Chinese Eats at Home (Part 1)

[hzrt8w]

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

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Lo Bak Goh (Daikon Cake) is meant to be made and shared. Really... who can eat 30 pieces of daikon cake in one setting? Even if you put it in the freezer, it will last 5 to 6 servings if you keep it all to yourself...

[Dejah]

aznsailorboi:

I use the lobak goh recipe from Grace Young's Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen as a base. Here's the URL for the recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/100779

I don't follow the amounts really because I have a very large deep pan. For the flour, I have always used only rice flour(jeem mai fun), never glutinous rice flour(nor mai fun) because that's the way my mom always made it. The batter consistency, I add enough liquid (water/lobak water/mushroom and shrimp soaking water) to the flour until it will coat my hand, but not thickly. I am thinking 6 cups shredded daikon, 3 cups rice flour and no more than 3 cups liquid. Like I said, I go by feel.

[aznsailorboi]

Aiyaa! 55 persimmons? I'm sure you had fun going to the bathroom every few hours Ah-Leung, lots of fibre and roughage, good for you though. hehehe

thanks for the URL Auntie Sue-on, I will most likely make it this weekend, got too many projects goin on, I got my 90 gallon fish tank that I've started setting up, then I got Christmas eve dinner, and then I still have to work tomorrow all day. so im trying my hardest to keep up with things, oh and the chihuahua never fails to distract me every few hours. Whew!

anyways here's my dinner last night, lo bak goh and pork and shrimp inside a mochi ball (i bought it steamed but too lazy to steam it again, so i fried it with the lo bak goh)

and

and then tonight I reheated the shrimp wrapped in rice sheet noodles, bought yesterday together with the stuff i ate yesterday.

[peony]

That looks so lovely and so delicious!  I've been wanting to try out the recipe for the dish, but I was rather intimidated by the instructions for making the rice sheets.  I'm interested in any observations you had when you were cooking the rice sheets.  Are there any potential pitfalls?

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the only pitfall is my patience as the rice roll has to be steamed one at a time.

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?

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no special equipment, just a metal steamer, the layer types, except that mine has no holes at bottom of steamer.

I just mix rice flour with water, no recipe, just go by feeling to mix to the right texture.

[Tepee]

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

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These days we have the convenience of rice flour. When I was a child, I used to follow my mother to the 'old town' (especially during winter solstice celebration when we had to make tong yeun) where there was this miller who'd grind your rice into flour, using a huge stone mill. It was fascinating to watch.

Love this thread...there are so many dishes (like Peony's cheong fun for instance) that I would like to try...one of these days.

Happy "Gaw Toong", everyone! I'll be going to my MIL's (cooking's not particularly her thing). It's going to be a potluck. I was going to make a chicken dish, but found out that she has ordered curry chicken, so I'd probably do.......Jo-Mel's veg dish (thanks!). Too busy to make more effort. I've been baking and baking this past week, for give-aways, and we're having 40 carollers over this christmas eve and a few neighbours. My mother, who takes pity on me, has moved the gaw toong feast to Saturday lunch for me. Still spoils me after all these years.

[hzrt8w]

[...]

got too many projects goin on, I got my 90 gallon fish tank that I've started setting up, then I got Christmas eve dinner, and then I still have to work tomorrow all day.

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Is that fish tank for keeping your food alive until dinner time?

Edited December 22, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

These days we have the convenience of rice flour. When I was a child, I used to follow my mother to the 'old town' (especially during winter solstice celebration when we had to make tong yeun) where there was this miller who'd grind your rice into flour, using a huge stone mill. It was fascinating to watch.

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Someone told me that it tastes better to create your own batter by using a grinder. Haven't tried it yet.

[Tepee]

Yeah...like spice or chilli mix pounded with the mortar and pestle tastes better than using an electric grinder.

[aznsailorboi]

[...]

got too many projects goin on, I got my 90 gallon fish tank that I've started setting up, then I got Christmas eve dinner, and then I still have to work tomorrow all day.

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Is that fish tank for keeping your food alive until dinner time?

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hahahaha actually no kidding around, that idea has crossed my mind so many times, and my sister said the same thing too. Damn am I that predictable? Its a saltwater tank, so its possible. and getting live food for whatever I'm gonna be putting in it wouldnt be a problem since I have the live fish market a few min from my house. i guess as long as i say quick enough not to kill the fish before they whammy the head with the small wooden bat.

Edited December 22, 2006 by aznsailorboi (log)

[aznsailorboi]

I agree with Auntie Teepee, growing up in the Philippines, we still have the "miller" in every market(wet market), and people go there to get their rice ground. I guess because a blender is not a standard in every Filipino household....unlike here in the US its a must for a mixed drink LOL ...ok ok wrong purpose. but it is very interesting to see how they grind the rice in that big stone wheel.

with spices I still use the mortar and pestle, I have three sets for different types of spices, I use the Thai/Lao "Kok" with a deep bowl and smooth interior. perfect for dry spices because the spices cant escape while i pound it to a fine powder. Then there's my mexican mortar and pestle, the rough stone surface is perfect for making a paste from semi wet or fresh ingredients, like garlic, chillies, ginger, etc. it really tears the tough fibres and releases the juices. and lastly my glass mortar and pestle, i use it only to make pesto. I think using the mortar and pestle to prepare something just adds another level of effort (and love hihihihi)in the food that you're making rendering it special.

