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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Wok this way. The Chinese food thread.
 
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The Macaroni
Dec 20, 2002
...it does nothing.
PorkFat, is there a particular brand of Chinese soy sauce that you like? I know I'm weird, but I've always preferred the taste of Japanese thin/light soy sauce and Thai thick/dark soy sauce. Doesn't mean I'm not open to change if I meet the right soy sauce. OP likes Pearl River brand--I've never tried their thin soy, but I definitely prefer Thai Healthy Boy thick soy.

GrAviTy84 posted:

Shaoxing rice wine
Chinese cooking wine, usually added to marinades as it tames rough gamy or fishy flavors. Oft substituted with dry sherry, I find that it is worth hunting for.
Is it worth trying to find Shaoxing without salt added? (Drinking shaoxing as opposed to "cooking" shaoxing, in other words.) I don't live near a significant Chinese population, so I'd probably have a hell of a time finding it anyway. My bottle of cooking shaoxing is just about gone and I need to get some more.

* # ¿ Apr 5, 2011 14:39
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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 21:17
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The Macaroni
Dec 20, 2002
...it does nothing.

PorkFat posted:

Yeah, I think Pearl River brand is the best. As for cooking wine, I also find myself in the pit of despair with few choices in good ingredients unless I drive an hour into the city. Don't use the cooking rice wine with salt and crap in it. I mix things up by using vodka or tequila. A good tequila like 1800 gold will add a peppery note which is great in Szechuan style. Even if you have the real Shaoxing available, I recommend you try it a few times with other booze. And the OP said, sherry is a decent substitute.
I've used sherry in the past with good results, but I'm always worried that I don't go through it fast enough--I don't drink, so I'm not really the "use a couple spoonfuls for cooking then drink the rest" type. I've used sake too, didn't really work for me. One good thing about the cooking Shaoxing is that it's so loaded with crap, it can't get any worse than when it's first opened.

* # ¿ Apr 7, 2011 14:30
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The Macaroni
Dec 20, 2002
...it does nothing.
Resurrecting the soy sauce discussion from page 1: I made ma po tofu with Pearl River soy sauce, and my wife was like, "Nuh-uh, switch back to Kikkoman." It wasn't bad by any stretch, but we're so used to the bonus sweetness/alcohol taste of Kikkoman that the cleaner taste of Chinese soy sauce is weird to us. I'm a terrible person. :(

I also learned what happens when you make a stir-fry with a bunch of garlic but no ginger (we were out): your farts smell like burning rubber for about a day.

* # ¿ May 1, 2011 22:47
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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Wok this way. The Chinese food thread.