Asian "Chinese" Cooking

[Thundarstick]

Does anyone else here cook Asian dishes? I'm going to say mostly Chinese, but Philippino, or Thai, with a smattering of Indian, Japanese, Korean thrown in.

I made the trip down to Memphis to pick up ingredients yesterday as I was out of my favorite soy sauce. I've had an over abundance of eggplant coming in and tried a few new things. The first was a pork stuffed eggplant medallions deep fried. Holy smokes those where good, but a little time consuming to prep. (You could totally Americanize this one with your favorite breakfast sausage or even Italian sausage) Tonight I whipped up Mapo eggplant! (Mapo tofu without the tofu) Another fantastic dish if you like spicy! Make sure you use the Sichuan pepper corns or it just not the same.

Just wondering if I have anymore wok chefs here? The only down side to learning to cook Chinese food is you realize how bad most of the Chinese restaurants around here are![smilie=l:

[gbrown]

There's a Chinese dish, garlic eggplant. Don't know the exact recipe, but I've made my version a couple of times. Stir fry about 3 cups of peeled eggplant sticks, like 3 in. long by 1/2 in. by 1/2 in hot, hot oil. Make a sauce of 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/4 cup water, 1 tblsp. cornstarch, 1 or 2 tblsp. of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Put as much garlic-- I fine mince about 3 segments. You can use powder, about a tsp. Dump the sauce in, boil til it thickens, turn off heat, cover and let it thicken. Add any amount of heat you desire. Over indulge, be prepared to spend some time on the porcelain throne. How do I know, LOL.

[Thumbcocker]

We do our version of stir fry especially when the garden is producing. This one has venison, onions, kale, and chantarell mushrooms. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210731/165709c0ee5808f5cee749845e576cd4.jpg

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Winger Ed.]

Not sure if it counts or not-
I do a few of the reverse engineered dishes from some of the famous Asian restaraunts.

They're about as authentic Chinese as George Washington.

[farmbif]

ive found making a sauce for many Asian style stuff adds a whole new dimension too it
equal parts soy sauce and oyster sauce plus a little bit of fish sauce a little bit of sugar and corn starch a tiny bit of pepper paste to keep things interesting, and in some stuff a bit of rice vinegar .
ive been trying too eat healthier these days, lots of vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas, onion, garlic, ginger, celery, zucchini, , with limited amount of noodles or rice. yes its true most oriental restaurants are not all that great. if your ever in Knoxville there is a super fantastic place called asian kitchen its right next to sunshine supermarket, a giant grocery store that is like taking a trip through Asia.
decades ago when I lived in dormitory all the asians would get together and make big pan full of stuff that most often included breakfast sausages chopped up and browned in pan with onions , garlic, ginger, whatever they had, then added vegetables, again whatever they had, sometimes it was just frozen carrots and peas, and sauce then stirred in a few pkgs of Rama noodles that were dunked in boiling water for maybe a minute or less. this is where I learned about the oyster and fish sauce, sugar and corn starch added to soy sauce.
I figure got to have lots of vegetables in the diet to balance out the trips to captain D's, long John silvers, Hardees and pizza places.

[MaryB]

Stir fry is a staple in my house, over rice or chowmein noodles for crunch. Marinate meat, prep all the veg, stir fry the meat in a smoking hot wok(the caramelization is a part of the flavor) then pull it and set it aside, add your veg and stir fry to your desired doneness, I like mine crisp tender, add your meat back, then your sauce liquids(plain old stock works for this, or Better than Bullion dissolved in hot water), then thicken with a little corn starch slurry.

Veg varies with what the garden is producing, or what I have in the freezer. I made a beef round steak stir fry this week with onion, garlic, green beans and carrots from the freezer(blanched then froze so already par cooked), and some canned mushroom slices I had in the pantry(I use them in gravy a lot!). Beef stock for the sauce. Marinade was the onion and garlic(remove before cooking meat, add with the veg step to cook thru), crushed red pepper, soy, rice wine vinegar, some fish sauce(couple drops, go easy on this or you can over power your dish). I usually add the marinade with the sauce to cook it, yes I know you are not supposed to reuse them, my beef supplier is very clean, I can eat a rare hamburger! Chance of bacterial contamination is low.