[peony]

Happy Dong Zhi today...

We just ate these tangyuen after dinner. The filling inside is finely, ground peanuts and eaten with sweet peanut tang sui.

[peony]

this is the steamer I use for making my chee cheong fun - steamed rice rolls

[aznsailorboi]

omg, i didnt realize what today was, Happy Dong Zhi!!! almost forgot about it, thanks for putting it out peony. I would have missed the temple service tonight and eating free tang yuen if it wasnt for you.

[Dejah]

Happy Gwa Ung, everyone!

My mom invited me over for tang yuen, but I am "obligated" to go for an East Indian luncheon today with my ESL school staff. It's free too!

Peony: My family would love that peanut-filled tang yuen!

[Tepee]

I had black sesame paste filled tong yeun tonight. I'll be having ones with a chunk of palm sugar in it tomorrow in a very gingery clear sweet soup.

[sheetz]

These days we have the convenience of rice flour. When I was a child, I used to follow my mother to the 'old town' (especially during winter solstice celebration when we had to make tong yeun) where there was this miller who'd grind your rice into flour, using a huge stone mill. It was fascinating to watch.

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Someone told me that it tastes better to create your own batter by using a grinder. Haven't tried it yet.

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My mother usually grinds her own rice but for convenience I just use the packaged flour and I do think grinding your own flour does tastes "cleaner." Perhaps the packaged flour picks up some off flavors if it has been sitting on the shelf for awhile or perhaps it is made with lower quality rice.

[hzrt8w]

with spices I still use the mortar and pestle, I have three sets for different types of spices, I use the Thai/Lao "Kok" with a deep bowl and smooth interior. perfect for dry spices because the spices cant escape while i pound it to a fine powder.  Then there's my mexican mortar and pestle, the rough stone surface is perfect for making a paste from semi wet or fresh ingredients, like garlic, chillies, ginger, etc. it really tears the tough fibres and releases the juices. and lastly my glass mortar and pestle, i use it only to make pesto.

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Three sets of mortar and pestle just for grind spices? I need to print this note and show it to my wife - who always said I have too many gadgets in the kitchen!

[hzrt8w]

this is the steamer I use for making my chee cheong fun -  steamed rice rolls

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Thanks peony[b/]! It looks very different and interesting. I have not seen this type of steamers in the USA.

It is really nice to live in your part of the world. Culinary-wise... so many choices.

Happy Dung Geet [Cantonese] everyone. To celebrate, and also that my final exams are over, tonight I will be having... duck pie and grilled shrimp on a skewer in a hotel restaurant in downtown Sacramento!

[aznsailorboi]

I made beef and sweet potato curry for dinner tonight.

[hzrt8w]

I made beef and sweet potato curry for dinner tonight.

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Sweet potato! Are you taking the "mixing savory and sweet" to the next level?

[aznsailorboi]

haha actually this dish was actually an accident. lol Okay first I was going through the fridge for things needed to be tossed out. I saw the sweet potatoes they were still good, so I peeled them then sliced, then I was feining for something fried so I fried it up. The first batch was done, I tasted it and it was kinda bland, I guess its been in the fridge too long, the sweetness had gone away BUT I hate throwing things away when its still edible. so I scrounged up for more veggies in the fridge, I saw the young corn, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. then I accidentally turned to the door compartment where my curry paste was sitting. HELLO....bright idea! so I cut up some onions and slicing the veggies....then all of a sudden I remember having a piece of beef in the freezer so I got that and shaved off a few slivers then returned it back to the freezer for future use. then off to the wok. stir fried all the veggies and the meat then added the curry paste and a little water to thin out the pasty liquid added a little sugar, I was missing the creaminess of the typical curry, coz I dont have coconut milk on hand, but I do have evaporated milk. so I added that instead, just a little bit to lighten up the color. and thats how my beef and sweet potato curry came about. its pretty good, haha I wasnt sure how it would come out but it was pretty good, I'm having seconds right now as I'm typing

[aznsailorboi]

oh forgot to tell you guys about the tang yuen at the temple, honestly even though its free, its not very good. they were serving it cold, I guess its been sitting out since earlier today, so the sticky rice dough was hard and rubbery as opposed to being soft and chewy, the peanut inside wasnt sweet enough and the syrup was supposed to be ginger flavored but for some reason it did not taste like ginger....or if it was, it was stale flavored.

BUT on the other hand I look at it this way, I got blessed by Lord Buddha . The tang yuen was free anyway lol. although I was kinda disappointed coz the temple cook usually prepares bad ass food all the time. maybe tang yuen was his weakness.

[aznsailorboi]

oh my look what I got mangoes and pomelo......hmmm I wonder what I can whip up with these???

more to come..... I'll post the final product here and at the tang sui thread.

[aznsailorboi]

and as promised for dessert. mango and pomelo tang sui

[Domestic Goddess]

Today I went grocery shopping in Seoul (about an hour and a half away) and got:

Szechuan peppercorns

Chili bean paste

Fermented black beans

Pressed tofu

Guess what I'll be making in the next couple of days?