huiray

The first letters of the pronunciations of the company name (鸿昌隆) as rendered into the latin alphabet. [鸿昌隆 (simplified characters) = 鴻昌隆 (traditional characters) = hong2 chang1 long2 (pinyin Mandarin w/ tone numbers) = hung4 coeng1 lung4 (jyutping Cantonese w/ tone numbers)] As for "maw" - well, yes – but it's not the actual stomach, but belly in this case. The stuff is labeled as "中片魚肚" which can be translated as "center slices of fish belly". Maybe like these. How they are processed might be along the lines of what KennethT suggested, or it might be in some other way perhaps... ETA: Here's a pic labeled "milkfish fish 肚" :-) Perhaps there are different meanings for the term "fish maw" and/or "魚肚" depending on who is using the term(s)? Hmm, fish "swim bladder" (also a.k.a. "fish maw") I thought is "魚鰾"?

Heh. (Was it on public land or private?) Thanks for the reply. Hope you settle in nicely in StL.

Where is your dinner going to be held in Indianapolis? Will there be any other chefs involved? Will the dinner feature stuff foraged in-and-around Indy or stuff in "more general situations or locales"? I pre-ordered your book through your website some time ago - is the Indy dinner inclusive of a cookbook or is it not? (I don't need a second copy of the book)

Tuna, capers, egg yolks, pasta. Closely after the recipe for Sugo con tonno, uova e capperi in 'Sauces & Shapes: Pasta the Italian Way' (Oretta Zanini de Vita & Maureen B. Fant), page 62. Chopped white onion, EV olive oil, soften; tuna in olive oil [Ortiz] w/ the oil, break up, simmer; increase fire, add white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc), simmer down a bit; seafood stock [Kitchen Basics], Salina salted capers [Mongetto] (pre-rinsed & pre-soaked), fresh lemon juice; simmer; add in just-cooked linguine [Rustichella d'Abruzzo], fold in & toss/stir; shut off heat, fold in chopped Italian parsley, remove from stove, fold in {2 egg yolks beaten w/ some heavy cream} while stirring vigorously. Plate, dress w/ fresh parsley leaflets. Being eaten. ETA: This was quite good and luxurious. It will be going onto my regular rotation. It is different from the previous tuna-caper-pasta dishes I've posted - this one which is the first I've posted with this combination is a keeper.

Maybe because that's a fictional place on a TeeVee show situated in DC but using a stripped-down vacant place in B'more?

Stir-fried lettuces. Red-tipped romaine and red-green leafy. Bak Kut Teh. Modified Canto-Hoklo herbal type. Ingredients included: Pork baby back ribs, 3 heads garlic; dried root/rhizome of Polygonatum odoratum, Angelica sinensis, Codonopsis pilosula; cassia bark, whole cloves, whole star anise; oyster sauce, double-fermented soy sauce, dark soy sauce; and deep-fried tofu puffs (aburaage). Lots of white rice.

Fresh peas. Shelling them... These were really fresh. Good enough that I dashed back to the market and got another 2+ lbs of them! Nate (of Silverthorn Farm) agreed with me about the need to get them fresh and said that when they get picked (these were less than 24 hrs earlier) he gets them into the cooler at once and holds them there till the next morning for the market, when I bought them. He had lots more...hate to think of the unsold stuff being "wasted"... Done. Peas blanched in salted simmering water. Had peas by the tablespoonful... with some Zungenwurst & Westphalian ham (both [Claus' German Sausage & Meats]) Somewhat later on... Soup. Chicken stock, water, garlic, firm tofu chunks, sweet basil right at the end. Yes, basil used as a vegetable. Brat Schnecken [Claus'], simply pan-fried. With peas and more peas. :-)

Fried rice, in the pan. The leftovers from above (see this post) simmered down a bit to generate some caramelization (the fish sauce aroma is quite clear... ), then pushed to the side of the pan; oil added in the middle, sliced young reddish onions [Nading Farm] (lower parts) added, tossed/stirred around briefly; two farm-fresh eggs [Schacht Farm] broken into the puddle of hot oil, scrambled/marbled in situ; day-old white rice [Z Reserve] added in, plus a bit of salt. Stirred/tossed around just to mix in; chopped mizuna [Wild's Apple Farm] then chopped green parts of those reddish young onions added in, everything stirred/tossed around, scraping up the caramelized bits. Covered, heat turned off, stood for a minute. Cover removed, flowering tops plus some leaves of Siam Queen Thai basil (from my deck) scattered over (this is when the pic was taken), then folded in. Served.