Served over rice with soy on the side to dip the meat slices in. Quick and easy meal, bit high in sodium if you have to watch it, I just cut back on salt the next day.

[GregLaROCHE]

Not Asian, probably Italian, but a tried and true eggplant dish. Slice eggplant longways and remove skin. Dunk in beaten eggs and then in bread crumbs. Fry. When brown, remove and put in a baking dish. Smother with tomato sauce topped with cheese. Bake for 40 minutes. This is the basic recipe, but adding your favorite herbs and spices is encouraged. Not Particularly Asian, but really good.

[gbrown]

Another Asian food I love is Pho, the traditional breakfast food of Vietnam. Pho GA is my favorite. On a cold blustery day, a big bowl of that hits "the spot." A couple of spring rolls, you got a meal. Just like chicken Ramen, with a whole lot of veggies. I've made it with Ramen, just added a small can of chicken and a lot of veggies-cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, etc.--about whatever you want to add.

[Thundarstick]

ive found making a sauce for many Asian style stuff adds a whole new dimension too it
equal parts soy sauce and oyster sauce plus a little bit of fish sauce a little bit of sugar and corn starch a tiny bit of pepper paste to keep things interesting, and in some stuff a bit of rice vinegar .
ive been trying too eat healthier these days, lots of vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas, onion, garlic, ginger, celery, zucchini, , with limited amount of noodles or rice. yes its true most oriental restaurants are not all that great. if your ever in Knoxville there is a super fantastic place called asian kitchen its right next to sunshine supermarket, a giant grocery store that is like taking a trip through Asia.
decades ago when I lived in dormitory all the asians would get together and make big pan full of stuff that most often included breakfast sausages chopped up and browned in pan with onions , garlic, ginger, whatever they had, then added vegetables, again whatever they had, sometimes it was just frozen carrots and peas, and sauce then stirred in a few pkgs of Rama noodles that were dunked in boiling water for maybe a minute or less. this is where I learned about the oyster and fish sauce, sugar and corn starch added to soy sauce.

Learning how to make different sauces is key! Using the proper ingredients together is another. You don't "have to have" a wok burner, but it sure does help, especially if your making large portions, as most indoor stoves just don't get hot enough. I got tired of losing the hair on my arms using a fish fryer, so some of the best money I ever spent was on a wok cooker, then a high end rice cooker. Anyone who wants to learn need only turn to YouTube or other sites. Things I've found out? Learn what umami means and how to achieve it! Soy Sauce isn't just soy sauce! It's like saying all BBQ sauce is the same! Fish sauce and oyster sauce as well! Rice, isn't just rice, isn't just rice, and there are a hundred different types and styles of noodles!
Here's one to try. Blanch some romaine lettuce leaves in boiling water, drain, and drizzle a little oyster sauce, toasted sesame oil, and a sprinkle of sugar over them! Yummy

[Dunross]

Lately we've been experimenting with making our own steamed dumplings. My girls really like them and they're a very social activity in filling and folding each one before steaming. They freeze well too and can be steamed straight from the freezer.

Last time I was down to Orlando my daughter and I stopped in one of the big Asian markets down there and bought a dumpling steamer. It's just a broad, shallow pot with steamer baskets that fit on top so we can cook enough for the whole family at one time. My next experiment will be steamed buns.

We've eaten stir fry for years and we love noodles.

[Handloader109]

My wife loves watching youtube cooks. And she tries a bunch lately. We all like asian food, a bit hot but not hair on fire hot. So a lot of simple rice and stirfry. All good.

[AlaskaMike]

My wife makes a pretty good Thai curry noodle soup, and I've played around with Thai fried rice some. It all came out very good. Unfortunately I don't have any recipes right at the moment. Generally it was chicken, or tofu in one curry noodle soup instance.

[farmbif]

pot stickers are good stuff with lightly steamed broccoli
again sauce adds a new dimension to it. I made some one time with soy sauce, cider vinegar, sesame oil and a touch of pepper paste

[Jim22]

Couple of things that I think help make asian food taste authentic:
Shredded coconut
Jasmine rice
Good strong chicken stock. I make it with Knorr powdereed chicken stock. Not really salty.
Most oyster sauce I have tried has been too salty
Sesame seeds and sesame oil - both for garnish at the table. Cooking them in wastes them.
The already mentioned corn starch for thickener
Cabbage
Garlic

Enjoy,
Jim

[Maven]

Sesame seeds and sesame oil - both for garnish at the table. Cooking them in wastes them.

