sheetz

Even if I taught my Toisanese grandmother how to make fettuccine alfredo that wouldn't make it Chinese.

Sweet and Sour pork really is a traditional Cantonese dish, and there are many variations made within Chinese American homes, which is why I didn't mention it. OTOH, I've never heard of Chinese-American grandmothers spending Saturday mornings making crab rangoons, egg foo young patties (which is completely different from the traditional Chinese dish) or fortune cookies. Never.

To me, a dish is "authentic" Chinese if it is prepared in a way that would appeal to the tastes of someone who grew up eating "Chinese-style" food. For instance, a Chinese immigrant to America might add a very non-Chinese ingredient like okra to a stir fry. But as far as I'm concerned, that's still Chinese because the dish is still being prepared to appeal to Chinese tastebuds. However, there are dishes that pop up in certain restaurants that I do not consider Chinese because they were created with the specific purpose of appealing to the tastes of their non-Chinese clientele. Things like crab rangoon, fortune cookies, etc. are not things that a classically trained Chinese chef woud naturally dream up after moving to America. Those types of dishes are served only to non-Chinese customers and never served within Chinese-American homes.

I think you need to have a restaurant quality wok setup to get the flames. It may also help to cook with oil that's been used several times already because that lowers its flaming point. The way I've been able to duplicate the smoky flavor of restaurants is by stir frying in a super-heated cast iron skillet. It's tricky, but I find the end result worth it.

Leung mein wong literally translated means "two face yellow." In other words, that the noodles have been browned on two sides. As Pan stated many chefs, instead of browning on both sides, simply deep fry the whole thing until crisp. Both ways are delicious.

Usually when I go out for dim sum, it seems like most (Chinese) customers order their Chow Mein crispy (leung mein wong). I know my family and friends always do. Here's a (paraphrased) recipe from Eileen Yin Fei Lo, who is a real stickler for authenticity when it comes to Chinese food. She claims this is "the true dish known in China as chau mien." Pork Marinade: 1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp Chinese white rice wine 1 1/2 tsp grated ginger 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp cornstarch 1/8 tsp salt pinch of white pepper 1/4 lb pork loin, julienned Sauce: 1 c chicken stock 1 1/2 Tbl cornstarch 1 Tbl oyster sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/8 tsp salt pinch white pper 6 c water 1/2 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles 5 Tbl peanut oil 1 1/2 Tbl minced ginger 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1/3 cup Chinese black mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 30 min, julienned 1 1/2 c yello chives or garlic chives, cut into 1/2 in pieces 1 c mung bean sprouts 1. Combine marinade ingredients with pork and let rest for at least 30 min. 2. Boil water over high heat and add noodles, stirring for 20 sec. Drain and rinse with cold water. Separate and allow to dry for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 3. Heat large cast iron skilllet over high heat for 2 minutes and add 2 Tbl peanut oil. Place noodles in skillet in an even layer and cook until browned, 3-4 minutes. Flip the noodles over and add one more Tbl peanut oil. Cook for another 3 minutes until browned on the second side. Remove noodles from pan and cover to keep warm. 4. Heat wok over high heat for 40 sec. Add remaining peanut oil. When oil is hot add ginger first, then garlic. Then add the pork and marinade, spreading it in a thin layer. After 30 sec add mushrooms and stir to mix. Make well in the center and add the sauce ingredients. When the mixture is boiling add chives and bean sprouts, stirring for 2-3 min. Remove from heat and pour over noodles.

I was actually wondering what that meant myself. I think a true Cantonese style chow mein would use the fresh Cantonese-style thin egg noodles (which I don't have access to--only the dried ones). Also, is pan frying them to a crisp on two sides (leung mein wong) considered Cantonese? I think I've heard that referred to as Shanghai-style, but I wasn't sure.

Whenever in doubt, assume the Chinese invented it.

hzrt8w, your version is actually a lot like the kind that I usually make. I just wanted to try MY's recipe for comparison's sake. And I definitely always marinate my meat beforehand when doing my own recipes.

Sorry, no pics. I don't own a digital camera. In any case, it looked just like any other Ma Po Tofu I've ever seen. P.S. I'll have to try that Ma Po PB Tofu. Sounds intriguing.

Since it didn't seem like anyone else wanted a Mapo Dofu cookoff I went ahead and made up a batch using arecipe from Martin Yan. The result was bland and watery, more like Ma Po Soup! I had to doctor it up with some more hot bean paste and cornstach before it was palatable. Next I'm going to try an interesting recipe by Eileen Y F Lo which uses ketchup and sichuan pckles.

I think back in the "old days" they were more apt to use these types of names for Chinese dishes. My parents still call dim sum "tea cakes." That's great. I think that's pretty rare in the US, however, because joong/doong aren't usually served in restaurants.

