Lunch! What'd ya have? (2012–2014)

[Plantes Vertes]

I made some vegetable dishes today; sauteed spinach with parsley and mint; mashed cannellini beans with olive oil and garlic, and purple sprouting broccoli (from my mother's allotment, to give credit where it's due) with lemon zest and garlic. I served it with pitta bread.

[liuzhou]

I'm a committed, unashamed carnivore but I'd eat that, Plantes Vertes. Looks lovely. Nice to see some picture of your dishes.

[Plantes Vertes]

I'm a committed, unashamed carnivore but I'd eat that, Plantes Vertes. Looks lovely. Nice to see some picture of your dishes.

Wow, a great compliment indeed in that case! Thank you liuzhou!

Edited April 27, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[huiray]

2013-0427

Lunch

• Whole Golden Pompano, steamed Cantonese-style.^¶

• Rainbow Swiss chard (from today’s Farmers’ Market), sautéed w/ garlic in veggie oil.

• White rice (Basmati).

^¶The fish was marinated w/ Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], julienned fresh ginger, some chopped garlic, short-chunked scallions, light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior], peanut oil [Chang Chi], sesame oil [Dragonfly], fresh ground white pepper. (The body cavity was stuffed w/ some of the scallions + ginger + garlic & the liquid marinade also spooned into the cavity + contents several times while marinating) The fish plus all marinade components were then steamed in a shallow metal dish till just done, the fish alone retrieved from the steaming plate/dish (leaving behind all liquids and other marinade components) and plated on the clean serving dish. Fresh diagonally-sliced scallions, coriander leaves and julienned ginger were scattered over the fish, sautéed chopped garlic with the hot peanut oil + veggie oil poured over the fish + greenery and the whole dressed with light soy sauces [Higeta Honzen + Pearl River Superior].

• Dessert: a slice of what they [Rene’s Bakery, in Indy] call “Bête Noir” (heh!) which I would call “Death by Chocolate” instead; plus a couple of “Raspberry Truffles” (truffles rolled in a layer of raspberry flavored & colored fine sugar crystals).

Edited April 28, 2013 by huiray (log)

[Kim Shook]

huiray – by Kon Lo Mein I meant the second picture in your post of April 7^th. I thought that was what you called it.

[huiray]

huiray – by Kon Lo Mein I meant the second picture in your post of April 7^th. I thought that was what you called it.

Ah, that one. :-)

Yes, I called it Kon Lo Mein - but that name indicates a general way of preparing noodles (the name means "dry mixed noodles" in Cantonese) - a category, if you will; not a specific dish. It's like saying one likes pizza. I also made other versions of Kon Lo Mein in this Lunch thread besides the one in my April 7th post (for the others see here and here and here and here) which was why I asked which one you liked. If you look again you will see that I also always described what I put into the Kon Lo Mein and what kind of noodles I used and so on.

But perhaps you do mean that you like any kind of Kon Lo Mein no matter what is in it?

Edited April 29, 2013 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

2013-0428

Lunch

• Fried rice. A version based on Yeung Chow fried rice. (See here also)

A simple “flat & bubbly” egg omelette (with two eggs, beaten w/ a little water, veggie oil & freshly ground white pepper) was made with a hot pan & hot oil, placed onto a plate, cut up into short strips and reserved. Chinese BBQ pork (“Char-siu”) cut into small cubes was sautéed with chopped smashed garlic & chopped yellow chives (韭黃) in peanut oil. Medium-short-cut Chinese long beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) plus some sea salt were added, the mix stir-fried for a bit; then 2-day-old rice (Basmati) was added and the mix tossed. Shrimp^¶ was then added and the mix tossed, followed by the reserved cut-up omelette with a bit more stirring. Plated w/ chopped scallions & coriander leaves.

^¶Deheaded, peeled, deveined whole shrimp were soaked for a while in water + some “Kan Shui” (Potassium carbonate + sodium bicarbonate solution) [Koon Chun] then decanted and rinsed in fresh water.

2013-0429

Lunch

• Bucatini [Garofalo] dressed w/ a simple tomato sauce^§ and fresh ground black pepper.

^§ Half a yellow onion, sliced & chopped, was sautéed in EV olive oil (Arbequina) [unio] till they were lightly browning. Halved Cherub tomatoes & a chopped-up “Vine Tomato” were added and stirred in, some chicken stock added followed by dried oregano, thyme & powdered sage; the mix simmered for a bit, the seasonoing adjusted then chopped Italian parsley added in at the end.

