|
Using more than 2 ingredients to cook blows my mind. But regarding Pork Belly.. it makes a great bacon alternative. When I first started eating all that wonderful saturated fat in pork belly, it would give me this strange feeling of elation, like walking on sunshine; Belly's a lot cheaper then bacon too.
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2012 12:29
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 05:44 |
|
|
crikster posted:Using more than 2 ingredients to cook blows my mind. But regarding Pork Belly.. it makes a great bacon alternative. When I first started eating all that wonderful saturated fat in pork belly, it would give me this strange feeling of elation, like walking on sunshine; People say this, but even the terrifying pork belly at H-Mart is more expensive than bacon in this town, and I still have to drive 40 minutes to get it. I wish I could find pork belly in DC that wasn't $8/pound.
|
|
#
?
Sep 29, 2012 21:41
|
|
|
angerbrat posted:I'd love to see more Sichuan stuff, I have a packet of peppers getting lonely in my cupboard. Agreeing with this right here. I am probably going to pick up Fuschia Dunlop's Land of Plenty from the library and read it over sometime next week. Her blog is pretty sweet and I'm scouring it for interesting ideas. I only wish I could get better sichuan peppercorns than the ones I have. They only impart a very slight numbing sensation but their flavor isn't too weak so it's no big deal. Also, how important is it to use regional soy sauce when cooking asian food? For this thread it's not a big deal because mine is chinese but I hear Japanese soy sauce is pretty different. I always treat it as "In a perfect world..." kind of advice; it's more authentic but won't make much of a difference. I'm not qualified to make that judgement though...
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 03:01
|
|
God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
|
Yeah, Japanese soy sauce is a bit different. The difference is subtle. The biggest problem is not being able to get 老抽 ("old" dark soy sauce) type soy sauce. Vinegar was a huge problem for me when I was in Japan, though. The difference was pretty big and I couldn't find 镇江香醋 (Chinese black vinegar) anywhere and ended up having it brought from China for me when a friend went on vacation there, brought some back with me when I went to China, and actually found it being sold at a restaurant in Chiba or something. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Sep 30, 2012 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 05:10
|
|
|
Can any of you recommend a good Chinese cook-book that does not revolve around a wok? I really don't see myself taking the time and money to get a proper wok setup going.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 05:33
|
|
|
The wok is pretty essential... Why can't you get a wok? They're just like any other pan, really.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 05:46
|
|
|
He doesn't have a proper setup. That's OK though man... I've still got my Teflon coated wok. I use it for stir fry on a normal apartment burner, and it's still decent enough at cooking food. I never get that wok hei which is a wonderful flavor indeed, but I can still appreciate the ingredients and the other flavors in the food I cook. Woks are pretty much the only thing you want to use though. Most of the veggies are steamed, and not braised. Braising is for skillets/pots. down1nit fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Sep 30, 2012 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 05:52
|
|
|
Carbon steel wok + turkey fryer/homebrew propane burner work?
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 05:53
|
|
|
OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:People say this, but even the terrifying pork belly at H-Mart is more expensive than bacon in this town, and I still have to drive 40 minutes to get it. Man you need to find a reliable butcher! The locals here on the Louisiana gulf get me piggy belly at $3.25/lb. And also free lard by the 16oz jug that they render on the spot. You must be Sir Warren Moneybags if you're paying $8/lb for, well any cut of meat really.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 13:54
|
|
|
down1nit posted:He doesn't have a proper setup. (then again my home stove is some ancient gas stove that spits out insane flame and gives me delicious wok hei, but you could easily just toss a wok on an electric and be perfectly okay)
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 15:14
|
|
|
crikster posted:You must be Sir Warren Moneybags if you're paying $8/lb for, well any cut of meat really. Or living in Korea and you want something other than chicken. 
