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Well, this recipe has been in my family since forever, and over the years, I've added some stuff to further enhance the flavours....like the konbu, kao man gai sauce and saffron. Hope to share a bit of Singaporean food with everyone here. By all means, adjust the quantities of everything here to your taste....I seldom measure when cooking this, just a bit of this and that. All measurements here are approximate when given. Anyway, if any of you have been to Singapore, you will be familiar, hopefully, with Hainanese Chicken Rice. Its a Singaporean dish created by Hainanese people (From the Hainan province in China) when they emigrated to Singapore. Its a long long recipe for description, but reveals the secrets of Hainanese chicken rice. Its really very easy. Also, most of the techniques and ingredients have been run through a mate of mine, whose family runs Loy Kee, one of the best and largest Hainanese chicken rice stores in Singapore. Components of Dish: (a) Boiled Chicken (b) Chicken Rice © Sauces (d) Soup For the Chicken (1) 1 large whole chicken, with head, feet, etc..etc... (2) 1 Large knob of ginger (3) 4 cloves of garlic (4) 1 bunch of Pandanus leaves (Might be hard to find if you are not in Asia!) (5) 1 piece of konbu (6) Ice for preparing an ice water bath (7) Tomatoes, cilantro and cucumbers (8) Kikkoman naturally brewed soy sauce (Other brands may taste wierd) (9) Fragrant sesame oil (Chee Seng brand is the best) - Set a large pot with enough water to cover, thow in the chicken's head and feet as well as the tied up pandanus leaves - Wash the rice properly and leave in colander to strain all water - Rub the chicken inside and outside generously with salt, then rinse it away with water - Cut away large flaps of fat around the cavity above the bishop's nose and around the neck. Place fat into a small pan and cook gently over a small fire to extract the chicken oil for use with the rice - Peel garlic, peel and slice ginger into the size of your country's coins! Shove into chicken's cavity - When water has come to a boil, put the chicken breast down into the water - Add the konbu (The konbu contains natural MSG, which brings out the flavour of the chicken) - Cook the chicken uncovered on medium heat for 20 mins - After 20 mins, switch off the heat and steep the chicken in the hot water for a further 20 - 30 mins - Use a meat thermometer and poke it into the thigh to make sure its just cooked. - The meat in the thigh has to be slightly pink. - The gentle cooking in the hot water prevents the chicken proteins from contracting too much and toughening due to high heat, thereby preserving a juicy and smooth texture. Thank Howard McGhee for that explanation. - Prepare the ice water bath in a pot large enough to submerge the whole chicken - Dump the hot chicken into the cold water to immediately stop the cooking process. Leave it there till its cool. - When chicken is cool, debone it a la Martin Yan, I usually chop up the backbone and serve along....if you don't want to, make sure to dig out the meat, especially the 'oysters'. - Slice cucumbers, tomatoes - Arrange everything on a plate, drizzle sesame oil over chicken...be generous - Drizzle soy sauce over chicken....be generous too! For the Chicken Saffron Rice: (1)1 large knob Ginger (2) 1 large head Garlic (3) Long grain jasmine rice (Amount up to your requirements), washed and left to drip dry on a colander at least 30 mins (4) Pinch of saffron or more........as I get Iranian saffron for cheap.....I put 2 pinches (5) 1 piece of konbu (6) Salt (7) Broth from cooking chicken (8) Rendered chicken fat (9) 1 bunch of pandanus leaves - Finely mince ginger and garlic....use more if you like. I use ALOT. - In a hot hot wok, put in the chicken fat + some veg oil if not enough - Fry ginger and garlic till fragrant but not browned, throw in raw, washed rice and toss well - Salt to taste - Fry rice till its dry and whitish. This extended frying of raw rice ensures that when its cooked, it absorbs the maximum amount of stock possible - Put rice into a rice cooker, ladel in stock till the appropriate level...and add 3 to 4 tbs more to compensate for the extra dryness of the rice - Tie up the pandanus leaves, throw it into the rice cooker along with the konbu and saffron - When rice is cooked, remove konbu and pandanus, fluff the rice For the chilli dipping sauce: (11) 6 Fresh Chillies, preferably bird's eye (12) Juice of 8 Limes (13) 1 clove of garlic (14) 1 knob of ginger, sliced (15) Sugar to taste (16) Salt to taste - Blend everything togather For the Garlic/Ginger/Spring Onion sauce: (1) 5 cloves garlic, peeled (2) 1 knob ginger, peeled (3) 1 bunch spring onions (5) Salt to taste (6) A few tbs of veg oil - Blend everything togather Thai Kao Man Gai Sauce: (1) 10 Birds eye chillies, chopped up with seeds (2) 6 cloves garlic, minced (3) 1 knob ginger, minced (4) Ground bean sauce (Dtao jiu) (5) Stock from chicken These soybeans (Dtao jiu) are sold in a bottle and the best one for this Thai style sauce is this one http://importfood.com/sakh2103.html - Combine the garlic, chilli and ginger togather - Add bean sauce to taste (Its salty so add a bit at a time!) - Add chicken stock sparingly to dilute and add flavour - The sauce consistency should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, be slightly salty, but not overtly so. For the Chicken Broth Soup (1) Chinese cabbage (Napa Cabbage or Wong Bok) (2) Daikon or Great White Radish (3) Pre boiled chicken feet (My favourite!!!!) (4) A few tbs of chinese wolfberries (5) Chicken livers (Another favourite!) (6) Chinese hairy melon (7) Chinese dried mussels (If you like the flavour ) (8) Thinly sliced lotus roots (9) The rest of the stock (10) 1 to 2 tbs of Japanese MSG-free dashi powder (Dashi no moto). This adds a further dimension of flavour that I really love. (11) Salt and pepper to taste - Boil everything togather till its cooked, add water if necessary, salt and pepper to taste To Serve - Plate rice, garnish with cilantro - Divide sauces into small chinese sauce bowls - Dish soup individually - Place chicken in the centre of table.....everyone uses chopsticks to eat it chinese style If you guys aren't used to sharing the main dishes with chopsticks....just serve individually. Thanks for reading this far, its a long recipe but easy to make and utterly delicious. Just wanted to share a recipe with everyone here and hope you all go try it and enjoy it like I have. Cheers!