• Salmon & Veggie soup. ^¶

^¶Chopped shallots & chopped smashed garlic were sautéed in EV olive oil (Arbequina) [unio]. Peeled carrots & parsnips (both cut into sticks) were added, water & some sea salt put in and the mix simmered for a short while. Sliced common mushrooms (button) were added, followed shortly after by sliced salmon (Steelhead; de-skinned), the mix given a stir then fistfuls of red-stemmed spinach leaves (they look like these) put in and the mix just brought back to a simmer and the heat shut off.

[huiray]

Lunch today:

• Heritage chicken eggs, simply pan-fried sunny-side up with crisp edges. (two yolks unfortunately broke while moving them around on the plate) Plated w/ simply boiled small white wax potatoes; plus carrot sticks & sliced onion, both sautéed in the leftover oil from frying the eggs plus a bit of sea salt.

• Pepper beef, cured ox tongue & coarse Braunschweiger (all from my local German butcher/sausage/luncheon meats maker). The Braunschweiger was eaten w/ rosemary croccantini [La Panzanella] (these).

• Green salad of celery heart & leaves, red-leaf lettuce heart, parsley leavelets, trimmed spinach leaves; dressed w/ a vinaigrette of Dijon mustard w/ horseradish [Maille], sea salt, sugar, rice vinegar [Marukan], juice of half a Key Lime, fresh ground black pepper, EV olive oil (Arbequina) [ Unio].

The eggs were nice, but I thought were not significantly different (if at all) from "normal free range" eggs let alone from the better supermarket eggs. The yolks were more orange, yes, and overall the taste was probably a little "eggier".

I ate only part of the pepper beef laid out (it was a little salty) and also half of the potatoes; but pretty much everything else went down the hatch. :-)

[huiray]

Lunch today:

• Stir-fried chicken & Thai basil.

Chicken wings & drumettes, cut into halves crosswise cross the bone(s); marinated w/ fish sauce [Red Boat], “Luscious Soy Sauce” (甘醇油膏) [Kim Lan] (this one), peanut oil, fresh ground white pepper, juice of half a Key lime. Garlic cloves sliced lengthwise sautéed in veggie oil, the chicken pieces + marinade added & tossed; then “Chilli Paste with Holy Basil Leaves” [JHC] (this one) added with quick stirring (sizzle & splatter); the mix stir-fried then cooked (covered) briefly; a pack of calamansi lime juice added in [Manila Gold] (this one; the package shown contains 14 small individual sealed packs of “pure” juice; one pack was used) and the mix banged around on high heat a bit more; halved peeled red shallots & sliced de-seeded ripening hot long green chillies were then added in, the mix tossed, followed by fistfuls of large-trimmed Thai basil (with attached succulent parts of stems & flower buds) added in and the whole stirred & tossed till the basil was just wilted in/stirred in and the heat shut off.

• Steamed white rice (Thai Hom Mali) [Elephant Brand].

[heidih]

huiray - that is a new concept for me with respect to the treatment of the basil. When there are masses of whatever kind is doing well I will have to try it. Have you done the same thing with other forms of basil?

[huiray]

huiray - that is a new concept for me with respect to the treatment of the basil. When there are masses of whatever kind is doing well I will have to try it. Have you done the same thing with other forms of basil?

Yes.

Commonly w/ Thai; also with "regular" basil ("Italian", "Broad Leaf", Genovese) - where the stems are less tender or more woody and the basil trimmed accordingly. Rarely with the other scented/"flavored" non-Thai basil varieties.

I often use basil as a vegetable. In soups too, besides stir-fries. The other components are chosen with the concept of the basil packing a punch of flavor being kept in mind. I like it. In each case it is added last, so that it functions as a leafy veggie still having some "bite" and texture (i.e. like a vegetable :-) ) rather than semi-dissolve into the dish if one were using just a few leaves as a spice or herb in a ragù or whatnot. (I do use basil as an "herb"/spice in the latter manner, too)

[huiray]

I see I had some typos in my earlier post. I meant to say that the chicken wings and drumettes were cut crosswise across the bone(s); and that the package of calamansi juice I cited actually contains 12 (not 14) mini-packs of the juice.

