{"id":403,"date":"2014-09-08T23:28:06","date_gmt":"2014-09-09T06:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/?p=403"},"modified":"2014-09-08T23:28:12","modified_gmt":"2014-09-09T06:28:12","slug":"mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Mid-Autumn Festival Dinner Party 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140906_185434_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185434_Android-624x351.jpg\" alt=\"20140906_185434_Android\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185434_Android-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185434_Android-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185434_Android-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Saturday, September 6, 2014 &#8211; So the Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Mooncake Festival, is actually on Monday. But Monday is, for some reason, a terrible day for dinner parties. So I through a dinner party on Saturday instead.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140906_185550_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-401\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185550_Android-624x351.jpg\" alt=\"20140906_185550_Android\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185550_Android-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185550_Android-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_185550_Android-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So the menu for today was, from least interesting to most interesting:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>steamed rice<\/li>\n<li>broccoli (cooked)<\/li>\n<li>Mom&#8217;s potato salad<\/li>\n<li>Taiwanese-style soy-braised pork<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Steamed rice is, of course, &#8220;self-explanatory&#8221;, so I won&#8217;t bother explaining.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140906_184629_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-397\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184629_Android-624x351.jpg\" alt=\"20140906_184629_Android\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-397\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184629_Android-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184629_Android-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184629_Android-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The broccoli is also &#8220;self-explanatory&#8221;, but it&#8217;s really not. Like I said in the potato salad post, my mom prefers steaming broccoli, but I prefer boiling them. Boiled broccoli just gets better results in terms of color, texture, and taste. The only downsideof boiled broccoli is that &#8220;boiled broccoli&#8221; doesn&#8217;t sound as pleasant as &#8220;steamed broccoli&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>For those curious folks, I boiled the water, then added a handful of salt, then added the broccoli and timed it for 5 minutes. When you boil broccoli, you&#8217;ll notice the colors light up like, well, a light pretty much the instant they hit the water. After the 4 minute mark, they start getting tender. The longer you cook them, the more tender they get. But don&#8217;t go too long, or the broccoli gets brown and mushy. (The longest I&#8217;ve boiled broccoli is 5 minutes, and they were perfect.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140906_184646_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-398\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184646_Android-624x351.jpg\" alt=\"20140906_184646_Android\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184646_Android-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184646_Android-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184646_Android-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/03\/moms-secret-potato-salad\/\">Mom&#8217;s Potato Salad<\/a>. In our last episode, we decided that we had made way too much potato salad, and that granny smith apples weren&#8217;t suitable for potato salad. So this time I made half a batch, and it seemed to be the right amount. Also, I used a Gala apple (because Fujis are more expensive, and Uwajimaya doesn&#8217;t carry Honeycrisps), and it worked perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>The original recipe called for half an apple for every 2 potatoes, but I decided to go with a whole apple instead, because the potato salad needed that extra sweetness. (Of course, I halved the recipe, so it&#8217;s still just 1 potato and half an apple.)<\/p>\n<p>Dinner guest Sara described it as &#8220;I wasn&#8217;t sure about the potato salad at first, but then I tried it, and it&#8217;s pretty good. I still like my mom&#8217;s potato salad better though.&#8221; Everyone prefers their mom&#8217;s potato salad.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140906_184700_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-399\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184700_Android-624x351.jpg\" alt=\"20140906_184700_Android\" width=\"624\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184700_Android-624x351.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184700_Android-200x112.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140906_184700_Android-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/08\/05\/taiwanese-style-soy-braised-pork\/\">Taiwanese-style soy-braised pork<\/a>. 1 lb of pork serves 2 apparently. I have 6 dinner guests. So I bought 3 lbs of pork shoulder to make this dish. This proved a bit challenging. If I triple the recipe will it fit in my pot? If braising 1 lb of pork shoulder takes 1.5 hours, how long does it take to braise 3 lbs of pork shoulder?<\/p>\n<p>To answer the first question, no. I used my largest saute pan, my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Calphalon-Tri-Ply-Stainless-Steel-Everyday\/dp\/B003L0WE78\">Calphalon 12-inch pan<\/a>, and even though all the liquid and pork fit, it boiled over while it was cooking. (Why didn&#8217;t I use a stock pot? Because for braising, you want the pan to be wide and shallow, and you the meat to be just barely submerged in a single layer.) So next time, I should only double the recipe. Or double the liquids and aromatics, but triple the amount of pork. Yes, I like that better.<\/p>\n<p>To answer the second question, 2 hours. Apparently, pork cooks really fast. And yes, I made sure it was fully braised. (Meaning cooked all the way through, and then cooked some more until the collagen breaks down and makes the pork super tender.)<\/p>\n<p>Dinner guest Chris described it as &#8220;nicely done on the pork&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/20140904_200822_android\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-396\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140904_200822_Android-351x624.jpg\" alt=\"20140904_200822_Android\" width=\"351\" height=\"624\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-396\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140904_200822_Android-351x624.jpg 351w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140904_200822_Android-112x200.jpg 112w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140904_200822_Android-168x300.jpg 168w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/20140904_200822_Android-624x1109.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 351px) 100vw, 351px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A Mooncake Festival Dinner Party isn&#8217;t a Mooncake Festival Dinner Party without mooncakes of course. And of course these are storebought, because who makes their own mooncakes anyway? So the only mooncakes I like are the red bean ones, and regular size mooncake are too big. So I bought a dozen mini red bean mooncakes. They were good.<\/p>\n<p>In case you can&#8217;t tell by the box that&#8217;s slightly off camera, I got Sheng Kee brand (which according to the box is based in California somewhere). The one with the woman in the green dress and the <span style=\"text-decoration:line-through;\">shotgun<\/span> ancient Chinese musical instrument.<\/p>\n<p>Bonus pic: Joy took a close-up of the mooncakes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/08\/mid-autumn-festival-dinner-party-2014\/mooncake-closeup\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-402\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mooncake-closeup-624x408.jpg\" alt=\"mooncake closeup\" width=\"624\" height=\"408\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-402\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mooncake-closeup-624x408.jpg 624w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mooncake-closeup-200x131.jpg 200w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mooncake-closeup-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/mooncake-closeup.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Saturday, September 6, 2014 &#8211; So the Mid-Autumn Festival, also called the Mooncake Festival, is actually on Monday. But Monday is, for some reason, a terrible day for dinner parties. So I through a dinner party on Saturday instead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[43,49,42,70,39,40],"class_list":["post-403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cooking","tag-broccoli","tag-dinner-party","tag-eggs","tag-pork","tag-potatoes","tag-salad"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":405,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403\/revisions\/405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwaynejeng.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}