Text 307, 79 rader
Skriven 2008-01-06 22:59:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Classical
=================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Carol Shenkenberger <=-

 ML> Funny what a blanket term "classical" has become
 ML> Originally, "classical" meant concert music mostly of
 ML> the 18th into the early 19th century. Then it started spreading
 ML> both directions (earlier to the baroque and rococo periods and later
 ML> through the romantics, impressionists, and so on); most recently I
 ML> guess it has come to mean all serious or at least "non-popular"
 ML> music.

It's by no means recent. I took a single music class in grade 10
back in 1963 before moving onto courses I was more suited for.  I
recall that the teacher differentiating between classical as in
serious concert music and classical as in from the classical period.
The term was used both ways over 40 years ago.

We spoke earlier of ginger beef. Here is one version of its
history from http://chinesefood.about.com

Ginger Beef
          
Is this Alberta favorite an authentic Chinese recipe?

Ginger beef - the ultimate comfort food. The famous dish consisting of
marinated beef deep-fried in batter and coated with a sweet and sour sauce
is a staple of Alberta Chinese restaurants. However, it is very difficult
to trace the origins of this popular recipe. Does the ginger beef that
Albertans know and love represent true Chinese cuisine? For that matter,
is ginger beef - no matter how it's prepared - an authentic Chinese dish?

A search through several Chinese cookbooks quickly reveals that the idea
of marrying beef with ginger is nothing new. For example, in Ginger East
to West, Bruce Cost provides a recipe for "Real Ginger Beef" that is quite
different from the typical restaurant version, using a full cup of ginger
and two cups of fresh coriander leaves. In Joy of Wokking, Martin Yan has
a recipe for "Spicy Ginger Beef" seasoned with five spice powder. Finally,
Madame Wong's Long-Life Chinese Cookbook contains a ginger beef recipe
that uses preserved red ginger and red pepper, with a sauce made from
chicken stock, cornstarch, hoisin sauce and dark soy sauce.

In fact, ginger beef is based on a northern Chinese dish that is much
drier and less sweet than the restaurant version. Although his name is
lost to history, (it was George Wong, who went from Hong Kong to
England to cook and onto the Cattlemen's club in Calgary - JW) it is
thought that a Chinese chef working in Calgary came up with the
crunchy "Americanized" ginger beef with the sweet sauce that is so
popular in Alberta. Even today, it is difficult, although not
impossible, to find Alberta-style ginger beef outside the province.
But whatever its origins, ginger beef is a great way to introduce
people to Chinese food. And, while definitely not a dish for
calorie-counters, it has the advantage of containing healthy
ingredients such as ginger - thought to help cure colds.

Tips for Making Restaurant-Style Ginger Beef

To make it extra crispy, deep-fry the beef twice. This technique is
often used in restaurants: staff prepare a batch of ginger beef and
set it aside. When a customer places an order, a portion is
deep-fried again.

To make the ginger beef extra tender, use only cornstarch for the
batter (instead of half cornstarch and half flour).

Don't put all of the meat in the wok at once - that will lower the wok
temperature. Start with adding about 1/4 of the meat mixture.

Mix the batter thoroughly. Test with chopsticks or a wooden spoon - it
should just drop without sticking.



Cheers

YK Jim


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