Chinese Eats at Home (Part 1)

[sheetz]

Peony, that's a beautiful glaze you have on those. How did you do it?

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I just used egg yolk for the glaze. I didn't use lard but oil, maybe that's the diff ?.

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Hmm, I used egg yolk as well. Maybe I need to spread it on thicker? I only brushed a thin layer on them.

aznsailorboi, that soup looks excellent! Two more things I can't get here: chicken with the heads and feet, and fresh ginseng. That fungus you put in looks like "snow ears." Is bok ni the same thing?

[Dejah]

aznsailorboi: I can feel the tonic effects of your soup through my screen. Whew! Looks like mighty fine brew there for a young'un.

Did you use stewing hens for your soup? That's what I was taught to use in making any kind of long brewing tonic soups. You'd think all the nutrients would be "layed" out of those hens, but who am I to argue with the elders? I usually order them from a Hutterite colony that sells eggs. They charge a dollar a hen, and would leave the head and feet on if I request it. I'd order about 3 dozen, then drive around and gift them to my favourite vegetable-supplying aunties for sharing their bounty with me.

By next week, the Real Canadian Superstore will have chickens with head and feet intact in poultry section. The Chinese families will stock up their freezers, not only for New Year, but also for special occasions throughout the year.

[Dejah]

Page 20!  A milestone!  Call for a celebration!  We need more pictures...

Dinner... this is NOT Mapo Tofu.  Though it looks very close.  I didn't have much fresh produce in the fridge...  Got a can of the Taiwanese minced beef sauce.  Cooked it with some tofu and straw mushrooms and corns.

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Congratulations! You posters have done this thread proud!

Ah Leung: straw mushrooms? Looks like button mushrooms.

[hzrt8w]

here's the Ginseng no label to whether its asian or american ginseng.

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Being that Chicago is so close to Wisconsin, my bet is these are American ginseng.

[Dejah]

The fresh ginseng we get is whiter in colour, and American. They've also been growing them down east in Ontario. Do you know if that is true? Ben Sook?

I think the dried ones are of a different kind (Korean) and pack more wallop in terms of flavour and potency than the fresh ones. I order these through my sister in Vancouver. The herbalist is one she trusts. He uses a special slicer and packages portions that would brew up about 1.5 rice bowls full each time. I don't make soup, but will use the china lidded jar for "condensing" the tea for the family once in a blue moon. I am lazy!

[aznsailorboi]

Auntie Dejah, These are just regular spring chicken, thats why they're so puny, I managed to fit 3 in a 6 quart crock pot. actually the chickens werent cleaned, they were just sold dressed, I didn't realize they were non-eviscerated so I had to take the offals out myself, which i didnt include in the soup, except for the hearts.

I was taught to use laying hens for tonics, and special soups as well by my mom and our old cook back home. They said the older the hen the better, which was also logical to use for longer cooking since they need quite a few hours to get tender under low fire.

[aznsailorboi]

here's the Ginseng no label to whether its asian or american ginseng.

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Being that Chicago is so close to Wisconsin, my bet is these are American ginseng.

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I actually researched the closest ginseng farm in wisconsin is 4 hrs away from chicago. so it might have been from there, and its american according to the website's description.

Q2. How to tell apart American ginseng from Asian ginseng ?

(1) The wrinkles on American ginseng are horizontal running around ginseng roots and branches, while the wrinkles on Asian ginseng are vertical running along the ginseng roots and branches. (2) The neck of American ginseng is much thinner than the diameter of the ginseng root, while the neck of Asian ginseng is much thicker, only slightly smaller than the diameter of the ginseng root. (3) While chewing on it. American ginseng tastes first a bit sweet and then turn to bitter; Asian ginseng tastes bitter at the first bite. 

[hzrt8w]

Ah Leung: straw mushrooms? Looks like button mushrooms.

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You are absolutely right. Mistyping.

[Gastro888]

You could make mini lo poh bengs - I've seen them in bakeries here and there.  But I guess it would be harder.

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I have eaten some miniature cakes from Zen's Peninsula as complimentary desserts. I can't remember whether those were wife's cake or little chicken cake. (Gai Tsai Beng) They are a little bigger than the size of a US quarter. Must be time consuming to make.

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What's gai tsai being? Am I missing out?

[Gastro888]

I have eaten some miniature cakes from Zen's Peninsula as complimentary desserts.  I can't remember whether those were wife's cake or little chicken cake.  (Gai Tsai Beng)  They are a little bigger than the size of a US quarter.  Must be time consuming to make.

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They would not take as long to make as you think. When making conventionally sized wife's cakes most of the time is consumed by forming the individual flaky pastry doughs. When making miniatures sized ones you can streamline the process by making one large flaky pastry dough similar to French puff pastry and then cutting rounds using a biscuit cutter.

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But wouldn't that smush the edges flat and not make them rise as much? Just wondering if that would happen.

