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Yet another opinion on egg rolls In the late 50s, my mom made "egg rolls' by making very thin crepes with beaten up eggs in an 8 inch frying pan. These were cooled and stacked in the fridge. For the filling, she used shredded cabbage, bean sprouts (which she sprouted herself in big metal cans), canned sliced mushrooms, shredded celery and Spanish onion. Meat was not added because of the cost. She used to, as I did in recent years, cook all this mixture in 24" woks. After cooking and draining off most of the liquid, the mixture was thickened with a cornstarch slurry. The filling was left to cool then stored in the fridge. This stuff weighed a ton! Everyday, we'd roll egg rolls for each day's use. When there was an order, mom would dip the egg rolls in a light batter then deep fry. I can't remember the batter recipe. I think this method was from my older brother from Seattle. In later years when commercial egg roll wrappers became available, we still made the filling the same way. The egg rolls we wrapped were as Ben described, cylindrical with pinched ends rather than tucked in. The kitchen staff would make about 100, lightly deep fry them, cooled then refidgerated. They were deep-fried again just before serving. Plum sauce was the dipping sauce used. We used lumpia wrappers for Vietnamese spring rolls. The filling is different...mainly bean sprouts, bean thread and julienne carrots. These were wrapped as Singapore described. We found these must be rolled as they were ordered, otherwise, the wrapper became soggy and all hell broke loose when they were immersed in hot oil. I use rice wrappers for summer rolls. These are not deep fried. I usually use julienned cucumber, carrot, green onions and crab meat or smoked fish as filling. Sometimes I add bean thread stir-fried quickly with soya sauce for a different flavour and texture. Fish sauce with chopped fresh chili is my fav. dip for the spring and summer rolls.

I also visited Wild Tangerine recently. The octopus salad was great, and all who were with me thought it was a super item...refreshing and interesting. The Wok Stickers (?correct name?) were a little disappointing. Interesting drink menu, and challenging location. Will go back to investigate menu further, and wish them well.

The one on the left looks like Choy Sum and on the right, one of the Shanghai bok choy cabages. Take a look at this site: http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/trade/asiaveg/thes-00.htm Look at "White Flowering Cabbage", and 'Shanghai Flowering Chard'. When it says 'white flowering' it doesn't mean that the flowers are white, but rather that it is a white cabbage with flowers. Choy Sum has yellow flowers -- as compared with Chinese broccoli which has white ones. I, myself, like greens with just garlic and a dash of oyster sauce. Have you ever tried toasting the Sichuan Pepper in a dry pan, until they are toasted and just beginning to smoke?? Bring out a wonderful flavor. Is that an iron wok you are using?

Hands down, my vote is for Penang, in Greenwich. (An unlikely spot for an inexpensive restaurant). Only 12 tables, beautiful, modern ambience, BYOB, and fabulous Pan-Asian food. You choose the menu item by sauce and meat, and they pick the appropriate vegetables and serve in little woks. The entrees, except shrimp, are about $10-$12. Soup is $1.50. GREAT PLACE!! Penang 55 Lewis Street Greenwich

Geez, I don't have even that many, I tend to exfoliate stuff I never use. 1) vintage 12" cast iron skillet. Exfoliated the lodge wok because this was so much more versitile, and worked just as well for stir fry. The wok was better for bacon though. C'est la vie. 2) Innova 6 qt. pressure cooker. 3) generic 1 1/2 qt. stainless saucepan with thick aluminum clad bottom and cover. 4) my gramma's wedding present Wagner #1402 (Tip: similar went for about 24 bucks on that auction site recently w/ the cover/skillet, lucky buyer!). The really cool thing about this is the deep pan is gently concave on the interior so the oil pools in the center, even if your burner is non level. 5) pyrex 9x13 dish.

