Chinese Eats at Home (Part 1)

[Gastro888]

Oh dear God, NO! It's not supposed to be sweet! Ick ick ick!!!!!!

OK, so maybe I'm biased because my mom makes them not sweet. And that I thought nobody else knew how to make them except for mom because no one around me knew what I was talking about when I said "Gai Loong". Then I realized I was speaking Toisanese to a bunch of Canto-folks.

My mom will make them for me the next time I come home in the spring. I have pictures and her recipe somewhere back home (buried somewhere). (Dejah jeh, did I send it to you? Oh geez I'm loosing it).

No dried mushrooms? Gai loong must have dried mushrooms - they add great flavor to the dumpling! You could go posh and add dried scallops but...

It's the dough that's the tricky part and you have to make the filling extra dry so that they don't explode in the hot oil.

PS: If you think Ping's in Manhattan is good, hop on the 7 train to Flushing and have the dim sum there. I swear, you won't want to eat dim sum in Manhattan after that.

[Gastro888]

I don't think I've ever had them before.  Why are they called little chicken cakes?  Is it because it tastes like chicken or because the cookies look like chicken...well...

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Per the story presented in this page (in Chinese):

http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/?qid=7006031200009

Long story. In short, the name "gai tsai beng" (Little chicken cake) was chosen because the cakes do resemble the shape of young chics.

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Thanks, Ah Leung Goh! I see. OK, so sue me that I was thinking the cookies look like chicken poop. I did not see any that looked like little chickens on the link you sent me only odd shaped ones!

[aznsailorboi]

How much fresh ginseng do you have left, aznsailorboi? The potency is not near the Korean dried ones, so if you wait for a week or two, it would be safe for you to be energized again. 

Auntie Dejah, see that pic of the ginseng in the styro that i posted, thats all of it, i only used 4 whole roots, so there's still alot.

i'm looking forward to get out of work already so i can have a bowl of the soup with all those floaties I could really care less about the chicken in the soup since its been stripped of all its essences, and the meat is tasteless by now. but the soup with half a teaspoon of salt is divine! oh i didnt salt the whole pot. i salt as i go.

[aznsailorboi]

Welcome Habeas!

[Dejah]

I think someone said they were going to send me the recipe for ham sui gok, but I checked through my folders and don't see one (just in case I was the one losing it ).

So, someone, anyone, please send me the recipe.

Gastro: Would be great to see pictures.

[Dejah]

How much fresh ginseng do you have left, aznsailorboi? The potency is not near the Korean dried ones, so if you wait for a week or two, it would be safe for you to be energized again. 

but the soup with half a teaspoon of salt is divine! oh i didnt salt the whole pot. i salt as i go.

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Try to use as little salt as possible in this tonic soup for the most benefit.

I wonder if you could freeze the extra ginseng? Just make sure you use vacuum seal.

[sheetz]

Oh, hom sui gok (or what Toisanese call hom gai lung) is another one of those tricky dim sum items. If you don't make the dough properly they will burst when you fry them. Some people add sweet potatoes to the dough to keep it from bursting. Back when I was experimenting with doughs I found that sugar also helped to prevent that problem. I never got around to perfecting a recipe, but my guess is that a blend of glutinous rice flour and wheat starch will work best.

Habeas, welcome! Those ribs look so scrumptious!

[hzrt8w]

Oh dear God, NO!  It's not supposed to be sweet!  Ick ick ick!!!!!! 

OK, so maybe I'm biased because my mom makes them not sweet.  And that I thought nobody else knew how to make them except for mom because no one around me knew what I was talking about when I said "Gai Loong".  Then I realized I was speaking Toisanese to a bunch of Canto-folks. 

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That's right. Ham sui gok is savory. The very word "ham" means salty/savory.

[Tepee]

OOoh....Habeas Brulee, I've bookmarked your site *drool*

Guys, guys. The recipe would be great, but, first, can someone post a picture of ham soi guk?? It must be known by some other name here but I absolutely don't have a clue what it is!! Ham = salty, soi = water? guk = sauna???

[Habeas Brulee]

Habeas: I really don't care, nor does it matter, whether you are Chinese. After browsing through you blogs, we'd be happy to give you an Honorary Membership in the clan. Anyone who can cook like you do needs no other shibboleth.

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Thanks, Ben. That's a hell of a compliment.

aznsailorboi, sheetz: Thanks for the welcome!

Tepee: Glad you like! I just went over to look at your cake gallery, and wow, those are beautiful.

Ham sui gok are dumplings with a thick glutinous rice dough outside, and a savory pork (and often mushroom, sigh) filling inside. They are deep-fried. They are also utterly delicious, and if I ever manage to make them properly at home, I will be just about the happiest person on the planet.

[sheetz]

OOoh....Habeas Brulee, I've bookmarked your site *drool*

Guys, guys. The recipe would be great, but, first, can someone post a picture of ham soi guk?? It must be known by some other name here but I absolutely don't have a clue what it is!!    Ham = salty, soi = water? guk = sauna???

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gok = corner, horn, turnover

http://www.yanksing.com/our-cuisine/deem-s...e-dumpling.html

[aznsailorboi]

sien shui gu ahhh gotcha, I've been trying to figure out what it was until...