[huiray]

Thursday lunch:

Pork & Chinese spinach wontons [Wei Chuan] in broth^§ w/ Shanghai noodles^¶, Chinese celery leaves & sliced scallions.

^§ Chicken stock simmered for a while w/ broken-up dried shiitake mushrooms & dried whole anchovies (Ikan Bilis), then decanted off.

^¶ Shanghai Yangchun Noodles (上海陽春麵) cooked in the usual manner in simmering water.

[rotuts]

very interested in: dried whole anchovies (Ikan Bilis)

are they very salty? ulltra 'fishy?' you find then in chinese markets of medium size?

many thanks

[huiray]

very interested in: dried whole anchovies (Ikan Bilis)

are they very salty? ulltra 'fishy?' you find then in chinese markets of medium size?

many thanks

They come in various sizes (and prices) and "saltiness" but yes, they are mostly fairly salty. In general the type of anchovies referred to as "ikan bilis" are not the European or North American ones you may be used to or may be thinking of. See this reference for some useful stuff. Think Vietnamese and Thai "Fish Sauce". Or sambals.

Well, "fishiness" is in the palate of the sampler, but they would have a fairly strong odor and taste. Yes, you ought to be able to find them in decent Chinese or "Asian" (especially those who carry significant amounts of SE Asian products) groceries.

The dried fish as packaged/sold is not eaten as-is. It is always cooked in some way. The simplest is to just deep-fry them when they become salty crunchy tasty little things. These deep-fried ikan bilis or the corresponding sambal ikan bilis is often considered an indispensible ingredient in Nasi Lemak in SE Asia, for instance. They were once even bar snacks (the equivalent of peanuts in Western/North American bars :-) ) and have returned in some places, so I understand.

They range from cheap to not inexpensive usually depending on size and grade. Buy some medium-priced ones and try cooking some. :-)

[Mind you, someone I knew could not abide the idea of eating them when she first encountered them (she's Western European in origin) stating that she just couldn't eat what looked to her like pet fish...guppies... :-) ]

[huiray]

I embedded the wrong link for the term "sambal ikan bilis" in my post above. It should, of course, be this instead.

[huiray]

Sunday lunch:

• White bass,^§ steamed in a sort-of Teochew way.^¶

• White rice (Basmati).

^§I cut out the lateral blood lines on one fish, left them in on the other. There didn't seem to be a noticeable difference in taste with the fish, at least with them done this way.

^¶The gutted, slit, well-washed fishes were marinated for a while w/ Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior], peanut oil [Chang Chi], fresh ground white pepper, loads of scallions and julienned ginger. Everything was then placed on a shallow enameled metal dish and steamed (full water boil) for 3-4 minutes then just the two fishes retrieved from the dish, everything else (marinade liquids & solids & etc) discarded, the plate washed and the fishes returned to the plate. (All done quickly) Tomato slices, Japanese pickled plums (umeboshi) [Hana], somewhat thinly sliced pickled sour mustard ("Harm Choy"), sliced de-stemmed rehydrated thick-cap flower-patterned shiitake mushrooms ("Far Koo"), sliced de-seeded hot long green chillies, fresh julienned ginger, some fresh scallions sliced on the bias and a splash of light soy sauce were added/arranged on and around the fishes. The whole ensemble was re-steamed till done then transferred to the serving dish (pictured).

[Hassouni]

I was too hungry, so no pics, but first time I've cooked lunch in a while, so here's what I had:

A whole (smallish) bunch of yu choy, leaves separated from stems

2 rashers of Trader Joe's thick sliced, uncured, smoked bacon with the fattier bits removed, chopped roughly

3 cloves garlic, sliced coarsely

3 thai chiles, roughly chopped

I seared the bacon in my wok, pushed it to the side and added salt to the residual fat, and then threw in the chiles and garlic. Yu choy stems went in next, followed by the leaves. Everything was stir-fried for another few minutes until everything was cooked. Served atop some reheated koshihikari rice i had in the freezer.

Delicious, relatively healthy, and came together in about 10 minutes.

Edited May 7, 2013 by Hassouni (log)

[huiray]

2013-0506

Lunch

• Shanghai Yangchun Noodles (上海陽春麵) in duck & Chinese celery broth, with finely chopped scallions (green parts only).^¶

• Roma beans, sliced diagonally (“French-cut”) sautéed w/ chopped garlic, chopped scallions (mainly white parts), halved Cherub cherry tomatoes. Salted to taste.

