Garlicky Shanghai food?

[hzrt8w]

I am sampling different Chinese restaurants in San Francisco this week. Today's lunch was at "Shanghai Dumpling King" (changed name from "Shanghai Dumpling Shop"). I ordered a dish of "Stir-fried Eel" ("Chow Sin Woo" [Cantonese]). They put about 2 tsp of minced raw garlic in the center of the dish. It tastes pretty good, but a little bit too "garlicky" because the garlic is raw. I haven't had Shanghai food too often. Is this typical of Shanghai style eel? I had this dish in a Shanghai style restaurant in San Diego many times but never had seen it served with raw garlic. Perhaps this is just one restaurant's rendition?

I also ordered a bowl of "Spicy Dumpling" (Hung Yao Chow Shao [Half Cantonese half Mandarin :-) ] ). They put sesame paste in this dish. Also a first for me. It tastes good... but with sesame paste, after the 4th dumpling you would feel like you already have enough... (There are 10 in a bowl...) Again, is this typical of Shanghainese' interpretation?

[jhirshon]

Shanghai cuisine can use lots of garlic, especially in their eel dishes - depends on the region. Shandong cuisine also uses lots of garlic, and many chefs are from this region.

cheers, JH

[aprilmei]

I am sampling different Chinese restaurants in San Francisco this week.  Today's lunch was at "Shanghai Dumpling King" (changed name from "Shanghai Dumpling Shop").  I ordered a dish of "Stir-fried Eel" ("Chow Sin Woo" [Cantonese]).  They put about 2 tsp of minced raw garlic in the center of the dish.  It tastes pretty good, but a little bit too "garlicky" because the garlic is raw.  I haven't had Shanghai food too often.  Is this typical of Shanghai style eel?  I had this dish in a Shanghai style restaurant in San Diego many times but never had seen it served with raw garlic.  Perhaps this is just one restaurant's rendition?

I also ordered a bowl of "Spicy Dumpling" (Hung Yao Chow Shao [Half Cantonese half Mandarin  :-) ]  ).  They put sesame paste in this dish.  Also a first for me.  It tastes good... but with sesame paste, after the 4th dumpling you would feel like you already have enough...  (There are 10 in a bowl...)  Again, is this typical of Shanghainese' interpretation?

←

I've been served the eel this way. I think what you're supposed to do is mix the garlic into the other ingredients and their residual heat will warm the garlic and make it less raw-tasting. It's still pretty powerful though; Shanghainese cuisine can be quite strong, although there are many subtle dishes.

[Tepee]

Even if it's not for shanghai dishes, whenever we go to a chinese restaurant, we'll request for a small dish of raw finely-chopped garlic. Love its bite.

Ah Leung Gaw, envying your tasting trip......BIGTIME!

[Dejah]

Even if it's not for shanghai dishes, whenever we go to a chinese restaurant, we'll request for a small dish of raw finely-chopped garlic. Love its bite.

Ah Leung Gaw, envying your tasting trip......BIGTIME!

←

Aiyeeah! Ah Leung! How can you make such comments about the raw garlic with the eel when you, yourself, blendered up 10 cloves of garlic for your nam yu roast chicken! I know you said to temper the raw taste with salt and sugar, but still...10 cloves! Sheesh...

I'll cook with garlic, and use it on garlic bread, but I wouldn't be allowed in the house if I ate raw garlic as with the chicken or eel! I can sympathize with hubby who doesn't handle second-hand garlic well. I face that with my morning ESL class - from my Korean and Beijing students. I swear they eat raw cloves for breakfast!

[jo-mel]

hzrt ----HeeHee! I also read, open-mouthed, your comment on garlic. I said to myself "HUH?" You DO like your garlic, altho when you use it, it is usually browned and cooked.

Of all the eel dishes in my Shanghai cookboks, there is only one with garlic and it isn't raw.

Could there be any merit ( in history) in raw garlic and its use as against intestinal parasites that may be associated with a dish?

[annachan]

My dad spent a good part of his childhood in Shanghai and he's totally into raw garlic, especially when it comes to dumplings. He'll peel a bowl of raw garlic and eat them w/ the dumplings. I love garlic, oven using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

[Dejah]

using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

Do you mean cloves or do you actually use a bulb or two when making a meal?

I always throw acouple cloves of garlic into the hot oil before any other ingredients, and one bulb will last about a week.

[wesza]

My dad spent a good part of his childhood in Shanghai and he's totally into raw garlic, especially when it comes to dumplings. He'll peel a bowl of raw garlic and eat them w/ the dumplings. I love garlic, oven using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

When we lived in "Hong Kong" one of my partners was from Shanghai and my wife (Brooklyn born Jewish girl) was a regular at the wifes "Tai Tai" Dumpling making parties where the dumplings they made [chowsuh?] were generally eaten together with a whole clove of raw garlic. This weekly treat was one of the few indulgences that could take them away from playing Maj Jong.

They were quite delicious, but I preferred mine without the Raw Garlic but my kids would eat it with gusto, in fact they still all enjoy garlic in almost everything but have learned the magic of eating garlic together with long leafed and curly parsley to avoid the after effects. "IT REALLY WORKS".

Irwin

[Dejah]

My dad spent a good part of his childhood in Shanghai and he's totally into raw garlic, especially when it comes to dumplings. He'll peel a bowl of raw garlic and eat them w/ the dumplings. I love garlic, oven using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

When learned the magic of eating garlic together with long leafed and curly parsley to avoid the after effects. "IT REALLY WORKS".

Irwin

←

Irwin,

Eating garlic with parsley masks garlic breath, but there ain't NUTHIN' that can stop "garlic breath" from your pores!

Bananas will also help with "garlic breath" from the mouth.

[Tepee]

using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

Do you mean cloves or do you actually use a bulb or two when making a meal?

I always throw acouple cloves of garlic into the hot oil before any other ingredients, and one bulb will last about a week.

←

Hmm...sniff..sniff...don't think I reek of garlic, but I use up a bag of garlic a week. Typically, I'll use one whole bulb (if big) or 2 small bulbs to stir-fry vegetables. LOL, I can just imagine Dai Gah Jeh's look of horror. I love garlic for its properties (detoxifies, kills fungals/infections, friendly to our blood, increases protection against infectious diseases) as well as in the taste department. Give me garlic any time, raw (can't eat them by the bulb though...prefer them finely chopped), stewed till soft or fried.

[Dejah]

using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

←

Hmm...sniff..sniff...don't think I reek of garlic, but I use up a bag of garlic a week. Typically, I'll use one whole bulb (if big) or 2 small bulbs to stir-fry vegetables. LOL, I can just imagine Dai Gah Jeh's look of horror.

←

Well, you won't have to worry about vampires!

[hzrt8w]

[...]

I've been served the eel this way. I think what you're supposed to do is mix the garlic into the other ingredients and their residual heat will warm the garlic and make it less raw-tasting.[[...]

←

Hehehe... didn't think of that! I kept scooping the minced raw garlic with my chopsticks and ate it... What was I doing?

Mixing sounds good. Definitely will do that next time!

[hzrt8w]

Aiyeeah! Ah Leung! How can you make such comments about the raw garlic with the eel when you, yourself, blendered up 10 cloves of garlic for your nam yu roast chicken!   [...]

←

After I had made it, I realized 10 cloves were too many. I could have done that with 5.

The Nam Yu Roast Chicken was the only Cantonese dish that I have seen served with raw garlic, though.

[hzrt8w]

I'll cook with garlic, and use it on garlic bread, but I wouldn't be allowed in the house if I ate raw garlic as with the chicken or eel! I can sympathize with hubby who doesn't handle second-hand garlic well. I face that with my morning ESL class - from my Korean and Beijing students. I swear they eat raw cloves for breakfast!

