Chinese Eats at Home (Part 3)

[David Ross]

David the meal looks fabulous.

Question are the Szechuan peppercorns, spicy hot ?

If so, no can do in my home, do you have a suggestion for a replacement ?

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No, they are not hot. Think of them like a small black peppercorn, yet brown in color and looking like a tiny dried flower that has opened. They are incredibly fragrant, sort of a mix of pepper, flowers, spice and smoke. You can find them in plastic bags in Asian markets. I can buy a 10oz. bag for about $3.00, much cheaper than a plastic bottle of black peppercorns. In a pinch you could substitute black peppercorns.

[dmreed]

Thanks Ben i think i'll try a little Fu Yu myself next time.  I have some in the fridge as i was intending to make some Kau Yuk last winter, it's been in there for most of year it should be okay though huh?

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I also use a bit of Fu Yu...I also like to a a couple of cubes to Mapo Dofu...I knew that it provided a boost of flavor but not a fu yu flavor...last night I read that that boost is the fifth taste, umami!

[dmreed]

David the meal looks fabulous.

Question are the Szechuan peppercorns, spicy hot ?

If so, no can do in my home, do you have a suggestion for a replacement ?

←

they are not really pepper (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fagara) ...they have a distinct flavor and rather than spicy hot, they have a special numbing effect on the tongue.

I do not know of an adequate substitute!

[C. sapidus]

No posts since August?

Tai bai chicken (tai bai ji), from Land of Plenty. Looks are deceiving – what you cannot see are the piles of dried chiles, pickled chiles, and scallion whites that flavored the oil, or the cup and a half of chicken stock that simmered down with Sichuan peppercorns, Shaoxing wine and dark soy to make a delicious, very spicy-and-numbing sauce. Finished with scallion greens and sesame oil.

Younger son invited a friend over for dinner. The friend was a trooper, asked for seconds, and then soothed the burn with lots of ice cream.

[crowdingthepan]

Mapo Doufu. I ground up the Sichuan peppercorns rather than adding them whole. So, I wasn't sure how much to add, and the result was a very numb mouth.

[Prawncrackers]

No posts since August?

I know, what is going on with that?! As long you and I are still posting Bruce it'll be okay. Here's a new dish, for me anyway, Prawns with Salted Duck Egg Yolks:

[Doodad]

Recent feast with my daughter and I cooking. Bulgogi, three kinds of dumpings, twice cooked pork and rice.

[crowdingthepan]

Dan Dan Noodles:

[Dejah]

Chinese celery, fresh shitaki mushrooms, fresh waterchestnu.

I've never been able to buy Chinese celery, so this is the first time for me cooking this veg. I quite like the stronger flavour and the crispiness. It went well with the earthy mushrooms and the sweet waterchestnut slicces.

[Dejah]

Still trying to use up all the lovely Chinese vegetables from a shopping trip to Chinese supermarket in Winnipeg.

Tonight was to have been Fish-fragrant Eggplant but I also wanted Mapo Tofu. So, I combined the two - great silky combo over jasmine rice along with simple stir-fried baby Shanghai boy choy.

Had this Chinese mustard greens soup in pork stock last night.

[Dejah]

Working down to the bottom of the vegetable crisper! I had a quarter chunk of wintermelon left, so I made simple melon soup with pork stock and ground pork meatballs. The soup and melon tasted a little bitter - not the pleasant cooling taste like bittermelons. I must have kept it too long, but I thought one week was ok.

Hubby wanted Kung Po the way we made it when we had the restaurant, so I made it, with dry roasted almonds as I didn't have peanuts. Blanched yu choy was the side, topped with ginger and chopped garlic. To "cook" the topping, I poured smoking hot cooking oil and sesame oil over the lot. Tasty without the raw taste of ginger and garlic.

[Dejah]

Feeling lonesome and needing some help here, People!

Made a simple traditional Chinese home-style soup to go with the mish-mash of leftovers that made up "supper":

Hairy melon in pork stock with velvet pork meatballs and a stalk of ham choi.

[Dejah]

Traditional Chinese for supper tonight:

Fresh lily bulb soup.

Steamed chicken (no bones to accommodate hubby ) with fresh shitaki mushrooms and lap cheung. I miss the more intense flavour of rehydrated mushrooms for this dish, but I thought I'd fresh.

