Chinese Eats at Home (Part 2)

[Ben Hong]

Maybe if I can figure out how to describe what I want he can get some for me.

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See my post above. If you can find a butcher who still breaks down half carcasses, tell him that it is the belly flap, that is the large boneless flap that covers the paunch and is between the ribs and leg.

[Gastro888]

Can I post that I made bak jook and fu yee last night? LOL!

[jmsaul]

I can't remember the last time that I've had such success with a single cookbook.  Her new Hunan cookbook, on the other hand, remains unused after 3 weeks in my possession.  I'm having some weird block about it.  Has anyone tried any recipes from this book yet?

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Over at our house, we love Land of Plenty too, and we've done quite a few of the dishes. (If you're curious, some photos are here. Not the step by step stuff Ah Leung does, just shots of the finished products.)

We've started doing some of the Hunan recipes -- so far, we've done one of the versions of General Tso's chicken, a chicken and cilantro dish, a beef and potato stew, and home-style tofu. They've all been great (except the General Tso's, which wasn't quite so interesting). I do have to admit to liking Sichuan cooking more, possibly because of an addiction to Sichuan peppercorns, but also possibly because one unifying feature of Hunan cooking so far appears to be a complete lack of sugar, and I'm more adapted to having a bit of sweet with my spicy. On the other hand, I like black beans just fine, and so do they. That beef and potato stew, by the way, benefits from sitting overnight. We had it for lunches for a couple days afterward, and it just got better and better...

Here's my personal favorite from Land of Plenty, Hot and Numbing Shrimp. This plate was empty about 60 seconds after the photo was taken:

Edited February 28, 2007 by jmsaul (log)

[trillium]

Thank you sheetz!  Niu lan is beef flank or brisket with the tendon and silver skin/sheet of cartilage (not sure what it's called?) attached.  It's common in Cantonese restaurants to have a rice plate with niu lan.  It's stewed for hours until it is really soft and flavorful.

Thanks, I wasn't sure because of dialectal differences but figured that's what it was. I don't have any Chinese butchers near me, but I do have a good American butcher who takes special orders. Maybe if I can figure out how to describe what I want he can get some for me.

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In the east coast, it gets called "outer flank" in butcher speak.

regards,

trillium

[sheetz]

In the east coast, it gets called "outer flank" in butcher speak.

regards,

trillium

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Thank you! I'll try to remember that.

Meanwhile, to continue on with my string of vegetable dishes, tonight I made an interesting recipe by Eileen YF Lo which consisted of tofu stir fried with red fermented bean curd, black mushrooms, and bell peppers.

[trillium]

I can't remember the last time that I've had such success with a single cookbook.  Her new Hunan cookbook, on the other hand, remains unused after 3 weeks in my possession.  I'm having some weird block about it.  Has anyone tried any recipes from this book yet?

←

Over at our house, we love Land of Plenty too, and we've done quite a few of the dishes. (If you're curious, some photos are here. Not the step by step stuff Ah Leung does, just shots of the finished products.)

We've started doing some of the Hunan recipes -- so far, we've done one of the versions of General Tso's chicken, a chicken and cilantro dish, a beef and potato stew, and home-style tofu. They've all been great (except the General Tso's, which wasn't quite so interesting). I do have to admit to liking Sichuan cooking more, possibly because of an addiction to Sichuan peppercorns, but also possibly because one unifying feature of Hunan cooking so far appears to be a complete lack of sugar, and I'm more adapted to having a bit of sweet with my spicy. On the other hand, I like black beans just fine, and so do they. That beef and potato stew, by the way, benefits from sitting overnight. We had it for lunches for a couple days afterward, and it just got better and better...

That's funny because I'm loving the Hunan book more then the Sichuan book and maybe it's because I don't like sugar in my savory foods, even the spicy ones! I thought maybe I just find the Hunan book more inspiring because the pictures are spread out and near the recipes. I own "Land of Plenty" and have enjoyed nearly all the dishes I've made but the Hunan one makes me want to rush to the kitchen.

I checked "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook" out of the library (budget constraints) and the next day I made the second home style tofu recipe, the third day I made Mao's red cooked pork, but I used shoulder instead of belly and left out the caramel. We tried it with three variations, the deep fried garlic cloves, the deep fried water chestnuts and the rehydrated fu jook. Even the boy in the house loved the one with deep fried water chestnuts best (it's supposed to be the female's favorite). They were a revelation. I thought it was funny that the pork is supposed to make men brainy and women more beautiful. I guess us females are smart enough already.

I had a temporary lull while we ate nasi lemak and beehoon with shrimp/pork dumplings but I'll have another crack at it soon. The first home style tofu recipe is on the menu for this week, but this time I'm cheating and using already fried tofu since it's a weeknight.

regards,

trillium

[Dejah]

Oh Boy! Do we have snow! We've cleared off the front steps many times, and it just keeps filling right back up. We had 28 cms, and I think it's all on my walkway.

It was a warm melting day tho' - sunshine and all- once the snow stopped falling this morning.