All - this thread I started in the Indian forum has bearing for the Chinese as well: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=80497 Camphor-smoked duck requires - unsurprisingly - camphor wood shavings which are completely unavailable in the States (and not all that easy to find, even in Asia!). Every recipe for it calls for a different blend of smoking materials, all of which lack the essential camphor flavour that makes this recipe what it is. We have had no other choice - until now. I think I've come up with a creative solution to this problem - in some Indian grocers, you can purchase Camphor crystals, which are incredibly pungent and completely edible. They steam the aromatic oils out of the Camphor wood, then crystallize it to form (in Hindi) Paccha Karpoora. Grinding some of these crystals over smoking materials of Jasmine tea, lapsang souchong tea, and oak before smoking should enable a totally authentic Szechuan Camphor-roast duck - probably for the first time ever in the US. I for one plan to attempt this at the earliest possible opportunity - failing that, if some enterprising eGulleteer has access to these crystals and wants to try it before me, by all means do so (as long as I am immortalized forever as the man who enabled the true recipe to be experienced by the gweilo of the world.) IMPORTANT NOTE: Under NO CIRCUMSTANCES buy 'Camphor' at a drug store or ANYWHERE outside an Indian grocery to use in a recipe - this is synthetic camphor and is NOT EDIBLE. My personal recipe for Szechuan Camphor-smoked duck, if anyone wants to try it: The Hirshon Szechuan Camphor-smoked Duck 4 slices fresh ginger, pureed in a food processor 3 ts Salt 1 ts Szechuan peppercorns, ground to a powder 1 Star anise, ground to a powder 1 ts Saltpeter (available at pharmacies) 2 tbs sesame oil (preferred) or peanut oil 1 4 to 5 lb. duckling 4 tbs oak sawdust (or use chips, if unavailable) 2 tbs lapsang souchong tea leaves 2 tbs Jasmine tea leaves 1 lg. crystal of edible camphor (finely ground to make 1/2 teaspoon) 3 tbs sugar 8 c Peanut oil for frying 24 2" sections green onion Dipping Sauce: 4 ts Peanut Oil 2 ts Sweet bean paste (tan min chun) 2 ts Sugar 2 ts Water Heat pan and stir-fry salt over medium heat until lightly brown. Add peppercorns, ginger, anise and saltpeter; stir-fry until fragrant. Remove and set aside until cool enough to handle. Set aside half of the mixture and rub the interior and exterior of duckling thoroughly with it, reserving the rest. Allow duck to sit overnight in the fridge. Combine the remaining seasonings with the sesame or peanut oil and massage into the duck. Place the duck on a wire rack in a preheated moderate oven at about 400 deg (put a drip-pan underneath) and roast for 1 hour. For smoking, light a charcoal fire. When the charcoal is glowing red, but not blazing, sprinkle half the tea, camphor powder, sugar and sawdust (or chips, if sawdust is unavailable) over the fire. Place the duck on a wire rack and suspend it a couple of inches above the fire. Invert a tin or wok cover over the duck and fire and let smoke for 10 minutes. Turn the duck over for a further 10 minute smoking, sprinkling the rest of the smoking mixture on the fire (poke and stir as needed to get a good smoke going) before turning it. Remove the duck, brush it with 2 tbs more of sesame oil and heat oil for deep-frying to 380 F in a large wok. Fry duckling 8 min. or until skin is crispy, ladling oil over the duck constantly and turning as needed. Remove and drain. Cut into bite-size pieces and serve with Dipping Sauce & green onions. Directions for Dipping Sauce: Heat oil. Stir-fry all ingredients until boiling.

I am reading an article about the Chinese dining experience in New York. In the article, it said: Oh, yeah, those stainless steel pedestal dishes in Chinese restaurants... It seems so... 60's? For 20 some years of my life growing up in Hong Kong, I had only seen those stainless steel pedestal dishes used in formal banquets (not in restaurants for the commons). Even then, food was served on top of some porcelain dishes, which themselves were seated on top of the stainless steel pedestal dishes (as if like a candle holder). Never once had I seen food served directly on stainless steel pedestal dishes. And, of course, I got a minor shock when I first saw that in California in the 80's. Does anybody know if the stainless steel pedestal dishes (or metallic pedestal dishes) were traditionally used in China? Or they are something that got started in the new world? Do you still see them used in modern day Chinese restaurants?

Steamed Live Oyster with Garlic and Black Beans (豉汁蒸生蠔) If you have access to live oyster, this is one of the best ways to cook them Cantonese style: steamed with garlic and fermented black beans. The taste is succulent and fresh. This is what Cantonese-style live seafood is all about. You can use the same method to steam live scallops and fish. Dedicated to rjwong. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 Preparations: Main ingredients: - 12 live oysters - 5-6 cloves of garlic (not shown) - 4-5 tsp of fermented black beans (not shown) - ginger, 1 inch in length (not shown) - 1 stalk of green onion (not shown) Hold the oyster with one hand. I don't have the proper equipment to shuck an oyster, nor do I really know what the proper way is to shuck an oyster. I just have a strong determination to cook live oysters for dinner! I only use a butter knife. I look for small crack openings in the shell, and very quickly jam the butter knife in through the crack. If I am successful in the sneak attack, then the rest is easy. Just jiggle the knife to sever the muscle that is holding the shells. Then I can peel off the shell. Remember to use the knife to sever the muscle on the bottom side as well to make it easier to pick up at the dinner table. The shells of these critters are very hard to open. I need to learn how to open them properly! For some, I resolved to using a pair of pliers to chip off part of the shells so that I can insert my butter knife into the shell. Lay all the opened oysters on a plate, get ready for steaming. Use a small bowl, add 3 to 4 tsp of fermented black beans. Slightly rinse the fermented black beans with water, then drain. Use a tea spoon to smash the bean into a paste form. Grate some ginger, about 1 inch in length. Peel and mince (or press) 5-6 cloves of garlic. Add to the bowl. Use the tea spoon to mix the fermented black beans, ginger and garlic to form a paste. Scoop 1 or 2 tsp of the black bean/ginger/garlic paste and spread evenly on top of the opened-shell oysters. (Not shown) Trim ends and finely chop 1 stalk of green onion. Set aside. Cooking Instructions: Place the plates in a steamer. Steam for about 15 minutes (counting from when the water starts boiling). Remove plates from steamer when done. Each half shell may have collected excess liquid from the steam. Tilt each shell to slightly drain the excess liquid. As a finishing touch: use a small pot and heat up about 4 tblsp of cooking oil until fuming hot (usually takes about 4-5 minutes). Sprinkle the chopped green onions on top of each oyster first. Then quickly dash in a few drops of the fuming hot oil on top of each oyster. Finally dash in a few drops of light soy sauce on top. Serve immediately. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

