Bi-racial cooking partnerships

[hzrt8w]

re-hzrt 's recipe for haum ha...I've never heard of sesame oil with this.

Asked my mom tonight and it was new to her. Is that HK style? I will try it next time!

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Sesame oil is usually what I use to marinate meat (beef, pork, chicken, etc.). It is more fragrant. You may, of course, use regular cooking oil such as peanut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, etc..

Because sesame oil is much more expensive, you wouldn't see it used in restaurants as a marinade.

[Jeannie]

re-hzrt 's recipe for haum ha...I've never heard of sesame oil with this.

Asked my mom tonight and it was new to her. Is that HK style? I will try it next time!

Mom used to take pork fat, deep fry it until crisp THEN steam it with haum ha. That was "pre- cholestral"  days.   

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This reminds me of zou you rou ("pork from which the fat has gone") which my mum tells me is relatively healthy. You fry the belly pork in it's own fat to get rid of the fat then you dump it in ice cold water to reconstitute the fat so that it's nice and plump again. Then you steam it. This way (apparantly) the texture and taste is still that of lovely melting sticky pork fat but without the fat.

[Dejah]

Ben Hong, a knowledgeable poster in this forum, arrived at our house today.

We've spent the last few hours talking and eating. One topic was haum ha. He and I both agreed that the best pork to use is the fat from sui yook!

As I wasn't expecting him until later this week, I didn't have any pork fat for haum ha.

So, I made see gwa jui yook yuan tong, see jup pi gwut, gai chow ma tai, sook mai and cho goo, and a plate ginger garlic bok choy. I think the food turned out well in spite of my rush.

He'll be here for a few days, told me it was for upland bird hunting, but I think he's skulking around for my joongzi.

My older borther Ken and a cousin joined us for coffee. Conversation was very interesting and lively. Thanks to eGullet, we have a new friend!

[hzrt8w]

So, I made see gwa jui yook yuan tong, see jup pi gwut,  gai chow ma tai, sook mai and cho goo, and a plate ginger garlic bok choy.

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Let me translate these for fellow non-Chinese speaking eGulleters.

see gwa jui yook yuan tong = melon and meat ball soup?

see jup pi gwut = (steamed I assumed) spareribs with black bean sauce

gai chow ma tai = chicken stir-fried with water chestnuts

sook mai and cho goo = corn and straw mushrooms (stir-fried I assumed)

ginger garlic bok choy = oh, this one IS in English...

Okay, what's my prize?

[Pan]

Okay, what's my prize?

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A virtual taste?

Thanks, hzrt8w!

[Dejah]

So, I made see gwa jui yook yuan tong, see jup pi gwut, gai chow ma tai, sook mai and cho goo, and a plate ginger garlic bok choy.

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Let me translate these for fellow non-Chinese speaking eGulleters.

see gwa jui yook yuan tong = melon and meat ball soup? Yes.

see jup pi gwut = (steamed I assumed) spareribs with black bean sauce. I]Ribs were started on stove top, with seasonings, thickened with a flour and cornstarch slurry, then finished off in the oven.

gai chow ma tai = chicken stir-fried with water chestnuts

sook mai and cho goo = corn and straw mushrooms (stir-fried I assumed) Yes.

ginger garlic bok choy = oh, this one IS in English...

We have a lot of the chicken dish left over, so I might change it to kung po tonight as I will be rushed for time because of the evening ESL class.

Or, if I get ambitious, I might make quickie paella and everyone can help themselves.

The weather is great today, so Ben and Paul may not need warming up when they come in from their hunt.

[herbacidal]

Let me translate these for fellow non-Chinese speaking eGulleters.

see gwa jui yook yuan tong = melon and meat ball soup?

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What's "see gwa"?

Not bitter melon, nor winter melon, nor eggplant.

Is that the fuzzy melon?

[Dejah]

What's "see gwa"?

Not bitter melon, nor winter melon, nor eggplant.

Is that the fuzzy melon?

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See gwa is Chinese okra.

It is often 12- 16 inches long, green with high ridges. One end is tapered, the other end rounded.

