Duvel

I think its not a TCM item. The shop.was selling dried seafood, so it might be some sort of dried fish fillet... Maybe I head there again next week to buy one

That's not a bad explanation, either

Hmm .. let me put is like this: The ground does collect a significant amount of organic debris (think trimmings, fish intestines, little pieces of bone ...) very fast and gets hosed down with water semi-regularly. It's not the best place to wear your nice shoes, the might get "wet". At least that's why I think its called like that.

So ... Before starting the day, I need to get you the promised pictures from the dried goods market. I always find it funny that in a climate that is semitropical and humid to boot, drying goods is a popular choice of preservation. But it is, and the local cuisine relies heavily on dried sea food, while the traditional Chinese medicine is probably the other pillar that's spawned the development of gazillions of different dried delicacies ... Street scene in Sai Yin Pun ... All things fish. Scallops. Fish maw / swim bladder (right side). Mussels. Beans. Shrimp. More swim bladders (good for circulation). Mushrooms ... More dreid seafood ... Sea cucumber ... Whole pieces of fish ... The Abalone shop. Note the prices (all per catty - bit more than a pound). Either a dried squid or the "facehugger" from the Alien movies... Some sort of barnacle ? No idea. @liuzhou ? Good morning, starfish - Hong Kong says helloooo ... Mussels. Self explanatory Tree fungus ... Deer antlers ... Deer tendons ... Caterpillar fungus ... And duck kidney.

I see. Pepperoni would of course fall also into the salami category in continental Europe

True. However, I had rare beef served in Pho in Vietnam. And of course in Japan (sashimi, Yakiniku, Shabu Shabu), Korea (Yukhe) and China (hot pot). I all cases the degree of doneness depends on the diner, but you could have undercooked meat in these instances. And for chickens, even here slightly undercooked (e.g. pink or bloody around the bones) is common. But then again, those chickebn went from being killed to being cooked in a matter of minutes ...

Like @liuzhou said: I had only the entire toad/frog once in a dish of baked rice with some other additions. The skin had "melted" into the dish and the most meaty part you could separate were the legs. I am not sure how to prep a toad/frog if I had to cook one. But now after knowing the secret benefits of a frog-heavy diet I might need to aquire that skill ...

Fish in general is not an issue. Most of it is placed on ice, but more often than not is still alive when you select it. Meat yes - but these are very freshly killed animals and usually rather large chunks (less surface area) and most treatments here consist of marinating and cooking to a more done result. That being said I usually by my meats that go for SV frozen from imported sources

Damn it ... they were on offer. Should have stocked up

My bad Normally, I prepare the dough ahead and let it ferment in the fridge for 24-48h. If I need to make a crust "spontaneously", I started to add yoghurt to the liquids. It adds tartness, complexity and the dairy helps to form a more stable gluten matrix much faster. So, in this case: 400g (Korean) bread flour 110g (French) yogurt - on the liquid side 170g water (combined with yoghurt about 70% hydration) 4/5 of a "Dr. Oetker" instant yeast satchet 8g salt 2g sugar Combine, knead for 5 min and let rise. Three fold & stretch cycles in about 1h. Divide intwo, roll out thinly and place on a sheet of baking paper. Sauce is crushed tomatoes, balsamico vinegar, salt, some mixed herbs. I put the pizza base with the sauce and whatever items need to be cooked in a preheated oven at 250 oC, full whack heating & circulation. Directly on the bottom of the oven, no metal sheet. The baking paper will brown significantly. After about 5 min I remover the nicely expanded base, add the other ingredients (e.g. olives, ham etc.) and the cheeses and return in the oven for about two minutes - done.

Oh yes, both locations. The pizza is excellent, albeit a tiny bit less charred than in NYC (my first Motorino experience was there). Rare treat though, as the pizza is priced at just below 200 HKD (25 USD). They do a have a lunch option at 150 HKD with a soft drink. Maybe I should visit again ... Brussel sprouts & guanciale @Motorino Wan Chai... However, normally if we go out as a family to Central at night we head for something Asian - all three of us are very partial to sushi and there is great sushi to be had at much lower cost. Pizza is pretty much something "homey" for us and the preparation is part of the fun ... My little helper ...