Have a look here. I snipped off more leaves and branches from the plants and added them in. I used the flower stalks "whole", minus the harder parts at the bottom of the spikes. I took the leaves off the stems by-and-large.

A riff on pad kra pao minus chillies. Trimmed holy basil. The dish done with sliced dark meat chicken. Fish sauce only (rather than w/ oyster sauce plus dark/sweet soy sauce etc). With white rice. I dispensed also with the fried egg typical of street-food pad kra pao.

If you are interested in a NY style Jewish Deli then you might like to swing by Shapiro's.

I guess. Hot water corn bread.

Not really. The ones I'm referring to are these on the right of the pics here and here. Lard-fried chicken – well, the ones at Hollyhock Hill are probably amongst the last places around where it is done that way. I'm not sure I'd call it specific to Indy.

OK - Milktooth doesn't start its good stuff till 9 am, whereas Love Handle starts at 8 am. Indy food? Pork Tenderloins, Southern Fried Chicken Indy Style...comes to mind. Perhaps you might be interested in a blast from the past eating in what could pass as one's Great-Grandmother's House --- at Hollyhock Hill, for example, with lace doillys and chicken fried in lard. Or with Hot Water Corn Bread at Mississippi Belle. :-) Regarding good chains downtown – Oceanaire is actually fairly good for seafood, if not exactly cheap; while Capital Grille is good for steaks and whatnot (with an interesting wine bar next to it in the same hotel at ground level) while you could pig out on protein at Fogo de Chao. But for "old school charm" and a decent Midwest steak and a fierce shrimp cocktail - the local institution St Elmo's might be an idea. But, really, there are many options otherwise, as I also suggested in my PMs, including walking along Mass Ave. but that is a hefty walk from the Westin; while other places around Fletcher Place/Fountain Square are even further away by foot. There are other decent hotel restaurants in the immediate downtown area. ETA: Embedded in links for various places including localities. P.s.: If you drive, then any and all of these places become available for exploration, of course - but in some cases parking might be an issue. Cabbing it is an alternative, maybe one way, then a leisurely stroll back. P.s.2: If you wander over to Mass Ave there are various places to get some fancy cocktails and grab a bite or two. I might be inclined to pop into the (recently relocated) Libertine, myself... P.s.3: If one wanders over to Fletcher Place (where Milktooth is) I might be inclined myself to head for Bluebeard, but there are various other places there and in Fountain Square, including eclectic and "ethnic" places. There was a recent article from a Noo Yawk-fixated (Brooklyn, actually) reporter on the "scene" there, with rejoinders later from various Mid-West chefs. See here and the subsequent posts for some info...

But of course. Hence the difficulty of assigning "local and "self-grown" to all produce at a "Farmers/ Market". If you are buying morels or chanterelles, say, or lots of other stuff (e.g. ramps, frequently), from "Farmers' Markets" they are NOT grown by the seller - they are foraged, often at places far from the market - but presumably still IN STATE, which is a common lowest common denominator for these markets. I've sometimes bought porcini/boletes and other stuff from a certain vendor at the BRFM - but from him at his home base, NOT at the market itself - because they came from OUTSIDE of Indiana, which is not allowed at the market. By the same token, those Amish farmers I've mentioned who drive in to Indy from 100-120 miles away in Northern Indiana – the South Bend Farmers' Market is much, much closer to them; but that place does not have the same clientele as in Indy who might be willing to pay more money...and going to Chicago involves their becoming an "out-of-state" vendor in those places, which is disallowed in many cases anyway.

I think rosemary 'Logee's Blue' is the bestest.

Ah, just saw this. Any kind of food would do for you, would that be true? Do you have objections to chains (e.g. Capital Grille)? Price limits? I see you will be driving down, so you will be mobile even though you say you would give "extra points" for walking-distance places from the Westin. How far will you walk? (1+ mile/30 minutes?) Will you have a map (or be able to call up Google Maps, say) or a GPS? Would you "cab it" and back, if desired? ETA: How much interest would you have in "local stuff" or eats that tend to be thought of as "Indianapolis"? I'm not very up-to-date on downtown places, although I have some preferences amongst them; and anyway many of the better places are OUTSIDE of downtown, hence my questions. There are also lots of chain places (upscale chains included) downtown, almost no "mom-and-pop" or independent ones; they tend to be just beyond the immediate downtown area, and further afield. ETA2: Oh, regarding the desired breakfast - what time? Since you are driving, how late into the morning will you allow? ETA3: I've sent several PMs to you. Please have a look at them.

