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In no particular order and some of these may fail to meet one or more of your criteria. Also, some may no longer be available where I found them. A good sized squid cooked sort or teriaki style and served on a skewer at the side of a very winding mountain road in avery rural part of Japan. Alcapurrias and bacalaitos fritos at the beginning of what used to be a dirt road to Loisa Aldea from Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. As the best were deep fried fresh for you, these may have not made the 2 minute cut. Most, by the way, were wretchedly leaden, greasy and awful, but it's human nature to always live in hope that the next will be better. Also some of the stands grew into huts and there were often some tables and maybe even chairs or benches. The steamed pork and cabbage buns that were reheated on a griddle under a wok top and developed a thick bottom crust. There were sold on the south side of Canal Street around Baxter and Mullberry. It's been a while since I've seen them anywhere in Chinatown. I've always blamed Rudy Giuliani's skewed vision of quality of life for their demise from the street. Nothing in the way of street food I've found lately in Chinatown compares, but my favorite baked char shu bao these days are from a little bakery on the south side of Grande Street between Mott and Elizabeth Streets. Ice cream, gelato and frozen confections all over the world. Nasi goreng and bami goreng. Balls of fried rice and fried noodle purchased from an automat-like window on the streets of Amersterdam.

Very interesting, Holly. I think I’ve been working intuitively. My fries are probably around the same size, but I cut them by hand, and if I’m using the plunge into hot oil (single or double) method, I test the temp of the oil by putting in one fry to see if it sizzles. Using a thermometer would be safer. Cooking times I do not have down pat. I go by color, tho I know some pots will not brown as much as others. I too go for Idaho. And I totally agree: shoestring fries are not fries. Whoever invented them needed their head examined! Quick question too. Plunging things into water or oil—are both considered blanching? This is an aside: Nigel Slater whom I much admire suggests par boiling pots before roasting and shaking the pan about when drained. They get beautifully flaky and come out terrifically crunchy when later roasted in goose fat. But roast pots probably deserve another thread. Final question on fries. Do you use a basket in the pan during the cooking process? Pros and cons? I haven’t in a few years and instead use a scoop (that I associate with Chinese cooking (very flat wired thing, ladle shaped)) to retrieve them when done. Jason, I've not used a wok for fries. I use my All-Clad pasta pan. It's deep. And you’re probably going to laugh and see me as a waster. I throw away oil after one use. Lard would be another matter. I’d use that again to fry my fries!

The best deep fryer in the world is a 25 dollar hand hammered wok purchased in chinatown. No home deep fryer unit comes close. Fill with peanut oil and fry up whatever you want. Just remember to reserve your frying oil using a strainer in a plastic vessel (those plastic deli soup or chinese soup containers work great) to get out the burnt bits floating around. You can probably reuse the oil half a dozen times before changing it.

I'm not sure what to say about you thinking Cathay 22 is "past its prime." It may not be cutting edge but you can eat well there and it's nearby -- aka Not in Bergen County/Hackensack/Englewood. Any restaurant 20 years old probably meets the definition of past its prime. Unless you want to travel then the choice -- between Cathay 22 and the 800 "hunan woks" in the area with the colorful photographs of General Tso's chicken above the counter -- is pretty easy.

What IS Aussie food? I'm going to answer this question by describing the kinds of foods you might eat - or merely encounter - if you were to visit Australia. If you have Aussie friends, they'd most likely insist that you try Tim Tams - Australia's answer to Oreo cookies and our most-loved uniquely Australian product. A Tim Tam comprises two rectangular chocolate biscuits, wedged together with chocolate icing and dipped in chocolate. Your Aussie friends - if they're regular people, not rampant foodies - might also feel inclined to introduce you to the delights of Aussie-style burgers. That is, a regular burger with a couple of slices of canned beetroot added. If these same Aussie friends decided to cook you an Aussie meal, it'd most likely be a reef-n-beef / surf-n-turf backyard barbeque. That is, seafood and meat. There'd be a few self-serve salads, and maybe a Pavlova for dessert. A Pavlova is a meringue that is crunchy on the outside, marshmallowy on the inside, topped with cream and doused liberally with passionfruit pulp. But say you called in on these friends at short notice, and they said "stay for dinner". What would they be eating? An Asian-style stir-fry, perhaps. In a recent survey, 90 percent of respondents said they own a wok and make stirfry at least twice week... TO BE CONTINUED!

