huiray

(edited)

Correct.

I tend to think that there is a cultural clash between what "beef" means. Japanese Wagyu does imply a certain appreciation for the texture, mouth-feel, etc etc of a kind of food ingredient, different from the North American cultural expectations of meat-being-chewed-in-the-mouth expectations. I somewhat think that the twain shall never truly meet.

Just a comment: Malaysian-Chinese cuisine is NOT the same as Nyonya cuisine. The Nyonyas have strict rules on what they will accept as "Nyonya dishes" and a generalized "Malaysian-Chinese" or "Singaporean-Chinese" is not it. (for example, and temporarily stepping outside "curries" - Hainanese Chicken Rice is NOT a Nyonya dish. It simply isn't. Even if it is offered in restaurants in the West that are named "Nyonya" or in restaurants run by Nyonyas)

Oh, there are other regionalities represented in the UK, and some of the best "Indian" restaurants are certainly from other regions of the Indian Subcontinent other than Bangladesh. ;-) I amended my post above to say that it really is in London, your stated "destination point", that Sylheti Bangladeshi is common - and in Brick Lane in particular. I am uncertain about the rest of the UK, perhaps a UK eGulleteer could chime in here. I am presuming you are not referring to Anglo-Indian cuisine, which is a separate thing.

I have to admit that I'm another who is confused by this sort of generalization. I've had a lot of Indian curries, and although some have been murky/harshly-seasoned, with a dog's-breakfast sort of texture and appearance, others were cleanly, beautifully rendered, with a luscious texture and seamless, velvety seasoning. The basic seasoning palette was recognizably similar at both ends of this spectrum, so the handling of the ingredients is obviously key (along with personal feelings about them; if you don't like X, any detectable presence of it is going to be disliked). I once had a boss who was from Northern india, and his contention was that (at least in NYC) the majority of of Indian restaurants served a lot of Northern Indian dishes, but were staffed by poorly paid workers from Southern India, who did not have a good feel for what they were cooking, and were too underpaid to care, anyway, the result being what my boss described as '...disgusting food, don't eat it'. I have often heard something that could be true in some cases, perhaps urban myth in others, which is that much of the "Indian" food found in run-of-the-mill U.S. Indian restaurants is actually Pakistani, because the Pakistanis are prolific restauranteurs in the States. And I ate my share of Indian in America that was surely tailored to the American palate, as many foreign cuisines are. On the other hand, I will travel from Italy to London just to go to the great curry houses. Maybe the problem is simply worldwide inconsistency of quality with curries... ...and the great majority of "Indian" restaurants in the UK London are run by Bangladeshis, I think? And of these Bangladeshis the great majority come from a single place - Sylhet in Bangladesh?

Heh. Cute fella. That was spaghetti squash, yes? The squash blossom pizza looks fantastic. No stuffing in the blossoms, I think? What was the cheese on it and how long did you "finish it off" at to melt the cheese in?

I've always wanted to try this, too. What tool would one use to the ribbons that are thin? A tomato based sauce would for sure be good. I've used my OXO mandoline in the past to get shaved slices of the zucchini which I then cut (chef's knife) into ribbons of varying widths. Yes, I did a tomato-based sauce too. I don't remember what the other one was. I'm thinking of tossing it with the leftover juices/sauces of some sort of poached or pan-fried fish, as another option.

Zucchini ribbons as a pasta substitute. Not a new thing, but something I've done only a couple of times and would like to explore more. I remember Richard Blais whipping up that zucchini-pasta dish in ep. 14 of season 8 (when they were on that island in the Bahamas). My issues would be things like the optimum thickness/width and cooking times and what sauces to pair with it, I suppose. (edit: ...season 8 of Top Chef, that is)