Admittedly, my tastes run more towards the Cantonese style Chinese food (blame it on my HK born wife )...but I've found that the Chinese restaraunts on the East Coast (NY and Philadelphia Chinatowns) are significantly better than what I've found in LA. We've lived for years in Southern Calif, Wash DC, and San Francisco. To me, the biggest difference is that the restaraunts that we've frequented on the East coast will serve the food very soon after cooking, so you get that "wok-chi" effect of smoky goodness (especially for chow-fun and other noodle dishes and don't get me started on the custard tart right out of the oven that I had in Philadelphia which was THE singular best dim sum item I have ever had...it haunts me to this day... ). From my experience in LA, you just don't get that immediate serving of the dishes and, as a result, you lose that essence that, to me, separates restaraunt Chinese food from home-style. Also, for some reason, LA chinese food tends to be salty to my taste. To me, SF Chinese food is better than LA. I especially like the roast duck and cha-shu that we used to buy on a weekly basis from one of the BBQ shops in Chinatown...we still haven't found any place that makes roast duck that even comes close... Also, based on limited experience, Toronto and Vancouver Chinatown restaraunts are on par with NY and Philly. We had an especially memorable chow fun in a hole-in-the-wall restaraunt in Toronto's Chinatown on a vacation there years ago

This isn't every reference, just the ones I had on hand: You know i get paid Like caprese and with the basil Not goofy like darren or hazel Some call it salugi Some hot potato I'm an iron chef when I slice and dice We be grillin' cheese and flippin' flapjacks Then we will have no alternative but to serve you on a platter like Steak'Em With the cornbread stuffin' with the Blimpie Bluffin Mother fuckin' Yosi with the goddamn muffins Hey could you please pass me the peas Simmer in the pan 'cause, I ain't flashin' Serving MC's on a platter like baked Alaskan Known for my spiel like wheelie one wheel 'Cause this is like having a delicious meal I am Adrock a.k.a sharp cheddar On a hot day sip on iced latte The truth is brutal your grandma's kugel Yo what the schnitzel we're back What the ponytail, I don't eat snail Yo what the parsley, parsley to the teeth Yo what the talafel you gotta get up awful While I'm politicin' at Murray's Cheese Shop Now pass the wok 'cause I'm cookin' Like a snow day for school with hot cocoa

Nuka-zuke Ricebran pickles Bags of dry seasoned nuka-doko (ricebran pickling bed) mix are available, and vary in quality. Boxes of ready matured wet mixes are usually better quality. It isn't hard to make your own, but it takes a week or two (depending on temperature/season) to mature. It's easiest to start in spring, when temperatures are warm but not hot, and the pickle bed matures just as the first summer vegetables become available. Pickling bed 2 kg rice bran 300 g coarse natural salt (15% of weight of ricebran) 2 l water, boiled and cooled (roughly equal weight with ricebran) Additives strip of dried kelp, wiped clean 10 dried chile peppers (adjust to taste) 3 pickled sansho berries Japanese type not Chinese Dry ground mustard, a handful, slows fermentation Vegetables to pickle eggplants, halved or quarted whole cucumbers bell peppers chunks of cabbage daikon (Japanese radish) in quarters carrot sticks Boil water and allow to cool. You can boil the salt with the water if you like. Use fresh ricebran, and use as soon as possible after purchase so that the oils do not become rancid. Some people like to dry-roast the ricebran over a gentle heat in a wok, stirring constantly. Allow to cool to room temperature. Mix water, salt, and rice bran. Add enough water so that the mixture forms a ball when squeezed, but remains loose and crumbly in the bowl. Additives can be added now or after maturing for a couple of weeks. Transfer bran mixture to a lidded container, and press some vegetables into the pickle bed. As long as they are clean, almost anything will do at this stage -- the first round or two of pickles are normally thrown out. Set container aside in a fairly dark, cool, place. You MUST mix thoroughly every day, up to 3 times daily in hot weather. If this is impossible, move the pickle bed to a plastic bag and "hibernate" it in the fridge. I suspect it would freeze OK, but have not tried it. Vegetables are ready when soft (or for carrot, when somewhat soft). Always take pickled veg out, wash or wipe clean, and store in the refrigerator if not wanted immediately - old pickles will quickly invite bad bacteria or excessive sourness. If you pickle a lot of watery vegetables such as cucumbers, remember that the pickle bed is losing salt, and as salt levels drop, fermentation and lactic acids will increase. Add a sprinkle of salt and dry mustard every time you remove vegetables in this case, and add more rice bran (and proportional amount of salt) if the bed becomes sloppy. You can drain off excess liquid, but this tends to affect the flavor of the pickle bed. Don't overdo the mustard - pickles should not taste bitter or hot. Keywords: Japanese ( RG1089 )