I think what's missing from the equation with all these posts is the knowledge of the layout of our kitchen and house. There is a choice of two locations for the range, on an interior wall and next to the back door. However, I don't like the latter choice because it puts the cook's back to the pass-thru area between the kitchen and dining area peninsula. This is the current configuration to the range and I feel this is rather dangerous, because someone can bump you while you're cooking. Hence, we have a longer run for the hood ducts and have the heat of the stove further into the house. Also, I think our space limitations prohibit allowing the extra room for the insulation necessary with a commercial range. Also, we don't have a semi-outside area in which to install a heat producing item such as a previous poster suggested - except for the grill, which we already have. Actually I use the grill side burner for the wok a lot because of the heat and because it has a higher flame than the current stove burner. I do have a question about the salamander. Where do they get located? If they are over the range, how do you vent the range? Thanks, Rachel

If you are able, consider following the lead of my good friend who, while buying a hotter-than-normal stove for his kitchen, installed a gas line and a honkin' hot double burner stove on his patio, near the kitchen door. This he uses for his woks, his deep fat frying (extinguuisher handy) and for boiling crabs, lobsters, corn. Keeps the heat out of the kitchen, yet allows high btu use with safey.

Korean BBQ pork buns (like the ones they sell at the Korean bakeries) Serves 10 as Main Dish. To start off, these pork buns are very similar to Chinese pork buns (Char Siu Bao), but they're baked instead of steamed Korean Bakeries have always been a favorite of mine. The delicous buns, filled with sweet or savory fillings are so hard to resist. For the longest time, I've been trying to figure out how to achieve that soft, perfectly textured 'baked' bun dough they use, but I never had much luck. I tried many soft bun and dinner roll recipes, but it was never like the bun dough at those bakeries. The top would crisp a little too much, (even when I tried baking them at lower temperature or for less time), or the flavor and/or texture just wasn't right. I can't tell you how many times I practically begged for their secrets, but just got responses along the lines of "Not sure", or "It's just bread dough". 'Just bread dough??' Umm, yes,I know, but what do you put in it besides yeast, liquid (milk? water?) and flour? LOL One day, I received an issue of Relish Magazine in the mail. In it was a recipe for soft dinner rolls. Not even thinking about the Korean buns, it was simply a dinner roll I wanted to try. After tweaking it a tiny bit (I prefer whole milk to low fat in all recipes, unless I feel it's absolutely necessary to use low fat, after testing/tasting it), and baking/tasting the rolls, I knew instantly that this one could be IT, and I just HAD to pair this dough with the Char Siu like pork in Korean BBQ sauce, to see if I could come any closer to recreating those lovely, soft, flavorful buns. Lo and behold, I nailed it. That said, when it comes to portioning the dough and how much filling to use, I kind of just eyeball it, but I'll do my best to be as precise as I can with the instructions, based on estimations. You don't want to use too much dough for each bun, as they need to rise, and you would end up with a bun that's too 'bready' when opposed to the BBQ pork filling. On the flip side, you don't want too little bun dough, and too much pork filling, as it would probably split open upon rising and/or baking. For the BBQ pork, I referred to a recipe for Chinese pork buns by Wayne Hu, but once again, tweaked it a bit to my own taste. Bun dough Ingredients (I halved the original recipe) 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup whole milk (room temperature) 2 1/4 cups bread flour 1/4 ounce active dry yeast 3/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1 egg 1 egg, beaten Instructions 1. Mix milk, flour, yeast, salt, sugar, butter and eggs using a dough hook at low speed. Increase speed to medium, and mix until dough, when stretched, forms a fine membrane or window (about 15 minutes). 2. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 1 hour. In the mean time, prepare BBQ pork filling. Roast Pork Ingredients 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 1 tablespoon dry sherry 1 garlic clove -- minced 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops or steaks (1/2 inch thick) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper. 2. In a blender container or food processor bowl with metal blade, combine all roast pork ingredients except pork; blend until smooth. 3. Generously brush both sides of the pork chops or steaks, reserving remaining basting sauce. Place pork steaks on lined pan and bake at 375F for 30 minutes. Remove pork from oven. Brush both sides of steaks or chops with remaining basting sauce. Bake an additional 10 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink in the center. Remove from oven, let cool. 4. When cool, chop the pork into small cubes, and place in the refrigerator until ready to combine with the sauce. Sauce Ingredients 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon dry sherry 1 tablespoon peanut oil 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts 1 large clove of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 cup chicken stock or broth Directions 1. In small bowl or cup, combine the 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and 1 Tbsp sherry. Blend well. 2. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add onion and water chestnuts, cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until onion begins to soften and turn slightly golden. Add garlic, and cook for another minute (be careful it doesn't burn). Add the 1 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce to the pan and stir to coat. Add broth and toasted sesame oil and stir until combined. Let cook for about 1 more minute. 3. Stir in cornstarch mixture, and cook while stirring until mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat, and stir in the chopped pork. Transfer to a bowl, and let cool, then refrigerate until ready to fill the buns. Method/Directions for filling and baking buns 1. Line a large sheet pan (about 12 x 17) with parchment paper. 2. Gently deflate risen dough, and portion it into about 10-12 2 or 3 oz pieces. Roll each into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap and a towel, let rest for about 5-10 minutes. 3. Taking out one ball at a time, (keeping the others covered until ready to roll) on a lightly floured board, roll it into a 4 to 5-inch circle. Place about 1/4 cup, or a little more (or less -- like I said, I eyeball this part) of the cooled pork filling into the center of the circle, and gather up the edges, twisting and pinching to seal tightly. Place on parchment lined sheet, and repeat with the rest of the cooled pork filling and dough balls, until you have 10-12 buns on the sheet. 4. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with a little vegetable oil, and let the buns rise about 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. 5. Brush rolls with beaten egg. Bake anywhere from 12 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Let cool a little on a wire rack, then enjoy! Note - You can use any kind of filling you want with this fabulous bun dough -- like the ones the Korean bakeries use, such as red bean paste, curried beef, custard (thick pastry cream), chicken filling, ham and cheese etc.., or any kind of filling that suits your fancy, as long as it isn't too loose or runny. - Keywords: Pork, Bread, Intermediate, Korean, Snack, Lunch ( RG2122 )

