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Taima posted:Interesting stuff! If anyone wants to know where to get this, it's at Asian Family Market on Aurora Ave in Seattle. Very well stocked Chinese-centric store that also carries other SE asian foods and it's also next to a very tasty bakery called Kiki Bakery It's the grocery I frequent. I agree it's very well stocked. The produce section is often the best in the area, and they have a nice variety of sauces and oils to go with it. I normally walk out with one or two things I hadn't planned on getting or didn't know I needed.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:05
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Google image search results tell us Kenji is wrong there are other stores that sell the oil that's being imported all the way from China. So any other goons reading this thread don't despair if you think buying it online is too expensive.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:22
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Kenji lived in northern California, not SoCal. I saw caiziyou on the shelves at the 99 Ranch near my folks house in Anaheim, but not the ones near my home in NorCal. It's definitely possible to get somewhere, at least.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:38
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Is it a similar situation to mustard oil used in Indian cooking? I’ve read that in the states they sell mustard oil for “cosmetic purposes”  but I might be off base on that one.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:46
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Kenji's just wrong if he's said that recently. It used to be hard to find and has since become far more available, like pickled erjingtiao. If it's something he said years ago, that's why.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:48
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Probably still wrong to say it was the only store. An importer wouldn't bother for 1 random store in Seattle.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:53
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I've seen some weird poo poo man. When I lived in Korea there was a single supermarket in my city that would get a shipment of Cheez-Its at a random time once a year. You could buy em there until they ran out and that was it until the next Cheez-It Brigadoon appeared.
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Feb 7, 2024 23:56
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mystes posted:This is just my guess but I think they get restocked less frequently than normal grocery stores, so their produce can be iffy Produce from the one I go to is fine.
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Feb 8, 2024 00:15
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Eeyo posted:Is it a similar situation to mustard oil used in Indian cooking? Chinese cooking demystified suggested going this route and I got a bottle of mustard oil and made some pretty bomb mapo tofu
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Feb 8, 2024 02:03
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Here I sat in the UK thinking canola and rapeseed oil were the same thing, having seen canola mentioned on US recipes when we only get rapeseed.
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Feb 8, 2024 06:40
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I'm pretty confused too. Isn't canola just a varietal of rapeseed?
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Feb 8, 2024 14:14
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Canola oil is purified oil from a low erucic acid variety of rapeseed so it's a neutral oil. I think that's what rapeseed oil is in the uk too. Caiziyou is roasted expeller pressed rapeseed oil that's not from a low erucic acid variety so it has an intense flavor and it's not a neutral oil.
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Feb 8, 2024 14:22
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Erucic acid was linked to heart disease in some animal studies (IDK if there's been anything more than that or anything modern) which prompted the development of canola oil way back when. That's also why there's limits to the acid content of imported oils, and the "for external use only" mustard oils that people cook with anyway.
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Feb 8, 2024 15:20
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Got around to trying some sichuan peppercorns I picked up at the asian market, but they taste fruity and bitter, with a horrible, sharp metallic aftertaste that makes even water taste weird. Did I get a bad batch or does my body just hate them? And it is just the husks, not the actual peppercorns.
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Feb 8, 2024 15:35
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Did anyone else ever do a doubletake when first seeing the name of that oil when like first seeing it?
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Feb 8, 2024 15:57
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Caiziyou?
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Feb 8, 2024 16:17
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mystes posted:Caiziyou? No not that one. Anyways, I added some doubanjan when stir frying up some konjac/shiratake fettucine, and seems to work out pretty well, adds some nice redness to my keto ramen.
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Feb 8, 2024 16:54
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Eeyo posted:Erucic acid was linked to heart disease in some animal studies (IDK if there's been anything more than that or anything modern) which prompted the development of canola oil way back when. That's also why there's limits to the acid content of imported oils, and the "for external use only" mustard oils that people cook with anyway. The studies are pretty iffy. It does cause issues for rats, but those issues have never been observed in any other animal and it seems more like erucic acid is bad for rats rather than it's just bad in general. FishBowlRobot posted:Got around to trying some sichuan peppercorns I picked up at the asian market, but they taste fruity and bitter, with a horrible, sharp metallic aftertaste that makes even water taste weird. Did I get a bad batch or does my body just hate them? Just the husks is good, that's the part you eat. If you have the black seed part in there throw that out, it's hard and flavorless. Sichuan pepper is fruity, the green variety in particular is very citrusy. The aftertaste is the effect of the chemical in it that numbs your mouth. If it's the first time and you just ate them by themselves, it's a lot and I'm not surprised you're put off. It's an acquired taste, but definitely try them in food before you dismiss it. They're not intended to be eaten on their own.
