RECIPES

[Roving Punster]

Me mum cooked this many times for me and me litter mates .
It's chicken legs and/or thighs slowly cooked with spuds , or turnips/daikon , onions , ginger , a dash of soya , and oyster sauce ( amounts varied , dump the stuff in according to how you might like it ).
Toss it in a slow cooker .

This is a variation of her soya chicken as follows :

Place chicken in a pot , almost cover the bits with water , add soya to taste ( mum put in lots ) .
Bring to boil , reduce heat to very low and simmer .

Better yet , toss in a slowe cooker and add orange peels (dad keep dried ones in a jar , i am uncertain if they were mandarin or clementimes ?) , slivered ginger , garlic , and use oyster sauce / mushroom sauce and just a dash or three of the soya .

I make something very similar involving cubed rind-on slab bacon (pork belly) ... but the pork belly takes longer to get tender than chicken legs, so my usual modus operandi is to get the pork almost tender, then add the daikon in the last 40 mins, and the spuds in the last 20-30. The onions and ginger can be added early, medium or late, depending on how much (if any) textural presence you want from them. My pork belly version also uses a little star anise instead of oyster sauce, and i like to go light on soy sauce. I'll usually add a few dashes of mirin to complement the sweetness of the pork.

There are numerous other variations you can do. I've done versions of this with salmon frames (used to make the stock), and diced/scraped salmon flesh (added during the last 3 mins) ... just eliminate the oyster sauce and replace the soy with a few dashes of fish sauce and a little chicken glace to intensify and balance the flavor.

[ChowMein]

Nice , tough to find fish sauce in my neighbourhood though , but i know of a new Asian supermarket that should have some .
I forgot what Papa used , authentic stuff though , would ye be so kind as to reccommend a brand ?

[Roving Punster]

It's not so much as what brand to look for (because availability is sporadic, especially the further away you are from asian enclaves) as in knowing clues to avoid if choices allow you to do so. Fish sauce tends to darken/oxidize with time, so look for bottles have a lighter amber color rather than a dark cola color. Also, wherever possible, choose glass bottles over plastic, and smaller bottles over larger ones (less likely to get old before you finish them).

Personally, I like 3 crabs brand (pink label), but that's that's actually a middling brand. I use it because the market i get it from sells an ungodly amount of it, so it's usually the freshest of the brands available in my area. Tiparos (yellow label) is decent, if you can find it in glass. Squid (white and green label) is also good, if a tad salty. There are others, but the names escape me ATM.

One more tip regarding fish sauce ... it's great for adding a little umami and complexity to soups, stocks and sauces, but you MUST use it in moderation otherwise it can overpower things, and make everything taste like dried catfood tea. I usually only use a few dashs in dish serving 2-4 people. If you overdo it slightly, you have 2 choices ... add diced potatoes to absorb some of the salt/flavor, or add a little sweetness to soften the harsh edges.

[MourningStar]

One more tip regarding fish sauce ... it's great for adding a little umami and complexity to soups, stocks and sauces, but you MUST use it in moderation otherwise it can overpower things, and make everything taste like dried catfood tea. I usually only use a few dashs in dish serving 2-4 people. If you overdo it slightly, you have 2 choices ... add diced potatoes to absorb some of the salt/flavor, or add a little sweetness to soften the harsh edges.

This is the dang truth with most concentrated flavors like sesame oils and vanilla as well. Though I had an unfortunate incident the other day when I was adding "syrup" (plastic bottle sugar w/ dye) to my pancakes. WHO BUYS CINNAMON FLAVORED SYRUP!?! Apparently my mother did. We usually have only a single bottle. The regular kind. So I bit into my pancakes expecting the sweet sweet rush of corn syrup only to find a VERY odd flavor on my palate. Had to throw away a whole plate of hotcakes.

[Nef Yoo BlackBeard]

Shaem bowt da pangkakes .

Larrs Posst .

[Roving Punster]

Shaem bowt da pangkakes .

Larrs Posst .

This is a recipe thread, not the last post thread, my friend.

/me stars forelornly at 2 ft of blizzard driven snow just outside window.

[Nef Yoo BlackBeard]

Yore band Uncca Woving Prankstar .....

4 not maeking a nuvver wressapee .
Fankye , ye welkum .

[MourningStar]

Yore band Uncca Woving Prankstar .....

4 not maeking a nuvver wressapee .
Fankye , ye welkum .

1 egg
6 cups water.
Salt to taste

Bring water to a simmer ( 160-180F ) DO NOT BOIL!
Gently place egg into water
let simmer for:
5 minutes for Soft
8-9 for Medium
12-15 for Hard

Do not cook longer than 15 minutes or the egg white/yellows will start to grey and taste like sulfur
Remove, Shock in an ice-bath. Peel gently and add salt to taste.