I'm not sure if I can phrase this question clearly: In reading all the foodblogs, I find tasting menus, where small portions of multi-courses are served over a period of time, fascinating. The menu showcases the chef's innovative use of local food products and clever presentation. Does this style of dining appear in upscale Chinese restaurants, or only in Asian/fusion restaurants? Would the traditional Chinese banquet fit "tasting menu", except the food is served communal style rather than individual plates? The Asian chefs can be creative with subtle changes to tradtional methods of preparation and presentation, but can we put this into the "tasting menu" catagory?

Hi everybody! I am looking for websites on chinese bread shaping or, in case you are familiar with it, would you like to share your technics? I saw many interensting books on the matter, but I don't speak chinese and the translated ones don't seam as interesting. Tepee on the Chinese forum already direct me on this site http://www.jodelibakery.netfirms.com/ For example, I started out from trying steam buns in the shape of flower and I like the idea so much that I tried it out on a brioche dough. The result is not yet optimal, as you can see, proofing some flowers lost the shape, for sure is more suitable for a stiff dough. Thanks for sharing! Franci

This one might be a bit of a challenge, but I want to give it a shot. My girlfriend, our friends, her family, my family - we all love xiao lun bao, AKA soup dumplings or soup buns. I want to know how to make them so I can make my own in big batches for entertaining. I know they'll be a huge hit if I can get them right. I made dumplings a few years ago in college, but I forget how it went across, so I need the basics from the ground up - how to make the skins, filling, broth, etc., and how to construct them. Any help is appreciated; even Google couldn't find anything helpful. :-/ Thanks!

ever since I was a kid, I remember my Ah-Ma ( grandma ) coming back from chinatown every so often carrying with her a live silky chicken, and a bag containing herbs wrapped in brown paper. It was always exciting watching her in the kitchen preparing everything by herself with ease, from slaughtering and dressing the chicken, soaking the herbs and tending to the slow burning coals outside where she would let it simmer in the clay herb pot for hours. The experience was almost similar to spying on a witch make her secret brew, it fascinated me. Unfortunately my grandmother passed away even before I got interested in knowing the names of the herbs. My mother always bought the pre-packaged herbs in the asian market, so she never found out the names of the herbs my grandmother used. I started this thread to find out other herbal combinations soups, and what they are for. I just recently found out what herbs my grandmother was using, the combination is called "Si But" literally translates to "four things". The combination consists of dried Angelica roots, dried Foxglove rhizome, dried White peony stem/bark, dried Ligusticum bark. recipe: 1 silky chicken ( black skinned chicken ), preferrably alive, if alive save blood after slaughter. 3-4 dried Angelica root slices 2-3 dried Foxglove rhizome 4 pieces white Peony stem slices 3-4 dried Ligusticum bark pieces half a handfull of Wolfberries a small knob of Ginger sea salt clean chicken, pat dry and keep whole. If bought alive, make sure to save the blood, discard the innards of the chicken and rinse well. soak the herbs including the Wolfberries separately in cold water for about 10 to 20 min. to soften the herbs a little. Slice the ginger in big pieces or just leave the ginger whole and bruise a few times with the side of a cleaver. In a clay herb pot, or any pot made with a non-reactive metal. fit the whole chicken at the bottom of the pot. Tie the herbs in a cheesecloth, making sure the knot is secure to prevent the herbs from floating about the soup. Add in the herb bag into the pot, and then pour cold water in the pot, just enough to cover the chicken, and then add two more ricebowls of water on top of it. Cover the pot with the lid and set the pot inside a cold oven and have a pan sitting under the pot to catch any liquid if it overflows, it rarely happens but better have it there than worry about cleaning the bottom of the oven afterwards. Turn the oven on and set it to 300 degrees. bake the pot for at least 6 hrs. You can also cook it stove top, but you have to tend to it often versus letting it sit in the oven or surrounded by live coals for a few hours. after 6 hours the chicken should be very tender and the broth would be aromatic and rich brown in color from the herbs. Lift the chicken out of the broth onto a separate plate. Into the pot of broth add the chicken blood till it has coagulated,ladle soup in individual bowls, season with sea salt as per taste. You can also blanch chinese egg noodles(Mi Sua) then add to the soup, one noodle nest per person should be enough, serve piping hot. Eat with the chicken.