^¶ This is closer to the more common simple version of the dish, without other add-ons and other stuff or meat pieces and whatnot put in, than what I did for lunch last week. I did use the heavier duck stock-->broth I made beforehand, rather than the lighter broths (chicken, shrimp, etc) more usual; and I also skipped the cut-up thin plain egg omelette often used. (See here and here and here for examples)

The duck stock:

Duck wings & drumettes were chopped crosswise into two pieces then with the wing tips tossed w/ “luscious soy sauce” (甘醇油膏) [Kim Lan], sufficient sweet mirin [Honteri], ryori-shu [MRT], veggie oil, a bit of oyster sauce [Lee Kum Kee], fresh ground black pepper, a dash of light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior]; then roasted in the oven till lightly caramelized. The duck pieces plus the liquids/scrapings were then transferred to a pot and simmered in water w/ Chinese celery & sliced fresh ginger for several hours or so. Seasoning was adjusted. This gave a fragrant somewhat opaque stock packed with gelatin and which solidified completely on cooling overnight. Re-heated and allowed to settle a bit before ladling out for the noodles.

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2013-0507

Lunch

• Beef shin slow-braised w/ bamboo shoots & black wood-ear fungus.^§

• Blanched (w/ a little oil) red-leaf lettuce, drizzled w/ ponzu sauce (lime variety).

• White rice (Basmati).

^§ Sliced ginger was tossed briefly in hot oil, then thick-cut beef shin slices, bone-in, were added and browned on both sides with some black bean garlic sauce [Lee Kum Kee] added in as well. A slurry of (fermented bean curd¹ with some of the liquid; plus mutenka shiro miso paste²) in some water was then added, everything tossed a bit and browned a bit more. The bamboo shoots,³ wood-ear fungus⁴ and sufficient water (to cover ingredients + a bit more) were added. The mix was brought to a boil then simmered on low flame for about 1½ hours or thereabouts.

¹ Fermented bean curd (chunk) (white type, non-chilli type, with sesame oil; 白豆腐乳; Yale Cantonese: baak6 dau6 fu6 yu5) [Hwang Ryh Shiang brand (Taiwanese); 黃曰香] (this one).

² Mutenka shiro miso paste [Maruman] (this one) (see here for a discussion on miso).

³ Bamboo shoot tips [White Orchid brand] (packaged in some liquid; very similar to these) were drained & rinsed, the bottoms trimmed of the hard(er) part, then simmered in water for 10-15 minutes, drained, rinsed, sliced into shorter lengths and halved or quartered (lengthwise) as appropriate.

⁴ Dried stuff; soaked to soften, the hard “knobs” removed then cut into slices.

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2013-0507

Late dinner, sort-of supper.

• The leftovers from lunch (see above), diluted w/ water (it was just a tad on the salty side) and augmented w/ (dried) bean curd sticks (腐竹) [Asian Taste brand], re-simmered for about an hour or so. Served on softened skinny rice noodles/sticks (“Mei Fun”) [Tiger brand; 虎 牌 米粉]. (I like this brand of “mei fun”. It’s a Taiwanese brand produced in Hsinchu (新竹), a city in northern Taiwan. I buy this one more often than other brands.)

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2013-0508

Late lunch/early dinner.

• Chicken & Cabbage soup.^§

• Steamed Atlantic salmon w/ button mushrooms & parsley.^¶

• Cappelini aglio e olio.^†

^§ Bell & Evans chicken legs, chopped into slices; sautéed w/ chopped smashed garlic in veggie oil; quenched w/ chicken stock, simmered for a while; finely sliced ordinary green cabbage + finely sliced Savoy cabbage added; simmered till done, seasoning adjusted.

^¶ Salmon fillet (de-skinned), cut into suitable pieces; tossed w/ dijon mustard w/ horseradish in it [Maillard] + fresh lemon juice + sweet mirin [Honteri] + ryori-shu cooking wine [MRT] + fresh ground white pepper + a sprinking of sea salt. Sliced white button mushrooms were scattered over the fish & drizzled w/ EV olive oil (Arbequina) [unio]. Steamed till almost done, coarsely chopped parsley leaflets scattered over everything and the steaming finished off.

