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dot communist posted:(I forget for what recipe exactly, but now I'm using it all the time in stir fry and marinade). It makes an appearance in a huge number of recipes and pretty much any time you're working with meat, yeah. You need it. Salted is better than nothing but the stuff intended for drinking is of course better quality. You'll often find it in a ceramic jug like this:  Most of the Chinese groceries here have it intermittently, they don't have liquor licenses but just stick it on a bottom shelf without an English label.
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Sep 15, 2022 21:07
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It's hard to get here but honestly a dry sherry works very well as a substitute
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Sep 16, 2022 03:04
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The Asian markets here will have the unsalted drinking stuff behind a staffed counter requiring ID to purchase, whereas the salted cooking stuff is on a shelf in the main shopping aisles and doesn't require ID.
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Sep 16, 2022 04:00
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Grand Fromage posted:It makes an appearance in a huge number of recipes and pretty much any time you're working with meat, yeah. You need it.
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Sep 18, 2022 21:36
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Taima posted:Could anyone offer advice on how to incorporate a wok burner and possibly other chinese elements into a kitchen? I'm about to remodel, and have space/money to do it right. I don't know too much, but I do know one thing: you're going to need a nice and powerful vent. If you get a dedicated wok burner it can put out a lot of smoke.
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Sep 18, 2022 22:07
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Home wok burners aren't a thing in China either really so you'd want to be looking at commercial kitchen stuff. And yeah you're going to need one hell of a vent hood. Or install it outside.
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Sep 18, 2022 23:10
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Yeah an outdoor wok burner is where it’s at. Obviously it’s not all season depending on your geography and whatnot but if you use wok burner heat you’re gonna get wok burner smoke.
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Sep 18, 2022 23:33
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Come to think of it. Has anybody here ever used one of those big induction wok stands? I saw them sometimes in German cafeterias when they wanted to add a chinese option while staying electric. They plug into 400V, which I don't have in my current kitchen and are very expensive.
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Sep 19, 2022 08:58
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Grand Fromage posted:It makes an appearance in a huge number of recipes and pretty much any time you're working with meat, yeah. You need it. That’s the same one I got Worst possible shape for storing in the fridge so I poured it into a different bottle which is a shame
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Oct 8, 2022 07:35
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Pretty sure decanting it out of the magical brown jug ruins it. Something about the red bow.
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Oct 8, 2022 16:28
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 Mapo tofu! Sorry for bad presentation.  One thing I don't understand, but maybe someone familiar with mapo tofu knows more; but is it just me, but when I order mapo tofu, it's very different from the recipe that the Chinese Cook Demystified channel covers. Theirs (the channel I mentioned)/mine is usually redder; way spicier (I love spiciness, "I fear that my food is not spicy enough!" etc), and when I don't gently caress it up, less soupy. But when I order it, it turns to be more of a dark brown, has corn for some reason, barely mild, and typically soupier; and the tofu feels way too soft. Is this a normal variation on mapo tofu? I've tried different restaurants but haven't really found one that makes it where it tastes as satisfying as the one I can make myself. At least as far as I am capable of judging.
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Oct 22, 2022 01:44
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That just sounds like generic American Chinese restaurant mapo tofu, which is poo poo and doesn't resemble the original dish. I haven't made the CCD one but it's probably on point. I think they used pork, which is more common outside of Sichuan--use ground beef if you want to be fully Chengdu.
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Oct 22, 2022 01:51
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Re: spiciness at restaurants I've learned over the years that I'll often get White Boy version of their dishes. They make some judgement calls and it's different to what they'll make for other people. I learned this when I had bun bo hue at the same place 1 week apart with a different server taking the order. Are you ordering from restaurants in Chengdu, or a western country? Yours is redder and spicier probably because you're adding more good chili powder? And youre following a more authentic recipe?
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Oct 22, 2022 01:54
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Contractually obligated to post this whenever mapo tofu comes up. Same vibes but I prefer it. Also very good as a noodle topping instead of with tofu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3djtbkLcHA
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Oct 22, 2022 01:57
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Omg they started adding English captions!
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Oct 22, 2022 02:01
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droll posted:Omg they started adding English captions! Yeah a lot of their videos have English now. My Chinese is juuuuuust sufficient to follow without it (thanks to the Chinese subtitles, audio only I'd be hosed) but it's sure a whole lot easier with the captions.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:03
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droll posted:Re: spiciness at restaurants I've learned over the years that I'll often get White Boy version of their dishes. They make some judgement calls and it's different to what they'll make for other people. I learned this when I had bun bo hue at the same place 1 week apart with a different server taking the order. I'm ordering from Canada from restaurants in my city! Sorry if that wasn't clear.  And presumably yeah, I follow the recipe here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfsZwwrTFD4 I do increase the amount of pork (and tofu) because minimum pork comes in 600g packages and I don't know how to store pork for future use.  (recipe usually calls for like 35g which is tiiiny, I use closer to 100g and then make burgers with the rest; as you can probably tell from the picture I use like 400g of tofu, and eyeball double everything, so usually like 3-4tsp of the chili powder and 2-3 tbsn of the taosted & grounded sichuan peppercorns).I've tried asking for more spiciness when ordering in ubereats, rarely works sadly.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:11
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Wrap up the pork into little mapo size bundles or whatever and just freeze. It's such a little amount that it defrosts and cooks in no time at all. I keep little parcels of pork in the freezer for mapo on the regular.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:15
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droll posted:Wrap up the pork into little mapo size bundles or whatever and just freeze. It's such a little amount that it defrosts and cooks in no time at all. I keep little parcels of pork in the freezer for mapo on the regular. I'll try this! I kinda had an aversion to freezing preportioned ingredients because of cooking shows like Kitchen Nightmares and the "Is it fresh? No it's frozen" interactions that occur made me think I should avoid it. 
