Let's talk about food!

[Keith_W]

It's a cold winter here in Melbourne, and if you are a Chinaman, nothing beats a nice hot bowl of congee. In a restaurant, all the congees are made with chicken stock. Order your congee, and they add the add-ins and serve it to you. If you are making it at home, you can use whatever stock that you like. So this is a duck congee, and made with duck stock. One take-away roast duck can provide 8 meals if you use every last bit of it.

I strip the meat off the carcass and use the bones to make a duck stock. Here, I have added ginger, star anise, bay leaves, and some cloves to my pressure cooker. Then I filter the stock and use it to make congee. I like mine to be smooth and thin, so I use a 1:10 rice to liquid ratio. Bring it to a gentle simmer for about an hour, undisturbed. The rice will bloom and when it reaches the breaking point, I whisk it to make it smooth.

I place the meat at the bottom of the bowl and ladle the hot congee on top. I added some pickled mustard greens for a savoury-sour contrast, some fried shallots and spring onion, and a dash of sesame oil.

Congee needs some side dishes. This is fried crispy whitebait 白飯魚 (Baifanyu) which literally translates to "white rice fish", made "salt and pepper" style. The pepper is not actually plain white pepper, it is a 50-50 mix of sichuan peppercorns and white pepper seeds which I toasted and ground. And the salt isn't plain salt either, it's a mix of salt, MSG, and some sugar. The other "pepper" in the name refers to chillis. I used capsicum instead. Compared to the restaurant version, mine is over-fried so the fish has shrivelled up. But it is crispy! This was the first time I made this dish. I nailed the flavour, but I need to work on the texture.

The other two side dishes were stir fried veggies and Chinese savoury donut 油炸鬼 (youzhagui - translation "oil fried devils"). Some parts of China call it 油條 (youtiao - translation "oil sticks"). That's a picture from the internet. I bought mine from a shop - I can't be bothered making it from scratch.

 

[Soundproof]

It's a cold winter here in Melbourne, and if you are a Chinaman, nothing beats a nice hot bowl of congee. In a restaurant, all the congees are made with chicken stock. Order your congee, and they add the add-ins and serve it to you. If you are making it at home, you can use whatever stock that you like. So this is a duck congee, and made with duck stock. One take-away roast duck can provide 8 meals if you use every last bit of it.

I strip the meat off the carcass and use the bones to make a duck stock. Here, I have added ginger, star anise, bay leaves, and some cloves to my pressure cooker. Then I filter the stock and use it to make congee. I like mine to be smooth and thin, so I use a 1:10 rice to liquid ratio. Bring it to a gentle simmer for about an hour, undisturbed. The rice will bloom and when it reaches the breaking point, I whisk it to make it smooth.

I place the meat at the bottom of the bowl and ladle the hot congee on top. I added some pickled mustard greens for a savoury-sour contrast, some fried shallots and spring onion, and a dash of sesame oil.

Congee needs some side dishes. This is fried crispy whitebait 白飯魚 (Baifanyu) which literally translates to "white rice fish", made "salt and pepper" style. The pepper is not actually plain white pepper, it is a 50-50 mix of sichuan peppercorns and white pepper seeds which I toasted and ground. And the salt isn't plain salt either, it's a mix of salt, MSG, and some sugar. The other "pepper" in the name refers to chillis. I used capsicum instead. Compared to the restaurant version, mine is over-fried so the fish has shrivelled up. But it is crispy! This was the first time I made this dish. I nailed the flavour, but I need to work on the texture.

The other two side dishes were stir fried veggies and Chinese savoury donut 油炸鬼 (youzhagui - translation "oil fried devils"). Some parts of China call it 油條 (youtiao - translation "oil sticks"). That's a picture from the internet. I bought mine from a shop - I can't be bothered making it from scratch.

Must say, your foodie pictures always makes me hungry. And curious of the dishes. You seriously excel in the kitchen.

Tongue is a fabulous meat - sadly not readily available!

The other excellent stewing meat, is beef cheek.... my go to choices depending on local availability at the time are Oxtail, Beef Cheek and Osso Bucco (preferred to Gravy Beef, which is the same as Osso Bucco but without the bone and marrow)

Variations of Osso Bucco is not that common here, lamb shanks would likely be the most similar usage of cuts. (I make packages in alu foil with vegs olive oil and white wine). Goat kids (2-4 kg) is worthwile too. The farmer have to destruct the kids they don't keep alive, no one are buying. And it is excellent food.