^† Finely chopped garlic & a finely sliced shallot sautéed in EV olive oil (the Unio stuff), al dente cappelini [Racconto] added and the mix tossed in the usual manner, salted to taste. Chopped scallions (mainly white parts) added when plated.

Well, as it turned out I devoured every last scrap and last drop of the salmon + juices and the cappelini – they went very well together, I thought; and was too full to eat all that much of the chicken + cabbage soup.

[jsager01]

very interested in: dried whole anchovies (Ikan Bilis)

are they very salty? ulltra 'fishy?' you find then in chinese markets of medium size?

many thanks

They come in various sizes (and prices) and "saltiness" but yes, they are mostly fairly salty. In general the type of anchovies referred to as "ikan bilis" are not the European or North American ones you may be used to or may be thinking of. See this reference for some useful stuff. Think Vietnamese and Thai "Fish Sauce". Or sambals.

Well, "fishiness" is in the palate of the sampler, but they would have a fairly strong odor and taste. Yes, you ought to be able to find them in decent Chinese or "Asian" (especially those who carry significant amounts of SE Asian products) groceries.

The dried fish as packaged/sold is not eaten as-is. It is always cooked in some way. The simplest is to just deep-fry them when they become salty crunchy tasty little things. These deep-fried ikan bilis or the corresponding sambal ikan bilis is often considered an indispensible ingredient in Nasi Lemak in SE Asia, for instance. They were once even bar snacks (the equivalent of peanuts in Western/North American bars :-) ) and have returned in some places, so I understand.

They range from cheap to not inexpensive usually depending on size and grade. Buy some medium-priced ones and try cooking some. :-)

[Mind you, someone I knew could not abide the idea of eating them when she first encountered them (she's Western European in origin) stating that she just couldn't eat what looked to her like pet fish...guppies... :-) ]

Perhaps a few tips would be helpful to those new to ikan bilis ?

whenever motivated enough, i buy them whole, ie with head and gut still intact, and then i dehead, and degut them ( as you may expect, the heads and guts will add a bitter taste, among other undesirable flavors to what you are cooking). This deheading and degutting is a PITA, and therefore i sometimes buy them cleaned, ie already deheaded, degutted and deboned. However, the cleaned ones are too cleaned, they have removed all of the backbone, which i believe is a good source of dietary calcium. If you are not concerned about this, then definitely buy the cleaned ones, but then the cleaned ones may be more difficult to source (depending on where you live).

In the chinese grocery stores around here, the ikan bilis are usually in sealed plastic bags, displayed in coolers and quite often in freezers. Obviously check that the fishes are still whole and do not have a lot of debris, or broken bodies,etc.

in prep,i always soak them for sometime, or until i can get back to them after doing some other prep, about 5 to 15 minutes? Then i rinse them, and repeat soak/rinse as many times as i have the patience. This soaking and rinsing will remove some of the very high salt content and other undesirables that could be removed by soaking and rinsing. Soak/rinse as many times as you wish until you get them to be at the saltiness level that is to your liking.

Then i dump them into a strainer and let drip dry, or in fridge for more effective drying (especially if i am going to deep fry them later).

If i am using the ikan bilis for its umami punch, eg to flavor stocks, chinese porridge/congee, stews, stir fries, etc, then i dry fry/roast them, and i believe this improves the flavor (similar to dry frying/roasting spices) and removes some of the fishiness. Then i use my spice grinder to grind the ikan bilis, bones and all, and use it right away or store in fridge for later use. No waste, no need to strain out whole ikan bilis.

If you are into similar ingredients that could be used for their umami punch, try shrimp skin 虾皮 xiapi, sometimes translated as krill. I prep them the same way as above, except that these seem to be less salty. Check out F Dunlop on http://www.fuchsiadunlop.com/magic-ingredients-papery-dried-shrimp-%E8%99%BE%E7%9A%AE/

[huiray]

This is useful, thanks for posting! The info and notes will be valuable for lots of folks.

In truth, however, I seldom dehead and gut my ikan bilis. That slight bitter edge is a useful foil to the rest of the taste profile, and I normally do not mind it, depending to an extent on the type and/or size of the ikan bilis. For that matter, it's relatively rare that you would get deep-fried deheaded and gutted ikan bilis for one's nasi lemak in Malaysia, for example, or in various examples of sambal - although the deheaded/gutted versions also exist.