• Simple stir-fry/sauté of zucchini sticks w/ a head of garlic (individual cloves well-smashed but unchopped) & sea salt. Eaten w/ white rice (Hom Mali). Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=31359 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1910081 • Stir-fried pork tenderloin slices§ w/ chopped Chinese celery & zucchini sliced into sticks, with garlic in peanut oil. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=32185 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1916265 • Courgettes/Baby zucchini, flowers intact, dredged in a batter of all-purpose flour & corn starch (~ 1:1), water, one egg, some sea salt and water; deep-fried till golden-brown. Eaten as-is, clean flavor of the baby zucchini and flowers coming through. Pics: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=32765 and http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=32763 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1919959 • Linguine w/ lamb bacon, “Dodge City” salami, cippolini onions, broccoli florets, baby zucchini, Baby Bella mushrooms and fried eggs. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=32991 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1921696 • Cappelini tossed in the pan w/ sautéed morels, sliced baby zucchini & spring onions. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=32979 Full Post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1921696 • Zucchini sticks: White-and-green patterned, yellow, and normal green young zucchini, cut into quartered or halved sticks, sautéed w/ garlic & sea salt in veggie oil. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=33070 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1922716 • Baby zucchini sautéed in olive oil. • Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=33061 • Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1922716 • Chicken poaching stock w/ asparagus, baby squash & coriander leaves. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=33218 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1923881 • Asparagus & baby squash in chicken stock. Pic: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=33211 Full post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143989-lunch-whatd-ya-have-2012/?view=findpost&p=1923881

could be that " tastes change with age" ? as kids, my sister and i HATED cilantro (and rucola aka rocket aka arugula, and in fact most herbs and vegetables) and would pick them out of our food, much to the annoyance of our parents, who would then claim that we were not their kids but were adopted. i dont recall consciously trying to acquire a taste for cilantro, but by about age 20, we stopped picking them out and just ate them, and still did not use it in our home cooking until a few years later. When my sister bought her house with a backyard, the first thing she did was to grow cilantro, and she now uses cilantro almost like a vegetable. I am a bit more restrained. Go figure. As for those who believe that liking cilantro is gene related, in our case our genes must have mutated? :-)) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html http://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398 http://www.flavourjournal.com/content/pdf/2044-7248-1-22.pdf

To me, "Asian food" means food from Asia. Just as "European food" is from Europe.

Asian to non-Asians etc. Umm, what's "Asian"?

Kerry, glad to read that. :-) For me, it isn't also much a particular cuisine as (as others have also said) certain ingredients and/or preparations. Off the top of my head, what comes to mind are things like Cajun étouffée (I don't like mud pies), refried beans (ditto), bibimbap (what's the point of having all those individual stuff then just mashing them into a icky mixture), creepy-crawly insects (grilled or stewed or whatever), haggis (just a little too many offal-ish things together)...and so on. I am also one who finds the blanket dislike of "curries" by some to be curious. Interesting. As one surely must know, the term "curries" in the native cuisines is frequently not the usual or preferred term, heh. :-) That word is an English term that glossed over the many differences between the many preparations in various cuisines.

I was thinking of what to cook for lunch and reflecting on what I had in the fridge and what I had bought from the shops or farmers' markets and thought of what sort of stuff I usually eat. For me it tends to follow the rubric of: Vegetables (includes mushrooms) - Rice - Noodles (includes pasta) - Chicken/Duck - Pork - Fish - Shellfish - ...........(and in the distance) ......... Potatoes, Beef. Lamb and Offal (any kind) is somewhere in there but I'm not sure where to place it. Note that I am NOT vegetarian, I am definitely a meat eater - but I follow a kind of "East/South-East Asian" diet on the whole. What might be your (generalized) pattern?

Ahem...before I post anything else...what is meant by the term "ethnic food"??

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/30/opinion/the-soul-sisters-in-the-kitchen.html

Thanks, Steve Irby.

Breakfast today: Part 1 - Lotus root soup. Part 2 - Rice w/ slow-stewed pork hocks, bamboo shoots, snow fungus, ginger, rice vinegar, (mashed up) salted bean curd cubes in brine w/ chili, whole garlic cloves (Purple Glazer).