Nuka-zuke Ricebran pickles Bags of dry seasoned nuka-doko (ricebran pickling bed) mix are available, and vary in quality. Boxes of ready matured wet mixes are usually better quality. It isn't hard to make your own, but it takes a week or two (depending on temperature/season) to mature. It's easiest to start in spring, when temperatures are warm but not hot, and the pickle bed matures just as the first summer vegetables become available. Pickling bed 2 kg rice bran 300 g coarse natural salt (15% of weight of ricebran) 2 l water, boiled and cooled (roughly equal weight with ricebran) Additives strip of dried kelp, wiped clean 10 dried chile peppers (adjust to taste) 3 pickled sansho berries Japanese type not Chinese Dry ground mustard, a handful, slows fermentation Vegetables to pickle eggplants, halved or quarted whole cucumbers bell peppers chunks of cabbage daikon (Japanese radish) in quarters carrot sticks Boil water and allow to cool. You can boil the salt with the water if you like. Use fresh ricebran, and use as soon as possible after purchase so that the oils do not become rancid. Some people like to dry-roast the ricebran over a gentle heat in a wok, stirring constantly. Allow to cool to room temperature. Mix water, salt, and rice bran. Add enough water so that the mixture forms a ball when squeezed, but remains loose and crumbly in the bowl. Additives can be added now or after maturing for a couple of weeks. Transfer bran mixture to a lidded container, and press some vegetables into the pickle bed. As long as they are clean, almost anything will do at this stage -- the first round or two of pickles are normally thrown out. Set container aside in a fairly dark, cool, place. You MUST mix thoroughly every day, up to 3 times daily in hot weather. If this is impossible, move the pickle bed to a plastic bag and "hibernate" it in the fridge. I suspect it would freeze OK, but have not tried it. Vegetables are ready when soft (or for carrot, when somewhat soft). Always take pickled veg out, wash or wipe clean, and store in the refrigerator if not wanted immediately - old pickles will quickly invite bad bacteria or excessive sourness. If you pickle a lot of watery vegetables such as cucumbers, remember that the pickle bed is losing salt, and as salt levels drop, fermentation and lactic acids will increase. Add a sprinkle of salt and dry mustard every time you remove vegetables in this case, and add more rice bran (and proportional amount of salt) if the bed becomes sloppy. You can drain off excess liquid, but this tends to affect the flavor of the pickle bed. Don't overdo the mustard - pickles should not taste bitter or hot. Keywords: Japanese ( RG1089 )

Come on...there are so many more... "...I like my sugar with coffee and cream" & "If you try to knock me you'll get rocked, I'll stir fry you in my WOK" Peace, Ore