On a related note, there is a current thread on what one's favorite fish is elsewhere on the cooking subforum - the OP there talks about pike mackerel and how he really likes it...while another eGulleteer wonders about it. It might be noted that grilled whole pike mackerel is highly appreciated in Japan & Korea (& elsewhere), where the slight bitterness from the "whole fish and stuff" is SUPPOSED to be part of the appeal and is favored BECAUSE of it.

[huiray]

2013-0509

Lunch

• “Kon Lo Mein” with minced pork sauce on skinny wonton noodles.^¶

• French-cut Roma beans, simply sautéed w/ EV olive oil (Arbequina) [unio] & sea salt.

• Cabbage & Chicken soup, from lunch yesterday.

^¶ Minced pork was marinated w/ fish sauce containing chili & whole anchovies (Mam ca com an lien) [Quang Tri Food (Hanoi)] (this one), Sambal Bangkok [Kokita], clear fish sauce [Red Boat], peanut oil [Oriental Mascot], Shaohsing wine [Wei Chuan], sesame oil [Dragonfly], fresh ground white pepper. Thickly-sliced (on the bias) scallions (white parts mainly, some green parts) & chopped smashed garlic were sautéed in peanut oil, the maninated minced pork added and stirred around/sautéed. Chopped coriander leaves were added and the heat turned off.

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2013-0509

Dinner

• White rice (Basmati) with some of the leftover sauce from lunch.

• The remainder of the chicken & cabbage soup, augmented w/ fresh thinly-sliced green cabbage & simmered a short while. (fresh cabbage still slightly crunchy, “old” cabbage now meltingly soft – nice contrast of textures)

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2013-0510

Lunch

• Fried rice. Oil in hot pan, chopped smashed garlic, trimmed Chinese celery (largely stems), three eggs scrambled in situ, 2-day-old Basmati rice, rest of the sauce for the “Kon Lo Mein” from the day before, largely thawed (frozen) peas. In that order, more or less.

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2013-0511

Lunch

• Farmed saltwater Pacific White Shrimp^¶ simply steamed w/ scallions, ginger, a bit of chopped garlic, sea salt, small splash of mirin & ryori-shu.

• Button mushrooms, fresh asparagus & snow fungus medley.^§

• White rice (Basmati).

^¶ Harvested the day before at Bedrock Springs Seafood Farm in land-locked Indiana. (See here too) On ice, never frozen. Bought at today’s local Farmers’ Market. Yum. No deveining needed. Content of heads succulent, all were sucked out and eagerly devoured.

^§ Halved button mushrooms were sautéed & lightly browned in Arbequina EV olive oil [unio], trimmed asparagus (from today's Farmers' Market; cut yesterday) added & tossed. Snow fungus^† (“Snow ears”, 雪耳; or “Silver Ears”, 銀耳; Tremella fuciformis) & stock was added and the mix tossed briefly and the heat shut off.

^† Snow fungus was rehydrated in water, trimmed, then simmered in light chicken stock (just enough to cover) for a little while.

[huiray]

2013-0512

Lunch

• Salt & pepper shrimp.^¶

• Braised Far Koo w/ Napa cabbage.^§

• White rice (Basmati).

^¶Loosely following this recipe. (I used the rest of the fresh shrimp I got referred to in the previous post.) Shrimp were deep-fried in batches instead. Used a hot long green chilli instead of the jalapeno, cut into rounds, partly de-seeded. Used more ground white pepper than in the recipe.

^§ Dried “far koo” (thick-cap flower-patterned Chinese (shiitake) mushrooms) destemmed and soaked in water to soften. Sliced ginger & smashed garlic sautéed in peanut oil, chicken stock added followed by the mushrooms. Brought to a boil, some salt added, then simmered at lowered flame for about 1½ hours. Napa cabbage leaves (“wong nga pak”, 黃芽白; a.k.a. “tai pak choi”, 大白菜) (the common squat variety) cut into fourths and sixths added and simmering continued for just a bit more. Seasoning adjusted.

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2013-0513

Lunch

• Deep-fried/puffed “Special Crab Chips” (Bánh phồng cua đặc biệt) [sa Giang] (these). Not pictured.

