Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

eG Foodblog: hzrt8w - A week of Chinese New Year celebration


hzrt8w

Recommended Posts

I'm editing this since I see Abra posted first to explain the first image is of butternut squash.  The second photo is delicata squash, really good unadorned.  It roasts quickly because the skin is well, delicate, and the flesh, sort of the color of  this guy :smile:, is also thin.  I like to cut it in half, scoop out seeds and bake, cut side down, edges buttered.  When softened, turn cut side up, add a little butter if you'd like and let it start to color, though I usually skip this step.  Pour on a tiny bit of heavy cream and a pinch of fresh nutmeg.

*  *    *

Thank you for answering my questions, Ah Leung.  (I made Huo Tui Dong Gu Zheng Yu with a black bass yesterday, thinking the small slices of prosciutto (naturally :wink: ) poked into slits of the skin would be appropriate for the Year of the Pig.)

Pontormo: that sounds very good. All of these squashes... it seems... they don't look that "attractive" from the outside but are very delicious.

Chinese don't cook these squashes and I have never seen them in Asia. May be I can try to blend that in some of my recipes in stir-fries or soup.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah Leung: I am delighted to see you blogging, and I appreciate that you are exploring the cultural as well as the edible facets of your life. Food can illuminate a culture in remarkably accessible ways. This is one of the reasons that I love learning to cook food from different countries – food reflects history, economics, geography, botany, social customs, trade . . .

...

With your additional clues, I guess that you are 48. Kung Hey Fat Choy!

Thanks Bruce. Yeah I explicitely gave away my age didn't I? :laugh: Actually I am not 48 quite yet because my birthday is in June. But that would be soon enough. :sad::shock:

These foodblogs are great ways to learn a culture. All cultures evolve around food. After all, we all need to eat to survive. I haven't met a culture whose social activities do not involve food. To understand any ethnic food, it's best to have the history/cultural background explained.

I turn 48 in July - just after you, Ah Leung! So this is our year, huh? Those paper placemats at crappy Chinese restaurants always said so, but I wondered if it was correct for me since CNY and European NY aren't the same!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do you realize that those very beans could have come from our farm, hundreds of miles from me, thousands of miles from you?  I spent many a year surrounded by those green waving fields, watching them grow from little "turtles" breaking the earth with their tiny dicots, to deepest-green rows as far as you could see.  Then the waiting, the turning to gold, the drying and the testing; the combines lumbering their ponderous dinosaur tracks across, spouting the dry and the wisps and the dust into that hot, unforgiving sky, and rattling those golden beans like pebbles into the bins.

Thank you so much Rachel! Reading your posts are always like reading literature books. I learned only enough English composition skills to state scientific facts and describe engineering tasks - like: do A and B and you will get C...

It could very well be... that the soy beans I used came from the very same farmland near you! In Chinese, it is called:

Cantonese pronounciation: "Yuen".

(Meaning "Fate").

Some Chinese believe that fate has pre-determined everything we experience in life. Whether two people meet and fall in love. Whether a southern state soy bean will end up being consumed in Sacramento...

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah Leung, would you show the packages of the oysters and the hairy moss fungus, if you still have them? That dish looks delicious, and I've never cooked with either of those before. The whole dinner looks quite wonderful, in fact.

Also, I see that grass jelly in cans all the time, but am ashamed to say I've never tried it. I'm confused - you drink it straight from the can, or you have to mix it with something?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though I telecommute most of the time, I like to step outside the house and spend some leisure time to enjoy lunch. I am blessed because where I live I have easy access to half a dozen decent Cantonese style Chinese restaurants to fill my appetite.

gallery_28660_4251_30130.jpg

What I had for lunch. Yummy Guide Restaurant – serving Hong Kong style steaks and western dishes, and also some Cantonese style stir-fries.

This was fried rice noodles with beef slices stir-fried with some water-down eggs poured on top. A common Hong Kong style lunch item. "Wut Dan Ngau Ho" in Cantonese.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's hard to believe that anyone doesn't lik your cooking. What's wrong with them?  :wink:

Thanks for the kind words, Suzy. Well some of it is dietary related. I am sure you would understand.

My MIL is borderline diabetic, so we need to watch out.

She is lactose intolerant, no milk.

She has high blood pressure, no salt.

She is a Cantonese - no heat.