Jason, Regarding your Chicken Mole Poblano, I, too, prefer the wider shot. If you're taking a picture of what you had for dinner, then I don't mind seeing a plate at all. Your plating is part of the subject matter so the plate itself becomes just a background note. The closeup of the black beans didn't do it for me due to their lack of texture. Now a closeup of the rice or the sesame seeds on the chicken would have been, texturally, better pictures. Having read the original discussion where it was first posted, fifi's lard picture was perfect for it's intent. The lighting is good and if anything, it could have been cropped a little tighter, but overall, it was well executed and made its point. zilla369 - The first image (the bottles) needs either a less complicated background or more depth of field to put it out of focus. If the purpose of the photo was to do a study of the bottles and their contents, the background pulls the attention away from the foreground. Plus, it looks like the background has a sharper focus than the bottles do. AutoFocus is like a temperamental two-year old...if you don't take charge of it, it will do what it wants and can end up ruining your picture. The Yolks pic...as it's been said, it's out of focus. I would also crop tighter, losing the exterior bowl rim completely and going more towards an abstract image. The Salads Pic...the chefs are "soft"/out of focus. I would recommend either focusing on them or lowering the camera so the first couple of salads are front and center and in focus and then the chefs would be out of focus but the intent of the pic would still be communicated. Egg Wash....very funny pic. Could have gone with a tighter crop so you can better see that you've got eggs there or perhaps a bigger bowl of them to stress the joke. Ice Sculpture - The pineapple is out of focus and the reflection of the people in the window is in focus so, again, it makes me ask what is supposed to be the intent of the image? Ellen - Beautiful soft lighting on the tofu shot. It's a little wide for my tastes but the background does help tell the story of what's happening. I am assuming it's one in a series. Again, beautiful lighting and, again, the salmon in the steamer/wok shot is a little wide for me. I'm assuming it's supposed to show the chinese steaming/wok technique but the hungry man inside of me wants to see a closeup of that darn salmon. esperanza - I'd like to see a larger size version of this. Can you repost it larger? spaghetttti - Both pics are great. The crab shot is a little tight for me. What is it? Is it dinner or "A Study of Crab"? I'd either pull out to show more of the pot/serving dish or go to the other extreme and do a Jason-like closeup on the center claw, showing the pincers in the middle or focus on the meat at the bottom center. The Onde picture is very, very nice. You can almost feel the texture of the seeds and the texture of the tabletop. One quibble would be the upper right quadrant background is dirty and is a wee bit distracting. If this is a "Stufy of Onde", then it should have been cleaned up to leave all focus on the Onde itself. If it's a picture of dinner, then I think it's forgivable. jinmyo - I agree with a lot of what's been said about your photo. The reflection in the table glass is distracting. Perhaps cropping would help eliminate this. Your simple presentation showcases the food. Girl, you know how to plate! Personally, I could care less about napkins and forks. I want to see and taste and smell everyone of your creations so I would have preferred a tighter shot to concentrate on the food. The Zoom function won't work as well as physically moving the camera closer which would allow the flash fill to better light your food, which, in turn, would have made me drool more. helenas - The greens photo is great. The lighting seems to be the same intensity overall. Next time I'd recommend placing a piece of cardboard off-camera to the right to cut off some of the light coming from that direction. It'll provide some contrast to the image. I think the pros use something like a round disk of black netting to achieve this...don't know the real name of the tool. The photo of stuffed mushrooms (?) is very busy. Do you want me to look at the food or the pattern on the plate or even the wood pattern of the table? I'd recommmend putting the mushrooms on a solid-color plate, even a simple white plate so it won't compete for the viewers' attention and will showcase the mushrooms. edited to clarify

