Chinese Cooking Demystified on YouTube

[gfron1]

YouTube Channel

 

Does anyone else watch these guys? I've really enjoyed their channel and have been teaching myself Sze chuan cooking using them and Fuscia Dunlap's book. Their written recipes need a hard edit but the videos are great. And contrary to their recent plat list, they have all the classics in addition to the more esoteric. I also like how they'll often create mimics of their favorite restaurants' specialties.

[MokaPot]

Yes, I've watched that channel. They (the couple) seem knowledgeable.

 

I also like Souped Up Recipes:

 

 

She does complicated (IMO) recipes and also does her take on American Chinese food.

 

[simons]

Yeah, love their channel. And if you like theirs then you might also like Chef Wang's channel. Although less annotated, his videos are easy to follow too. Oh, and his uncle is fun!

[liuzhou]

Don't get me started!

[Hassouni]

15 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Don't get me started!

Please start!

[gfron1]

On 12/28/2020 at 1:35 AM, liuzhou said:

Don't get me started!

I do still want to know what you meant by this. Do you not think their recipes and techniques are good? Authentic? Personalities? I'd like to know because if I'm using them as a source for my learning I want to know what critical lens I should be applying since I don't know any better.

[Eatmywords]

I checked out a few of their videos and and watched in full; 'How to stir fry any veg - 3 basics' and 'Cantonese fried eggs'.  Nicely produced, very easy to follow.  I like them.   From the About Us, the woman, from Shunde, China, executes the recipes while the American b-friend narrates and sometimes cooks.  Safe to say it's pretty traditional/authentic.  Of course some may have other opinions.

[liuzhou]

13 hours ago, gfron1 said:

I do still want to know what you meant by this. Do you not think their recipes and techniques are good? Authentic? Personalities? I'd like to know because if I'm using them as a source for my learning I want to know what critical lens I should be applying since I don't know any better.

 

My flippant comment was more in jest than anything else, but yes, you do deserve a more sensible answer.

 

It seems to me that the Cantonese recipes are authentic, but not so much the others. The Sichuan dishes are all over the place and very American-Chinese slanted The video recipe for laziji is a travesty. Compare it to Fuchsia Dunlop's much more authentic version, for example.

 

Overall, the channel is better than most, but I really can't recommend any YouTube videos as being a good way to learn. Books such as those by Ms. Dunlop are much better and there is at least some quality control by the publishers. YouTube has none whatsoever - every idiot with a camera and an ego can post any old crap and many do!

If you are interested in more regional Chinese dishes, then Carolyn Phillips' All Under Heaven (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) is a good introduction.

Edited January 7, 2021 by liuzhou (log)

[rotuts]

its quite true

 

any idiot w a camera can set up a YouTube channel.

 

however , some idiots there are less idiotic than others.

 

and we've been round and round on " Authentic "

[rotuts]

I watched the ' Chinese Ingredient "  UT

 

its quite decent for someone starting out in the West

 

I stopped when the narrator pointed out various 

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=shichou+chinese+wine&tbm=isch&chips=q:shichou+chinese+wine,online_chips:shaohsing&client=safari&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjI5Y215YnuAhVpieAKHXr0D8wQ4lYoBXoECAEQHw&biw=1350&bih=1321

 

he should have pointed out in the west ' cooking wine ' in supermarkets has a close to lethal

 

amount of salt , for ' tax purposes '

 

as he was in chinatown , he would have pointed out to go into a Chinese Liquor store and ask

 

for their best version.

 

Im not being picky here 

 

its a fundamental error on UTs part 

 

especially being in Chinatown

 

that not to condemn the rest.  their is decent stuff here

 

for the Westerner.

 

not much for Fuchsia.

[liuzhou]

36 minutes ago, rotuts said:

he should have pointed out in the west ' cooking wine ' in supermarkets has a close to lethal

 

amount of salt , for ' tax purposes '

 

Not in the west. In America!

[rotuts]

im not that familiar w the ( smaller now) EU .

 

thank you for that correction

 

the UT fellow was in Philadelphia , and indeed in Chinatown there.

[Kerala]

Thanks for posting this. It looks great. For a beginner like me, it is tempting and achievable. At this point that counts for a lot.