culinary mistakes

[Madot]

I know I am making a series of what must be typical and inevitable waiguoren blunders in the kitchen. If only someone could give me the list so I wouldn’t have to repeat them. I learned that you can’t make an omelet in a wok. You can make scrambled eggs, but not an omelet. Chinese noodles cook INSTANTLY, unlike Italian spaghetti, and when you put them in soup, they drink it up like a sponge. They do this between the time you put them in the soup and you reach for the chopsticks to separate them! What remains are wet noodles, not soup. Chicken stock powder doesn’t have salt in it. And there is nothing even remotely resembling bread. What there is, is cake which is labeled “bread”.

I am NOT aiming to do western cooking. I want to learn more Chinese recipes. I have some really good ones, but not enough to have 3 times a day for the next 3 months...

Could anyone help with some Chinese kitchen advice, i.e. cooking techniques you need to know even before you attempt unfamiliar recipes, or even things NOT to try? And any recipes or even just general ideas for what to cook would be SO very much appreicated. I promise to share the fruits of my labours...

Mado

[liuzhou]

You can't make pancakes in a wok either! Buy a flat frying pan. That's what Chinese people do!

Some Chinese noodles cook instantly - not all.

Where are you that you can't find real bread? I've been eating real bread for years in relatively small city in one of China's less developed areas.

[Madot]

Come on, guys! I can't be the ONLY one who wants to cook around here rather than just eat at t he uni cafeteria. (Thanks for the suggestion about the flat frypan. I forgot about the pancake problem.)

Aren't there any good recipes out there you'd be willing to share?

Mado

[badr]

I'll throw one in

you can buy that thin sliced meat ( either beef or lamb) and use it to make a great steak sandwhich using the wok.

Get it from the supermarket while still frozen..

chop some mushrooms, peppers and slowly brown them in the wok with a hint of vinegar and soy sauce.

throw the meat in and let it cook slowly until brown.

For extra taste, get one of those small bottles of mustard oil ( greenish looking) and throw a few drops in...

Man, I just love eating that...

to make it more western, just throw a few slices of processed cheese on top and there you have it... chinese style phily-cheese steak

[liuzhou]

She said she didn't want to make western food!

There are "about 15,200,000" "Chinese recipe" sites on Google.

[yonitabonita]

OK Madot,

Here's a stock standard base sauce you can use with just about every vegetable/ meat.

You need:

a table spoon of fresh chopped ginger,

tbsp of fresh chopped garlic,

fresh chilli, maybe just one or half if you not a spicy food person

soy sauce

half a teaspoon of sugar or honey.

put oil in your wok, heat your wok till there's steam rising.

throw in above combo with peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini or whatever veggies are handy.

stir for no more than 2 minutes. Keep tasting the sauce and add soy/ water to taste.

When I'm not too slack, I like to put some fresh garlic, ginger and coriander to the already cooked dish - just for a fresher taste. But then it can leave one a bit whiffy so I'll leave that to your discretion. I love it.

Hope you enjoy!

Yonita

[adrianlondon]

Turn off the heat and add loads of spring onions (just the green part) just before serving. I love onions ;)

[Madot]

YES. This is just what I wanted! Anyone else with a basic sauce or basic herb/spice combination for variation on different vegetables or meats?

BTW, does anyone know why mu4shu1rou (mooshoo pork) doesn't taste anything like wht it is in the States? Or have I just come across the wrong restaurants?

Mado

[imron]

Probably because many Chinese restaurants outside of China slightly alter dishes to make them "suit western tastes". If you think Mushurou tastes nothing like you've experienced, wait until you try Kung-pao Chicken (gong1bao3ji1ding1).