[Sca-cooks] steam-baking - Recipe...

[Craig Jones.]

>Here is another message I recieved while off at Gulf Wars. This
>lady has asked me to post this here, in case some of you can help
>with this. Bear? Or maybe there is something along these lines in
>Book of the Quan(sp?), the Mongol book?

The biblio for that is:

Buell, P. D. & Anderson, E. N. (2000) A Soup for the Qan. New York.
Columbia University Press.  Note: This features the primary source,
Yin-shan cheng-yao and it's translation thereof.

Note:  If you are going to buy this book, it is VERY VERY good but
also horrendously expensive...

I would also try:

Wang, T & Anderson, E. N. (1999) Cloud Forest Hall Collection of Rules
for Drinking and Eating, featured in Petit Propos Culinare 60.

and

Sabban, Francoise Some Remarks about the Translation of Yun Lintang
Yinshi Zhidu Ji published in PPC 60 (1999) featured in Petit Propos
Culinare 61.

These last 2 are probably better sources as they have more few items
(4 or 5) and it is a much easier and cheaper resource to lay your
hands on...  By the looks of it and comparision of the two sources and
their style, steaming was very much more prelevant amongst indigenous
chinese during the late Yuan period/ early Ming period rather than
being introduced by the Mongols.

I also have redacted a steamed recipe from Yin-shan cheng-yao (the
original within A Soup for the Qan) for Eggplant Manta but that'll
have to wait for tonight.


Examples of Recipes:

Honeyed Stuffed Crabs (Yun Lintang Yinshi Zhidu Ji)

Original:
Cook in salted water. When the colour begins to change (to red), take
out.  Break up the crab  and extract the meat from claws and legs. Cut
this into small pieces and stuff into shell.  Combine egg with a small
amount of honey and mix with meat in shell.  Spread some fat on the
egg. Steam until the egg has just solidified.  Do not overcook. For
eating, it can be dipped into ground orange peel and vinegar.

Drake's Redaction for 10:

Ingredients (Shells):
· 5 Blue Swimmer Crabs (1/2 crab shell per person)
· 1 Tbsp Salt (For Pot)
· 5 Eggs, Beaten
· 1 Tbsp Honey
· 1 pinch Salt
· Lard  (this can be omitted)

Ingredients (Dressing):
· 5g Finely Minced Dried Mandarin Peel
· 20g Rice Wine Vinegar

 Method:
· Heat water in large stock to boil.  Add 1 Tbsp salt, and Crabs.
Boil (with lid on) until they turn red.  Take out crabs and allow to
cool.
· Very finely mince some fresh mandarin orange peel and add to the
Rice Wine Vinegar.  Shake vigorously and chill.
· Crack crabs (Retaining the top carapace) and extract all the meat
and place in the bowl (watch for adulterants such as the nasty clear
sinew bits, gills, guts, roe and bits of shell).
· Trim and clean carapaces (this will take a few volunteers).  Have
some pre-prepared if you can.
· Shred crab meat and mix with beaten egg, honey, and salt.  Mould
into each crab shell and lightly brush with heated, liquid lard.
· Steam in Bamboo Baskets for 5-8 minutes, until the mixture has set.
· Take dipping sauce and shake vigorously again and pour into small
dipping bowls.
· Serve, step back while the hordes gorge...

 Assumptions:
· A small amount of salt was added to the steamed mix to suite Drake's
preference for salt in food.
· Blue Swimmer Crabs were used as the closest substitute to Charybdis
japonica available in Australia.

This has to be the nicest far-eastern recipe I've redacted to date...

The lady involved can also email me at drake at sca.org.au if she wishes
more info.

Cheers,

Baron Drake Morgan,
Principality of Lochac, West.