eatingwitheddie

Does it really matter?

Simply put Tetsuya is one of the greatest chefs in the world. Having extensively eaten at 3-star Michelin restaurants regularly for 30 years there are few if any chefs on his level - especially since he is essentially self-taught and his food is so specific to him. Maybe Gagnaire is is the same category. If I were you and had the opportunity (and funds) I would go there more than once. Go out of your way and don't miss it even at the expense of missing some of the other really good places. I doubt if any other restaurant in Australia is really in this category. Book now! By the way his cuisine is essentially seafood based. Also Mr Wakuda himself frequently dines (like every night) at Century, a large Cantonese seafood specialist in Sydney's Chinatown. It is a great place to go and sample the local shellfish: Giant Australian King Crabs, delicious Mud Crabs, Oysters, Jabbies, Bugs, Live Abalone, Live Australian Lobster. I had the pleasure of going there with him and it was indeed memorable. Bring a group if possible as the giant king crabs which are spectacular are also quite large and expensive. Do it though if you crave shellfish like I do.

Frogs are sold live in NY's Chinese food stores. When purchased the fish monger will kill and skin them. In French restaurants only the rear meaty legs are served, but in most Chinese dishes both front and bags legs are used. In an elegant prearation they may be boneless. Kung Pao Frog's Legs (w dried hot chiles), Frog's Legs with Ginkgo Nuts, Frog's Legs with Black Bean Sauce, Frog's Legs w XO Sauce are some of the dishes you might look for in a restaurant. By the way the Chinese name for frogs is rather poetic: 'tien gai' -- rice paddy chicken

Hmm! Sounds good to me.

What are yu-sheng and jai?

yes

Been a few years but Victoria Harbor Seafood was great -- there are at least two -- I tried the one that's on the 2nd or 3rd floor of an office building on the HK side facing the harbor

We usually start with raw nuts and then cook them -- they're normally fried in not too hot oil (300 degree F.) for 3-4 minutes until they are lightly browned and cooked through. The nuts are then drained and cooled, so that their texture crisps up. They are then used in a dish such as chicken with cashews or peanuts. Frying the nuts is equivalent to roasting them which works just fine -- the nuts that are roasted may have a slightly less crisp texture, but they will also have been prepared without any additional cooking oil so that they are less caloric. Personally I usually fry my nuts.

The flavor is absolutely the same. It's simply that nonstick work well for certain things such as cooking eggs or noodles that might break into pieces if they stuck to the pan.

A GENERAL OUTLINE FOR PREPARING SAUTEED RICE CAKES Sliced rice cakes are a food eaten all year round but are especially eaten during the New Year (which is coming up in just a few weeks). From a cooking point of view they are treated like those fat chow fun rice noodles. That is to say they require no boiling in water or preliminary cooking. They just need to be heated and flavored and tossed with whatever ingredients, meat, veg and seasonings that are to your taste. When just made rice cakes are soft and pliable but become firmer after chilling (sitting in the fridge). I might suggest a brief stay in the microwave as a means of softening them or another good and the traditional approach is to put a little oil in a very well preheated pan and put in the cakes, stirring them from time to time to keep them from browning and heating them up for a couple of minutes. I like to use my non-stick wok for this purpose. After heating you should then remove them from the wok and proceed to precook any meat or veg that requires it, remove that from the wok, and then start to make a seasoning sauce. Typically we might saute a little ginger, garlic and scallion, return the rice cakes, meat, and veggies to the wok, and then saute and season until everything is heated through, a minute or two. Flavorings should include a sprinkling of sherry or rice wine, salt (make sure to use enough or the dish will be bland), MSG (if you like), a little sugar (1t maybe), some white pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of soy. Taste the dish as you're tossing it to balance the flavors. It should be dry without any liquid sauce. Should you like it hot/spicy add some fresh or dried chile with the ginger and other herbals or some chile paste if you prefer that flavor. A drop of sesame oil right before plating will make your dish smell seductive. In Shanghai restaurants, which is where rice cakes are usually available, they typically make a saute using shredded pork, a little spinach, some shrimp and a little salted Shanghai cabbage.

Sorry I've never heard of duck sauce. Is it a condiment available in jars like plum sauce? Thanks Probably Duck Sauce and what you call Plum Sauce are the same thing. Duck Sauce is a sweet dipping sauce made from diluted apricot jam or cooked apricots and flavorings. You typically get a package of it with an order of egg rolls. Some people call it plum sauce, though some people also call hoisin plum sauce. Because of this 'plum sauce' is a misused, and to my mind, an improper and confusing term. Plus neither sauce contains plums. By the way, many Americans regard duck sauce as an Americanized part of Chinese food. In fact on more than one occasion I have had roast duck and goose in Hong Kong and it was served with duck sauce (among others).

The item you're referring to is a cousin of tree ears called 'crystal fungus'. Traditionally its primary use is in 'tong soi', sweet soups that are served either as a snack during midday or at the end of a meal. Crystal fungus is quite inexpensive now, but at one time it was not widely cultivated and was quite dear.

Any good white wine that has a little fruit is suitable for Chinese food. Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Rieslings, Gewurtztraminer, Prosecco are a few of the usual suspects that I would suggest. Since this is a dish with almost no sugar in the sauce you might even enjoy a White Burgundy or Cali Chard.

