Recipes

[Anonymous]

I've had it before. I guess it's great for vegetarians, but since I'm not one, I want the real thing.

I remember dating someone vegan. I was hungry a lot.

[Anonymous]

I almost feel as though cooking isn't worth the time and effort 😛

But, I would love some super simple recipes.

[Anonymous]

I feel that way when it comes to making things just for myself. I often found it more fun when I am making food for someone else. It's even more fun when you do a pot-luck style--everyone has a chance to showcase their best work. Just a suggestion!

[Anonymous]

I agree. I like potlucks for that reason. I like to host friends over for dinner but it's difficult to make several good items constantly. I also hate the cleaning, but that has nothing to do with the cooking.

[Anonymous]

I'm a tea lover, and wanted to pass on a resource for others to check out.http://www.specialteas.com is a website that sells high quality loose-leaf teas from around the world. They have all types of teas, green, oolong, black, blends, inusions, and so on. The prices range from $2.50 for 1/4lb to $70 and above for the same quantity. I was thinking you could get a different type of tea for different regions of China and/or Japan, or for several countries, in order to represent the provide a flavor of each culture. A delicious vegital type Japanese green tea, a flowery Chinese Oolong, a taiwanese black, etc. This is something you can use for your own pleasure, or that you can use to give you students an experience of different areas of asia.

I only drink green and oolong teas, but if you want some suggestions of types to try for reasonable prices then let me know.[Edit by="mvhudnall on Mar 19, 1:16:09 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I love Tea too. I drink 1/2 liter of tea a day on average. I buy loose leaf tea from all places, but my favorite places are 1) Le Palais de The on Brighton and Canon in Beverly Hills. They have hundreds of different types of tea. The cost ranges from $40-300/lb. It sounds expensive, but even I who drinks so much tea can not drink a pound of tea. That would last me well over a year. I like the The d"elise and The de Songes. Both are flavored teas.

Secondly, I also go to this Chinese store (I dont remember the name and it's not in English) in Montery Park right across the street from Ocean Star and in the same shopping area as 99 ranch. The teas also range from $30-$300/lb. [Edit by="kkung on Mar 19, 2:14:58 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

If you have particular types you enjoy most then you should check specialteas.com to see how the prices compare. In general those prices reflect the top end of teas, first flush competition grade. They create their own blends and infusions (in the usual flavors and types), so you may be able to find something similar, but not the same as what you buy elsewhere. Non blended or flavored teas however you should be able to find if they are in season and not sold out. It all depends on whats available and how quickly it gets snapped up. Some of my favorites are almost always available though. Try these:

For Oolongs always go for the superior or competition grade. The fine or regular grade lack the strong heady aromas and delicate flavors. Too often bitter notes come though in the cheaper grades.

515 China Superior Ti Kuan Yin Oolong $15 1/4 lb
This is entirely handmade Ti Kuan Yin. A striking natural sweetness - smooth, complex aroma with orchid-like flavor.

517 China Ti Kuan Yin Monkey Picked $32 1/4lb
Competition grade Monkey Picked with all the treasured characteristics of a Ti Kuan Yin. Complex, fragrant, orchid-like, exotic.

For Green teas I generally buy Japanese for a Vegital flavor, and Chinese for a lighter, fruitier or tangier nuttier flavors. The grade of tea does not matter as much as your individual tastes for what IS good green tea. There are some very cheap teas that are just as pleasurable for me as teas worth 3 times the cost. The only one I simply dislike is gunpowder. Heres my favorites from China:

540 China Three Cups Fragrance $9 1/4 lb Named for its three wonderful infusions, this economical tea brews a robust, fragrant cup with a sweet undertone. <--My regular buy...makes multiple cups and tastes great 527 China Pi Lo Chun Select $18
A famed pale green tea with the fragrance of peach, plum and apricot. Entirely handmade.

528 China Pi Lo Chun Competition Grade $33 1/4 lb <-- Generally I get the cheaper 527
Extraordinary competition grade Pi Lo Chun: Early leaves with a stronger sweetness, lighter cup color and softer taste than our No. 527.