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 15:51
|
|
|
crikster posted:You must be Sir Warren Moneybags if you're paying $8/lb for, well any cut of meat really. Well, I can find chicken and generic cuts of pork for not too much more than the prices when I lived in Texas, but beef or any "stranger" cuts of pork are so rare as to be close to impossible to find, and super expensive when I do, even when I find the even rarer ethnic grocery store/butcher type place less than 45 minutes away in another state. Its slowly turning me into a vegetarian.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 16:06
|
|
|
OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:People say this, but even the terrifying pork belly at H-Mart is more expensive than bacon in this town, and I still have to drive 40 minutes to get it. Let me know if you ever find some.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 16:51
|
|
|
TheChimney posted:Can any of you recommend a good Chinese cook-book that does not revolve around a wok? I really don't see myself taking the time and money to get a proper wok setup going. What's his face from America's Test Kitchen with the douchey bowtie says that if you don't have a decent gas stove to just do your Chinese cooking in a heavy bottomed skillet, and you'll get pretty close. He actually suggests not getting a wok if you have a crap stove.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 17:26
|
|
|
I live in China but I learned to cook Chinese food in America on American stoves. I'm used to the heat being way too low and as a result everything I cook here I keep the burner on the lower half of the dial. Even when I'm cooking fairly fast I don't even turn it up to halfway. How can I learn to cook like a real Chinese guy without burning everything in like half a second? Full Disclosure: The most I cook right now is fried rice. I live right on the 3rd ring road in Chengdu and there's no good place to buy real meat, which means I don't have everyday use for the "coronal mass ejection" setting on the range. But I do feel like I should be cooking fried rice hotter than I am. It never develops the kind of smokey chewey fried-ness that I get in restaurants.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 19:16
|
|
|
dino. posted:What's his face from America's Test Kitchen with the douchey bowtie Johnny Vermont. I think that's his name.
|
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 19:40
|
|
|
Arglebargle III posted:I live in China but I learned to cook Chinese food in America on American stoves. I'm used to the heat being way too low and as a result everything I cook here I keep the burner on the lower half of the dial. Even when I'm cooking fairly fast I don't even turn it up to halfway. Practice makes perfect. The "smoky chewy fried-ness" is called wok hei, and you DO need the high heat. Get your pan to smoking, add the oil, get THAT smoking, and then cook quickly. Stir-fries don't take long, so just be quick. EDIT: As an aside, can people posting ingredients in Chinese characters at least put transliterations in there? Some of us don't know many/any Chinese characters. Ghost of Reagan Past fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Sep 30, 2012 |
|
#
?
Sep 30, 2012 22:35
|
|
|
Arglebargle III posted:I live in China but I learned to cook Chinese food in America on American stoves. I'm used to the heat being way too low and as a result everything I cook here I keep the burner on the lower half of the dial. Even when I'm cooking fairly fast I don't even turn it up to halfway. Stir stir stir stir. Never stop. It was written in the OP, but when you do any sort of stir fry like that you gotta have everything cut up and ready to go before you do any cooking. If you have to stop for more than a second, poo poo WILL burn. Also (Fellow Chengdu goon here), no idea where exactly ON the 3rd ring road you are, but Auchan, Metro and stuff are all around PARTS of the 3rd ring road and aren't as good as a nice wet market but are still better than Carrefour and that sort of junk. Auchan sells awesome chicken breasts for like 4.5kuai/jin. Amazing!
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2012 03:53
|
|
|
Ghost of Reagan Past posted:What does he mean by proper setup? I just use my wok on my home stove and it works fine. My wok was only $20. If you don't have the money, a cast iron pan works in a pinch. It just takes a lot longer to get up to temperature. My apartment actually does have a decently powerful gas stove. However, it's a small kitchen and I'd rather not buy a bunch of new implements. Plus, I don't really think that I have the time or the energy to learn how to use a wok well.
