Wok this way. The Chinese food thread.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Wok this way. The Chinese food thread.

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Baibai Kuaikuai posted:

Does Beijing use any specific cuisine? I've always wondered this, and only get links to "Peking duck" when I search for Beijing cuisine.

Basically the roast duck and Zha Jiang Mian (Fried Sauce Noodles) if you're looking for Beijing specific.

As someone else has said, it's pretty much "Northern" since everything's been mixed together for so long.

vvv excuse the double post

totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 01:57 on Jan 17, 2012

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 01:45

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 15:18

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Beef Noodle Soup

The meat is an art. The shopkeep I used to go to got his meat from he-says-Chicago, but that was 7 hours away. The way it tasted though, I'd believe it. The key to having good beef noodle soup is to have as much connective tissue as possible and to simmer for as long as possible. You basically want to boil the tendons down so much that it's goo. But this is a lot easier.

You will need:

~1 lb top blade steak or chuck steak
10 cm ginger
6 cloves garlic
2-3 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
star anise
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 yellow onion
4 sticks cinnamon
4 cups chicken broth
(Also not pictured: green onion, (baby) bok choy, cilantro, noodles)

Sautee your onions in oil until they begin to turn translucent.

Add cinnamon + star anise for a couple minutes

Add garlic, ginger, garlic chili sauce for another minute

Add broth, soy sauce, 4-5 cups water, cover and bring to a boil

Did you find top blade steak? Didn't think so. Cut chuck steak so that there is connective tissue throughout the meat.

Add meat, bring to a boil, partially cover, simmer on low for 2 hours

Remove star anise, ginger, cinnamon (or just don't eat it if you find it in your bowl)
Add chopped (baby) bok choy while you're simmering for maybe 5 minutes or a bit more
Add some green onions
Pour broth on pre-cooked (and strained) noodles
Garnish with cilantro

Eat!

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 01:57

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

I just used soumen because I have 10 lbs of it around but you can use whatever, I'm sure, as long as thin. Forgot to bring soumen to my buddy's when I made it there and we just used angel hair pasta. Worked out okay.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 02:29

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Yeah, my kitchen is pretty sparse... I literally don't have an appropriate tool to skim with. I've been buying utensils as I needed them.

I will definitely have to try a bit of rock sugar and peppercorn next time. Thanks for the tip.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 05:25

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Hey, actually, anyone want to share your personal methodology for making hong shao rou (红烧肉)? I'm most interested in if/how you guys get a nice glaze on the meat.

# ¿ Jan 17, 2012 06:27

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

I generally just cover my century eggs with fresh chopped ginger and Chinese vinegar, though it's also great in porridge.

# ¿ Jan 19, 2012 17:58

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Is there any other kind of steel?

The only reason to ever get a cast iron wok is if you want your left arm to be 3 times the size of your right arm, I think.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 05:53

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

pork never goes bad posted:

Stainless steel?

Basically, yes there are other kinds of steel, you muppet.

All steels contain carbon :ssh:

It was just a joke, a lot to myself, admittedly, regarding the term "carbon steel". The term "plain carbon steel" is preferred by ASM as it is a bit more precise.

But okay, sure, there are low alloy steels, high alloy steels, or you can classify by structure, etc. I just find the term "carbon steel" to be like the word "bike". People usually know what you mean but bicycle or motorcycle are better.

Back to woks, make sure it is not teflon coated. Those are annoying and not so good.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 15:51

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Magna Kaser posted:

The problem is more that they all have nonstick crap on them and crappy plastic handles everywhere. The really good ones are either hidden somewhere or well over what would be 100 USD. I cannot find cheaperish ones in any of my local appliance stores, supermarkets or smaller local shops.

That said I'm going to be taking cooking lessons from a fairly accomplished Sichuan chef here in Chengdu in exchange for English lessons, so I'll share some recipes once I get them. Maybe some before that as I've been in this place for 3 years and have picked up a fair amount of stuff already.

I'd obviously switch off and use my right hand too to even poo poo out. That's like weightlifting 101!

Have you checked out Asian food stores? They usually carry a small but decent selection.

Actually close by me (it is in Madison Heights, MI), there is an Asian (restaurant) supply store. Maybe there is something near your area?

And post what you learn, for the love of all things tasty...

# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 21:56

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

I misread here in chengdu for from chengdu, don't get your panties all in a bunch.

vvv calm down

totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 23:58 on Sep 11, 2012

# ¿ Sep 11, 2012 22:48

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Or hey, English lesson number 1: "Where can I buy a good wok?"

# ¿ Sep 12, 2012 01:59

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

bamhand posted:

Isn't that just the Chinese word for vegetables?

No, it is bok choy. Vegetable is shu1cai4. Sorry, no Chinese input on my phone.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2012 21:01

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Rurutia posted:

bai cai is napa cabbage with every Chinese person I've known.

大白菜 = napa cabbage
小白菜 = 青菜 = bok choy (although my family doesn't ever actually called it 小白菜, always 青菜)

# ¿ Sep 27, 2012 03:47

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

It's a lot easier to raise pigs than cows when you don't have tons of land for pasture.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2012 02:07

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

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

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

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

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

dino. posted:

I've been watching this lady too: http://www.youtube.com/user/wantanmien?feature=watch

I made this a while ago.

Here are the instructions in a less youtube way (in the form of an imgur album)

YouTube's Wantanmien's Hot and Sour Soup
http://imgur.com/a/lFbl8

# ¿ Dec 2, 2012 03:24

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Or revolutionize Chinese cuisine

# ¿ Jan 11, 2013 20:16

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

You just haven't discovered the key to turning sand into a DELICACY yet, obviously

"This... This is a real man's dish. It's got GRIT."

