another hong kong style cantonese chow mei made authentically

Yes. Blog is nearly dead, if not already. Because of it, I simply don't feel like writing much, except to post the photos which doesn't take much of my time. I don't care to create video for Youtube as it is simply not worth my while. I was a very early adapter in investing in HDTV as well as professional grade HD camcorders back before the HD TV transition. That was when the media and even the broadcasters said HD was something no one will want, and too expensive.

home made oyster sauce

I have always been very dissatisfied with store bought oyster sauce. The best ones I've ever tasted was during my youth and only in Cantonese wonton soup noodle shops. They are specialty oyster sauce not sold to the public except the trade. I had put up with store bought subpar oyster sauce for decades, and finally I decided the only way to get good ones is to make my own.

I don't need any recipe as it is very intuitive for me. It is all about using real ingredients, reduction and concentrate.

dim sum style pork rib mass production - part 1

My favorite pork rib is Cantonese dim sum style. I was shopping at Costco and I decided to buy a pack of St. Louis style spare ribs. It is a big package as always from Costco.

char siu mass production - part 2

 

This morning I decided to grill the rest of the marinated pork shoulder. I only have a medium Weber original grill that was given to me as a gift. I would prefer a full size one but it would be such a shame as this one will last indefinitely. Because I had to grill them in small batches. There is no thermometer to monitor their progress as each piece is of different size. Once you done it a few time you can pretty well judge the doneness by the firmness of the meat.

char siu mass production - part 1

 

I stopped buying store bought char siu decades ago. None are acceptable to me. I took the matter into my own hands and taught myself how to make them by trial and error. Now I can make very good one and I don't use Chinese bean paste as I don't trust any from mainland China. I use Korean bean paste and they are extremely reasonably price as well as excellent quality. 

authentic hong kong style chow mein

Out of all the noodles I had tried in the greater Portland area there is only one that I consider good for making authentic traditional Hong Kong tea restaurant style chow mein (a style of fried noodles).

an anatomy of a simple dish - part 2

I made this stir fried noodle dish, using the same marinated beef, shrimps and shiitake mushrooms as in part 1. I am just using what I have on hand for this dish.

home made char siu 叉燒 - part 2

Each time I make char siu 叉燒 the recipe is different. Also I now make a big batch in order to save time and effort. I pack the extra in vacuum bags and store them in freezer until I need more.

dim sum style braised ribs 蒸排骨

I occasionally make this dim sum style braised ribs. While when served during a dim sum they come on a small plate inside a bamboo steamer they are not steam but rather braised. The steaming is only done to reheat and keep them warm.

a tale of a piece of cod

This is a tale of a piece of cod that was utilized to the fullest. It is a piece of Alaska lingcod that I bought from an Asian market. I have long since given up buying frozen cods as they are always disappointing, in that the precious fish is wasted. It has been more and more difficult to buy good quality fish. I only know of one shop in Portland that I can count on now. While grocery shopping I bought a piece that is slightly over 2 pounds taken from the tail section.

miso wasabi vinaigrette

It was Sunday and the first of three club days at Oregon Raceway Park. I was catering the lunch for 30. I had done enough of preparation work at home as well as the night before so I knew at least I could drive for an hour before preparing the lunch.

dim sum at home

This is one of my favorite dim sum dishes. It translates as chicken wrap 雞扎. It is next to impossible to find even in very good restaurants in Richmond and Vancouver BC. Equally difficult to find even in Hong Kong except Lin Heung Lau. I now able to make equally good ones at home with the recipe that I developed myself. This dish is best to make in a big batch and I can freeze some and keep some in the refrigerator for the course of a few days.

home made dimsum 點心 - part 2

I actually home many posts I have written of making my own dim sum 點心. I have been improving my recipes, techniques, and variety. Now I no longer feel the need to travel to Richmond for some genuine Hong Kong dim sum. Mine is as good as some of the best taste wise and I only use wholesome ingredients. While that are challenges in obtaining certain ingredients I work around them.

hong kong style stir fried noodles with seafood 港色三鮮炒麵 - part 3

From making Hong Kong style stir fried noodles with seafood 港色三鮮炒麵 I have about two serving worth of cooked toppings that I saved. I knew that I can improvise a couple of dishes from it. I used up all the stir fry noodles. My option is to drive to the store to pick up another pack or be versatile and use what I have at home. I chose the latter.

hong kong style stir fried noodles with seafood 港色三鮮炒麵

I made this stir fried noodles with seafood 港色三鮮炒麵. You can call it Hong Kong or Cantonese style. While I call it a stir fried noodles, the noodles was fried separately from the toppings. I used three kinds of seafood for the toppings, which include cuttlefish, shrimps, and scallops. All came out of the freezer.

daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 - part 5

This is a boring post as there is not much new to write about of my culinary ventures to make a perfect daikon cake 蘿蔔糕. It is just that I finished the small loaf and dug into the large one. The small loaf was made out of necessity to use the remaining mixture when the large round cake mold was filled to the brim.

stir fry of beef, cuttlefish, and choy sum 牛肉菜心炒墨魚

This dish was born out of my freezer clearing effort. There is this cuttlefish that I took out. Cuttlefish is meaty and delicious just about anyway you prepare it. With some ingredients I have on hand I made a stir fry of beef, cuttlefish, and choy sum 牛肉菜心炒墨魚 using a bit of the cuttlefish. I like mixing seafood with meat in the same dish.

daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 - part 4

With the momentum of my first serious attempt to make daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 only a week ago, I want to improve upon the firmness and density that I had in mind. I like my daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 firm and dense. When it is firm it cut easier and has less drags on the knife blade. It is also easier to lift the cut slice out of the steaming container which tends to be deep and has steep near vertical sides. So I went and bought 3 pounds worth of daikon. I even made a point to buy a pack of Chinese sausage.

re-fry of a stir fry

I made a stir fry of assorted ingredients with Chinese celery 什錦炒中芹 and it ended up with a rather generous serving. There were enough leftover for two more meals. Rather than reheating it I re-fry this stir fry. Why not just re-heating it in a microwave oven, you ask?

daikon cake 蘿蔔糕 - part 3

Daikon cake 蘿蔔糕  has been my sustenance all day today. Our local PBS station has a marathon of a NOLA cooking shows by Kevin Belton. I made a few snacks of this between the breaks. Watching all those delicious NOLA dishes made me wanting to go cook up a NOLA storm. However I cannot help but to wonder the impact to one's health especially with the size of the chef.