Chinese Food In Brazil

[KateC]

New here and loving it.

I'm Brazilian and totally in love with Chinese cuisine. Chinese restaurants and take outs are quite common in here, particularlly in the city where I live. We have awesome Chinese restaurants and the usually starch laded take outs.

However, Chinese ingredients are only found in one supplier in the Asiatic neighborhood, but this shop carries just about everything necessary to make Chinese meals at home, include my fave lop cheong. My visits to that store are the apex of my week!

This week I decided to try again a Joong/Jongzi after some disappointments in the past. I had a great surprise. Those were just made like in Leungs pictorial found in this forum. The same ingredients, very rich and very tasty. Just perfect!

I thought I should share how much I enjoy to make my own Chinese meals as well as my findings around here.

Edited July 30, 2006 by KateC (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Welcome to the site, Kate. Is it that much harder to get Chinese stuff than Japanese stuff in Brazil? I know Japanese food goods are very easy to come by.

[KateC]

Thank you Jason

Japanese food and ingredients are part of our culture. The influence of the Japanese culinary culture is quite strong in here. The Asiatic neighborhood I mentioded is Japanese and huge. We can get everything Japanese, grown here, made here, fresh, canned, preserved, name it, as well as imported easily.

I heard that our Japanese community is the biggest one outside Japan. I'm glad some Chinese ingredients are similar to the Japanese though. But to get authentic Chinese goodies I need to go downtown by subway and I hate it. But the travel worth.

Near my home, in the central wich distributes fresh produce, I can find most of Chinese greens, fresh packed bamboo shoots in brine and lotus root.

[Dejah]

Hi Kate,

Add my welcome to Jason's.

I would love to hear more about Chinese food in Brazil, with pictures too if you can.

Which Chinese cuisine is most popular? What do you cook at home?

I am particularly interested because I have 2 university ESL students from Brazil, and I will have one from Paraquay this fall. One of the Brazilians is half Japanese.

Did you take pictures of the joong that you made?

Are you Asian?

So many question!

[Jason Perlow]

I heard that our Japanese community is the biggest one outside Japan.

Yes, that's correct, followed by the United States and then Peru.

Edited July 30, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[KateC]

Hi Dejah!

Thank you for the warm welcome. I drool over your food pictures.

I cook Chinese meals 2-3 times in a week. I learned to cook Chinese following Irene Kuos didact and classic Key to Chinese Cook. But I'm very curiuos and I'm always trying new recipes. My last passion is cooking with bittergourd. Its almost over though

When I read a recipe I kind of "feel" it with all my senses, and if I began to salivate, I have to do it! Right now I'm trying my hand in Leungs pictorials recipes because they seem very homely. I only shy away from recipes called "quick" or "fast". Cooking requires some decication and time.

By the way, I didn't make my joong. I bought them at the Chinese store and they were yummy! We have something similar around here, made of corn, more or less like Mexican tamales called pamonha. Actually joong is sold here by the name Chinese pamonha.

The most popular Chinese cuisines in my city are the Szchuanese, Hunanese and Cantonese.

Your half-Japanese student must know the Japanese 'hood around here. Its name is Liberdade. No, I'm not Asiatic. I'm Brazilian, Irish descendent, but fond of Asiatic culinary.

When I get a decent cam, I'll take some pics and upload in here. Oh my... get nice food pics is an art I don't master!

Edited July 30, 2006 by KateC (log)