mel's diner

We had WND on a Thursday again. It's getting harder and harder to coordinate our schedules but we still manage to meet once a week. Besides great company...it's also a night when someone else gets to do the cooking. This week it was yours truly. As promised, I gave them a taste of my Cantonese cuisine skills. It was a lot of pressure for a novice but am willing to step up to any challenge. I started out with won ton soup. Sounds pretty easy but it was the hardest dish to cook. The soup stalk was made from shrimp shells and dried grouper that was broiled beforehand to bring out the fishy flavour. Making the won tons were fun but time consuming. Thank goodness for a sous chef. While everyone was busy eating soup and deep fried shrimp won tons, I was busy in the kitchen with the main dishes: cantonese chow mein, ginger beef with scallions and lemon chicken. By the end of the night my kitchen was a disaster and for those of you who know me - I am a 'clean' cook. This meaning, I wash my utensils, pots and plates as I cook not to mention wiping and re-wiping my kitchen counters. I tried to stay on top of everything but cooking with a wok can be so tricky. It's so needy... I can't leave it even for a minute. The evening ended great for everyone - full bellies and great conversations - all of which I missed because of my attention seeking wok. I am so glad we take turns doing this but for the most part I do enjoy it. As always, it was my pleasure.