 

[TLEDDY]

What brine do you use for pork chops? And yes, they sure dry out easy.

The issue with “normal” pork chops is lack of marbling - modern pigs have been bred for lean.
If you can find heirloom chops with marbling, you will be astonished at the difference!!

But… hard to find!!

Tillman

 

[Power Pop 23]

The Wall Street Journal reports a restaurant in Bangkok relies on beef broth that has been simmering since 1974....

(gift link)

https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/food-cooking/the-family-keeping-watch-over-a-52-year-old-pot-of-soup-1e72f115?st=TBZHnm&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

 

[Audionaut]

It's a cold winter here in Melbourne

12 degrees Celsius isn't really cold in winter, is it?

 

[Keith_W]

12 degrees Celsius isn't really cold in winter, is it?

This is Australia we are talking about, not Germany. Our houses are constructed differently to yours. Many houses here are optimized for the hot weather, so the walls are thin, there is less insulation, the design promotes ventilation, etc. When it gets cold, we wear more layers of clothes and eat hot food. Europeans who have been here tell me that the houses are colder than they are in Europe. Over where you are, homes are designed for winter. All that brick and thick walls will kill you in summer. A week of hot weather, and the walls will be saturated with heat and re-radiate it into the interior. That's why you are suffering so much right now.

 

[Audionaut]

That's why you are suffering so much right now.

I'm not suffering, Keith.
My house is fully air-conditioned with Mitsubishi Diamond and Daikin Perfera units, and I have a swimming pool.
I can handle the heat just fine.

By the way, good insulation always protects against both heat and cold, and all newly built houses here must meet fairly strict guidelines and building codes regarding insulation.

For your Pleasure

 

[Gio-G]

Our Sicilian, Christmas meal tradition.
My grandmother's spaghetti and garlic family recipe, with Sicilian/Italian sausages. Our family in Sicily also produces olive oil and wine.

 

[Gio-G]

The above post is food that I made along with my wife.
This is prepared food, and arguably the best seafood around. Marblehead, MA has a beautiful little place called "The Barnacle". This is the Seafood Platter.

 

[Soundproof]

Our Sicilian, Christmas meal tradition.
My grandmother's spaghetti and garlic family recipe, with Sicilian/Italian sausages. Our family in Sicily also produces olive oil and wine.View attachment 542498View attachment 542499View attachment 542500View attachment 542501

Spent a month+ in Trapani when i was 17, had a great time. A tad too young for Marsala though. And the grannies in black hushed their granddaughters off the streets and inside their homes when the blonde brat passed by. Must have been looking frightfully good. Got invited to a family saturday dinner, and the pasta was great. I still prefer pasta almost as simple as possible with the what is at hand policy. Pasta poveri and so on. A tad random, but I do buy Scicilan red wine every now and then. Quite enjoy that.

 

[Keith_W]

Mapo Tofu, made the authentic way. Well, I modified it by using less oil. The restaurant version has a LOT OF OIL. I am afraid of using as much oil as the recipe calls for. I replaced it with water, which lead to me having to use more starch as thickener. Contrary to what you may think, the oil actually makes it lighter and less rich than if you were to use water. It also carries the fragrance better. But it's objectively less healthy. I think the next time I make it, i'll just use the oil. Otherwise, the rest of this recipe is the authentic Sichuanese version.

About this dish: it is said to have been invented by an old woman in Sichuan more than 100 years ago. Hence it's name - "mapo tofu" 麻婆豆腐 which means "pockmarked grandmother's tofu". There are three types of chillis (fresh, fermented, and dried) and soy beans in four ways (tofu, soy sauce, and two types of fermented soy beans). It is paired with the spicy, numbing, and floral fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns, and typical Chinese aromatics. When made properly, this dish packs a real punch. That smell of the Sichuan peppercorns and the rich beef hits you first, then the spiciness of the chillis and slight smokiness from the toasting and the rich savouriness of the sauce. And then the comforting smooth texture of the tofu. For all those who think that tofu is boring, you need to give this a try. It is far from boring, it might be the most exciting thing you've ever tasted.

