Text 35123, 115 rader
Skriven 2016-01-15 03:32:06 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av JIM WELLER
Ärende: holidays 816
====================
> Even Glen Jamieson agrees it's complicated!

I guess that's because his and his son's reprobatism
has been pretty straightforward.

 And 
> Lexi has a really good grasp of genealogy (she can tell you the
> difference between a first cousin once removed and a second cousin,
> when many adults can't)

Heck, I can't and probably never could without using
pencil and paper. I hope that reasoning skill translates
well into something else.

>  ML> occasions with friends with no taste buds (same with
>  ML> Applebee's, Friday's, and the worst of all, Ruby
>  ML> Tuesday's)
> So far, I have managed to avoid all of those as well as their
> Canadian cousins and clones like East Side Mario's, Montana's BBQ &
> Bar (Montana's Cookhouse) and Kelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill.

But you have the Keg.

>  ML> Airport food - everyone has to learn sometime
> Oh, I already knew. It's been a long, long time since I had a truly
> good airport or airline meal.

Strangely I had a superlative meal on an airplane
yesterday, including one dish - a side vegetable -
that could have had crack cocaine in it. It was
the best food I've had this year, including all the
stuff I've cooked; it was also the best airplane food
I've had this millennium, and perhaps ever. What was it?
A simple eggplant with chile, ginger, sesame, and basil,
as a side dish with rice and broccoli to a pretty good
Penang beef. Appetizer of salmon mousse in a (not so
good) pastry cup and char siu and bok choy wrap. Another
appetizer of prosciutto and melon with carrot salad.
Cheese course with a good Brie and a somewhat good
semi-hard Italian. Chocolate mocha cake and hazelnut
profiterole. Dom Perignon '04 followed by a decent
Bordeaux that I forget the name of and didn't snag the
menu (which was handed to me in a leather-bound folder
and then retracted). Thai Airways 747 HKG-BKK in a Royal
First bed (thank you, United miles).

> Best Christmas present: a tasting box of seven little nips, 30 ml
> bottles, of J.& M. Lehmann's Eaux de vie.

Sounds terrific. I'm not that much a schnapps person,
much less an Alsatian schnapps person (I tend to go
for Swiss or Austrian), but I'd be most interested
in your report on that haul.

> I just sipped my first one, the Kirsch. Like any other 90 proof
> white, unaged brandy it's raw and hot but it is also slightly sweet,
> has a subtle yet distinct cherry and almond nose and a delayed,
> intense burst of flavor at the back of the mouth. It is perhaps the
> best quality Schnaps that I have ever encountered.

Cool, I get to envy someone.

Hakka Abacus Beads (Yam Gnocchi with Minced Pork) 
categories: main, Chinese, pasta
Serves: 4

1 whole taro
8 Tb tapioca flour
1/4 c dried shrimp (soaked)
1/2 lb pork, minced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Handful of cilantro and green onions (garnish - optional)
1 ds light soy sauce
1/4 c water

hakka abacus beads

Prepare the yam beads the night before cooking. After 
removing skin from the taro, slice it up and place on a 
plate for steaming. Steam the pieces for 20 min on high 
heat until soft. Remove from heat.

Mash up the soft taro pieces with a potato masher or 
fork. Now, add tapioca flour and mix well with a fork.  

Form into a soft dough (will be crumbly).

With clean hands, start shaping the dough into little 
balls. Make a slight indentation in the middle lightly 
with your thumb or finger. Place on plate (will be 
steamed again). Repeat with remaining dough.

Steam the yam beads over high heat for about 15 min. 
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, cover 
and place in fridge.

Stir-frying

Remove the yam beads from the fridge and allow to rest 
till room temperature. While resting, mince the pork 
with a cleaver or alternatively use ground pork. Saute 
the garlic in hot oil until fragrant. Add minced pork 
and dried shrimp bits and fry till aromatic. Add 1 Tb 
light soy. Add the water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat 
and cover for about 5 min.

Place the yam beads into the wok and stir around until 
sauce thickens a little, about 5 min. Remove from wok 
and serve hot. You can stir the yam beads for longer 
if you want the sauce to be thicker. Garnish with 
chopped cilantro and green onions (scallions).

smokywok.com
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