[aznsailorboi]

The fresh ginseng we get is whiter in colour, and American. They've also been growing them down east in Ontario. Do you know if that is true? Ben Sook?

I think the dried ones are of a different kind (Korean) and pack more wallop in terms of flavour and potency than the fresh ones. I order these through my sister in Vancouver. The herbalist is one she trusts. He uses a special slicer and packages portions that would brew up about 1.5 rice bowls full each time. I don't make soup, but will use the china lidded jar for "condensing" the tea for the family once in a blue moon. I am lazy!

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Auntie, how do u make "condensed" ginseng tea? i think i know what kinda jar you are talking about, and i think they have it available at my local asian market. is it the one that's almost always in the "blue and white" motiff, cylindrical shaped jar with a wide mouth and a cover to fit the mouth of the jar of the same material (porcelain? ceramic?)???

i need to utilize the rest of the ginseng....i don't want it to go to waste or how do i dry it so i can use it in the future.

[XiaoLing]

Aznsailorboi, your soup looks great!

This is probably a stupid question but what is the usage/purpose of gensing?

My family has always stayed clear of using herbal items in soups and cooking because we're afraid of screwing up the yin yang in our bodies. And then there's the usual lecture of what herbs men can have and women can't and vice versa.

I'm completely clueless on this topic. Coming from a Wuhan and Shan Dong family we never really used it in our cooking. However, we do put gochi in our jiu.

[Ben Hong]

The fresh ginseng we get is whiter in colour, and American. They've also been growing them down east in Ontario. Do you know if that is true? Ben Sook?

There are several different types of ginseng and without getting too heavily involved in the taxonomy and nomenclature, the wild varieties are the "best" and most highly prized. The farm raised types haven't got the cachet and charisma that the wild varieties enjoy. I believe that it is all optics. Wisconsin, Pennsyvania, West Virginia, etc., "hard wood forest states" are/were good sources of wild ginseng , a boon for local rural and mountain people as it gave them extra cash income.

Starting about 20 +/- years ago North America became (probably) the biggest source of farmed ginseng and the early farmers were richly rewarded for their tentative ventures. But, like everything else the market became saturated when the bandwagon got rolling and prices dropped overnight, about 10-12 years ago. The farming of ginseng is very capital intensive and a lot of people were badly mauled.

The biggest ginseng regions are Ontario (around Tilsonburg), Wisconsin, British Columbia, Oregon...I tried to put New Brunswick on the map 15 years ago, but the market crashed after I spent a few of our tax dollars. The owners of the biggest ginseng conglomerate in the world are still great friends of mine though, even though they spent and lost more than a few dollars.

[Gastro888]

Aznsailorboi, your soup looks great!

This is probably a stupid question but what is the usage/purpose of gensing? 

My family has always stayed clear of using herbal items in soups and cooking because we're afraid of screwing up the yin yang in our bodies.  And then there's the usual lecture of what herbs men can have and women can't and vice versa. 

I'm completely clueless on this topic.  Coming from a Wuhan and Shan Dong family we never really used it in our cooking.  However, we do put gochi in our jiu. 

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I'm sure the elders would be better able to answer this question but I know that ginseng is energizing and my mom uses the golai sum for "boh" tongs (rejuvenating? Is that the right translation?). Read "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen for a primer on herbs. I have to get you the name of this great Chinese herb book I have at home. It's by a Chinese-Malay author so there is some regional difference but overall most things are the same. I got it at this small bookstore on Mott Street in Canal. Next to Egg Custard King!

[XiaoLing]

I'm sure the elders would be better able to answer this question but I know that ginseng is energizing and my mom uses the golai sum for "boh" tongs (rejuvenating? Is that the right translation?).  Read "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen for a primer on herbs.  I have to get you the name of this great Chinese herb book I have at home.  It's by a Chinese-Malay author so there is some regional difference but overall most things are the same.  I got it at this small bookstore on Mott Street in Canal.  Next to Egg Custard King! 

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Thank you Gastro. I will definitely look into the Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen.

I love Mott Stree in Canal!! I use to go to High School around Chinatown and my friends and I would go to Chinatown for lunch after school. Our favorite was this basement Singaporian restaurant because we loved their Curry fishball noodle soup.

[hzrt8w]

What's gai tsai being?  Am I missing out? 

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雞仔餅

Take a look at some of these images found on Google. See if you recognize them.

http://images.google.com/images?num=100&hl...F-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Now I am pretty sure that's what I had at Zen Peninsula. The miniature little chicken cakes.

The filling ingredients seem to be:

Lard

Sesame

Peanut

sugar syrup

and Red fermented bean curds

Take a look at this page (in Chinese, with pictures) for how it's made:

懷舊餅食：乳香雞仔餅

[Gastro888]

Oh, neat! Thanks Ah Leung Goh!

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...

[sheetz]

I have eaten some miniature cakes from Zen's Peninsula as complimentary desserts.  I can't remember whether those were wife's cake or little chicken cake.  (Gai Tsai Beng)  They are a little bigger than the size of a US quarter.  Must be time consuming to make.

