Chinese Eats at Home (Part 1)

[peony]

no..the greens are not choy sum

we called them yuen choy - spinach ?

the stalks are soft not crunchy like choy sum.

sometimes, the tip of the stalk, near the roots is red.

you can also used these veggi in soup, good for children as the veg is soft n slippery after cooking.

my kids ( adult now ) don't like choy sum as they consider the veg bitter.

[Ben Hong]

We call that "yoong choy" in Toisanese, and treat it like amaranth.

I lower fish into deep fry oil by holding it by the tail and slowly sliding it in.

[C. sapidus]

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

Ah Leung: Thank you for your kind words and advice! We got the plate (and a second, larger one) from an office gift exchange. This was the first time we used it.

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?

Dejah: Yes, I had a similar question and would like to learn more about this method.

[hzrt8w]

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.

←

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.

Dejah: Yes, I had a similar question and would like to learn more about this method.

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Sorry. I shouldn't have said "above" the oil. The method is: hold the fish with both hands above the oil, then slowly lower it and let the bottom part start sizzling... for about 5 to 10 seconds, before laying the fish down. I think the idea is to let the skin at the bottom of the fish caramelize first to prevent it from sticking to the wok.

Also, what I usually do is start with the stove at high to heat up the oil and lower the fish. Once the fish is in the wok, I immediatel turn the heat down to low for the rest to cook.

And... from my own experience: never dust a whole fish with powder (corn starch and such) and shallow-fry. The skin will stick to the wok big time. You can coat the whole fish or fish filet with batter and deep-fry. But dusting and shallow-fry causes troubles.

Edited December 20, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

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

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Beef can be optional. We can make tomatoes stir-fried with eggs (only) as well.

[hzrt8w]

no..the greens are not choy sum

we called them yuen choy - spinach ?

the stalks are soft not crunchy like choy sum.

sometimes, the tip of the stalk, near the roots is red.

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Ah! Thanks for the clarifications. In Hong Kong Cantonese we call that "yeen choy".

[Ben Hong]

  But dusting and shallow-fry causes troubles.

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Hmmm...not in my experience.

[sheetz]

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.

I've seen this on Iron Chef and I think it works on the same principle as velveting meat. After the flesh is partially cooked by the oil it becomes "set" and doesn't stick to the work anymore.

Edited December 20, 2006 by sheetz (log)

[XiaoLing]

I made one last proper dinner before my x-mas feast in NYC begins this friday.

I usually make 4-5 dishes for dinner. Here I made stir fried fresh squid and braised ribs with quail eggs. As for veggies I made hot and sour cabbage and garlic potatoes.

Hot dogs tonight with the traditional NYC style onion sauce since I am lazy and I need to prepare for my trip back to NYC tomorrow. I'll be ready for the real food in NYC!!

[C. sapidus]

Ah Leung and Sheetz: Thanks for the advice on cooking fish without tearing the skin – I have properly annotated the recipe for next time.

XiaoLing: Your “proper dinner” looks like a feast to me!

Tonight I poached chicken thighs with crushed ginger and scallion whites. After freezing the poaching liquid in 1-cup aliquots for stock, I shredded most of the chicken to make strange-flavor chicken (guai wei ji si, also known as “bang bang” chicken – bang bang ji si) from Land of Plenty. The remaining chicken went into Thai fried rice, served with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, lime wedges, and Sriracha.

I used tahini for the strange-flavor sauce – does anyone know how the taste of tahini compares with that of Chinese sesame paste? The chicken was delicious – how could it not be with light soy sauce, Chankiang vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, and ground roasted Sichuan pepper in the sauce, served over slivered scallion whites and topped with toasted sesame seeds. We will definitely make this again.

[hzrt8w]

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Beautiful! How did you get the squid to curl up like that? I have been unsuccessful doing it. May be the squid I used is too thick.

Do you use big squid or small ones? How fine do you do the criss-cross pattern on the squid bodies? Do you cut it to almost severing the squid or just a very shallow cut?

The technique would be the best learned from a step by step tutorial. How about it XiaoLing? Perhaps we can get you to join in publishing pictorials?

