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Here's a question for you: is there anything out there, and more on the nose anything I've got a chance of finding here in Ecuador, that is an acceptable substitute for Pandan leaves? (I've got access to everything from breadfruits to various jasmines, but Pandan is sadly lacking in this country.) I have a serious hankering for Hainanese Chicken Rice, and every recipe I can find calls for them as a major component of the flavour. Alternately, will the dish come out tasting proper without them?

Hello all, My name in Rustem, I live in Switzerland. I was reading this forum for few of years (well, mostly watching photos in “chinese eats at home” topic and getting salivation:). I like Chinese food, especially stir-fry and I want to cook it at home. I have electrical stove with ceramic surface and after reading internet and reviews I went to a shop and bought an expensive BODUM CAST IRON WOK K0810. I followed every word of user manual. Though, every time I cook something it sticks to the surface at the bottom (chicken, meet, noodles – everything, except vegetables), burns and forms a layer of burned staff which is hard to remove. I am very disappointed because this wok has the “special one-layer coating which is a mixture of glass and porcelain” and supposed to be non-stick (ot it is just a marketing bullshit ?). I noticed that inside surface of my wok is not smooth, but with little bumps (I believe it is called “coarse surface”) - could it be a reason why food sticks to it ? Another problem that no matter for how long I pre-heat wok, it starts with very good temperature (oil is smoking), but loses it quickly so food is not fried but steamed and I believe it is mostly because of layer of burned staff at the bottom which blocks the heat. Can somebody help me to understand what I am doing wrong? Jest to let you know: - I use maximum heat setting on my stove. Though, stove is too “smart” and turns off heating element periodically, I cannot control it. But I don't think temperature is the problem as wok is hot enough to smoke the oil. - I pre-heat for 10 min dry wok until it is hot (it is a heavy wok and it takes time to heat it !), then add oil and wait few seconds until it starts smoking. - then add ingredients such garlic and ginger (almost every recipe starts with them) and they immediately stick to the bottom and burn !! If I add meat before , it sticks too. Please help me. I really want to archive the results of this video: As you can see nothing stick to his wok, not even noodles ! Do you think it is doable with my current wok and stove ? Should I buy new wok ? Which one ? Thank you Rustem.

We just went tonight for our anniversary dinner. We loved it. We made reservations and there was no waiting. The food was great. Had the lettuce wraps which were great. The spring rolls that my husband had were very good as well. I had the salt and pepper prawns which were amazing and my husband had the sweet and sour pork which was pretty good. Desert which was shared and couldn't even finish was the BANANA SPRING ROLLS coconut-pineapple ice cream and drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauces. It was outstanding! We're definitely going back!

I'm considering making my own won ton skins/wrappers. Has anybody here tried to make them? If so, do you have a recipe? I do have an Italian pasta maker with rollers so maybe that would be helpful? Any ideas most welcome.

Anyone know how these are made? It seems like every chinese restaurant or buffet have similar taste and texture. Breading seems to stick very well and recently i was at a local hole in the wall buffet and they had a small warmer pot filled with buffalo sauce to put on the wings and it was fantastic. Damn near put just about every local american sports bar restaurant wings to shame. One thing i noticed about the wings is they have a very yellow almost orange skin under the breading and i believe that most of the flavor is under the breading so most likely a brine that is yellow/orange.

I am eager to dive into Fuchia Dunlop's Every Grain of Rice. There are two common ingredients that are holding me back. I have not been able to find a kosher certified chinkiang vinegar and shaoxing wine. What are some readily available substitutes for these ingredients? Or, if you know a source for kosher certified versions of these products, even better. Thanks! Dan

I'm considering buying Florence Lin's Complete Book of Chinese Noodles, Dumplings and Breads. It's out of print but it's possible to get hold of it but it's expensive. I've seen some brief reviews on this site and basically, most of them rate it quite well if not highly. I would like to hear what people who've got this book think of it? Have they tried making noodles from the recipes provided? Have they made any of the noodle soups/dishes and how did they turn out? And also, how to you rate the dumplings and bread recipes? It's a shame that they don't do a re-print. Thanks in advance.

