KennethT

February 14

This is really sad - I loved Bouley, and David Bouley was so nice and generous with his time. At one point he was giving cooking classes and my wife and I took some of them - he always went past the ending time giving extra explanations and fielding questions. One time, I remember going to one of his more casual restaurants (which was upstairs from his grocery where he sold products that they used in the restaurants) and we wound up chatting for like 40 minutes. As one of his waiters once said, "don't get him started talking - he'll never stop!"

February 13

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

There's a local take-out spot that makes excellent jambalaya, gumbo and etoufee. They might be closed today if they have a lot of catering jobs but if they're open, maybe I'll treat myself to one of your recommendations.

I'd always heard that the RB&R was made on Monday because they could use the ham bone leftover from Sunday dinner and because Monday was traditionally laundry day, it was good to have something that could simmer all day without attention. Either way, Tuesday clearly isn't the right day!

I was actually being tongue-in-cheek with my comment - my wife doesn't care what anyone does, as long as they were happy. Neither of us follow traditions much. And we've never had RB&R in our house, ever - neither of us are fans of beans!

February 13

2 hours ago, Dave the Cook said:

Are you/she sure about this?

Absolutely not. Neither of us is a historian of that area. It was just what her stepfather used to always tell her as she was growing up and that was what he learned from his grandmother who raised him. They always had it on Monday - rather, every Monday they would have it, making it the day before. Maybe that was just what their family did?

February 13

20 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

well, I grew up in northern NY state with pancakes for Shrove Tuesday and now I’m in SoCal where anything goes 🤣

But, do tell, what would your raised in NO wife deem an acceptable meal for today?

To be honest, if you were to meet her, she's the last person in the world who you'd think was raised there - she basically spent all of her time in libraries and didn't socialize very much, so she'd probably have no idea! I imagine jambalaya or an etoufee would always be welcome. But she did say that RB&R was always on Monday because it's made on Sunday then sits in the fridge overnight and is eaten on Monday.

February 13

22 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

I'm think I'm going to do the Red Beans & Rice from Shaya but I should sroll back through this topic for other ideas.

My raised in NO wife would say this is heresy. RB&R is ALWAYS on Monday!!!

February 12

I mentioned before that my beloved seafood sze char (Old) Lai Huat in Singapore has closed as the owner wanted to retire, so that means that now the only place I can get that sambal fish is at home...

with baby bok choy

February 11

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I want the head! Best part!

I agree - it was amazing when we had it in Singapore - it was huge with tons of meat, but I can't get good sized fish heads unless I get a whole fish which I usually don't because it's just the two of us or if I go to Chinatown which I don't have time for on a regular basis.

February 11

Singapore fish head(less) curry and

Cucumber salad

February 8

8 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I do the same with cilantro and parsley. Parsley lasts a reliable 2 weeks or more. With cilantro, 10 days is more my average. It’s amazing how a whole bunch of cilantro can go from perky to slime in a day! Some produce comes in plastic bags with holes in them and if I have those, I use them.
For basil, I do the same thing but keep it out on the counter.
Tarragon and dill go in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel, in the fridge

I have tons of rosemary outside so no need to preserve that one. Oregano, too. I need to replant sage and thyme.

Yeah, for the cilantro, I make sure there's no moisture on the inside of the bag and drape the bag so it contacts the leaves as little as possible - that's where things get slimy. I change the water every day or two and try to dry the inside of the bag at the same time (or turn it inside out).

February 8

I've had best luck putting cilantro in a small glass with about a half inch of water in the bottom - like flowers in a vase. Make sure you pick off all the yucky leaves first or any that might dip in the water. Cover the whole thing loosely with the grocery store plastic bag - like a loose tent and keep in the refrigerator. I've had it keep that way for about 2 weeks or so.

February 7

Is the Long Jing tea called Dragon Well there as it is here and in HK (Lung Ching in HK)? I believe it's from Hangzhou...

February 6

On 7/19/2015 at 6:39 PM, KennethT said:

Next dinner was here:

This place is completely off the tourist radar - most taxi drivers didn't even know where it was! This place was recommended to me a few years ago by an eGullet member who lives in Singapore. He said he used to go to this restaurant all the time, and I can see why.

They are known for this dish:

This is sambal pomfret. A pomfret is coated in their heavenly sambal paste, which is a combination of fermented shrimp paste, chili, and who knows what else, and is then fried. The result is shrimpy, slightly spicy and ridiculously addictive.

We also had this:

This is how chili crab should be. Their sauce is much deeper and aromatic compared with the sauces of the big name restaurants... by comparison, the big name ones taste like ketchup (which I actually think may be an ingredient in their sauces). Also pictured are fried mantou buns, which are great for sopping up the sauce.

Not pictured is a plate of baby kailan, stir fried with garlic. I love this vegetable. Kailan (or gailan) is the chinese name for what we'd call here Chinese Broccoli, although I personally think it has nothing to do with regular broccoli. In most of the versions here, it is actually the stems you eat, and only a little bit of the leaves - the stems actually resemble asparagus (in appearance, not flavor or texture). This is also the standard type of kailan that you'd see in Hong Kong. But in Singapore, the "baby kailan" is the one that is ubiquitous. I don't know if it is really just a young version of the other type, or if it's a different strain. This version is very leafy, with thin stems that are tender, but a little crunchy. I love this vegetable... I could eat it every day... one of these days, when I get more time, I have to set up my leafy windowsill garden again and start growing it so I can have a never ending supply.

I am sad to report that I just found out that (Old) Lai Huat closed as of November 26, 2023. The owner wanted to retire and had no one to pass the business to, which is becoming a trend in Singapore. Yes, some of the younger generation get an MBA and then expand their parents businesses to become a mini chain around Singapore, but many more just close for good. I plan to make my sambal fish soon in their memory....