Her teeth don't work too tell - need to chop the ingredients finer.

So... enjoy life the best as we can, while we still can.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's a web site where you can convert Gregorian to lunar.  Just choose your yr!  It looks like the first day of the new yr was Feb 8th in 1959, therefore a birthday in Jan 1959 should be Wu-xu (yr of the dog), correct?

Arrr.... thanks for the link to the website, cats2! I checked the year 1959. It verified what my father had been telling me all along about my birth date in lunar calendar.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too am born in the year of the pig, so this is my year and I will do my part by definitely eating more pork.

so I think that on chinese new year the chinese eat a red bean based soup? Koreans do the same, except we eat our red bean soup with small mochi balls in it, its very good and good for you.  I dont celebrate chinese new year, but I will definitely make this in the new future because its so delicious

Hi Sheena Greena! I am not aware of the Chinese custom that eat a red bean based soup during CNY. But China is a big country. Chinese living in different regions celebrate CNY differently. It is nice to use red beans to make soup nonetheless.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

You sound like you had a great reunion dinner. I couldn't taste any of the CNY delicacies (I'm recovering from a germ thing of some sort), which leaves me awfully sad because I won't be here for CNY for the next 3 years.

Gong Xi Fa Cai to you too May! Yes our reunion dinner is very nice. It is not quite a "reunion" because I see the in-laws just about every week or other week. It is definitely another gathering. :smile:

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a question about CNY vegetarian meals. You used dried shrimp and oyster sauce in your dinner. Are those ingredients typically considered "vegetarian" for CNY? (The most popular dish for CNY here is jai.)

Holding a "straight" vegetarian view, Suzy, no. They wouldn't use dried shrimp or oyster sauce. There is a "vegetarian oyster sauce". I don't know how they make it but must not be extracted from oysters.

Most Chinese who observe the "no killing" rule on the first day of CNY would eat "Gai" [Cantonese], which means vegetarian dishes. And many of them are made to mock up like meat/poultry. Mock chicken, mock intestines, mock goose, etc.. Their consumption is vegetarian's but their mind is still not! :laugh::laugh:

You might have seen the "gai" dishes Tepee posted in the China forum. They looked great. And I think Kent Wang had posted some pictures from his visit to one vegetarian restaurants in Beijing and those look fantastic!

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Learning new stuff already! Ah Leung, I notice that, unlike in other recipes, here you didn't soak the dried shrimp before cooking them. Do they plump up a bit when fried without rehydrating? Or get crunchier?

That is true Ellen. I sometimes soak the dried shrimp, somtimes don't. It depends on the dish. Without soaking, the dried shrimp have more fragrance. Since they will be stir-fried with the melons for a while, they will get soften up even without being soaked. When making other dishes, such as rice cakes, it would be better to soak the dried shrimp first.

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that on chinese new year the chinese eat a red bean based soup? Koreans do the same, except we eat our red bean soup with small mochi balls in it, its very good and good for you.  I dont celebrate chinese new year, but I will definitely make this in the new future because its so delicious

Sheena, you might be thinking of oshiruko, the red bean soup the Japanese eat at New Year's. It's made from sweetened azuki beans, and usually served warm with mochi balls floating in it (much like Americans top hot cocoa with marshmallows).

Edited by SuzySushi (log)

SuzySushi

"She sells shiso by the seashore."

My eGullet Foodblog: A Tropical Christmas in the Suburbs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a question about CNY vegetarian meals. You used dried shrimp and oyster sauce in your dinner. Are those ingredients typically considered "vegetarian" for CNY? (The most popular dish for CNY here is jai.)

Holding a "straight" vegetarian view, Suzy, no. They wouldn't use dried shrimp or oyster sauce. There is a "vegetarian oyster sauce". I don't know how they make it but must not be extracted from oysters.

Most Chinese who observe the "no killing" rule on the first day of CNY would eat "Gai" [Cantonese], which means vegetarian dishes. And many of them are made to mock up like meat/poultry. Mock chicken, mock intestines, mock goose, etc.. Their consumption is vegetarian's but their mind is still not! :laugh::laugh:

You might have seen the "gai" dishes Tepee posted in the China forum. They looked great. And I think Kent Wang had posted some pictures from his visit to one vegetarian restaurants in Beijing and those look fantastic!

