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Arglebargle III
Feb 21, 2006

I made steamed bao with friends today. It was a simple pork and cabbage filling but it went over really well. I didn't expect the dough to expand so much in the steamer though! Definitely will make smaller ones next time.

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fart simpson
Jul 2, 2005

DEATH TO AMERICA
:xickos:

caberham posted:

Where in japan is mapo tofu tasty? I’m curious to try it out

I had a weird but good one in a little family run restaurant in Kyoto that used that Japanese numbing spice I can’t remember the name of instead of Sichuan peppercorns. It wasn’t amazingly good but it was kinda an interesting take on the dish and pretty deece

Stringent
Dec 22, 2004


image text goes here

fart simpson posted:

I had a weird but good one in a little family run restaurant in Kyoto that used that Japanese numbing spice I can’t remember the name of instead of Sichuan peppercorns. It wasn’t amazingly good but it was kinda an interesting take on the dish and pretty deece

Oh God, now you've done it, lol.

I took him to this place once. The concept is kinda like kaiseki but with Chinese flavors.
I explained that, but he's still whinging about BOY THE CHINESE FOOD IN TOKYO IS REALLY BAAAAD!!!!

fart simpson
Jul 2, 2005

DEATH TO AMERICA
:xickos:

Stringent posted:

Oh God, now you've done it, lol.

I took him to this place once. The concept is kinda like kaiseki but with Chinese flavors.
I explained that, but he's still whinging about BOY THE CHINESE FOOD IN TOKYO IS REALLY BAAAAD!!!!

It makes sense though because he grew up mostly in Canada and if there’s one group of people who hold Chinese food to weirdly specific standards, it’s ethnic Chinese who grew up outside of china

Ailumao
Nov 4, 2004

lol if you think it's just overseas.

let me tell you about when [part of china] makes [another part of china]'s food. spoiler: everyone complains a lot.

vanity slug
Jul 20, 2010

Magna Kaser posted:

lol if you think it's just overseas.

let me tell you about when [part of china] makes [another part of china]'s food. spoiler: everyone complains a lot.

except for some reason when the hunanese take over sichuanese food and turn it into a bland pepper fest

gently caress you hunan, you're almost as bad as henan

fart simpson
Jul 2, 2005

DEATH TO AMERICA
:xickos:

Magna Kaser posted:

lol if you think it's just overseas.

let me tell you about when [part of china] makes [another part of china]'s food. spoiler: everyone complains a lot.

Come on man why can’t you just let me make fun of caberham

Hopper
Dec 28, 2004

BOOING! BOOING!
Grimey Drawer
I have a somewhat odd question. I have an electric range so I haven't been using a wok in ages. However, I will build a balcony wok station this winter. It will basically be a modified kitchen cart with a wok burner and splatter guards on 3 sides.

I have searched on the web and found that wok burners are a wide field of people obsessing over 15 kw gas burners that roar like a dragon... Since I'd like to keep my eyebrows and avoid torching my whole balcony, I want to start small. Do you guys have any recommendations for beginner suitable gas burners that provide enough heat to wok on a balcony? I was thinking maybe one of these can-based burners you get in every Asian shop might be a good practice opportunity, but am unsure whether it is hot enough.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


The burner from a turkey fryer is commonly recommended. I've also seen them in kits for home canning. The portable table stoves you're thinking of don't have the power you want.

Hopper
Dec 28, 2004

BOOING! BOOING!
Grimey Drawer
Him I don't think turkey friers exist over here. I might have to buy a fancy Thai burner after all. Fun fact: they cost 35€ and then 85€ shipping. So I might have to wait for my buddy to go to Thailand in spring for work.

hakimashou
Jul 15, 2002
Upset Trowel
One of the places I legit miss from China is Zhen Gongfu fast food.

http://www.zkungfu.cn/category/restaurant/dinner/

Especially the steamed pork and mushroom patty, this thing



"Fresh oyster mushroom patties rice

The finest pork, supplemented by high-quality mushrooms, is steamed with unique ingredients. The meat is fragrant with the winter (fragrance) mushroom, the scent is enticing, the fragrance is flexible and the taste is excellent."

It was rich and juicy and very tender and almost a little gelatinous, and I've been wondering for a long time, how is it made?