Glad to see I'm not alone in thinking so, Jim.

[MaryB]

Sesame oil in a marinade works well and adds a sesame flavor to the food.

[Fishman]

Some fantastic insights here in this thread, much appreciated!

I've been exploring stir-frying with kim-chi, essentially Korean sourkraut. I've enjoyed it raw for years, but just started cooking with it recently. It adds a ton of that "umami" flavor and if it is a little strong you just cut it with some cabbage to tone it down. It certainly doesn't taste anything like what you would expect, at least to me.

[MaryB]

I use a lot of coleslaw mix in stir fry, has green and red cabbage and carrot shreds. Bag of it keeps a week or more in the fridge so easy to have it on hand.

[gbrown]

Some fantastic insights here in this thread, much appreciated!

I've been exploring stir-frying with kim-chi, essentially Korean sourkraut. I've enjoyed it raw for years, but just started cooking with it recently. It adds a ton of that "umami" flavor and if it is a little strong you just cut it with some cabbage to tone it down. It certainly doesn't taste anything like what you would expect, at least to me.

Kim chi-- Yes! Lot of Korean restaurants around Killeen and Austin where I spent a lot of time. Loved the food. One of my favorites was the Kim chi soup. I've made it a few times in my life, but others around here turn their nose up at it--literally. They rather frown at me whenever I want to have some.

[Thundarstick]

Try your hand at making Kimchi, it easy!

[gwpercle]

I was excited when my oldest nephew married a nice Vietnamese girl , I like Asian food , like to cook but no one in my family on either mom's or dad's side cook Asian ... I tried a few recipes that were total flops ... I need a real cook to show me the ropes .
So I sit down with her , notebook in hand to jot down recipes and cooking tips ... all excited ...
While I'm rattling on how I was interested in and looking forward to her showing me some real Asian home cooking ... She stops me and politely says "I'm sorry but I don't Cook " ... how can you not cook , everybody cooks ...Anyway I'm asking her about cooking trying to figure out what the problem is ... she say's my mom would shoo me out the kitchen ... so I never learned to cook .
Later her mom takes me aside and tells me ..."the girl can't boil water without messing it up ...it's better for her to just stay out of the kitchen !" I had to laugh ...that was funny ... Okay I see , I guess some people just don't have the Knack for cooking ... I don't have the knack for math or music !
Still don't cook any Asian dishes ... the wife does a passable Fried Rice !
Gary

[Traffer]

I have experimented with making some "home made" Asian dishes.
This is what I have found:
Essential ingredients...
Ginger (doesn't need much but many dishes need ginger)
Sesame oil (roasted...and again doesn't need much as this also is a very powerful flavor)
Onions
Garlic (not all dishes use garlic but it is very widely used in Asian dishes.
Sugar ...used as a SPICE, it does not take much to alter the taste.
Vinegar...better vinegar = better taste. I wouldn't use balsamic in Asian food. Use some more delicate.
Corn starch...Mix cornstarch and water to thicken a stir fry. Add in small increments.
A basic mix of spices to get the Asian taste is ...
Start with oil in the pan...add minced garlic... a bit of minced or grated ginger...sautee..do not overcook...
Put in your meet. cook for a while
Add vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, other vegatables. and cook.
When you get a lot of liquid in there (from the vegetables) turn up the heat and add the corn starch/water to thicken.
THIS IS ALL FROM A FAILING MEMORY. I MAY HAVE MISSED SOME ESSENTIAL THINGS BUT THIS MAY HELP YOU GET IN THE MINDSET OF ASIAN FOOD.
P.S. I like Vietnamese food. Pho is amazing. I can't make it but I seem to remember a spice called "5 spice" that they sell in Asian stores.
Bon Appetit.
PPS...Oh yeah FISH SAUCE...
Real fish sauce smells exactly like rotten fish. But it TASTES AMAZING. You can dilute it with water and sugar yada yada...It is essential in Vietnamese cooking.
Don't let the smell scare you. It is one of the best tasting sauces in the world. The Ancient Romans were addicted to it and called it GARUM. It is catching on again in our society.