Thanks for your thoughtful reply!

If you ever get out to Hawaii, I can take you to a very good Chinese vegetarian restaurant here called... Buddhist Vegetarian Restaurant!

SuzySushi

"She sells shiso by the seashore."

My eGullet Foodblog: A Tropical Christmas in the Suburbs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chinese Zodiac:

It goes in this order. Rat goes first, then Ox, Tiger and so on.

1) Rat: 1936, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96

2) Ox: 1937, 49, 61, 73, 85, 97

3) Tiger: 1938, 50, 62, 74, 86, 98

4) Rabbit: 1939, 51, 63, 75, 87, 99

5) Dragon: 1940, 52, 64, 76, 88, 00

6) Snake: 1941, 53, 65, 77, 89, 01

7) Horse: 1942, 54, 66, 78, 90, 02

8) Sheep: 1943, 55, 67, 79, 91, 03

9) Monkey: 1944, 56, 68, 80, 92, 04

10) Cock (or Rooster): 1945, 57, 69, 81, 93, 05

11) Dog: 1946, 58, 70, 82, 94, 06

12) Pig: 1947, 59, 71, 83, 95, 07

It is a 12-year cycle. Each year belong to one of the twelve animals.

I found some description on the Chinese Zodiac that said:

The Chinese Zodiac consists of a 12 year cycle, each year of which is named after a different animal that imparts distinct characteristics to its year.  Many Chinese believe that the year of a person's birth is the primary factor in determining that person's personality traits, physical and mental attributes and degree of success and happiness throughout his lifetime.

I was born in 1959 and I don't believe any of this stuff. I only like to eat and sleep.

Edited by hzrt8w (log)
W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah Leung, I just found out I was an Earth Rooster. I never thought there were different classifications for each calendar animal.

I tried downloading your pictorial tutorial file but the link won't work for me. Ahhh, I'll try again later.

Doddie aka Domestic Goddess

"Nobody loves pork more than a Filipino"

eGFoodblog: Adobo and Fried Chicken in Korea

The dark side... my own blog: A Box of Jalapenos

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried downloading your pictorial tutorial file but the link won't work for me. Ahhh, I'll try again later.

The link works. I just tried it. You just need to wait about 1 minute (advertisement time) for the link to show up for you to click on.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

congee usually refers to what Cantonese called "jook".  "shi fan" is Mandarin, which literally means "diluted rice".  Beside the dialect differences, they actually are different ways of making the soupy rice portridge.  Cooking "Shi fan" is fairly quick.  The rice is still grainy.  "Jook" on the other hand takes much longer - typically from a few hours to overnight.  The rice has completed broken down and the liquid becomes thick and starchy.

Actually, I think it is pronounced "xi fan" in Mandarin (xi - first tone, fan - fourth tone), or at least that is how they pronounce it in Beijing.

This is a great blog. I'm loving it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Though I telecommute most of the time, I like to step outside the house and spend some leisure time to enjoy lunch.  I am blessed because where I live I have easy access to half a dozen decent Cantonese style Chinese restaurants to fill my appetite. 

gallery_28660_4251_30130.jpg

What I had for lunch.  Yummy Guide Restaurant – serving Hong Kong style steaks and western dishes, and also some Cantonese style stir-fries.

This was fried rice noodles with beef slices stir-fried with some water-down eggs poured on top.  A common Hong Kong style lunch item.  "Wut Dan Ngau Ho" in Cantonese.

Now, that looks wonderful! Cantonese food seems to have become unfashionable, as other wonderful regional Chinese cooking became the rage, one region at a time. But I still love Cantonese.

(I am a doubter, and a rational person, mostly. I just discovered that I'm a Rabbit and the Rabbit traits are so me I'm kinda spooked. The seem to be the Cancers of the Chinese zodiac, and yeah, I'm a Cancer.)

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is an interesting story about the ranking of the Chinese Zodiac. It was said long time ago the God Yuk ("Yuk Wong Dai Deh") ranked the animals based on their usefulness to mankind. So Ox was the first and Rat was the twelve, lower than Pig - who is nothing but food. But one day Rat was not happy with this arrangement so he went with Ox in front of God Yuk and argued that he should rank higher than Ox. At the end, God Yuk said: To settle this, I am going to send you both to the earth and let the humans decide which of you they think is bigger (in Chinese custom, the "bigger" one has higher ranking).

