Weekend social 04/05/2012

Written By: - Date published: 2:00 pm, May 4th, 2012 - 24 comments
Categories: weekend social - Tags:

Christmas truce 1914Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever.

No politics, no aggro, why can’t we all just get along?

24 comments on “Weekend social 04/05/2012 ”

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  1. Uturn 1
    4 May 2012 at 2:30 pm

    Friday night cooking conundrum:

    Lately I have been distracted by Thai “river noodles” since having them at a night market. In a recipe for Pad See Ew I have, it calls for light and dark soy sauce.

    What is the reason for using both?

    It also calls for added sugar. If I used sweet soy sauce in place of all above, would I get the same flavours? Or should I bite the bullet and spent the extra $3 and get some light s/sauce.

    Next point:

    Which chinese/asian vegetable of the broccoli type is the one that tastes both of broccoli and mustard. Not over-poweringly mustard, the taste when you eat it goes… broccoli, broccoli, mustard MUSTARD, broccoli.

    • deuto 1.1
      4 May 2012 at 2:43 pm

      Haven’t heard of that one (ie a mustard tasting broccoli) unless it is the flower heads of mustard greens, which I love and get at the weekend markets here in Wellington. Yans, the chinese supermarkets in Wellington and Lower Hutt, also stock mustard greens when they are in season.

      The leaves of mustard greens are bright green and have a mustard bite provided you eat them raw or just quickly wilted in stir-frys. The more they are cooked, the less mustard taste. Far more nutrients in them than iceberg lettuce and most other “greens”. Also very easy and quick to grow. Kings Seeds have the seeds for various types of mustard greens which can be ordered online.

      • Bored 1.1.1
        4 May 2012 at 4:22 pm

        Dueto and Uturn, I have been growing common garden bock choi for years, it grows really fast from seed, and it pays to use it all fast as it goes to seed the moment a warm zephyr goes n
        by. Given half a chance it will seed and you dont have to plant any more, just pick the “weeds”.

        • Uturn 1.1.1.1
          4 May 2012 at 6:25 pm

          I have some of that growing now. Agree about it not liking any change in temperature. Earlier this year I went through several sowings that all bolted before the plants got past 10cm high. Now it’s colder they are stable again.

    • happynz 1.2
      4 May 2012 at 3:52 pm

      Lately I have been distracted by Thai “river noodles” since having them at a night market. In a recipe for Pad See Ew I have, it calls for light and dark soy sauce.

      What is the reason for using both?

      It also calls for added sugar. If I used sweet soy sauce in place of all above, would I get the same flavours? Or should I bite the bullet and spent the extra $3 and get some light s/sauce.

      I asked my wife, who is from the south of Thailand, and she said, ‘Yup, you need the light and dark soy sauce and the sugar. The dark is for colour, the light is for saltiness, and the sugar should be to your taste.’

      โชคดี (Choke dee)

    • tc 1.3
      4 May 2012 at 3:53 pm

      Chinese broccoli is what you’re looking for, Gai Lohn, Guy Lohn, Chinese kale looks like Brocolli but smaller and looser.

      As for the soy be careful as sweet soys like Kecap manis are incredibly sweet so you get better control and can use less refined sugar if you add your own.

      Soy quality varies hugely so see how you go, suggest Tamari or Shoyu as high grade choices in the dark end.

      • Uturn 1.3.1
        4 May 2012 at 6:34 pm

        Thanks. How can I tell which Gai Lohn is the right Gai Lohn? Just had what I thought looked right, one with white flowers that had the broccoli taste, but none of the mustard. The place I shop has several varieties all named with combinations of the words Kai, Gai, Laan, Choy or Lohn. Some have yellow flowers.

        I guess for ten bucks I could buy the lot and find out.

  2. dd 2
    4 May 2012 at 2:40 pm

    kindle or kobo?

  3. Bored 3
    4 May 2012 at 4:25 pm

    My buddies are out on a duck slaughtering expedition, they wont get any. All the ducks are in the pond at Avalon, a Chch mate tells me that they are floating beak to beak on the Avon. I really enjoy a roasted duck but I must say I wont miss it if nobody gets enough to gift me one.

    • ianmac 3.1
      4 May 2012 at 5:14 pm

      There is a town boundary sign on either side of the Waikato River on the edge of Hamilton. At this time of the year the ducks swim on the town side, by the hundred, right up to but not past the sign. Clearly they know that you can’t discharge a gun in town. Clever ducks!

    • felix 3.2
      4 May 2012 at 6:49 pm

      Ah, that explains the huge flock I disturbed in the paddock today! Was wondering what they were up to.

      • ianmac 3.2.1
        5 May 2012 at 10:34 am

        Probably holding a United Union of Ducks Annual Meeting. UUDAM. Have seen the same sort of gatherings of sheerwaters in the Marlborough Sounds. UUSAM. But strikes are not an option.

  4. NickS 4
    5 May 2012 at 4:49 pm

    http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-raspberry-pi-review

    I want one :O

    If only for making a barebones media centre.

    Would be nice if it had SATA ports + RAID as well for building a low power, cheap as chips, data server.

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