cwyc

I was just looking for the book on amazon and didn't find it there. Did find however, a book called Vatch's Thai Street Food. Have you seen this one before? Is it worth getting?

I will be in Thailand next montha nd am anticipating trying out many of the restaurants patroned by locals as well as street food. How easy is it to order food and understand what's going on if I don't speak the language? In particular, I am very interested in eating at the street food stands but I am concerned that I may not understand or be able to converse with the merchants. Any advice?

helenas: the dried fish is a darkish brown colour. It normally comes in bags of three to five. They are about the size of a hand, flattened and dried out. Do not mistake it for dried, salted fish which are more golden in colour and usually about the length of a forearm. Once you have it charred (in broiler or grill), you can remove the head and the tail in addition to the burnt bits. It is not uncommon for noodle houses to use the head and tail to form part of the soup stock. It adds another level of flavour. hope this helps.

Had dinner at Beckta. Here are my impressions: The focus on unusual ingredients (like east coast seaweed), a few favourite stand-bys (like steak-frites), an emphasis on experimentation (like foie gras poutine) and interesting combinations (like duck confit and squash bisque) make for a menu that appeals to both the adventure-seeking and the comfort-seeking palates. For every table, the evening (and it is a long meal) starts off with an amuse bouche. That night we had tomato salsa beef tartare (or something like that) served on Chinese soup spoons, and ended off the meal with petite fours. The petite fours reminded me of mini brownies and tiny little donuts from the carnival. I couldn't help drawing similarities between this restaurant and Restaurant Signatures at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa. Same sort of French sensibilities. But whereas Signatures is classical French, Beckta is experiential. Whereas Signatures is priced with old-school notions of formal French dining, Beckta is hipper and priced more value for the dollar. For dinner, instead of going with the five course tasting menu, we opted for our own three appetizers: snow crab salad, squash bisque and foie gras poutine. For the dinner entrees we had steak frites, and a duck breast served with an interesting combination of grilled fruits and vegetables such as beets, peaches and grapes and mini shitake mushrooms. The steak, on the other hand, was topped with a large smoky, woody, earth shitake? mushroom. It tasted vastly different from the duck breast mushrooms though. There was obviously an emphasis on developing different flavours with the same ingredients. The duck alone was fine, but it was the sum of all parts that made the meal strong. The dessert was the show stopper. It was a dramatic end to a great meal. We had the crème brulée and a Valrhona chocolate thing. The only disappointment was the wine selection. The server promised a smooth red, but it turned out to be young and puckery. Otherwise, it was a great meal.

Titus: Sorry I took so long, but here is the recipe for wontons. It's very easy: 5 dried black mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water, chopped 2 - 3 green onions or chives, finely chopped 1 lb lean ground pork 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, and chopped into large chunks 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 egg 2 packages wonton wrappers & 2 - 3 tablespoons dried fish flakes (optional, but adds amazing flavour and texture): I do not know the English name for it, but in Cantonese the phonetic translation is dai tey yu. I feel kind of silly to say, but literally translated it is "big floor fish". In any case, this whole dried fish can be found in Asian markets. Place it in the oven or on a grill and char it at 350 degrees until it is slighly smoky/burnt. Scrape off the burnt parts and chop coursely. Place in a blender to render flakes. This can be stored in an airtight container. Combine all ingredients and you have the fixings for some good, old traditional wonton dumplings. To wrap in the shape of a rosebud or nurse's hat: If you are right handed, place wonton in a triangle position on your left palm. Place a small amount (maybe a heaping teaspoon or more) near the lower corner of wrapper. Roll that corner towards the opposite corner about half way, making sure the filling is securely enclosed. Dip finger into a bowl of water and dab left corner with water. Secure both rolled ends together by bringing left corner towards you (away from the top corner), while at the same time bringing right corner towards you. Pinch right corner on top of wet left corner. This produces the shape of the aforementioned rosebud or nurse's hat shape. Set the finished won ton cookie sheets and place a damp towel on the wonton to avoid drying out. These can be neatly placed in plastic freezer bags to be frozen for future consumption. Let me know how it turns out. Enjoy.

