Chinese New Year 2006

[Tepee]

Ah Leung Gaw, yes, it's 魚生. However, in this case, it refers to the whole dish of pickles, shredded veg, crispies and the raw fish/jellyfish/whatever innovations they've come up with every year, dressed in a gorgeous plum sauce and oil, and spices. I can eat this every day...actually, I think I'm going to have it tonite (my 4th yee sang) at SIL's house.

[hzrt8w]

[...]I scanned the aisles of an Asian market and am slightly embarassed to say I couldn't figure out what the e fu package looks like. I've only had it cooked in restaurants before.

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It's pretty easy, really. Look for the dried noodle package where the noodles are pale yellow (some has darker yellow color). Lift it up and feel it. E Fu noodles are very light, weigh just about half of the other dried noodles.

[Tepee]

[...] It's a tradition with my family to eat vegetarian on the first day of CNY...something about being kind to all creatures great and small 

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If I remember it correctly, in Cantonese practice observed in Hong Kong... on the first day of CNY, we must have a fresh (live) chicken to "open the year". It's on the second day (or is it the third day?) that it is a vegetarian day.

On the third day, there is supposed to be no visit ("Gi Hou"). If you visit your relatives on the third day, you risk getting into a quarrel. Oops... this is the third day of CNY (US time). Why am I talking to you???

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LOL, looks as if we got it the other way around. Our "hoi neen" is on the 2nd day. It's OK, Ah Leung Gaw, your 3rd day is my 4th...we will not lock horns this year.

[hzrt8w]

Not sure what ho see soongis exactly. If it is rehydrated oysters stir-fried with fat choi, then Ben Sook, you'll be happy to hear Rebecca made it for Mom.

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How is the dried oyster prepared exactly? "Soong"... you dice them up to stir-fry?

[hzrt8w]

On the third day, there is supposed to be no visit ("Gi Hou").  If you visit your relatives on the third day, you risk getting into a quarrel.  Oops... this is the third day of CNY (US time).  Why am I talking to you???

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Sorry, I meant to say 赤口 (Chek Hou), not "Gi Hou".

[Pan]

[...]My Vegetarian Lunch pix as promised earlier. It's a tradition with my family to eat vegetarian on the first day of CNY...something about being kind to all creatures great and small  . Although some of the vegetarian gluten is purchased, mom still did a fantastic job converting them into culinary delights. Did I tell you my mother is a great cook?[...]

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No kidding, TP! That lunch looks sensational!

[Dejah]

My Vegetarian Lunch pix as promised earlier.

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TP: THose vegetarian shrimps look amazing! Can you get more directions from your Mom for those? Next time we have vegetarian friends over, I'd love to try these.

Now we know where you got your exemplary culinary skills - from YOUR MOM!

[Ben Hong]

Now we know where you got your exemplary culinary skills - from YOUR MOM!

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Doesn't everybody?

Little Old Popos and Yenyens know more about that art and skill than a whole library of cookbooks. And most of them were illiterate.

[jo-mel]

[...]I scanned the aisles of an Asian market and am slightly embarassed to say I couldn't figure out what the e fu package looks like. I've only had it cooked in restaurants before.

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It's pretty easy, really. Look for the dried noodle package where the noodles are pale yellow (some has darker yellow color). Lift it up and feel it. E Fu noodles are very light, weigh just about half of the other dried noodles.

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Here are a couple of sites with pictures of e-fu mian:

http://www.foodsubs.com/NoodlesWheat.html

http://www.makantime.com/ingredientguide/indexy.htm

http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=n...les&sa=N&tab=wi

I have used the Pancit Canton Noodles. As hzrt said, they are very light in weight. On brand box I bought was about 12x12 and I could balance it on a couple of fingers.

[jo-mel]

Jo-Mel: Thanks! Still looking for an e-fu recipe if you have it! I scanned the aisles of an Asian market and am slightly embarassed to say I couldn't figure out what the e fu package looks like. I've only had it cooked in restaurants before.

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I love the different texture of these noodles! Next time you are in the Asian store, show the characters for 'yi mian' to someone in the store. That should help.

伊面

Let me see if I can format this so that it will be copyright OK-----

BRAISED YI FU NOODLES WITH CRABMEAT

You will need:

½ pound dried Yi Fu noodles ( 伊面 - yi mian)

½ cup dried black mushrooms

2 Tbsp. oil

4 scallions

1 Tbsp. finely shredded, peeled ginger

Pick through the crab meat.

Boil enough water to cover ½ pound dried Yi Fu noodlesnoodles -- Turn heat off. -- Add noodles for 2 minutes or until soft. -- Drain well, and dry with paper towels.

Soak mushrooms in hot water until soft.-- Rinse, squeeze out water, cut off woody stems and finely shred caps.

Peel and shred scallions into 2 inch diagonal lengths.

Peel and shred ginger. --

For the sauce - mix in a cup:

1 Tbsp. light soy sauce / 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce / 2 tsp. dark soy sauce / 1 tsp. sesame oil / 1 tsp. sugar / ½ cup chicken broth

.Cooking:

--Heat a wok or skillet until hot.

--Add 2 Tbsp. oil and swirl until hot.

--Add ginger and sauté till aromatic.

--Add the mushrooms, scallions, and sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.

--Add the softened noodles and cook in the sauce about 2 minutes or until the sauce is absorbed.

--Add the crabmeat and heat through.

--Serve.

Notes:

Yi-Fu -- E-Fu --Yi Mian are made of wheat. They have been cooked, deep/fried, and dried. The deep/frying and drying give body and a sturdy quality.

Called “Noodles of the Yi Mansion”, they were invented by the scholar/official Yi Peng-shou in the 18th century.

