Chinese New Year Banquet Menu

[Dejah]

Kowtows?? Kowtows you say??!!

MMmmmm. here I was sitting all evening by the computer waiting...waiting. I can't do my job as matchmaker without a true representation of what the er..ahh.. the "goods" look like.  Must have the Toisan Mui in formal cheongsam, even if she is blonde  

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Aiyeeeeeah! Da say nay la! Where's the " gai mo sew"? And here my mouth was waiting for virtual food! What will this type of behaviour do to the bride price, Ben Sook?

[Ben Hong]

I don't know Dejah. All I know is that my desire to be the first male matchmaker* has come a cropper due to the actions of one reluctant and camera shy candidate. But I'll wager that her parents will never be able to afford the HUGE dowry that her actions have precipitated. Poor Dear

* no, not that kind of male "matchmaker"

[jo-mel]

Does anyone know the English word for "suet yee"?  (Snow fish)  Is it sea bass or black cod?  We were debating the English translation of the fish that is normally served in filets.

According to DeFrancis, and another book, Yue Yu is 'Cod'. It doesn't say black cod --- just 'cod'.

As far the photos go ---- you'll just have to REPEAT the banquet and GET those pictures!!

Edited February 27, 2005 by jo-mel (log)

[Gastro888]

Ai ya! I'm sooooooooo sorry!!!! I really apologize. Man, I can't imagine organizing a wedding banquet with all those tables. Two tables was bad enough.

The "pan poon" consisted of roasted suckling pig, cha siu, jellyfish, cuttlefish, cold boiled beef and decorated with orange slices and eggplant slices. The suckling pig was tender and crispy - not bad for outside of NYC's CT! I was disappointed they didn't have pig knuckle - perhaps they didn't include it b/c the people attending were Asian and non-Asian.

Then the golden mushroom seafood soup came out - which was good, but I think too much cornstarch. Not gooey or gluey but too thick, IMHO. A bit less would've been perfect. The seafood taste was subtle, but that could be a profit issue, not a cooking issue!

Then we had the "gai jee gai", which was slightly disappointing only for two reasons - they didn't serve the "wai yeem" on the side because they sprinkled it on the chicken prior to serving and they didn't have the chicken tail as part of the pieces of chicken. The head was there but the tail was not (it's my favorite part...I was disappointed.)

The "suet yee" was the hit of the table - people devoured it. So I guess we're not being authentic in leaving some behind. Oops! It was steamed and they cleaned the skin, which allowed us (me mostly...I eat stuff no one else eats) to enjoy the lovely skin. The lobster was from Canada and it was fresh - the meat was firm and tasty.

The snowpea sprouts were green and fresh and the noodles and rice were well prepared. It was Yangchow style fried rice and the noodles were the classic egg noodles fried with bean sprouts, onion and scallions. My only complaint is that the golden beef dish was a little subpar. The beef was fluffy - too much tenderizer was used. I felt like I was eating beefy tofu, if that makes any sense.

The prawns were large and very fresh - the shells came off the shrimp easily. They were the larger prawns that were almost tiger prawns but a little smaller. My only complaint is that the batter could've been heavier but that's only b/c I like the water chestnut flour batter on the shrimp - I know you're not supposed to have the batter heavy like a battered shrimp!

The neen goh was ORANGE and fried. (Needless to say the color threw me off) Oooh, PCL, it was good!!! It was firmer and less sticky than I anticipated and it wasn't cloyingly sweet. Maybe it was cheater's neen goh, who knows? We also had sliced oranges as well. Very sweet.

Sorry for the lack of photos. I gotta make it up to the forum. *sighs*

Oh and for the record, I'm not blonde - I just have blonde MOMENTS.

(I guess I'm off the selling block now, huh? )

[PCL]

Excellent Gastro-mui.

The neen-goh can be orange, i've had it in that colour tone. And yaeh, fried is good, even better with some egg wash dip prior to frying.

[Shiewie]

Gastro - did you manage to get any photos of yourself in the kay poh if not the food? Only caught up with this thread today and it's been like a major catch up session of a TVB cantonese serial !

The food sounds really yummy ... sigh if we only had pics of it. BTW 'suet yee' is black cod.

[Gastro888]

Hey PCL, there was no egg wash on the neen goh - it was just pan fried. Perhaps it was firmer than the typical neen goh b/c it had been cured? I don't know. But the orange color was slightly disturbing only b/c I was expecting either a "wong tong" color or a reddish color.

