Duvel

That's a lovely idea ... I will definitely copy that ! Thanks, @Anna N

Thanks, @kayb and @dcarch! And the best thing is that the fibers of the tablecloth are somehow coated and you can just wipe over it with a wet cloth to remove stains ... It still feels like regular fabric.

The festivities might go on here as well, but I am expected at work tomorrow

Last night of the CNY holidays here in Hong Kong ... time for hot pot ! Two differents broths: chicken/pork with mushrooms and goji berries as the Chinese element and dashi with dried sardines and a bit of miso for the Japanese part. Something for everyone ... It was good - my in-laws enjoyed it and even more so my son. Happy me

If you want to go "Chinese" I'd skip the roasting and par-boil instead ...

Since you are working on your wonton soup base, I'll start with the classics: ginger, scallion, bit of white pepper, maybe some cabbage trimmings and ham (cured, but not smoked). If you have access to dried shrimps you could add them, too ...

After running around the whole day, visiting a temple and fighting our way through the "spectacular" Snoopy World in Sha Tin (seriously, don't go there) we came back at 18.30h, I was neither in the mood for shopping nor cooking. Thankfully most of the family opted for cornflakes and fruit (not pictured). For my FIL and me I dug out some goodies from the stockroom: "Motsu" (intestines) flavoured corn crisps. Braised camel meat from Xinjiang, China. followed by: Ippudo Ramen, spicy red miso flavour (from Kyushu, Japan, given by a very dear friend). Veeeery good ! La Mian Laksa from Singapore (referenced recently by @Anna N). Enjoyed with two fine Japanese beers. Lovely meal with zero work ...

Let's compromise and call it fusion Smørrebrød ?

Noma ?

Second day of the Chinese New Year celebrations. We went to a heritage trail in the new territories - essentially alone, as everyone else in HK was busy visiting relatives and the Gweilos are normally on vacation in Thailand, Vietnam or the Philippines... There was not a single restaurant found to be open. Zero. Only one takeaway sushi was in business, but clever me had - in a spurt of alcohol-induced home sickness - put a pork belly to dry cure four days ago. Roasted in a low oven for three hours with a blast at full 250 oC to crisp up the skin - perfect! Potato salad, sugar-glazed peas & carrots and onion gravy ... Certainly not the most photogenic meal but soooo satisfying

While getting ready with the in-laws to see the Chinese New Year parade in Kowloon, my four year-old decided that he rather stay at home and play I volunteered to stay with him which prompted him to declare it a "papa & son" evening, meaning home-made pizza and a movie (after extensive Lego playtime, of course) were expected ... Having no dough at hand, I improvised with quick "naan"-style flour/yoghurt/baking powder mix, flattened and grilled in a screaming hot griddle pan. Topped with a puréed tomato and mushroom/salami and gratinated in a hot oven. Together with "Shrek" exactly what he wanted and a very relaxed CNY day Xin Nian Kuai Le !

In Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany "Kochkäse" as a sauce on Schnitzel is common. It gets dusted with paprika powder before serving (sometimes raw onion is added as well ...). Any chance that description fits ?

Given that my day-time job is devising large capital projects, it is surprising how much I suck at "small" projects like Valentines dinner ... I was late. I did not preorder the fancy seafood I was intending to cook. I didn't put the special off-dry Riesling into the fridge. "Luckily" my in-laws arrived yesterday from Catalunya, so there was a feast with selected Catalan cold cuts, cheeses and excellent red wine (from my cellar), even without me. All I could do was preparing two "Old Fashioneds", heavy on the orange bitters and have a good talk with my special one ... And because I was starving (after the first OF) and there was no bread left I made "emergency MaPo DoFu" by blending a cured sausage with ginger, garlic and Sichuan pepper, frying it up and making up a sauce from Toban Jiang and pork stock. Worked like a charm (and points taken for next year), as did the talk. Happy Valentines Day everyone

I can wholeheartedly second that - it's an excellent product with a very balanced taste; not too strong on the belacan (which might be tricky for the first time consumer) nor too spicy. Especially if you have never had Laksa before it helps to create a reference to what could/should taste like ...

You mean Laksa ?

Dear @pep., You are excused - we are tolerant people here Yes, they are - at least on "my menu" (as stated) and pretty much every German household and restaurant. I'd like to quote Ken Hom's book "Chinese Cuisine", in which he describes Chinese food outside of the Chinese nations with the words "Everything suffers from a sea change when removed from its native land ...". So, while you might be correct when it comes to Austrian renditions of classic German dishes (see what I did here ), rest assured in Germany you'll mostly likely encounter them breaded ... As I said you are excused for your heritage and the strong opinions that come with it ... Thank god you have realised that So maybe you just have to find the part that agrees with you. As a native of Lower Saxony, may I propose to start with a breaded Schnitzel with "Jägersosse", freshly prepared in a pub in the countryside with a large "Pils" (pun intended) ? Then you'll see that your fear of might be restricted to countries south of Germany ...

Still, that butter poached lobster will make a fine centrepiece on you valentines dinner

I am a big proponent of the paleo/very low carb approach. However, after trying most of the combinations out there for faux pizza crust I have to say that cauliflower pizza beats them all ... for calorie count (yes, I count them) and structure. Flavour you need to align with yourself

With my wife out for a concert and my little one already asleep it's dinner for one today ... And that means the opportunity to eat as spicy and strongly flavoured as I want So, without hesitation I made Laksa, creamy & fishy, with shrimp and squid, roasted garlic and (unconventionally) Onsen tamago. And a bottle of Riesling because... well, because I wanted

Improvised "Four grain bread" - 50% wheat, each 16.6% rye, spelt and emmer. 12h poolish, 70% hydration with 1/3 of the water substituted with home-made yoghurt for a bit of tang, 4h bulk ferment with three stretch-and-fold cycles at room temperature. Baked at 250 oC in a preheated Dutch oven for 15 min, then 30 min without the lid at 200 oC. Moist open crumb with a very crunchy crust; great nutty flavour. Will continue to work on this one ...

Aside from the carp dish that @BonVivant was able to enjoy, fish fillets treated as "Schnitzel" are typically referred to as Backfisch in Germany. While batter-fried fish (as in British fish & chips) is getting more and more common, in most traditional restaurants as well on family tables you'll find flour/egg wash/breadcrumb coated fillets shallow fried in butter fat. It is a popular item in cantines as a typical Friday dish ...

I don't think think that there is right or wrong - just very different culinary traditions that I very much enjoy to learn about and discuss ...

The most basic one - as referenced above usually served with a slice of lemon and a parsley stalk - is called "Wiener Schnitzel" (if made from veal) or "Schnitzel Wiener Art" (" ... in the Viennese tradition", if made from pork or any other animal) ...

It's funny: I have never considered having a Schnitzel unbreaded ...

I am astonished ... From "my menu": Jägerschnitzel: mushroom cream sauce Zigeunerschnitzel: pickled pepper and onions sauce Rahmschnitzel: cream sauce Kochkäseschnizel: cheese-bechamel sauce Holsteiner Schnitzel: fried or poached egg and roasted onions Spreewälder Schnitzel: horseradish sauce and pickled cucumber Elsässer Schnitzel: creme fraiche with bacon and onions Schnitzel Hawaii: pineapple and baked cheese ... Before moving to Hong Kong my wife and me were frequently visiting Schnitzelhaus "Alte Münz" in Heidelberg. Check out their menu with 100 Schnitzel varieties ... In Germany, the sauce defines the Schnitzel