Hello all, what a wonderful thread ! Well, here's my 2 bits..... Torakris wrote: "I think the hot rice vs cold rice has to with the the type of rice you are using. In my experience the non-sticky rice has a tendency to clump up when hot but sticky rice (Japanese style) can be very difficult to break apart when it is cold, thus you end up with clumps." Kristin has an important point here. My mother, who teaches Chinese cooking on occasion, and was a student of the eminent Hong Kong chef Chan Wing ages ago, says it has to do with the type of rice. I will attempt to explain....with my run on sentences....... In Hong Kong, one of the most popular dishes during the winter time is stir fried glutenous rice, " Chow loh mai fan" in Cantonese, and in Japanese, this translates as stir fried okuwa ( cooked mochi gome). This is one of the most difficult Chinese dishes to do well, as there are myriad ingredients, and if done poorly, it becomes too oily and the rice might become mush. A digression..... There are many ways of cooking Mochi gome or glutenous rice in this Cantonese style, many Chinese chefs use California grown pure mochi gome ( called "sweet rice") or the long grain mochi gome from Thailand. Some chefs use the rice cooker, or a pot with "superior stock"( a stock made with pork, chicken, Chinese ham etc) to flavour the rice, and then the other ingredients like preserved pork ( a fragrant pork belly cured with wine and soy), shiitake mushrooms, sliced, Chinese sausage ( the type that is like chorizo de Bilbao), chicken thigh cubes, dried scallops etc. are added. Or a simple way is to place the washed and strained mochi gome on a muslin, and place it in a large steamer and steam it until it is shiny and al dente. No stock involved, just all the above ingredients, each one prepared separately and then gently mixed with the hot rice with high quality soy sauce and other seasonings. This hot "loh mai fan" or okuwa can now be served as is, or.... stir fried. This sticky Cantonese style Okuwa has to be stir fried while hot and it is next to impossible to do it when it is cold. The other varieties of rice common in Southern Chinese cooking, are long grain varieties like Thai Jasmine; these varieties are best stir fried when cold.** The point is, if the variety of rice is sticky, it is better to stir fry while the rice is hot as it is easier to separate and toss the grains in the wok , which is why Japanese style chahan and Cantonese style stir fried okuwa is made while the rice is hot. The hot sticky grains are easier to separate in a hot wok when it comes in contact with the hot oil. Jasmine rice used for chahan in many restaurants in Hong Kong are cooked first with less water than usual, to produce a more al dente rice. This Jasmine rice is further cooled in the fridge. The reason is that the best Chinese chefs try to make a chahan where each INDIVIDUAL grain is seared and flavored. Each grain must literally stands on its own. To achieve this, and there are many ways, many Chinese chefs (one can just use the back of a large spatula or spoon so the grains are not cut or fractured ) gently press on the cooled and clumped Jasmine rice so it separates easily into individual grains before it is thrown into the hot wok (in which oil has been swirled and aromatics added). When this cooled Jasmine/long grain rice is tossed in the hot, aromatics infused oil, all the grains separate further, and becomes individually coated with the aromatic oil being used, and each individual grain is seared by the tossing (which is very hard to do) at high heat ( then the other items are added, Cantonese Charsiu, shrimp ( precooked) vegetables, egg, etc. The stickier nature of the Japonica rice( and mochi gome, Chinese" loh mai"), thus requires different approach and techniques compared to long grain / Jasmine rice when it comes to chahan. For example, emulsifying cooled al dente long grain rice with the beaten egg will not work, and only works deliciously with hot Japanese rice. I am becoming too verbose.... cheers **: A brief note:In Northern China ( where wheat products are more commonly eaten than rice ) Japonica rice( similar to Hinohikari) is the main rice variety grown and eaten, and this is true in the large areas in the Shanghai region( trivia:Japonica rice grown in China is called "Shanghai mai").

Chile Rellenos. I'm going to be in Chicago next week and will eat these at Frontera Grill (where they are fantastic). When I get home I'm going to try them on my new outdoor burner/wok. Mama was good to me this Father's Day.

Yeah, good Teriyaki is almost impossible to find, but when you do, it's so convenient and satisfying. When I used to work downtown (6 years ago), John's Wok In near Western/University Street was good. It's a mini market with small teriyaki set up in the back. They have very interesting flavors such as indian curry teriyaki, etc. It was so so good. I don't know if they are still operating. A nice Korean family owned it back then. Yes, Mexican/hispanic workers are often found in Teriyaki stores as well as Korean grocery stores. Most Teriyaki joints don't have a clue how to make their Teriyaki. It's good grilled (charbroiled is my fav) with a tasty sauce, not too goopy or salty (and the steamed veggies should be alive, not wilted. Salad dressing can make/break it too. Some U-dist joints offer radish kimchee which is a nice touch. In Japan, when you walk into Teriyaki joints, it's smoky, the bowls are filled charbroiled teriyaki meats and sometimes you get a boiled quail egg on top as a bonus. So delicious. hungry_moose

