SC - take 2 on the feast critique problem, seen constructively

[margali]

OK, my take on the feast and complaints.

The steamed buns.
Phlip contends that the dough was raw, LLew contends they were properly
steamed.

I have found that steamed buns dough has a bit different texture
epending on the types of flours and starches involved in making the
dough. A good example of this is if there is a fair amount of either
potato or rice flour/starch in the dough in proportion to wheat. It
often has a translucency and glutinous texture that is very different to
that made with wheat flour and cornstarch/flour in it.

What was the recipe for the dough? Was there a consistancy difference
from the ingredients?

The spinach with sesame oil.
Phlip contends that the sesame oil having been the oriental toasted kind
was too strong for the spinach.

Chinese traditional sesame oil is toasted. I find that it may be the
amount of oil dressing the spinach, or perhaps a brand name difference
in oils. Some oils are stronger than others [I find Ka-me sesame oil
very strongly toasted in flavor, and the Joyce Chen brand to be milder.]

Is there a differnce in either brands of oil or the amounts used in the
recipe?

The Eggs

Phlip contends they were too pale
Llew contends they soaked for 3 full days

Last time I made the tea eggs, I soaked them for a week, that being what
the recipe called for. OK, perhaps they could have steeped longer.

The quantity of potstickers and steamed buns beeing served: 8 of each
per table of 8
Phlip contends that one each was not enough.

OK, I have always seen dumplings and potstickers to be like appetizers,
you don't make the entire course of them, they are something small and
nibbleable that goes along with other foods. If there was enough food at
the feast in the various courses, than 1 of each kind would be just
about right. Granted, I have been to restaurants that specialize in dim
sum and made the entire meal from nibbling several dozen different ones,
but that was a specific thing, liek going out for sushi.

Was there supposed to be enough food in the several courses that the
dumplings were supposed to be adequate for the type of service?

Burned rice
Phlip contends that there wasn't enough rice, there was essentially a 1
person serving.

People have different viewpoints as to the proper amount of rice makes a
serving. Many boxes/bags of rice consider 1/2 cup to be a serving, most
orientals consider 1 to 1 1/2 cups to be a serving. What was the
original planned serving and what was the actual serving?

Stir Fry
Phlip contends it was more steamed than fried.
llew contends it was woked in oil

Having made stir fry for the masses, Phlip does have a valid point that
when too much is in the wok at the same time you get a steamed rather
than chowed food. It would probably been better if you didn't have the
really large commercial sized woks and the 100k btu plus burner that can
handle that volume of food to have made it in smaller amounts. Believe
it or not, I can wok smaller amounts equalling the large amount in the
same amount of time it takes to woksteam the larger amount of food. You
need to balance the amount of food to the thermal transfer rate.

Perhaps instead of chowing the food, a pot cooked casserole type of dish
should have been chosen instead? There are several '1 pot'
stew/casseroles that are traditional chinese that would be great for
feasts.

margali

- --
http://homestead.deja.com/user.marilyntraber/index.html