The Great Chinese Recipe Thread! (1 Viewer)

[Denward]

Man, all this talk of dim sum is really making me hungry.

I grew up in Los Angeles, right in between Chinatown and Monterey Park so I've had lots of great dim sum. My family also called it 'yum cha'. I also lived in Philadelphia for 5 years and made many trips to Joy Tsin Lau. I've also done some travelling in Asia and had great dim sum in HK and China.

I worked with a caucasian guy from New Zealand and he even called it 'yum cha', which I found very funny.

BTW, the literal translation of dim sum is "a tiny piece of heart". It means that the cook has put a lot of care into making those little dumplings.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the 1985 movie called, "Dim Sum - A Little Bit of Heart". Nice little movie. It was one of Wayne Wang's first movies to make it to the USA. It doesn't seem to be on VHS or DVD, though.:frowning:

Sorry, no recipes here.

 

[Seth--L]

Where I go normally only one or two people in the whole restaurant have the cards, and they use different colors for different days (I assume to prevent someone doing what you suggested).

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Alright, I have the ultimate question here:

who's had peking duck.....the proper way?

 

[Ted Lee]

what the hell is the "proper way"?

the only way i know is to tell the butcher to take it out of the window, chop it up with that big-ass butcher knife, then put it in those foil containers!

now *that's* the proper way!

aw heck, am i even talking about peking duck?

 

[Danny Tse]

When I was growing up in Hong Kong in the early to mid 70s, there was no such things as tickets or cards for tracking the number of "plates" consumed. Once you ordered the "Dim Sum", the bamboo containers or the plates stay on top of the table. And yes, as a kid, I love seeing those bamboo containers stacked as high as possible. The ticket/card idea was probably used to deter people from hiding plates underneath the table.

What's BBQ Pork Dumpling? Is it "Cha Shu Bow" or BBQ Pork Bun? I never view that as a dessert, just another kind of regular Dim Sum.

I am not sure about Hong Kong, but in Guangzhou, China, Dim Sum is served at night in some restaurants as well. There's a "Tea House" here in Oakland, California that's also serving Dim Sum at night.

There are diifferent arrangements for getting the food to the table. The carts and the ticket/card method have been mentioned. In Guangzhou, some Dim Sum restaurant would set up a table/counter at one end of the dining room with all the Dim Sum ready to be ordered and cooked. You bring your card/ticket to the counter and point to the items you want to be cooked. The "cook" then proceed to cook your food right in front of you with you finally carrying the plate back to your own table (they will give you a tray if you ordered more than you can carry).

I really miss those authentic bamboo dim sum containers. Nowadays they use those plastic containers that are made to resemble the bamboo ones.

 

[Denward]

You mean without that low-class, only-suitable-for-the-peasants meat on the skin???

I've had it with just a little meat on the skin, wrapped in either thin pancakes (ala moo shu), or that doughy white bread (ala cha-sui bao), and a little hoisin sauce. Then they bring you a stir-fry dish with the rest of the meat with a bunch of veggies thrown in.

 

[Danny Tse]

Shouldn't "Peking Duck" be called "Beijing Duck" nowadays??

As I understand it, the chef or the server will slice the Peking Duck at your table. He/she slice the meat into thin slices, then you put the meat into a white-colored bun. You can also add Hoi Sin sauce if you like.

 

[Angelo.M]

We learned to make bulgogi (a Korean recipe for marinated beef, sometimes referred to as "Korean BBQ") for my daughter's first birthday party.

The basic recipe for the bulgogi marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4-1/3 cup sesame oil
2 tablespoons sugar
3-5 cloves garlic, sliced
toasted sesame seeds
green onion, sliced

Mix these ingredients and add black or white pepper to taste. Marinade thinly sliced flank steak or ribeye steak and grill.