←

They would not take as long to make as you think. When making conventionally sized wife's cakes most of the time is consumed by forming the individual flaky pastry doughs. When making miniatures sized ones you can streamline the process by making one large flaky pastry dough similar to French puff pastry and then cutting rounds using a biscuit cutter.

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But wouldn't that smush the edges flat and not make them rise as much? Just wondering if that would happen.

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Er, huh? The edges are tucked underneath the pastry so it wouldn't make any difference. Oh well, when I do the pictorial you'll understand.

[Dejah]

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Auntie, how do u make "condensed" ginseng tea? i think i know what kinda jar you are talking about, and i think they have it available at my local asian market. is it the one that's almost always in the "blue and white" motiff, cylindrical shaped jar with a wide mouth and a cover to fit the mouth of the jar of the same material (porcelain? ceramic?)???

i need to utilize the rest of the ginseng....i don't want it to go to waste or how do i dry it so i can use it in the future.

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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.

To make "condensed" ginseng tea, I put the pre-sized packets into the jar, add 1.5 rice bowls water. Place both lids over the mouth of the jar. I use a string to tie the lid down (wind the string around the knob of the lid and tie each end to an "ear" on the jar). Place a wire stand (ones used for steaming) into a pot wider and deeper than the ceramic jar. Fill the pot with hot water that will come up to half way on the ceramic jar. Bring the water to a boil and keep it at a gentle boil for 4 hours. Check to make sure there's always enough water to the original level.

When you drink this condensed ginseng tea, you must not eat any root vegetables for 24 hours.Otherwise, all benefiical effects of the ginseng is negated.

While my brother was recovering from myloplastic leukemia 22 years ago, he had no energy and compromised immunity. My Mom and s-i-l prepared this tea for him once a week. As his condition improved, it was reduced to twice a month, then once a month, and so on. Now, they've stopped because of the latest findings about the adverse effects of ginseng on people with high blood pressure.

However, my family maintains that ginseng was what helped him beat the cancer!

[Dejah]

Oh, neat!  Thanks Ah Leung Goh!

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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The gai jie beng I've add did look a little like baby chicks. They are chewy, sweet, salty, YUM! I think someone posted a recipe for them in the forum once? Or was that for gai lown tay/ham sui gok?

[Habeas Brulee]

This thread is making me drool. You guys are amazing!

I'm not Chinese, but I'm Jewish and from New York, so that's close enough, right? And I do like to cook Chinese food pretty often.

A few nights ago, I made these stewed garlicky black bean spare ribs from Barbara Tropp's The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking.

The full description of what they were like and the recipe are up on my blog, here.

[Gastro888]

I have eaten some miniature cakes from Zen's Peninsula as complimentary desserts.  I can't remember whether those were wife's cake or little chicken cake.  (Gai Tsai Beng)  They are a little bigger than the size of a US quarter.  Must be time consuming to make.

←

They would not take as long to make as you think. When making conventionally sized wife's cakes most of the time is consumed by forming the individual flaky pastry doughs. When making miniatures sized ones you can streamline the process by making one large flaky pastry dough similar to French puff pastry and then cutting rounds using a biscuit cutter.

←

But wouldn't that smush the edges flat and not make them rise as much? Just wondering if that would happen.

←

Er, huh? The edges are tucked underneath the pastry so it wouldn't make any difference. Oh well, when I do the pictorial you'll understand.

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Oh, I understand. I don't think I explained myself clearly, my bad. You know how sometimes if you cut pastry dough the cut edges will not rise as well as the middle part that's not cut? If that makes any sense. I think maybe it's more of a problem in traditional Western pastry making than Asian.

And Dejah Jeh, I think I owe you a recipe for ham sui gok.

Or did I post/send it yet? Holy crap, my memory's really bad.

By the way, the ham sui gok they have in NYC is SWEET! Oh dear God, what a horror! I eat them regardless b/c it's tasty but it's not supposed to be sweet! Who told them to put sugar in the dough?!?!?!

Edited January 18, 2007 by Gastro888 (log)

[Gastro888]

...I'm not Chinese, but I'm Jewish and from New York, so that's close enough, right? And I do like to cook Chinese food pretty often...

Welcome! Lovely photos of yummy food you have there.

It's only close enough if you eat chicken feet and tripe.

[Habeas Brulee]

By the way, the ham sui gok they have in NYC is SWEET!      Oh dear God, what a horror!  I eat them regardless b/c it's tasty    but it's not supposed to be sweet!  Who the told them to put sugar in the dough?!?!?! 

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It's not? I first discovered how much I like ham sui gok when I had it at Ping's Seafood on Mott St! I've only ever had it sweet, I think of it as pork mocchi, almost. I just wish it didn't have mushrooms in it. My partner and I tried making it at home once from some internet recipe, but it totally failed.

Does anyone here have a good recipe for ham sui gok?

[hzrt8w]

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.