You have to peel it before using.

[Shiewie]

Oh yum - see gwa! Herb - here are a couple of links where there are pictures of see gwa - http://www.agrohaitai.com/fruit&gourd/luffa/luffa.htm and http://www.kitazawaseed.com/seeds_luffa_angled.html. It's also great fried with eggs (see gwa chow dan).

[Dejah]

Ben Hong, fellow egulleteer, and one half of a bi-racial partnership, has been meeting others from Toisan and also in bi-racial relationships. Today, he will meet Ken who is an RCMP officer living on an acreage in a perhaps more abundant game bird area.

We've been eating real home cooked Chinese food. Last night we had beef and tomatoes over rice. I don't think he's had this with fried eggs before. He thought the "white pieces" were fish! I should have kept my mouth shut as he said it was such a great idea..."seafood in this dish!" Usually, he cooks some ham yiu to accompany this.

I am cooking jook with chicken and Chinese cruellers for brunch. Ground beef and pork fat are waiting for me to make into "bouncy dim sum meat balls". Guess I'll have to pull out my joongzi for him too. I mean, they were his reason for visiting me!

He has been introduced to 2 new desserts. One is a prairie specialty; saskatoon pie.

The other is Canadian cheddar apple crisp, one of our family favourites. Not Chinese, but made by a Chinese. I made dai choi gow (agar agar) for today's dessert.

Edited November 7, 2004 by Dejah (log)

[Pan]

How do you flavor the agar-agar, Sue-On?

[Dejah]

How do you flavor the agar-agar, Sue-On?

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The house just emptied, as are the bowls and plates.

My kids always say the agar agar doesn't have any flavour, so I added almond extract in it this time. I also drizzled egg white in it for the swirl effect, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.

[Dejah]

Ben Hong, fellow eGulleteer, his hunting partner Paul and their 3 pointers have left Manitoba after covering most of the area on foot looking for elusive game birds.

He told me his main target was my tasty looking joongzi. Well, he left without the 6 that I had saved for him!

[hzrt8w]

One of the crucial element contributing to a successful bi-racial relationsihp, or in general a relationship between 2 different cultures, is the mutual respect to each other's eating habits.

My wife, though born in Hong Kong, is practically an American-born Chinese. In her world, eating internal organs is almost unthinkable. But growing up in Hong Kong, eating organs is just a fact of life.

Since we got married, I needed to adjust my diets. Our meals are now mostly chicken, pork, fish and other seafood. She refused to eat beef in recent years because of mad-cow disease. And she would not eat anything deep-fried. When we go to dim sum restaurants, it is very tempting for me to order dishes like beef tripes, beef stomachs, deep-fried taro croquetes and so on. Out of respect to her presence, I refrained myself.

And I would imagine that in other bi-cultural relationships, you would sacrifice yourself a little bit to keep your other half happy?

[herbacidal]

My wife, though born in Hong Kong, is practically an American-born Chinese.  In her world, eating internal organs is almost unthinkable.  But growing up in Hong Kong, eating organs is just a fact of life.

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I guess that's something particular to the individual and their upbringing.

I'm an ABC, but I love intenal organs. For instance, check out my Offal Tour thread in the NY forum this past April.

[Dejah]

I am lucky in that Caucasian hubby eats anything and everything. He grew up eating beef heart, kidney pie, haggis with his Dad. His Mom and Grandmother wouldn't touch the stuff. They'd cook it, but won't eat it.

Some he may not "enjoy" but he'll eat it.

One thing I loved when I was in HK was the goose intestine wrapped around BBQed goose meat on the drumstick. Do they still have that? I also remember steamed rice and black bean stuffed large pig intestine.

Our kids, that's a different story. They don't eat ANY organ meat.

[Syrah]

Just for the record, I speak unaccented English and I get the same reaction from a certain type of monosyllabic speaking people.

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Everyone speaks with an accent

[Hest88]

When we go to dim sum restaurants, it is very tempting for me to order dishes like beef tripes, beef stomachs, deep-fried taro croquetes and so on. Out of respect to her presence, I refrained myself. 