Alternatively, bulgogi marinade is available in most well-stocked grocers or specialty markets.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Here's the way I've had Peking (or Beijing) Duck:

The Duck is roasted until the skin is dark and crispy. At initial eating, you eat only the skin. Usually, this is served with those pancakes, hoisin sauce, and scallions. After all the skin is eaten, a requets is made as to how you want the meat of the duck cooked. In our case, fried in garlic baby!!!

 

[Ted Lee]

The Duck is roasted until the skin is dark and crispy. At initial eating, you eat only the skin. Usually, this is served with those pancakes, hoisin sauce, and scallions.

yep...that is *exactly* how i've eaten it...scallions and all.

but i don't remember sending it back to have the rest cooked...that part doesn't ring a bell. but i probably just wasn't paying attention.

 

[Ken Chan]

the only way i know is to tell the butcher to take it out of the window, chop it up with that big-ass butcher knife, then put it in those foil containers!

That sounds like plain roast duck -- also good. It's usually in the same window as the roast pork with the really crunchy skin.

//Ken

 

[Denward]

I always thought the scallions were just supposed to be used as brushes to apply the hoisin sauce.

Don't you love taking your newbie friends into Chinatown and watching their faces when they see the roasted ducks and soy sauce chickens hanging in the window.

I've never been a fan of the poultry feet. Jellyfish is yummy. I used to love beef brains but I won't do that anymore because of mad cow. I was also pretty fond of chicken gizzards, beef kidneys, chicken hearts, and innumerable other "unusual" cuisine.

It's been a long time since I lived with my mom so my diet is considerably less exotic now.

 

[Ted Lee]

That sounds like plain roast duck -- also good.

oh yeah...you're right. so much good food...can't keep them straight...

 

[Danny Tse]

Ken Chan said

roast pork with the really crunchy skin

OMG!! My absolute favorite!! But you have to eat it there and then. If you wait, the crunchiness of the skin will be gone.

No one likes marinated duck kidneys? You guys are missing out. Strangely enough, I don't have much liking to chicken or duck feet.

 

[Jay H]

Not a big eater of feet, but my mom is. It is mostly small bones and stuff. Chicken/duck feet, etc...

I too love the Roast Pork, but you have to get the section that is most lean and you can't simply go up to the BBQ section and ask for a pound or so, you have to make sure the butcher gets the good part.

Ted Lee, you are just like my nephew who loves Shu Mei, he can eat them endlessly which is really odd cause he eats nothing else!

Jay

 

[teapot2001]

roast pork with the really crunchy skin

The crunchy pork skin is the best thing ever!

~T

 

[Ted Lee]

...you have to make sure the butcher gets the good part.

true that! my grandmother used to yell at them if they tried that trick!

 

[Lew Crippen]

On Dome’s question as to proper Peking Duck, the crispy skin with hosian sauce applied with scallions on the thin pancakes is first. Then the rest of the duck (usually stir fried) as he suggests—not every place will allow too much of a choice). Last—but not least is a soup (or broth) made from the duck’s carcass.

Regrettably not too many places still serve the last course, but it is essential (IMO).

Dome—all this time and I had not realized your Chinese background. Very interesting—all along I thought you were 100% Thai.

 

[Danny Tse]

I too love the Roast Pork, but you have to get the section that is most lean and you can't simply go up to the BBQ section and ask for a pound or so, you have to make sure the butcher gets the good part.

In Cantonese, it's called "Sa Lay Doh". Have no idea what it means though.

Anyone like those sweet lotus seed paste buns?

 

[Peter Kim]

Anyone like those sweet lotus seed paste buns?

Yes, very much so.

Does anyone know what is the name of this dish (both Cantonese & Mandarin) served during dim sum?

It looks like a big, flat sheet of lasagna (but it's white, probably because it's made out of rice instead of flour) folded over...and inside is either shrimp or pork. But for me, the secret to its delectability is the sauce which is drizzled over this dim sum. It tastes like a combination of soy sauce, some type of oil, and sweet at the same time.

It's so damn good that I once at dim sum EVERY Saturday & Sunday for an entire winter (perhaps 4-5 months). