Text 17883, 135 rader
Skriven 2014-10-09 02:21:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: Chinese food 'venture 86
================================
 ML> As we walked in he reminded me that as he had had
 ML> lunch only 7 hours before, he wasn't hungry and would
 ML> get just an appetizer and maybe mooch off a spoonful
 ML> or two of whatever I got. So we planned the following.
 NB> And you believed him...?  And expected that he'd actually eat
 NB> accordingly...?  I'd've thought by now you'd know better... ;)

I don't know what to expect. I was prepared for what
happened and figured if I totally didn't get enough to
eat I'd just order more food.

 ML> second, ...) and pronounced it good. I didn't tell
 ML> him that in addition to the chopped ham it also had
 ML> chopped died shrimp in it (in his case at least, what
 ML> he doesn't know won't hurt him).
 NB> I have a relative that is allergic to shrimp...  but for any that
 NB> aren't, I wouldn't mention the chopped dried shrimp, either... ;)

Jonathan has admitted that if shrimp was chopped and
mixed into something else, he would probably not notice
(truth), but if he knew it was there, he wouldn't eat
the dish anyway. On the other hand he has also claimed
that he is highly sensitive to the smell of shrimp; I
can't see how he reconciles those concepts.

 ML> blandish turnip cake. One other thing, the more refined
 ML> turnip cake I'm used to is made with rice flour and
 ML> finely minced luobo (Chinese version of daikon); this
 ML> had thin strips of the vegetable, rather peculiar.
 NB> I've had it where there are some recognizable bits of the daikon, but
 NB> mostly finely minced...

I much prefer a more homogeneous texture in this
particular dim sum.

 ML> I thought the dish extremely mildly heated, fairly mild
 ML> in the coriander department, but with a pretty good hit
 ML> of cumin. I ate at my normal pace; he ate at his; next
 ML> thing I knew, the dish was gone - I had maybe my
 ML> nutritionally appropriate hundred grams of it, he got
 ML> the rest. Maybe his body-mass index really is over 29.
 NB> Apparently the taste and the presence of the food overcame his lack of
 NB> appetite... ;)  Perhaps you should have ordered more... at least, one
 NB> more entree...  :)   Worst case, you might have had leftovers, but it
 NB> doesn't sound much like that would have been the case.   :)

As I said, I was prepared for just about anything.

 ML> We actually split the bill this time.
 NB> Appropriate...  ;)
 
I don't think I would have cared one way or the other,
but if I recall, when bill time came, he said, why don't
we just split it, and then he paused and put in this
aside, unless you want to treat me. I actually was going
to do so, as I do 90% of the time, but the way he said it
rubbed me the wrong way, so I said we'd split it.

Scottish Porridge
cat: breakfast, infantile, starch
yield: 1 batch

1 1/2 c pinhead oatmeal
3 1/2 c water
1 lg pn salt

Put water in heavy bottomed pan and bring to
the boil on high heat. Reduce to medium and
sprinkle oats on top and stir into water -
doing it this way helps reduce the risk of
your porridge getting lumpy. As most people
don't have a Spirtle, using a wooden spoon
works just fine! Bring back to the boil over
medium heat, stirring continuously.

Then reduce to low heat, cover with lid and
let simmer for around 20 - 30 min. Add salt
and stir into porridge halfway through. And
don't forget to stir the porridge every few
min to stop it sticking and prevent lumps.
Although tradition says only stir clockwise,
stirring in both directions does have
advantages in the 'de-lumping' process.

In this porridge recipe, the cooking time
can be varied a bit, depending on how thick
and creamy you want your porridge to be.

Shorter cooking time will make for a thinner
porridge with a more chewy texture. Longer
cooking will make a thicker, creamier dish.
Don't overdo it though, or you'll end up
with a very 'stodgy' meal.

Pour cold milk or cream on top to taste.

If you want the whole Scottish experience,
try pouring cream into a separate bowl and
dip your spoonfuls of porridge into it one
at a time. It'll take longer that way, but
is really good!

Useful Tips: The most important ingredient
in this porridge recipe is the oats themselves.
Pin Head, steel-cut oats are the best choice,
followed by premium quality rolled oats. The
more processed or 'quick cook' oats don't make
for a porridge of the same quality, but are quick
and simple to use if you're in a big hurry.

Here are two brands of oats that are among the best.
Hamlyn's Pinhead Oatmeal - produced by the sponsors
of the World Porridge Making Championships.

Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats - produced by the
company owned by the 2009 winner of the contest,
Matthew Cox.

Porridge has a tendency to become 'lumpy' very
easily, make sure that you stir often enough,
and thoroughly enough to prevent that.

Adding the salt too early (some porridge recipes
suggest putting all ingredients in the pot at
the same time) can make the oats hard/tough.

A heavy stainless-steel pot would be my first
choice, but a good quality non-stick is okay
if that's all you have.

scottish-at-heart.com

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
 * Origin: Check Out Doc's QWK Mail  Via Web BBS > DocsPlace.org  (1:123/140)