On Mar 15, 1:22 pm, blake murphy wrote:
On Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:03:54 -0600, Steve Wertz





wrote:
On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:45:36 GMT, blake murphy wrote:
koon chun i know i've seen, not sure about kim lau.


I agree with Steve: Koon Chun is good for brown bean sauce, especially
the chunky version.


just for reference, what i've been using is szechuan brand, both hot
and sweet bean pastes, from taiwan, in little cans. my boy robert
delfs in 'the good food of szechuan' (1977) says to stay away from
these but i don't find them all that bad - but was curious as to what
others use.


Yeah... I haven't tried those Taiwanese versions, but generally they
are pretty different from what they use in Sichuan. I use hot bean
paste hand-imported from Sichuan, and the big difference is the use of
broad beans, as Steve mentions (though I think it's a mix of broad
beans and soy), and a real strong, deep fermentation. It just totally
transforms the dish. Oh, also it is chunky, even including whole
beans and, of course, barely broken up chilies.

I think my little sis said she found something good in New York. I'll
try to remember to ask her.

Just got back from a year and a half in Mexico, compañeros! Nice to
see a lot of familiar faces!

Pedro