Step 1: Hand mince beef. You want a flavourful, fatty cut. I used beef intercostals. Put the beef into the freezer until very cold. It makes it easier to dice. The reason for hand mincing beef is to get superior texture. You want slightly larger chunks in there, which you will later fry until it's dried and chewy.

Step 2: Make "knife cut chilli". I used a 4:1 mix by weight of dried chillis and green sichuan peppercorns. Toast it in a bit of oil. Be careful not to over-toast. You want the chillis to develop a slight smokiness, but you do not want the sichuan peppercorns to burn and turn bitter and lose the fresh floral notes. It is best to add the chillis first followed by the peppercorns. When cooled, chop it into a fine powder.

Step 3: prepare the aromatics for the beef. In the bowl on the left: "Knife cut chilli" after it has been chopped. In the jar: Pixian doubanjiang (豆瓣酱, fermented soy beans with chilli, from Pixian, China). In the bowl, from top left: minced garlic, minced ginger, minced fresh chilli, and fermented black beans douchi (豆豉). The douchi needs to be soaked and rinsed to remove some saltiness and tame down the funky taste.

Step 3: cut the medium firm tofu to 2cm cubes. I like to leave them large. If they are too small, they might disintegrate into the sauce. They need to be soaked in salted boiling water for 30 min to cook out some of the "raw bean" flavour.

Step 4: fry the beef until well caramelized and almost crispy. Listen to the oil - as the beef dries out, it will transition from a "soft" sizzle to crackles. When it reaches this colour, add the doubanjiang, douchi, chilli, garlic, and ginger. Add a splash of dark soy sauce, and fry at low heat for a few minutes. Add water, then add the drained tofu. Bring to a boil, then thicken with a cornflour-water mix three times.

Transfer to a claypot and heat the claypot over a spare burner or in the oven. It can stay this way until serving, so it's a great dinner party option. It can be made in advance and reheated. Sprinkle more "knife cut chilli" on top, and add spring onions. Serve with rice.

You might note that this version is more brown and less red than the restaurant version. It should be a vibrant red. My wife didn't want me to make it too spicy, so I had to cut down on the chillis. There should be a layer of red oil floating on top. Here, all the oil has been emulsified into the sauce through cornstarch, which made the sauce VERY rich.

The rest of the meal included stir-fried mustard greens with garlic and fish sauce.

And a bowl of lotus root soup. It's made with pork ribs, dried squid (which has to be toasted over fire), peanuts, Chinese dates, goji berries, garlic, and ginger. The lotus root soup is warm and light, and it's a welcome relief from the spiciness of the mapo tofu.

Other Chinese people might look at this post and wonder why i'm mixing Cantonese and Sichuanese cuisine. Yeah you're right, it shouldn't be done. But my wife insisted on her favourite soup, so I had to make it.

 

[mags65]

Almost through a 2x3 minute sear, then indirect under lid to reach 54° C.

 

[Gio-G]

Almost through a 2x3 minute sear, then indirect under lid to reach 54° C.

View attachment 543481

OK, well I may have an idea of what I want for dinner tonight!

 

[mags65]

OK, well I may have an idea of what I want for dinner tonight!

Served it with a chunky cucumber salad (sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce) and mashed potatoes made w/serious amounts of butter.

 

[I Love EQ]

Hey everyone, here it is—the dish that gave us a headache. Dolma!

 

[mags65]

With doggo and me alone at the cabin for a few days, we revert to basics (relax, there is a layer of dijon on the lower bun, we’re not complete heathens).

 

[Gio-G]

With doggo and me alone at the cabin for a few days, we revert to basics (relax, there is a layer of dijon on the lower bun, we’re not complete heathens).

View attachment 543657

Your last two posts have set the stage for my next dinners. This one is nice and simple. Burger, beer and some fries. Nice and simple and very delicious. My wife will appreciate some good grilled food tonight.

 

[Soundproof]

With doggo and me alone at the cabin for a few days, we revert to basics (relax, there is a layer of dijon on the lower bun, we’re not complete heathens).

View attachment 543657

You should try having a beer with that hamburger

 

[mags65]

Moving on to leftovers! A good chunk of grilled Iberico Pluma, with oven baked potatoes and tomatoes tossed in olive oil w/ground salt & thyme.

 

[Gio-G]

The seafood boil!

If you like a little spice, this is a winning formula!