Chinese Eats at Home (Part 1)

[hzrt8w]

If you have the patience, you can also leave the flat (fuyu) persimmon until they are soft and very ripe.  Also quite delicious!

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Thanks Erik! I haven't tried the Hachiya persimmon. I shall do that some time.

Actually I have a fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard. Just a couple of months ago I harvested about 100 of them. If Dejah Dai Ga Jeah lives any closer I would have loved to bring her a box of them. My wife likes it soft but I like it crispy. I ate my portion very quickly - within a couple of weeks while they were still crispy like apples.

Edited December 18, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[sheetz]

Too much holiday baking has made me start to put on weight, so for dinner I prepared this light watercress soup with fishballs.

Edited December 19, 2006 by sheetz (log)

[hzrt8w]

Too much holiday baking has made me start to put on weight, so for dinner I prepared this light watercress soup with fishballs.

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Looks good! Did you buy ready-made fish balls or roll your own fish balls?

[sheetz]

Too much holiday baking has made me start to put on weight, so for dinner I prepared this light watercress soup with fishballs.

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Looks good! Did you buy ready-made fish balls or roll your own fish balls?

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I made them from frozen flounder fillets, egg whites, cornstarch, tapioca starch, green onions, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

[Domestic Goddess]

Sheetz, I'd love to prepare my own fish balls. Can you give more details on the measurements and how to prepare them? Thanks in advance!

[sheetz]

Sheetz, I'd love to prepare my own fish balls. Can you give more details on the measurements and how to prepare them? Thanks in advance!

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I didn't do any exact measuring, but what I did was blend a pound of fish and an egg white in a food processor. Then add some green onion, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste along with a couple of tablespoons each of cornstarch and tapioca starch until it holds together. (Simmer some water in a pot and cook a small ball to test for seasoning and texture.) Scoop up the fish paste with your hands and fling it into a bowl a few times to give it a bouncier texture. Then form the fish paste into balls and drop then into boiling water. Turn the heat down and gently simmer for a few minutes until cooked.

Edited December 19, 2006 by sheetz (log)

[hzrt8w]

[...] Scoop up the fish paste with your hands and fling it into a bowl a few times to give it a bouncier texture. Then form the fish paste into balls and drop then into boiling water.

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Yeah. It's important to fling as hard as you can!

Freshly made fish balls are very bouncy when eaten.

[eje]

If you have the patience, you can also leave the flat (fuyu) persimmon until they are soft and very ripe.  Also quite delicious!

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Thanks Erik! I haven't tried the Hachiya persimmon. I shall do that some time.

Actually I have a fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard. Just a couple of months ago I harvested about 100 of them. If Dejah Dai Ga Jeah lives any closer I would have loved to bring her a box of them. My wife likes it soft but I like it crispy. I ate my portion very quickly - within a couple of weeks while they were still crispy like apples.

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Sounds like your wife will enjoy them more than you.

Whatever you do, don't try to eat Hachiyas before they are ripe. Very astringent.

Leave them sit on the counter until they are very soft.

[SheenaGreena]

If you have the patience, you can also leave the flat (fuyu) persimmon until they are soft and very ripe.  Also quite delicious!

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Thanks Erik! I haven't tried the Hachiya persimmon. I shall do that some time.

Actually I have a fuyu persimmon tree in my backyard. Just a couple of months ago I harvested about 100 of them. If Dejah Dai Ga Jeah lives any closer I would have loved to bring her a box of them. My wife likes it soft but I like it crispy. I ate my portion very quickly - within a couple of weeks while they were still crispy like apples.

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Sounds like your wife will enjoy them more than you.

Whatever you do, don't try to eat Hachiyas before they are ripe. Very astringent.

Leave them sit on the counter until they are very soft.

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I like to keep them (uneaten of course) for about a month or so until they are so soft you would think that they are rotten. They taste so much better then fuyu persimmons. Although I do love dried persimmons as well.

[cyen]

I'm such a bad Chinese for not eating as much Chinese food as I should. Hahaha. Maybe this thread would give me motivation to try out new Chinese recipes.

First recipe that I tried from a new Wei-Chuan cookbook that I bought while I was in US. Beijing-style noodle soup (麵疙搭). It was fun pulling the little bits of dough and chucking them into the soup. The father-in-law wasn't too keen with the noodles because it's not his expectation of noodles, but everyone else seemed to have enjoyed it.

[Dejah]

Wei-chuan is a good series. I have several of the books. My Chinese students have borrowed them because it has the Chinese instructions too. I hoped they would use the English side, but when they're hungry.......

I don't always cook and eat Chinese. To me, variety is important. Here's what we had the last few days: meen see pai gwut, fuyu ong choi, guy choi tang, home-made pizza, Malaysian curry chicken, Greek moussaka, Kraft dinner with creamed salmon. Chinese?

[cyen]

Wei-chuan is a good series. I have several of the books. My Chinese students have borrowed them because it has the Chinese instructions too. I hoped they would use the English side, but when they're hungry.......

I don't always cook and eat Chinese. To me, variety is important. Here's what we had the last few days: meen see pai gwut, fuyu ong choi, guy choi tang, home-made pizza, Malaysian curry chicken, Greek moussaka, Kraft dinner with creamed salmon.   Chinese?   

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I'm a big fan of the Wei-chuan books. My mom learned to cook from the original Chinese Snacks and Chinese Cuisine books, and to me many of the dishes from these books are "mom's flavor." I love the bilingual aspect of the series,and I actually read both the Chinese and the English text because I notice that there are some variations in ingredients or methods between the two versions.