Leftover noodles reheat well when a little stock is added to them.

Pancit Canton noodles can be used and are found in Asian stores. Some packages have 伊面 on the package.

[wonderbread]

Wow! Thank you for everyone's help. This message board is a fount of wisdom.

[hzrt8w]

Now we know where you got your exemplary culinary skills - from YOUR MOM!

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Doesn't everybody?

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Urrrrrrrrr.... No. May be in my village cooking is a father-to-son craft.

[Tepee]

TP: THose vegetarian shrimps look amazing! Can you get more directions from your Mom for those? Next time we have vegetarian friends over, I'd love to try these.

Now we know where you got your exemplary culinary skills - from YOUR MOM!

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Sue-On Jeh-Jeh, haven't got a chance to ask mom yet...she's been out fatt-choying...playing mahjong. Oh...talking about culinary skills, it's yat gaw teen yat gaw dey..absolutely no comparison.

Ah Leung Gaw...here's a Vegetarian Yee Sang recipe. Making yee sang is best if you can find a few other enthusiasts so that the shredding (and more shredding) work is shared out. Like you, my husband learnt his cooking from his father, a great and meticulous cook.

[Ben Hong]

Now we know where you got your exemplary culinary skills - from YOUR MOM!

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Doesn't everybody?

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Urrrrrrrrr.... No. May be in my village cooking is a father-to-son craft.

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In my memory, all boys and girls were taught the rudiments of the culinary arts by whomever and in a lot of cases, especially at harvest time, boys and girls as young as 10-12 years old cooked the family meal because everyone was busy in the fields. BUT, it was the women who taught them. If my mother or my grandmother were in the kitchen, the menfolk discreetly retired to do other things.

[Pan]

Jo-Mel: Thanks! Still looking for an e-fu recipe if you have it! I scanned the aisles of an Asian market and am slightly embarassed to say I couldn't figure out what the e fu package looks like. I've only had it cooked in restaurants before.

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I love the different texture of these noodles! Next time you are in the Asian store, show the characters for 'yi mian' to someone in the store. That should help.

伊面

Let me see if I can format this so that it will be copyright OK-----

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Looks delicious! No reason to worry about copyright if you paraphrased the directions, but which cookbook has the recipe you adapted for this thread?

[Dejah]

Here are three of the many tems that we enjoyed for CNY. The rest of the food was "disturbed" by the hungry horde before I took pictures.

I had enough ingredients prepared to make this jai three times: one for my students' party, one for home, and one last night. I used all the foo-juk for the first batch.

The 2 following items: Mah-Lai Goh is from Wei-Chuan's Cantonese Snacks book. On the advice of the "Aunties" I replaced 2 porcelain spoonfulls of the AP flour with equal amount of glutineous rice flour. It gave it more of a dim sum chewy (gnun) texture.

The rice flour sesame seed balls turned out much nicer than my first attempt at Mom's last year. It was all in the deep-frying/turning/pressing technique. We don't put red bean paste in the centre for these. We used chopped sweetened coconut and sesame seeds. Once deflated, I cooked them with guy choi.

Edited February 4, 2006 by Dejah (log)

[AzianBrewer]

Visited the in-law last week and stay for a modest New Year's dinner, Vietnamese style.

The orange colored parallelograms are Vietnamese shrimp pate

The pink squares are Vietnamese ham with slice garlic, chilli pepper and black pepper

The beige stuff is pork pate

The black rectangular slices are jellied pig ears.

Vietnamese braised pork slices. Very garlicky...

Sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves and stuffed with mung beans, pork and sesame seeds, traditionally eaten during the Lunar New Year (Tet). A cousin of the Chinese/Taiwanese "Chung-Tzi".

Soy sauce chicken Vietnamese style. Very heavy in fish and Maggie sauce which I don't care much for. I still prefer the Cantonese soy sauce chicken.

We also had Vietnamese spring rolls, bahn hoi (Vietnamese vermicelli- shown in top pic), mixed greens with lemon basil (Vietnamese salad-shown in top pic) and stuffed fish stomach soup and pork stew later on.

Edited February 5, 2006 by AzianBrewer (log)

[aznsailorboi]

AZNBREWER- Did they make their own NAM ? If they do can you share the recipe? I love those things, its sweet, sour, savory and spicy. making my mouth water. but what I like more is the contrast of texture and flavor of the garlic and chili with the sticky rice(??? is it sticky rice?)

[AzianBrewer]

AZNBREWER- Did they make their own NAM ? If they do can you share the recipe? I love those things, its sweet, sour, savory and spicy. making my mouth water. but what I like more is the contrast of texture and flavor of the garlic and chili with the sticky rice(??? is it sticky rice?)

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I think they homemade the nam this year. I will ask them for the recipe.

[Gastro888]

You mean nam yu? Holy crap! HOMEMADE?!

[aznsailorboi]

You mean nam yu?  Holy crap!  HOMEMADE?!

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Nam is the pink square thing with the sliced garlic and chili. on AZNBREWER's pic #2

I'll leave fermenting fermented stuff to the professionals hehehee, I would think Nam Yu would have a point where it would become stinky.

[Gastro888]

Oh the sour ham/pork roll thing. Wow. I wonder how it's made...

[aznsailorboi]

i dunno either, it looks like its got a base of sticky rice......i've only had it once but i loved it, i usually get it in Viet-town in Chicago (Argyle), the same place i get my banh mi from. they sell alot of Viet delicacies and snacks at that place as well.

[AzianBrewer]

Oh the sour ham/pork roll thing.  Wow.  I wonder how it's made...

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Are you talking about the round shaped rice roll with stuffed with pork? That's like the Vietnamese version of Jung-Tzi.