I guess that's what I'll end up doing. I was hoping that someone would have pictures! GY's directions use 3 leaves per joong, but I've seen other recipes use only 2. How many does everyone else use? That name undoubtedly originated in California, where even my Toisanese mother in LA knows what tamales are! Other than that I don't think there is an English name for them, as pretty much the only people who eat these are Chinese.

Woohoo! My tiny local Chinese grocery store just received a shipment of bamboo leaves, so now I can have a go at making joong. I think I will use Grace Young's recipe. The only problem is that I'm not sure how to fold them (GY's explanations are pretty incomprehensible.) Can anyone explain how to wrap them?

Honestly? I don't think I cook to show off. For potlucks I don't normally go all out but rather try to make dishes that are appropriate to the occasion. Of course, the problem is that my culinary standards seem to be a bit higher than most other people's, so in the end it may look like I'm trying to outdo everyone else when that's not my intent at all.

I was going to mention the baking soda, too. It's totally optional, and some people prefer not to do it, but adding baking soda to the blanching water helps to tenderize the gai lan and preserve the green color. You don't need much--too much will give the water a soapy taste.

I'm assuming the OP is asking about Chinese style glutinous rice since this is the Chinese cooking forum. I know rice vinegar is added to sushi rice, but I've never heard of vinegar being added to Chinese style glutinous rice. Traditionally, glutinous rice is soaked in water and then steamed or boiled. I've found that I can get good results by soaking it first, then microwaving it with enough water to cover the rice by about half an inch. Once it's cooked a common Cantonese way of preparing it is to stir fry it with lop cheung, dried shimp, mushrooms, and Chinese bacom. Other common ways to use it are in joong and nor mai gai (see joong cookoff threads for descriptions of these dishes.) There's also a famous dessert dish which utilises glutinous rice called Eight Treasure Rice Pudding.

I understand that glutinous rice (or at least the way it's normally prepared by Chinese) is considered a "hot" food so that if you eat too much you will supposedly have problems with yeet hay, or "hot air."

Since we're having another Joong cook-off I thought I'd resurrect this thread and comment on the Joong vs Nor Mai Gai debate. At first, the two dishes appear to be the more or less the same thing: glutinous rice wrapped by some sort of leaves. However, the difference between the two dishes becomes much more apparent when you look at their respective origins. Joong has always been pretty much what it is, i.e., glutinous rice boiled inside bamboo leaves. OTOH, the classic dish of Nor Mai Gai is nothing like the sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaves that you find in restaurants nowadays. True Nor Mai Gai, meaning "glutinous rice chicken," is an elaborate dish that requires hours if not days of preparation time. To make this dish, the bones and flesh of a whole chicken are removed from the bird while at the same time leaving the entire skin intact. Then, the meat is separated from the bones, stir-fried, and then combined with glutinous rice and other ingredients to form a stuffing. This stuffing is then placed into the chicken skin, and the whole thing is reshaped back into the form of a chicken. Finally, this "chicken" is deep fried until crisp. Obviously, this dish is extremely labor intensive, which is why you won't ever see it prepared in the traditional way in restaurants. Instead, what you will get is an approximation of the dish, and that is exactly what the glutinous rice wrapped with lotus leaves is supposed to be. It's the most common way of approximating true Nor Mai Gai but it certainly isn't the only way. Another way I've seen it done is by dipping balls of glutinous rice stuffing in a batter and deep frying them until crisp. I'm sure there are dozens of other ways, as well.

I'd be game but I don't know if I can get bamboo leaves in my area.

At first I tried using a regular muffin tin but didn't like it, so I'm now using a mini-muffin pan, which I know some restaurants use. Nordicware has this nice mini-tartlette pan that looks like it would be perfect, but I'm not yet desperate enough to spend $30 on one at this point in time. As far as doughs go, I've moved on past the rough puff pastry and am now experimenting with various versions of RheaS's recipe. I think I'm ever so slowing inching towards the recipe that I'm looking for. Hopefully Tepee's recipe will be the ticket.

I do thinkthis pastry is the way to go, but lard should be used instead. Thanks. OK, I apologize for my ignorance, but I don't know what the difference between high protein flour and high ratio flour is.

Great pics, Tepee! Which 2 layer pastry recipe did you use?

yslee, it's never too late to join. We're still experimenting and have not reached any concensus. I've made so many batches I'm starting to get sick of flaky pastry, so I may take a few days off. Plus, my pants are starting to get tight. lol I'm thinking of revisiting RheaS's recipe, but this time incorporating more fat into the dough. It appears that the more fat you blend into the flour, the less the dough will puff up when it bakes, which in this case is good.

Thanks. Will give it a try, but I have a feeling custard tart pastry will be a little different than Chinese flaky pastry. I have tried using my own recipe for Chinese flaky pastry for custard tarts without success.