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Feb 8, 2024 19:03
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You can eat the peppercorns separately from just grinding them as seasoning for other recipes?
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Feb 8, 2024 19:08
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Raenir Salazar posted:You can eat the peppercorns separately from just grinding them as seasoning for other recipes?
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Feb 8, 2024 19:10
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If you want. There aren't very many situations where you grind them in Sichuan food, they're usually whole. Mapo tofu is the only one that uses powder I can think of offhand. It shows up in some spice blends too.
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Feb 8, 2024 19:11
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Jhet posted:It's the grocery I frequent. I agree it's very well stocked. The produce section is often the best in the area, and they have a nice variety of sauces and oils to go with it. I normally walk out with one or two things I hadn't planned on getting or didn't know I needed. Hows it going Seattle friend. I recently moved here, any recommendations for Chinese joints or Chinese-adjacent (SE asian) Grand Fromage posted:Kenji's just wrong if he's said that recently. It used to be hard to find and has since become far more available, like pickled erjingtiao. If it's something he said years ago, that's why. That's good to know thanks! I think it's still pretty rare by any normal use of the word though. I had to look around to find it and Seattle is up there in terms of "places where you would find somethin' like that in the USA". Regardless it's great to see. It wasn't that long ago that relatively benign things like palm sugar were scarce in much of the USA, lots of progress in little time for sure. Are there any niche but increasingly available products you recommend? Sounds like you have a deep knowledge of Chinese cooking  I use "Sichuan Pepper Pickles" from fan sao guang, that is using pickled erjingtiao, I think? Just curious. Taima fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Feb 8, 2024 |
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Feb 8, 2024 19:17
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Grand Fromage posted:The studies are pretty iffy. It does cause issues for rats, but those issues have never been observed in any other animal and it seems more like erucic acid is bad for rats rather than it's just bad in general. Yeah I was looking it up this morning. It looks like part of it was those rat studies, and part of it was incorrectly attributing some toxic oil syndrome to the acid. But I'm guessing if it's bad it can't be that bad, it's not like people in Sichuan or India are dying from heart attacks at an insane rate.
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Feb 8, 2024 19:52
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Taima posted:Are there any niche but increasingly available products you recommend? Sounds like you have a deep knowledge of Chinese cooking Eh. Sichuan cooking I know pretty well. China has a lot of different cuisines. I wouldn't claim extensive knowledge about non-Sichuan stuff. I get most of my Sichuan ingredients online, Mala Market has just about everything you could want and the quality's great. If you haven't tried real doubanjiang pretty much every Chinese grocery seems to have that nowadays. It's not niche but I think the lovely Lee Kum Kee version was the only one available at one point.  This brand is everywhere and good. The jar is the red oil version, there should also be paste in a bag which is fermented for longer and has a stronger funk. Taima posted:I use "Sichuan Pepper Pickles" from fan sao guang, that is using pickled erjingtiao, I think? Just curious. If what I found image searching is what you have, no. It might have erjingtiaos in the mix but that's not what I'm talking about. This is:  The whole erjingtiao is pickled. One of the popular uses for it is yuxiang sauce, that calls for a bunch of these guys chopped into a paste. Useful anywhere you want both sour and pickle, I like throwing some larger pieces in with hand torn cabbage.  This is the brand that I see in the US, they're good.
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Feb 8, 2024 19:52
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Taima posted:Hows it going Seattle friend. I recently moved here, any recommendations for Chinese joints or Chinese-adjacent (SE asian) If you go north up 99 into Edmonds/Lynnwood there’s a bunch of Korean and Chinese restaurants up by 99 Ranch. Best of Chengdu is on 200th and Hwy99 and they have an actual menu to go with the American Chinese stuff. Dong Ting Chun is on 220th and is more of a Hunan menu. There are tons of Korean BBQ and fried chicken places too. There used to be a good Bao shop by the AMC just south of Asian Family Market, but it closed with the grocery store in that complex. SE Asia is well represented across most neighborhoods with Thai and Pho being all over the place and most popular. I’m in Ballard and can think of a half dozen shops nearby. Same goes for Fremont/Wallingford. The U-district has a ton of places on University Way. My knowledge of the restaurants in the south end is lacking, but I’d be surprised if there weren’t a bunch of good ones mixed in. But if you haven’t already, find a teriyaki shop. It’s tradition and Seattle’s version of fast-casual and cheap eats. A lot of them are closed on Sundays.
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Feb 8, 2024 19:59
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I didn’t throw a handful of peppercorns in my mouth or anything, just tossed some in a meal I was cooking. Admittedly, I used too much that time but had the same experience when using less as well. Guess I need to follow a couple recipes to see if that helps and get a feel for appropriate amounts.