[gbrown]

Cooking Asian food is not hard, in MHO. A little oil in the pan, about 1/4 cup, hot fire, toss the meat in and cook it rare. Look at your veggies, cook from the ones that require longer cooking time to shortest to retain the al dente--slightly chewy/crunchy? Have your sauce already mixed up. Mine is corn starch, sesame oil, garlic powder, soy sauce, and chicken broth. After cooking hard veggies (celery, carrots, etc) about half way, I add the others (bean sprouts, onions, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, whatever you like). Once you add the sauce, add the meat, and then bring to a boil, let go for 1 minute, to activate cornstarch, then turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Of course, all mine is served over rice. A little rice wine is good, as is a fish sauce. Depends on the tastes of your guests.

[Wayne Smith]

Couple of things, I use five spice routinely in stir fry - and sesame oil. Can't use the seeds (diverticulitis) but can the oil. I make liquors and one of those typically is added to the sauce - and adds a fruit flavor. For the veggies - after you have cooked the meat and set it aside, start with carrots, then onion/garlic being careful not to overcook the garlic. Peppers then and whatever else soft I have in the refrigerator. Celery is basically all water - it gets tossed in last because it really doesn't cook, it just gets heated up and retains it's crunch.
I will typically throw in a handful of cashews with the onion/garlic.

[mzlldr]

I subscribe to 3 Asian cooking websites ------------ Marion's Kitchen.com (Thai), The Omnivores Cookbook ( authentic Chinese),and Recipe Tin Eats ( Chinese, Japanese and occasionaly Indian) . Another couple of sites I frequently visit are Palin's Kitchen and Cooking with Lau . I believe that all of the above are available in the USA. A word of caution , if you decide to make Marion's Chilli Paste ,then use it sparingly until you become accustomed to it . We love chili and i normakky put 4 heaped teaspoons of a U.S. made Sambal Oelik in my stirfries , but much,much less of Marion's home-made chilli paste ______ if you make it as per her recipe, you will quickly discover why . I also use a ready-made sauce on my beef and/or chicken stirfries,it's called Ready Sauce ,Mongolian Lamb by Lee Kum Kee and I use all of the sachet contents at once in the dish . You might also like to make her home-made chili oil . Hope that the above is of some help to you.
MZZLDR in AUSTRALIA .

[Dunross]

Made Chicken Lo Mein last night. It came out OK. Everyone had seconds anyway, but there's a couple of things I'm going to do differently the next time. I don't have a gas stove and I'm not going to cook out on the porch when the power is not out, so figuring out how to make acceptable stir-fry with a flat bottomed wok on an electric stove requires some adaptation.

Using the fine shredded cabbage they sell for making coleslaw works pretty good when making the filling for dumplings. Steam it a bit first to soften, squeeze out as much water as you can when it cools, then mix with the meat and whatnot to make the filling. In a stir-fry it tastes OK, but doesn't do much for the color so I'll go back to bok choy for that.

[gbrown]

Made Chicken Lo Mein last night. It came out OK. Everyone had seconds anyway, but there's a couple of things I'm going to do differently the next time. I don't have a gas stove and I'm not going to cook out on the porch when the power is not out, s

Go to a local sporting goods store and look for a single burner butane stove that uses the canisters that look like a spray paint can. You can use it on a table or fire safe counter top. I've used one at my old lease, and camping. About $30.00 + the canisters. And, hold one handle to steady your Wok with a silicon glove/mitt.

[Thundarstick]

I subscribe to 3 Asian cooking websites ------------ Marion's Kitchen.com (Thai), The Omnivores Cookbook ( authentic Chinese),and Recipe Tin Eats ( Chinese, Japanese and occasionaly Indian) . Another couple of sites I frequently visit are Palin's Kitchen and Cooking with Lau . I believe that all of the above are available in the USA. A word of caution , if you decide to make Marion's Chilli Paste ,then use it sparingly until you become accustomed to it . We love chili and i normakky put 4 heaped teaspoons of a U.S. made Sambal Oelik in my stirfries , but much,much less of Marion's home-made chilli paste ______ if you make it as per her recipe, you will quickly discover why . I also use a ready-made sauce on my beef and/or chicken stirfries,it's called Ready Sauce ,Mongolian Lamb by Lee Kum Kee and I use all of the sachet contents at once in the dish . You might also like to make her home-made chili oil . Hope that the above is of some help to you.
MZZLDR in AUSTRALIA .


