[laxx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by K2Grey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also I remember there are a decent number of buffets in Taiwan, and the Chinese buffets in the States commonly have more Chinese people than non-Chinese, I've never heard anyone complain about authenticity and I think it may be the case that non-Chinese care more about their food being authentic than the Chinese themselves.

Buffets in TW are soooo good.

 

[warubozu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by humanflyz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Chinese people go to Chinese buffets out of economic reason only: it's cheap, and it fills you up. But as a Chinese person, I don't know any other Chinese person growing up that actually thought Chinese buffet food is authentic...

Yup, I don't know how great the food is at other Chinese restaurants around the world that serves a buffet line but in the states and here where I live it's crap. The only reason to go to a Chinese buffet is that it's cheap and you can eat all you want. The food in the buffet isn't prepared that well but rather thrown together quick and in bulk.

As far as a rice cooker goes I also own a Zojirushi and would definitely recommend any one of their cookers. This is the Zojirushi model that I own:

Zojirushi NS-ZCC18

They are ideal for cooking various types of rice and jook (aka congee or rice soup). Tiger and National also makes great rice cookers.

 

[crazyface]

Hello everyone!

I tried to order fish-flavored eggplant in garlic sauce (recommended a few pages back) tonight at the restaurant, but when they told me that (at their restaurant) it was only flavored with fish sauce and did not contain any actual salt fish, I changed my order, since it was the idea of the complimentary textures and strong flavors that appealed to me in the first place. Oh well!

Anyway, thanks a million for the recommendations for rice cookers, and for the recipe for velveting meat. I tried it the other day, and it worked rather well, though the boiling method washed off a lot of the coating, and the chicken tasted much better when it was afterwards put into the wok with ginger and garlic for a bit less than a minute.

Next time I go, I think I'll just ask for "anything Anhui," since that's where the chef is from.

I bought some preserved duck eggs and will try making my own congee (gongee, jook) soon.

I have some salt-preserved squid, some ginger, some sesame seeds, and lots of other Asian "extras" -- but I don't think I'll have the opportunity to add any pork, chicken, or other fresh meat. I wonder what would go well with the duck eggs?

I've also a question about etiquette.

Everyone knows that an average Chinese meal is accompanied by a small bowl of white rice, but I'm curious whether it is considered rude to do anything other than to eat it plain as it is given. Is it also acceptable to put some onto one's personal dish to soak up sauce, or alternatively to put sauce into the rice bowl itself?

Also, the rice that I usually buy is Jasmine Milagrosa. Is this the proper rice for serving with Chinese food? I've noticed that it comes out a little sticker than what I'm used to at Chinese restaurants, but I've chalked that up to my not having a rice cooker.

Ok, thanks again, bye for now!!

 

[K2Grey]

My family often spoons (alternatively, lifts up the plate and pours the sauce wholesale) into the rice and I can't imagine why someone would want to take offense at it.

If these duck eggs are the 1000 year egg or whatever where the outside is translucent black and the middle is a grayish color, I know some people like to eat it mashed up with tofu, scallions, and soy sauce, although the resorting creation looks horrendous and really does not taste all that impressive to me

 

[laxx]

If you eat congee, you have to have to get salted eggs. =] Then ****s are too good.

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazyface /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've also a question about etiquette. Everyone knows that an average Chinese meal is accompanied by a small bowl of white rice, but I'm curious whether it is considered rude to do anything other than to eat it plain as it is given. Is it also acceptable to put some onto one's personal dish to soak up sauce, or alternatively to put sauce into the rice bowl itself?

Perfectly fine to do so. Normally, I put stuff in the rice bowl itself.

Also, the rice that I usually buy is Jasmine Milagrosa. Is this the proper rice for serving with Chinese food? I've noticed that it comes out a little sticker than what I'm used to at Chinese restaurants, but I've chalked that up to my not having a rice cooker.[/QUOTE]

Hm, my family normally eats the Thai Golden Elephant rice... I don't know if you can get it where you are but do look around. I have a Tiger rice cooker, nice and simple. Two settings - cook or keep warm, and just takes about 20-25 minutes to cook. Reduce water if it's a tad sticky, might also be the rice itself.

 

[laxx]

Rice at the restaurant is long grain rice, which I personally don't like all that much.

Being from Taiwan, I eat short grain rice, which is much stickier than long grain. Similar rices would be Japanese and Korean rice, with Korean being stickiest, at least in my experience.