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Oct 22, 2022 02:25
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It's fine, wrap it well and toss it if it's freezer burned. The only bad thing with freezing meat is it can mess up the texture (mostly if it's a second freeze), but for this use that doesn't really matter.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:31
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Grand Fromage posted:It's fine, wrap it well and toss it if it's freezer burned. The only bad thing with freezing meat is it can mess up the texture (mostly if it's a second freeze), but for this use that doesn't really matter. Alright! Thanks for the advice, I'll try it next time I get more pork for more mapo. Any suggestions of some noodle recipes that might work well with shirataki noodles? I'm trying to diversify my keto diet more and shaking things up by re-exploring Chinese and Japanese cooking, and I noticed I don't notice the "weird taste" shirataki noodles allegedly have, so I want to explore them more. I liked the shoyu ramen recipe I adapted well enough even if it wasn't "proper"  because of the noodles.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:38
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I've never looked but konnyaku is a reasonably common ingredient in Sichuan so I'd start there. I don't think it's used as noodles. Dan dan mian or zhajiang mian with shirataki should be fine. https://blog.themalamarket.com/chengdu-challenge-1-dan-dan-noodles-dan-dan-mian/ Really most non-fried Chinese noodle dishes would probably be okay. It won't be the same but still good. I don't think trying to fry shirataki would work well but I could be wrong.
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Oct 22, 2022 02:53
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Raenir Salazar posted:
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Oct 22, 2022 03:25
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mystes posted:Aside from otherwise being bastardized, if they're trying to make it not spicy, they could be using doubanjiang that doesn't have hot peppers in it which isn't red like normal doubanjiang, so the whole dish will have more of a brown color. That's what lovely Japanese mapo tofu uses, for example. Which is hilarious and ironic as its depictions of (authentic) mapo tofu in anime that got me interesting in making it! 
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Oct 22, 2022 03:32
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Grand Fromage posted:That just sounds like generic American Chinese restaurant mapo tofu, which is poo poo and doesn't resemble the original dish. I haven't made the CCD one but it's probably on point. I think they used pork, which is more common outside of Sichuan--use ground beef if you want to be fully Chengdu. I prefer mapo tofu made with ground beef instead of ground pork, I had no idea that was the actual Chengdu Way.  It does seem like a strong majority of the recipes you find for it call for ground pork.
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Oct 22, 2022 07:38
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Pork > beef imo
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Oct 22, 2022 08:18
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Pork also has more fat iirc which is better if you're doing keto like me.
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Oct 22, 2022 14:20
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Raenir Salazar posted:Pork also has more fat iirc which is better if you're doing keto like me. Beef at least has the advantage that most supermarkets will have preground 70% available mystes fucked around with this message at 14:36 on Oct 22, 2022 |
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Oct 22, 2022 14:33
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You can also make vegetarian versions. One fun variation is the Mission Chinese vegetarian recipe which has a few interesting ingredients: Base 2 ounces dried whole shiitake mushrooms 3 cups very hot water 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup doubanjiang 1/3 cup tomato paste Braise 1/2 cup chili oil, or as needed 15 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup fermented black beans 1/3 cup Chili Crisp 1 (12-ounce) bottle cheap beer 2 teaspoons mushroom powder 1 teaspoon toasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns 1 (15-ounce) package firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon cornstarch slurry Soy sauce Sichuan peppercorn oil, for drizzling Ground Sichuan pepper Several sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped 1 or 2 scallions, trimmed and sliced Steamed rice 1. Prepare the base. In a medium bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms and hot water. Add the soy sauce and allow the mushrooms to soak for at least an hour, or until they are completely rehydrated and soft. 2. Drain the mushrooms through a sieve set over a bowl and reserve the liquid. In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms into small chunks. You should have about 1 cup of chopped mushrooms. 3. Combine the reserved mushroom liquid, doubanjiang, and tomato paste in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine, then add the chopped mushrooms. You will have about 3½ cups of the base—reserve 1¾ cups for this recipe and transfer the rest to an airtight container and refrigerate for later. 4. Prepare the braise. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the chili oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, fermented black beans and Chili Crisp and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic softens and the mixture becomes spine-tinglingly aromatic. 5. Add the beer, mushroom powder, Sichuan pepper and reserved 1¾ cups base to the pan and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for about an hour. (At this point, you can cool and then refrigerate or freeze the sauce for up to 2 months.) 6. Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Blanch the tofu cubes for 1 minute, then drain carefully and set aside. 7. If you want a thicker sauce, stir in the cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce thickens, fold in the tofu. Taste and season with soy sauce as needed. 8. There should be a thin puddle of shiny red oil on top of the sauce — if not, add a few more tablespoons of chili oil. Finish with a drizzle of Sichuan peppercorn oil, a sprinkling of ground Sichuan pepper and a scattering of cilantro and scallions. Serve with steamed rice.