Edited December 21, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

Tonight I poached chicken thighs with crushed ginger and scallion whites. After freezing the poaching liquid in 1-cup aliquots for stock, I shredded most of the chicken to make strange-flavor chicken (guai wei ji si, also known as “bang bang” chicken – bang bang ji si) from Land of Plenty. The remaining chicken went into Thai fried rice, served with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, lime wedges, and Sriracha.

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Wow, Bruce... you are making full use of every penny you spent on this book!!!

Edited December 21, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[XiaoLing]

Beautiful!  How did you get the squid to curl up like that?  I have been unsuccessful doing it.  May be the squid I used is too thick.

Do you use big squid or small ones?  How fine do you do the criss-cross pattern on the squid bodies?  Do you cut it to almost severing the squid or just a very shallow cut?

The technique would be the best learned from a step by step tutorial.    How about it XiaoLing?  Perhaps we can you to join in publishing pictorials?

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Thanks Ah Leung!

I learned to cut the squid like that from my dad when I was 14. We use to buy dried squid and reconstitute them. But I prefer fresh ones.

The key to get the squid to curl is to make sure to cut the pattern in the inside of the squid. And the cuts have to be not too deep but not too shallow but somewhere in between. The squid I used this time is actually bigger than I regularly purchase. They are about 7-8 inches long and about 0.25 inch thick.

Here's a close up of the squid so you can see the cut:

I would definitely post a pictorial the next time I cook squid. It's pretty tedious but I think it's worth every minute of my time.

[hzrt8w]

The key to get the squid to curl is to make sure to cut the pattern in the inside of the squid.  And the cuts have to be not too deep but not too shallow but somewhere in between.  The squid I used this time is actually bigger than I regularly purchase.  They are about 7-8 inches long and about 0.25 inch thick. 

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On the *inside* of the squid! That's my first mistake right there.

How far apart do you space each cut with your criss-cross pattern? 1/2 inch or even closer? 0.25 inch? When you cut, is your knive straight down at a 90 degree angle? Or at a 45 degree tilted angle? I guess the trick is all in the details that I haven't picked up!

[muichoi]

I do it rather closer together-probably an eighth of an inch. it's not difficult at all with a razor sharp knife-otherwise almost impossible.

[hzrt8w]

Reading this thread is like reading a never-ending multi-author food blog.

13 pages already! My goodness!

[Ben Hong]

I do it rather closer together-probably an eighth of an inch. it's not difficult at all with a razor sharp knife-otherwise almost impossible.

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Close cross-hatches make for a more "artistic" curl, in any case they should not be more than a quarter inch.

Take off tentacles and head (to be used later), throw away the long body cartilage and the mouth beak, split the body and lay flat , scrape off purple "skin" if desirable, flip so the inside of the body is facing up. Use a heavier and very sharp knife held at an angle and using little or no pressure just drag the blade across the flattened squid. (To get a diamond shaped design, I usually drag the blade across the flesh off-axis to the piece, rotate 45 degrees and repeat). Lastly cut the whole piece into bite sized morsels.

Edited December 21, 2006 by Ben Hong (log)

[aznsailorboi]

wow, I've only been gone a few days and 2 more pages!!! and tons of good food! i've been busy at work and havnt gotten the chance to cook, last night I had bought Lo Bak Go and shrimp and pork wrapped in mochi dough??? and shrimps wrapped in rice noodle sheets with the thin sweet soy sauce. i'll have pics by tonight. I got it at the vietnamese/chinese bakery. and oh I had soy milk with it, just going back to the "savory food on one hand and sweet drink on the other". I will be coming back for more Lo Bak Go....or maybe i'll make it myself, i'll render it as practice since chinese new year is almost here in a few months.