523 China Fine Lung Ching Organic $8 1/4 lb
A fine grade "Dragon's Well" with its renowned, subtle chestnut flavor. Characteristically mellow and slightly sweet. <--Cheap and Tasty good everyday drinking 547 Superior Lung Ching (Dragons Well) Organic $25 1/4lb
Entirely handmade, top-grade Dragon's Well. Wonderfully complex and highly aromatic tea with pronounced sweet chestnut flavor.

From Japan:

655 Japan Genmaicha $6 1/4 lb
Green tea blended with roasted, partially puffed rice giving it a "toasty" flavor. Fragrant and aromatic.

707 Japan Sencha Hiki First Flush $38 1/4 lb
Finest Japanese Sencha. Extraordinary tea from the first Spring Harvest with unrivaled sweet, vegetal aroma and complex flavor. Very limited availability.

676 Sencha Fine $8 1/4 lb
Good everyday green tea with a pleasant, sweet taste. Exceptional value.

[Anonymous]

Those who do not like tea should really go onto this website and order a sampler pack. I never really liked tea until I tried GOOD tea. Theres a substantial difference between what comes in teabags versus what you get from a good looseleaf tea. The powder that you get in a teabag is always a blend of teas, because they want a consistent tasting product. In almost every case, this is the lowest grade of tea available, and therefore produces bitter and harsh results. What you get in the bags is essentially the powdered bits of leaves that cannot be sold as fine quality loose leaf tea. They do sell loose leaf teas that are "broken" meaning not whole leaf, and pannings, which are smaller bits. What you are getting in the bags is the stuff that won't even qualify as broken leaf tea or pannings. In addition, most teas are not only blended, but also flavored...anything with a fruit or herbal content? Flavored. Why? To disguise the bad taste.

With the exception of some imported teabags, I've yet to find any made for the US market that are palatable. While lipton has released some whole leaf pre-bagged ("Pyramid" teabags) whole leaf teas, the Oolong I tried was not good at all. I havent tried the others. Oh, one exception, there is a good product. I don't remember the name but it came in a small black cylinder with a dragon embossing in red. American packaged product, not import, found at Ralphs. I bought the Jasmine pearl tea and it was the same type of high quality product I have purchased from Specialteas.com but in a silk pouch for steeping. Tightly rolled balls of quality jasmine tea...I don't remember the type. No oily content on the top of the cup or tounge as with some cheap jasmine teas. Worth trying that type and probably the others from the same company.

In short, its worth trying the good stuff before commiting yourself to disliking something. Don't dislike caviar because you tasted fish bait. Dislike it because you've tried a few good types and still think its gross 😀
[Edit by="mvhudnall on Mar 20, 2:27:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

If you want cheap yet decent whole leaf tea, you could probably find it in most Asian markets. I bought a huge container of whole leaf green tea for less than $10 at 99 ranch in Montery Park. It's cheap and it'll last forever.

[Anonymous]

Here is a somewhat simple recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad. I made this for my book club dinner when we read Wild Swans: 3 Daughters of China, a great book.

Dressing:
1 c canola oil, 6 T sugar, 4 T soy sauce, 1/2 c apple cider vinegar, 1.5 t ginger, 3 shots tobasco sauce, 2 T sesame seeds

Salad: 3 cooked chicken breasts, shredded (that's the hardest part); 2 small heads iceberg lettuce; 4 green onions, chopped; 2 stalks celery, cut diagonally; 2 small cans mandarin oranges; 1 pkg. fried wonton strips

Blend all dressing ingredients, except seeds. Then add seeds in. Mix all salad ingredients and toss with dressing.

Enjoy

[Anonymous]

I have taught my students to make Chicken Dumplings in class. I bought the pre-cut dumpling dough and here's the list of ingredients for the filling.

# 1 cup ground chicken
# 1 TB soy sauce
# 1 teaspoon salt
# 1 TB Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
# 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or to taste
# 3 TB sesame oil
# 1/2 green onion, finely minced
# 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Napa cabbage
# 4 tablespoons shredded bamboo shoots
# 2 slices fresh ginger, finely minced
# 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced

I put the students into groups of four, gave them the ingredients, and had them mixed them together. I demonstrated how to wrap the filling into the pre-cut dough. They enjoyed the process very much. The students took them back home and cooked them with chicken broth. Although some students told me they did not like the taste, they all enjoyed to learn it very much.

[Author]

Posts