Film Review: YiYi

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

Life is one, big, not-so-happy family in this Edward Yang film that focuses on three generations, plus a few in-laws and neighbors in Taipei. At the center of the clan are NJ and Min Min, a middle-aged married couple, both facing midlife crisis: he over a lost love, she over the emptiness and futility of her life. The film opens on brother A-Di's wedding day, augured to be the luckiest day of the year, despite the fact that his bride is already pregnant, his ex crashes the wedding reception, grandmother has a stroke, and Min Min's daughter Ting Ting blames herself for causing it. As if that weren't enough, NJ's business is failing, A-Di owes money all over town, Grandma is comatose, and Ting Ting is caught in a love triangle with the neighbor's daughter Li Li. Welcome to the family.

Here is a link to the Film Review.

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02:14 PM PST Permalink |

My Extracurricular Films for the Month of November

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

Throughout each month, in addition to my Chopstick Cinema selection, I watch lots of other films. Only this month, I didn't watch nearly as many as in recent months:

The Lookout - A small yet significant film in which Joseph Gordon-Levitt of Third Rock fame plays Chris Pratt, a wealthy high school golden boy who suffered brain damage in a car accident while joyriding with his friends, two of whom were killed; the other, his girlfriend, lost a leg. Chris struggles moment to moment with his mental rehabiiitation, although he enjoys a certain measure of independence living with a blind roommate, candidly and charismatically played by Jeff Daniels. Life is difficult but functional, until a band of ne'er-do-wells from his high school days resurfaces to tempt Chris into playing patsy to their plan to rob the bank where he works as a night custodian. This film relies almost entirely on character development, with a very basic plot. Fortunately, character development is so skillfully enacted, and the plot so masterfully played, that by the end, it shines like a polished gem.

Bad Influence - I caught this movie one Saturday afternoon on a B-league cable station. But since it starred James Spader, I was in. He playes a buttoned-down stock broker headed straight up the corporate ladder, when he meets Rob Lowe, a scheming bad boy who leads Spader on a downward spiral that leaves his life in a shambles. Like every classic psychodrama, things go from bad to worse as Spader tries to extricate himself from the clutches of his now nemesis, until the downward trajectory reaches its inevitable end. As psychodramas go, this was the best of the worst.

Blacksnake Moan - After reading the disparaging NY Times review of this film, I was patently against watching it, but Rene brought it one evening and I acquiesced. And I must say that I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a total train wreck. The film came under fire for its gratuitous portrayal of Christina Ricci chained up in her underwear in Samuel Jackson's kitchen. But the character development almost made up for any indescretions on that front. Christina Ricci plays the town slut, who has managed to momentarily settle down with Justin Timberlake, that is until he is shipped off to the Middle East. The dust has barely settled on his trail out of town when she's up to her old tricks again. The next morning she wakes up beaten and left for dead on the road in front of Samuel Jackson's farm. And in a sort of Southern-fried Pygmalion with a case of the blues, he plays Henry Higgins to her Eliza Dolittle. Far from the best performances of their respective careers, but tolerable nonetheless.

The Year of the Dog - A surprisingly fun little film starring Saturday Night Live's Molly Shannon as a lonely dog lover whose canine companion turns up poisoned in her neighbor's yard one morning. In an attempt to fill the void, she goes in search of a replacement pooch at the local animal shelter. There she meets Newt (played by Peter Sarsgaard) as a celibate vegan who sets her on the path to become a near-rabid animal rights activist. This little film is an excellent slice-of-life study in causes of various kinds taken to their extremes.

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12:07 AM PST Permalink |

Filet and Sirloin of Yak

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

As part of a food writing project, I received a shipment of yak meat from DelYaks of Montrose, Colorado. The package included a sirloin strip, and four 4-ounce filet mignons. I had already been advised by Bob Hasse, the yak purveyor, to prepare the yak as close to rare as possible and to season it with only salt and pepper. No heavy marinades, spice rubs, or overwrought cooking techniques. Keen to try the yak steaks 'au naturale', I followed his instructions.

Once the yak steaks were thawed, I rubbed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Given that I'm not allowed to have an open flame outdoor grill where I live, when time came to cook the yak steaks, I put my cast iron grill pan in the oven and heated it under the broiler to 500 degrees. Since the steaks only needed a few minutes to cook rare, I figured the grill pan would stay hot long enough to get them there. And as it turns out, I was right.

When I sliced the meat for serving, the inside was still quite pink and juicy. And upon tasting, I found it to be just as I've seen it described. More subtle in both taste and texture than beef, without the slightest hint of gaminess. The sirloin was noticeably firmer in texture than the filet mignon, which truly gave credence to the oft-used description "like butter." Yak meat has a fineness that can only be appreciated by tasting it. To conjure an analogy, the difference between yak and beef might be likened to the difference between leather and suede, ceramic and porcelain, cotton and silk.

