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[Austin] Report: Chinese New Year dinner


Kent Wang

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This was our most successful Chinese New Year banquet yet, with eight people in attendance.

Photos by yimay.

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Jellyfish. Everyone liked it!

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Kao fu. Wheat gluten, mushrooms, bamboo, etc. Traditionally, a Shanghai breakfast dish.

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Pork and soy sprout soup.

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Dumplings with pork, shrimp and scallops. Very interesting, I've never had a dumpling with scallops before. They might have been dried scallops as there was a more pronounced briney taste.

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Quail.

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"Lion's head", giant meatballs, extremely tender and fluffy.

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Peking duck.

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Ti pang, braised ham hock. Thick layer of skin and fat. Probably my favorite dish.

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Me, my friend Pete.

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Whole flounder with roe. A fish with roe is considered an auspicious sign.

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Mustard greens covered in "black hair" seaweed sauce. Black moss or black hair seaweed is actually an algae and is eaten on Chinese New Year because its chinese name "fa cai" (hair vegetable) is a play on words that means prosperity, as in "gong xi fa cai", which is a greeting exchanged during Chinese New Year meaning good luck and prosperity. The seaweed is mild in flavor but added a thick texture to the sauce.

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Eight treasure rice. The most important Chinese New Year dish, composed of eight different "treasures" in sweet, glutinous rice, similar to a rice pudding. I can't remember all eight of the treasures but they included dates, raisins, gingko nuts, peanuts and prunes.

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We all have iPhones!

Pao's is a really terrific restaurant. If it was more conveniently located I would come out all the time.

We raised $32 for the Society at this event.

Thank you everyone for coming out. The Year of the Rat is shaping up to be a delicious one.

Edited by Kent Wang (log)
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I love that picture of you and Pete holding your...paoping? (that's what I've always called them, but I don't know if that's really what they're called) up in anticipation. "Hurry up and take the d*** picture! I want my food!"

eta: nevermind...I see the paoping was for the duck...but your expressions are still priceless!

Edited by prasantrin (log)
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Absolutely gorgeous food! I definitely want to eat there on an Austin trip.

At our Dallas LNY Dinner the Peking Duck was served with small buns, but yours were served with something that looks more like a tortilla. Is this a Chinese regional difference?

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At our Dallas LNY Dinner the Peking Duck was served with small buns, but yours were served with something that looks more like a tortilla. Is this a Chinese regional difference?

i'm not sure if it's a regional thing. i've tried to find this out myself but have never been successful. i grew up (in houston) having peking duck with the flat wrappers. it wasn't until later in life i experienced peking duck with steamed buns. these "tortillas" were unusually thick. they should be very thin, like mu shu wrappers. i like the steamed buns better, but you can get more goodies in the thin wrappers. i'm torn!

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Looks great! Your pics are so much nicer than mine.

As far as what is served with the duck. I don't know the why's of what are served, but I have been served peking duck with the thin "pancakes" before. Both were good. Can't really say which I prefer. The thin pancakes like I had before (in Las Vegas) or the puffy, steamed buns I had on Saturday night in Richardson.

Jeff Meeker, aka "jsmeeker"

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Looks great! Your pics are so much nicer than mine.

As far as what is served with the duck.  I don't know the why's of what are served, but I have been served peking duck with the thin "pancakes" before.    Both were good. Can't really say which I prefer. The thin pancakes like I had before (in Las Vegas) or the puffy, steamed buns I had on Saturday night in Richardson.

My BlackBerry and I are sad that we couldn't make it.

There's nothing so bad in this life that pork fat can't make better.

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