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Big Joe the Pro

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Everything posted by Big Joe the Pro

  1. Ok, this is getting interesting. Nakji, those are 'Bok Choy' split in half, aren't they? In Beijing they're called 'you cai'. 'Qing cai' in Beijing is 'Chinese celery', leafy upper-part included. 'Xi qing cai' is the large, western celery (often sold in the same bags that are used in the US) and the upper, leafy part has been cut off. Sorry, I don't do characters and the numbers in the parenthesis after the pin yin (to denote the tone) looks a little silly to me. Someone was posting with the tone marks above the pin yin, how do you do that? Do I have to download a character set? Oh, the things I call 'Chinese leeks' are called 'tong' in Beijing. Spring onions are just called 'xiao tong'. A western onion is 'yang tong' This may sound uppity but might I suggest we adopt 'pu tong hua' (Mandarin Chinese) as the standard? Good luck getting others to follow but might help us keep our sanity. Zhong Nan Hai smokes for measurement works for me, ha ha. Cheers.
  2. Hey, let's have some fun with trying to identify exactly what cookbooks are referring to when they reference certain Asian vegetables. This is the most commonly used onion in Beijing, if someone said 'Chinese leek' to me, this is what I would think of: Cooking shows always point out that you have to wash the inside of leeks as they collect grit there but I don't have that problem with these. They do get awfully woody in the center though. This is what go for 'spring onions' here. I believe that they're seasonal as I don't regularly see them. I just looked in Laurousse and I think they call them 'Asian spring onions'. I don't have any of the really small ones at the moment. They're awfully perishable so if I see the 'Asian spring onions' I don't normally buy the smaller ones also. Sorry but I don't have any 'jiu cai' (Garlic Chives). I can eat them but don't really like them so much (a fairly common thing amongst non-Chinese I've been told).
  3. Oh sorry, yeah I didn't read the pin yin (and definitely not the characters!), I just read 'garlic chives' and thought about the ones we normally use in the west (and are often bottled by the spice merchants). Is that how 'jiu cai' is translated, garlic chives? Anyway, if she says 'Chinese leeks' then I would substitute leeks, don't you think?
  4. I don't have the book so perhaps this is a bit out of context but I would like to state that the only Garlic Chives I've seen in Beijing are sold at Metro and are imported from Spain. I would imagine it's the same in Sichaun (except maybe no Metro). Chinese Leeks are similar to western ones except the diameter is smaller and the white part extends further up. There are several types of Spring Onions in common use here, smallish ones that look like Chives (but they have white onion at the bottom, maybe about 4") and slighty larger ones (which are less common, perhaps seasonal?). If you want and can give me some time I could take a photo. I'm not a paying member (yet) but I think I could post it. Ok, hope that helps!
  5. Thanks Scott123, yeah I tried a few doughs before settling on the one I'm using. I have a few sources for local flours that are labelled 'High Gluten'. Perhaps it would be best to just use those as all-purpose flour? I have been using it just for recipes calling for bread flour. Maybe I need to get my hands on a good European bread baking book instead of these American one's I've been using. Any suggestions anyone?
  6. Well, I used a carcass from a roast duck I made at home. A frozen one I'd bought at a street market. So perhaps that had something to do with the difference. I used "Joy of Cooking's" fast recipe BTW, it came out pretty well but the WORST Qianjude Restaurant needn't be concerned about new competition. I definitely need to pay attention to how they slice those ducks the next time I go to a restaurant. If someone could explain the difference between Hoisin Sauce (which I believe is what you called 'plum sauce') and Tian Mian Jiang ('jiang' is Chinese for sauce for those who don't know) to me I'd appreciate it. I just googled it and while I'm happy that Wikipedia isn't censored here any longer, I'm not so sure they cleared it up for me. This is the entirety of the 'Uses' section (and I hope it's ok to paste this here): (Tian Mian Jiang) Similar to the better known hoisin sauce, sweet bean sauce is sometimes used in dishes such as Peking Duck and as a replacement for yellow soybean paste (黄酱; pinyin: huángjiàng) in zhajiang mian; in Beijing cuisine, yellow soybean paste is the traditional accompaniment for these two dishes. Sweet bean sauce is sweeter than yellow soybean paste, which is saltier. Is 'Tian Mian Jiang' what's used on 'Jia Jiang Mian'? I've been here forever but don't speak the language very well and definitely don't do characters. 'Tian Mian Jiang' literally translates to 'sweet noodle sauce', correct? I've asked my Chinese wife, she's not really sure about it and most of the people I meet here (twenty-somethings) haven't a clue how to cook. Anyway, thanks! That's a very funny line about 'duckamity' in my opinion.
  7. Well, that's a good question Mjx. The loaves really aren't too bad but, you know, it's quite an investment in time to make the things so I just want to do it right. All the recipes I use are right out of 'America's Test Kitchen', mostly that newish blue-bindered 'Family Baking' book. The rustic loaves, which use a pre-ferment, turn out great. I have to watch them pretty close as they often proof fairly quickly (I guess because of the soft wheat). The sandwich loaves and no-knead ones don't seem to rise enough (and are a tad squat and dense) but I'm following the recipes pretty closely. I guess that's the biggest problem presently. While I'm at it, I've been trying to get a sourdough starter going without much success. Have been adding 50g of both flour and water twice-a-day. I'm going to take Jackal10's comments about using less water into account and see if that helps (40g of water and 50 of flour). OK, well, many thanks for the replies folks.
  8. Yeah, I'm always so stuffed on the glorious duck that I can barely fit in any soup, regardless of how good it is! Guess I'm using too much water?
