mudbug
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Posts posted by mudbug
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Nope, fuel for the pit
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.
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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.
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I boiled them after they were wrapped. Cooking time is less if i cook the rice a little upfront, and the fillings are sauteed.
-NhumiSD
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.
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When I was small, I remember on one occasion how all the adults were making such a big deal about having crystal fungus for lunch because of how expensive it was and so on. I didn't see what the big deal was, it was almost completely tasteless and had a wierd texture and I think I made my parents rather angry by saying it tasted disgusting.
Now that it's become cheap and ubiquitious, I don't think anyone I know eats it anymore because it tastes like nothing.
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!
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I think the reason pork belly has become so popular in America is because it's the only part of a pig that tastes like pig nowadays. Personally, while I think pork belly tastes fantastic, cuts like the neck and shoulder from much fattier pigs also taste very good and the variety is nice.
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.
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I did not know one can eat wolfberries as snacks.
You can eat them as you would raisins.
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Suckling would indicate that little piggy was small enough to be still at the teat? That would be around 15 lbs? The one my Mom roasted (years ago now) was about 2 feet long (60 cm). It barely fit into the restaurant size oven! The one we ordered for my brother's 60th bday must have been a young adult...It fed a crowd of 100 with the head left over.
Ben mentioned pouring boiling water over the skin to get that crispy texture. I seem to remember Mom rubbing the skin with gan sui - lye water - to get that texture. I remember the skin blistered, had a beautiful colour, and was crispy. Must ask her later.
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.
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TVB is a Hong Kong network, by the way, hence implying that it would be a Chinese chef doing the cooking.
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?
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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.
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yeah the suckling pig they were roasting was actually quite big the chef had the pig skewed on a massive metal fork and was i guess barbequing it on an open fire he had a stand to help support the pig.
if you haven't tired this before head down to chinatown to day and ask for it
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
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Very interesting, thank you all for your insight!
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Any confirmation on this helenas?
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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
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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!
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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
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origamicrane,
Was this particularly Chinese?
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I like chomping on bones, but my hubby and kids prefer that I use just the meat. 39 years and I still don't have him trained.
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!
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more recipes:
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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.
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The ideal way to prepare gai lan is to water blanch them, arrange on a plate, drizzle a bit of oyster sauce over them and finish with a sizzle of hot oil and garlic.
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.
;)
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Two of my absolute favorites with sticky rice:
Dim Sum Sticky Rice "Nor My Gai" Recipes:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari...=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
Sticky Rice with Mango
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en...cup&btnG=Search
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Thank you for the replies so far... looking forward to your findings spaghetttti.
trillium,
Have recipes for the glutinous rice wine? How would this be used differently than regular rice wine?
Shiewie,
Thanks for the Cantonese pronounciation! I'm wondering if it's used to make Bok Tong Go?
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(I'm not sure if instant yeast works as the yeast used to make tapai comes in dried cake form and it is further dried in the sun and pounded before using)
Is this it?
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I was told this is some type of yeast...
Most likely used in Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc cuisine and probably with some form of glutinous rice for desserts.
Never seen them before but willing to use them if someone can steer me in the right direction by way of recipes, etc.
Any and all insight would be appreciated.
Is there an English name for these? And how is this pronounced in native languages? TIA.
Joong & Joongzi: The Topic
in China: Cooking & Baking
Posted
Awww...
Aack! What have I done?!
Supposed to be keeping those "Ancient Chinese Secret" under wraps!
(no pun intended)