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2012 03:56
|
|
|
Hey let's cook. Let's cook something any American has eaten a way too sweet variant of at some point in their lives. EXPLODING PALACE Note: I made this because a friend who does not eat animal stuff came over. Replace the tofu with either chicken or pork if you desire. I actually really like the tofu variant though, tofu tends to absorb a lot more of the sauce and flavor than the meat does. Also it's cheaper! What you need:
If you can't find the Asparagus lettuce, celtuce or whatever the hell it's called feel free to substitute it with whatever. Celery is what the North American version usually has, but something not quite as rigid and fibrous would be better. Any sort of thing in the bamboo family (The name in Chinese is literally "Green bamboo") would be best. I've also had versions with peppers and mushrooms in it, so don't be afraid to experiment. How to make it: Chop everything up. Carrots and asparagus lettuce into small chunks and tofu about the same. Mince the garlic and ginger, and chop up the dried chilies a bit. Mix the rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, MSG (if you want it), sesame oil and a little corn or potato starch in a bowl. You can play around with amounts as you want, but you want an even amount soy sauce and vinegar with about half that amount of wine and sesame oil. North American versions of this dish are downright sweet and add a lot of sugar. I'm not a fan, but if you are, go wild!  Once that's done, if you want you can heat up just a little oil over relatively low heat and give the peanuts a little fry. I'd say this step isn't absolutely necessary, but I like the toasty flavor it adds. Once the peanuts are out, add in a decent amount of oil and get it pretty hot. Shallow fry the tofu for a bit.  Once it gets all nice and golden brown, take it out.  There shouldn't be a huge amount of oil left, and there will probably be some random tofu pieces around, so it's probably best if you just rinse and wipe out your wok real fast. That done, get some more oil heated up over medium heat. Once it's hot, add in the Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, ginger, scallions and carrots. You can add salt and MSG if you want.  When the carrots start to change in color (might take a bit, since we aren't using CRAZY high heat yet) add in the dried chilies and let that go for a minute or so. Then, crank up the heat and add in the asparagus lettuce. Once that starts to soften up, add in the tofu and peanuts.  Mix that all up really quick and add in your sauce.  Keep stirring that around a bit until the sauce has been absorbed a bit by the tofu (There should be some sauce left on the bottom of the wok, but not tons), and serve. If you make this with meat, brown it where you'd fry the tofu and follow everything else as is. Use as much or as little spicy pepper as you want, though this is not usually a super spicy dish. Note about 莴笋, Celtuce/Asparagus Lettuce/Green bamboo. I love this stuff. It can be used pretty universally in any stir fry, and is a huge part of food in western China. Here in Chengdu I can get any number of really simple meat or vegetable stir fries that incorporate it, and really legit kung pao whatever should use it as well. To prepare it, just clean the outside and use a knife to slice off the very hard outer skin. A vegetable peeler will usually not be adequate for this. Once that's done, you can either cut it into thin, long slices or small chunks. It's good in everything, has a really nice clean and fresh taste, and according to Chinese people is really healthy!
|
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2012 14:54
|
|
|
I found some Kam Yen Jan Chinese sausage and thought "hooray, now I can cook some things." At the store it was just on a shelf but when I got it home I noticed the packaging told me it should be refrigerated. All right, I put it in the fridge. Today I opened it to make some fried rice and it smells...fermented. Not like meat gone bad but like the time in college when I tried to make wine out of apple juice (properly) and it just smelled extra yeasty and acrid. Is Chinese sausage supposed to be really sharp smelling, from the description I expected sausage but even sweeter? edit: I'll just assume they use some sort of extra-fermenty soy sauce when making this stuff, it tasted fine once cooked. vvvv Yeah I thought that was weird and froze half and put the other half in the refrigerator. I'll probably just toss this if I don't die tomorrow from eating a few slices. OnceIWasAnOstrich fucked around with this message at 00:54 on Oct 2, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 1, 2012 23:40
|
|
|
OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:I found some Kam Yen Jan Chinese sausage and thought "hooray, now I can cook some things." At the store it was just on a shelf but when I got it home I noticed the packaging told me it should be refrigerated. All right, I put it in the fridge. Today I opened it to make some fried rice and it smells...fermented. Not like meat gone bad but like the time in college when I tried to make wine out of apple juice (properly) and it just smelled extra yeasty and acrid. Is Chinese sausage supposed to be really sharp smelling, from the description I expected sausage but even sweeter? No, they should not smell fermented. They should be dry (maybe oily) and when opened, smell like... salted dried meat(?). I'm not how to describe the smell but it should not smell like chemicals, sulfur, ammonia, fermentation or mold. I know it would be common sense to think, "Oh, dried preserved meat in vacuum packaging, it'll be ok at room temp." Those things should be kept in a cool dry place or for extra long storage, freezer works well.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2012 00:17
|
|
|
OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:vvvv Yeah I thought that was weird Honestly your nose is a pretty good indicator of when things have gone wrong. Vacuum packaging should be safe but it isn't always done properly or perfectly. If you have smelled the same food before and suddenly a new example smells all kind of wrong and different you should probably just toss it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2012 08:04
|
|
|
Arglebargle III posted:Honestly your nose is a pretty good indicator of when things have gone wrong. Vacuum packaging should be safe but it isn't always done properly or perfectly. If you have smelled the same food before and suddenly a new example smells all kind of wrong and different you should probably just toss it. The problem was I have never had Chinese sausage before and the ingredients list includes grain alcohol so I had no idea what to think except "the internet will know." Thanks.
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2012 12:46
|
|
|
OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:I found some Kam Yen Jan Chinese sausage and thought "hooray, now I can cook some things." At the store it was just on a shelf but when I got it home I noticed the packaging told me it should be refrigerated. All right, I put it in the fridge. Today I opened it to make some fried rice and it smells...fermented. Not like meat gone bad but like the time in college when I tried to make wine out of apple juice (properly) and it just smelled extra yeasty and acrid. Is Chinese sausage supposed to be really sharp smelling, from the description I expected sausage but even sweeter? It shouldn't really have a strong odor. I have a pack of the exact same brand of sausage in my fridge right now, and it doesn't have much of a smell (there is a very, very mild and faint ham-like smell).
|
|
#
?
Oct 2, 2012 20:37
|
|
|
Magna Kaser posted:Stir stir stir stir. Never stop. It was written in the OP, but when you do any sort of stir fry like that you gotta have everything cut up and ready to go before you do any cooking. If you have to stop for more than a second, poo poo WILL burn. Thanks for the advice. I live on the east side in the boonies so Red Flag is the best I can do without a long trip on the bus. I actually took your advice and although there was a lot of swearing and scraping of stuck food my rice got that chewy texture that I was looking for. (New wok is not seasoned at all.) Unfortunately I burned the poo poo out of my garlic so the meat ended up nicely seared but tasting like not much. How can I cook on very high heat without burning my garlic and ginger? Do I have to add it later in the process so it doesn't immediately burn with just it and the meat in the wok? Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 11:38 on Oct 3, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 3, 2012 11:36
|
|
|
Magna Kaser posted:
quote:If you can't find the Asparagus lettuce, celtuce or whatever the hell it's called feel free to substitute it with whatever. Celery is what the North American version usually has, but something not quite as rigid and fibrous would be better. Any sort of thing in the bamboo family (The name in Chinese is literally "Green bamboo") would be best. I've also had versions with peppers and mushrooms in it, so don't be afraid to experiment.
|
|
#
?
Oct 4, 2012 13:51
|
|
|
I've seen both, and searching 宫爆鸡丁 on Baidu will get you plenty of hits. Including the Baike page which actually has a section about how it was originally named after the guy with a clever pun on his name （保/宝） but in recent times people have all forgotten him and use 爆... But even if we don't remember him, we should remember his desire to create a great dish!
|
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2012 02:10
|
|
|
Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Cow's Spleen is used in Chinese cooking, right? Well I got a lot of spleen for .80 cents a pound, under the name 'Beef Melts.' I just pan fried some in a cast iron skillet with some lard and greens. "Spleens and collard greens." Spleen is like goop inside a membrane, but it was so chewy that I couldn't clean my plate. There's got to be a better way. Does anyone know how the traditional Chinaman would cook a spleen, the right way?