February 6

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I vaguely remember seeing chicken granules here but I just searched my online shopping options and the only chicken granules I can find are cat food!

The Bahasa to ask the difference between powder and granules is something like "Apa perbedaan antara bubuk ayam dan butiran ayam?" but then you have to figure out the answer for yourself.

I suppose the granules are just bigger grains but that wouldn't account for using both, unless they are bits of dried chicken flesh like you get in some chicken flavour instant noodles, but I'm really guessing now.

I may also ask a woman I know online - she has written a couple Indonesian Fusion cookbooks and also has a YouTube channel.

February 6

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

I vaguely remember seeing chicken granules here but I just searched my online shopping options and the only chicken granules I can find are cat food!

The Bahasa to ask the difference between powder and granules is something like "Apa perbedaan antara bubuk ayam dan butiran ayam?" but then you have to figure out the answer for yourself.

I suppose the granules are just bigger grains but that wouldn't account for using both, unless they are bits of dried chicken flesh like you get in some chicken flavour instant noodles, but I'm really guessing now.

Yeah, I could figure out the Bahasa to ask, but I'd have no idea about the answer. My Bahasa is ok for basic stuff but a complicated explanation is not one of them. I could probably use the Google Translate on my phone - I have tried it in "conversation mode" yet but it supposedly works well. Ideally I'd find someone who speaks some English themselves which may not be that hard on this trip since we'll be in places that see lots of international tourists - Lombok and Jakarta.

February 6

Thanks for this. While I use the Lee Kum Kee "premium" chicken powder, it's not because it's so great but really it's the best of what I can get. It's certainly better than western brands like Knorr.

Interesting (at least to me) in parts of SE Asia - most notably Indonesia, but possibly elsewhere - not only do they use chicken powder, but they also use chicken granules. I'm not exactly sure what they are or how they differ from the standard powder but I've even seen recipes that use both so I'm assuming that there is some kind of difference. If possible, I'll try to investigate further when I'm in Indonesia in July but I doubt I'll get far, my Bahasa isn't nearly good enough for those kinds of conversations!

February 6

8 hours ago, Dejah said:

Thanks! We have many Lee Kum Kee products here, so I will look for it.

You definitely want the "premium" in the green can. The one on the red can is super salty. I have some - I found it unusable.

February 5

41 minutes ago, Dejah said:

What brand do you use?
I have used the Knorr, but have only been using Better Than Bouillon.

This is the best one that is easily available to me:

https://usa.lkk.com/en/products/premium-bouillon-powder-flavored-with-chicken-no-msg-added

It's not very salty - in fact, I usually add MSG and salt when using it.

February 4

@BonVivantThanks so much for taking us along - I always enjoy the photos and your discussion of your trips. I'm sorry to hear about your ear infection. When we travel, we always bring tons of medication with us - several types of antibiotics, nausea, diarrhea, sinus, congestion, etc. - basically we're a traveling pharmacy. Ear infections are usually easily treated (especially if caught early) with an antibiotic called amoxicillin. Many upper respiratory infections are easily handled with azithromycin - which, coincidentally - is the drug of choice in SE Asia for most food poisoning bacteria.

February 4

Mapo tofu made with the remainder of elk meat from last night.

February 4

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

香柳 (xiāng liǔ), sweet sallow is something I've never come across before and there is little information on it other than that it is a member of the Salix family of plants which includes the willows after which Liuzhou (柳州) is named.

It seems to be added to soups and hotpot or can be briefly stir-fried like any other green.

The taste is initially sweet but turns peppery on the palate. Reminds me a bit of watercress.

It is also, of course, used in TCM.

This looks a little (but not exactly) like the Viet rau ram (laksa leaf in Malaysia). Are the stems tender enough to eat or is it just the leaves?

February 4

Dai style elk with herbs - 6 different herbs (4 from the garden)

February 3

Peranakan chicken curry with black nut meat - ayam buah keluak. Gigantic chicken thigh!

Stir fried baby bok choy with garlic and Asia's secret weapon.

February 3

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Hunan Tujia ethnic minority dinner with old Hunan friend. She cooked.

Sorry, I meant this one...

February 3

1 hour ago, liuzhou said:

Hunan Tujia ethnic minority dinner with old Hunan friend. She cooked.

What a feast! The bottom one looks like pigs ear. What's in the red sauce?

February 1

29 minutes ago, Laurentius said:

I read the advert, and I can see why you might conclude that. I would take that with a grain of salt, at least until I saw the unit running through a watt meter.

I'm also a bit skeptical about the "extended range" aspect. The physics of magnetic induction fields is that their intensity drops very, very fast, as a function of the inverse of the square root. I think truly emulating gas might require a lot more power than 240 single phase.

Considering that I have one and I use it every day, I am happy providing my opinion regardless of the wording in the advert. Take it for what you will. I don't need to run it through a watt meter because I can tell empirically, which at the end of the day, is what matters most - the results. When I simmer anything, thick or thin liquids - it is a steady constant simmer at whatever amount I choose. Hard simmer, barely simmering, it matters not. If there was any noticeable duty cycle, you would see a hard boil, then nothing, then hard boil, etc. I see this when I use my Chinese made 3300W unit - it is VERY obvious. It's even more obvious when stir frying or sauteing - it's an easy way to burn things like when making something with doubanjiang, which burns easily. However, with the Vollrath, I can set it so it barely sizzles - it is constant and unvarying. No meter required. However, feel free to use one if you wish. Also, without measuring the magnetic flux of the induction field, I can also empirically report that when I saute or tilt the pan to baste something, it performs as advertised. Granted, I try not to saute things 3 inches off the surface of the unit - it would be really uncomfortable to hold a pan like that for any period of time.

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