Quick stir-fried bean sprouts, shredded carrots, and green onion.

Crisp and light to go with the chicken.

[Dejah]

Supper tonight consisted of leftovers from last night in a different combination.

I add some rice noodles and shrimp to the above stir-fried bean sprouts and made summer rolls:

Leftover rice, chicken, shirtaki mushrooms from above steamed chicken, plus chopped onion, BBQ pork from the freezer, shrimp, egg became Yangzhou Fried Rice a la Fushia Dunlop.

[JadeShing]

This thread is great! I will post some of my food things from where I am in the world soon...

For now all I have to share is a meal from a while ago (but it is quite fun!)

Well, we have a yellow bowl with some chicken rice, on top having 2 beef balls and a japanese "wu zi" i don't know how to say it in English... then underneath a dash of spring onion

Some soya sauce on the left and to keep your mouth from being dry, a corn and pork bone soup with bits of vermicelli on it.. o..and its a face too

[Dejah]

Last of the Chinese eggplant before I shop again. Fushia Dunlop's recipe for Fish Fragrant Eggplant.

Tomatoes with no "garden fresh flavour" worked well enough in Beef and Tomato Egg with an added dash of ketsup:

[Dejah]

Cantonese chow mein with squid tentacles, shrimp, and blanched baby Shanghai bok choy.

[heidih]

Cantonese chow mein with squid tentacles, shrimp, and blanched baby Shanghai bok choy.

That looks comforting (if squid tentacles can ever enter that category) - I have a recipe that uses the bodies and end up with a cup of tentacles so I now have a plan. Thank you.

[Dejah]

Squid, any part, but especially the tentacles, are great in a curry sauce.

[Dejah]

Sheesh! It's lonely in here... Is it something I cooked?

Tonight, Black bean garlic beef and bitter melon on rice noodles (ho fun)

[heidih]

Dejah - I love the black bean and bitter melon combo esp with beef. I usually serve it with rice but I like the idea of rice noodles. Looks like you got some nice browning on the noodles.

[Dejah]

Heidi, Not often do I get people saying that they like bitter melon! Yay!

Have to admit that most of the "browning" is from the light soy sauce, but I did get good wok hei as I just throughly cleaned and re-seasoned my wok. I took a long time to separate the noodles too, so that really helped in distributing the flavours.

Hubby and I enjoy the bitter melon, but the rest of the family prefer oyster sauce, beef, and gai lan.

[alanjesq]

I am looking for recipes for two Chinese delicacy items: Tendon (beef, I think?) served at my local Dim Sum Restaurant. So rich and tasty. The other is Jellyfish, also served Dim Sum style. Lastly, if anyone know the recipe for Hot and Spicy Squid, I would be sooo grateful. I know the preparation calls for wine, oil, Korean Pepper, Squid, onion and the Restaurant I order it at also uses Red and Green Pepper. Soooo good.

I would be so grateful. Thanks

alanjesq

[Dejah]

I love beef tendons done dim sum style. I don't have a recipe, but I have braised them with these ingredients:

- star anise, ginger, soya sauce, garlic, green onion, xioshing wine, rock sugar, salt and orange rind.

I blanch the tendons first, clean them then cut into desired lengths.

Cover them with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer for 2 -3 hours - until tender.

I usually start them on top of the stove, then put the whole pot into the oven at 300F for a couple of hours. I use my Crueset pot for these.

If you have saved braising liquid from braising other meats, lo-sui, then use that.

I have a recipe for Sizzling Stir-fried Squid – Bplah Meuk Pad Chah

by Kasma Loha-unchit. Haven't made it yet, but you should be able to google it.

[Dejah]

Chinese fusion - Sechuan / Guangdong...

This was the first traditional Chinese dish I made for my hubby when we got married in 1966, and it's still his favourite.

Steamed ground chuck with sechuan preserved turnip (ja choi) on his side. Mine had fermented salted cabbage (mui choi), chili pepper, and fresh mint (more Guangdong except for the mint and chili). The addition of the mint and chili was something I picked up on a trip to Durham, England in 1976, and that's the way I've been making it ever since. Both "originals" were the way my mom made it.