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Feb 8, 2024 20:04
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FishBowlRobot posted:I didn’t throw a handful of peppercorns in my mouth or anything, just tossed some in a meal I was cooking. Admittedly, I used too much that time but had the same experience when using less as well.
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Feb 8, 2024 20:07
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You build up a tolerance to the numbing chemical. If you're following a Sichuan cook's recipe they're probably going to use a lot, you can back off on that until you get used to it.
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Feb 8, 2024 20:08
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FishBowlRobot posted:Got around to trying some sichuan peppercorns I picked up at the asian market, but they taste fruity and bitter, with a horrible, sharp metallic aftertaste that makes even water taste weird. Did I get a bad batch or does my body just hate them? Did you roast them a little first? I haven't noticed bitterness or a metallic aftertaste even when eating them raw, but maybe that could make a difference for you. It's also possible we just describe tastes differently. The citrusy flavor sounds right though!
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Feb 8, 2024 23:17
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IMO if they have a horrible sharp metallic aftertaste throw them away. Sichuan peppercorns aren't expensive. Trust your tongue and get new ones.
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Feb 9, 2024 01:16
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I also would not describe it as bitter or metallic. It is a very weird sensation the first time though, I can see it being hard to describe. My experience is Sichuan pepper at Chinese groceries is usually old and kind of lovely. Mala Market and 50hertz sell much better quality.
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Feb 9, 2024 01:30
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The little black fruits are definitely bitter.
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Feb 9, 2024 02:08
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Grand Fromage posted:I also would not describe it as bitter or metallic. It is a very weird sensation the first time though, I can see it being hard to describe.
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Feb 9, 2024 02:19
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Knocked out 6 L of superior stock for tomorrow. On a whim I used the chicken skin and some pork fat to make a fried shallot aromatic oil. It's taking a lot of restraint to not drink 1 L right now.
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Feb 10, 2024 05:39
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Gao continued to be way too handsome and funny.
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Feb 12, 2024 23:21
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Any recs for veg heavy dishes and stir fries? I need more greens in my diet. Bonus points if there’s a use for leftover pickled mustard.
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Feb 25, 2024 06:02
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Pollyanna posted:Any recs for veg heavy dishes and stir fries? I need more greens in my diet. Bonus points if there’s a use for leftover pickled mustard. How do you have leftover pickled mustard. NVM, just make more dry fried green beans. Or take any greens, blanch them, and do them the same way.
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Feb 25, 2024 07:27
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Yeah are we talking yibin yacai, zhacai, something else? You can do this with basically any vegetable: chop to size, blanch quickly in boiling water with a pinch of salt and oil. Or blanch then cut whatever. Shock in cold, let it dry. Thin slice garlic, ginger, a couple of green onions or just like half a regular onion, whatever you have. Chop up some chilies here if you want. Lube up the wok. Oil, lard, fry some chopped bacon, any combo of the above. Briefly fry the garlic/ginger/onion/peppers. Add your zhacai. If you're in a numb mood add some huajiao here. I like green for vegetables. Throw in the drained vegetable, stir fry for a minute. Pinch of salt, MSG, little glug of soy sauce around the wok, off the heat, toss with a finisher depending on what you're in the mood for: black vinegar, toasted sesame oil, oyster sauce, or a combo thereof. Done. If you have a pickle other than zhacai use that instead, should be good with whatever. If it's not a particularly salty pickle you may need more salt or want to throw in some douchi. Zhacai is pretty salty so no need. If you want to get fancy you can make a little cornstarch or potato starch slurry and add just a touch at the end, before turning off the heat. I usually don't bother but it will make the sauce cling better. Doing that plus adding a little bit of cooking oil at the end gives it that gloss you get at restaurants. E: If you want something really fast and simple, broccoli or gai lan blanched and tossed in oyster sauce is a classic. Brussels sprouts and green beans would probably be good that way too. Grand Fromage fucked around with this message at 08:08 on Feb 25, 2024 |
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Feb 25, 2024 07:41
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Brussels sprouts are great that way, toss in some chopped up cashews for crunch and extra flavour.
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Feb 25, 2024 09:52
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Seattle has one of the most confounding Chinese restaurants I’ve ever been to. It’s called Sichuan cuisine (老四川） in the ID and it’s a bizarre not-quite-American Chinese but also not really like any Sichuan food I had anywhere in Sichuan. I’m like it fine it’s just real unique. I just buy caiziyou online from some importers the same as I buy pixian doubanjiang, xuecai, and other stuff which is harder to find. Recently found some frozen jiaobai from Taiwan I’m excited to try out.
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Feb 27, 2024 16:29
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