Remembering Joy Young's Chinese Restaurant

Back in the 1960's and 70's, or as my children would say, "When the world was black and white", my family would occasionally splurge and go to Birmingham for a weekend. This was a big, dang deal! We would dress up in our best clothes to go to the big city. Once, my family planned one of these trips because How the West Was Won was making its debut at the Alabama Theater. We were especially excited because the movie was filmed in Cinerama. I had no idea what Cinerama was and can't say that I understand even now, but we were really thrilled about it at the time. My memories of that particular trip are pretty much limited to how excited I was to be going.

Another thing about traveling to Birmingham that I found exciting was that we would be eating out. Birmingham had restaurants that were completely amazing to me, fancy places with white tablecloths and linen napkins. Birmingham was where I was introduced to my first ethnic food. At home, the most exotic things we had to eat were spaghetti or pizza that my mom would make from Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Complete Pizza in a box, which she would top with browned ground beef.

The first Chinese food I ever ate was at a restaurant called, Joy Young's, which was on North 20th Street in downtown Birmingham. This was no ordinary Chinese restaurant. It was as fancy as any restaurant in Birmingham, complete with the aforementioned white table cloths and linen napkins. There was nary a chopstick in sight, but polished silverware and fine china. The decor was unlike any other Chinese restaurant as well. With curvy balconies, tall white columns and sky blue and cream walls, the general impression was the 1960's version of upscale. Chinese motifs were limited. My own opinion is that the four Chinese American businessmen who started Joy Young's made a conscious effort to attract Birmingham's more affluent citizens with the understated and elegant decor as well as the Americanized menu, which featured both Mandarin and American choices.

To begin with, diner's were greeted with delicious homemade yeast rolls and real butter, while they perused the menu. I always ordered the same things, egg rolls and butterflied shrimp. The egg rolls were delivered in groups of three. They were crispy and stuffed with chicken, pork, shrimp and veggies. I would mix sweet plum sauce and spicy Chinese mustard to get just the right combination for dunking my egg rolls.

The savory butterflied shrimp was amazing. Large shrimp, butterflied and paired with bacon was battered and fried, covered in a Chinese brown sauce and sprinkled with chopped green onions and toasted almonds. The flavor combination was perfect and I thought Chinese food was divine.

Joy Young's closed their downtown location around 1974 and moved to another location near Brookwood Mall. They were at the new location for a few years before shutting those doors and opening a take out restaurant on Green Spring's Avenue, after which they finally closed for good. Lucky for me, The Birmingham News did a special about Joy Young's sometime before they closed and printed the recipe for butterflied shrimp. I saved that recipe and pull it out every now and then when we start needing a Joy Young fix.  It has been a long time since I last made them, but tonight I made these wonderful shrimp and thought you all might like the recipe as much as we do.

Here's what you need:

1 dozen large, fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied, with tails off.
4 slices of bacon
Iceberg lettuce
1/2 c. toasted almonds
1 bunch sliced green onions

Foo Yung Sauce
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch

Batter:
1 c. flour
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 t. salt

Start with the prepared shrimp. Joy Young's applied a piece of uncooked bacon to fit the pasty side of each shrimp. I find that I am unable to get the same amount of crispiness to my bacon as Joy Young's did if I don't cook the bacon first. I'm not sure why, but it might have been the equipment they used to cook their shrimp. Anyway, I cook the bacon first and then apply a piece of the cooked bacon to each of the uncooked shrimp. Set aside while you prepare your batter and Foo Yung Sauce.

Foo Yung Sauce:
Combine 2 T. soy sauce and 2 T. cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Add this mixture to 1 1/2 c. chicken broth in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Batter:
Combine 1 c. all purpose flour, 1/2 t. salt, 1/2 c. milk and 2 eggs. Stir until smooth.

Heat vegetable oil (about 1/2" deep) in large skillet until shimmering. Dip shrimp/bacon pieces in batter and place in hot oil. Brown on both sides and remove to a rack to drain.

To serve:
Line a large platter with torn iceberg lettuce leaves. Place shrimp on top of lettuce. Pour Foo Yung sauce over shrimp and sprinkle green onions and toasted almonds over all. Serve with hot cooked rice.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down memory lane and I hope you love Joy Young's Butterflied Shrimp.

