Rainy day activities

It's been raining for 3 days now. Yeh and I are trapped inside except for the damp run I made to the post office after lunch. I snapped this photo when I got back. It's from the lilac bushes that grow along our fence.

I sort of fancy myself as an amateur photographer. I say "sort of" because it seems that to even label myself as a photog I must have read at least one book or had one lesson on the use of a camera - I've had neither. I just like finding subjects/objects, framing them up in the tiny screen on the back of my 2.0mp camera, and taking a picture. If, by some luck, the photo is in focus and looks good, I'll frame it and hang it on my wall as art. I even scribble my initials and the year in the corner to make it look like a "real" piece of art. Seems to work out ok...I decorated a couple of walls this way and Gaidoi hasn't taken any of the "works" down.

On this rainy day, I've discovered how add photos to my blog - oh joy! Maybe photos will make it more interesting. It's certainly fun to do. Here's a photo of Yeh mincing ginger for our next batch of char siu (Chinese BBQ pork).

This is the first photo of Yeh to be published...I wasn't going to post any photos of us to try to maintain some anonymity, but as I visit more and more blogs, I realize that anonymity is not what it's all about. So I'm over it now.

Just looking at the pic reminds me of the smell of the char siu marinade...mmmm. If you ever want to give it a try...in a large bowl, mix together:
-1 cup of hoisin sauce
-a package of the char siu "just add water" instant mix bought at the Chinese store
-6 cloves of garlic, minced
-a splash of chinese cooking wine, again, bought at the Chinese store
-1/3 cup of honey or some sugar
-a splash of soya sauce
-two-finger-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
*Mix well. Then marinate the pork(chicken works too), cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours - the longer it marinates the better, mind you, more than 2 days sounds dangerous. I have discovered that pork ribs are perfect for char siu as are those long pieces of pork loin, which go on sale every so often. However, my mother says that is a waste of a good cut of pork and I should use shoulder pieces instead. So, for this batch, I have 2 racks of ribs and 2 shoulder pieces marinating as I type this. Yeh and I will cook it slowly in the oven at 350-400 degrees - the temperature is probably dependent on your oven. You want it to bake slowly, basting it often with the remaining marinade. Last time I made char siu, it baked for 2 hours and it was mouth-wateringly succulent and tasty. Be forewarned that this stuff could destroy your baking pan. I lost my Paderno non-stick cookie sheet to my first batch of char siu! My mother says that I should bake it on a rack in a deep pan with water to prevent the sticky mess left by the drippings. Once it's done, let it cool for a bit on the rack to set, that way when you go to cut the ribs, the meat won't completely slip off the bones leaving you with a pile of fragrant shredded meat. We like to eat char siu ribs with rice and a side of Chinese greens. The non-rib portions are sliced thinly and served on their own or in Chinese broth soups or in stir-fry. As you know from my first post, char siu is also used to make bao or BBQ pork buns, which is what we'll do next week.

Wow, it's 4PM and the rain has relented...for the time being. Yeh is climbing up and down the stairs to ensure circulation in his legs and feet. And for me, the only other activity I had planned was to finish unpacking the computer room...better get a move on before I decide to procrastinate!