Me too! On the occasions when my mother made them, roast chicken, steak, baked or mashed potatoes, traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, and spaghetti and meatballs were wildly exciting to me. So was McDonald's. Though I never liked Kraft macaroni and cheese or hotdogs, and still don't for whatever reason. My childhood memories of jook mostly involved eating it when sick, so for the longest time I refused to touch it after that, though nowadays I love it. Just one of many Stupid Child Moments: thinking I knew better than my mom about what comprised cleanliness in the kitchen, and taking her old nicely seasoned wok and attacking it with a brillo pad until all the seasoning had been scrubbed off. *bonks self over head* Man, I hear that. My parents were Shanghainese so I grew up eating Shanghainese home cooking. There are a lot of things Mom used to make that I don't know how to make now, and now that she's gone it's too late to ask her. Granted, in my own circumstances there were other significant factors involved in the rift between me and the rest of my family over the last 15 years that would still be hell to deal with now if she were alive, but it still makes me sad to think about it. I don't think it's ever too late to learn anything though. I've been trying to do it for awhile now, now that I'm old enough to have the wisdom to appreciate what I no longer have. Though one thing that's made it more difficult is just the sheer number of white guys I've come across who try to lecture me about my background. Seems like each year it gets worse and worse on several orders of Oh. My. God. Shut. Up. Were you allowed to have Japanese food as a kid? This too was something I didn't taste until my early 20's because my mother wouldn't hear of it under her roof. Same thing for anything made in Japan, she'd check the labels of every manufactured good before buying it to make sure it was made elsewhere. Tony Bourdain had a brief passage in Kitchen Confidential about his Chinese food chef instructor at CIA, and that pretty much described my mom's views to a T. Nonetheless, I took to nigirizushi right off the bat. Pat

Had the opportunity to try another recent addition to the Edmonton dining scene at lunch today. Wild Tangerine is a small [approx 35 seats] Asian influenced restaurant that is open Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m.. It is in a strip mall which also houses a Starbucks on the south side of 104th Avenue, just west of 112 Street near the Sidetrack. Minimalist, cool, crisp interior. Checkered wall tiles, glass and dark wood. Polished cement floor. Bench seating runs down one side with a number of tables for two and four filliing out the restaurant. Wilson Wu and his sister/chef Judy used to operate Polo's across from the University Hospital. They closed it down one or two years ago but are now back with another Asian-influenced menu. I understand that Judy did some travelling and has brought back some tastes from around the culinary globe. For a change this attempt at incorporating some more exotic flavours does not end in "confusion" rather than fusion. I usually distrust the moniker "fusion" as I have found it often meant an overabundance of citrus or heavy handed lashings of 5 Spice Powder and not much more. Definitely not the case with Wild Tangerine as I even I had the octopus which indicated it was flavoured with the "dreaded" 5 Spice Powder. The appetizers run from $3 for Green Onion Wok Stickers and/or Potato Fries with Star Anise and homemade ketchup to $6 for Shrimp Lollipops with Wasabi Yogurt up to $9 for Grilled 5-Spice Octopus Salad with Spicy Tangerine Vinaigrette. The appetizers are rounded out with two takes on variations of caesar salad, tofu pancakes, a mushu salad, rainbow noodle cake and sun-dried oyster hash. I opted for the shrimp lollipops to start. Three good sized shrimp skewered and tempura battered and served standing up in a cup with a terrific wasabi flavoured yogurt sauce. They were delicious. Lightly battered. Not greasy. That wasabi sauce is something I'll make for backyard barbeques at home. In its list of "noodles, pastas and grains" the restaurant offers Thai green curry with prawns $15, red curry mussels with linguini $13, Pan-seared scallops with Tarragon-Chinese sausage risotto $14, Szechuan spiced Beef Short Ribs with gnocchi & Asian mushrooms $16 and Chinese Cioppino with glass noodles $16. These is an Asian chili with tofu and rice cracker $10 and a lemon grass-Thai basil flavoured lentils $11 for I assume those who lean toward vegetarian dishes. I decided to skip these and leave the short ribs and cioppino to another day and opted for one of the four specials. I understand that the menu which is likely a "work in progress" will change depending upon what is popular with the diners and that the "specials" will be seasonal. In my case I ordered the slow cooked marsala-masala spiced lamb $15. Delicious. Simply served in an oversized bowl were some tender slices of lamb shoulder which were spiced wonderfully, a nice blend of sweet and spice. It came with some braised rapini or broccolini and a stewed tomato. I might quibble a tad on portion size. OK for lunch, would likely want more at dinner. Rounding out the Specials were a So-Tung-Po Style Sturgeon Valley Pork with Natural Jus $14, Adobo-braised Chicken Breast $13 and Almond-crusted Salmon with Cardamon-Mandarin Orange Compote $13. I was still hungry after my shrimp and then the lamb so ordered the octopus salad. It was delicious. A decent portion of grilled octopus served cold over a mound of salad of julienned greens, veggies like jicama and some fruit. Pear or apple perhaps. After the 3 dishes I was stuffed. Probably the next visit I would share the shrimp and have a salad with the main and then leave sated. An interesting dessert selection in the $5 to $7 range but they are not my weakness. Very nice and interesting wine list. Wilson knows and enjoys his wines so expect that he will have quite a few "special bottles" in the back other than those on his list as the menu indicates, Note: an eclectic selection of unique and reserve wines is available for special occasions I think that this spot will do well. Service is casually competent and friendly. I will check it out again later in the week I expect. It reminds me in many ways of Culina which I posted about when it opened some weeks ago. Small place, more relaxed than fine dining, good food with a different flare from what the standards usually seen in these parts....funny usually never seen Philipino influenced food on local menus and then, the past two new restaurants I have gone to both feature chicken adobo. Wild Tangerine should be a welcomed addition to the Edmonton dining scene.

