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Interesting Ingredients From Chinatown Markets

Elissa

By Elissa
in China: Cooking & Baking

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Gastro888

Gastro888

Posted
Posted

If someone doesn't want to eat something, they don't have to eat it. Just don't make me follow your beliefs. I take issue with people telling others what they should not eat. Unless you're paying for my grocery bill/meal...

I digress.

So how does one prepare a soft-shell turtle? I'd be curious to know. Wouldn't the meat be very "sow" if you don't clean it properly?

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted
for giant conch and geoduck clams, the best Cantonese style is cutting them into very thin slices, then "white boiled" and eat with the diluted light soy sauce + chili as a dip.

thank you for that tip Ah Leung, I apologize for my ignorance, but can you further elaborate on how to "white boil" as i've never heard the term before.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted (edited)
thank you for that tip Ah Leung, I apologize for my ignorance, but can you further elaborate on how to "white boil" as i've never heard the term before.

Oh, that's just a loose translation from Cantonese. Boil very briefly with plain water.

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
  • 2 weeks later...
aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

I got brave the yesterday and asked the store owner how to cook the turtle, and lo and behold I got the answer, she said that the turtle is usually cooked for soup ( i kinda figured) then I asked how to exactly prepare it she brought me around the store to the herb packets area and pulled an assorted herbs packet ( I will post the pic of the herb packet tonight ) she said put the rinsed turtle pieces an equal amount ( in weight ) of meaty pork soup bones that have been pre boiled to get the scum out, in a clay pot or a slow cooker, add the "assorted herbs mix" and boil for at least 2 hours. She also mentioned, to make it into a very potent YIN tonic add 2 medium ginseng roots, sliced. ( thats the reason why i have bought the fresh ginseng from that store, now im just looking for other recipes that call for ginseng so it wouldnt go to waste.) so all i need is people who would be go to try the turtle soup with me, coz i dont think id be able to finish that all by myself. anybody care for turtle soup here in chicago?

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted
Does "yin" tonic mean that it's energizing or cooling?

yep apparently thats what it does, but im not very adept with the tao of food so i'd leave that to the expert uncle and aunties here. and if it is cooling and energizing, then what indications and ailments do u use yin tonics for?

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

Gastro888

Gastro888

Posted
Posted

No, no, I meant either cooling *OR* energizing. :laugh::raz:

Sorry for the confusion! What type of ginseng did you get? "Golai sum" is pretty "boh" and I know "yensum" makes you energized. That's about all I know in terms of ginseng.

(Well, that and that Arizona's got some energy drinks that have it... :blink: )

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted
No, no, I meant either cooling *OR* energizing.  :laugh:  :raz:

Sorry for the confusion!  What type of ginseng did you get?  "Golai sum" is pretty "boh" and I know "yensum" makes you energized.  That's about all I know in terms of ginseng. 

(Well, that and that Arizona's got some energy drinks that have it... :blink: )

i have no clue as to what kinda of ginseng i got but i got a pretty good amount for 15 bucks, so im assuming its the Panax(chinese) kind, the Korean are usually twice or three times the price since they are the more "heat-y" type.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

peony

peony

Posted
Posted (edited)

183680593O463466512.jpg

Turtle Soup

when you buy the turtle, have it slaughter and cleaned by seller. Ask for the offal to be used in recipe. Clean offal n rub with a tsp of salt. Stuff offal into turtle.Put herbs around turtle and place in tureen. Add abt 1.5 - 2 litres of hot water, cover and double boil over low flame for 3 - 4 hrs. or cook in a slow cooker.

When it is done, add seasoning and serve hot. The cooked ingredients can be served separately with a plate of light soy sauce.

btw,aznsailorboi, did u get my recipe of the peanut cookies in your PM ?

Edited by peony (log)

peony

peony

peony

Posted
Posted

giant conch, crabs, geoduck clams, quahog clams, rice paddy snails etc..

most of these go well stir-fry with sliced fresh ginger, salted black beans, sliced fresh chilly and spring onions.

peony

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

thanks for the recipe Peony that soup looks so homey looks very comforting.

btw,aznsailorboi, did u get my recipe of the peanut cookies in your PM ?

yes i did get the recipe, i havnt gotten the chance to get peanuts yet, i keep forgetting when i go to the store.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

here's the pic of the herb packet the lady told me to use for the turtle soup. according to the packaging it contains

dried lilly bulb

pearl barley

lotus seeds

dioscorea

euryale ferox salisb

polygonatum

gallery_41019_4000_2865.jpg

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

peony

peony

Posted
Posted

this packet of herbs, commonly known as - lok mei ( 6 flavours )is a light tonic soup, to improve appetite and restore general health.

peony

Dejah

Dejah

Posted
Posted

These packets make cooking so convenient, but I still enjoy going to each of my glass jars and pulling out a bit of this herb, and a handful of that: bak hap, sah tam, leen jee, hung yun, sang day, look jook, American ginseng, mui fa gwa, etc. I also love the smell of each when I open that lid.

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

CFT

CFT

Posted
Posted (edited)

That packet of herbs says: "Ching Bo Leung" in Cantonese. Cleansing, nourishing, cooling. A pretty "standard" concoction.

I would say that turtle must be cooling (leung). Think of "gwai ling gou" which I think is also called turtle jelly. Usually eaten in the height of summer to counteract the effects of the heat.

Yansum/yensum is Chinese ginseng

Golai-sum is Korean ginseng

Faa Kei sum is American ginseng, and is not actually ginseng at all.

I love my mother's chicken, American ginseng and honey date (mut jou) soup.

EDIT: Ooops, got it wrong. American ginseng is a species of ginseng. Siberian ginseng is not a true ginseng.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginseng

Edited by CFT (log)

Best Wishes,

Chee Fai.

aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted

Im currently eating one serving of gui ling gao everyday, my aunt told me to have a serving per day for skin rejuvenation....I was kinda breaking out on my face :sad: it seems to be working. been doing it for three weeks now and my face is zit free but i have a scar or two from it. I love eating it chilled with extra syrup, i get the "two coin" brand ready to eat in a can.

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

hzrt8w

hzrt8w

Posted
Posted
What is gui ling gao?  Is it grass jelly?  Could you post a picture or a link, please?

Two very different things.

Grass jelly is extracted from an herb like plant.

Turtle jelly is made from boiling/braising(??) turtle shells.

Here is a picture of turtle jelly that someone posted on the Intenet:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimmertje/100444285/

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
budrichard

budrichard

Posted
Posted
The local chinese market that I go to have quite a selection of live seafood both freshwater and saltwater. I want to try some of them but I dont know how to prepare it. like the soft-shell turtle, hard shelled turtle, giant conch, crabs, geoduck clams, quahog clams, rice paddy snails, periwinkles, whelks, and a whole variety of live fish in the tanks. the ones that im most interested in is probably the giant conch, and the turtles. i've had turtle soup with chinese herbs before at a family friend's house in the philippines who's also of chinese descent. It was very good, but I cant even remember how it tastes like now.

I shop at the market you go to, I assume it is called China Market. The turtles sold are fresh water turtles and are not endangered.

The geoducks are best removed from the shell and the siphon split in half. A short time in boiling water followed by an ice bath will allow one to easily remove the outer covering. Then use raw(Mirugai) or cook. The innards can be used for soup except for the stomach which I don't use. I purchased one last Friday, cost is NOT cheap. Tonight is clam chowder with the leftovers. Giant conch is poached removed from shell and used. Same with snails, periwinkles and whelks. i usually prepare a fume in which to poach followed by an ice bath. Fish is fish so prepare how you want. -Dick

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