Asian Vegetables

[digitS']

(@ninnymary , I'm putting some Passport Galia seed in the mail for you today.)

Has anyone had a flavorful Asian melon? Not talking about bitter or something like that. I've grown a few East Asian melons and they were remarkably lacking in flavor, not even sweet. They would have to be early to accommodate this growing season - and that would likely be a problem with developing flavor.

I wasn't trying to make this too geographically broad. Galia melons are from Israel and so, Western Asia and many vegetables grown in Europe and the Americas are native to the Asian continent. My interest has been what was likely unknown outside of East Asia until recent years.

We have bought some green vegetables lately that I think are Gai Lan but they weren't much like the Gai Lan that I've grown several years. Perhaps, it's growing environment and they might be greenhouse grown.

One problem that should be rectified is nomenclature but that's a process and I'm a guessing we ain't fixin it here. However, it's confusing to come across a name like "broccoli" and seeing several vegetables called "Chinese broccoli" that are neither what we understand to be broccoli nor related to each other, let alone, broccoli. Frustratingly so!

Steve

 

[Pulsegleaner]

Maybe we can make some dumplings at home and shared online?

Maybe eventually, but I'm still pretty new at Chinese cooking. I can make Shanghai Style Winter Melon soup (as I said) but that's just adding a few things to chicken broth and letting it boil down. And even THAT doesn't always work right (it depends a lot on the kind of ham I am using, since I can't get authentic chin hwa ham here in the US. Some are too salty, some are too bitter).
I am currently stocking up ingredients in the freezer to try my hand a zha jian men (Peking style noodles) but that is on hold until I can find a store that carries the right kind of bean paste.
Ham sui gok is probably WAY out of my skill range currently. I'd have to learn how to handle glutinous rice flour, how to get the filling right, how to shape and seal them AND how to deep fry them (which given that we don't have a deep fryer, will be difficult). And every site I have been to says if you DON'T get them right, they will be like lead in your stomach (which is not good for someone with my delicate digestive system.)
Shrimp and garlic chive patties (another favorite of mine) is also probably beyond the pale now, as I'd have to find out how to handle tapioca starch.
At bare minimum I'd have to get to the point where I could make an acceptable scallion pancake, which I can't now (mine are far too bready, they lack "snap").

 

[Pulsegleaner]

(@ninnymary , I'm putting some Passport Galia seed in the mail for you today.)

Has anyone had a flavorful Asian melon? Not talking about bitter or something like that. I've grown a few East Asian melons and they were remarkably lacking in flavor, not even sweet. They would have to be early to accommodate this growing season - and that would likely be a problem with developing flavor.

I wasn't trying to make this too geographically broad. Galia melons are from Israel and so, Western Asia and many vegetables grown in Europe and the Americas are native to the Asian continent. My interest has been what was likely unknown outside of East Asia until recent years.

Steve

I may be able to help you a little (thought not much).

Years back (probably ten or more). I saw in the Richter's Seed Zoo, something called a Zhang Zhou melon (I think). which Joe said he had collected in China. Unlike most Far Asian Melons I know of, this was described as being orange fleshed, which might have made it more cantaloupe like. I DID order some seed (smallest melon seeds I ever saw) but never got around to planting them.

It's no longer in the Seed Zoo (and my seed is long since lost, I think) so I have no idea where to find it. But if you can somehow contact Joe Simcox (I think he's on Facebook, or maybe Twitter) maybe he still has some seeds.

 

[AMKuska]

Once I could do it pretty well. I learned it because I have many Japanese customers in the SEA region, especially Thailand, almost their second headquarter. Besides, I am interested in their culture and traveled there almost every year.

However, the language skill always fades away when it's no longer used often. Now my Japanese is much worse than German. I can still communicate in some daily scenarios, but no more than that.

But there is one thing in common for my Japanese and German, reading and listening are always much better than writing and speaking.

I'm trying to learn Japanese right now. I'm only as far as learning about half of Hiragana though. I hope to have Hiragana memorized by the end of the year.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I'm trying to learn Japanese right now. I'm only as far as learning about half of Hiragana though. I hope to have Hiragana memorized by the end of the year.

When you HAVE learned them, and are ready, please let me know. Thanks to my collecting I have PILES of spare Japanese children's books (which would be good for practicing) lying around that I could let go very cheaply.

 

[meadow]

@AMKuska Years ago the White Rabbit Press flashcards were really nice. They also offered a purchasing service, and I see that they are still around.

 

[ninnymary]

(@ninnymary , I'm putting some Passport Galia seed in the mail for you today.)

Has anyone had a flavorful Asian melon? Not talking about bitter or something like that. I've grown a few East Asian melons and they were remarkably lacking in flavor, not even sweet. They would have to be early to accommodate this growing season - and that would likely be a problem with developing flavor.

I wasn't trying to make this too geographically broad. Galia melons are from Israel and so, Western Asia and many vegetables grown in Europe and the Americas are native to the Asian continent. My interest has been what was likely unknown outside of East Asia until recent years.

We have bought some green vegetables lately that I think are Gai Lan but they weren't much like the Gai Lan that I've grown several years. Perhaps, it's growing environment and they might be greenhouse grown.

One problem that should be rectified is nomenclature but that's a process and I'm a guessing we ain't fixin it here. However, it's confusing to come across a name like "broccoli" and seeing several vegetables called "Chinese broccoli" that are neither what we understand to be broccoli nor related to each other, let alone, broccoli. Frustratingly so!

Steve

Thanks Steve! I will manage to squeeze them in somewhere.

Mary

 

[AMKuska]

@AMKuska Years ago the White Rabbit Press flashcards were really nice. They also offered a purchasing service, and I see that they are still around.

Thanks! I didn't know they did hiragana and graded readers too. I actually have their kanji sets, but I feel like learning hiragana and katakana first before tackling the core kanji will be fastest.

I also have duolingo, a few books, and a game called "Hiragana battle." I'm learning, but I don't memorize well so it has taken some time.

 

[meadow]

Thanks! I didn't know they did hiragana and graded readers too. I actually have their kanji sets, but I feel like learning hiragana and katakana first before tackling the core kanji will be fastest.

I also have duolingo, a few books, and a game called "Hiragana battle." I'm learning, but I don't memorize well so it has taken some time.

Yeah, that sounds like a good approach.

Strangely I do not recognize their kana flashcards at all. hmm. There are only the kanji cards and some kana workbooks on my shelf. I must have gotten confused (which seems to happen all too frequently these days!).

 

[flowerbug]

...
At bare minimum I'd have to get to the point where I could make an acceptable scallion pancake, which I can't now (mine are far too bready, they lack "snap").

do they have rice flour in them?

all of the rest sounds interesting and i would try it, but i've never made things like that. my own preferences are to find a good dim sum place and let them spoil me.