The latest batch. ETA: After I took off most of the (very yellow) fat on top Iadled out some of the clear stock with residual fat and drank it as-is. This is always one of the most satisfying things one can do in one's kitchen. ETA2: Had another big bowl of it, just standing there in the kitchen in front of the stove, drinking straight from the bowl. Aaahhh.

Took the flowering tops off some of the Holy Basil plants on my deck. I might do some sort of dish with them...

Flash "stir-fried" purple snow peas & yellow-podded peas. Simply w/ oil & salt. As bought, from Daily Farms at the Carmel Farmers' Market. A vermicelli bowl (glass/cellophane (mung bean) noodles) - using something that I am guessing most folks here would not have come across: "Artificial Pickled Cabbage Fish Flavor Instant Vermicelli" [白家 brand] (酸菜魚味 方便粉絲). Dressed w/ chopped scallions (green parts), Chinese celery. coriander fronds. Those "yellow/brownish thingies" are soy beans.

Various meals. Leftover beef shins braised w/ bamboo shoots (from here) augmented w/ stuff, over softened mei fun (thin rice noodles). It was re-simmered w/ "Spiced Dry Tofu" (五香厚干; this one) [Wen's Food], pre-soaked & trimmed wood-ear fungus, salt & some stock, and I don't remember what else. Bunching broccoli florets [Nading Farm] Blanched in simmering water, dressed w/ a mixture of rice bran oil, oyster sauce diluted w/ water, ground white pepper, then drizzled w/ some lemon-"ponzu" sauce [Kikkoman]. Remainder of the garlic chicken from here re-simmered w. stuff, over hand-made min sin (手工麵線; Fuzhou-type thin wheat noodles; a.k.a. misua) [Hung-Ming (Taiwanese brand)]. Stuff was simmered w/ more Western celery plus generous Chinese celery, shallots, hon-mirin [Takara], AgroDolce Bianco Delizia Estense, a scoop of gelatin-heavy chicken stock, dried bay leaves, crushed black peppercorns, this-and-that. Garnished w/ a sprig of chervil from my deck. Lotus leaf-wrapped glutinous rice w/ shiitake mushrooms & pork [commercial], steamed. Red-green romaine lettuce [Van Antwerp Farm] blanched in oiled simmering water, dressed w/ oyster sauce & black pepper. Fried rice. Hot oil & pan, sliced young reddish onions ("spring onions") [Nading Farm] fried till just browning, farm-fresh eggs [Schacht Farm] marbled in situ in the pan middle, 2-day-old white rice, some salt, toss/stir on high heat; sliced-up lean siu-yuk (Cantonese roast pork); then slice-up green parts of the young onions plus frozen petite peas, toss/fold in, cover for 30 secs, turn the heat off & leave the cover on for another minute. Garnished w/ Chinese celery leaves.

Couple of ramen bowls. With siu-yuk (燒肉) & a form of wong nga pak. Base was "Ibumie Penang Lad Mie Perisa Lada Pedas". With a couple of eggs poached in situ, spinach & shaved carrot. Base was "Dragonfly Instant Noodles Artificial Hot & Sour Shrimp Flavor".

Last night's version of garlic chicken chez huiray. Served over white rice. Chicken leg quarters, chopped up, bone-in. Oil, lightly crushed garlic (two heads worth), chicken pieces, salt, water, onions, fresh thyme branches, celery, bit of this-and-that, simmer till satisfactorily done. Plus a salad. Spinach, parsley, sugar snap peas (they're there), Arbequina EV olive oil, 10-year balsamic, Maldon salt, black pepper.

Stuff sold at a Farmers' Market does not HAVE to be local. It ought to be grown by independent farmers, ideally (or by the regulations of the market; where one vendor is allowed to be a reseller but such sourced produce MUST be clearly marked) but it can come from quite a distance away, including "halfway across the state". See here and here for some comments regarding some of the farmers' markets in my area, where I gave examples of Amish farmers coming into Indianapolis from 100+ to 120+ miles away, almost at the northern edge of Indiana. (As a side note the E/SE/S Asian vegetable offerings have declined a lot; for example, one of the most prolific growers "retired".)

Regarding coffee.