Exquisite!

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12:02 AM PST Permalink |

Yak Liver

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

As part of a food writing project, I received a shipment of yak meat from DelYaks of Montrose, Colorado. Among several other cuts of meat, the package included a pound of yak liver.

When it comes to liver, I'm a firm believer that the human race is divided into two groups, those who love it, and those who hate it. Where liver is concerned, there is no middle ground. I fall into the the latter category, but being a good sport, I went ahead and prepared it for Rene anyway, as he falls into the former category.

My cooking method was simple. I cut a half pound of yak liver into bite sized pieces, rolled it in panko and quick-fried it in vegetable oil. By his reports, it was finer and more tender than calves' liver, and quite tasty (if you like liver).

Once I'd had my turn with the yak liver, Rene took the remaining half pound home for his mother to prepare it Mexican style, braised with onions and tomatoes, seasoned with lemon pepper, dill, paprika, and garlic powder, which Rene described as "Yummy."

I'll have to take is word for it.

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07:35 PM PST Permalink |

Mongolian Yak Soup with Rustic Handmade Dumplings

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

As part of a food writing project, I received a shipment of yak meat from DelYaks of Montrose, Colorado. The package included a pound of ground yak, of which I used a half pound to make a pot of my favorite soup. The recipe calls for only seven ingredients: oil, meat, onions, garlic, chili garlic paste, broth, and flour dumplings. Every time I make it, I marvel at how simple yet satisfying it is. The whole process, including the handmade dumplings takes less than an hour, and yields a hearty kettle full of tender meat and pillowy dumplings in a subtly spicy broth. A rustic pot of home-made goodness that warms you from the inside out.

Ordinarily, I use lamb or beef for this recipe, but for this special project, I used ground yak instead. And although yak has a somewhat subtle flavor and texture, it holds up well in a soup kettle and imparts its own unique quality to the recipe.

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09:14 PM PST Permalink |

Yak Buuz Dumplings

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

As part of a food writing project, I received a shipment of yak meat from DelYaks of Montrose, Colorado. The package included a pound of ground yak, of which I used a half pound to make a filling for Mongolian Buuz Dumplings, also called momo, or more commonly known as potstickers.

The filling recipe is simple, containing only the ground yak, a couple of finely chopped scallions, a couple of cloves of finely minced garlic, a cup of finely shredded cabbage, and a dash of soy sauce. The difference with using ground yak instead of beef, pork, or lamb, is that yak is finer and firmer in texture, so it holds together in compact spoonfuls, which made assembly so easy.

To prepare the Buuz, I filled each little round wonton wrapper with about a teaspoonful of the filling, moistened the edges with water, and pressed them together for a tight seal. Then I put the dumplings into a non-stick pan with a little vegetable oil and fried them over medium heat until the bottoms were crisp and golden. I added about 1/4 cup of water to the pan, covered it with a domed lid, and steamed them for about 7 minutes. I served the dumplings with a dipping sauce of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and chili oil.

I'm just getting the hang of making potstickers, and maybe it's the yak, but this was the best batch yet. The wonderful thing about ground yak is its remarkable lack of fat. So I was able to fill the dumplings nice and tight, with no loss of volume and no sogginess due to fat run-off during the cooking process. The dumplings were as plump coming out of the pan as they were going in.

The flavor of the yak is perfect with the seasonings I chose. I'd originally thought about including shredded ginger root as well, but in the end, I decided to keep it simple, using only those ingredients that would enhance without dominating. Yak has a subtle, beef-like flavor that can easily be lost by over-spicing and overcooking. So the garlic and scallions in the filling, and the spicy-but-simple dipping sauce are all it needs to let it shine.

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09:02 PM PST Permalink |

Yak ReduX

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

Last January, I placed an order for five pounds of yak meat from an online purveyor called DelYaks for my Travellers and Magicians Bhutanese menu. Through no fault of DelYaks, my order spent nine days on the road with FedEx shipping and arrived on my doorstep just barely cool to the touch. And although I was skeptical of its safety, at the reassurance of the yak purveyor, I put the yak in my freezer and kept it through the spring and summer. I finally got it out last month to prepare for my 'Cave of the Yellow Dog' Mongolian menu. Just as a precaution, I discarded the ground meat, marinated some of the meat in pungent spices for stir-fry, and cooked the steaks well done. The yak turned out to be perfectly safe, and was quite tender and delicious.

The next day, I e-mailed Bob, the yak purveyor, to let him know all's well that ends well, so he went and read my original account of the yak debacle. A businessman of true integrity who was grateful that I hadn't disparaged his good name, he offered to send a replacement shipment for me to prepare and enjoy the way it was meant to be. Because I marinated it so heavily and over-cooked it, the subtleties of the meat were lost. According to Bob, its superior quality can only be discerned at the north end of medium rare. So he's sworn me to the promise that I will use only salt and pepper, and that the meat will still be mooing when I try it.