And I would imagine that in other bi-cultural relationships, you would sacrifice yourself a little bit to keep your other half happy?

Uh, nope. I wouldn't expect my spouse to eat it, but I wouldn't refrain from ordering and enjoying the food.

Conversely, I know a number of women who make food for their husbands that they don't eat themselves. This group includes two vegetarians who never touch meat but, out of love for their DHs, cook meat for their spouses. So, I'm firmly of the belief that if your spouse likes something you don't, *you* have an obligation to allow your spouse to eat his food to his heart's content. (Barring issues such as health, of course.)

[jschyun]

I'm with Hest88 on this one, but I have to admit, I've refrained from ordering chicken feet at dim sum if I'm with a group of squeamish people. Plus I can't eat it all myself because it's too rich so I need a partner in crime and my SO refuses, so I have to hunt down a friend to come with us.

Taro croquettes are very dainty. What's so bad about them?

[trillium]

I'm with jschyun and Hest88. Everyone should get to eat what they want. I get very annoyed when I'm out with people that don't let you order feet or organs or a whole fish because they have trouble with "faces". I get impatient with people who want their delicate sensibilities to rule what is ordered at the table. What is that saying? Dress to please others, eat to please yourself? As the round-eye of a couple, I'm always willing to try something, and keep trying it, even if I don't like it the first time. That doesn't mean I will eat a big plateful, but over the last decade I've actually enjoyed or looked forward to eating things that I didn't like the first time around. It taught me that most dislikes are really just cultural biases. Of course, there are things you just can't ever like! In our house, I get the cottage cheese all to myself, and the partner gets the durian all to himself. Neither of us refrains from eating it because the other person doesn't like it.

I think meat health and processing worries can be legitimate, but in that case I would search out beef farmers to buy your meat from, instead of just giving up beef altogether!

regards,

trillium

[jo-mel]

OK --Dejah------------

Canadian Cheddar Apple Crisp?? Please tell me about it!

Any apple crisp is my favorite. Anything Canadian is of interest because of my blood, and anything with cheddar is yummy.

I'm intrigued.

[Hest88]

I'm with Hest88 on this one, but I have to admit, I've refrained from ordering chicken feet at dim sum if I'm with a group of squeamish people.

Oh yeah, I don't order such things when I'm with acquaintances or business colleagues, but then I also try not to order pasta with red sauce or poultry on the bone, or anything else that I might regret eating in front of people I don't know very well. But with my husband and my friends? Anything goes!

[Dejah]

OK --Dejah------------

Canadian Cheddar Apple Crisp??  Please tell me about it!

Any apple crisp is my favorite. Anything Canadian is of interest because of my blood, and anything with cheddar is yummy.

I'm intrigued.

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jo-mel,

To keep on topic, I will post the apple crisp recipe in the pastry forum.

The meatballs, they didn't look as good as yours or Jason and Rachel's.

The flavour was a bit "off" from what I imagined, mainly because I used orange peel instead of lemon as your recipe indicated. I thought orange would go better with beef. WRONG in this case.

Next time, I will try the recipe exactly as written.

[jo-mel]

Thanks, Dejah -- I went to "baking" and got the recipe. I had wondered about mixing Chinese with 'off topic' stuff. You were right to do it there.

That meatball recipe is a combo of several recipes and I forget where I got that meat mix from. Orange would be a natural for beef, wouldn't it seem?

[Dejah]

EAST meets WEST...

AS mentioned in previous posts, Ben Hong, fellow eGulleteer and one half of a bi-racial relationship, was visiting here in Manitoba for a week mid-Novemebr. Ben is from New Brunswick...but originally from my village in Toisan, China.

We had such a wonderful time exchanging family histories, old days in China, etc.

Ben finally arrived back home this week. Today, a FedEx parcel arrived...

Can you believe this - one dozen live Atlantic lobsters.

To think I forgot to send the joongzi home with him, and he still sent me this wonderful treat!

Lobster, Lobster, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways....