Do you like LUCAI(SHANDONG FOODS)?

[kangarool]

Right, no worries, I completely understand and would very likely respond similarly to a request for most of my favourite "recipes" as well. You just know them, and you can't really show them, usually. The mince-it-yourself is good advice. I'll start trying to improve my dumplings by improving my pork.

You're right, my three-year-old daughter will indeed enjoy the wrapping bit... come to think of it, it's probably a good time to start working on her skills with a Chinese cleaver, too.

[william huang]

William, when I was in Beijing, it seemed like beer was served more often than tea in restaurants. I'm guessing that in Qingdao, that might also be the case. (In the general area of Shanghai, it was much more common to be served tea in a restaurant.) Do most people drink beer with meals in restaurants (and how about at home)?

Also, do people eat rice or noodles more often? Are noodle soups common in Shandong? Are jiaozi common?

By the way, I was in China in 1987, so I'm aware that many things have changed since then.

I am sorry for my late reply because I am not at the Internet on Saturday or Sunday.

You really asked a good question! When we go to restaurants we often drink beer more than tea. Because most people think that drink the beer or alcohol good for communication and will promote friendship. On the other hand, we usually drink beer and at the same time drink tea too, because the tea conduce to maintain clear-headed.(Do you know my meaning?)

And, I like eat rice than noodles and MAN TOU(STEAMED BREAD).

but, my mom and dad often eat noodles in the morning and I eat the bread.

Jiao zi is common,now, there are many kinds of jiaozi including freezed jiaozi.

We can eat jiaozi at everytime if you like. And my mom said in twenty years ago they can eat Jiaozi only at new year. Haha, do you can often eat jiaozi in your home?

[Pan]

When we go to restaurants we often drink beer more than tea. Because most people think that drink the beer or alcohol good for communication and will promote friendship. On the other hand, we usually drink beer and at the same time drink tea too, because the tea conduce to maintain clear-headed.(Do you know my meaning?)

Yes, I understand you very clearly.

do you can often eat jiaozi in your home?

I'm a bachelor who lives alone in a small apartment and I commute to various more or less far-flung parts of New York City for my jobs. The short answer is that I seldom cook nowadays. However, I do like to eat jiaozi in restaurants from time to time - though they're not nearly as good here as they were in Beijing (or as I'm sure they are in Qingdao)!

Thanks for your reply, William, and there's no need to apologize for responding only as soon as you have a chance. And after all, it's only four days this time.

[william huang]

I'm a bachelor who lives alone in a small apartment and I commute to various more or less far-flung parts of New York City for my jobs.

What's meaning of this sentence? I guess you mean you have a hard job , have to go many places for your job. Is right?

I most like the BAYU jiaozi,do you know it? Bayu is a sort of fish that produced in Shandong. I think many jiaozi made by seafood have a quite good taste.I like them. You should try it!

[Pan]

I'm a bachelor who lives alone in a small apartment and I commute to various more or less far-flung parts of New York City for my jobs.

What's meaning of this sentence? I guess you mean you have a hard job , have to go many places for your job. Is right?

Yes, basically. I like the sound of that fish jiaozi.

[tissue]

Speaking of mantou, didn't someone almost die in that movie To Live from eating too many man tou's?

[Jon Tseng]

I most like the BAYU jiaozi,do you know it? Bayu is a sort of fish that produced in Shandong. I think many jiaozi made by seafood have a quite good taste.I like them. You should try it!

That's very interesting

Mum sometimes used to make fish jiaozi (she is originally from Beijing) - I think she may have mentioned it was a Shandong recipe. Definitely not a HK thing as jiaozi are primarily northern. From what I can remember the filling is white and quite soft.

These are very unusual - I have never seen them mentioned in restaurants or cookbooks. Jiaozi places in Beijing don't normally have them either.

J

[Shiewie]

Hi William

I recently watched a travel programme on TV that featured food in Shandong and it said that one of the specialties of Shandong was man tou. It featured this small man tou shop where they sell over 6,000 pieces of man tou a day. There was a lot more in the show but unfortunately I only saw the last bit of the programme and that was about all I understood too as my putonghua is very bad.

[Jon Tseng]

Was that the Goubouli Baozi joint in Tianjin? Does TJ food count as Shandong?

J

[Shiewie]

Afraid my putonghua is so bad that I wouldn't even have caught that. (Is there an "I'm embarassed to admit this" icon?).

It was on one of the Chinese channels that we get - Phoenix, TVB8 or CCTV - can't remember which as I was channel surfing. They showed them making it all by hand, kneading, apportioning the dough balls out, re-kneading it and forming it into rolled-up strips before steaming them in huge round steamers in the front of the shop.

[bleudauvergne]

Hi William! Welcome to eGullet.

I used to work for a trading company in Beijing, but now I live in France. What do you trade? I used to trade nonferrous metals.

I LOVED the food in Qingdao. The seafood was the best I ever had. I have very good memories from the place.

Man tou. Excellent dipped in sweet sugar sauce.

Shiewie: embarrased to admit this =

-Lucy

Edited May 17, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

To Kangarool who is having trouble turning out good jiaozi - here's a thread that covers a great deal about many facets of jiaozi making - click!

I hope you solve your jiaozi problem soon!

L

[Gary Soup]

Speaking of mantou, didn't someone almost die in that movie To Live from eating too many man tou's?