[Dejah]

Ditto on the squid preparation a la Ben Sook.

aznsailorboi: You DO need to make your own lobak goh! Check out mine on:

http://www.hillmans.soupbo.com/soos/lobakgoh.html

We'll be eating mostly non-Chinese food for the next few days, but I made a Taiwanese recipe earlier this week. It was chicken fillets "breaded" with a mixture of shrimp, waterchestnut, green onion and carrot then deep fried. I'll upload the picture later when I can get the "other computer"

You coined the perfect phrase for this thread, hzrt:

"a never-ending multi-author food blog."

[aznsailorboi]

Auntie Sue-on can I have your recipe for the rice batter, yours looks firm, I like the firmer type than what my mom's recipe produces, hers yield a firmness of a semi-soft tofu. and the firmer ones are easier to freeze. oh and the ratio of shredded daikon radish to the rice batter? and do you squeeze out the liquid out of the radish? I will make one tonight or tomorrow. depending on when I get the ingredients, but it has to be asap. as I hate craving for something and not able to have it right there and then, coz then I keep on eating whatever's in sight until I had what I've been craving for.

I know this discussion about names of Lo Bak Goh has been brought up before but I can't remember which thread so I'll just ask it again. Is there any difference between Lo Bak Goh and Cai Tao Keh, or is it just the name? and there's another one made with Taro and another made with pumpkin or any fleshy squash with golden meat same Liu but instead of the radish its squash. and the color of the Keh significantly changes. was wondering if anybody know the chinese name of these variations?

Edited December 21, 2006 by aznsailorboi (log)

[XiaoLing]

How far apart do you space each cut with your criss-cross pattern? 1/2 inch or even closer?  0.25 inch?  When you cut, is your knive straight down at a 90 degree angle?  Or at a 45 degree tilted angle?  I guess the trick is all in the details that I haven't picked up!

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Depending on the size of your squid I would space them apart about 1/8 of an inch to 1/4 of an inch.

When you slice through the squid your knife should always be at a 45 degree or more angle.

Hope this helps!

[v. gautam]

I made one last proper dinner before my x-mas feast in NYC begins this friday.

I usually make 4-5 dishes for dinner."

Do you remember Ben Sook's asking if you were married? Well, this is the last straw....post! I'm determined to jump the line, to at least one space ahead of Uncle Ben.

May the best man win.

Happy X-mas and an auspicious New Year to your family and yourself!

Thanks for all the lively recipes.

(a little pre-emptive flattery is never amiss, esp. when the competition is so stiff)

gautam

[hzrt8w]

Auntie Sue-on can I have your recipe for the rice batter, yours looks firm, I like the firmer type than what my mom's recipe produces, hers yield a firmness of a semi-soft tofu. and the firmer ones are easier to freeze. oh and the ratio of shredded daikon radish to the rice batter?

If you want the cake to be firmer, just gim mai fun (regular rice flour from long grain rice). If you want the cake softer, just nor mai fun (sticky rice flour). Or do a mix. One time I did mine with 100% regular rice flour, it turned out to be much firmer than I like. One time I did it with 100% sticky rice flour, and it is so soft that the cake doesn't hold up its form. I think something like 50/50 may work the best. You may need to experiment, trial-and-error.

From my experiment, the daikon to flour ratio was 5:1 (5 lb daikon, 1 lb rice flour). If you use more daikon, the cake will be softer. More flour, the cake will taste more chalk-like. But you do need the flour to hold up the daikon.

and do you squeeze out the liquid out of the radish?

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Keep the liquid as much as possible. It contains the flavor from the daikon.

[hzrt8w]

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May we have a look at the equipment you use to steam the rice flour sheet, peony?

Do you make the batter by mixing the rice flour? Or you use a blender to grind rice grain with water?

[aznsailorboi]

Thanks Ah-Leung, gonna go get some Lo Bak at the asian store tonight so I can make them tonight or tomorrow. I got a feeling it will be more like tomorrow though hahaha I mentioned it to my Taiwanese friend who I'm inviting at my house for christmas eve, and his ears perked up all of a sudden, since I knew its his favorite, I just had to let him know...ah the torture, love it! . hristmas eve dinner is gonna be a potluck at my house, and my friends are kinda international mix so there's no saying what I'll be expecting on my dining table. but Lo Bak Goh will be there. lol