mudbug

Humm, velveted ong choy.

There is quite a bit of information on the differences in firmness and texture in this Good Eats transcript of the TofuWorld episode: http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/Season3/Tof...uTranscript.htm

From The book of Tofu by William Shurtleff & Akiko Aoyagi (1975 edition) page 311 The bottom line is that is created via a fundamentally different method than other tofu. One being it's source of thick soymilk, others being the fact that it's not strained but more created by pouring into a container like a soft cheese.

I never said granny guaranteed authenticity. As discussed above, the definitiions and interpretations of those definitions are going to be based on each individual's experience in life. Of course not all "grandma's" cooked, but most of them did, and I'm pretty darn sure a majority of them around the world were not royalty. Certainly it willl depend on the dish and the origin of the dish, the country of origin, etc. I believe that when those of us say "grandma", we're referring to those grandmas who are not bi-lingual or into fusion cooking. Who did not live in major metropolitain areas and hence did not have access to a wide variety of ingredients. Who never moved to another country other than their native one until they were over 70 if at all. In fact, most of these "grandmas" are most likely deceased or a good 90 years mature. The grandmas who if you're raised in America can't communicate with you because you dont' speak or barely understand their language. This is where I'm coming from.

Awww... Aack! What have I done?! Supposed to be keeping those "Ancient Chinese Secret" under wraps! (no pun intended)

hzrt8w, I don't know whether to thank you or be angered by sharing that pic. Somewhat mean to make me salivate over something I can't easliy acquire and devour within the near future.

Interesting topic... I'll admit I haven't read the entire thread but as mentioned in the few that I did read.... authentic to me means that the dish is cooked as it would be if in the country of origin with indiginous ingredients, methods and tools - as grandma would have made in that country. French bread is a simple example. Unless you're importing flour from France and baking in a brick oven, it is highly unlikely you're not getting authentic French bread. The flour is not the same. For more on this, refer to the book The Breads of France by Bernard Clayton, Jr. (One of the most revered authors on bread.) Produce simply can not be the same. Grandma (no matter what country she was from) was likely using locally grown fresh produce of specific varieties - not mass produced, not genitically modified, not sprayed with pesticides. Soil and climate can affect the flavor of produce. Hence it is highly unlikely most of us will have the opportunity truly taste the optimum example of what made a dish so popular in the first place. Meats will taste different. The soil in one specific region where a dish originated can be vastly different in another. Soil affects the flavor and nutrients of the vegetation eaten for example by cows which, along with environmental conditions, affects flavor, etc.

In shortening cooking time while wrapped, I feel you lose an essential aspect of jooong in the first place which is the infusion of the essence of the leaves which to me is equally important as the filling. It's like a stir fry without the wok hay... it's just not as good as what it can be. Like wok hay, the aura of the leaves deeply permeating the essence of the rice sets the highest epitome of the dishes apart from the rest.

Rice is cheap and ubiquitous and tastes like nothing, but plenty of people eat it by choice. I love the mushroom, the texture, the crunch, the earthy flavor. That's exactly why I go out of my way to eat it!

I don't think pork belly has "become popular" in America. Pork belly is popular in most cultures where it is available. After all... bacon has been a hit for many decades in America.

You can eat them as you would raisins.

Please do. There is an existing thread with siu yook discussion on technique here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=20297 I have yet to find a technique that yields consistent results in a regular home kitchen.

chocomoo, That insider information is not common knowledge for those of us who've never heard of it. Thank you for that clarification. You're right, "siu yook" probably does not mean "suckling pig". "Siu yook" does mean crispy skin roast pork. I doubt any individual will be wanting to buy an entire suckling pig and still think you'd get a blank stare from most vendors in Chinatown if you literally asked for "suckling pig". As origamicrane mentioned, the crispy skin is amazing, difficult to achieve in the home kitchen and worth going out of your way for. So if anyone asks for siu yook, they'd be asking for what is most likely the best part of the end result of the type of cooking described in the first post. Thanks for the info on "yue jue". Can you please provide the phonetic/dictionary pronunciation?

Just want to say "thank you" for the recipe discussion. This is my all time favorite and difficult to find if you're no where near a Chinatown. I'm sure this works best with fresh meat but in some areas only frozen can be found and not suckling at that. If anyone has any more insight or hands-on experience on the topic, please feel free to share.

Oh... I've had it. It's in my top three all-time favorites and will be my last supper. In reading your post, it doesn't say specifically that "they filmed a Chinese chef making suckling pig" so you see why I might ask. Many cultures do this, I was just looking for clarification. I'd also be interested in the title of the program, the network, and the episode title and/or number, and air dates. Better yet, a direct URL with further information. By the way, be cautious about assuming everyone can head to a Chinatown. Some readers may be in the middle of Kansas or Mississippi. Also, I'm pretty sure a majority of vendors would give a customer a blank stare if they asked for "suckling pig". Perhaps it would have been better to say something to the effect of: If you're near a Chinatown, you can usually locate places that sell this because they'll have various cooked meats hanging in their window. To ask for it, the general term is "siu yook" (pronounced seeew yook). But the most specific term would be ["for yuk", or "fired meat". Indeed the pig is literally fired in a tall upright oven wherein the firebricks or flames completely surround the hanging pig/ducks/etc. An animal done this way invariably develops a crispy skin because the fat and moisture drains off in the high, dry heat."] (thanks to Ben Hong) edited for spelling

Very interesting, thank you all for your insight!

Any confirmation on this helenas?

The brown ones are usually sliced into thin strips and used in hot and sour soup. They're what provide the "crunch" in the soup: Picture: http://www.marginalia.org/albums/GungHaggi...d_sour_soup.jpg

FYI: Recipe II works out pretty well. Didn't quite come out with the height I seem to recall but it has been a while. The flavor and texture were just right!

I like the soup too. Just add some leaves to Chinese chicken stock and cook. I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned, but the berries are often analogized to raisins. You can use them as a substitute for raisins in muffins, cookies, etc. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=wolfb...G=Google+Search

origamicrane, Was this particularly Chinese?

Aw... the meat around the bones has the best flavor, is tender and so fun to eat, they're missing out on the best part!

more recipes: Tea Egg Recipes

Ben Hong, I agree with the above posts. The Chinese do not commonly sprinkle salt on their watermlon before taking a bit. But Americans do and as you were told, it is quite common. Just as apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese is fairly common for Americans. As mentioned above, salt enhances sweetness. Good chocolate chip cookie recipes will have a bit of salt in the ingredients. Good savory Chinese dishes will almost always have a bit of sugar in the recipe.

This is absolutely correct. It is absolutely NOT traditional Chinese to use "olive oil" to preserver the greeness. I'd like to see scientific evidence of this. If you pour olive oil into the water, the olive oil only floats on top of the water. Try it without the olive oil Evan. I'm confident you'll find the "greeness" is the identical. ;)