This is one of my very favorite dishes at Pings Restaurant. I love to get an extremely large lobster (4 lbs. or more -- we have had some 7 and 8 pounders) because it can be cut in unusually shaped large chunks that work particulalry well for this preparation. When Pings cooks it himself it is excellent, and also proof that large lobsters are not necessarily tough and can have great taste. Large lobsters are quite expensive however, and old (1/8 lb. of growth per year -- yep the 8 lb. lobster is 64). Worth it for a splurge or a special occasion. A more affordable (and almost as good) option is to get the twin lobster offering (2 lobsters any style for under $30) and ask them to make the e-fu noodle dish from them.

The picture you posted is a photo of (dried?) hwa goo (flower mushrooms). They needn't be a particular size or thickness to be hwa goo, it's only that the most prized ones are the thickest and widest. As I wrote in a previous post the flower mushrooms are best when soaked for a long time. I suggest softening them in room temperature water for a few hours and then trimming their stems as close to the base as possible. Then continue to soak them for a couple of days, 3-4 is even better. Store them in a covered container in the frig. Save the soaking liquid and use it for a sauce or braising base. In a pinch you can soak the mushrooms in hot water and hasten the process. I often cover hwa goo in cold water but then put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. If I wanted to use them quickly I would trim the mushroom stems as soon as possible and then return the mushrooms to reheat in the microwave. You can reduce the soaking time to a few hours this way, but after a long soak they will have a much superior plumpness and texture.

Jinmyo writes "But steamed chicken gives me the willies." I really like the Cantonese dish where chunks of chicken on the bone are steamed with dried shitakes.

Some simple-to-do ideas: 1) Colman's (English style) mustard. Mix some water into the mustard powder, that's all. 2) Dry - no sauce - just a real tasty filling - my own preference 3) A good hot sauce straight from the bottle: try Sriracha for this purpose (not oily) 4) A soy based dip: 3T kikkoman, 2T water, 2t sugar, 1t vinegar, a little minced garlic and ginger and scallion, a dash of sesame oil; hot sauce (if you like, to taste)

In a post on the hoisin thread Anna N asks for some ideas for dipping sauces for egg rolls. Any thoughts?

A really good answer to your question should have a scientific basis which I lack. From an empirical point of view I can tell you for many years when one went to purchase dried shitake mushrooms there were many grades available. The best and most prized mushrooms have always been those with lines and crenellations in the cap, and particularly when they are both thick fleshed as well as large in diameter. In the Chinese language these are called flower mushrooms (hwa goo) while the still good but less expensive varieties with the solid tops are known as winter mushrooms (tung goo). It is my understanding that both these mushrooms are shitakes, but different varieties. I started this thread because for many years we have had fresh tung goo available but it was only in the last 2 years that I have seen fresh hwa goo in the market. Plus the hwa goo are absolutely superb, better than the shitake we normally use, and half the price!

I confess to being a recepient of some of Fat Guy's home roasted java. The stuff is good, really good actually. Only two problems: 1) Made me immediately want to invest in the apparatus 2) And in the interim I had to invite him over to dinner a second time just to get more beans spilled in my direction.

very little if any

10 minutes per inch of thickness sounds about right, though I might err on the side of less rather than more time. Just as importantly there are two methods for flavoring the fish. When you steam something a lot of water condenses on the plate. If you have used a seasoning sauce directly on the fish before steaming it will be diluted so you need to OVER-flavor the fish so that when the sauce becomes dilute it tastes exactly right. This is best suited for a thin piece of fish that cooks quickly. For instance I steam thin (1/2" thick) salmon filets in just 3-4 minutes. If I were going to steam it much longer I would pour off and discard the accumulated condensed water right after removing the fish from the steamer. I would then pour a seasoning sauce directly over the fish. Alternatively I might cover the fish with a clear heatproof wrap to prevent the water condensation

Never heard of Y & Y but if you got heavenly results sounds good to me. Where is it from? Nothing like cooking from the cupboard on a cold grey day -- tastes better that way. Contact me again if I can be of more help. Happy New Year and stay warm, Ed

I don't use XO sauce in my cooking. Any particular reason? When I want to make a spicy sauce I usually want a clean flavor, such as straight chiles fresh or dried (heat), or the special aroma of a dried and scortched chile. Sometimes I want the flavor of a spicy bean paste which is heat plus fermented bean flavor. I find the flavor of XO sauce something I want to use as a dip but not as the basis for a sauce. As I said earlier in the thread it's been my experience that much of the time a dish is said to have an XO sauce it is usually a way of describing a special dish that is spicy and not necessarily one that is made from XO sauce. At Pings for instance, if you order the Giant Oyster w XO Sauce you get a completely different sauce than the bowl of his own XO sauce which is put on the table for dipping

I have cooked many Smithfield hams. The key is simply to simmer it in water to cover until it is tender. Depending on the size of the ham this will take 4-5 hours. Yes scrub it first to remove mold, and soak it if you like, though simply changing the water a couple of times during cooking (I recommend doing this 2 or 3 times) will do the same thing as soaking it. When it is tender remove the ham from the water, let it cool, and trim it. It is now edible. You can bake or slice it as is. If you bake it, you are just doing it to flavor the ham, it doesn't require any further cooking.