Food

Got three whole oxtails in the tramp's buffet at Woolies the other day, cost less than £5... In the pot with seven cans of good Italian tomatoes, loads of garlic, couple of bay leaves, sprig of rosemary, an onion and some carrots at the gentlest of simmers and 15hrs later it was ready... I could eat this every day, so much gelatin and gorgeous unctuousness... Cooked some of the meat down in a couple of tablespoons of the sauce and had them in a Sloppy Joe... Sex wee time...
#csb

made it to Duck & Rice last night after having postponed due to me being a flu-ridden mess last week.

enjoyed:
mooli puff 7/10
char sui bao (although nowhere near as good as bao round the corner) 7/10
salted fish and chicken fried rice 8/10
crispy duck 7/10

meh:
crispy shredded beef 5/10
jasmine smoked pork ribs 5/10
both of these had a overpowering smokey flavoured glaze that tasted a bit like how your clothes smell the day after bonfire night and ruined the other flavours

bill including 2 rounds of drinks = £94

verdict: 7/10

nice but very pricey. have a feeling if we'd spent £94 round the corner at Bao instead I would have been much happier.

also they staggered our dishes but really Emma was having the duck and i was having the ribs/rice so I had to wait for her to eat almost a massive plate of duck (i helped) before I actually got served the food I wanted, then she had to wait while I ate mine.

opted against dessert and went to gelupo for pistachio ice cream and espresso sorbet. amazeballs 9/10

My steamed buns turned out yellow and dense, rather than light, white & fluffy.

Internet, what am wrong doing?

are you sure you didn't accidentally eat a dish sponge?

that bao place near the John Snow always has a queue at least 20 deep. fuck that.

peepstown is a two minute walk away. street vendor will sell you a pork and seaweed bun for two quid, dee fucking lish.

it's 20 deep for a reason, their Bao are a solid 7/5.

a solid 7/5

7/5? ǝɹoɔs ʇɔǝɟɹǝԀ.

Frustrated by the consistent shitness of bread available in Forest Hill I'm going to get on board the home-made sourdough wagon, starting with starting a starter. Starting tonight.

I occasionally get a loaf of Gail's white sourdough with our Ocado delivery and am always a bit wowed when I remember how good really good bread can be. This morning's toast was inspiration. If I can achieve anything close to that texture and flavour i'll be very happy.

Any tips on getting that stretchy, almost rubbery crumb-free texture with a thick chewy crust that crunches up to a tasty char when toasted?

^^I don't like Bao.

apparently its all to do with the flour, special processed bao flour.

Any tips on getting that stretchy, almost rubbery crumb-free texture with a thick chewy crust that crunches up to a tasty char when toasted?

>>>>>>>>> bread thread (have a read of the Tartine book)

Google suggests that it's bleached, low gluten / protein flour - I guess sponge flour would be good, in that case?

I was reading a how-to the other day, I've never made them myself and it mentioned post steaming to turn the power off and leave the buns for another 5 minutes. I guess as it's a bread you can experiment with yeast amounts and proving times.

yeah give it a go.
I can't remember what my mum would do but she's make mantou sometimes and I rem them being nice and white.

steaming to turn the power off and leave the buns for another 5 minutes.

This is similar to the guide I had followed - place the buns above cold water, then bring to heat, and steam for 5 minutes, then leave over the water for another 5 minutes.

I think there are a couple of obvious things I did wrong - I forgot to prove a second time, and I had to use a jury rigged steamer (with a roasting tin, foil and swearing).

I now have a proper bamboo steamer though, so we'll see how that goes.

I recall there was a forumengers relation that opened an artisan bakery in Brockley that deliver loaves by bicycle. Google reckons .coopersbakehouse

Pics please!

I copied @Tenderloin and went gyoza mad. Took a while to get the foldy foldy thing but they taste right enough. 10 dumplings is an acceptable lunch right. #burp

1 Attachment

Rigged jury? Shocking...

10 dumplings

amateur, at least 12...

(lovely work!)

It's 12 angry dumplings all over again

Summary: wet dough and hot, steamy oven.

Hotter than I originally thought, in fact. Following @Bainbridge advice, I did my last lot at 220 then 200; noticeably better.

Re: steamed buns. mrs_com uses a recipe with milk powder in it. They always turn out white, fluffy and just sweet enough.

I'll see if I can find it.

This.

I'll see if I can find it.

Ta

The hardest bit is creating a starter that is active enough. I was lucky enough to be given one about 6 years ago and it's still going strong. If you're close to Camberwell I'm happy to donate some.

I'm a big fan of this flour https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002E2LT1G/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After that it's just a matter of reading 'Tartine' thoroughly so you understand the process and the different stages involved. After that it's just practice.

Or you can sign up for my exclusive Sourdough course. @amey has a list.

It includes a jazz French horn recital while the loaves are proving. @Señor_Bear is a big fan.
I'll be modelling the Rapha 'Core' range throughout the day.