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Chinese chefs make the best lobsters. That's my opinion, what's yours?

I like both. Dried is so good in soup or stir fried with veggies.

Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. When did you first eat it? Where do you like to eat/order it? What do you expect when you order it? What color is it's sauce? Is it authentic or Americanzied Chinese food?

Does anyone have any good recipes for baby bok choy? I generally steam or braise it, but am getting bored of my own ideas!

As you may tell from my name, I am very into Chinese food, and would be thrilled to find a reliable, good, reasonably priced Chinese restaurant. Full Kee in DC's Chinatown is good for standard Cantonese dishes (and their "delicacies"), and there are a few places scattered around NoVA that are good if they know you and understand that you are not afraid of authenticity (and of course A&J is great, IMHO). But this seems like slim pickings for a major world capital. Anyone else have some spots they'd care to share with me?

I am intending to cook a Singaporean recipe (of obvious Chinese origin) for a soup which includes the above as an ingredient. I have ascertained the Latin name from Terry Tan's Cooking with Chinese Herbs and understand that it is a dried root, mainly used by the Chinese in broths and soups for medicinal purposes. Has anyone had experience of the stuff? e.g. Does it in fact taste so foul that I would do better to leave it out? Or the contrary? And how easy might it be to find? Could I get it in a Chinatown supermarket or do I need to go the the Chinese herbalist next door? Of course I can find out all these things myself by trial and error, but I would be interested in any knowledge from others. v

(Edit: This thread is a split of several posts from the thread on Jean-Georges Vongerichten's new Chinese restaurant, "66," in New York City) ----------------------------------------- I'll tell you what I'm hearing, and I bet this is true: you're all talking about technique. That's clearly an area in which Jean-Georges Vongerichten is going to have to play catch-up. I think he can get there -- the guy can do anything -- but that's where he's weak. But here's where he is totally going to kick the ass of every Chinese restaurant America has ever seen: he's going to have the best product. The reality is that most Chinese restaurants -- even the very high-end ones -- get crap-ass product when you judge it by the standards of top-tier haute-cuisine restaurants. I mean, when is the last time you had an excellent piece of beef in a Chinese restaurant? Never, if I may be so bold as to answer for you. It just doesn't happen under any normal set of circumstances. But if Jean-Georges Vongerichten is buying beef, he's going to get it from a serious supplier and it's going to be steakhouse-quality. This is where he's going to be the market leader: ingredients. Now let's see if he can get his kitchen up to speed on cooking those ingredients. If he succeeds at that, will anybody be able to touch him? I don't think so; not until the whole Chinese restaurant community moves into a new era in order to catch up.

This is an important and interesting observation. The differences that have developed in Chinese dishes served in different parts of the country/world. For example: Chow Mein is a white sauced dish in some local variations and brown sauced (soy added) item in others. Duck sauce is a different color/flavor in different parts of the country And as Fat Guy has pointed out Sweet & Sour is a different color on the east and west coasts. Probably varies in different countries. Any comments?

I like sweet & sour. It's real Chinese cooking and can be delicious. It's gotten a bad reputation. It's been abused. What do you think?

One of my favorite shops is a hole-in-the-wall on the west side of Mott St (NYC) just south of Grand. It sells only dried fish. Must be more than 100 different types. Everytime I walk by I marvel at the variety and wonder what they're all used for. I know I'm supposed to be the expert here, but hell my Jewish grandmother never taught me about this stuff. Neither did my professional chef mentors. Any toughts/experiences/recipes?

Chinese Broccoli (Gai-lan), several ways Serves 4 as Side. One of our favorite vegetables, we frequently order Gai-lan when out for Dim Sum or other Chinese meals. It looks similar to Broccoli Rabe, but tastes like a cross between regular broccoli and asparagus with none of the bitterness of broccoli rabe. We generally prepare it Chinese-style, but it can also be prepared Italian-style, just like other forms of broccoli. Chinese Broccoli or Gai-lan, figure 1 bunch for 4 people With Oyster Sauce 1/4 c Oyster Sauce, best quality Sauteed with Garlic 1/3 c Peanut or Olive Oil 6 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and sliced Salt or Soy Sauce, to taste 1 tsp Sesame Oil, optional Blanch the vegetable: Set a large pot of water to boil, add salt when it comes to the boil. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Prepare the Chinese Broccoli by trimming the cut ends, washing, then separate the leafy, thinner-stalked half from the larger stem half by cutting approximately in half. Blanch the vegetable, adding the thicker stemmed portion to the water about 1 minute before the thinner stemmed/leafy portion. After about another minute the vegetable will turn bright green.* Use a pasta scoop or spider web chan to remove the vegetable and shock in ice water. When cold, drain and saute the vegetables. Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce * If planning to serve immediately with Oyster Sauce, do not shock, but cook the vegetable just a little longer in the boiling water, then remove to a platter. Drizzle the Oyster Sauce all over the vegetable and serve immediately. Chinese Broccoli Sauteed with Garlic - Chinese Style Heat Peanut Oil in a wok and add the garlic and blanched Gai-lan. Stir fry until the vegetable is heated through and the garlic is lightly golden. Drizzle with Soy Sauce and Sesame Oil and serve. Chinese Broccoli Sauteed with Garlic - Italian Style In a very large skillet (or wok), place garlic slices and Olive Oil and bring up to heat, adding Gai-lan and a sprinnkle of salt while the garlic is still white. You can either briefly saute it to keep the vegetable crisp-tender, or lower the heat and cook it until wilted, like Broccoli Rabe. Keywords: Side, Vegan, Vegetarian, Kosher, Easy, Vegetables, Dinner, Chinese ( RG176 )

Mamster's special recipe. +++ Be sure to check The Daily Gullet home page daily for new articles (most every weekday), hot topics, site announcements, and more.