Various recent meals. ----------------------- Basil-y Lunch • Basil, fish balls [Venus] & beef balls [Venus] soup. Two cloves of fresh new season garlic (from one head of Purple Glazer garlic), deskinned, sliced longitudinally; stirred in veggie oil at moderate/low heat, water and salt added and simmered for a few minutes. Fish balls and beef balls were added and simmering continued for about 10 minutes. Fistfulls of trimmed basil (Genovese) leaves added, the mixture brought back to a simmer for a minute and the heat shut off. • Tomato, basil & minced pork sauce with “Mei Fun”. Sliced shallots & smashed chopped garlic were sautéed in EV olive oil till beginning to brown. A mixture of minced pork and sweet Italian-type sausage meat was added and tossed w/ the shallots for a few minutes then chopped ripe Black Plum tomatoes added. Salted, simmered for about ½ hour. Very generous trimmed basil was then added and stirred/folded in and simmering continued for about 5-10 minutes or so. The mei fun (skinny rice sticks) [Tiger brand (Taiwan)] were simply softened in a bowl by pouring boiling water over it and steeping for about 5 minutes. ------------------------ Dinner • Leftover basil, beef balls, fish balls soup w/ soft tofu slices added in. • Rosemary & olive oil flatbread [The Whole Market]. • Pan-fried pork & cabbage potstickers. • Tuscan kale, normal curly kale; chiffonaded, sautéed & simmered in water + stock + Shaohsing wine + olive oil + salt. ------------------------ Dinner • Spaghetti Carbonara. With guanciale, pecorino romano, 3 egg yolks, black pepper. Topped w/ a few parsley leaflets. • Chicken broth (from 6-hour slow-simmered stock) w/ fresh purple-skinned carrots & celery & normal carrots. • Stir-fried green beans. ------------------------ Lunch • Skinny noodles in wonton soup w/ purple-skinned carrots, poached eggs, parsley & scallions. ------------------------ Late dinner • Cod fillets steamed w/ black bean - garlic sauce [Lee Kum Kee], finely sliced ginger, smashed garlic, rehydrated thick-cap "tung koo" (Chinese shiitakes), veggie oil. • Chicken broth (slow-simmered stock) w/ celery, carrots, shallots, some of the chicken meat. • White rice (Basmati). ------------------------- Lunch • Fried rice. Julienned ginger sautéed in veggie oil, chopped scallions (LOTS), egg whites, 2-day-old Basmati rice, deep-fried shallots, some fish sauce [Red Boat]. Basically in that order. • Beef & green onion dumplings (“Shui Kow”), blanched “Kai Lan” and smallish fresh thick-cap “Tung Koo” (Chinese shiitake mushrooms) in broth. The broth was made by sautéeing chopped garlic, quenching w/ chicken stock then simmering bw/ the mushrooms and a small handfull of “Ikan Bilis” (semi-dried anchovies) (heads-on). The mushrooms were transferred to the serving bowl and the broth decanted into the bowl. ------------------------- Lunch • Sautéed yellow & green zucchini and “wong nga pak”. • Spaghetti [Garofalo] with pesto.§ §Basil, garlic (Purple Glazer), pine nuts, Pecorino Romano, sea salt, EV olive oil; food processor.

Early breakfast yesterday: • Chinese roast duck [Asia Mart], Tuscan kale & skinny wonton noodles [New Yung Ky Noodles, Inc] in chicken stock simmered w/ chopped garlic (Music). Breakfast today: • Three “soft-boiled” eggs. With some soy sauce [Kikkoman] & white pepper. Drunk straight from the (rice) bowl, no utensils. • Insalata Caprese. Purple Cherokee tomato, fresh mozzarella [Nicole-Taylor’s], basil [my back deck], EV olive oil [California Olive Ranch], sea salt, black pepper.

