Mei Fun Holiday Fun

If you're looking for a different holiday fun  try mei fun those thin Chinese noodles from southern part of the country . They're a different spin on traditional pasta dinners so many serve at get togethers. What is also great is that it's easy to make  - which is perfect for a crowd. Whip it up and the sit down and enjoy with your guests.

Mei fun is made with super thin rice noodles similar to vermicelli.You can use vermicelli if there's no Oriental market nearby,.Instead of boiling , though they  are stir fried in a wok or skillet, usually with peanut or grape seed  oil.Singapore style requires curry, which is a nice spicy change. Most people like sliced chicken in theirs . Beef and pork are also popular too. If you want and have the time you can make two different meats. Fish also can be cooked into the noodles. For a fun ,lush dish combine shrimp and lobster chunks for a seafood mei fun.

Mei fun also requires veggies. Here you can vary them to suit tastes. Most mei funs, no matter what the main ingredient, usually add broccoli and snow peas. You can also add carrots along with celery . Water chestnuts are a neat, crunchy add and give the dish some texture. You can also toss in some spinach ribbons (spinach cut into thin strips) as well as julienned zucchini, Of course you can also make a vegetable mei fun for the vegans in your life too. You need to add eggs too for binding, because it's a little more concentrated than just a simple pasta dish. Some recipes also call for brown sugar or honey. What you add is up to your tastes.

Mei fun is a fun dish for any holiday party. It can be made either simply or elaborately , depending on how you decide to make it. Either way , the dish is a neat holiday party main meal that everyone will enjoy.

An Ever Changing Menu

Every restaurant change sits menu from time to time. They have to in order to garner a crowd and keep themselves fresh. However imagine changing your entire menu every three months. One restaurant has done this. it not only keeps the attitude fresh but keeps customers and regulars guessing.

This was the subject of an article written by Julia Moskin in yesterday's Times Dining section. the article is about the appropriately named Chicago restaurant Next. the chef and owner Grant Achatz has his menu go through a complete metamorphosis. Right now he's featuring the foods the great 19th Century chef Georges Augustus Escoffier made, mining a wealth of sauces that have been rarely tasted since then. His other inspirations are Kyoto on the springtime, Palermo int he late 1940;s and surprisingly Hong Kong in th e future 2036. There is also the dark date of 1996 when he found out he had oral cancer (luckily for us he has been completely cured)he has a knack for using creativity and time honored recipes. it must be interesting working with and for him .

This concept is a new one and I can see Mr. Achatz opening up a branch in New York and possibly even Los Angles.It would be fun t o see what s next on a brand new menu. The big question would be would it appeal to some diners. I know New Yorkers and even some New Jerseyites who would flip if their favorites were taken off the menu for a good six months to a year or expecting pasta and bruschetta and being only offered coconut shrimp and mei fun instead. How would that play out?

Next is a bold and promising idea that I hope takes hold here. Imagine a restaurant that reinvents itself more times than Madonna and Lady Gaga. Now that's some wild eating