 

[warubozu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laxx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Rice at the restaurant is long grain rice, which I personally don't like all that much. Being from Taiwan, I eat short grain rice, which is much stickier than long grain. Similar rices would be Japanese and Korean rice, with Korean being stickiest, at least in my experience.

Same here, short grain rice is what I have at every meal and it's also served some Chinese restaurants here where I live. I also don't mind long grain rice.

 

[crazyface]

Hi again everybody!

I made some congee yesterday. Since I've not had it made proper yet, it was hard to know what exactly I was after, but I cooked it until the rice was only slightly more textured than the broth; while the grains were still visible, you couldn't really feel them as seperate grains within your mouth as you were eating, unless you made an effort to distinguish them.

I cooked the half-cup of rice in about 4 1/2 cups water with two cubes of chicken bouillon, and two large pieces of preserved ginger, plus a touch of Kikkoman and sesame oil. I cut up a preserved duck egg and put it in at the end.

I'd say it turned out rather well, though even just a half-cup of rice made way more than I could comfortably eat!

I can see how it might've been better with some meat or veg too. But in any case, count me among the fans.

Thanks for having recommended it!

 

[John E Woven]

My suggestion with congee is no kikkoman.You can flavor it after, but you can't un-flavor it. Try it with the preserved egg and lean pork.

 

[funniecow]

You should really try suckling pig, it is to die for. As for the guys who ate sea cucumber and jelly fish and thought it was fishy chances are that they were prepared wrong.

To be honest it's hard to produce Chinese food at home because it requires tons of BTUs, i.e. roaring fire under the wok. As for Vietnamese food, you should try the com tam, broken rice.

uh here's a pic of what you might get. http://www.jenius.com.au/images/DongBa_007.jpg
It's broken rice with shreaded pork, meatloaf, pork chop, and fish sauce.

If you're lucky and is in a area that has a lot of aromatic herbs then the Vietnamese restaurants are bound to be good.

If you want recipes I think this site is pretty good.
Lily's Wai Sek Hong
she makes the most crazy ass things I've seen, she just says "imma try this" then she sets out to get the items then BAM makes it.

BTW I'm Vietnamese.

 

[crazyface]

Thanks for the advice you two!

I can cook Chinese (once I learn how), as I have a huge burner in my backyard, hooked up to a propane tank.

I enjoy Vietnamese food also, but have trouble finding the herbs in my town.

The nearest Vietnamese restaurant does not make special requests and does not have com tam on the menu.

How do you pronounce "com tam"?

I tried to make Vietnamese style Summer Rolls once, but the wrapper would keep slipping off - I couldn't get it tightly wrapped around the filling.

 

[roastpuff]

Wet the end of the wrapper slightly when you're trying to wrap it together, and it'll stick to each layer. Not a whole lot, mind you. Just a couple of drops on the tip, like an envelope.

EDIT: This is assuming you start wrapping in a diamond config - which is the way it should be. Uh... try to find a spring roll (not summer roll

) wrapping tutorial online?

 

[funniecow]

If your Vietnamese store doesn't have herbs then you should stop eating there, that's a rule of thumb. It's hard to type it out phonetically because different regions pronounce it differently. BTW are you a Caucasian by any chance? I don't want to be mean but most vendors are the "it's for your own good" and don't really give the authentic dish to Caucasians. The reason being most of the time they bit off more than they can chew and fill the resteraunt with disgusting looks on their face and a loud "yuck!" it's really bad for business, and it pisses off the chef. Since it's a good chance that you'd throw it away and waste food. We have a "don't waste food culture", I use to get beat for leaving half a bowl of rice on the table.

 

[crazyface]

Thanks for the tip Roastpuff.

I will try that!

Hi Funniecow! Yes, I'm Caucasian, and I've had a few experiences now where I was not made the genuine dish because I am American. For example, a Malayasian restaurant completely left eggplants and okra out of my dinner, even though they were listed in the menu as being a part of the dish! And some varieties of Vietnamese pho from the restaurant near me seem to have much less offal meat than they should. Since there is only one Vietnamese restaurant near me, I have no choice.
I have good manners, so I would never say yuck or waste the food.

I like things like chickens feet, Chinese medicine herbs, squid, blood cube, prawns with shell on, cartilage, super spicy, intestine and offal, etc., and would like to try many other things that are unknown in the US, but because the area in which I live is not very open-minded about food, I think that the restaurants anticipate that I will not like anything exotic, as you say.