Hi I am learning to cook so I can make vegetables taste good

[C00kman]

I am trying to improve my diet by eating clean and green. This is harder than it looks because I do not have a great affection for veggies unless it is in a sandwich or on a burger. I have been drawn to asian cuisine since they do make flavorful dishes that lack meat. They are also a bit more involved to make and expensive to order out. I am starting on this food quest that should last a life time. 

 

A secondary goal is to up my baking skills and ditch boxed cake mixes forever. 

 

Looking forward to interacting with the community 

 

Happy New Years! 

[Tropicalsenior]

Welcome. If you want to learn you have come to the right place. The best to find out about Asian cooking is to dig into the forum archives. There is a wealth of knowledge. This place is also full of people that are willing to help and will share recipes if you ask.

The best way to start learning is to just jump in and start participating.

Edited January 5 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[liuzhou]

57 minutes ago, C00kman said:

I have been drawn to asian cuisine since they do make flavorful dishes that lack meat.

 

”Asian cuisine“ is kind of meaningless. Indian, Russian, Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese ... .  Asia has 48 countries and even more cuisines. Some are vegetable oriented; others are very meat-centric.

Which ones are you hoping to emulate?

 

 

Edited January 5 by liuzhou (log)

[TicTac]

48 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

”Asian cuisine“ is kind of meaningless. Indian, Russian, Mongolian, Thai, Vietnamese ... .  Asia has 48 countries and even more cuisines. Some are vegetable oriented; others are very meat-centric.

Which ones are you hoping to emulate?

 

 

The ones with the highest use of veggies.....DUH! 🤪

 

 

[liuzhou]

1 minute ago, TicTac said:

The ones with the highest use of veggies.....DUH! 🤪

 

 

and which does he think those are?

[Darienne]

Welcome to you, C00kman.  And good luck with your endeavors.  

[TdeV]

Welcome @C00kman. This is a great place!

 

I have noticed that if I go out to a super restaurant, it's the vegetables which taste the best.

 

 

Edited January 5 by TdeV
More to say. (Always Ha ha) (log)

[C00kman]

sorry for my lack of specificity.... my focus is on Chinese and Indian but I am open to anything.... If it has veggies I am down. 

[Katie Meadow]

If you have read any of @liuzhou 's recent posts you already know that Chinese food is almost endlessly varied. However, I believe it is possible to learn to make a relatively easy and basic stir-fry using vegetables that are available to you and with a small investment in basic condiments. The trick is that a decent wok and a relatively high flame are essential. Many people try to make stir-fry in a saucepan with inadequate heat, and that's really just a sauté. Personally a stir-fry is my go-to easy and fast meal, and the best way I know of to combine different vegetables. And one technique or method can get you started. There's a short learning curve when it comes to what ingredients to add when, but that will make sense quickly. And you do need to prep all ingredients before cooking, because you will probably need to work fast. 

 

Maybe someone else can suggest books that get you into Chinese cooking; I've honed my technique from various sources, and can't think of just one book to recommend for a beginner.

 

Where do you live? What kinds of ingredients are you most likely to find near you? That might get you more specific responses here. 

 

[C00kman]

I have been reading up and I have purchased "The Wok" by Kenji López-Alt. I have his recommended burner and a stainless steel wok. So I am good to go there. I still am very much a novice at that sort of cooking though. I also been experimenting with various instant pot recipes for SE Asia cooking. 

 

I am in the North Carolina in the US. 

[liuzhou]

11 hours ago, C00kman said:

my focus is on Chinese and Indian

 

Chinese food uses a lot of vegetabes but almost always with meat included, too. Vegetables are stir-fried, often in lard (pig fat). I realise you are not necessarily looking for vegetarian food, though. However you might want to read this article first for background.

 

As to cookbooks as mentioned by @Katie Meadow, I recommend you have a look at  Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Fuchsia Dunlop. This covers simple family cooking as actually found in China. My neighbours would recognise every dish. 

 

I agree with Katie that a good wok, preferably carbon steel (and definitely not non-stick), is the way to go. If you have a Chinatown or Chinese market nearby, they are usually the best place to buy them. Don't worry so much about high heat - Chinese home cooks manage well with normal domestic stove tops.

 

Good luck! If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

 

Edited January 6 by liuzhou (log)

[dcarch]

21 hours ago, C00kman said:

I have been drawn to asian cuisine since they do make flavorful dishes that lack meat.

Yes, can be flavorful and colorful and healthful and environmentally respectful  

A very popular dish I made for the new year celebration dinner party.

 

dcarch

 

[TicTac]

On 1/5/2024 at 10:54 AM, liuzhou said:

 

and which does he think those are?

Evidently, those of Asian descent! 

[liuzhou]

33 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Evidently, those of Asian descent! 

 

Well. that's a novel idea. Someone who wants Asian cuisine wants it to be from Asia. Who'd a thunk⁈