• Pan-fried halibut fillet^‡ w/ sautéed asparagus.^¶

• Fresh radiatore^§ tossed w/ sautéed garlic, shallots & sliced “Baby Bella” mushrooms.^†

^¶Trimmed fresh asparagus (from Saturday’s Farmers’ Market), cut in two, flash-sautéed & tossed in Maussane-les-Alpilles olive oil [Moulin Jean-Marie Cornille] w/ a little sea salt and a dollop of Dijon mustard [Grey Poupon] till *just* cooked, still crunchy & green. Reserved.

^§ Additional EV olive oil [unio] added to the pan (after sautéeing the asparagus), the smashed garlic (a generous amount) & halved shallots added and tossed till the garlic was beginning to color up, sliced Baby Bella mushrooms added and tossed till just browning, a bit of sea salt added, drained al dente radiatore [from here] cooked in the usual manner added and the dish tossed and finished off.

^‡ Fresh halibut fillet, skin-on, rinsed & patted dry; dressed w/ sea salt & fresh ground white pepper (skin side) then pan-fried skin-side down in the pan after the asparagus & pasta was done, with more olive oil added, with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and brief covering after a couple of minutes. The flesh-side was re-salted lightly & dusted w/ fresh ground black pepper and the fillet flipped over and fried for less than a minute then removed to the serving plate.

Edited May 13, 2013 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

2013-0514

Lunch

• A riff (very big riff) on “Lo Mein” ^¶ (Cantonese 撈麵, lou1 min6); or Mandarin 拌麵, pinyin bàn miàn, Cantonese (Yale) pronunciation pun3 min6).

• Simple soup – with pork spare ribs, sliced ginger, crushed garlic cloves, green Chinese radish (青蘿蔔) and (Western) carrots.^§

^¶Shanghai Yangchun noodles (上海陽春麵) were cooked in the normal manner and tossed/mixed (like making a pasta dish) in the pan w/ a sauté of sliced shallots, chopped smashed garlic, sliced Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced pickled scallion bulbs (rakkyo)(Allium chinense) [shirakiku brand], sliced pickled ginger [Lin Lin brand] and some sea salt. (Both of the pickled items have sugar in the pickling liquid.) The combo came out resembling a dressed spaghettini or spaghetti dish with sweet-sour notes. Interesting.

^§ Short-cut (against the bone) pork spare ribs, separated (cut) into riblets or smallish chunks (with cartilaginous ribs, also used) were parboiled for a few minutes (“Feishui”, 水飛), everything dumped into the sink, the rib pieces rinsed under the tap, placed into a fresh clean pot, clean water added plus a bit of corn oil, sliced ginger, crushed garlic and sea salt. The mixture was brought to a boil, heat reduced and the mix simmered for ~ 1 hour or so. Green Chinese radish (thinly peeled, roll-cut) and carrots (peeled, roll-cut) were added, simmering continued for ~ 15-20 minutes and the seasoning adjusted.

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2013-0515

Lunch

• Bak Kut Teh.^§

• Yau Mak Choy.^¶

• Steamed white rice (Basmati).

^§ Today I used pork baby back ribs plus country style ribs. Herbs used were "Tong Kwai" (當歸; Yale: dong1 gwai1; "Radix Angelica Sinensis"; Angelica sinensis), "Yook Chook" (玉竹; Yale: yuk6 juk1; Polygonatum odoratum (Mill.) Druce) and “Tong Sam” (黨參; Yale: dong2 sam1; Codonopsis pilosula Nannf). Other components added were: a few large pieces of "Chan Pei" (陳皮; Yale: chan4 pei4; dried tangerine peel); two whole heads of garlic; later on, cinnamon sticks plus a small handful of whole cloves; then light soy sauce [Kikkoman]; and soft tofu slices plus fried tofu puffs towards the end.

^¶ Romaine lettuce, trimmed & washed. “Stir-fried” with julienned ginger, “luscious soy sauce” (甘醇油膏) [Kim Lan], light soy sauce [Pearl River Superior], oyster sauce [Lee Kum Kee], sweet mirin [Honteri], ryori-shu [MRT], veggie oil.

Edited May 16, 2013 by huiray (log)

[huiray]

Corrigendum:

"Feishui" is "飛水". The order of the ideograms in the post above was wrongly posted due to an inattentive "pasting in" from the "character set" of Chinese characters I use on my MBP.

I also added dried longans into the Bak Kut Teh, which added a slight sweet undertone to the soup.