I’ll look into ordering some of that mix, thx.
The fat is a must have imo.
In fact isnt pork belly the preferred cut?
The fat is a must have imo.
In fact isnt pork belly the preferred cut?
Last edited:
Speaking of cook books. I have a hand me down from my mother called the Women's Home Companion Cook Book from 1942, latest edition 1944. Along with telling you to boil Okra for 20-25 minutes it also has things like place settings whereby they say you may as well put ashtrays on the dining room table because your guests are going to smoke anyway.
It also has a Wartime postscript concerning rations that tell you how to make do with very little of common items today, like sugar.
The one that gets me is if you can't obtain a sirloin steak, there's an appetite-teasing T-Bone.
951 pages of culinary history that allow you to reflect on how much has changed over the years.
It also has a Wartime postscript concerning rations that tell you how to make do with very little of common items today, like sugar.
The one that gets me is if you can't obtain a sirloin steak, there's an appetite-teasing T-Bone.
951 pages of culinary history that allow you to reflect on how much has changed over the years.
Last edited:
That lamb is still in the fridge. Package says it is good for some time yet.
I haven't decided whether I will do it typical Greek style or something else. I have a great Adobada recipe that works amazingly well with venison roasts, and I think it would work well with lamb. Either way, it'll be braised until it starts to "melt".
Cal, I have a cookbook that conjures up similar feelings. "Cooking in Colour" (1976). 700 recipes for everything you can think of, and lots of things you wouldn't think of - including pigeon (squab) and "faggots".
Well, what do you know. I'm having congee for breakfast. Short grain rice cooked in stock, along with smoked salmon, peanuts, salted egg and a hint of fried shallots. No scallions or doughnut this time.
I've had several 100 meals in China and not once had anything resembling what we get here. Note China is very regional and the closest dish is Cantonese sweet and sour, so if you stick strictly local you won't find it many places. Second problem, if you are on an organized commercial tour you will likely get taken to restaurants that essentially serve Western Chinatown food, unfortunately most folks on these are there to buy $1 DVD's and fake handbags. Yes sir, you could buy the entire Disney film catalog for $75 (including Song of the South).
Luckily I was only subjected to this a couple of times and soon just blew off the included meals and took to the streets. As of two years ago a friend took his girlfriend on a 10 day tour and came back saying every meal was like Chinatown in NY.
Even in 1969 every greasy spoon downtown had a "secret" menu all I needed was my friends from the Chinese Students Association to join us. Cal knows my tastes, I have lot of pictures of the good and the bad. 🙂
Red is considered auspicious, there in fact is a lot of stuff colored red in China including food.
Many moons ago, in the shady side of downtown, in a dark and greasy alley, inhabited by the homeless and a bunch of rodents, there were 3 doors. They were restaurants. Red, orange and green. No signs they were eateries, or anything indicating any redeeming qualities. These were the first 'real' Chinese restaurants in Vancouver. White people were only allowed in the green door, and women only up to the orange door. Chinese men only in the red door. It was in the alley behind the Army & Navy store where Mom took us for lunch after dragging us out for Saturday shopping.
Best Mom ever and I didn't even know it back then.
Yup. That still happens today. If you don't have a native speaker you can't even get XO sauce in some places.
Yes, and they are disgusting. That why I love talking food with you. Hopefully some day, we will dine together. It will be doubly disgusting.
Recently in this thread someone referred to my simple fermentations as (respectfully) repugnant. Can you believe it? Some people kids, I tell ya. 😉
Speaking of meals in China, a buddy 'o' mine was doing some acupuncture training there for a few months and I guess he was away from the touristy area. The group was assigned their own chefs and while they tried western, it was obvious they were more comfortable with their own cuisine. He tells the story of turtle soup. Apparently they take a live turtle, run it through a band saw to quarter it and proceed to boil it for a while in a broth that he didn't quite have words for. He said when lunch was over he was still hungry and it was something he had not seen the likes of before.
I probably would have loved it. So would you Scott.
I probably would have loved it. So would you Scott.
Last edited:
How about those ' 1,000 year eggs '
I had one once , and ( IIRC )
It tasted a lot like caviar ! ?
I had one once , and ( IIRC )
It tasted a lot like caviar ! ?
We call them Century eggs and have made them exactly twice.
This is off the top of my head so IIRC...
Used water, salt and drain cleaner to marinade them for a couple weeks then drained and wrapped in clay for another few weeks.
They were fine but you may as well just buy them. They're not that much more expensive than regular duck eggs.
This is off the top of my head so IIRC...
Used water, salt and drain cleaner to marinade them for a couple weeks then drained and wrapped in clay for another few weeks.
They were fine but you may as well just buy them. They're not that much more expensive than regular duck eggs.
Right, we were in the middle of nowhere and at breakfast we got powdered milk and scrambled powdered eggs with some strange attempt to make wonder bread toast. A quick conversation communicated that dinner was to be local food. One of my favorite dishes that night was stir fried rice paddy snails, driving out the next morning I observed women squatting in the paddies harvesting rice. It gave me pause.
Not something I've been subjected to. The wife is Chinese and we were very well looked after by all of the relatives and people with relationships.
I also have many many pictures of the food I have had in China. Here is a sampler from the last trip in Oct last year.
I suspect by the sounds of things, our sweet and sour pork in Aus is closer to the original that what you get in the US. Ours tends to have an orange coloured sauce (well I think so, I am red/green colour blind)... The flavour was similar (but better), but the texture was much nicer 🙂
Tony.
Attachments
Cal, it could well have been one of these. Not actually a turtle, I'm not sure what it is. they are apparently very slow growing, and it is believed that eating them will give you a long life.
The dishes may or may not be from the "turtle" I'm having trouble remembering. The non-soup one I think was the turtles guts. I think the orange coloured soup was the turtle, but it could also have been the other soup.
edit: oh and the preserved egg I mentioned in the congee were century eggs 🙂
Tony.
Attachments
Last edited:
I have plenty of my own pictures, when volunteering on a work project in Chengdu and the guys took me out to their hangout it was not so pretty. Actually the most memorable thing was when someone took me to their home in Longsheng and we had chicken soup with Chinese medicine with the chicken fried in tea oil.
Last edited:
Just don't get the type with metal shavings in it. You want pure sodium hydroxide.
It is also used to make soft pretzels. Boil the dough, spread on baking tins, sprinkle with salt and bake.