Yep. The starving obstetrician rescued from the Red Guards. I don't remember if it was mantou or baozi, though. They (Ge You and Gong Li) honored their grandson by naming him "Dumpling".

Great movie!

[william huang]

Hi William

I recently watched a travel programme on TV that featured food in Shandong and it said that one of the specialties of Shandong was man tou. It featured this small man tou shop where they sell over 6,000 pieces of man tou a day. There was a lot more in the show but unfortunately I only saw the last bit of the programme and that was about all I understood too as my putonghua is very bad.

Shandong jianbing

No, I don't think the Mantou is a specialties of Shandong, because the Mantou you can buy in many place. I think the JIANBING, is the shandong specialties. This a photo of Mantou

[william huang]

Hi William

I recently watched a travel programme on TV that featured food in Shandong and it said that one of the specialties of Shandong was man tou. It featured this small man tou shop where they sell over 6,000 pieces of man tou a day. There was a lot more in the show but unfortunately I only saw the last bit of the programme and that was about all I understood too as my putonghua is very bad.

Shandong jianbing

No, I don't think the Mantou is a specialties of Shandong, because the Mantou you can buy in many place. I think the JIANBING, is the shandong specialties. This a photo of Mantou

[william huang]

Hi William

I recently watched a travel programme on TV that featured food in Shandong and it said that one of the specialties of Shandong was man tou. It featured this small man tou shop where they sell over 6,000 pieces of man tou a day. There was a lot more in the show but unfortunately I only saw the last bit of the programme and that was about all I understood too as my putonghua is very bad.

Shandong jianbing

No, I don't think the Mantou is a specialties of Shandong, because the Mantou you can buy in many place. I think the JIANBING, is the shandong specialties. This a photo of Mantou

[william huang]

I am sorry I send many same message because the bad network.

I will glad if someone help me delete the useless message.

Edited May 18, 2004 by william huang (log)

[bleudauvergne]

William - WOW this is making me want mantou now!

...mantou mantou mantou...

And thank you for the link it's lovely.

Lucy

Edited May 18, 2004 by bleudauvergne (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Here is a link to another Jianbing

photo.

I loved the story of the kid who's mom made him the jianbing on your link. It was very sweet. Do you have memories like that of jianbing?

[chengb02]

Being a northerner, I love mantou and eat them often. The frozen ones that can be found in the Asian stores aren't bad either. Probably one of my favorite dishes, which is almost like a dessert is the golden (fried) and white (steamed) mantou typically with a sweet sauce that sort of reminds me of the icing on a cinnamon roll.

[Yuki]

I like to stuff the mantou with stir fried pork with perserved vegetable. Another way of cooking mantou is deep frying them until golden crispy and dip into thick condensed milk.

Also, there is a kind of roll with green onion in it and has many threads of dough. Does anyone know what it is called?

[chengb02]

Also, there is a kind of roll with green onion in it and has many threads of dough. Does anyone know what it is called?

Yuki, I'll take a stab at it...my guess is you are talking about cong you bing (simple enough "green onion oil cake). Your mention of the fried ones were exactly what I was talking about, in restaurants they are typically served with steamed mantou as well. The sweetened, condensed milk is what I was referring to (but didn't know what it actually was), but this makes sense and my icing analogy makes sense.

[Yuki]

Also, there is a kind of roll with green onion in it and has many threads of dough. Does anyone know what it is called?

Yuki, I'll take a stab at it...my guess is you are talking about cong you bing (simple enough "green onion oil cake). Your mention of the fried ones were exactly what I was talking about, in restaurants they are typically served with steamed mantou as well. The sweetened, condensed milk is what I was referring to (but didn't know what it actually was), but this makes sense and my icing analogy makes sense.

Does cong you bing looks like a pancake with green onion in it? People usually deep fry it or put it in a pan to crispy it up? Am I right?

The roll that I am talking about is not oily at all, it has the texture of mantou(probably made out of the same dough). But when it is finish steaming, I can pull the roll apart into many little threads of bread.

[jo-mel]

Yuki --- That steamed roll, that is formed from dough threads, is called Luo Zi Juan -- Steamed Snail -- in the Chinese Snacks Wei-Chuan book. There is a recipe and a picture of them.

I've never made them. I'm lazy! I usually buy them in a Chinese supermarket.

Edited for correction:

The picture and recipe don't show scallions, but they can be added to the dough -- just as the dough for steamed flower rolls have scallions.

Edited May 19, 2004 by jo-mel (log)

[jo-mel]

Here is a link to another Jianbing

photo. 

I loved the story of the kid who's mom made him the jianbing on your link.  It was very sweet.  Do you have memories like that of jianbing? 

That picture of the JianBing is what I remember from the streets of Beijing. They were SOOOOOO good!!

But I've never found a recipe for them. I tried to make my own batter and do it at home, but it was best to taste them as a memory, because I didn't do a good job.

I see that William's link has the recipe. With all my Chinese language cookbooks, I should be able to just sit down and translate it.

I never realized they were originally a Shandong food.

Another edit!

I copy/pasted the translation of the jianbing to Altavista translations, and I then realized that it is a description -- not a recipe. I should have looked closer, because there are no food amounts)

But I have a copy of a Chinese food encyclopedia that I bought in Beijing --- all in characters. With this talk about jianbing, I think I will sit down and do a translation. (or maybe scan it to altavista??)

Edited May 19, 2004 by jo-mel (log)