Spuckuk
Aug 11, 2009

Being a bastard works



hakimashou posted:

China is like England and the opposite of America. Southern = good and northern = bad. Cantonese is the best Chinese.

Extremely terrible opinion re: the UK. The south is objectively awful.

Arglebargle III
Feb 21, 2006

Aren't you supposed to boil the crab to death before tearing it open??? :froggonk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8UXY0lZ35w

What's the difference between 生抽 and 酱油?

Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 02:04 on Oct 13, 2018

Stringent
Dec 22, 2004


image text goes here

Arglebargle III posted:

Aren't you supposed to boil the crab to death before tearing it open??? :froggonk:

Wang Gang is metal af.

Ailumao
Nov 4, 2004

生抽 and 老抽 (light and dark soy sauce) are both just kinds of soy sauce (酱油).

Light soy sauce is mugh lighter in color and very salty, it's used in a lot of marinades and cooking. Dark soy is darker with more umami and sweet flavors and is also used in cooking.

Myron Baloney
Mar 19, 2002

Emitting dimensions are swallowing you

hakimashou posted:

One of the places I legit miss from China is Zhen Gongfu fast food.

http://www.zkungfu.cn/category/restaurant/dinner/

Especially the steamed pork and mushroom patty, this thing



"Fresh oyster mushroom patties rice

The finest pork, supplemented by high-quality mushrooms, is steamed with unique ingredients. The meat is fragrant with the winter (fragrance) mushroom, the scent is enticing, the fragrance is flexible and the taste is excellent."

It was rich and juicy and very tender and almost a little gelatinous, and I've been wondering for a long time, how is it made?

I've tried to make things like that with both Japanese and Chinese recipes, like buta niku no mushimono or googled recipes for "Chinese steamed meatloaf" and they turn out all right but basically taste like a giant dumpling filling that fell out of the skin. If there's a way to make it more like what you describe I'd love to know what it is also.

Jhet
Jun 3, 2013

Myron Baloney posted:

I've tried to make things like that with both Japanese and Chinese recipes, like buta niku no mushimono or googled recipes for "Chinese steamed meatloaf" and they turn out all right but basically taste like a giant dumpling filling that fell out of the skin. If there's a way to make it more like what you describe I'd love to know what it is also.

Are you mixing it enough? That seems to be a decent trick to getting a really tender and moist consistency for Swedish meatballs, so the idea seems like it would be similar in technique. When I say mixing it enough, I mean really over mixing until it's really stringy and the pork starts looking like it's a gummy mass with the pork and egg. I believe you can add a little cold water at a time to make it really springy and to keep the fats cooler while you're pulling on them. When I make the Swedish meatballs I just dump everything in a stand mixer with a paddle and turn it on for about 5 minutes and it gets a texture like what was described when cooked and rested.

hakimashou
Jul 15, 2002
Upset Trowel
I asked a cantonese american person once and they said maybe you have to pound on it a lot.

OBAMNA PHONE
Aug 7, 2002
So apparently I bought "qian hu black glutinous rice wine" instead of shaoxing rice wine so uh what do I do with it

Ailumao
Nov 4, 2004

BraveUlysses posted:

So apparently I bought "qian hu black glutinous rice wine" instead of shaoxing rice wine so uh what do I do with it

in china it's often used for TCM stuff but i've also seen it used in marinades similar to shaoxing wine so I'd just do that.

don't drink it.

Xun
Apr 25, 2010

Anyone know how to make silken tofu/douhua? Like the proper almost soupy kind, the store near us has a kit for "firm silken tofu" but I'm not sure if we can use the starter but with a different recipe

TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.

Xun posted:

Anyone know how to make silken tofu/douhua? Like the proper almost soupy kind, the store near us has a kit for "firm silken tofu" but I'm not sure if we can use the starter but with a different recipe
You combine soy milk with a coagulant. This book covers it pretty well. Tofu is not fermented, so you do not use a "starter" at all, let alone use store-bought tofu as a starter.

Xun
Apr 25, 2010

TychoCelchuuu posted:

You combine soy milk with a coagulant. This book covers it pretty well. Tofu is not fermented, so you do not use a "starter" at all, let alone use store-bought tofu as a starter.