I'm not a big fan of using beef in dumplings because it doesn't give the same texture or taste as pork. Pork is smooth. I find beef, especially if boiled, makes the dumpling dry and chewy. But there are so many different ways of making dumplings. It's kind of like the million ways of making a seafood jambalaya or gumbo. Every home has their own best recipe. Nurse's hats are a perfect description of won tons.

I'm intrigued. Can you describe what might be in it? How does it taste?

Titus: I will get the recipe to you shortly. As for why your noodles are sticking together...I thought about it some more, and you are right - I don't think it has anything to do with either fresh or dried. Both are good in their own way, but the problem of sticking together, I believe has to do with the fact that they need to be swished around in the boiling water vigorously. I am assuming you understand Cantonese? You need to "chauk" it vigorously. I do not think oil will help matters. I have tried that with pasta and as we all know, oil and water do not mix. It just makes the entire thing slick and greasy. I think you might be right about using a bigger pot to boil the noodles. My guess is that your local bbq shop, in its frenetic and routine pace just throws the whole slab of noodles in the boiling water and does not swill (chauk) it around vigorously and use a chopstick to separate and move things around. That's my guess, anyways.

I think the soupy ones you are referring to are the ones similar to won tons. There are many, many variations of the soupy-type dumplings, each with different names. As for the meatier ones, they do have a thicker skin for the purposes of pan frying it. Normally, if you go into an asian store, check the refrigerated section and you will see the many different types of wrappers available. So do I! That's an interesting bit of trivia. I did not know that. I was under the impression crab rangoons were an Asian invention from the Caribbean - a fusion, if you will. Another bit of trivia: won ton in Cantonese is literally translated as cloud swallow. Notice how wontons float in the broth like clouds? The clouds are to be swallowed or slurped!

Well, you know the whole "western alienation" concept studied to death in the 1980s? Manitoba figured into that debate. I think it might be considered last of the western provinces. But Alberta and BC probably see Winnipeg as the hinterland between that and Toronto. Sadly, Winnipeg is often left high and dry between the wild west and the so-called worldly Toronto. Admittedly, it fights for an identity, but I think Winnipeg is alot more sophisticated than most people give it credit. When you're an underdog, you have to look outward and upward. As for Regina and Saskatoon, I dare not even try to define it. I don't know what happened to Rolf. But do you remember the Hunger Hut some nine or ten years ago? It was a restaurant housed in a HOUSE! Did he not cook there as well?

As an aside, I find it interesting eatbc put this post under "Toronto, Ontario, and Central Canada". I have always considered Winnipeg as western Canada, due mostly to the political regionalism of the country. I guess its different when you're talking geographically. Just an interesting observation. I have not been to Kum Koon Garden since the renovation. I have actually heard similar things about KKG since the renovation - that the prices are much higher, but the food quality has not seen the same upward movement. I suppose he's got to find a way to pay for those renovations, although yes, I'm sure it is nice. Do you go to Marigold (the one in Chinatown) for dim sum at all? I find that place to be very oily as well. As for Grand Garden, yes, I have to concur - it is disgusting. I am only in Winnipeg two or three times a year now so I do not have the benefit of seeing any changes or updates to the restaurants. I haven't been to 529 Wellington, but I'd be interested in hearing how the menu fares. I was at The Loop in the Exchange District back in December 2002. Sadly, it did not live up to the expectations I had of it from the FoodTV show, Opening Soon. What was I expecting though? Opening Soon isn't exactly about introducing the great culinary experience.

