Text 24629, 71 rader
Skriven 2007-12-27 16:59:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Winter feast 2 609
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Rice/Soup

Steamed rice [- jasmine and brown]
Longevity noodle with crab meat sauce
Squab broth with Chinese herbs

[I don't know whose idea the rice was. It was quite standard and
a little supernumerary. The noodles were the usual, the fried
then boiled noodles appropriately fluffy, the crab and spinach
topping appropriately crabby and spinachy - this dish is of
course symbolic - you are supposed to slurp the noodles (quite
long) whole into your mouth, and if you succeed, this will
improve your chances at a long life or something.

After this came a stimulating broth made with the bones from
the squab soong plus ginseng, wolfberry, and other health-giving
exotics. It tasted ordinary, and I thought that serving the bones
in the soup was not esthetically pleasing. I take it on faith that
the men were made more masculine, the women more feminine, and
everyone happier for eating this soup. It had no overt effect on me.]

Dessert

Black sesame dumplings in rice wine soup
Asian pear

[This was too much. The dumplings (3 to a bowl) were lychee-size,
sweet sesame paste in a thin resilient rice wrapper ball; the
soup was slightly sweet, slightly intoxicating (if you google
this, look for "wine rice," not "rice wine"). It was also a
miscalculation, coming as it did after an enormous meal and
right after a health-enhancing soup. Jackie was full, so I got
5 dumplings. Asian pear was fine - if there hadn't been the
soup, it would have made a nice dessert.]

Notes:

Appetizers

"Wild food" includes game (or mushrooms) eaten in the early winter to
build strength.

Poultry

Squab soong is minced squab stir fried with pine nuts, water
chestnuts etc., served in a lettuce cup.

"False" Beau de Bresse, because the term can only be applied to Beau de
Bresse chickens from the region of origin in France. In this case a
very fine, fresh blue foot chicken from a Chinatown poultry shop.

Squab Broth

Broth made from the squab bones and trimmings with the addition of
Chinese herbs that build strength.

Drinks

Shao Shing will be served through out the meal. Each guest/couple
should pay independently for other drinks at the end of the meal.
[We ended up just splitting the cost, as everyone had a glass or
two of wine - except for me, who had four, not counting the Shao
Shing, which was a volonte]

[Nathaniel produced a quite professional-looking printed menu,
our copies of which I forget in Dirk's car (which we borrowed for
its superior winter weather characteristics).]

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