Thanks ... that's my standard "quick" pizza. Details see below Funny you have never considered this pizza. I always thought that mushroom & salami is one of the quintessential basic combinations. It is at least the most popular one in Germany, sometimes with added sweet ham. My son loves it ...

I did not manage to compile the pictures from the dried goods market ... something being left for tomorrow In the meantime: Dinner. Comfort food. Pizza night is usually on Sunday, but hey - we are all flexible ... Mushroom & salami Black olives & goat cheese The obligatory crumb shot Very nice "Weissburgunder" ...

So far I have not seen a live larger mammal being killed at the market. Everything comes in (rather unusal) cuts ...

They are very pretty. I was hoping it carries through the photograph ...

The only dish I know for the toads is baked ice with toad legs. Let me investigate further

Lunch today is "Siu Mei", or roasted meats. Actually it describes everything coming from the above shown Siu Mei shop ... From left to right: Si Yau Gai (soy sauce chicken), Char Siu (barbecued pork) and Lou Dan (soy sauce boiled eggs). Left: Siu Aap (roasted duck), right: Siu Yuk (roasted pork with crispy skin). Sauces are Lou Sui (sweet aromatic soy sauce) for dipping as well as hot mustard for the Siu Yuk. Accompanied by mushrooms with garlic & chili and smacked cucumbers, again with garlic and a dash of vinegar. Oh yes ... and everything served with a Paulaner Hefeweizen (wheat beer), just because it's weekend

Outside the wet market, the local shops continue... This one sells everything you possibly need for putting into hot pots - very popular in Hong Kong: Fruit (we will see a large fruit market this afternoon) ... Longans & lychees ... Roasted meats (guess what for lunch today ?) A nice shot of tradition meeting "modern" Hong Kong ... On a side entrance of a roasted meat shop, something waiting for a spot in the roasting oven

3rd floor: Meeeaaat ... Beef & pork ... Variety meats (under the table) ... Chicken ... Very fresh indeed ... there are live chickens in the background. You order, make your round and gete a freshly dressed chicken some minutes later . Black chickens. Good for tonic soups ...

2nd floor: Fish ! All your hearts desire - and fresh ... This display is very usual - Cantonese love to see the swim bladder intact. Shell fish, shrimps ... Fresh (barely) alive fish ... Minced fish meat (in the middle) for filling veggies, tofu or rolling into fish balls for hot pot ... Not quite fish ... but toads. Turtles ... and blue crab.

Every district of Hong Kong has it's own wet market, where mostly the local population buys their groceries, fish and meat. Notable, fruits are not sold at wet markets, but separate fruit markets instead. Sometimes the wet markets are couped with cooked food markets, where local fresh and rather cheap food can be found. At Sai Yin Pun wet market ... The "Dried veggie and tofu" place ... All types of soy bean products ... Large cubes of coagulated duck blood are paired with tofu products, due to their similar consistency and usage ... 1st floor: Veggies galore ! Tradition. Gai lan ... The root vegetable store ... Greens ... Leafy greens ... Some sort of bean ?

Good morning from Sai Yin Pun ! I headed out this morning for the wet market and was planning to have a congee with a fried bread stick ... After running around for a while (sipping on a lemon ice tea - an alternative to the dark green tea I have on weekdays) I found a congee shop. But somehow I decided to look for something more savoury later ... Fried bread sticks on the top, more fried dough items below and baked buns on the bottom, all to be consumed with ... ... thick Congee, served with roasted peanuts and pickles. The fried dough sticks are slightly sweet and taste a bit like doughnuts.

If you would be interested, I think I could get a source ...

Tonight I was invited at a dear Japanese friends house. We share the same circle of friends - all local - and I did teach them how to bake bread at one point. Today we took a lesson in making Gyoza and Takoyaki. The former was rather conventional (homemade filling and folding), the latter featured - amng other items - Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) and Nuernberger sausages. I contributed chicken wings (cooked sous vide at 70 oC for two hours, then pan- or deep fried, respectively, as requested by our HK friends). Korean style sauce or curry-salt to go with it ... Takoyaki. Chicken wings Gyoza... Bit of refreshment Itadakimasu !!!

Yup, that still is pretty much the norm on sundays, for all the domestic helpers gathering in public places and enjoying their only free day of the week. I'll post an updated picture ...