# ¿ Jan 11, 2013 23:17

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Arglebargle III posted:

Probably should have mentioned that, on reflection, I don't know how to make pancakes. It's the sort of thing that you assume you do know until you have to think about it.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/good-old-fashioned-pancakes/

Good luck!

# ¿ Feb 12, 2014 15:58

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Restaurant nearby also uses it in fried rice.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 22:31

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Quarter, dip in black vinegar+chopped ginger, eat.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2014 22:56

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Emushka posted:

maybe a bit of harissa, but that's not chinese...

Cumin on lamb? Maybe not originally Chinese in the "who was the first guy to put cumin on lamb" sense, but it is definitely Chinese. And definitely delicious.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2014 16:05

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Oh, yeah, I see. My bad :v:

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 14:45

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Emushka posted:

sorry! I'm not native in the English language...

Nah, I just misunderstood you. No big deal.

tonberrytoby posted:

Does anybody know if purified MSG goes stale or bad?
I have a box of it sitting in my spice rack for well over a year and I have only used half of it.
Instinctively I just treat it like sugar, but does anybody have real knowledge?

It's fine.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2014 15:02

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Grand Fromage posted:

It's pretty common? I expected it to be rare too and have been surprised how normal it is. It's not everywhere like Korea but there are probably five seafood places within a reasonable walk of my apartment, which is in the middle of loving nowhere. And the grocery stores have an impressive variety of seafood, much better than Korean stores. Cheaper than when I was living literally next to the ocean, too.

Saltwater fish or freshwater fish?

# ¿ Nov 4, 2014 16:42

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

With so many differences in Chinese cooking, talking about hongshaorou is like talking about barbeque ribs. Every place you go will have something different.

# ¿ Nov 29, 2014 07:25

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Is the bottle with the clear liquid supposed to be vinegar?

Chinese vinegar is black.

Carbon steel wok is pretty cheap, so you might as well get one. http://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=carbon+steel+wok Though, are you sure yours has a nonstick coating and it's not just oil that's used to protect the steel from rust that's being burned off?

# ¿ Dec 1, 2014 22:04

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Well, plastic and oil aren't really that far off from each other, nor from Teflon for that matter, so it's entirely possible that it smells similar when burnt.

If the surface is slightly bumpy/rough then it's Teflon. Otherwise, it's probably just a coating.

And regarding vinegar, you guys are weird, there's only one true vinegar:
https://www.google.com/search?q=chi...ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

(Not to suggest there's not other kinds of Chinese vinegar)

# ¿ Dec 1, 2014 22:57

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Grand Fromage posted:

There's nothing wrong with frozen seafood. All seafood is flash frozen on the boat. Unless you're catching it yourself/buying it from a fisherman at the docks/getting it live, it was frozen.

If you're not buying live stuff it's actually best to buy it frozen since you can thaw it properly, instead of whatever they did to thaw the "fresh" seafood at the grocery store counter.

Also literally every grocery store here has numerous tanks full of live fish, I dunno where you got this idea that all the seafood in Sichuan is frozen. I see more fresh fish here than I did living right next to the ocean in Korea.

What IS unacceptable is the pre-cooked stuff. Made that mistake, once. Never again.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2014 21:49

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Adult Sword Owner posted:

I need this kitchen thanks

e: Also I'm noticing that part of the reason I can't toss the wok properly is that my stove is much higher than in that video so the angle is super weird. Yet another reason I need to get a house so I can have a turkeyburner

Get a stool.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2015 18:45

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

caberham posted:

That's why Chinese families hate open kitchens. But then again, cooking steak makes your house smell pretty bad as well.

Ugh, god, my roommate cooks steaks on a George Foreman all the drat time, including the wee hours of the morning because his schedule is incredibly weird (gets up at 1 AM to go work out for a few hours, etc.) so I'll wake up to this smell.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2015 15:32

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Go with stainless for your basic pots and pans. A decent set will be 100-200, which is pricey when you're in school, but you only need one set ever.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2015 21:28

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Well, anything where you want a bit of spice. Here's an example: http://imgur.com/a/p3VE7

Or you can use it with black vinegar for wontons/gyoza.

I made this last night (I may have used the Instagram to cheat and give it a little more color):

# ¿ Mar 4, 2015 06:58

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Omit it and use your imagination! And your bitter tears.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2015 00:07

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Went looking through the OP and noticed that beef noodle soup was missing. Everyone should learn to make beef noodle soup: http://imgur.com/a/9pWAb

# ¿ Apr 8, 2015 16:33

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Is there a 山西老陳酢

# ¿ Apr 14, 2015 13:42

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

My mom used to live in Chengdu and she made it like that once.

I think that was, genuinely, the only time when I've ever told my mom I straight up wasn't going to eat any more of her cooking.

...though now, I think I'd like it. Mom, make some more!

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 02:55

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Hey, just because you're not used to the taste doesn't mean it doesn't taste good.

Gimme some of that ammonia :centuryegg:

# ¿ Apr 22, 2015 03:11

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# ¿ Apr 25, 2024 15:18

totalnewbie: Nov 13, 2005; I was born and raised in China, lived in Japan, and now hold a US passport.

I am wrong in every way, all the damn time.

Ask me about my tattoos.

Humblebrag much > :mad:

# ¿ Apr 23, 2015 02:45

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > Wok this way. The Chinese food thread.

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