Oh wow, moussaka! I love that dish, but I haven't had much luck finding an authentic recipe nor finding something as fantastic as the ones I had in Greece. I would be happy not to have to eat rice for lunch and dinner almost everyday, but the in laws must have rice or else they still feel hungry. Haha.

[Kent Wang]

My family often made tomatoes with scrambled eggs. Only seasoning was a bit of salt and, for that Shanghai flavor, sugar. This was in fact the very first dish that my mother taught me to cook and so it will always hold a sentimental spot in my heart. Is this dish common to find in other Shanghai or Chinese households or is it more an eccentricity of my family?

It is usually made with fresh tomatoes but I made these with roasted, marinated tomatoes I purchased from Central Market.

I had them for breakfast (as you might tell from the bleak lighting) but we usually had this as a dinner item.

[peony]

my family meals are simple, one meat / seafood, one greens and soup with rice.

hubby must have soup on table.

soya sauce prawns

sauté greens with garlic

bak kut teh - herbal pork ribs soup

[pearls]

Come and get it in Penang....can't beat the prices there or in KL.

Hi,

You mean to tell me electronic stuffs are cheaper in Penang than in KL? Where in Penang?

[pearls]

That's what I heard as a common practice in Malaysia. I myself may not be used to it: with savory food on one hand and a sweet drink on another.

Malaysians also have it with almond milk.

[hzrt8w]

That's what I heard as a common practice in Malaysia.  I myself may not be used to it: with savory food on one hand and a sweet drink on another.

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It is pretty common in Hong Kong too. In many restaurants, you can have the traditional Chinese stir-fries or "something over rice" or fried noodles or rice noodles, even dim-sum... all savory items. And people order coffee, tea (the "western" tea with condensed milk and plenty of sugar), red bean shaved ice, lemon coke, etc. etc. with their meals.

[cyen]

It is pretty common in Hong Kong too.  In many restaurants, you can have the traditional Chinese stir-fries or "something over rice" or fried noodles or rice noodles, even dim-sum... all savory items.  And people order coffee, tea (the "western" tea with condensed milk and plenty of sugar), red bean shaved ice, lemon coke, etc. etc. with their meals.

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That's like having dinner and dessert all at once. I personally wouldn't want to do that either. I usually have a bit of ice or hot tea or plain water with my Chinese food. If I want bubble tea or whatever, I get it as a snack later. I don't know, maybe I like a bit of a separation between main course and dessert.

[C. sapidus]

Tonight we had trout braised in chili bean sauce (dou ban xian yu), yard-long beans in spicy caramel fish sauce, and jasmine rice. The trout, from Land of Plenty, was tender and delicious, and the sauce was wonderful over rice. The yard-long beans had typical Thai flavors – spicy, salty, and sweet (thanks, Shaya!).

This was the first time I had cooked whole fish in a wok. It was tricky to maneuver the fish, but my technique improved after tearing the skin on the first flip.

Trout braised in chili bean sauce (dou ban xian yu)

[hzrt8w]

My family often made tomatoes with scrambled eggs. [...]

Is this dish common to find in other Shanghai or Chinese households or is it more an eccentricity of my family?

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The tomatoes with scrambled eggs that I have seen and am familiar with are very sausey, not dry.

Edited December 20, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

sauté greens with garlic

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Are those "choy sum"?

[hzrt8w]

Trout braised in chili bean sauce (dou ban xian yu)

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Nicely done, Bruce! And you have a plate big enough to hold the entire fish and then some...

:-b...

This was the first time I had cooked whole fish in a wok. It was tricky to maneuver the fish, but my technique improved after tearing the skin on the first flip.

jo-mel taught me a trick to hold the fish above the hot oil over the wok for a few seconds, let it kind of settled before laying the fish on the wok (well oiled by tilting and twisting). It does help to prevent the skin from sticking to the wok.

Edited December 20, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

That's like having dinner and dessert all at once.  I personally wouldn't want to do that either.  I usually have a bit of ice or hot tea or plain water with my Chinese food.  If I want bubble tea or whatever, I get it as a snack later.   I don't know, maybe I like a bit of a separation between main course and dessert.

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It depends on your cultural background. Unlike American/European culture, dessert in Chinese food culture is a very minor and optional part. Often times you won't find dessert in any meal.

On the other hand, we can eat savory or sweet stuff first thing in the morning or as midnight snack.

In our culture, we drink brandy and XO WITH the meal, not after the meal.

Edited December 20, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[Ben Hong]

In our culture, we drink brandy and XO WITH the meal, not after the meal. 

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Oh yeah!! Most Chinese will mix those fine elixirs of the gods with 7-Up or Cola.

[Dejah]

Trout braised in chili bean sauce

jo-mel taught me a trick to hold the fish above the hot oil over the wok for a few seconds, let it kind of settled before laying the fish on the wok (well oiled by tilting and twisting). It does help to prevent the skin from sticking to the wok.

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Do you mean to hold the fish on a "spatula" of some sort while immersed in the oil before laying it in the wok? "Above the oil" wouldn't have any effect.

To suspend the fish before releasing it allows the skin to coat with oil, cook and firm up. This prevents the fish from sticking to the wok.

BTW, where's our venerable jo-mel?

You are very observant, Ben Sook. I've seen so many Chinese mixing 7-up with Crown Royal and brandy at banquets. Me, I'll just take it straight up - the 7-Up, that is!

Edited to add:

hzrt: I think the eggs with tomatoes that Kent made is different from yours because eggs are the featured ingredient in this recipe. The saucier one that you make has tomatoes as the featured ingredient.

Kent's would be Eggs Stir-fried with Tomatoes whereas yours would be Tomatoes Stir-fried with Beef and Eggs.

Edited December 20, 2006 by Dejah (log)