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Oct 22, 2022 16:19
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I've made that one, it's excellent and very rich even without the meat. I was skeptical of beef instead of pork but a local takeout version won me over Here's a vegetarian version I made served over tater tots 
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Oct 22, 2022 18:08
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Is this doubanjiang? I'm in a different supermarket than usual and everything is different and the labels don't match.  As an aside, how wary should I be of various sauces that are past their best buy date and were unrefridgerated? Some are still in sealed jars with the plastic seal still on but some I had opened at some point but left in my cupboard. Sesame oil. (opened) Shaoxing wine. (opened) Black bean garlic sauce. (still sealed) Chili in oil with black beans (opened) spicy chili crisp (opened) chili garlic sauce. (opened) Maybe some soy sauce somewhere. I am thinking of chucking these and buying new sauces for recipes I'll actually be cooking soon if its safer.
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Oct 22, 2022 18:27
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Raenir Salazar posted:Is this doubanjiang? I'm in a different supermarket than usual and everything is different and the labels don't match. This is red oil doubanjiang from the biggest brand in Pixian. It is perfectly adequate for most uses. There are more aged versions that have more funk and flavor--look for a bag with the same brand (the three yellow diamonds) for the one year aged stuff. Raenir Salazar posted:As an aside, how wary should I be of various sauces that are past their best buy date and were unrefridgerated? Some are still in sealed jars with the plastic seal still on but some I had opened at some point but left in my cupboard. The sesame oil may have gone rancid like any other oil depending on how old it is. Shaoxing also loses its flavor over time. If they're more than like a year old I'd get new ones, it's not a safety issue but a flavor one. The rest are fine, though I don't know what chili garlic sauce is. Keep in mind that if it's made in China, the date printed on it will likely be the manufacturing date, not an expiration date. Expiration dates are 99% bullshit anyway but if you buy something and the date is from three months ago, that's why.
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Oct 22, 2022 18:50
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Grand Fromage posted:This is red oil doubanjiang from the biggest brand in Pixian. It is perfectly adequate for most uses. There are more aged versions that have more funk and flavor--look for a bag with the same brand (the three yellow diamonds) for the one year aged stuff. Excellent thanks! quote:The sesame oil may have gone rancid like any other oil depending on how old it is. Alrighty out it goes! quote:Shaoxing also loses its flavor over time. If they're more than like a year old I'd get new ones, it's not a safety issue but a flavor one. The rest are fine, though I don't know what chili garlic sauce is. Here's some pictures: (BB sometime in 2021)  (BB sometime in 2021)  (BB sometime in 2020)  quote:Keep in mind that if it's made in China, the date printed on it will likely be the manufacturing date, not an expiration date. Expiration dates are 99% bullshit anyway but if you buy something and the date is from three months ago, that's why. Oh its more like these were things I had bought a while ago and forgot about them because I didn't use them very often. But yeah for sure it says Best Before.
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Oct 22, 2022 19:20
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Those are all fine. I have had Laoganma where the oil went rancid but again, flavor issue not safety. If it tastes fine you're good.
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Oct 22, 2022 19:25
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Just smell the sesame oil. It should be pretty obvious if it smells rancid if you know what rancid oil smells like.
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Oct 22, 2022 19:47
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gently caress yeah didn't overreduce this time. (smaller bowl as I have a different meal for my main dinner)
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Oct 24, 2022 23:28
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Is there any specific rule of thumb for when toasted sesame oil is used versus regular sesame oil? Regional cuisines maybe? I know they're generally finishing oils, I don't cook with either except as a last step in the dish.
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Oct 25, 2022 16:53
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pandy fackler posted:Is there any specific rule of thumb for when toasted sesame oil is used versus regular sesame oil? Regional cuisines maybe? I know they're generally finishing oils, I don't cook with either except as a last step in the dish. Usually you use sesame oil for the flavor so you want toasted sesame oil
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Oct 25, 2022 16:57
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pandy fackler posted:Is there any specific rule of thumb for when toasted sesame oil is used versus regular sesame oil? Regional cuisines maybe? I know they're generally finishing oils, I don't cook with either except as a last step in the dish. Untoasted is just regular cooking oil. Toasted is for the flavor. Usually you don't cook with it though there are many exceptions.
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Oct 25, 2022 17:39
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That reminds me, should sesame oil be in the fridge after opening or left out? Not sure what kind exactly, this kind: https://www.amazon.ca/Kadoya-Pure-Sesame-Oil-5-5/dp/B008K0Y3FK/
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Oct 25, 2022 22:12
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