Hungry, no bread, what to do?

Got up in the morning, wanted some ham and egg, but no bread! Well, making some Chinese flat bread is quick and tasty. The dough is simply flour, hot water and salt. After mixing them together quickly let it rest for a few minutes before rolling into rounds (or in my case, sort-of-rounds). Cook them in an ungreased frying pan. The whole thing takes hardly 20 minutes.

Oxtail Stew

Again, it is oxtail. Same old same old--the tails are salt, pepper and floured before browning, onion, celery and carrot are added, after they are softened red wine, tomato, thyme, bay leaves are locked in with them all in the pressure cooker for an hour. I just love this dish with some pasta.

Chinese Roast Quails

If I remember correctly, I marinated these quails with garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, sugar, rose liquor, sichuan peppercorns, soy sauce and sesame oil before roasting them in a 425℉ convected oven until the thickest part of the breast reads 180℉. With the legs trussed, they look pretty on the plate. Tasty too.

Onion Soup

I have some chicken bones so I roasted it with some onion, carrot and celery until brown. Put everything into a pot of water and make a stock. Six medium onion is sautéed until brown and a little fresh thyme and a touch of flour are added at the end. Added the stock, cook a few minutes and the soup is done. A big slice of bread toasted with some parmiggiano makes a classic soup. While the true classic is made with beef bone but this is almost as good.

Full Meal

Here I have a chicken like my mom's--with shajiang 沙姜. The method is very simple: get a good chicken, rub it inside and out with salt and shajiang powder, let it marinate for a bit of time before steaming it until just cooked. My mom doesn't use meat thermometer, but I do. I got it to just under 180℉ inside the thigh. Serve with some shajiang and salt with some hot oil poured into them or grated ginger and scallion with hot oil poured into them. The chicken should be soft and creamy either hot or cold.

Lamb Mistake

One should not be of two minds when it comes to cooking. I roasted this lamb shoulder in a pot but set the temperature high. While it cooks quickly, the meat wasn't tenderized. The result is a bit tough. The lesson, to me, is--don't mix methods.

Experimental Coffee Roaster

I have been roasting coffee in this popper. The problem is the 'lid' started melting. After looking at what people have done with their popper-roaster, I realize I don't have to be as 'invasive' as they do in modifying the popper. The hole on top that holds the butter cup is 3-in wide, just the size of a can. I attached a 3-in duct elbow with a mesh from a tea insert on one end (to serve as a chaff collector). It works well but surprisingly it takes longer to roast and doesn't get as dark as before. Maybe the airflow is too good. The plastic remains nice and cool though. I will keep tinkering.