Made with Lau is one of my favorites, along with Chinese cooking Demystified, but I check into several others on a regular basis. I have to be careful with the pepper heat, as I live with a couple of tinder mouths. :roll: Yesterday I made Pancit Bihon (Philippino) a fantastic dish for large groups, and a wok isn't nessary. Do you use the Sichuan pepper (prickly ash) in any of your dishes?

[T-Bird]

I do some asian dishes. Have frequented those sites mzlldr mentioned. Made the Chinese hot and sour soup off The Omnivore's Cookbook. It was easy and wonderful. Put a little more chinkiang vinegar than it called for but it was way better than the hot and sour soups available in restaurants here. I also love (and make) Pho. My asian cooking has been aided tremendously over the last couple years by the fact that finally we have an Asian market here that I can actually get the "real" stuff and not have to use subs. I also grow thai basil in my yard. It ain't the same as italian basil, not even close.

[mzlldr]

yes,I use Szechuan peppercorns when I make Marion's chili paste , and wow is it HOT! if you're interested , I can email the recipe.
MZLLDR

[Dunross]

Do you use the Sichuan pepper (prickly ash) in any of your dishes?

I've been experimenting with it. I bought several brands of Szechuan peppercorns at an Asian grocery, but those proved to be worthless. I next bought a couple of bottles of Szechuan pepper oil and those were the real deal.

I've been eating Szechuan dishes since I discovered them in my late teens, but when I started reading about cooking them I learned about Szechuan peppers (prickly ash) which aren't peppers at all. From all of the descriptions I've read they don't produce a hot taste, but rather a numbing sensation. Never experienced anything like that in any restaurant I've eaten in! Once I discovered I could buy the stuff for myself I started experimenting. The bottle of oil I bought (I got a red and a green type) very much does produce the numbing sensation. Mix it into my homemade chili oil and it's really good! No one else in the family really cares for it, but I like it.

[Jim22]

I use a lot of coleslaw mix in stir fry, has green and red cabbage and carrot shreds. Bag of it keeps a week or more in the fridge so easy to have it on hand.


That is a great idea. I keep frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer to add to asian, italian, and american food. Gotta thry the slaw mix too.

Jim

[MaryB]

Birds Eye makes a decent Asian Stir Fry mixed veg. Comes with 2 packets of over sweet sauce(Americanized Asian...) that I rarely use, give them to a friend who likes the sweet sauces.

[Thundarstick]

I've been experimenting with it. I bought several brands of Szechuan peppercorns at an Asian grocery, but those proved to be worthless. I next bought a couple of bottles of Szechuan pepper oil and those were the real deal.

I've been eating Szechuan dishes since I discovered them in my late teens, but when I started reading about cooking them I learned about Szechuan peppers (prickly ash) which aren't peppers at all. From all of the descriptions I've read they don't produce a hot taste, but rather a numbing sensation. Never experienced anything like that in any restaurant I've eaten in! Once I discovered I could buy the stuff for myself I started experimenting. The bottle of oil I bought (I got a red and a green type) very much does produce the numbing sensation. Mix it into my homemade chili oil and it's really good! No one else in the family really cares for it, but I like it.

I buy the szechuan pepper corns, roast them in a skillet, then into a spice grinder with salt, a dab of MSG, and sugar! Just dipping your finger for a taste will get you the tongue tingling effect! It's a great sprinkle on fried foods especially. I love the taste! It's my understanding it couldn't be imported until sometime in the 90s. I saw daddy Lau make a steamed pork patty with a pickled mustard greens, green onion, and water chestnuts. I'll be trying that one in the next few days!

[jim147]

I have a 14" wok and a big burner on the gas range. It has an inner and outer burner. Heat is your friend when doing most of these meals. I have a friend with an electric range that doesn't get hot enough. He bought one of the large burner heavy duty propane units and does it in his garage now.

[Pigboat]

Slight thread drift. If you've never shopped at the Great China Food Market on Summer Ave., it's worth a stop next time you're in town.

[Thundarstick]

I usually hit the International Farmers Market in Cordova, but I'll be sure to check this one out next time as well.