Right sorry I worded it wrong since I'm working with chinese which tbh I only half understand. I suppose what I mean is can I use the same coagulant as one from a store bought firm silky (seriously wtf does this even mean) tofu kit and use it in a recipe for the consistency we want.

Xun fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Oct 23, 2018

Sextro
Aug 23, 2014

"silky" and "cottony" refer to the texture of the tofu, while "firm" or "soft" refer to the density. You can blame Nasoya and other big brands targeted at white people for really muddling the issue.

Here

https://www.seriouseats.com/2014/06/shopping-cooking-guide-different-tofu-types.html

Sextro fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Oct 23, 2018

TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.

Xun posted:

Right sorry I worded it wrong since I'm working with chinese which tbh I only half understand. I suppose what I mean is can I use the same coagulant as one from a store bought firm silky (seriously wtf does this even mean) tofu kit and use it in a recipe for the consistency we want.
Oh, right. Yes, it should work just fine.

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer
So the original producer of bite of china made a new food series

"Once upon a bite"

It's really well shot and the sounds are amazing. There's even segments of food comparisons with other countries without the stupid blatant propaganda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKB_jG48vEc&t=7s

caberham
Mar 18, 2009

by Smythe
Grimey Drawer
Oh and I found this on youtube.

Shunde is legit. I have been there a few times and the food there is a notch better than your typical Cantonese. They might not use the best ingredients but its culinary history is quite strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GT4iaAqe8E

Power Khan
Aug 20, 2011

by Fritz the Horse
I finally got my hands on a glass of Angry Lady chili crisp sauce, what are your favourite recipes that use it?

Amergin
Jan 29, 2013

THE SOUND A WET FART MAKES

Power Khan posted:

I finally got my hands on a glass of Angry Lady chili crisp sauce, what are your favourite recipes that use it?

Just use it in everything. Seriously.

Cold noodle salad? Throw it in the dressing.
Making dumplings or buns? Throw it in a dipping sauce.
Making a soup, like beef rib soup? Throw it in a dipping sauce for the ribs.
Whole steamed fish? Either use it in a dipping sauce or throw some on the steamed fish itself.
Mapo dofu? Stir fry? Fried rice? Add it in.

I would say the only time we don't toss it in is with soups - we always use it in a dipping sauce, but we rarely add it to the soup base itself. The exception to THIS exception would be noodle bowls (AKA noodle soups) where a dollop is tossed in the middle at the end (usually with some chopped Chinese pickle/relish).
I mean really just use it in everything. BBQ sauces, sandwiches, whatever. I used some in an Asian riff on deviled eggs recently. Also goes well with hashbrowns and potato cakes (you could also probably do a ghetto version of Yunnan's granny potatoes with it).

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


It's not really used in cooking, it's a condiment. Put a generous glob onto your fried rice and stir it in. The only time I can think of when I cook with it is I like to mix it into scrambled eggs or omelets.

Ailumao
Nov 4, 2004

there's a few different laoganma products, and most people who don't read chinese or cook food that'd use it a lot don't know what they're buying since in the US they always get labeled as "chili sauce" even though they're pretty different in flavor and usage.

there is a dou chi you can absolutely use in cooking stuff and then the normal chili oil you'd use for a condiment.

here is the dou chi: https://www.amazon.com/Black-Bean-Chilli-Sauce-280g/dp/B0051D84GI

here is the chili sauce: https://www.amazon.com/Laoganma-Lao-Gan-Ma-Chilisauce/dp/B007B4NY74

you'd use the first to make stuff like mapo doufu, ganguo whatever, most sichuan food, etc...

second would be the saucy dippy type. There are a few varieties of each.

if you see 豆豉 on the bottle it's the dou chi you'd use in cookin stuff.

edit:

whoa amazon has pixian doubanjiang https://www.amazon.com/Sichuan-Pixian-Xian-Broad-Paste/dp/B00A9OF6NS

get this poo poo and make everything.

Bald Stalin
Jul 11, 2004

Our posts
I used that Amazon pixian doubanjiang with some ground pork and noodles the other month. Pretty good stuff.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


Yep that's the brand I'd recommend, very popular legit stuff from Pixian.