prasantrin: I do agree with you to a large extent re: your assessment of decorating a few walls, hyping a place up and giving it a fancy name in order to call it a great dining experience. That is why I am so surprised with your assessment of Dim Sum Garden. Are we talking about the same place? The one on Rupert? You may be right. It is perhaps a difference in our taste preferences, but I find that place to be a hole. The bad florescent lighting, the use of white plastic garbage bags as tablecloths, the lack of natural lighting, the substandard cleanliness all make this place seem like a cheap joint. But putting aside physical appearances (for these are minor concerns when the food is top rate), the dim sum I truly believe is not even of professional standards. Seriously, I have made better dim sum as a non-professional cook. I refer specifically to one of the most important elements of dim sum preparation - the wrapping or skin of the har gow i.e. the shrimp dumpling. Dim sum is not dim sum without har kow. I think same goes for the rice rolls or cheung fun. Those in my humble opinion are the cornerstones of dim sum, and when the texture of those two items are compromised, it is said among dim sum diners that the chef lacks the "chefness" to make good dim sum. My experience with Dim Sum Garden has been oily, crumbly, scant, poorly constructed dumplings combined with the lack of expertise to make the all-important wrapper. I'm not even talking about rating it to the same quality as the place you mentioned in Toronto. I'm just talking about basic preparation and knowledge of making a few good dumplings. As for your reviews of Green Gates, I have not been there in probably seven or eight years so your assessment may be more on the mark then mine. As for Pasta la Vista, as I had mentioned I do have ambivalent feelings about the place because I think they showed some real effort in the first couple of years. I still think they are worth trying though.

Titus: would you mind sharing your recipe with me?

Starbucks has jumped on the bandwangon and offerss espresso mooncakes at their Hong Kong locations.

Won tons freeze beautifully. I usually make a huge batch in one sitting numbering in the hundreds. I freeze them up in plastic freezer bags by placing them in neat little rows. You have to be careful about not throwing them all in together, otherwise they will stick together en masse. They make a great meal when you're pressed for time. They require no defrosting because you can just throw them in boiling water or broth. It takes only minutes for it to cook. My personal preference is flat rice noodles, although won tons are traditionally served with the egg noodles you refer to. But when egg noodles are prepared fresh (not the dried variety), you can just taste the amazing flavours of the noodle. Maybe your local bbq shop doesn't use fresh noodles. It really does make a difference.

Dumplings are actually just a generic word to referring to small mounds of dough stuffed with ingredients such as pork, shrimp, vegetables, etc. Dumplings refer to won tons, potstickers, siu mai, har gow, etc. Similarly, pasta is a generic word referring to farfalle, linguine, capellini, etc. Pot stickers are a specific type of dumpling that usually has a thicker skin (dough) than won ton. Pot stickers are stuffed with mostly pork and a little bit of vegetables such as cabbage or chives or leeks. These are then pan fried & steamed(braised), with oil and just a bit of water skimming the bottom of the pan. I believe pot stickers originated in Northern Chinese cuisine, where as won ton is a Cantonese invention. Won tons, normally have a thinner skin stuffed with pork, shrimp, chives, soy sauce, egg (as a binding ingredient) and whatever else the cook desires). The traditional won ton is served with won ton egg noodles in steaming hot broth as a hearty breakfast or lunch meal. Americanized versions of won ton are miniscule portions of its real glory, deep fried, and sometimes even served with sweet and sour sauce. I personally prefer won ton the traditional way where it is boiled and served with a big bowl of egg noodles and hot broth. I love it with a dollop of hot chili sauce. I fold my won tons in the shape of rose buds. It's a little bit more effort, but comes out so beautifully. I like adding chives or green onions, lean ground pork, shrimp, soy sauce, egg and dried reconstituted mushrooms. The mushrooms provide an earthy dimension to the dumpling. I have also had won ton where dried fish is added. It's a special type of dried fish available in asian markets. I don't know the name of it, but the cook first chars the dried fish in the oven or on the grill, and then grinds it down to small flakes. This is an extra step, but well worh the effort because it gives the won ton a subtle smoky flavour and somewhat crunchy texture.

I think Green Gates and Pasta la Vista are both worth a try. Green Gates focuses on local and regional cuisine, while Pasta la Vista has nouveau Italian stuff (whatever that may mean). Pasta la Vista is hit and miss though. I have ambivalent feelings about this place because I remember the first couple of years when it was open and the menu and the food itself seemed like incredible effort was put into each and ever dish. I've been there about ten or fifteen times, and the last time was a huge disappointment. Extremely oversalted food to the point where it was inedible. The soup was burnt as well. But generally speaking, I've had good experiences there. Pasta is for the most part prepared fresh and it shows. But nowadays, I get the impression the effort is no longer there. East India Company is good if you're into the big feed of buffet restaurants. Although it does try to develop the upscale image. I would have to disagree with prasantrin's assessment of Dim Sum Garden. Their dim sum is mediocre at best, and dare I suggest substandard at worst? The $1.95 deal is an excuse to provide poor quality in preparation and ingredients at a cheap price. The texture of the dumplings and freshness of the ingredients are the most prized aspects of good dim sum. Dim Sum Garden fails miserably on both counts.

