Yes, these are all the same noodle - either fresh or dried, left in sheets or cut into strips. The picture posted by althetrainer is called "ha cheung fun", but you must remember that Anglicizing Chinese words depends on which dialect you're speaking. My DH, who is Chinese-Portugese from Hong Kong, pronounces this "har cheung fun" - the 'u' being pronounced as a quick 'oo' syllable. When my in-laws invite us to go for dim sum, they don't say, "Let's go for dim sum." Instead they say, "Let's go for yum cha." Yum cha means 'drink tea', as this is a social activity which is more important than the little nibbles that accompany the tea. It's the equivalent of inviting your friends to meet you at the bar after work. You tell them, "Let's go have a beer after work" - not "Let's go have some peanuts and pretzels after work!" Originally, before the food mfgs (especially the Japanese) got into mass commercial production of dim sum, dim sum pastries were the only Chinese restaurant/deli food always prepared and served by women.

I love stew. I think there are a few essential things to do,then the rest is up to you and what you like - like leaving out parsnips if you don't like them! 1) make sure you trim the meat well. I hate finding nasty bits of fat or gristle on the meat. 2)toss the meat in a little flour and brown well in some oil, then soften the onion. Do you like garlic? If so, add that now to the onion. 3) do you like wine in your stew? You can add wine, water or stock. 4) decide on which herbs you like. Bay, thyme, parsley...... 5) you can continue to add veggies at stage 2 like celery or carrots. 6) you can fry off som bacon chunks and mushrooms and add them to the stew half an hour before the end of cooking. Have fun inventing your "stew style"!

Posted by Johnliu: "-----Another way of cooking a roast, definitely fun, is buried in rock salt. No, it doesn't get salty. The salt absorbs heat and transfers it to the meat more effectively than air does, and reduces evaporation of the meat's juices. Just buy 2 lb rock salt, put the roast in a Dutch oven with salt under, over, and all around. ----" That is a very good way to make an extraordinary roast. Basically, the salt layer insulates the heat, allowing the "slow & low" method to take place easier. ---------------------------------------------------- Simple facts "Slow & Low" method addresses: 1. Water boils at 212 F. As long as there is water, you can never go above 212 F, regardless how high you set the temperature. (normal pressure) 2. Meat is a poor conductor of heat. 3. Meat shrinks under high heat and toughens (well-done). 4. Heat can only migrate from high to low and it is not reversible. 5. Meat gets tenderized (collagen denaturing) even at low temperature if cooked long enough. 6. Resting means cold meat. The picture shows a typical roast prepared the typical normal way. No matter how you slice it (PUN?), you generally end up in some degree the following (Which, BTW, to many people that's the way it should be for a perfect ribeye) Zone one - Brown layer (Maillard reaction), Many chefs advise not to char the meat. Browning gives the flavor. Charcoal is not tasty. Also, at higher temperatures, more carcinogenic compounds can be produced. Zone two - well done layer (meat is tough and dry). This is the 212 F to 165 F layer. Zone three - Medium. The 212 F layer of heat travels inward to warn up the colder layer to 145 F. Zone four - Medium rare. The layer is about 135 F. Zone five - Rare. The 212 F finally reaches this layer and warms it to 125 F after a long rest. Meanwhile the 212 F layer is get cold to room temperature from losing heat to the air and to heat the inside of the meat. Zone six - raw, uncooked meat. One problem with "Slow & Low". You produce very little juice, because the meat shrinks very little. The reason for "Low" is ridiculously simple. If the final desired temperature is 125 F, why not just cook at that temperature? The reasons for "slow", well I will let the author Nathan Myhrvold of the $500.00 cook book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking explain to you why 24 hours is recommended for ribeye. If you just Google his name. And I will also let the famous chef Heston Blumenthal show you in this video how he too cooks low and slow: Here is a link that might be useful: Low & Slow

Here's the recipe...Her website no longer exists. It was one of my favorite recipe sites. BEEF BURGUNDY . This is a delicious recipe inspired from one of my "great-Chef- loopie-buddies", Cheryl, on AOL. This aromatic dish will have you drooling during cooking time! . 2 pounds round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 cup beef broth 3/4 cup Burgundy wine 1 tsp. beef bouillon granules 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt 1/4 tsp. marjoram 1/4 tsp. thyme 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. water . 1. Combine flour, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper; coat beef in flour mixture. 2. Heat oil in large skillet; brown beef on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Drain beef. 3. In crock pot, combine beef, beef broth, wine, bouillon and seasonings. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours, until meat is tender. 4. Turn control to high and stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook for 15 minutes. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes. Yield: 4 servings. . Steph's Country Kitchen Goodness www.stephskitchen.com Here's her Beef Stew Recipe BEEF STEW . This comforting stew recipe comes from Dons Aunt Mary (with just a couple of touch-ups by me), and has been thankfully passed around his family. Not many dinners come easier than this, since you throw all of the ingredients into a pan, bake and forget about it until it's time to eat. I serve this with fresh bread and butter for dipping. This dish signals Fall to me, my favorite season. . 1 pound lean beef stew meat 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced 2 stalks celery, sliced 1 small onion, cut into small chunks 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce 2 cups beef broth, red wine, or water (or a combo of the three) 3 tsp. dry tapioca Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup frozen peas . 1. Combine all ingredients except peas in a small roasting pan and cover with lid. Cook at 350º for 3 hours. Stir in peas the last 15 minutes of cooking time. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. . Steph's Country Kitchen Goodness www.stephskitchen.com Here's another one I've made a few times. FRENCH RAGOUT . This dish is similar to beef stew, only cooked on the stove and much quicker. I always serve this with piping hot bread for dipping. Reminds me of Halloween as this is the perfect warm dish to serve the eager trick-or-treaters before their eve of fun. . 1 lb. beef stew meat 2 tbsp. cooking oil 1 medium onion, sliced 3 tbsp. butter 1 beef bouillon cube 1-1/2 cups water 1 cup beef gravy 1 lemon slice 2 cups diced potatoes 1 cup sliced carrots 3/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1 tbsp. cornstarch .. 1. In a large skillet, brown beef in hot oil. Drain and set aside. 2. In same skillet, cook onion in butter until just tender. Add beef, bouillon, water, gravy, lemon, potatoes, carrots, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer 25 minutes. 3. In a small bowl, blend 1/4 cup cold water with the cornstarch. Stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring contstantly. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Remove lemon slice. Yield: 4 servings.