Some recent meals. ----------------------- • Broccoli blanched in oiled hot water, dressed w/ oyster sauce & ground white pepper. • Fresh radiatore [Nicole-Taylor’s] tossed in the pan with sliced Merguez sausage [smoking Goose, via Goose the Market] (this one) sautéed w/ chopped shallots & sliced Roma beans in olive oil & garlic. ----------------------- • Fresh chanterelles sautéed w/ butter, lightly salted, tossed w/ chopped parsley. • Capellini [Ferrara] cooked in the usual manner, tossed in the pan w/ the chanterelles at the end. Salted to taste. ------------------------ • Leftover radiatore-Merguez-etc plus leftover chanterelles-parsley-etc; combined and tossed w/ fresh olive oil. • “Kai Lan” stir-fried w/ smashed garlic & various sauces. ------------------------- • Long, slow-simmered chicken broth (Bell & Evans chicken thighs & legs w/ celery, carrots, parsley, onions, sea salt). -------------------------- • A version of “dung1 po1 yuk6” (東坡肉) (Dongpo pork). Sliced pork belly blanched in boiling/simmering water for ~5 minutes, drained, patted dry, sliced into “chunks”. Sliced ginger & scallions sautéed in veggie oil; “luscious soy sauce” [Kim Lan], light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior], Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], “sang chow” [Kim Lan] and “gula melaka” added and the mix allowed to bubble lightly for a minute or two. The blanched pork belly “blocks” were added, arranged skin-side-down as far as possible and water added to cover. Simmered for ~ ½ hr; the pork belly “blocks” turned over and simmering continued for about 3 hrs. Water added as needed. • Tuscan kale, chopped into strips, stir-fried w/ smashed sliced garlic. • White rice (Basmati). --------------------------- • Leftover dongpo pork w/ white rice. --------------------------- • Fresh Pacific White shrimp [Bedrock Springs Seafood Farm; via Goose the Market] steamed w/ ginger, garlic, sea salt, ryori-shu [MRT], mirin [Honteri], vegetable oil; dressed w/ sliced scallions. • Fresh baby carrot, kale, and fennel bulb soup. • White rice (Basmati). --------------------------- • “Pull Mustard” (雪裡紅) stir-fried w/ garlic in veggie oil. • Fresh oyster mushrooms (wild foraged, Northern Indiana) sautéed w/ thinly sliced ginger, Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], sea salt & veggie oil. • Ruby Red Trout, de-skinned; briefly poached in wakame stock.¶ • Trout skin “chips”. • White rice (Basmati). ¶Sliced garlic briefly sautéed in veggie oil, quenched w/ water; then dried wakame, sea salt, generous ryori-shu [MRT] plus a splash of rice vinegar and a touch of sweet mirin added and the mix simmered for a while. ---------------------------- • Leftover poached ruby red trout, with capellini [Racconto] tossed in the pan w/ some of the slightly -simmered-down poaching stock plus a dressing of reserved (simmered) wakame. ---------------------------- • Cucumber soup. Fat, somewhat maturing cucumber (but not quite what would be called “old cucumber”, “老黃瓜”), skin-on, de-seeded, sliced into big chunks. “Yook Chook” (玉竹; Yale: yuk6 juk1; Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce), “Tai Nam Chou” (大南棗) (large sort-of-smoked large Chinese jujubes), pre-soaked “Kau Kei Chee” (wolfberry fruits; 枸杞子), honey jujubes, pork spare ribs, sliced pork, unsmashed garlic cloves, salt, dash of Hokkaido Kelp Flavor Soy Sauce [Wei Chuan], water. • Spaghetti [Garofalo] with pesto. Pesto: Basil [from Steffen Quiet Spring Farm], pine nuts, EV olive oil [California Olive Ranch], garlic, sea salt, Pecorino Romano; mortar & pestle. ---------------------------- • Hairy gourd (“Mou Kwa”; ) skinned & sliced into fat sticks; simmered w/ smashed chopped garlic flash-sautéed in HOT veggie oil w/ softened medium-sized dried de-shelled shrimp (“Har Mai”; ) & scallions cut into 2-3 inch lengths, water, dried shrimp soaking water, a bit of chicken stock, sea salt; then softened bean vermicelli (粉絲) [Long Kow Food Enterprises (Taiwan); “World Treasure” brand; “寶純粉絲”] and the mixture gently stirred in and simmered till done. (2nd & 3rd helpings greedily devoured as well. I like this simple dish – “大姨媽嫁女” – with its clean, clear taste: “ching mei tou”; 清味道)

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113632/oregon-fluoridation-proof-liberals-are-new-puritans "Last month, at a birthday party for a three-year-old, I was hit with the realization that most of the parents around me were in the grip of moral panic, the kind of fear of contamination dramatized so well in The Crucible. One mother was trying to keep her daughter from eating a cupcake, because of all the sugar in cupcakes. Another was trying to limit her son to one juice box, because of all the sugar in juice. A father was panicking because there was no place, in this outdoor barn-like space at some nature center or farm or wildlife preserve, where his daughter could wash her hands before eating. And while I did not hear any parent fretting about the organic status of the veggie dip, I became certain there were such whispers all around me." " I was surrounded by the new Puritans: self-righteous, aspiring toward a utopian perfectionism, therefore condemned to perpetual anxiety—and in their anxiety, a threat to me and my children."

It's sort of sad. I'm assuming they'll rectify the health issues and reopen, but their financial health would remain an issue. With Eataly (presumably) opening soon, their future is further threatened.

@IAte, Aw Shucks.