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2012 19:04
|
|
|
Can gochujang be used to substitute for doubanjiang?
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:14
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:Can gochujang be used to substitute for doubanjiang? No. because most doubans aren't spicy.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:36
|
|
|
Peven Stan posted:No. because most doubans aren't spicy. Okay, I'm confused. I thought it was a red pepper/fermented bean paste. Is there a Korean equivalent of whatever doubanjiang is?
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:37
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:Okay, I'm confused. I thought it was a red pepper/fermented bean paste. Is there a Korean equivalent of whatever doubanjiang is? Some of them can be spicy but not every douban is spicy!!!!!!
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:44
|
|
|
Peven Stan posted:Some of them can be spicy but not every douban is spicy!!!!!! Okay man calm down. I'm just trying to find something I can get in Korea. The local Chinese grocery stores don't have doubanjiang.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:46
|
|
|
iirc gochujang is just gochugaru, soybeans, and glutinous rice flour. Doubanjiang are fermented broad beans, soy, and chilies, with garlic. Doubanjiang is noticeably savorier to me. I'm sure you could try and sub it but it might not taste right. If I had to jury rig doubanjiang, I would make a paste out of fermented black soy beans, sambal, and garlic in a mortar and pestle. If you feel so inclined, this thread is related, but is also quite involved http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/869785
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 05:58
|
|
|
For what it's worth I sometimes used gochujan instead of toubanjan to make Yu Xiang Rou Si and while the taste was of course different, I thought it was delicious.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 06:59
|
|
|
crikster posted:Correct me if I'm wrong, but a Cow's Spleen is used in Chinese cooking, right? Well I got a lot of spleen for .80 cents a pound, under the name 'Beef Melts.' I just pan fried some in a cast iron skillet with some lard and greens. "Spleens and collard greens." Spleen is like goop inside a membrane, but it was so chewy that I couldn't clean my plate. There's got to be a better way. Does anyone know how the traditional Chinaman would cook a spleen, the right way? It's technically edible. Of course it's used. Somebody from around Shanghai or thereabouts would probably simmer it in an aromatic stock of sorts, seasoned with star anise, fresh ginger, a splash of rice wine, sugar and dark soy, chill it in the stock and slice very thinly and serve. The same thing is done with tough cuts of beef and beef heart. It's delicious as a starter. Other than that, I think you're looking for something involving grinding.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 09:47
|
|
|
What's the shelf life on flower peppers? I used some tonight and didn't get much of a numb off them, not sure if they're old or I just didn't use enough. I used maybe a teaspoon in gravity's yuxiang rousi recipe. Picked out the black seeds, toasted a bit in the pan and then crushed up with a spoon and mixed into the sauce. It was good but a little slimy? I'm not sure how to describe it exactly. The sauce was very thick and clung to the food, no extra liquid, but it felt like something was off. My guesses were too much oil, too much cornstarch, or too much sugar. The starch and sugar were exact, oil I didn't measure but was generous. Tasted good but I think I did something wrong. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 13:04 on Oct 9, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 12:49
|
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:Okay man calm down. I'm just trying to find something I can get in Korea. The local Chinese grocery stores don't have doubanjiang. You might be able to use ssamjang as a substitute, since its not quite as sweet as gochujang can be and its not as smelly as doenjang.
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 17:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 18, 2024 05:44 |
|
|
Grand Fromage posted:What's the shelf life on flower peppers? I used some tonight and didn't get much of a numb off them, not sure if they're old or I just didn't use enough. I used maybe a teaspoon in gravity's yuxiang rousi recipe. Picked out the black seeds, toasted a bit in the pan and then crushed up with a spoon and mixed into the sauce. Pretty long, I'd think, like most dried stuff. I go through a pack in about a month myself so I've never had them that long. Try just throwing them in when you throw your garlic and stuff in and keep them in for the whole cook, that's usually how it's done in Sichuan where 麻辣 is life. You shouldn't need too many to get a good flavor.
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 02:39
|
|