Tom Ka Gai 2 tablespoons vegetable oil A couple of cloves garlic, crushed or - if you've read Kitchen Confidential - finely sliced like they did in Goodfellows 1 onion, finely chopped - sometimes I leave it coarse for texture. A couple of stalks of lemon grass, cut into 2-inch lengths 1 teaspoon ground black pepper A chunk of Red Curry Paste (I prefer Panang) 2 red chilies, finely sliced (optional) A few kaffir lime leaves (available in Thai/Asian markets. Do not substitute regular lime leaves) 2 one-inch pieces fresh/frozen/dried Galangal (Kha) (available in Thai/Asian markets) 3 cups water 4 or 6 (depending on how much of a glutton you feel) boneless chicken thighs, chopped into chunks coconut milk - this is a very emotional issue with me. I try and only use the small (green) tins of Ayam Coconut cream - 3 or 4. Once you've found a source of this you'll never look back. Good supermarkets sometimes have it - hence when I see it I get heaps - makes all the difference. 1 can straw mushrooms, drained. Sometimes I get those variety packs of frilly mushrooms and substitute or combine. 1/4 cup fish sauce - 1/8 cup fresh lime juice. This is the basic ratio I started with, but sometimes I use equal parts of lime to fish sauce. NB Fish sauce is like salt. Too much and you're stuffed. Heaps of fresh coriander, chopped. A whole plant is not to much - save some for garnish. Put the oil in a wok (or large frypan) and stir-fry the garlic, onion, lemon grass, pepper, curry paste, green chilies, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal for approximately 2 minutes. Add the water and bring to just below a boil. Add the chicken and turn heat down to a simmer. Cook for approximately 5-8 minutes. Add the coconut milk, mushrooms, fish sauce, lime juice, and simmer for about 2 more minutes. Toss in coriander and serve. This is a living recipe that changes every time I make it - but these are the basics. ( RG1755 )