Pictorial Recipe Stir-Fried Water Spinach (Ong Choy) with Beef and Shrimp Sauce (蝦醬通菜炒牛肉) The summer is about here. Summer is the season for one of my favorite vegetables - Ong Choy [Cantonese], or Water Spinach - the "hollow vegetable". Ong Choy stir-fried with beef is popular. Typically there are two seasonings: one is using shrimp sauce, and the other one is using fermented bean curds. I like both seasonings so I alternate between them. If you are not used to the strong smell and taste of shrimp sauce or fermented bean curds, you may stir-fry Ong Choy without them. This dish is very easy to make. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Preparations: Main ingredients (from top-right, clockwise): - 3/4 to 1 lb beef - 1 small chili pepper (e.g. jalapeno pepper) - Garlic, use 4-5 cloves - Shrimp paste, use 2-3 tsp - Ong Choy (water spinach), 1 1/2 lb Here is the feature of this dish: Ong Choy (water spinach), the "hollow vegetable". Trim off the ends and discard. They are usually too rough to eat and dirty from transportation. Slice the beef into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick pieces. It is important to cut across the grain or else the beef will be tough to chew. To marinate the beef: use 1 tsp of light soy sauce, 1 tsp of ShaoHsing wine, 1 tsp of corn starch, 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper. Mix well. Set aside for about 30 minutes before cooking. Mince 4-5 cloves of garlic. Cut the chili pepper into small slices. Scoop about 2-3 tsp of shrimp sauce. Cooking Instructions: Use a wok/pan, set stove at high temperature. Add 5-6 tblsp of frying oil, wait until oil gets hot. Velvet the beef slices in oil. It takes about 2-3 minutes. Remove the beef when it still shows a bit of the dark-pink color. Don't overcook. Drain off the frying oil. To speed things up, I use a second pan to cook the Ong Choy while the beef is velveting. Boil about 1 cup of water and add the Ong Choy. Only parboil for a minute or two. Don't overcook. Use a strainer to drain the excess water of the slightly-undercooked vegetable. Start with a clean wok/pan, set stove at high temperature. Add 2-3 tblsp of cooking oil. Wait until oil heats up. Add minced garlic, chili pepper slices and 2-3 tsp of shrimp sauce. The shrimp sauce is already quite salty. No need to add extra salt. Stir well. Cook the sauce and garlic/chili for 20 seconds or so. Return the Ong Choy. Stir well. Return the velveted beef slices on top. Continue to toss and stir-fry for a minute or two until the sauce is evenly coated on all ingredients. Finished. Transfer to a serving plate. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Sichuan Style Dry-Fried String Beans (四川乾煸四季豆) A few people asked me to do a demonstration of the Dry-Fried String Beans dish, which is a Sichuan specialty. I finally got around to it. There are different recipes for this dish. Some uses dried shrimp, some uses ground pork, some uses both. Here is my version. I used a little bit of ground pork for this dish. You may add some dried shrimp if you like. The taste of the dish was wonderful! I need to make this more often than just stir-frying string beans with Sa Cha sauce. This dish is very simple to make. You should try it too! Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Preparations: Main ingredients (from top-left, clockwise): - 1 1/4 lb of string beans - Ground pork, use only a little bit, about 1/4 lb or less - Garlic, use 4-5 cloves - 1 chili pepper (e.g. Jalapeno) - 1 small package of Sichuan preserved vegetable ("Zha Choy" in Cantonese). This is the feature characteristic of a Sichuan dish. - (Not shown in picture) 1 shallot The Sichuan preserved vegetables are sold in different packagings. This package I bought is "ready to eat" without any processing. Otherwise, you may need to soak the preserved vegetable in water for 15 minutes or so to reduce the its saltiness. To prepare the string beans: trim off the ends and cut into about 3 inches in length. Wash and drain off the water thoroughly. To marinate the pork: use a small bowl, add 1/2 tsp of light soy sauce, 1/4 tsp of ground white pepper and 1/2 tsp of sesame oil. Mix well. Leave for 30 minutes before cooking. Take the Sichuan preserved vegetables out of the package. First cut into shreds, then finely chops. Trim end of chili pepper and cut into thin slices. Mince 4-5 cloves of garlic. Peel and finely chop 1 shallot. Cooking Instructions: To prepare this dish, the string beans are first deep-fried. I don't have a deep-fryer at home nor do I use a wok. I did that with just a regular frying pan. Add 6 tblsp (or more) of frying oil, set stove at high temperature. Wait until the oil starts fuming. Add the string beans. Fry the string beans until cooked. It takes about 5-6 minutes (or longer) depending on the strength of your stove. The string beans should turn soft and the ends start to turn brown. For this dish, the idea is to "dry fry" the string beans. No need to add water. Remove from pan and drain off excess oil. Drain off the frying oil from the pan. Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil. First add the marinated ground pork. (Also add dried shrimp if you cook with dried shrimp.) Use the spatula to break up the ground pork into very small pieces. When the ground pork is about browned (it takes 2-3 minutes), add minced garlic, chopped shallots and sliced chili peppers. Also add 2 tsp of chili bean sauce and a pinch of salt (to taste). Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine. Stir all ingredients well. Return the string beans. Continue to stir, toss and cook for a minute. Finished. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve immediately. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Here's another question: Anybody have a good recipe for guk fa cha? Or flower tea? My parents made it everytime the season changed (or what it from spring to summer?). It's pretty much a tea with this packet of flowers and suger blocks boiled in water. Can be drank hot or cold. Suppose to be really good healthwise. Been thinking about making it but haven't got a clue on how to start. I don't even know what packet of assorted flowers to buy to make it out of? Anybody? Ah Leung?

My parents and I will be going to visit the rest of our family in Shanghai in early April. During that time, my grandmother will be celebrating her 80th birthday. She was the one who taught my mother how to cook, who in turn was the one that taught me so I'd like to cook her some western dishes to show what I have learned in America. What dishes do you think would be a good idea? A few limitations I must consider are what ingredients will be available in Shanghai, whether I need to bring some ingredients with me from the States and what Western dishes would appeal to her Chinese tastes. My mom also tells me that Grandma has high tryglyceride levels and so should not limit her fat intake. She recommends seafood and dessert. A few dishes I am considering are: Blackened fish. Most Chinese fish is steamed so this would be quite different. I'd only need to bring some Old Bay Seasoning. Crab cakes. All Chinese love crab but I don't think she will have ever had crab cakes before. Hamburger. She may have had McDonald's burgers before but not a real homemade burger. Are hamburger buns, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke available in China? I rarely bake so I only know a few dessert recipes. Pumpkin pie. Very American. I'd only need to bring a can of pumpkin puree. Can one buy pre-made pie shells in Shanghai?