Ribs were on sale at Sobey's, so I cooked up some with hoisin sauce, a little bit of sherry, 5-spice powder, and a sprinkle of sugar.

A close up:

We had watercress soup and sauteed mushrooms instead of rice with these.

Right now, I have some pork butt strips marinating in the same mixture for char siu. We'll be taking that to the Chinese students' party tomorrow night.

[peony]

those ribs sure look finger-licking good...yummy

[C. sapidus]

Ribs were on sale at Sobey's, so I cooked up some with hoisin sauce, a little bit of sherry, 5-spice powder, and a sprinkle of sugar.

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Mmm, fire and ice. Funny – I have been using a similar flavor mixture in omelets lately (subtract sherry, add Sriracha, shallots, garlic, chiles . . .). Still, hoisin and 5-spice powder are the main flavors.

[sheetz]

Dejah's ribs look soooo good! But I'm still sticking to my mostly meatless meals. Here are two classic Chinese veggie dishes:

Lor Horn Jai

Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce

[Dejah]

There is nothing better than that plate of gai lan! Do you blanch, steam or quick stir-fry the gai lan?

Did anyone make the dry version of jai? I mean the one with the soybeans, dow see lam, fun see, etc? That's the kind where you'd put a spoonful on a lettuce leaf, wrap it and stuff into your mouth. I have the ingredients, just haven't gotten around to making it.

I took a big chafer of fun see topped with char siu to our students' CNY party. They didn't bring it out until after I went thru' the food line. I accused them of saving it for themselves. There were several dishes of stir-fried woodear. That's supposed to be traditional - auspicious for CNY. Maybe it is in other parts of China, but I don't remember my mom ever cooking just woodear. I was surprised to see two dishes containing jee toe ( pig stomach). It's one of my favourite organ meats, especially in fu jook tong.

Sheetz: Glad you and Bruce liked the ribs. They were indeed finger-lickin'-good!

[sheetz]

There is nothing better than that plate of gai lan!  Do you blanch, steam or quick stir-fry the gai lan?

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Both. I quickly blanched them ahead of time, then lightly stir fried them just before serving.

[hzrt8w]

Did anyone make the dry version of jai? I mean the one with the soybeans, dow see lam, fun see, etc? That's the kind where you'd put a spoonful on a lettuce leaf, wrap it and stuff into your mouth. I have the ingredients, just haven't gotten around to making it.

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I cannot visually imagine what this dish is. Is it still called "jai"? "Jai", which simply means a vegetarian dish, is typically a mixed stir-fry like what sheetz had or some wheat gluten or pressed tofu cooked with some sauces.

[Dejah]

Did anyone make the dry version of jai? I mean the one with the soybeans, dow see lam, fun see, etc? That's the kind where you'd put a spoonful on a lettuce leaf, wrap it and stuff into your mouth. I have the ingredients, just haven't gotten around to making it.

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I cannot visually imagine what this dish is. Is it still called "jai"? "Jai", which simply means a vegetarian dish, is typically a mixed stir-fry like what sheetz had or some wheat gluten or pressed tofu cooked with some sauces.

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Yes, it is still called jai, but gon (hard G)=dry jai. There is no sauce. Maybe it's a Toisanese or local dish.

Ben: Any ideas?

[Spike L]

Last night:

Ma-po tofu

Stirfried broccoli with garlic

[C. sapidus]

Tonight we made two shrimp dishes from Breath of a Wok: Millie Chan’s chile shrimp (left) and shrimp with garlic sauce (right). I liked the chile shrimp best, of course.

[jmsaul]

That's funny because I'm loving the Hunan book more then the Sichuan book and maybe it's because I don't like sugar in my savory foods, even the spicy ones!

I'm starting to really get into it, but I think I still lean slightly toward the Sichuan one.

I checked "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook" out of the library (budget constraints) and the next day I made the second home style tofu recipe, the third day I made Mao's red cooked pork, but I used shoulder instead of belly and left out the caramel. We tried it with three variations, the deep fried garlic cloves, the deep fried water chestnuts and the rehydrated fu jook. Even the boy in the house loved the one with deep fried water chestnuts best (it's supposed to be the female's favorite). They were a revelation. I thought it was funny that the pork is supposed to make men brainy and women more beautiful. I guess us females are smart enough already.

And modest, eh? That pork sounds great. We'll have to try it...

I had a temporary lull while we ate nasi lemak and beehoon with shrimp/pork dumplings

I realize it's off topic for the Chinese area, but can you point me to some good Malaysian recipes? I'd like to try those, and there are no Malaysian restaurants around here...

[C. sapidus]

I realize it's off topic for the Chinese area, but can you point me to some good Malaysian recipes?  I'd like to try those, and there are no Malaysian restaurants around here...

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jmsaul: I’m not trillium, but we have been very happy with the Malaysian, Indonesian, and Singaporean recipes in James Oseland’s Cradle of Flavor. Here is an eGullet-friendly Amazon link (click).