Hello all, I appologize if this is not an appropriate place to ask questions but I have probably searched whole of internet without any luck. This is my last resort (maybe it should have been the first) I have an Iwachu traditional, round bottom cast iron wok, which I use on my home stove. The double gas burner with the wok ring has about 3 or 4 kW in power; arround 10.000 BTUs I think. My normal proceedure includes pre-heating the wok for about 5-10 minutes before I start cooking. The first problem is the oil. I use sunflower oil which starts smoking immediately as I put it in. The second problem are the aromatics - garlic and ginger. I throw them in, shove them around a little bit, after 5-10 seconds I put the meat in. Aromatics always burn . The third problem is the meat. Just today I cut some beef into thin strips, say 5mm thick and about an inch long, and stir fried them with the aromatics. They let out a lot of water which did evaporate but it left the meat pretty tough. Im losing sanity here , any help appreciated! Cheers and many greets from Croatia! Alex

I used to be satisfied with Trader Joe's soy sauce ... it was lower in salt and acceptably flavorful for a low salt product. However, they changed the ingredients of the soy sauce - it now contains vinegar - and I don't care for it very much. Any suggestions for a flavorful, low sodium soy sauce? Thanks!

Someone suggested starting a topic to discuss dishes made from this book. I think it's a good idea. I got the book a couple weeks ago and read through it. It's fantastic. While i have Dunlop's other books and have cooked from them A LOT, this one seems more streamlined for weeknight dinners with dishes that don't require 8-10 marinade or sauce ingredients. I've cooked a couple meals from it and everything has been awesome. Last week it was chicken with black bean sauce and spinach with fermented tofu. Both were delicious. Last night it was pork tenderloin with chinese chives (not a recipe in the book, but i took the recipe for the chicken livers with chives and subbed pork tenderloin), stir fried cabbage with dry shrimp and bok choy with shiitake (i used dry, rehydrated). Everything was delicious. I really liked the baby bok choy. The flavors were clean and light. Wife thought it was kind of bland, but i liked it. The cabbage was also delicious, though wife and daughter didn't agree I thought it was funny that my purple cabbage turned my yellow/orange tiny dry shrimp green. Forgot to take pictures of the dishes. What is everyone else making?

Hello I am looking for Malaysian restaurants (which serve Malaysian Chinese food instead of Malay food) in Cardiff (and/or the rest of Wales) and would appreciate any information at all from Welsh locals. Thanks in advance.

[Host's note: This topic forms part of an extended discussion which grew too large for our servers to handle efficiently. The conversation continues from here.] Supper: Yeem Gok Gai: Mock Fried Rice - grated cauliflower Baby Shanghai Bok Choy and ginger

How do I use these? Just like any other nut in chinese cooking? I've seen two types in the market, labeled as north and south. I've no idea what the difference is.

So I'm making some roast duck on Thursday (unorthodox Sichuanese thanksgiving...), and I went out and bought a Chinese cleaver so I can chop it up on the bone. I asked the guy at the Chinese supermarket for a knife for that purpose, and this is what he gave me. Not really sure if it's up to it, it seems kind of light. Can someone please tell me what the package says? I don't read much Chinese, but I can see that cai (as in vegetable) is not on there, so maybe it's OK? Thanks!

Due to some annoying circumstances, my Thanksgiving this year will be just myself and one of my cousins. He read my mind and asked for Sichuan turkey - I guess I'll just adapt a chicken recipe. Any other suggestions? Dry fried beans with dried cranberries perhaps?

