Chinese Eats at Home (Part 2)

[hzrt8w]

Does using Coca Cola add a distinctive flavour to the chicken? Would diet Coke work the same?

...

Did your better half eat the "oily, cholestrol-ladened carb" with the lapgnap/lap cheung fan? I am teasing. Of course she did! How can anyone refuse?!

←

One idea in making this dish is to use the sugar content in the Coke instead of rock sugar. I haven't tried with diet Coke. The diet Coke seems to taste different from Coke Classic. Maybe it's just me.

I was very careful. I scooped her little rice. She did eat it. I guess once in a long while is okay.

[SuzySushi]

Cross-posted from My eGullet Foodblog

Coca-cola Chicken.

←

Does using Coca Cola add a distinctive flavour to the chicken? Would diet Coke work the same?

←

Dejah -- I would think that Diet Coke would not work because it contains aspartame, which breaks down in cooking.

[sheetz]

Nice! I haven't made these in ages but maybe it's time to revisit them.

[Dejah]

Cross-posted from My eGullet Foodblog

Coca-cola Chicken.

←

Does using Coca Cola add a distinctive flavour to the chicken? Would diet Coke work the same?

←

Dejah -- I would think that Diet Coke would not work because it contains aspartame, which breaks down in cooking.

←

Thanks SuzySushi. Didn't think about that.

But then, I don't think "diet" with ingredients when I cook.

I'm supposed to cook chicken for Po-Po's supper tonight. Still trying to decide whether I want to braise with mushrooms, chestnuts, wood ear and lily buds, or Coca Cola chicken and the rest in stir-fry with lotus root. Maybe it's time for something different - like Coca Cola chicken!

Sheetz: When I made the baos, I made the dough quite thin, to cut down on "WW points". Usually, they are bigger/fluffier dough-wise. I was glad they were ear-marked for others or we'd eat them everyday, all day long!

With all the beautiful food you've produced, are you a professional in business? or a professional home-cook?

[sheetz]

I was glad they were ear-marked for others or we'd eat them everyday, all day long!

I know what you mean. This is especially a problem when I test new recipes because I hate to throw away my failures. It's just so un-Toisanese!

With all the beautiful food you've produced, are you a professional in business? or a professional home-cook?

←

A professional? Oh, that's a good one! I'm just a self taught amateur who loves to cook. I've never even worked in a McDonalds.

[Dejah]

I was glad they were ear-marked for others or we'd eat them everyday, all day long!

I know what you mean. This is especially a problem when I test new recipes because I hate to throw away my failures. It's just so un-Toisanese!

With all the beautiful food you've produced, are you a professional in business? or a professional home-cook?

←

A professional? Oh, that's a good one! I'm just a self taught amateur who loves to cook. I've never even worked in a McDonalds.

←

I love that term: un-Toisanese.

Well, sheetz, you're a good teacher!

[Ben Hong]

I love that term: un-Toisanese.

Well, sheetz, you're a good teacher!

←

Ditto on both counts.

[shengcai]

Tonight we had Shanghai-style stir-fried shrimp

and beef broth soup with bok choy and enoki mushrooms:

[Pan]

[...]Tonight we made Sichuan dry-fried chicken (gan ban ji)[...]

←

That looks great and very much like dishes I've had at Grand Sichuan here in New York.

[C. sapidus]

[...]Tonight we made Sichuan dry-fried chicken (gan ban ji)[...]

←

. . . very much like dishes I've had at Grand Sichuan here in New York.

←

Michael: I appreciate the feedback - we do not have any local Sichuan restaurants, so I’m glad to hear that our gan ban ji at least looks plausible. Not long ago, I saw ma la something on the menu at a local Chinese-American restaurant. When I asked if they use Sichuan peppercorns, the server looked surprised, grinned, and said “no”.

We have not visited NYC in ages, but Grand Sichuan is on the list for our next trip.

[miladyinsanity]

and beef broth soup with bok choy and enoki mushrooms:

←

Is there a recipe for the broth?

[Dejah]

and beef broth soup with bok choy and enoki mushrooms:

←

Is there a recipe for the broth?

←

Maybe just beef bones or shank with some ginger slices?

It really depends on how you want to use the broth. For Vietnamese pho, that's a whole different story. Ask c. sapidus!

[shengcai]

and beef broth soup with bok choy and enoki mushrooms:

←

Is there a recipe for the broth?

←

Maybe just beef bones or shank with some ginger slices?

It really depends on how you want to use the broth. For Vietnamese pho, that's a whole different story. Ask c. sapidus!

←

It's been a while since I made the beef broth. I froze leftover broth from when I made the cold Korean noodle soup, naeng myun, and just reheated that and threw in the veggies. If I recall correctly, I made the stock using beef neck bones, some carrots, daikon, ginger, and garlic. I seasoned to taste with salt and a lot of white pepper.

When I was growing up, I loved my mother's clear broth soups. They were always so flavorful and they rounded out each of my meals. I'm going to start freezing containers of broth and reheat small amounts for soup more often.

[XiaoLing]

WOW, I have been MIA for so long and there are so many new posts!

I have been trying to recover from my New Year's food coma. Uhhh....so much fooooooooooooooooood....

I will be posting pics from my New Year's gorge soon. Meanwhile, here is something "lighter" now that I am back in Botson.