You can download a printable version of this recipe HERE.

The Easiest and Best Ever Shepherd's Pie

This recipe for my mom's Shepherd's Pie was originally published on my severely neglected teaching blog, Ribbons, Recipes and Rhymes, but I decided it was time to include it here at Three Friends and a Fork. When we were little, we simply called it Hamburger Pie, but as I got older, I realized it was just another incarnation of Shepherd's Pie.  It is a wonderful way to get your kids to eat some vegetables, because anything is more yummy if it is covered in mashed potatoes, right?  This recipe is so easy and you can make it at the end of a long hard day or you can make it the day before. It is really hard to mess up.  Add a little more onion if you like onion.  Leave the onion out if you don't like onion.  If you like it saucier, add a little more tomato sauce.  If you are like me and mashed potatoes are your thing, then by all means, double up on the mashed potatoes! You don't like cheese?  Don't put the cheese on the top!  I put an extra large can of tomatoes because I like tomatoes.  You can use a smaller can if you don't like tomatoes as much as me.  You can add an extra can of beans or corn if you like.  Just make it your own, but do make it!  And let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, diced fine

1-2 cloves garlic, diced fine

1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz.

1 can petite diced tomatoes, 28 oz.

1 can green beans, 14 1/2 oz., drained

1 can shoe peg corn, 11 oz., drained 

Ore Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes, 24 oz.

Cream Cheese 4 oz.

Sour Cream, 4 oz.

Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, 6 oz. , finely grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare a 9x13 casserole dish by spraying with non stick spray.  Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  I always get ground sirloin, so I usually need to add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to the pan because the meat is so lean.  When the meat is mostly brown add the onion and garlic and cook until the meat is brown and the onion and garlic are translucent.  Add the tomatoes and the tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Now put the meat mixture into the bottom of the 9x13 pan and spread it evenly over the bottom. Spread the green beans over the meat and then sprinkle the corn over the beans.  Make the potatoes according to package directions or, if you like you can make your mashed potatoes the old fashioned way, by peeling, dicing and cooking your own.  Either way, doesn't matter, but you will need enough potatoes to spread over the entire casserole, so don't skimp!  Mash the potatoes with the cream cheese and sour cream.  If your potatoes are too stiff, add a little hot milk or some extra sour cream, but don't over do it. You want the potatoes to be fluffy, not runny.  Spread the potatoes over the top of the casserole and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, covered with foil until the casserole is bubbly and heated through.  Take the foil off the last 5 minutes of cooking time.  Serve with hot rolls and maybe some fruit and you have a complete meal.  Enjoy!  

Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn

I am going to admit something here that I probably should not. I find myself weirdly interested in those stupid Facebook quizzes that promise to tell you everything from which famous person you were in a previous life (Cleopatra) to what what your nickname should be (call me, Honeybear, by the way). Ok, some of them I can resist. I had no interest in taking the Rachel Dolezal Skin Test. But, the other day Gun and Garden had a test called, How Well Do You Know Southern BBQ? I assumed this one was a no brainer, so I dove right in. FYI, I was wrong! I made an embarrassing 70 on the test. In my defense, there were some highly regional questions! I had no idea about Oklahoma prime rib, what meat part is slow cooked at a barbacoa or what ingredients go in a South Carolina hash. If I am honest, it is a true miracle my score was as high as it was, considering I guessed at least 4 of the other questions. Thank goodness there was a question about smoked chicken with white sauce. I totally aced that one! No matter, I still know good barbecue. How could I not? I have grown up around delicious barbecue all my life.