  9. Hi, I'm planning to buy a Kenwood Premiere Chef Standing Mixer, KMC 510. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions and/or experiences with it that they'd like to share? This is the web page: http://www.kenwoodworld.com/en-ae/Products/Kitchen-Machines/Chef-and-Major/KMC510/ I'm a KitchenAid guy but they're awful spendy here in China. I noticed this Kenwood at a reputable store here this morning, 'on sale' for a little over US$ 300, whereas a Pro KitchenAid would be about US$ 500. The unit has great reviews on Amazon UK but I'm just not so familiar with Kenwood. One thing that has me a little nervous is that I'm going to be pushing the weight limit, but within the manufacturer's specs. A nice thing about the unit is that they're are lots of accessories for it whereas the KA is somewhat limited (I can get the ice cream bowl, for example!). Thanks in advance!
  10. Thanks Jackal10, I'll watch the proof times. I'm thinking that if ATK is heavy on their flour weights then I'm already adding less water than normal. What's a 'preferement'? I googled it and came up with nothing. Cheers - Joe
  11. Well, like Fengyi said; the roast duck restaurants will give you duck soup after the meal (I think you have to had ordered a full duck, my wife and I often just get a half and hence, no soup). There's no meat or vegetables in the soup normally (save for a few pieces of scallion maybe). It's a (need I mention salty, everything here is salty) milky white broth, nothing to write home about but a satisfying way to finish a meal. Chinese often use soup as a beverage during meals. So, I'm just wondering how they do that. I'm guessing milk and starch but I'm not enough of a technician to be certain.
  12. Hmm...I hadn't thought of that, thanks. I'll have to see if it's available here. It's always problematic finding esoteric things like that in China. I know they do something (I've forgotten the exact process, it's in McGee I think) to remove everything from flour EXCEPT the gluten and then use that for cooking. It's popular with vegetarians. I think we have some around the house, it looks like dried sticks. Surely they must have it in powdered form as well.
  13. How do the restaurants get that milky white consistency to the soup? Mine just turn out kinda like chicken soup. Joe
  14. Thanks for the posts guys. Maybe it's just best to spring for the 220V version. Does anyone happen to know what a KitchenAid goes for in Hong Kong these days?
  15. Hi, I'm living in Asia and have been making bread once or twice-a-week for a couple years now (presently have a loaf of no-knead rye in the oven). I read in McGee that Asian flours are of the soft wheat variety and I'm just wondering if there's some adaptation I can perform as I'm using hard wheat recipes (mostly 'America's Test Kitchen' stuff). The loaves I've been making are ok but I can't help but think that they would be a little better with North American wheat. It's available here but is imported and taxed so I prefer to use the local stuff. I normally make whole wheat or white sandwich loaves (I have to buy the imported whole wheat as Chinese don't use it) or a rye (another flour that's hard to find). My son likes cinnamon bread and I'll do a no-knead loaf now and then. I'm just thinking that there's something I could do to compensate for the softer wheat: more or less flour? more or less salt? more or less yeast? more or less water? more or less etc., etc.? I read in a different topic that ATK might be a little heavy on their flour weights, I'm going to start there in my experiments but perhaps someone could save me a lot of time? OK, thanks in advance. Joe
  16. They did a thing on "America's Test Kitchen" where they took equal amounts of different types of flours (in different bowls, of course) and mixed them with equal amounts of water. The cake flour was kinda soupy whereas the bread flour started to form. I think it was in one of the earlier seasons, I'm presently re-watching them (as I recently scored their ten year book). I'll repost with more details when I come across it or perhaps someone else can fill us in.
  17. Well folks, I'll be right upfront and state that just about anything electrical is out of my league. I was too smart for my own good in school but failed electronics horribly. I've never understood why I can't get my head around it. Anyway, I have looked into 110V KitchenAid mixers in 220 land and it's not encouraging. I believe that it's something to do with: the size of the motor (it's not an expresso machine, but, I don't drink expresso so perhaps they're more complicated than I imagine) the amount of current it needs some peculiararity of the unit (perhaps the planetary action?) So...if there's anyone out there that has some experiences to share, particularly with KitchenAid standing mixers, I'd like to hear about it. Actually, US$ 500 isn't so bad but that model doesn't accept some attachments (like the ice cream one) and manual kneading works for me, once or twice a week.
  18. I'd be a little careful about converting a 110V appliance like this to 220. I'm living in Beijing and would love to bring a 110 from the States but KitchenAid warns against this on their forum and I've read in other places where people have had problems doing that. If anyone has some experiences regarding this to share I'd like to hear from them. There's a 220 KitchenAid model available here (Model 5K5SS WA) 'on sale' for US$ 500. I covet it but I really can't justify spending that much money. A better option might be a slightly cheaper Kenwood. There are local models available here, mostly intended for pastry shops as Chinese don't normally bake (although it's a little trendy with housewives at the moment). The hotel supply place that sells the KitchenAid has a local model for about US$ 300 which I hear works reliably but it's kind of a clunkier looking Artisan-type style and I don't have that much counter space. Oh well, I'm waiting for a better local model or the RMB to appreciate some more! That copper mixer really looks cool.
  19. A Chinese friend told me that this dish can be called either 'Tomatoes and Eggs' or 'Eggs and Tomatoes', depending upon which ingredient is dominant - for what it's worth. This is a great summertime dish and here in Beijing there are as many recipes as cooks. Cooking the eggs first then removing them is how I do it. The tomatoes are wet enough, don't need any additional water. I don't normally use soy sauce but many do. I throw in a lot of aromatics these days before putting in the tomatoes; garlic, ginger and leek. Heavy on the garlic as always. Oh, a couple things I've noticed about restaurant food here (if you're trying to replicate it); If you're not sure that there's enough salt, just add more. Use a lot of Maggi Chicken Powder!
  20. Lee Kum Kee makes one: http://us.lkk.com/products/retail/sa-cha-sauce
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