Pan

A lot of that is in the China and Chinese Cuisine forum. You'll probably be interested in the China Forum Cook-offs and the Chinese Food Pictorials by hzrt8w, though he doesn't use a wok. But sure, a stirfrying thread here is a great idea.

Great line! Did you like it, ultimately, or not? The references to those artists don't help me, as they would be damning rather than complimentary if I were making them. As a matter of fact, I thought that you liked the dish until I got to that line, but on rereading the rest, I'm not sure. How? Because there's a variable you didn't mention: The cost of the meal. Gramercy Tavern is very expensive -- if not by comparison with ADNY, by my standards and the standards of most people I know. At $100+ a head, the meal had better be transcendant, or I'll feel cheated. And since there's some real question whether I'd feel satisfied with such a high-priced meal at Gramercy Tavern, I probably will never go there on my dime.

The only food books I can think of from my childhood are Green Eggs and Ham (is that food?) by Dr. Seuss and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. If I remember something else, I'll mention it.

Agreed on the taco de rajas, I love it!

What's wrong with La Super-Rica for dinner? As far as I'm concerned, nothing. I think that which things to get there is really a matter of personal taste, and you're unlikely to go wrong, whatever you order.

You were bringing them back to where?

Apples and red cabbage, with or without onions. Some caraway seeds are good with that. It's a traditional Central/Eastern European recipe. Cook it down in a big pot on the stove until everything is well-blended, serve as a side dish. Hmmm...but I think that's better with a tarter apple...

Maggie, I'm enjoying this blog very much. All these compliments for your cat, but now we see your dashing husband. Nice portrait photo of him. He looks very intense and full of deep thoughts. One food-related question: What is "oriental mustard"?

You're unlikely to find anything more satisfying than La Super-Rica in SB. I went there twice this past summer, in only a few days' visit.

Well, the Chili Udang Galah (kind of like big langoustines, also called lobster shrimp and such-like) that I used to get at the "home cooking" Chinese restaurant in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, used shrimp with the shells and head on, so that's just another way to do things. When are you going to invite me to your house, Ah Leung?

Without the "m", if you're in Terengganu or Kelantan. I didn't realize until a few years ago that lempeng has an "m" (somebody told me, just like they told me that lokam is the way to spell "clam" and longkang is a drain -- those two words are pronounced exactly the same in Terengganu dialect, i.e. "lokang").

Sura was made in huge vats in the village I was living in, so that would also be a similarity to Central Anatolian practice.

I had a very pleasant dinner with my mother at Indus Valley tonight. It was her birthday, and we both found the experience very pleasant. I won't give a rundown of the whole meal, but I do want to make a particular point of the quality of their kulfi. We both had the pistachio kulfi, and it is really excellent: The real stuff, none of this watered-down ice cream bullshit you usually get in New York. I found it the highlight of a good meal.

More flavor how? What is added?

It's been there for about 10 years. ← Did it use to have a different name, or am I confusing it with a place in the same area but on 2nd Av. (or that was on 2nd Av.), perhaps?

The kids are so cute! But more importantly, it's so cool that they're taught how to cook in school, girls and boys alike, and cooperate as a team.

Oh, I know this place. It used to have a different name, which slips my mind at the moment. But it's been quite a while. I used to enjoy drinking the Turkish cherry soda they sell with my doner kebab or whatever. Yeah, I do remember their desserts were great. Gosh, this is probably 4 years ago. I was a chowhound at the time, and I remember Jim Leff touting the place.

Blackened redfish? But what kind of red fish?

Great report! Though I hope you two don't wake up regretting having eaten all that food. Where's the place located?

Happy birthday, Irwin! Sue-On, can you tell us more about Mah-la gau? Like, what are the ingredients?

Judy, do you prefer Nannini's panforte to Sapori? I did. And there are so many other interesting confections in their store on the Banchi di Sopra in Siena. I recall really liking their torrone, for example. Is there any evidence of what was used in panforte instead of chocolate before trade routes were opened from Europe to the Americas?

I know it as bubur caca/cha cha, or just plain bubur. When you go to Kuala Lumpur, get some at any stall that sells it, and it'll be way better than anything you had at a restaurant in New York. But Penang is a chain and there are a bunch of them; Nyonya is also part of the chain. I'm having trouble remembering what restaurant dessert was the best. Seems like the desserts I remember most were from bakeries or home-made.

Daniel, my father was interested in the place, so I gave it a try. Now, he won't be going. But you're right; I didn't think of your warning while I was walking past and went in on a whim. Despite the amount of time I spend here, I don't always remember who said what about which place when I haven't specifically used eGullet to plan where I'm going, so don't feel too bad about not having saved me from a mediocre meal.

Ashure, that's so interesting! There was (or is?) a traditional food in rural East Coast states of Peninsular Malaysia which they called "sura." I believe it was JustKay who found out that that's short for "asyura," which is really a Malay spelling that sounds the same as Turkish "ashure." Their version of the stuff has almost everything you can think of in it, including chicken. It's a complex, viscous dessert, redolent of various spices, most notably cardamom, and rich with nuts and coconut milk and animal fat, and it was one of the best things I ate in the village I was living in from 1975-77. It's evident that there is a common origin for Central Anatolian ashure and East Coast Malaysian asyura/sura. Amazing, no?

Not for the food; I know that much! I took the LRT past Bangsar a lot but don't remember getting out there. I guess there's always a next time, God willing. Oh, it just occurred to me that I bought some Ramadan food this evening: Hilwa dates from Al Madinah Dates Co., which of course come from Madinah in Saudi Arabia. (I bought them at Spice Corner, a shop owned by Muslims who I believe to be from the Indian Subcontinent.) I have to say that while they're alright, they are quite disappointing, in that high-quality California medjools are superior. But they're from the Holy Land, if you're a Muslim, so that makes them special. I remember getting really wonderful Saudi dates in Kuala Terengganu back in the 70s, and there was that great Iraqi date paste that was sold in plastic packages. These are nowhere near as good as either. The Iraqi date paste was made from medjools, I believe, but that Saudi dates were probably deglet, and were just way better than the ones in this package.