Chinese banquets play a very central in showcasing the wealth of the host and the importance of food in Chinese culture. From the number of seats appointed at each table, to the setup of the tables themselves, to the number of courses served, and the significance of the ingredients are all painstakingly planned and considered. I read with interest some of your experiences attending banquets and it seems underlying most everyone's comments is the importance of "meen" or face in Chinese culture. That is, the host presenting the very best of what one can offer brings upon high esteem of oneself among peers, friends and family. Where rice is so central to an everyday meal, during banquets rice is served last in a twelve course meal. This is because dishes during an everyday meal considered as sides such as soups, meats, vegetables and seafoods are each paraded in course by course highlighting the abundance of the finest ingredients. When the rice IS finally served, guests are to only politely pick at it to show the host they have enjoyed the wealth of dishes that have come beforehand. Symbols are also an important element in Chinese culture from the number of people at a table to the number of courses served. Ten people per table or twelve people, but never nine or eleven. When noodles are served at a birthday dinner of a respected elder, be sure to slurp the noodles. Do not bite it off as you may sever or shorten the life of the honoree. A whole chicken with both the head and the tail represent the wholeness of life; a whole, steamed fish with both the head and tale intact represents prosperity and fortuitiousness. Don't forget to eat the round gelatinous balls filled with red bean paste for dessert at a wedding banquet for they represent fertility and life of the newly married couple. Where alcohol is not commonly consumed in everyday meals, during a banquet the host will choose the finest bottles of liquor showcasing his wealth. Throughout the meal, guests will challenge each other to drinking games. The first course is also usually a cold course of even numbered (usually eight or ten) items such as jelly fish, cold duck, sliced pork, etc. This is followed by a luxurious soup such as bird's nest or shark's fin. More courses follow featuring duck, lobster, pork, fish, abalone. The more exotic and expensive the ingredient, the more prestigious the meal. Finally, after all of these rich items are served, the starches such as rice or noodles is then presented to the guests. It is then the guests politely refuse or nibble away at these more "mundane" everyday dishes. There is quite a bit of cultural and historical symbolism in the banquet process. Don't be fooled by the "foreign" customs because there is usually an iconic symbol associated with it.

I like Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young and Every Grain of Rice by aunt and neice team, Ellen Blonder and Annabel Low. Both books are not just cookbooks, but rather a history and story of Chinese life in America. The recipes are family style, home cooking. There are also sections on special occasion foods and dishes, but both focuses more on how food plays a central role in the life of Chinese families.