So...I'm off to the kitchen to do all the prep for tomorrow's yak dinner. The menu includes Yak-Filled Buuz Dumplings with Spicy Dipping Sauce, Mongolian Yak Soup with Rustic Handmade Dumplings, Quick-Fried Yak Liver, Grilled Yak Steaks, Potato Latkes, and a Wild Mushroom Medley over Braised Kale.

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06:25 PM PST Permalink |

Thanksgiving

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

Thanksgiving Day for me this year was much like any other day. No turkey...no stuffing...no gravy...no cranberry relish. I spent the day doing a little online Christmas shopping, and made myself a nice steak dinner, which I enjoyed with a bottle of pinot noir. It was actually a pleasant respite from my publication layout work and a good way to charge my batteries before I get in the kitchen this weekend for yet another culinary extravaganza. The yak is back...

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03:27 PM PST Permalink |

This Time Last Year

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

Last year, things were a little fragmented in my family circle, so Rene and I decided to partake of the Thanksgiving buffet at a local hotel. Since I'd cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner at the end of September on a food writing assignment for a magazine in Georgia, and my son Will was with his dad for the holiday, I was in no mood to get in the kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. So Thanksgiving dinner was provided by the buffet at Embassy Suites.

There was an assortment of cheeses and breads, several kinds of salad, all the components of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, plus baked salmon with herbs de provence, and prime rib with horseradish. I sampled a little of everything except the Thanksgiving fare (since I'd really got my fill of that in month before). And for dessert, a chocolaty-luscious mousse, and a deeply dense chocolate cake, with fresh strawberries on the side, a sip of bubbly, and cup of decaf. Quite a departure from the frenzied pace of preparing Thanksgiving dinner for twelve, but not an experience I plan to revisit this year.

Tomorrow, I’m going to make a steak dinner for one in my own kitchen and enjoy it with a good bottle of Pinot Noir.

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02:33 PM PST Permalink |

Thanksgivings Past

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

In years past, I have always either cooked or participated in a family Thanksgiving dinner. My homemade Thanksgiving dinners always turn out as tasty, beautiful, and satisfying as the ones my mother made. A golden-brown bird. Rich, velvety gravy. Moist, savory stuffing. Creamy mashed potatoes. Tangy cranberry relish. But life has changed, and my near and dear have made other plans, so it looks like I'm on my own this year.

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06:09 PM PST Permalink |

Coconut Pineapple Custard Crumble

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

This is an easy dessert with impressive results. The custard is quick and simple, a mixture of coconut milk, sugar, flour, egg yolks, and vanilla. The crumble topping is butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon. The custard thickens up right in the saucepan and the crumble needs about 20 minutes in the oven to brown. A little cooling time and it's ready to serve.

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05:48 PM PST Permalink |

Crispy Asparagus

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

This dish was something I dreamed up. I've never seen it served anywhere. I used my perfect deep-frying batter (Bisquick, cornstarch, egg yolk, and ice water) and dipped only the stalks of the asparagus into the batter, leaving the blossom end exposed. I fried it at medium temperature, so the batter wouldn't brown too quickly before the asparagus cooked through. The result was both tasty and beautiful.

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12:19 AM PST Permalink |

Quick & Tasty Fried Rice

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

I make fried rice about once a week. It starts with a simple pot of steamed rice prepared in my automatic rice steamer. In a large kettle, I stir-fry ginger, garlic and whatever vegetables I have on hand. Sometimes I even use a frozen vegetable medley. Sometimes I add diced ham, and at the end, I always add a cup of some kind of savory stock for added flavor. It's fast. It's easy. And it's a complete vegetable/carb side dish all in one.

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07:32 PM PST Permalink |

San Pei Pork

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

I've used this recipe many times to prepare chicken in the crockpot. It's one of those dishes that you can prepare in less than five minutes, set the timer and forget it for about 4 hours. Once done, the chicken is meltingly tender and the broth is rich and unusual. This time, however, I decided to try the recipe with pork instead. I cut the pork into generous chunks, marinated it overnight in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, and Chinese rice wine, and simmered it in the crockpot for most of the afternoon. When I was ready to serve, I thickened the broth with a little cornstarch and served it with fried rice. A savory success.

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02:13 PM PST Permalink |

Crispy Fish With Sweet Chili Sauce

This Month's Film: YiYi
Cuisine: Taiwanese

I think I've finally found the perfect batter for deep frying. This one is a combination of baking mix (Bisquick), cornstarch, egg yolk, and ice water. At just the right frying temperature, not too hot, the batter puffs just a little and crisps to a beautiful golden brown without the slightest hint of greasiness. I used it to fry up some nice plump chunks of Alaskan pollack, which I served with a sweet chili sauce that I bought at the Asian market.

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12:01 AM PST Permalink |