Niu lan with wontons:

Edited February 27, 2007 by XiaoLing (log)

[Pan]

I want some of that, Xiao Ling!

[hzrt8w]

Niu lan with wontons:

←

Beautiful! Is it common to mix niu lan with wontons? (It is common for Hong Kong Cantonese.)

[XiaoLing]

Thank you Pan! Everyone is welcome to my kitchen at any time! Just PM me when you are in the local area!

hzrt8w- Thank you! It's not common at all in Wuhan to mix niu lan with wontons. What we like to do is to put some baby dried shrimps, scallions, and sometimes seaweed (although that item, I think that's more my family than traditional Wuhan.) But I love wonton soup in Cantonese cuisine and how they combine meats with wontons. So I made a bit of both because I had a craving.

[sheetz]

Beautiful, Xiaoling! What's niu lan?

After pigging out (pun intended) on so many rich foods for the last couple of weeks, I'm determined to eat more veggies and less meat and starch for a little while. I normally would just make a pot of veggie chili, but this time I decided to try some Chinese vegetable recipes that I'd never attempted before.

This was a bowl of soy noodles in broth. I've actually never had soy noodles before, and I must admit I wasn't all that impressed. Perhaps this wasn't the best way to prepare them. Anyone have any good recipes using soy noodles?

Here was an attempt at making vegetarian "duck," which really didn't look or taste anything like duck at all. It's called that because the bean curd skin wrappers are pan fried until crisp like roasted duck skin. The filling consisted of mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and carrots. The skins were pretty bland tasting, but they were not half bad with some worcestershire sauce. Kinda like a low carb vegetarian spring roll.

This dish was inspired by a dish I saw on Ah Leung's CNY blog. It's stir fried pea shoots with dried scallops topped with fried shallots.

Edited February 28, 2007 by sheetz (log)

[XiaoLing]

Thank you sheetz! Niu lan is beef flank or brisket with the tendon and silver skin/sheet of cartilage (not sure what it's called?) attached. It's common in Cantonese restaurants to have a rice plate with niu lan. It's stewed for hours until it is really soft and flavorful.

Your pea shoots dish looks delicious! I can sure use a plate right now since I'm sick.

[Dejah]

Thank you sheetz!  Niu lan is beef flank or brisket with the tendon and silver skin/sheet of cartilage (not sure what it's called?) attached.  It's common in Cantonese restaurants to have a rice plate with niu lan.  It's stewed for hours until it is really soft and flavorful.

Your pea shoots dish looks delicious!  I can sure use a plate right now since I'm sick.

←

Ack! Not you too! Is what Gastro Mui got infectious?!

(Dejah Jeah gets out the surn fung cha!)

[Ben Hong]

Thank you sheetz!  Niu lan is beef flank or brisket with the tendon and silver skin/sheet of cartilage (not sure what it's called?) attached.  It's common in Cantonese restaurants to have a rice plate with niu lan.  It's stewed for hours until it is really soft and flavorful.

←

Niu lan is Mandarin for gnow lam Cantonese or gnow nam Toysanese. It is the belly flap of beef, sometimes mistakenly called flank. It is a cut consisting of layers of lean meat, sinews, white membrane, fat, gristle and is probably the choicest cut for many Chinese. All texture and goodness. Does NOT mean flank steak.

Edited February 28, 2007 by Ben Hong (log)

[SheenaGreena]

I just wanted to add that my korean mother adds coca cola to her bulgogi marinade. she says it tenderizes it and adds flavor. Sometimes she uses kiwi juice - which is another "secret" ingredient. I think koreans are also known to use 7 up or mountain dew in their bulgogi marinades.

adding american soda to meat must be an asian thing

whatever it is, it makes the meat taste delicious

eta: does chinese broccoli taste anything like broccoli rabe? It looks exactly the same and broccoli rabe tastes really yummy. If so, I would definitely buy the chinese broccoli cause it usually looks way fresher and is cheaper

Edited February 28, 2007 by SheenaGreena (log)

[XiaoLing]

Thanks for the clarification Ben! I couldn't find a picture on the web or a definition for that matter. I knew it wasn't flank or brisket in the traditional sense but it's hard to describe (which you happen to do perfectly.)

Dejah, fortunately, I don't have what Gastro has. I have a bad case of the stomach flu or food poisoning. Not sure which one yet. Probably TMI. LOL.

Sheena-I have never heard of marinating meats with soda but it does sound really good. I can imagine how Coke can be a really good meat tenderizer.

[Gastro888]

All that HFC (high frutose corn syrup) in Coke scares me. I'd rather stick to the old-fashioned methods of using soy, honey, etc.

Chinese broccoli has its own distinctive taste that's very good. It's not the same as broccoli rabe, however, it's very good steamed with some oyster sauce.

[sheetz]

Thank you sheetz!  Niu lan is beef flank or brisket with the tendon and silver skin/sheet of cartilage (not sure what it's called?) attached.  It's common in Cantonese restaurants to have a rice plate with niu lan.  It's stewed for hours until it is really soft and flavorful.

Thanks, I wasn't sure because of dialectal differences but figured that's what it was. I don't have any Chinese butchers near me, but I do have a good American butcher who takes special orders. Maybe if I can figure out how to describe what I want he can get some for me.