liuzhou

With regard to Thai Sriracha, it is important to note that most Thai sauce exported to the west is actually made in Bangkok factories and is a copy of the Viet-American recipe; not the original Si Racha recipe. I'm not sure how much real Si Racha sauce is exported to the west, if any. It isn't easy to find here either; I only know one store which has it regularly. They seem to have direct Thai links. I need to restock, then I'll take a picture.

If I remember correctly the citizens of Si Racha's response to tasting the Vietnamese-American version was "อึนี้คืออะไร?"

You'd better be quick. I'm sure you're not the only one to think of that. Get the real thing!

As if things weren't bad enough, I learn that Sriracha lovers burned as maker halts production due to pepper shortage. Whatever next? Not wishing to be smug*, I can report I don't use that brand, anyway. I get the real stuff from Sriracha! *Well, not too smug!

never met it, but happy to be believe you

I don't think there's a lot of mahi mahi in Sichuan, but well done! 🤣

I find mine essential!

北京烤鸭 (běi jīng kǎo yā) - Beijing Roast Duck

Here, for your voyeurism, is the atrocity undressed. Say goodbye. It will be vacating my home in minutes!

????

Depends on the wine.

I really should start a new topic for this. It was unexpected but also unwelcome and, in my view, not even food - at least not for humans. I popped into the local mom 'n' pop store near my home for a six-pack of the local brew to lubricate the evening and the guy insisted on giving me this. I did decline, but that was taken to be typical Chinese etiquette. Gifts should always be refused several times before being accepted. Immediate acceptance is seen as pure greed! So, of course the guy insisted. I almost said to him "No I really don't want the damned thing!" but remembered that would just be interpreted as extreme politness and he'd think I meant the opposite! Result? I took the horrid thing home. I'm planning on giving it to the obnoxious, spoilt brat of a kid upstairs. I can't stand the little ....!

I'm not sure either. I've passed through Wuhan many times on longer journeys, but only stayed there one night - in 1997 or 98. I guess I must have eaten something, but can't recall what. It certainly isn't the gastronomic capital of China or even in the top hundred! The flavours and spices you mention are pretty much China-wide. You mention peppercorns. What kind of peppercorns? Sichuan?

OK. I've retrieved my Chinese language copy of Food of Sichuan and there is no mention of anything Turkish! They describe the chillies as being the ones I mentioned before.

That's not what I call a wok. My woks are only ever washed by hand with simple water. You can never build up the all-important seasoning washing them any other way.

Two cast iron works (one smallish, one large); two cast iron skillets (large and small); one stainless steel stock pot/pasta pot; one small stainless steel pot which is only usually used to boil a couple of eggs. That's it. Apart from the essential rice cooker which is used 350 days a year.

Right. Most Chinese and most SE Asian cuisine's cooking doesn't use what western cooks think of as sauces. Any liqiudy elements to the dish are just what we cook it in. Most dishes are much drier than western food. I'll grant there are exceptions, but not many! I always crack up at YouTube videos telling me how we cook food here and they all get to the "make the sauce" part. That's when I spit at the screen! Sauce on fried noodles does not compute.

Neither is @shain. You said that Heinz without further qualification means ketchup. Not for everyone. That's all.

Plus many other things. I'm fairly sure most people in the UK associate Heinz with baked beanz more than anything.

All 57 varieties?

The OED's only reference under 'nail' related to clove is this unrelated meaning The only reference under 'clove; related to nail is in the etymology In Mandarin Chinese, the words for nail and clove are homophones, but otherwise unrelated.

Which lao ganma product? There are several. In the USA, they list ten different products; in China even more. Just saying lao gan ma is like just saying served with Heinz.

Yes it's just dialectical. It's been through many spellings and pronunciations throughout the centuries.

Hunan Lunch. Only the eggs and the wine don't have chilli.