This is how we make it at home: Chop these finely: 1 scallion ~2 cloves of garlic 1-2 quarter-sized pieces of ginger 1 teaspoon dried fermented black beans For the sauce, mix: 1 cup chicken stock 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons sherry or white wine .5 teaspoon sugar cornstarch dissolved in water (I think about a tablespoon of cornstarch is enough) 2 teaspoons sesame oil (or to taste) You'll also need some chile paste--I use "chile paste with garlic," but anything similar would be fine. And of course tofu! In a wok over high heat, add a bit of oil. When the oil is hot, add the scallion, garlic, ginger, and black beans. Cook briefly (maybe ~30-60 seconds), then add the chile paste. Stir a couple times, then add the tofu and sauce mixture. Heat till it boils, then turn it down and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the cornstarch solution, then add the sesame oil, give it a stir, and serve. Because the tofu is fairly wet and you're adding over a cup of liquid, this can be very soup-y if you don't add enough cornstarch, so I'd suggest being fairly liberal with the stuff. If you want some meat in it, velvetted or ground pork is excellent--just add it before the tofu. You could also add an egg, chopped carrots and/or peas, or whatever you have in your fridge.

The best thing the 'rents did for my sister and I growing up was insist that we wouldn't be influenced by their preferences - we ate stuff Dad didn't like when he was out of town, and vice versa. We too were CT Yankees, but mom's food had more of a French influence and Dad's food was were we learned about hardcore chili and spicy food. And, of course, there was all that good New England Protestant Seafood. However, my neighbors were all over the ethnic map (Italian, Lebanese, Asian) and I always felt we had the boring food. Mom's spaghetti was notoriously horrific, she had no idea what a wok was, and items like artichokes and fondue seemed mundane. I still feel like I have a lot to catch up on in terms of my own taste, but now I think that's because I was exposed to so much as a kid that I can appreciate the variety now.

There is a real technique that I have seen used in carry-out places of doing a motion similar to a flip with a one-handled wok. It's hard to describe, but I'll try: 1) do a flip-like motion, sending the food away from the cook, up the side of the wok and into the air. 2) do a sort of forward thrust of the wok so that the center is under the food. This is a bit more "athletic" than the crepe flip. 3) do it again immediately so that the food sort of rolls in space, constantly falling into the hot wok, then being flung up. It is impressive to watch, and over "big heat" a very efficient technique. BB

I've become sort-of comfortable with flipping crepes, and more recently roti jala (much more fragile), but to save time I prefer to use two pans, and inelegantly flop the crepe into the second hot pan. This saves so much time - with the crepes cooking in parallel - that I am afraid I will never become nonchalant about flipping and using one pan. On the other hand, I really admire Chinese chefs who "stir-fry" by flipping food in a neat Ferris wheel using a Beijing (one-handled) wok. BB [spelling]

