Dec 15, 2009 - Final Day in Hong Kong

Day 12 – Final Day in Hong Kong The early(er) to bed last night paid off for us as we completed our last day of instruction with Martha Sherpa on spicy dishes from Sichuan. We started off with another market tour – this one quite different from those “in-country”. By and large everything was cleaner, larger scale, “fancier”. There were virtually zero slaughter operations occurring except for 2 remaining chicken stalls held over by popular demand for those who just “had to have” freshly slaughtered poultry. Martha said that the next virus...

Dec 15, 2009 - Team Goat's China Tour Summary

14 Days 20,000 miles (more or less). 1 Village of 500 souls. 1 Rice Terrace Village of about 750 souls. 1 City of 7,000,000 souls. 50 dishes learned and prepared. 2 chickens slaughtered, plucked, cleaned, cooked. 1 duck slaughtered, plucked, cleaned, cooked in its own blood. 3 men went up a mountain and came down with a goat, which was subsequently slaughtered, de-furred, cleaned, cooked. Fresh pork Sausage Making. Great classes and friendship and travel tips from Pam Diamond at Yangshou Cooking School....

Dec 11, 2009 - Day 11 – “What happens in Hong Kong, ………!”

Day 11 – “What happens in Hong Kong, ………!” Combined post for last night out on the town and today’s cooking class. We made it out to the harbor side and took the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong Island and visited some recommended nightspots and dance clubs. It ended up quite late, but we all made it home in one piece. If this seems like a tame recount, well all we can say is “What happens in Hong Kong stays in Hong Kong”! We amazingly arrived ON TIME to class at 9:30 with Martha and had a full day. We prepared: Sweet & Sour Pork (Belly) with...

Dec 10, 2009 - Day 10 – Butt kicking Day 2!

Class just ended for the day and we’re getting the post for today done before we go out to paint the town. We’re going to walk down to the harbor front to see the famous light show on the skyscrapers and then take the Star Line harbor ferry across to Central and stop by some pubs and clubs. We’ll still have to get enough rest to make it to class tomorrow at 9:30am for Bar-b-que class #2. We got the day started with a little morning R&R and made it to class at 10:30. We made: Salt and Pepper Squid – excellent and easy. Braised Duck with...

Dec 9, 2009 - Day 9 – Getting our Butts Kicked in Hong Kong!

Well, arriving back in hong Kong was a culture shock – the hotel is glorious and all our clothes were sent to the laundry immediately! Erica arrived from Los Angeles and we’re now a complete team. We slept, relaxed “spaed” and made ready for Day one class with Martha. We arrived at her small cooking school space in the Mon Kok district of HK – the most densely populated spot on the planet (we were told) and it sure looks like it. Makes walking down Fifth Avenue in NYC at Christmas time look like a hike in wilderness! Class started at 9:30...

Dec 8, 2009 - Day 5 - Goat Part Deux!

Sorry folks, we were in the mountains and on the move for 3 days so we’re behind, but now getting caught up!! Day 6 – Last Day of Class in Yangshou and back half of Goat! Started off at class for the toughest day so far in the kitchen. Of course we first had to get to the market for another live chicken, eggplant, pork belly, pork ribs, snails, taro and various items. Stephen did the honors of “meat fabrication” on the chicken again while Jon and Fred washed about 4 pounds of snails with toothbrushes. We then launched into the...

Dec 8, 2009 - Day 8 – Travel to Hong Kong.

Day 8 – Travel to Hong Kong. Early morning rise led to an uneventful trip to Honk Kong where we arrived tired and smelly after 8 days in the interior. The Langham Place Hotel in Monk Kok District of Kowloon. It was as if we mde our own Great Leap Forward o the 21st Century. Long Showers and Baths and fresh cloths put us into a great frame of made and we’re taking it easy in advance of tomorrow’s class with Martha Sherpa on preparing Chinese Bar-b-que. We’ll get lots of details and pictures then.

Dec 8, 2009 - Day 6 - Rice Terraces

Day 6 – Arriving at the Rice Terraces: Pam Diamond picked us up with a driver (Hong Fa’s brother as it turns out) and we departed our village at about 8:30 and made the two hour drive to the Rice Terraces. On the way we had the typical Chinese breakfast of noodle soup with a small amount of sliced, cured pork, peanuts, pickles and chili sauce – delicious! At 2.50 yuan per bowl (35 cents) it was awesome! Arrived at Daighu and made the 4 hour hike through the rice terraces, having a picnic lunch on the way, which were amazing and arrived at...

Dec 8, 2009 - Day 7 – Private lesson from Chef Keing at Pingan.

Day 7 – Private lesson from Chef Keing at Pingan. Woke up to a solid fog-in, which was just fine as we headed straight to the kitchen for class after another Chinese Breakfast of noodles with Keing’s family. It was a duck this time and Stephen’s “kill count” is now up to three. The real reason we were there was to learn Chef Keing’s Secret Duck in its Own Blood Sauce. While Steven and a kitchen helper broke down the duck (saving all the blood for the sauce), Fred and Jon were shown by Keing where he makes all his homemade pickles, sausages,...

Dec 5, 2009 - Day 4 - Lao Mei

Lao Mei: After a lovely breakfast of yangshuo noodles and banana pancakes served at our hotel the “Outside Inn”, we were greeted by our driver who transported us to the second location for the Yanshuo Cooking school, near the Li River. As an aside, the Outside Inn is a wonderfully rustic retreat, built inside a several hundred year-old farmhouse. Check out the pics. Today’s goal: cooking in the style of Sichuan. This is considered to be the second spiciest Chinese cuisine after Hunanese, its neighbor. We started off once again at the local...

Dec 3, 2009 - Day 3 - The Goat Man

We started the day at one of Pam’s Diamond’s favorite noodle shacks just outside the village. Good choice. The pickled chili paste in the broth complemented the dried crunchy soybeans. After we slurped down our noodles, right off to Pam’s cooking school where our instructor, Leo walked through five new recipes: Handpicked Yangshou Fairytale Eggplant, Local Pork Stuffed Shitake Mushrooms, Local Goat Farmer Hand Picked Pomello Rinds, Cherry Tomato, and Thinly Sliced Yangshou Fairytale Eggplant “pockets” Beer Braised Li River Net Caught...

Dec 2, 2009 - Day 2 - Sausage making

Sausage Day complete!! After a coffee breakfast we met up with our friend/chef Xaio Fan (who has been cooking us dinner). Into the back of her electric motorcycle/cart and off we “roared” for 40 min drive to the Fui Lin marketplace for sausage making supplies. She’s well known so we were in good hands. Purchased vegetables and herbs and Jon picked up a great supply of seeds for exotic Chinese vegetables to plant in Oregon. He also procured great green tea at about 10% of the cost in the US. We then had a market breakfast of meat soup with...