Tropicalsenior

Well, this is my sourdough bake from yesterday. I know that my method and my recipe would make true sourdough Bakers throw up their hands in horror but it works for me. I am going more for texture and taste and after much trial and error I have finally reached exactly what I want. A sandwich loaf that has a soft interior and baguettes that have a soft interior and a chewy not hard crust. The shaping leaves something to be desired and I still have to work on that but the taste is definitely just what I want.

It's the same in Costa Rica right now. I don't know what's going on.

And I am bulging with jealousy. There are no such things as cherries in Costa Rica.

No, not just no but hell no! Reading through this whole thread I feel like I've been dropped in a whole different dimension. That anyone in this day and age is so ignorant of the dangers of botulism or anything else that might be growing in that ghastly experiment is absolutely incredible to me. My only hope is that you are the only person that has to ingest this mess. If you feed it to anyone else I'm sure the charge would at least be manslaughter.

I looked up on the internet the place that we used to go for these. It was called The Piece of Cake, a little Chinese bakery that was outstanding. My grandson said that he had been there about a year ago. I was hoping to recommend it to anyone that might be in the Seattle area but to my dismay I found out that they closed for good on April 30th citing the increasing cost of doing business and the encroachment of chain bakeries. My grandson is going to be very sad to hear this. He had been going there for over 35 years.

Thank you. It didn't take me long to cut into one and it was delicious. This recipe comes closest to the ones that we used to get in the International District of Seattle. They were always well worth a special trip into Seattle to get. I used up the extra dough that I had but my Kaiser rolls need a little work.

As promised, or threatened in the dinner thread, my Sunday meat bun is Char Siu Bao. I haven't tried one yet but they look pretty good.

Not only that, some mangoes have big seeds and some have little seeds. You need to x-ray the mango to see how big the seed is.

I appreciate your integrity. I've had people say, well, it's really not mine to give but I will change it enough so that it's different. Thank you, no. If it's a completely different recipe it's not the one I want.

Unfortunately, many restaurant kitchens are designed by this guy instead of the ones in the background who really have to use it.

I can't see that it would have much value here because our mangoes very in size from 8 oz to almost a kilo. One would be always looking for a mango to fit the tool.

I checked all the references they had on the internet and they had no photos. I think the one that Michael and I stumbled into must have been the very first one that they had. As I remember it, the contestants had a lot more than two cans of spam and more than 15 minutes to complete their sculptures. I remember one contestant made an almost recognizable bust of Abraham Lincoln and another had a pretty passable pig. The mess I remember had to have been more than two cans of spam.

Mangos?

Hmm, curiouser and curiouser. Perhaps a tool for cleaning squid? I have to admit I'm stumped.

How big is it and is the principal blade or scraper adjustable?

Looks like something to scrape out avocados or to make avocado slices.

@Kim Shook seems great minds think alike. I made Char Siu last night using my own recipe. Stir fried vegetables. Just served it with rice and a homemade cottage cheese and vegetable salad. I've got plenty of char siu leftover so Sunday meat buns will be Char Siu Bao.

Sorry about that. Turns out it was white trash party food. I find some of the most intriguing threads just by looking at what guests are reading.

Years ago my grandson and I went to Seattle's spam carving contest. It was a rather messy affair.

That could be partly my fault. The ones that I made and showed are smaller than the ones that you would get in China. Hence, they probably look more like English muffins. However the Chinese buns are thinner and have a bit chewier texture than English muffins. Another difference is that the English muffins are cut from a rolled dough where the Chinese buns are formed. English muffins have the shape of a hockey puck whereas these have the shape of a pillow. They also have a much finer texture.

You are entirely too modest. Your dedication to authenticity and flavor is truly inspiring. Since I don't have a prayer of being able to source any of the ingredients that you use all I can do is admire and drool. Although your specialty isn't Chinese food, I would venture to say that you are familiar with most of the ingredients. As promised. Here are the final results. As everyone knows, I can't use garlic or peppers but other than that the recipe is just like @liuzhou's. They were delicious.

Just finished making a batch exactly to @liuzhou's recipe. It's only a half batch because we like smaller ones. I don't make the coil and flatten it because mine have had an occasion to separate. I make the initial role, cut them into rounds and roll them into flat biscuit like shapes with a rolling pin. Fry them on a dry Grill and then into a 370° oven for 10 minutes. They fluff up slightly on the grill and then more in the oven. The texture is perfect. @Mianbao if you are looking to learn about Chinese food there is no better place than the Forum, both in articles that you will find from the past and from present members. If you get an answer from @liuzhou, @Duvel or from @KennethT you can take it as gospel. Information on the Internet is always iffy but these three will never steer you wrong.

This article on common baking ingredients will give you an overview on the action of sugar and yeast.

You couldn't be more wrong. If one hopes to duplicate or copy the food of another culture you must first understand exactly what it is. Without knowledge one is doomed to failure.

I can personally vouch for @liuzhou's recipe. He gave it to me some years ago when I had a Chinese luncheon. I served it with rave reviews. I'm glad you posted this topic because I had almost forgotten about them. I'm going to make them for dinner tonight. They are outstanding.