So Rat and Ox went to the earth and strolled along the street. To make sure that people would see both of them at the same time for a fair comparison, Rat sat on top of Ox's head. And they strolled and strolled and strolled. Whenever people saw Ox, they would point and say, "look! there is an ox!". But whenver people saw Rat sitting on top of Ox's head, they would shout, "Oh my god! That's such a BIG RAT!!!!!".

So, the first rank was taken from Ox and given to Rat.

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am attending some night classes in the nearby Sacramento City College for three hours. That is part of why I am so busy. Usually no time to cook. Or that I have to do it in a hurry. (Will have more on what I am studying later.)

W.K. Leung ("Ah Leung") aka "hzrt8w"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kung Hey Fat Choy!

Kung Hey Fat Choy Karen! Did you get any brand new bank notes to stuff the red envelopes?

Thanks, Ah Leung. Um, I didn't get brand new, but slightly used. :blush: The night before I went to the bank my husband was joking that I should askt he teller for new bills with sequential serial numbers, so by the time I went to the bank I got flustered and asked for fresh bills instead of new bills. (Bad auntie, wishing bad luck on the kids.) Then we had a last-minute kid that came to Sunday dinner, so I had to scrounge in my wallet for new-ish bills. I actually went out and bought new hung baos, because I didn't have enough used ones to go around. Ever since my dad died, my mom isn't as adamant about following tradition anymore.

I have many characteristics of a sheep. baaa.

The Sheep, Goat, or Ram, oddly enough, is thought to be the most artistic sign of the zodiac, perhaps because this is a very creative sign. The Sheep is artistically talented and has a great sense of fashion. Chances are that this type will prefer to be a designer or painter, or go into the kind of profession where he/she can make the most of his/her gift for creating beautiful things.

These people are considerate creatures - they think before acting, and try not to hurt anyone's feelings. If it ever happens that the Sheep person causes unforeseen problems, it is very likely that he/she will step forward to rectify the situation. This side of their character helps them maintain a healthy social life as well as enabling them to deal with life's ups and downs.

Sympathy is very important to these people as is the approval of people they respect. However, they sometimes require too much attention and impose too much on those who are close to them.

Sometimes they are too sensitive for the real world; they often misinterpret situations. They need to feel loved and protected. They are easily drawn into complex predicaments. This being so, they usually shy away from confrontation, pull back when faced with heavy decision-making situations, and blatantly refuse to take an unpopular stand in a conflict.

All signs with links to characteristics from wikipedia. Interesting stuff.

Edited by I_call_the_duck (log)

Karen C.

"Oh, suddenly life’s fun, suddenly there’s a reason to get up in the morning – it’s called bacon!" - Sookie St. James

Travelogue: Ten days in Tuscany

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So Rat and Ox went to the earth and strolled along the street.  To make sure that people would see both of them at the same time for a fair comparison, Rat sat on top of Ox's head.  And they strolled and strolled and strolled.  Whenever people saw Ox, they would point and say, "look!  there is an ox!".  But whenver people saw Rat sitting on top of Ox's head, they would shout, "Oh my god!  That's such a BIG RAT!!!!!".

So, the first rank was taken from Ox and given to Rat.

And rightly so, says Dai Gah jeah Dejah who is a Rat. :biggrin:

I went early enough to the bank and got new bills with sequential serial numbers. I actually didn't notice them until I was trying to separate them.

In the bag of fruit I took to my mom's I remembered to put in a "huon bao". In return for "jak lam" my Mom put in another huon bao with a larger denomination bill. :wink: I am still in the hole comparing what I had to give out to nieces, children and grandson, and what I received!

Dejah

www.hillmanweb.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a Tiger (metal tiger, although I'm not clear how that matters). And in Western life I'm a Leo. So that must be right, a person who's a tiger and a lion both - sounds exactly like me! Except that I'm not much for raw meat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah Leung, I just found out I was an Earth Rooster. I never thought there were different classifications for each calendar animal.

I'm an earth rooster, too! But your birth year on your bio is different from my year. Hmmmm....

I tried downloading your pictorial tutorial file but the link won't work for me. Ahhh, I'll try again later.

I always have trouble with it, too. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I think I just have to read the directions more carefully.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...