But back to the test. As I finished the test and got my pitiful score,  I noticed another article called, The Barbecue Bucket List. I clicked on the link to find out which establishments made Gun and Garden's list. The list highlighted restaurants in the southern states of Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Florida and even included Washington DC, Maryland and Oklahoma, which are borderline Southern, at best. As far as the Alabama picks were concerned, I have been to only 2 of the 4 listed. Saw's in Birmingham and Big Bob Gibson in Decatur. I am adding Archibald's in Northport and Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q in Vestavia Hills to my must visit list. As far as the other states go, in my defense, I do not go to Louisiana or Florida for the barbecue. If I am in Louisiana, I am eating Cajun and Creole cuisine and if I am in Florida, it is seafood all the way. Actually, if I stop to think about it, we have such great barbecue in Alabama, I find little reason to go somewhere else for my barbecue fix. But just because I am nosy,  I looked down the list of remaining states.When I came to Mississippi I noticed 3 restaurants,  Abe's Bar-B-Q in Clarksdale, Lamar Lounge in Oxford and Leatha's Bar-B-Q Inn in Hattiesburg. There was something about that list that rang a bell. Then I remembered...JD and I had visited Leatha's last summer! The rest of the summer had been so busy, I had come home and forgotten all about Leatha's!

JD and I were returning from a trip to Houston and were traveling through Hattiesburg on our way back to Scottsboro. It was getting close to dinner time and we had no idea where to eat. I pulled up my Around Me app on my phone and the app indicated that Leatha's Bar-b-que Inn was very close by. It was right on US 98 about 2 minutes from where we were. We decided to give Leatha's a shot and headed that way.  We noticed a gray looking shack sitting by itself in the middle of a gravel lot. The shack turned out to be Leatha's.  Honestly, I was a little unsure as we pulled into the parking lot, but we were tired and hungry, so we went on in. 

The first indication that Leatha's might be taking eating pork seriously was on the front porch. Pigs were everywhere! The second we noticed as we walked in. There were wash cloth napkins on the tables. My first thought? This is going to get messy!

There was nothing fancy about Leatha's. The vinyl table cloths were mismatched, the floor was raw plywood, the air conditioning units were hanging on the walls, cords exposed, and the place wasn't full yet, but it was still early. 

We were seated at a table near the front door and our drink orders were quickly taken. We studied the menu and had our choices made by the time the server returned with our drinks. JD chose pork ribs and I got the pulled pork plate. We both had potato salad and slaw with our meals. 

So, what did we think about this Mississippi barbecue? It was good. JD's ribs were falling off the bone, smoky and meaty. My pulled pork was tender and plentiful and the sides made a good accompaniment, especially the mustard slaw which I happen to like. The potato salad was a little more smooth than I prefer, but it was still tasty. The sauce poured over my pork was too sweet and too much for me and I would have been happier without it. It was also smothering JD's ribs. JD finished up with a piece of pecan pie. He said it was good, but since I do not care for pecan pie (I know, weird), I just took his word for that. 

       

The bottom line is, for someone who never gets barbecue, Leatha's would be a find, but those of us who have grown up with some of the most amazing barbecue in the world are a little more discerning. Growing up in Alabama, I have developed distinct preferences.  I like my barbecue less wet with more of a mix of inside meat and "bark". I also prefer a vinegar based sauce over a thick sweet sauce, which is what was poured over my pork at Leatha's. JD and I both thought his ribs were better than my pulled pork, but I still would rather have ribs with a dry rub as opposed to a wet sauce. The mustard slaw was good, but it is not as good as the mustard slaw right here in Jackson County. Mud Creek and Triple R make mustard slaw that is hard to beat. 

I understand, barbecue is very polarizing. Everybody has an opinion about what to barbecue and how to barbecue and what to serve with barbecue. I think the best barbecue in the world is right here in Alabama and, of course, north Alabama is home to one of the best condiments in the world...Alabama White Sauce! I know most people like white sauce with their smoked chicken, but I like it on my pulled pork, too. Here in Scottsboro, KC's and Carlile's are great places for delicious smoked chicken and white sauce.  

So, to sum up, Leatha's Bar-B-Que Inn in Mississippi is good, but if you are like me and have grown up with the Gibson's barbecuing in your back door and inventing that heavenly condiment, Alabama White Sauce, you might not be quite as impressed as someone else who hasn't been as fortunate. 

Three Friends and a Fork gives Leatha's Bar-B-Que 3 Mississippi Yums UP. But if you are in Mississippi and you can wait a bit to eat, drive on over to Alabama and help yourself to the best barbecue in the world!