Support NeoGAF

[Divvy]

For "Chinese" food

Corn starch
Sugar
Salt
MSG

 

[Dr.Acula]

Both wrong otherwise I'd be dead.

Not according to the peanut institute!

One high quality, controlled human trial published in the British Medical Journal in 1997 looked at the use of refined peanut oil by 60 peanut-allergic individuals. The study monitored individuals with severe peanut allergy and showed that they had no reactions to highly refined peanut oil. Researchers concluded that the consumption of refined peanut oil did not pose risk to any of the subjects. Later, in 2000, a study that looked at the allergenicity of refined vegetable oils concluded; “peanut oil presents no risk of provoking allergic reactions in the overwhelming majority of susceptible people.” Additional human trials that test highly refined oils in peanut and nut-allergic individuals are critical as this will keep research current and will help to corroborate these findings.

 

[EulaCapra]

I'm in the same boat. Every time I want to make honey walnut shrimp at home, I immediately just go get takeout.

 

[The Technomancer]

My parents do it semi-frequently. As far as I can tell having good recipes and a wok

 

[Sax Russel]

spicy general tso's and fried rice is like the best thing ever

Aww yiss. General Tso's 4 lyfe.

 

[Rookje]

Use a skillet not a wok. A wok is only optimal if you have a super high BTU stove, which almost nobody has.

 

[catmincer]

Peanut oil is essential for deep frying. Other oils just don't give the same taste.

 

[Ultima_5]

i like all the culture post about hating chinese food/msg. yah, we get it. you know what you get from your local Chinese place is different than what you get in china. goddamn.

 

[peaceiscloser]

I prefer American-Chinese, honestly. San Francisco Chinatown food is the best food on the planet.

Spoiler

besides Filipino

 

[beat]

Use a skillet not a wok. A wok is only optimal if you have a super high BTU stove, which almost nobody has.

Not that I've done it, but I've heard that a the propane burner of a turkey fryer is actually a good replacement for a Chinese restaurant wok burner.

It's probably still suboptimal in that those burners are incredibly hot and most of us would burn everything if we tried to cook in one.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

i like all the culture post about hating chinese food/msg. yah, we get it. you know what you get from your local Chinese place is different than what you get in china. goddamn.

Hush, peasant! If you can't even bother to travel to China to taste their authentic cuisine, then I want nothing else to do with you! Do you care nothing about the food you eat? You should be ashamed of your inferior tastes!

 

[LiK]

my dad can make Chinese food that is more delicious than Chinese restaurants. he was a cook for a time in HK and was a waiter so he knows how they make their food. he doesn't even need those fancy restaurant gear either.

 

[Kitschkraft]

I don't care if it's just salt and sugar. I need this in my life.

 

[DominoKid]

needs more MSG.

 

[teh_pwn]

Lots of vegetables
Lots of meat. Typically chicken, pork, and fish over beef.
Lots of rice.
Spices: Crushed red pepper, garlic, ginger, white pepper, onion, and several others.
Cooking stuff: Corn starch, soy sauce. peanut oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, a wok, a rice cooker.

There are more things, but that's basically what's common.

If you're talking about the American take on Chinese food:
Sugar
Pepper
Peanut oil
corn starch
soy sauce
MSG. Lots and lots of MSG.
Rice
Deep fried chicken
Some lame attempt as seasoning, like a bit of fake orange flavoring
And lots of diabetes
'

Any Austinites here should go to Asia Cafe. Get whatever the Americanized people are NOT eating. There's like 50 other things on the menu than sesame/orange/GeneralTso chicken.

 

[royalan]

Something that helped me:

The biggest hurdle to cooking good Chinese at home is heat. You need to have a wok or skillet that is hot enough (and that can STAY hot enough) to completely cook the food at a high temperature. The problem with this is that the average person doesn't have a stove that can keep an oiled skillet hot enough, and when people go to add rice/meat/whatever to the pot, the food overwhelms the oil and cools it down, which allows the food to absorb the oil before it's cooked. This results in the soggy texture that people who attempt to make "restaurant-style" chinese at home complain about.

The best way, I find, to get over this hurdle is to let the skillet get REALLY hot (almost to the point that the oil starts to smoke), and then cook in only SMALL batches (like single serving size). This is more time-consuming, but it allows you to cook at high heat without the temperature of the oil dropping and getting absorbed.

 

[Shadow780]

Chicken & Broccoli is not Chinese food!

 

[CornBurrito]

You're definitely right that American "Chinese" food is an entirely different entity than real Chinese food. That said, as long as American "Chinese" food is marketed as Chinese, it is certainly a bastardisation by definition.

I think it has more to do with Americans considering Chinese immigrants to be chinese first, and american second.

 

[flippedb]

GAF, would you please stop complaining about the Americanization of Chinese food, and please deliver some solid recipes?

 

[pizza dog]

MSG, you can get from Amazon. Honey in your sauces. Cook hot on iron. Use cheaper cuts of meat (chicken thighs > breast for instance)

 

[Collete]

I don't know main entree dishes, I just know this recipe for hot and sour soup tastes identical to restaurant ones.


6 dried Chinese black fungus
6 dried wood ear, black, cloud, straw, or shiitake mushrooms, or one bunch of fresh enoki mushrooms (Strongly recommend shiitake for this recipe)
5 dried lily buds
One can of bamboo shoots
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of white vinegar or rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
4 cups of chicken broth (use gluten-free broth for gluten-free version)
1/2 block of firm tofu, diced into small cubes
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
3 scallions, diced
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of finely ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon of chili oil (optional)
Cilantro (optional)


Method

1 Pour boiling water over the mushrooms until the mushrooms are covered and allow them to soak for 20 minutes, turning the mushrooms over occasionally. It may not seem like a lot but they will grow quite a bit. After soaking remove any woody ends with a knife. Cut mushrooms into strips. Reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid and mix with the cornstarch. (If using fresh enoki mushrooms set aside as they do not need to soak).

2 Pour boiling water over the lily buds until covered and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Cut the buds crosswise then tear them up into a few bunches.

3 Mix the vinegars and soy sauce together and set aside. Open the can of bamboo shoots, drain well, and cut the shoots lengthwise into strips.

4 Place the chicken broth into a bot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tofu, mushrooms, lily buds, bamboo shoots, vinegar mixture, and cornstarch mixture. Mix and bring back to a boil. Once it comes to a boil remove from heat. While stirring the soup slowly pour the egg into the broth in a small steam while stirring the soup allowing the egg to instantly cook and feather into the soup.

5 Add the scallions, white pepper, sesame oil, and chili oil if using. Taste and adjust white pepper, vinegar, and salt to taste. Add cilantro to garnish and for added flavor. Serve immediately.

Yield: Serves 4.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/hot_and_sour_soup/

 

[RatskyWatsky]

This one is good link. You don't have to make it gluten free like the recipe says, unless you can't eat gluten, but it's pretty damn tasty and tastes a lot like the sesame chicken they make at my local Chinese restaurant.

 

[flippedb]

Thank you both.