I lust after Wonton. Never order Hot & Sour though I enjoy it. And get Sizzling Rice Soup every time I run across it. Do you have a favorite Chinese soup or know of a restaurant that serves particularly great soup?

We had a chicken with chinese sausages and black mushrooms from "Staffmeals from Chanterelle" yesterday for dinner. As recommended by the book i bought sausages containing some duck liver. As i sliced them to put into a pan for cooking i tried one piece, and it really tasted funny, almost coconut-sweety, but i decided to proceed. The dish came out pretty well; chicken, mushrooms (i used fresh oysters) and braising liquid (contained oyster sauce, chicken stock, soy sauce, ginger and scallions) were very tasty, but i still was not thrilled by those sausages. The dish is really worth trying again, but what's with sausages? Should i try some other brand? My store carries about ten of different kinds.

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup Recipe courtesy =Mark 6 c chicken stock 1/4 lb julienned lean pork or chicken 2 T garlic & red chile paste 2 T soy sauce 3/4 tsp ground white pepper 4 eggs, beaten 5 T cornstarch 1 c sliced shittake mushrooms 1 can peeled straw mushrooms 1 c can sliced bamboo shoots 1 can baby corn ears 1 cake soft tofu, sliced into 1/4 inch cubes 1/4 c white vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 can sliced water chestnuts finely chopped scallions for garnish 1/4 c dried black fungus (cloud ears), soaked in water for one hour, drained and sliced. Preparation: 1. Bring stock to a simmer, add soy, pork, mushrooms & chile paste, simmer for 10 minutes. 2. add pepper, vinegar, bamboo, baby corn, water chestnuts, fungus and tofu, simmer 10 min 3. Mix cornstarch with 5 tbsp water and add. bring back to a simmer and pour the eggs in a very thin stream over the surface. Let stand for 10 seconds before gently stirring in the sesame oil. 4. serve with a garnish of chopped scallions. The pepper, vinegar and chile paste can be varied to taste. Keywords: Chinese, Easy, Soup ( RG117 )

Hi everyone, Please don't think I'm an idiot, but I have a question about dumplings. Also, if I am posting in the wrong place, redirection is welcome! I am making dumplings with shredded cabbage, tree ear/black Chinese/button mushrooms, and leeks for a party this weekend. I wonder if I can do them in advance, and if so, how far in advance? I am using purchased wrappers and I am afraid they will stick or get v. soggy if I let them sit for too long. Also, what mushroom combos are good? My Midwestern grocery store ACTUALLY has some things besides regular mushrooms for once, and, there was an Asian grocery opened a few weeks ago I have not tried too many combos but I love, love mushrooms. Any advice? Thank you very much!

I love it. I've never made it. Now I want to try. Any tips, hints? Good recipes to share?

During the American Chinese food authenticity revolution of the late 60's and early 70's Mo Shu Pork had the cachet of something delicious, authentic and unusual. Somehow it's gotten sidetracked. Pedestrian and unexciting now seems like more apt descriptions of its usual state of being? How do you feel? What do you expect to see when you order it? What ingredients do you expect in your dish? What do you want in a Moo Shu pancake? Do you want hoisin sauce on your Moo Shu? Did you know that hoisin on Moo Shu is like catsup on steak?

I think baby backs are second-tier ribs. Not as meaty or succulent as those straight bone ribs I grew up with. Plus the restaurants that feature them usually purchase them frozen. After I read his Blue Smoke Q & A, I discovered that Danny Meyer apparently agrees with me, praising the St Louis cut regular ribs as the way to go. Yet marketers have had a field day with those alliterative baby backs. Sounds better, doesn't it? But do they eat as well? What do y'all think?

Home delivered Chinese take-out is comfort food. Any memorable stories or comments? Anyone pull a cat out of the bag?

So, which is it?

Just as the French appreciate grenouilles, the Chinese have dishes featuring a type of frog in their repertoire. Have members sampled frogs at Chinese restaurants, or attempted to purchase frogs purchased in Chinatown?

Abalone used to be quite common along the california coast. No longer. How do you like your abalone prepared? Whole? Sliced? Grilled? Braised? Or in soup?

It looks like a gathering at my flat is going to coincide with the first day of the Chinese New Year, and I'd like to observe the event as far as my cooking/sourcing skills will allow. Does anyone have any suggestions for food, ingredients, or serving? I'm open to both traditional and "nouveau" ideas. So far I'm leaning towards doing a more "Euro twist" approach, but that's probably more about not knowing where to start rather than trying to avoid real Chinese dishes. I've been toying with the idea of kicking things off with lychee martinis, lotus root crisps and Sichuan peanuts, but that's as far as my thinking has gone. Does anyone know if peach blossoms smell/taste of anything? Or for that matter, where I'll be able to find them in London in February?

i just picked up some sliced rice cake. these are basically pasta-like slices, about 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter (oblong), made of rice. they are slightly chewy and quite satisfying. i've never seen these other than at a shanghai place in NJ (china 46), where they are served with shrimp in what is a brothy, garlicy "sauce" (the sauce tastes as though it has butter, as it's so rich, but i'm assured by the restaurant that it doesn't). it seems to me that they really take on the flavor of whatever it is that they might be cooked in, he said, ending a sentence in a preposition. i'm wondering what i can do with these things. any ideas?