Pea Shoots with Minced Pork and Dried Shrimp (蝦米肉碎炒豆苗) I had a wonderful dish in a restaurant called "House of Nanking" in San Francisco recently. This dish was presumably a Nanking (modern name Nanjing) style but I cannot be sure. I have tried reproducing this dish at home. I think I came very close. I like my version as it is less salty than the one in the restaurant. This is a very simple dish, but delicious! Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Preparations: Main ingredients: (From upper-right, clockwise) - Dried shrimp, use about 4 tblsp - Garlic, about 5-6 cloves - Ground pork, about 1/4 lb - 1 to 1.5 lb of pea shoots To marinate the ground pork: Use a small bowl. Add the ground pork. Add 1 to 2 tsp light soy sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground white pepper. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Use a small bowl, soak the dried shrimp for about 15 to 20 minutes to soften up. (Not shown in picture) Wash the pea shoots to get ride of dirt and impurity. Drain well. After the dried shrimp have turned soft, drain water. Use a cleaver to chop dried shrimp into small grains. Peel and mince about 5-6 cloves of garlic. Cooking Instructions: Use a wok/pan, set stove at high. Boil about 1 cup of water. Blanch the pea shoots for a few minutes. Remove the pea shoots from pan when they are still slightly undercooked. Drain excess water. Start with a clean wok/pan, set stove at high. Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil. Wait until oil starts fuming. Add the minced garlic, minced shrimp and 1/4 tsp of salt (or to taste). Stir well. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinated ground pork. Brown the ground pork. Use the spatula to keep breaking up the ground pork and shake it loose. When the ground pork is about cooked (no more pink color), return the drained pea shoots. Stir, toss and cook for another minute. Transfer the ingredients to a serving plate. Serve immediately. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Shrimp Paste Wrapped in Bean Curd Sheets (鮮蝦腐皮卷) I bought some shrimp paste (ground shrimp) from a local Asian grocery store. One of the best ways to cook it is to wrap them in bean curd sheets and fry them or fry-then-steam them. You can make your own shrimp paste. Simply shell the shrimp, devine, and put them in a food processor. Grind for 1 minute or so. You can find this dish as a dim sum item in dim-sum restaurants. The ones that are steamed typically have ground pork as fillings. If you like a vegetarian version, you may use reconstituted black mushrooms mixed with shredded bamboo shoots and bean sprouts as fillings. There are different types (different grades) of bean curd sheets. The best ones are fresh (not dried) and are kept in the refrigerator/freezer section in the Asian grocery stores. In Cantonese, they are called seen jook. They are soft to the touch and very flexible. In my opinion, they taste the best. The second best ones are dried and sold in a plastic package. In Cantonese, they are called foo jook. In dried form, they are very brittle. They need to be soaked in water briefly before use. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Preparations: Main ingredients (from lower-right, clockwise): - 1 lb of packed shrimp paste (or have about 1 1/2 lb of shrimp with shells, shell them and grind your own) - 1 stalk of green onion - 1 pack of dried bean curd sheets (or "tofo skin"). This pack was loosely translated as "beadcurd sticks"). Use 4 sheets. (Need to divide each sheet in half) - (not shown) 1 chicken egg The shrimp paste (ground shrimp) purchased from the store is unseasoned. If you grind your own shrimp, you may season it slightly with salt, ground white pepper and (optional) 1-2 clove of garlic - pressed. Add the seasoning and pressed garlic in the food processor when you grind up the shrimp. The dried bean curd sheets very brittle. They need to be soaked in water briefly before use. Gently lay 4 sheets of bean curd sheets in a bin of warm water. Soak for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove and drain off excess water. Caution: Do not soak the dried bean curd sheets for too long, or else they will turn very soft and look opaque-white. The best to use if when they look semi-translucent. Alternatively, you may wrap a couple of wet towels around the dried bean curd sheets to moisten them. Use a small bowl. Break the egg and beat it. Use this as a "sealant" for the bead curd rolls. Lay a soaked bean curd sheet on the board. Use a small knife to trim off along the edge on one side to divide one sheet into two (these sheets are usually sold folded up). Just make sure the size of the sheet to use is about 6 to 8 inches on each side. Scoop about 3-4 tblsp of shrimp paste (ground shrimp) and lay it as flat as you can on top of the bean curd sheet. Use a small brush to brush on the beaten egg around the edges. Fold it diagonally. First from the bottom, fold up. Then from the left, fold right. Then from the right, fold left. Then roll up the rest. Brush on a little more beaten egg to seal the end. Continue through the same process to make about 8 rolls. (Not shown: trim and chop up the green onion.) Cooking Instructions: Use a pan, set stove to medium. Add 3 tblsp of cooking oil. Wait until oil is hot. Add all the bean curd rolls. Sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes or so on each side. Turn the rolls over and sear the other side. If you like to eat these rolls when they are crispy, stop here. (Perhaps adjust the cooking time just slightly longer.) Remove and serve. If you want the bean curd sheet soften up a bit, continue. Add about 1/8 cup of chicken broth. Cook with the lid on for another 5 minutes. This technique is very similar to making potstickers: steaming and frying combined. After 5 minutes, the chicken broth is mostly evaporated. Transfer the rolls to the serving plate. Use a pair of kitchen sears, cut up each bean curd roll into 3 to 4 pieces. To make the sauce: continue to cook in the same pan. Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil. Add the white portion of the chopped green onion. Sautee for 20 seconds. Add 1/4 tsp of salt (or to taste). Dash in 1-2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine. Stir well. Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add 2 tsp of oyster sauce, 1 tsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of dark soy sauce. Mix well. To thicken the sauce, use corn starch slurry (suggest: 1 tsp corn starch in 2 tsp of water). Adjust to the right consistency. Scoop up the sauce and ladle on top of the bean curd rolls. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped green onions on top. Serve immediately. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about twice the portion shown in this picture.)

