! lol!

onehsancare: That looks freaky as hell! Which means I have to try it DesertCulinary: Those caremels are perfection! How'd you make it?!

Don't say that! We have participants who enjoy making many things from scratch, from hand-pulled noodles, tofu, brew your own wine to even making salted fish and soy sauce! But I agree that it is very time-consuming if we make everything from scratch ourselves. Those, like me, who are blessed with having these ingredients readily available are relieved and we can spend our energy more on the cooking part. ← Hahaha oops Yes some people enjoy making their own noodles and such and I actually really admire them for that because I myself do not have the talents nor patience for it lol! I just don't find it really applicable for my lifestyle because I have other things I should concern myself with (eg uni, work, partying with friends, writing books, etc)

That looks absolutely stunning! I love your presentation -I'm sure this would make a nice dish on the table at a dinner party How did you layer it?

I just used coriander Wow surprising that he enoyed it on first try -it took me a couple of yrs to appreciate it! Thank you I think it tasted a bit on the bland side though, to be honest I never make my own noodles hahaha! My belief is that if the basic ingredients (such as noodles, bread, etc) are readily available, no way in hell will I waste my time making it! I used flat rice noodles. Where do you live? I'm sure you can get it at any Asian grocery store

You were told right. Apart from noodles, Thais use a spoon (in the right or dominant hand) as the main tool, and a fork in the other hand as a pusher. Almost everything is eaten this way, with the spoon being the utensil that goes to the mouth. ← Do you know what they used before the introduction of the spoon and fork? I know the fork is a Western invention (or so I've always assumed). Not sure about spoons though, it seems the utlisation of spoons is practiced in almost every single culture.

That may be true for laos, Cambodia and Thailand. But keep in mind that Vietnam is very distinct from its SE Asian neighbours in that it is very much Sinicized. Culture wise, Vietnam is more East Asian than South East Asian. It just so happens that Vietnam is located in SE Asia. The Vietnamese use chopsticks on a daily basis for pretty much every meal (unless it's something like say, summer rolls of course). And yeah, Thais only use chopsticks when eating noodles (from what I've been told anyway). Noodles were incorporated into the Vietnamese diet for a very long time now, I don't think it's a recent thing. In terms of influence, China pretty much left a dent on almost all (if not all) Asian countries many years ago. I'm not too sure about the 'when' and 'how' of the Chinese culinary influence on Laos, Thailand and Cambodia though.

doctortim: Yes I would like to know more about the butter chicken too! Did you make it from scratch? If so, could I have the recipe also? Thanks! I'm trying to get my parents to try Indian food and I think butter chicken may be a good start...

Domestic Goddess: Thank you sooo much! It looks really delicious and I like the homestyle feel Would I be able to have the recipe please? About the ground toasted rice, is it sold at the markets or do you have to make it yourself? Mmm...my mouth is watering...better clean up the keyboard!