Today I made a Sweet and Sour Chicken that was to die for! Absolutely scrumptious! Crispy Fried Chicken bits, White Rice, Pineapple, and the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic came fresh from my own farm! I even got the Wok-Hei on an American electric stove by using the Bao method (and opening all the windows and doors!) But, I used a BOTTLE of KRAFT Sweet-n-Sour Sauce! Will you ever forgive me? Weepingly yours; -Johntodd

I've made Ma Lah Goh many times, and I've made up 2 for my students for tomorrow after writing their midterm exams. However, I have not made a steamed savory cake, a sponge cake anyway. I have made lobak goh, etc, but this is a sweet cake with ground pork fried with soy sauce AND fried shallots. This, according to Wei Chun Chinese Snacks cookbook, is Taiwanese style. I have some students from Taiwan, so I thought I'd give it a go and see what they think.

Hi just wanted to share my chinese salt and pepper recipe i have done a video for it can be accessed by hope people like thisChris

I think this has been discused before on here but i carnt seam to find a good recipe im looking for a recipe for the ribs you get from the chinese takeaway all the ones i have tried on the net taste nothing like the ones im used to. Going to different takeaways and restaurants they seam to taste pritty much the same. Hope i can find the answer on here

Im looking for a recipe for plain noodles like they do in the chinese restaraunts i have tried a few on the internet and they seam either too complicated or just dont have the same taste as the ones you get in the restaraunts hope someone can help me with this

It sometimes seems likes every town in China has its own special take on noodles. Here in Liuzhou, Guangxi the local dish is Luosifen (螺蛳粉 luó sī fěn). It is a dish of rice noodles served in a very spicy stock made from the local river snails and pig bones which are stewed for hours with black cardamom, fennel seed, dried tangerine peel, cassia bark, cloves, pepper, bay leaf, licorice root, sand ginger, and star anise. Various pickled vegetables (but especially pickled bamboo shoots), dried tofu skin, fresh green vegetables, peanuts and loads of chilli are then usually added. Few restaurants ever reveal their precise recipe, so this is tentative. Luosifen is only really eaten in small restaurants and roadside stalls. I've never heard of anyone making it at home. In order to promote tourism to the city, the local government organised a food festival featuring an event named "10,000 people eat luosifen together." (In Chinese 10,000 often just means "many".) 10,000 people (or a lot of people anyway) gathered at Liuzhou International Convention and Exhibition Centre for the grand Liuzhou luosifen eat-in. Well, they gathered in front of the centre – the actual centre is a bleak, unfinished, deserted shell of a building. I disguised myself as a noodle and joined them. 10,001. The vast majority of the 10,000 were students from the local colleges who patiently and happily lined up to be seated. Hey, mix students and free food – of course they are happy. Each table was equipped with a basket containing bottled water, a thermos flask of hot water, paper bowls, tissues etc. And most importantly, a bunch of Luosifen caps. These read “万人同品螺蛳粉” which means “10,000 people together enjoy luosifen” Yep, that is the soup pot! 15 meters in diameter and holding eleven tons of stock. Full of snails and pork bones, spices etc. Chefs delicately added ingredients to achieve the precise, subtle taste required. Noodles were distributed, soup added and dried ingredients incorporated then there was the sound of 10,000 people slurping. Surrounding the luosifen eating area were several stalls selling different goodies. Lamb kebabs (羊肉串) seemed most popular, but there was all sorts of food. Here are few of the delights on offer. Whole roast lamb or roast chicken Lamb Kebabs Kebab spice mix – Cumin, chilli powder, salt and MSG Kebab stall Crab Different crab Sweet sticky rice balls Things on sticks Grilled scorpions Pig bones and bits Snails And much more. To be honest, it wasn’t the best luosifen I’ve ever eaten, but it was wasn’t the worst. Especially when you consider the number they were catering for. But it was a lot of fun. Which was the point.