Many who know me on EGullet know that I don't use a wok to cook Chinese food. I have been using flat frying pans to cook all my meals since I came to the USA for college back in the late 70's. I didn't bother with getting a wok primarily because I feel that using a wok without an adequate heat source is not effective. One thing that I always amused myself with is reading online bulletin board comments, that when someone is getting excited about learning how to cook Chinese food... before he/she even buys any Chinese cookbook, the first thing he/she would do is to buy a wok! And... typically... a "non-stick" wok with flat bottom so one can use it over an electric stove, and a plastic spatula. Anyway, things are about to change... All because I happened to see this gas burner for sale in the local grocery market at only US$32.00: It has 4 rings. The diameter is about 8 inches. Just use a portable natural gas tank. Nice. I was hoping to find some burner that uses compressed air to boost the heat but so far I haven't seen one available in the USA. That just got me interested to start a project on my stove and wok shopping. I am posting my photo journal to share with all of you on my thought process in evaluating different burners/woks and related equipment. The burner that I saw, of course, is far less powerful than the one posted by infernooo: My new wok burner, 120000 BTU/hr! but it is still pretty nice to have. Assuming that I am going to get that burner, my next task is to shop for a good wok, then go through the proper way to season it, etc.. In the same shop, I have found only 2 different models. The first one: is a cast-iron wok, about 28 inches in diameter. I rejected this wok right away because: 1) It is very heavy. There is no way to pick up the wok and toss the food around. 2) It has 2 small "ears" but no handle. I like to use the handle to toss the food around when cooking, the same way I do with the frying pans. The second model: is a stainless-steel (I think - but it's all black in color) wok, about 18 inches in diameter. This looks promising. It is not too big, and not too small. It looks just about right. It has a round bottom, not flat. I picked it up with my left hand and practice the tossing motion and it felt about right. I took the second wok to placed it on top of the burner. It wasn't a perfect fit. The wok was too small to rest on the outer tripod. It was resting on the smaller, inner tripod. The wok could wobble a little bit. I am not sure if this would cause problems. I haven't come to any conclusion yet. I need to shop around some more for different wok models and, possibly, burner models. I will make a trip to San Francisco to see better selections if I have too... Any comments and idea sharings are appreciated!

would anyone have any reccomendations as to shops or markets selling SEA ingredients in Shanghai, especiallly herbs and fresh ingredients (lemongrass, lime leaves, galanga)? My brother is having a Thai curry jones. Thanks Michael

Hi, This is my first post here. First of all Ah Leung, I had been visiting your pictorials since long (even when I was not a member) and they were simply fabulous. They capture many subtleties of Chinese cooking that we usually don't get to see in any cookbooks. Thank you for taking the pains to share it with others. I am great admirer of Chinese cusine. Infact I prefer Chinese to any other cusine in the world, including my own. I have a high BTU stove and most of the normally used ingredients. I have tried many of your recipes and have enjoyed making them. Sometimes they turned out to be great, and other times they were failures because I am not very good with high heat cooking. I am still practising on my high BTU stove. I have been looking for couple of American Chinese dishes and was hoping you could help me get to the subtleties. They are very very common dishes. Actually one of the dishes I have tried almost all recipes that I could lay my hands on, but somehow have never been able to capture that restaurant quality (ofcourse the quality differs from restaurant to restaurant, but I am talking about the good ones). The dish is the infamous Gen Tso's chicken or sesame chicken. I know this is not an authentic dish and just a derivative of some cantonese dish, but I still love it.. I think many Chinese dislike this dish. I have tried it in various ways... with dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, rice vinegar, white vinegar, orange concentrate, ketchup, pineapple juice, duck sauce.... but have never got that distinct taste that we get in the restaurant. I think there is something else to it. Would you know about it? Usually the sauce comes in two forms... one is reddish golden color, and the other really dark black (which I think is because of dark soy sauce). I am looking for both versions. I have tried waterchestnut flour, plain flour, or cornstarch with egg/water for chicken coating but somehow could never get that thick crispy coating. The fried chicken pieces also have a wonderful aroma. Can you please give me some tips on this dish? There is just one other recipe that I am looking for. In one of the restaurants that I eat, they make fabulous chow fun. For some reason their chow fun has a very distinct 'smoky' flavor that I don't find anywhere else. And it is not just because of high heat cooking or dark sesame oil. It has a very very distinct smoky flavor. Is there any standard ingredient or technique to get that? I would really appreciate if you could kindly share your experience with me. I have been hunting for these secrets since long but to date have had no success. Thanks a lot!

Beef with Sa Cha Sauce Clay Pot (沙茶牛肉粉絲煲) This is a Cantonese clay pot dish that is very easy to make at home. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 2 to 3 Preparations: Main ingredients: (From upper-right, clockwise) - Beef (flank steak), about 3/4 lb - Garlic, about 5-6 cloves - Shallot, 4 cloves - 2 bundles of mung bean threads - 1 chili pepper (jalapeno) - 2 small egg plants - "Sa Cha" Sauce (Chinese Barbeque Sauce - named by Bullhead brand) Cut the flank steak into thin slices (across the grain). To marinate the beef: Use a mixing bowl. Add the beef slices. Add 1/2 tsp of ground white pepper, 1 tsp of sesame oil, 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine, 1 tsp of light soy sauce, 1-2 tsp of oyster sauce, and a pinch of salt (suggest: 1/4 tsp). (Not shown in picture): add 1-2 tsp of corn starch. Mix all the ingredients. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking. Trim off the ends of the egg plants. Cut into long and slender wedges. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and finely chop the shallots. Cut the jalapeno pepper into thin slices. Soak the mung bean threads in a bowl of warm water for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Cooking Instructions: Use a medium size Chinese clay pot, pre-heat it over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 - 1.5 tblsp of cooking oil. Add the minced garlic, chopped shallots, and sliced jalapeno pepper. Add 1/4 of salt (or to taste). Add 2 to 3 tblsp of "Sa Cha" sauce (or called "Chinese Barbeque Sauce" by the Bullhead brand). Note: This is the main feature of this dish. Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine. Stir well. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and 1/8 cup of water. Add the wedged egg plants. Bring the mixture to a boil (may take about 5 minutes), then reduce heat to medium-slow. Cook with lid on for another 10 minutes or so until egg plants turn soft. After 10 minutes or so has passed, use a second stove to heat up a pan/wok. Add 2 tblsp of cooking oil. Sear the marinated beef slices for a few minutes. Remove the beef from pan when it is still slightly pink. Drain off excess oil. This is how it looks when the egg plants have turned soft. Drain off the water from the soaked mung bean threads. Add mung bean threads to the pot. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the threads turn soft and transparent. Test the sauce. If the sauce is too runny, add corn starch slurry (e.g. 1-2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 3 tsp of water) to thicken the sauce. Usually the mung bean threads are quite long and difficult to scoop at the dinner table. Use a pair of kitchen sears to cut up the mung bean threads. Give it about 3 to 4 cuts. Return the beef to the pot. Mix well with the egg plants and mung bean thread. Bring the whole pot to server at the dinner table. Picture of the finished dish.