Jhet
Jun 3, 2013
How have you not used it at least a couple times since using it last month?


In other news, I've found many Erjingtiao seeds now. https://www.tmall.com/mlist/regular_ryF1wlaDpMryzACx_qeZkZ5v5L6Y3RvZsCIp_3wvHAc.html
I just have no idea how to figure out if they ship to the US (my guess is probably not?) and while using google translate it keeps telling me that I'm buying a baby...

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


Mandarin only has like five syllables used in different combinations, baby is how google translates like product/package.

If Magna Kaser is willing to check if shipping to the US is possible I'd buy some for both of us, I still have some money stuck in my Wechat wallet I could send him. My attempts to germinate seeds from the dried Sichuan chilies I brought home with me haven't worked yet.

Jhet
Jun 3, 2013

Grand Fromage posted:

Mandarin only has like five syllables used in different combinations, baby is how google translates like product/package.

If Magna Kaser is willing to check if shipping to the US is possible I'd buy some for both of us, I still have some money stuck in my Wechat wallet I could send him. My attempts to germinate seeds from the dried Sichuan chilies I brought home with me haven't worked yet.

I'd be more than happy to split all the costs with you. I've been searching for a while now (off and on) and this is the first hit I've found for seeds that aren't part of a bag meant for cooking.

I just happened across tmall via something completely unrelated and decided to google search that with 二金条 and there it was. I'm just happy I found any. My wife has colleagues in Shanghai, but she won't be visiting until after seed starting needs to be done or I'd just ship them to the office.

Grand Fromage
Jan 30, 2006

L-l-look at you bar-bartender, a-a pa-pathetic creature of meat and bone, un-underestimating my l-l-liver's ability to metab-meTABolize t-toxins. How can you p-poison a perfect, immortal alcohOLIC?


They are easy enough to pick up in the meantime: https://www.amazon.com/THREE-SQUIRR...an%2Bchili&th=1

Though it'd take like four of those bags to make a proper portion of 辣子鸡.

Jhet
Jun 3, 2013
Those should just come in 1# bags. My groceries actually have me covered for dried chilies, but I'd have to trek to Chinatown if I had hope of finding Pixian doubanjiang.

Which is where this quest for finding the Erjingtiao originally started. My dad being celiac means I can't cook most of this stuff with store bought ingredients because they all use wheat to start the mold. If they'd use rice, this never would have come up and I'd probably have entirely missed out on what has been an interesting trip down the spicy rabbit hole of hot peppers and soy sauce.

The doubanjiang I made didn't turn out right, because I used Thai chili peppers. It's interesting, but it's not what I wanted and I'm having a hard time trying to use it. The soy sauce has been a trip and a half, and I should be bottling that this month maybe? It could take another couple months because the oxidation is behind what I'd expect and it's still fermenting.

And as a side note this is also colliding with my brewing hobby as I'm trying to figure out how to properly measure if my barley has been converted from starches to sugars by the mold used to do all this crazy stuff. There's some info out there, but it's in Japanese and I grew up in a time and place where we didn't even have an option of learning a second language until high school.

Ailumao
Nov 4, 2004

tmall and taobao call everything 宝贝 which is actually baby and just a weird thing they do.

i checked the international site and they didn't show up but you could always try anyway? im sure some seller would do it, maybe.

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TychoCelchuuu
Jan 2, 2012

This space for Rent.
As long as we're talking about procuring ingredients, I'll take this time to register my sadness that I've moved from Southern California, where I lived 15 minutes away from a 99 Ranch with Pixian doubanjiang, douchi, Sichuan peppercorns (green and red!), all sorts of soy sauces, vinegars, fermented tofus, mushrooms both dried and fresh, noodles, rices, ya cai, and a dozen other things, to buttfuck nowhere India, where I think I saw soy sauce once.

On the upside, I learned that India has "Chinese food" in the same way America does, which is to say it has a whole little cuisine of quasi-Chinese Indian food which is pretty cool. I've had things like veg manchurian and schezwan noodles and it's funny how similar to American Chinese food they are. When America and India ran into Chinese food, they both apparently went "great, but can we just make everything sweet? And we'll use our own spices, thanks."

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