←

Beijing Ren. Definitely! Reminds me of those business trips to Beijing in the winter by train. No opening the windows (winter). Garlic breath... most were smoking inside the train too... cough cough...

[hzrt8w]

hzrt ----HeeHee! I also read, open-mouthed, your comment on garlic. I said to myself "HUH?" You DO like your garlic, altho when you use it, it is usually browned and cooked.

[...]

←

I do like garlic a lot. Browned and cooked. Raw garlic? Not as much. Reserved for special occassions. Like when meeting someone with whom you don't want to spend much time...

[hzrt8w]

I am sampling different Chinese restaurants in San Francisco this week.  Today's lunch was at "Shanghai Dumpling King" (changed name from "Shanghai Dumpling Shop").  I ordered a dish of "Stir-fried Eel" ("Chow Sin Woo" [Cantonese]).  They put about 2 tsp of minced raw garlic in the center of the dish.  It tastes pretty good, but a little bit too "garlicky" because the garlic is raw.  I haven't had Shanghai food too often.  Is this typical of Shanghai style eel?  I had this dish in a Shanghai style restaurant in San Diego many times but never had seen it served with raw garlic.  Perhaps this is just one restaurant's rendition?

←

This is the "Stir-Fried Eel" I had with 2 (maybe 3) tsp of minced raw garlic in the middle. The garlic is kind of covered by the chopped green onions.

[hzrt8w]

I also ordered a bowl of "Spicy Dumpling" (Hung Yao Chow Shao [Half Cantonese half Mandarin  :-) ]  ).  They put sesame paste in this dish.  Also a first for me.  It tastes good... but with sesame paste, after the 4th dumpling you would feel like you already have enough...  (There are 10 in a bowl...)  Again, is this typical of Shanghainese' interpretation?

←

This is the "Spicy Dumpling" (Hung Yao Chow Shao) I had. The Shanghainese touch was adding sesame paste and sesame seeds on top.

[wesza]

My dad spent a good part of his childhood in Shanghai and he's totally into raw garlic, especially when it comes to dumplings. He'll peel a bowl of raw garlic and eat them w/ the dumplings. I love garlic, oven using a bulb (or two) when making a meal. But eating cloves of raw garlic is a little too much for me....

←

When learned the magic of eating garlic together with long leafed and curly parsley to avoid the after effects. "IT REALLY WORKS".

Irwin

←

Irwin,

Eating garlic with parsley masks garlic breath, but there ain't NUTHIN' that can stop "garlic breath" from your pores!

Bananas will also help with "garlic breath" from the mouth.

←

Dejah:

Growing up in the Bronx, spending time on Arthur Avenue, belonging to a Puerto Rican Social Club with Middle Eastern friends being Jewish living in Asia, Honolulu and preparing Banquets for the Gilroy Garlic Festival all I can say is:

"WHAT BREATH" ? oh guess you mean the ones that's "SEXY". (It's never effected my pores, even after James Beards Garlic Chicken with 40 whole cloves)

Irwin

Edited March 4, 2006 by wesza (log)

[Ben Hong]

The garlic breath that comes from the buccal cavity (mouth) is easily gotten rid of by the various methods listed and a good brushing. The more insidious form of garlic breath is actually impossible to get rid of as it is in your blood stream. As the lungs exchange air, the essence of garlic is expelled. Nothing that 12 hours time can't cure.

[Dejah]

←

.

←

←

Dejah

"WHAT BREATH" ? oh guess you mean the ones that's "SEXY". (It's never effected my pores, even after James Beards Garlic Chicken with 40 whole cloves)

←

Turst me, Irwin, garlic does come thru' the pores, even after ingesting "no odour" garlic pills. And, at least to MY mind set, it "AIN'T SEXY!"- until 12 hours have passed.

But, I do enjoy eating moderate amounts of cooked garlic.