We are notorious for our willingness to eat nearly every exotic animal, fruit and vegetable in the world. What items are available in many different countries but are eaten only by the Chinese? Two immediately come to mind: jellyfish and sea cucumber. As far as I know, not even the other Asian food cultures eat those sea creatures even though they are widespread throughout the planet.

Another childhood food of mine is Ku Chay Ah (Min-nan/Tai-gi not sure which uses it, they almost sound alike anyway on both dialect). its a fried pastry with meat filling which contains pork, tofu and ku chay (jiu cai) in a semi thick gravy of sort. I cant remember how it taste like anymore since its been forever since I had them. oh and the pastry is like the teo chew mooncake. its layers and layers it looks really pretty...hehe when fried the layers just open up more and gets more distinct and fried till golden brown. anybody know them by another name? or has the recipe?

Cannot find Shanghai noodles in my city...does anyone know how to make this or know of a recipe? thanks

Sweet and Sour Pork Sparerib (生抄排骨) The subject of Chinese American recipes came up recently. I made this Sweet and Sour Pork Sparerib the other night. This has its Cantonese origin and I like the way it is made in Hong Kong. In the USA, many restaurants offer this dish. However, the ones that I had tried typically were too sweet and the artificially looking bright red color made me feel uneasy. I like the version I make at home. It takes a little bit of work. Hopefully you would like to make it at home too. You may also make this dish with pork, chicken, shrimp, or other types of meats that please you. Picture of the finished dish: Serving Suggestion: 4 to 5 Preparations: Main ingredients (from top-right, clockwise): - 1 1/2 lb to 2 lb pork spareribs - Garlic, use 3-4 cloves - Plum sauce - 1 small can of tomato sauce - 1/2 can of pineapple - 1 small onion - 2 small bell peppers Trim the excess fat off the pork spareribs. Cut into bite-size pieces around the bones. To marinate the spareribs: use a mixing bowl, add spareribs. Add 1 tsp of ground white pepper, 1 tsp of salt (or to taste), 2 tsp of light soy sauce. Mix well and set aside for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Trim the ends of bell peppers, trim seeds. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel and mince 3-4 cloves of garlic. Peel and wedge a small onion. Open a can of pineapple (use about 1/2 can). To make the batter for the pork spareribs, I used about 1 1/2 cup of regular flour, and 1 cup of tempura batter mix, and 2-3 tsp of corn starch. Add the 3 kinds of powder to a mixing bowl. Add water and stir to prepare the batter. You don't need exact measurement of water. Just feel it. The batter should not be too thick nor too runny. When you scoop some with a spoon and pour back to the bowl, it should flow smoothly. Cooking Instructions: First, deep-fry the pork spareribs in batter. Use a wok or pot. Add frying oil and set stove at high heat. Wait until the oil heats up (may take 5 to 10 minutes). You can see the oil swirling. If you are not sure, test the oil by dropping a small drop of batter into the oil. If the batter starts sizzling right away, then the oil is hot enough. Use a small dish, add about 4-5 tsp of corn starch. Take each piece of marinated pork sparerib, first roll it on the dish to coat it with corn starch. This will help the batter stick to the meat. Dip the sparerib briefly in the batter mix. Drop it into the frying oil. It should start sizzling right away. Proceed with all the sparerib pieces. You may need to divide them up into a few batches and fry one batch at a time. It takes about 3-5 minutes. Fry until the batter turns golden brown. Place the fried sparerib on a piece of paper towel to help it absorbing the excess frying oil. Continue to cook all sparerib pieces. To make the sauce: Use a wok/pan, set stove at high heat. Wait until pan is hot, add 2-3 tblsp of cooking oil. Add minced garlic, 1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste). Sautee for a few seconds. Dash in 2 tsp of ShaoHsing cooking wine. Stir well. Add the wedged onion. Sautee for another minute. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 4-5 tblsp plum sauce, 1 small can of tomato sauce, 3-4 tsp of white vinegar (or more if you like the sour taste), 2-3 tsp sugar, 1/2 can of pineapple and some of the juice from the can. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add corn starch slurry (suggest: 2 tsp of corn starch in 2 tsp of water). Thicken the sauce to the right consistency and adjust. Add the green bell pepper at last. Return the battered and fried spareribs. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce boils again. Mix well. Finished. Transfer the content to a serving plate. Picture of the finished dish. (Note: The quantity of food made in this recipe is about three times the portion shown in this picture.)