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures! The banquet didn't start until an hour after the posted time on the invite (par for the course for Cantonese banquets - but for those who haven't done one before, that's usually the case) so by the time the food came out it was every person for themselves. And my mind was in 50 million places being overly concerned about people mingling and having a good time. Man, no wonder the person who organized it last year was so thrilled that I was doing it.

Huh. I thought it was black cod. My dad said it's Chilean sea bass. But I've never seen this fish in Western restaurants when they say they serve Chilean sea bass. I'm leaning towards cod. Anyone else with an idea?

As for me in the cheongsam, I will have to see how the group pictures turn out. Forgive me for not posting the pictures of me in the cheongsam right away. Since I do want to be a little anonymous on this forum, I hope you understand.

PS: Man, I've never been compared to a TVB serial...that's kinda flattering. Sorta takes away the stigma of being an ABC, huh?

[Ben Hong]

ABC, CBC, FOB, XTC*, what the hell we're all Chinese. The stigma is on the people who would denigrate anyone because of place of birth.

*extra-terrestial Chinese

[PCL]

...big difference in texture between cod and blackfish...

[Gastro888]

No, no, BLACK COD and SEA BASS. We're debating what the English translation of "suet yee" is (snow fish).

What's blackfish?

[PCL]

Duh, me bad.

Sea Bass and Black cod... different texture no? Especially the Chilean monster of the deep and the 'original' sea bass. I'd think that black cod has a springier mouthfeel if steamed JUST RIGHT! I think the sea bass and associated variants are better fried or grilled or baked. Not delicate or 'yau-sei' enough for steaming, but that's JUST ME.

Blackfish is something we have down here that eats 'sea lettuce' or green seaweed, hangs around rocky bits and can be fished from um, the rocks. Slightly more hazardous than surf fishing.

[Gastro888]

No worries, mate! It's all good.

I have no idea. All I know is that "suet yee" comes in big filets and has silky, white, flaky flesh. Big flakes when you use your chopsticks to eat it. It's delish.

I'm leaning towards cod...

[Gastro888]

ABC, CBC, FOB, XTC*, what the hell we're all Chinese. The stigma is on the people who would denigrate anyone because of place of birth.

*extra-terrestial Chinese  

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Pfft, I won't even begin to tell you how much @#$! I've gotten over the years for being an ABC. "Jook-sing mui-ah". What the hell?

XTC, funny!

[Ben Hong]

Gastro, I know that a pejorative of any degree does hurt and I, of all people, do not want to diminish your experiences(?) with the words "jook sing". However, in a lot of cases it is used in a sense that is not at all insulting, depending on whose mouth it came out of. I sometimes call my own children and their cousins "jook sing" as a term of endearment, my favourite uncle used to call me that when he expressed mock shock at my ignorance of the ways of our people. But, I reiterate, it all depends on who is using the word.

We Chinese have a wry way of using "titles" and nicknames. For all his life, one of my best friends was called "Fat Willie", Willie was 6' tall and weighed 140 lbs. with a pocket full of anchors. My brother was always "fui doy Chow", or Fatboy Chow even as a slim young boy, because he had a fullmoon face which made him look fat. But, he grew into the name in later life A friend with a swarthy complexion was always "huck gui Lim" (black devil Lim), even in the most polite company. Context usually indicates meaning and intent.

[Dejah]

Since we're talking about fish, has anyone used BASA?

We've been steaming fillets with whole dried black beans, slivered ginger and salted turnip, scallions, salt and fresh ground pepper. The flesh is firm for picking up with chopsticks, but has a nice velvety texture in the mouth. The flavour is very "fresh".

[Ben Hong]

Basa is absolutely great. I picked up a bag of IQF fillets last week at COSTCO. Like Dejah says, it's a lot "fresher" tasting than cod and haddock. Almost better than the fresh tilapia fillets I also use. I think it's a species of farmed catfish. CHEAP too.

[Gastro888]

What's BASA? I've never heard of it. Is it a white fish?

Oh Ben, I understand what you mean by titles and names Cantonese people use. Sometimes it's all in good fun. Sometimes, not so much.

[PCL]

Off topic, but maybe we should start a steaming fish thread along with pics so that worldwide, we can try to have some consistency in what we're describing, or attempting to describe.

So why don't I start the thread? Cos I'm lazy, and at work.

[Gastro888]

PCL: cool beans. But you suggested it...hee hee.