There seems to be a lot of discussion on this board of regional Chinese cuisines. I think it might help if we had some "formalized" definitions. Here are some information about more well-known regions of food. These are taken directly from South China Morning Post: Sichuan: Sichuanese food is distinctively spicy and pepper hot. Little Sichuan peppercorns, which give an almost-numbing menthol tingle to the palate, are liberally used, along with fiery red chillis, garlic and ginger. Even soups are chilli hot. The famous hot and sour soup is as its name suggests. And a popular snack is a bowl of soup noodles with a dollop of chilli garlic sauce. Sichuan is landlocked, but freshwater carp is favoured, steamed or fried and smothered in a chilli sauce spiked with vinegar and hot bean paste. Sweet or hot bean pastes from fermented soy beans appear often as a flavouring. Sichuan's signature pork dish, usually mundanely described on the menu as sliced pork with chilli sauce, uses a double cooking process. The pork is steamed, sliced very thinly and then fried until almost crisp with a sauce of hot and sweet bean pastes. The most famous dish of the area is probably chilli minced pork with beancurd, better known as ma po dofu. Smoked duck appears as a Sichuan restaurant dish. The duck is marinated in aniseed, cinnamon and pepper, steamed and then smoked over camphor wood chips and tea. The food of nearby Hunan province is less well known but there are a number of interesting specialities including the minced chicken steamed in a bamboo tube. Cantonese: Cantonese food is the food of Hong Kong and the Guangdong province. Flavours are clean, subtle and refined and the triumvirate accent of ginger, spring onions and soy sauce are used in just about every dish. There is a preoccupation with freshness and top-quality ingredients - markets abound with live fish and fowl and leafy vegetables. Seafood is highly sought after. The preferred way to cook fish is to steam it whole, flavoured with ginger and spring onions and sizzled with hot oil and soy just before serving to emphasise its zheen or sea-fresh flavours. Almost in complete contradiction is the high esteem in which dried seafood is held. Exotica like dried shark's fin, sea cucumbers, scallops and abalone are of gourmet status and much appreciated for their textural qualities. The culinary habits of the Chinese are in no small part responsible for the endangering of many of these species, and the problem grows as China increases in affluence. Stir-fried dishes are popular and a good cook is said to have wok hay, literally "air of the wok". Soups, usually clear broths, are an essential part of a meal, and various combinations of ingredients are brewed for health-enhancing or preventative qualities. While most Chinese homes do not have ovens, roast pork and duck are popular foods. Specialist roast meat shops that serve as convenience takeaway outlets are common and provide an instant meal with a bowl of rice. Nearby in the Shantou area, the Chiu Chow people start their meals with tiny cups of strong Iron Buddha tea before beginning on their favourite starter of cold boiled crab or spiced goose, both served with a vinegary dipping sauce. Shanghainese: Shanghai has always been the most cosmopolitan and sophisticated city in China and you can expect food with savvy and style. A Shanghainese meal will usually start with a selection of small cold appetisers. These might include mock goose (beancurd sheets rolled and braised to resemble goose), drunken chicken, duck's tongue, crisp fried eel and pressed pork. Shanghainese food is rich, oily, sweet and luscious. Rich, velvety meat or fish dishes braised with soy, sugar and vinegar are a speciality, like their famous soya braised pork leg (yuan tai) which, after lengthy cooking is much appreciated for the gelatinous quality of the pork fat and skin and the depth of flavour of the soy braise. Shaoxing wine, fermented from glutinous rice, is drunk warm. It is also extensively used in cooking to produce "drunken dishes" where food, commonly chicken, is marinated in the wine. While the Cantonese prefer fish from the sea, the Shanghainese favour freshwater fish. Whole carp are usually fried or steamed and garnished with a piquant sweet and sour sauce. Tiny freshwater shrimps, usually plainly stir-fried, are popular. So too are eels which are often braised in a sweetish sauce pungent with garlic and ginger. In winter, freshwater crabs laden with roe, which come from the Yangtze delta, are a delicacy. Dumplings, fried, steamed or in soup, filled with meat and vegetables are a favourite snack. Little broad beans are included in a number of dishes and the Shanghainese way of twice-cooking long beans with seasoned oil is a triumph. Beijing: Imperial and peasant food of the north Beijing or northern food remains a hybrid cuisine. The lavish and refined dishes of the old imperial court are still evident, especially in restaurant banquet food, yet many Beijing dishes have their origins in the peasant food of the generally bleak countryside. Food away from the wealth of the big cities is fuel to keep one warm. Wheat is the staple grain and fried and steamed breads, all variety of dumplings, and noodles are popular. During the winter months, fresh vegetables are a luxury and pickled and dried vegetables are used along with the ubiquitous Tientsin cabbage, often cooked in a "milky" broth. Vinegar from Shanxi province is highly regarded and often splashed into dishes or used as a dipping sauce. Flavours tend to be intense with garlic, ginger and small leeks extensively used in dishes. The most famous restaurant dish, not only in Beijing but around the world, is Peking duck, which originated from the kitchens of the imperial court. The crisp skin is achieved by first inflating the skin from the flesh, scalding the duck in boiling water, airdrying it, coating it with maltose and then roasting. To the west of Beijing are vast stretches of Mongolian grassland. Here fatty sheep and goat are herded for meat and milk and favourite dishes include barbecues and hotpot stews. Yunnan: Yunnan, tucked away in southwest China, borders Burma, Laos and Vietnam and is home to a large number of ethnic minorities. The province is famous for salted and air-dried Yunnan ham which is much prized throughout China. Also from Yunnan comes Pu'er tea which is dark and earthy and is sold moulded into cakes. Aged teas command high prices. The area is also famous for its wild mushrooms and, come autumn, local markets are colourful with mushroom traders that range from international buyers to peasants with their foraged horde. The names of the mushrooms are exotic and have evocative names - sheep's stomach, monkey head, chicken fungus. Fresh goat's cheese, resembling mozzarella in texture and appearance, is made by rural holdings. The cheese is usually sliced and fried as a snack. Eaten everywhere as a meal or snack is the Yunnanese dish that translates as "rice noodles crossing the bridge". A big bowl of fine rice noodles in broth is kept hot by a thick slick of melted chicken fat. The broth remains so hot that thin slices of meat, fish, beancurd and vegetables added to the bowl are instantly cooked.

I truly do not understand what the hype is about Mee Fung on Booth. This place is seriously inferior in quality of ingredients, preparation and depth. I have read review after review from another site espousing the virtues of this restaurant and I just can't see it. On the first occasion, we were served a jumbo shrimp that tasted like it had clearly been bleached. Bleached with javex or some similar chemical. This is not uncommon in some asian cooking of seafood to give it the appearance of a bright pink hue. This is done for lobster as well. If rinsed properly, then no one will know the difference, but in that instance, the bleach was clearly discernable to the taste. This is what I had to say on another site: In many instances, the uncomfortable atmosphere of a restaurant can be excused when the food far surpasses the expectations of its customers or when the quality of ingredients and combination of those ingredients meets the standards of discerning customers. In this instance however, on both the atmosphere and the food, both counts fail miserably. After maneouvering through the maze of tightly packed tables we were seated at a table that clearly had stains from the previous diners. It was sticky and I wasn't sure how many times they had used that dish rag before they even rinsed it out. All of these things - the uncomfortable tigtness and the substandard cleanliness - could've been excused had the food been good. And so the crux of the problem is revealed. We ordered a green papaya salad, a wrap and roll platter with grilled chicken, a bowl of shrimp noodle soup with pork and a bowl of grilled and shredded pork vermicelli. Where do I even begin? The green papaya salad was unimaginative and bland. We tried to put some vinegar/fish sauce condiment on it to liven it up. Well, that would only be helpful of the sauce had any flavouring. Unfortunately it too lacked substance - watered down vinegar. The shrimp noodle soup turned out to be a seafood noodle soup, but even then, the one limp shrimp and the lacklustre squid was sitting in a bowl of MSG water. To appreciate a fine bowl of noodle soup, one realizes the essence of the dish lays in what should be a rich, smooth broth layered with deep flavours of bones and other ingredients. The noodles were over cooked. The vermicelli bowl was just plain tasteless with a chewy piece of pork. As for the wrap and roll 'chicken' platter, mounding the platter with lettuce and carrots does not fool the discerning eater when the one piece of grilled meat turns out to be a superficially seasoned rubbery chicken. Large variety does not equal quality.

Had great evening at Zaytinya last night. I too had the lamb shanks with eggplant puree. But I found it quite rich with the cheese combined in the puree considering I had just had the scallops in a dill sauce (which was delectable), zuchini cakes and a fisherman's soup beforehand. I should've gone really hungry. That way, I would've been able to enjoy the lamb shanks much more. It goes very well with the warm pita bread though. Ended the evening off with Turikish coffee chocolate cake. It reminds me of a molten cake with interesting spices. On my next visit to DC, I would most definitely have to go to Zaytinya again just to try more menu items. Everyone loved it.

Where is Kaz located? How far is it from downtown?

Remind me again...where is Cafe Atlantico? And which direction is Alexandria? The Chinatown suggestions sound really interesting. So, the miniburgers located in Chinatown are good, but not Chinese obviously? Any good dim sum places?

I've read through a lot of the restaurant suggestions on this forum for restaurants in the Washington area. But I'd like to revisit it once again. Suggestions welcome. I'll be staying in the downtown area for six days, of which two days will be on my own time. I'd like some bistro recommendations as well as good, casual fare. I'll probably go to Georgetown on the weekend, so anything around there and downtown (I'm staying at the Sofitel) would be appreciated. Anything interesting in Chinatown or Dupont Circle?