Ham sui gok are dumplings with a thick glutinous rice dough outside, and a savory pork (and often mushroom, sigh) filling inside. They are deep-fried. They are also utterly delicious, and if I ever manage to make them properly at home, I will be just about the happiest person on the planet.

thanks Habeas, wow you should really be an Honorary chinese! hahaha i cant believe i missed that, and its one of my favorite dimsum.

I would like to know how to make em, but I live by two bakeries that make em. and they make it perfectly yummy. If you guys ever visit chicago go to Chiu Quon Bakery either the one on Argyle st. in viet-town or the one on Wentworth ave. in Main Chinatown. they have either steamed or fried, i like the fried better. their filling has ground pork, ham ha, lop yuk, dried mushroom and waterchestnuts. the filling is salty but the sticky rice dough outside has a hint of sweetness. i actually like the balance in flavor. Man, i usually stop by on one of the bakeries at least once a week to get a dozen, only to finish half of it sitting in traffic with my Jamz blasting through the speakers. aiyaa! by the time i get home im ready to go to bed from ham sui gok coma.

oh and Stryker, the chihuahua dog, loves it too here's a pic of him trying to get it off his paws hehe it got stuck....

Auntie Tepee welcome back! I was starting to wonder where u've been?

Edited January 19, 2007 by aznsailorboi (log)

[aznsailorboi]

I made up a vegetarian dish tonight it doesn't look so appetizing but its really good. trust me lol. it has wood ear, oyster mushroom, button and straw mushrooms, knotted fu jook and fa cai.

[Dejah]

I made up a vegetarian dish tonight it doesn't look so appetizing but its really good. trust me lol. it has wood ear, oyster mushroom, button and straw mushrooms, knotted fu jook and fa cai.

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aznsailorboi: Everything looks disgusting, like a dog's breakfast But, I know all the ingredients would be delicious.

[Tepee]

Thanks for the ham sui gok explanation, everyone. Hmm...I'm not sure we have it here. Shiewie? Sounds similar to some teochew dumpling.

aznsailorboi! Did I read correctly? Half a dozen of those stickies? Aahhh...those were the days when I could eat lots of something at one go and not have to worry about the waist. Oh, I've been around... School year has started and it's been crazy. However, I can never end an internet session without oogling at this thread, once...or twice...heck..often!

Keep posting!

[Tepee]

I made up a vegetarian dish tonight it doesn't look so appetizing but its really good. trust me lol. it has wood ear, oyster mushroom, button and straw mushrooms, knotted fu jook and fa cai.

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aznsailorboi: Everything looks disgusting, like a dog's breakfast But, I know all the ingredients would be delicious.

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As for your vegetarian dish, I bet it's yummy. I add the fa cai at the last moment...because they get saan (scattered?) so easily. I've been taught that it's more aesthetic to keep them in neat lumps (lack of a more appetizing description).

Edited January 19, 2007 by Tepee (log)

[Ben Hong]

Ham sui gok as made by the Toysan womenfolk does not have sugar in the pastry wrapper. Those made by the dimsum houses do. I don't know why. I guess it's one of those inscrutable things done by those inscrutable ornamentals.

[aznsailorboi]

Thanks Auntie Dejah, if that was Stryker's breakfast he would be a really happy and lucky dog.

Auntie Tepee yes half a dozen of em, with a dan tart or two to end it on a sweet note. and i usually dont realize i've eaten that much since i just keep grabbing from the box while sitting in traffic....then once in a while i peek in the box to make sure i still have some left for midnight snack, then i stop. lol

Edited January 19, 2007 by aznsailorboi (log)

[peony]

hum sui kok

skin ingredient :

the dumpling skin is made from Glutinous rice flour and Wheat Starch ( 澄麵 ), sugar, water and lard.

Filling:

minced pork, shrimps, diced bamboo shoots, fatty pork, mushroom, chinese chives (韭黃), spring-onion and/or red scallion (乾蔥頭)

is this the dumpling ?

Edited January 19, 2007 by peony (log)

[peony]

tepee,

think hum sui kok is like our jin dui dumpling, just that jin dui has sweet filling, whereas, hum sui kok is savoury.

both dumplings uses glutinous rice flour and then deep-fry.

Jin Dui

[hzrt8w]

Jin Dui

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These jin dui are so perfect! Perfectly round with sesames evenly distributed. peony you are the master chef in our forum!

[Tepee]

Thanks, peony. Yum! Look at those jin duis...they're calling me.

[Majra]

Fried rice tonight. Before and After:

Eggs, ham, green onion, lettuce, and a few bits of leftover chicken. Sesame oil, salt, and a tiny dash of oyster sauce.

Does this photo look like dog food too? It certainly didn't taste like it!

[warlockdilemma]

Chinese love to eat livers, esp the women..

Livers and kidneys cook with mee sua...

this is a confinement dish for women after birth.

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I love livers and kidney with rice noodles......whats mee sua???

[Domestic Goddess]

Mee sua or miswa is very thin and fragile rice noodles. The noodles are as thin as the smallest guitar string (hmm.... may be even thinner) and they are very fragile. They are usually cooked in soups and the simplest one just contains egg like an egg drop soup.

I have a package in my cupboard and Ill post the picture in here later.