Besides soy sauce, you can also add Japanese sake to add flavor. *** I forgot to mention: donjou described his recipe for making sake chahan in the Japanese style Chinese food thread. A copy of part of his post: Then, push the rice to the side of the wok, add in one or two scrambled eggs ( pre salted) to the empty side of the hot wok ( you might need to tilt the wok to prevent to much of the egg from going into the chahan) and gently stir the eggs until it is set, but still soft ( not runny); now quickly mix the egg with the rice and toss at high heat until the egg is well distributed. For a full description, go to: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...30entry631177

I do. But mine is Chinese -- not Japanese. Using a wok, I make a space right in the middle, and add a little oil. When the oil is hot, in goes the fork beaten egg. It immediately bubbles up around the edges and I stir it gently. When it is curdled, I mix it in with the rest of the rice and whatever. I use very little soy sauce. I like fried rice very simple -- YangChow style. Probably, that center cooking of the egg, might be difficult in a flat pan. I don't know. I know this is not the best place to ask..... but what really is YangChow style? I have been eating yang chow fried rice since I was a little kid, and it always contain small shrimp, bbq pork, eggs, and the rice is light colored.

I do. But mine is Chinese -- not Japanese. Using a wok, I make a space right in the middle, and add a little oil. When the oil is hot, in goes the fork beaten egg. It immediately bubbles up around the edges and I stir it gently. When it is curdled, I mix it in with the rest of the rice and whatever. I use very little soy sauce. I like fried rice very simple -- YangChow style. Probably, that center cooking of the egg, might be difficult in a flat pan. I don't know.

Here are the kosher chinese places that I can think of in Manhattan: Eden Wok on W. 72 btw Columbus and Amsterdam Mr. Broadway/Me Tsu Yan 1372 B'way (37 & 38) Esti-hana W. 79th btw Amsterdam and B'way Gan Asia - corner of Amsterdam and 93rd Eden Wok and Estihana serve both sushi and chinese food. The food is ok (how's that for damning w/faint praise?). Gan Asian (take-out only) serves Thai and Chinese. I'm more partial to the Thai offerings. And their dumplings were awful. I've never eated chinese at Mr. Broadway. I'm sure there are places in Queens and Brooklyn, but I can't help you there. What ever you do, stay away from the place in Elizabeth, NJ. It's the worst food I've ever eaten!!! In my experience chinese isn't that big in the kosher community anymore. It's been replaced with a sushi obsession.

My recipe for making egg chahan: Ingredients (1 serving): 200g plain cooked rice 2 eggs 1 tbsp oil (or lard) Pepper Salt Soy sauce Sesame seed oil How to make: 1) Heat rice in a microwave oven (if cool). 2) Beat eggs. 3) Heat the nonstick frying pan at high heat for about 1 min. (If an iron pan or wok, heat until smoking hot.) 4) Add oil and distribute it evenly. 5) Add beaten eggs first and then rice immediately. Stir constantly. 6) Add pepper and salt. 7) Add soy sauce. 8) Add sesame seed oil. Done! Perform steps 3) to 8) within 3 to 5 minutes. Notes: 1. You can mix eggs and rice together in a bowl before adding. This way, you can make what is called ougon chahan (golden chahan), like this one: http://www.h5.dion.ne.jp/~china/newpage52.htm 2. If you want to add additional ingredients, finely chop them beforehand and add them between steps 6) and 7). Tips: 1. Heat the pan hot enough (to 230 degrees Centigrade) before adding eggs. 2. Heat rice before adding. 3. Finely chop all ingredients, and precook them if necessary. In short, mise en place (preparatory work) is the key. References (all Japanese only): Aru Aru Daijiten: http://www.ktv.co.jp/ARUARU/search/arutyarhan/tyarhan1.html Me Ga Ten: http://www.ntv.co.jp/megaten/library/date/01/05/0520.html Tameshite Gatten: http://www.nhk.or.jp/gatten/archive/2000q2/20000531.html Today, I made egg chahan for lunch, with the recipe I have just described. I like simple food, and I like the combination of eggs and sesame seed oil. And what's your recipe?