KennethT

Happy Anninversary!!!! Everything looks great!

Yes, Ubud. It is a very famous place, around for a long time (known for their betutu) so if you've been to Ubud I would assume you've been there - Murnni's Warung. Funny, by "home" I meant your place in Liuzhou - I just assumed that after living there so long, that's what you would consider as home.

@liuzhouGreat stuff. I love the stone piece you picked up. There was a restaurant in Bali that's now very famous - they now also have an inn, gift shop, etc. The restaurant is huge, and filled with sculptures, statues, etc... all of which are for sale - the problem is how to get it home!

I always thought Manresa was all about showcasing produce they grew in their garden? I don't know if that's true - I've never been there, but saw an interview with David Kinch once many years ago. The unbelievable thing about that 1875 was that it wasn't that expensive, relatively. Madeiras are typically a really good value, and it's not like an old port that you have to finish the bottle soon after opening (Coravin doesn't work so well on ridiculously old corks in not that great of shape) - madeiras last forever - they're indestructable!

Nice.... I'm a big fan of Madeira. Years ago, I had the unbelievable privelage of tasting an 1875 vintage.... Jesus was that good... it ruined me!

Never! It's become like a family heirloom. I'd pass it down to my kids (if I had any, that is).

I haven't tried them. Yes, right now, I'm pretty boring (if I'm cooking at all - but the kitchen is starting to shape up!) and basically use Jasmine except when making Indian food, then I'll use basmati which I've gotten from Kalustyan's - they ahve a few different grades. I also have some sticky rice on hand on the rare chance that I decide to make something to best utilize it (for a while I was on a gai yang kick until my rotisserie motor bit the dust) and also remember to start soaking it the night before (which is rare). I have some Carnaroli for risotto from the last millenium (or close to it) - I probably haven't made risotto in 10 years. I was going to a while ago, but then my wife went on a press trip to Veneto where she was fed beef cheeks and risotto for probably 5 days in a row, so she was risotto'd out for a while.

I'm sure this is true, but it seems like all the rice that we get here is of the same age... old! Even the bags of new crop rice (which I'd assume would have higher water content) don't really have much higher of a water content that I can see - at least going by how much water I have to add.

Interesting - in my experience, jasmine and basmati rices need different quantities of water and have different methods of cooking - jasmine rice needs to be steamed, so basically you're only adding enough water to completely hydrate, and then it will steam itself. Even more so, thai sticky rice is only soaked in room temp water (many times overnight) and then only steamed. Basmati is quite different - those grains need to be boiled in order to lengthen and cook properly - I could on go on about a different ratio of starch types than Jasmine but ugghhh... Anyway, the basmati is boiled then steamed, so it needs more water so it doesn't fully absorb all the water before the boiling step is complete. In fact, some basmati rices are cooked in a large quantity of boiling water (like pasta) and then drained and kept covered to finish steaming.

I have a photo just like that! When I saw it, I remarked to myself how much rice one needs to make in 1 batch to make this necessary.

Maybe the cheapest eGullet enabling ever... thanks. I've always thought my strainer method was a bit of a pita because the amount of rice is a bit too much for the strainer I usually use so I've got to be more careful than I'd like when swishing....

I wash mine like 4-5 times also - sometimes it takes that much just to get the water to a point where it stops being more clear than the previous wash. Plus, I don't use that much water for each.

wow. I'm impressed. While I'm usually very scientifically minded, my rice making is more of the "go as fast as you can without having to get out much stuff". I put the raw dry rice in a strainer, and then put that in a bowl of water in the sink. Swish. Take out the strainer, dump the starch water, refill, repeat a few times. The last time, take the strainer out, give it a tap, then dump into rice cooker, spread around evenly, then add water to where it needs to go (for 2 cups jasmine, I add water to just under halfway between and 2 and 3 lines). I'm sure the scale makes yours much more easily repeatable without all the eyeballing I need to do.

How much convenient does it need to be than a small plastic cup that you dip into your rice jar or bag? Plus, you shouldn't pour the raw rice directly into the rice cooker as it usually needs to be rinsed several times first to get rid of the surface starch. So I guess, all in all, I don't really see the point. To me, the most time consuming part of making rice is washing it initially (aside from any inactive soaking or cooking time).

Yeah, in this store (right in the middle of Manhattan) where space is at a premium and it's always crowded, I think they do it to speed things along - both in the produce selection and in the check out. I gather that in the larger stores in northern NJ, they have more that's open to selection.

It seem like the guys in the local takeout joints here use stainless steel scouring pads that they move around with the ladle to swish the water around.

I agree with the sprinkles idea since the chamber is so small - I don't think it could be for cookies, or cake or anything like that.

In the local Hmart (Korean) that I used to frequent before I moved, just about everything was wrapped in plastic and preweighed. It was always a pain because I don't always need a pound of Thai chillies... most time a small handful would do.

Some stores in Chinatown here have live freshwater fish, but they're mostly on ice or like at my small Hmart, on plastic trays in the refrigerated case.

I always wondered what to do with extra crawfish - but doesn't the boil flavor overpower everything you put the leftover tails in?

I used to go to the HMart on 32nd St. once a week - it was where I did my primary shopping - well, that and Fresh Direct. But I get all my veggies at Hmart, and I used to get salmon fillets there once a week too. I like it better than the supermarkets because it is prepackaged in that store, so I can go through all of them (there's lots) and find the perfect size I need. A lot of times, at the counter, they ahve to cut 3 or 4 pieces to finally get me what I asked for.

Are those lime leaves fresh or dried? If fresh, they don't look so good. I've had the success propagating lemongrass by sticking the root end in water until it roots - you need to change out the water every day or so to make sure it doesn't get moldy.

I just saw an add for this on FB.... I think this company is several years too late... https://www.spherificator.com/

I miss him too - he gave me great advice before a trip to Hong Kong. But I find it odd that the recipe doesn't have any doubanjiang, which I always thought was an important ingredient in ma po.

I have a flat bottomed wok. It works fine. From what I understand, flat bottomed woks are pretty common throughout Asia, unless you're a restaurant.