Tonight we made stir-fried chicken and shallots from Breath of a Wok, served over jasmine rice. This was my first experience with fermented black beans. They gave the sauce a fantastic depth of flavor, and the shallots provided a nice oniony contrast.

For a veggie, we stir-fried cabbage with dried chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and a pinch of salt and sugar, finishing the dish with soy sauce, Chinkiang vinegar, and sesame oil. No leftovers.

[sheetz]

Looks delicious, Bruce. Reminds me that I have bunch of shallots that need using up.

A couple more veggie dishes from Land of Plenty:

Dry Fried Eggplant

Homestyle Bean Curd

I'm surprised I've lasted this long on my veggie kick, but my system seems to have been cleansed from all the CNY overindulgences so I think I can start incorporating a little more meat back into my diet.

[trillium]

Hmmm. I just screwed up all the quotes. Anyway, I'm going to be bad and post the favorite M'sian/S'porean cookery books here, instead of in the "Elsewhere's".

Our most often referred to book is Mrs. Leung's "The Best of Singapore Cooking". The funny thing is that her "The Best of Malaysian Cooking" is the identical book! Way to be a keen marketer and take advantage of the whole S'pore vs. M'sia competitiveness Times Books! Her style is very old fashioned and we don't always follow the recipes exactly, but it's classic and traditional nonya cooking. I'm not sure you can get this book in the US, but it looks like they've separated out the recipes and reissued them as smaller books.

If you want froufrou, the Periplus Singapore cookbook isn't horrid, but the Singapore one is more hotel style food then home cooking.

The easiest way is to just use The Star online cyberkuali recipe archives to find a recipe that looks good for you. The other good way to learn online is to go to Thian's www.makan.com site and check out his recipes. Some of them assume a fore knowledge of what you're making and don't give amounts but it's a good starting point to get interested in a dish and the sambal belcan cookbook he's done has very pretty pictures.

regards,

trillium

Edited March 9, 2007 by trillium (log)

[Dejah]

My Icelandic friend Inga and I had a cook-in all afternoon! We made a variety of dishes: spiced ground lamb in filo pastry, Chinese curry chicken in puff pastry, chicken and ginger potstickers, and hor mok talay - "Elsewhere" fish mousse.

In between every item, we "cleansed" our palate with delighful papaya. This fruit is supposed to help with digestion, but I'm still feeling quite bloated.

This was the first time I made potstickers with commercial dumpling wrappers. They are small compared to when I used to make my own wrappers. The filling was diced chicken, ginger slivers, Spanish onion, and a bit of oyster sauce. I stir-fried this first, cooled it, then made the potstickers. They were very good!

Sorry no pictures. Hubby had the camera at work.

[sheetz]

My Icelandic friend Inga and I had a cook-in all afternoon! We made a variety of dishes: spiced ground lamb in filo pastry, Chinese curry chicken in puff pastry, chicken and ginger potstickers, and hor mok talay - "Elsewhere" fish mousse.

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Mmmm... I could live off of dumplings and pastries. I've been meaning to make some curry turnovers using homemade puff pastry, but haven't gotten around to it for a variety of reasons. Maybe I'll make them in honor of Pi Day.

Meanwhile, today I started incorporating more meat back into my diet after going mostly meat-free for the last couple of weeks, although I'm still eating brown calrose rice instead of regular white rice.

Beef with Chinese Broccoli

Edited March 11, 2007 by sheetz (log)

[Dejah]

My Icelandic friend Inga and I had a cook-in all afternoon! We made a variety of dishes: spiced ground lamb in filo pastry, Chinese curry chicken in puff pastry, chicken and ginger potstickers, and hor mok talay - "Elsewhere" fish mousse.

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Mmmm... I could live off of dumplings and pastries.

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OK, then here's some pastry for you, sheetz.

The first one is more Middle East, I suppose: ground lamb, cumin, chili peppers, etc in filo pastry baked in the oven. Inga and I did these yesterday.

The filling:

Rolled up and baked. Would the sesame seeds on top make it ok to be in the Chinese forum?

My Mom was wanting chicken baos. The filling has both dark and white meat, Chinese mushrooms, onion, and lap cheung, and a touch of oyster sauce.

The filling: hard to keep people's fingers from scooping up dollops while it was cooling!

The bao:

[sheetz]

Rolled up and baked. Would the sesame seeds on top make it ok to be in the Chinese forum?

Middle Eastern spring rolls! They would go great with the falafel I made yesterday.

The bao:

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Yum! I actually prefer steamed chicken bao over steamed char siu bao. I like my char siu bao baked.

[Dejah]

Company's coming tomorrow! Busy, busy here tonight:

Per requests: hot'n'sour soup; spring rolls; chicken, sweet peppers, onion, and tomatoes in Soo's BBQ sauce hot plate; crispy ginger beef.

My choices: pickerel steamed with dow see, ginger and scallions; seared scallops and gai lan; rice; and mango pudding for dessert.

I should never ask if guests have requests.