I've been trying to find a recipe for this snack on the web without success. Would anybody have a recipe or any pointers? Thank you. There's a photo of some in the following link: http://christine-wei.tumblr.com/post/1423939474/taipei-main-station-potsticker-gyoza

Duck Heart Gravy First, buy a peking duck, rinse out the inside, and simmer it in water for about two hours. Strain and skim, then throw it in the fridge to cool it down. While your stock is simmering, Take a whole bunch of giblets. I used nothing but duck hearts. Chop your internals up fine and cook them gently (medium low) in butter. When they're brown, add some flour and cook that gently until it too browns (nice and foxy). Now, add your peking duck stock as you stir, taking that roue and all of those giblets up into a starchy thick mass of down home goodness. Keep adding stock slowly and simmering to swell up all of that flour starch until you're happy with the consistency. Season, then consume. Throw it on mashed potatoes or on some french fries with cheese or biscuits. Or, why not, just put it in a bowl, sprinkle some chives, and call it soup. -Queso www.everybodyplayswithfood.com

It's lotus pod season here in southern China. We get dried lotus seeds all year round and there is nothing wrong with them! But at this time of year, for a few weeks, we get roadside vendors selling fresh lotus pods. The idea is to pop out the seeds and eat them as they are. I've never seen these in supermarkets or even regular markets - always street vendors. Anyway, the two in the picture below cost me a massive 2元 each (31 cents US; 20 pence UK). Here are the popped out seeds But what do they taste like? I can't improve on this: Mulan was sitting on a low chair, picking lotus seeds from a pod in her hand, and looking at the lake through the red balustrades. Redjade, having been brought up in Hangchow, was quite familiar with such things and was working away at the seeds with her nimble fingers, sitting at a high table with Afei and Huan-erh. Mr. Yao lounged in a low rattan chair. Lifu was sitting close to Mulan on the balcony and watching her pick the seeds. He had eaten sugared lotus seeds, but he had never eaten them fresh from the pod, and was staring with great interest. “Do you eat them raw like that?” he asked rather foolishly. “Of course,” said Mulan, and she took one she had just plucked out and gave it to him. Lifu tasted it and said, “It is good, but different from the sugared ones. It is so mild you almost don’t taste anything.” “That is just it,” said Mulan. “We eat it just for its pure mildness and its slight fragrance. That is why a busy man cannot enjoy it. You must not think of anything when you eat it.” Mulan showed him how to pick a seed, and after eating it, Lifu exclaimed with delight. “If you shout, you will lose the flavor again,” said Mulan. “You must chew them slowly, one by one. After a while, take a sip of good tea and you will find a pure fragrance in your cheeks and palate for a long time.” Lin Yutang – Moment in Peking, 1939

Anyone heard of dragon's beard candy? Well it is a traditional china hand-pulled candy which looks like spun sugar, but made very differently. The technique is similar to noodle making, you start with a torus, you expand it, double it, expand, double, etc... the number of strands increases exponentially in powers of 2 (I'm a computer scientist, I love powers of 2) and can go up to 16384. I've discovered this candy on Dave Arnold's blog where you can find a detailed video of the recipe. I tried the recipe a few times and I think it is very fun to do. The first times were highly unsuccessful, but you quickly get better. I followed the recipe of Dave Arnold's (more or less), it was impossible to find corn syrup in Switzerland, I therefore replaced it with glucose syrup which has the same property of preventing crystallization.The temperature 133°C (271°F) is extremely important, if you overshoot, the candy puck will be rock hard. As I was doing small quantities (100g of sugar) and I only have a medium size pan, it was a nightmare to stick my thermometer sufficiently deep in the sugar. I used silicon molds to shape the puck, here are some results: Transferring the molten sugar to the molds: The cooled puck: Forming the stands (I never manage to create equal sized stands, there are always some thicker strands): As I don't like peanuts, I replaced the filling with chocolate: I personally did not like the taste of them, faaaar to sweet, but my 9 year old sister loved them. Maybe I should try with chocolat powder instead of cornstarch for a better taste. And the replacement of the peanuts with chocolate probably was not a good idea in terms of decreasing sweetness. Another idea is to use the stands as decoration for other thing (e.g. a cake). I highly encourage you to try, they are very cheap to do and very fun. If you have questions or suggestions, please post them.