A Pictorial Guide To Chopping A Chicken, Cantonese Style This is a demonstration of how to chop a cooked chicken, Cantonese style. This technique is practiced by many masters in Cantonese BBQ restaurants. For the demonstration, I bought a Cantonese soya sauce chicken whole. If you do not eat any Cantonese BBQ item until the follow day (or longer), it is better to store the BBQ item whole in the refrigerator and chop it up just before serving. The tools: I use a round Chinese chopping block, and a Chinese "bone chopper" cleaver. What's a "bone chopper"? The knife is heavier than regular cleavers. It gathers momentum from your swinging motion. With a sharp edge, the pressure is extremely high. Major benefit: it cuts chicken bones (leg bones, wings, ribs) into halves without causing broken bones - which is a major nuisance eating chicken Chinese style, as we don't use knifes at the dinner table - nothing but a pair of chopsticks (and a porcelain spoon). The cut surface should be straight and smooth. You also should have a soft (relatively) chopping block to hold the chicken while chopping. The block can absorb most of the momentum from the cleaver and not damage its sharp edge - a little bit like a shock absorber. Here is a small soya sauce chicken bought whole. The chopping technique is the same for chickens large or small. I am right-handed. I use my left hand to hold down the chicken and the right hand to chop it. First you need to cut the chicken into two halves, then work with each half separately. Place the chicken with the breast side facing up. Slide the cleaver on the stomach. Apply pressure on the right hand. Use the left hand to assist. Push down the cleaver to cut through the rib cage and sever the chicken into two halves. If this is not enough, swing up the cleaver and chop down. Place half the chicken on the plate while chopping the other half on the block. If you only want to consume half a chicken, store the other half in the refrigerator in one piece. First, cut off the chicken wing. Slide the cleaver from behind the shoulder and make the cut at the shoulder joint. Cut off the wing. Set it aside. Next, cut off the thigh and leg. Slide the cleaver right above the thigh. Set it aside. Now the breast and back are in one big piece. Typically, first make one cut parallel to the back bone. Then a few cuts across. You should swing the cleaver high and swing hard. Let the momentum of the cleaver, along with the sharp edge to create extremely high pressure to make the cut. This way, the cut edges - including meat and bone - will be straight and not jagged. Like this. Observe the straight cut. If you chop it fast enough, the chicken skin will not get pushed off. Slide the cleaver under the chicken pieces to transfer them to the serving plate. Next, work with the thigh and leg. First make one quick chop across the joint to separate the drum stick. Typically we leave the drum stick whole and do not make further cuts. Lay the thigh flat on the block. Make 2 to 3 quick cuts (depending on the size of the chicken). Transfer the thigh pieces and drum stick to the serving plate. Lastly, work with the chicken wing. Make one cut at the joint between the mid-wing and the arm. Leave the wing-tip attached to the mid-wing. Make 1 or 2 cuts on the arm and shoulder. Transfer the pieces to the serving plate. Repeat the above steps on the second half of the chicken. When you lay the chopped pieces on the serving plate, try to re-assemble the pieces to form the shape of a chicken. Place the chicken breast and back pieces at the center. Place the thigh/leg pieces along the rim. Place the wing pieces on the opposite side, with the wing laid on top.

I love hot sauces of all kinds, but mainly the Asian types of hot sauce. I am not used to American types of hot sauce, such as Tobasco and the likes, because they are too sour for me. This is unusual for a Cantonese, as we typically avoid eating hot food. This habit only started in my college days. Perhaps that's the result of working in a few Sichuan/Beijing (the so-called "Imperial" style) restaurants. Hot sauces are a little bit like wines, in that there are different types that would go well with different types of food. Some are good with wonton noodle soup, some are good as condiments for stir-fries, some are good with cheung fun, and some are good for cooking only. A recent trip to the 99 Ranch Market, I walked down the isle that showed all kinds of Chinese hot sauces. I thought I was in heaven! Here are some of the hot sauces that are interesting: Ning Chi. This is a Taiwanese made. Chili with black bean sauce on the left. Chili with garlic on the right. These are "hot oil" (La You), mostly hot oil with a bit of garlic and chili. These are hot sauce "paste". Typically used as condiments in Vietnamese food (e.g. Pho and Vietnamese BBQ). Similar hot sauce "paste". Popular with Southeast Asian food. Many Chinese hot sauces. Typically these are quite salty and not suitable to be used as condiment. They can be used for cooking. This hot sauce is typically added to "Cheung Fun" (steamed rice noodles). Similar ones but other varieties: sweet chili garlic sauce, sweet chili sauce. They are hot and sweet. Sichuan hot sauce... in cans! Good for cooking for sure. I wonder if they are good as condiments. The famous Guilin style hot sauce. In Guilin, most use this to accompany their rice noodle dishes. Out of many hot sauces that I have tried, I have come to this conclusion: my personal most favorite brand is: Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce and Yank Sing XO Sauce. Yes they are made by the San Francisco famous Yank Sing dim sum restaurant inside the Rincon Center in downtown San Francisco. But I have known them over 20 years ago when Yank Sing was a small neighborhood restaurant selling wonton noodles and stir-fried entrees at the corner of Broadway and Powell. Their hot sauce has not changed much over the years. Before they distributed their hot sauce via the Asian markets, I used to buy half a dozen of them dropping by their restaurant every time I visited San Francisco! I would kill to know how they make their hot sauce. It is full of flavor. Very balanced and not exceptionally hot. (Perhaps that's from MSG? ) The only thing is: they are a bit expensive. Much higher compared to the counterpart. But, I have not seen even a close second. And in case you are wondering: yes, I have bought some of these hot sauces. I am going to post some of my evaluations on different brands and different types of hot sauces.

Last night I went to a Chinese Restaurant and experienced something for the first time.. Every person at the table ordered for themselves.. When dinner was served all the dishes were put in the middle of the table with big serving spoons.. Each person then put each dish in front of themselves, eating around the big serving spoon.. It was really a wierd experience.. There were no communal noodle,vegetable, rice, or tofu dishes.. No appetizers were split.. Just every person for themselves.. I ordered a soup and one dish.. For me, eating an enitre plate of squid in black bean sauce felt wrong.. I left completely unsatisfied and bored.. Do people do this often?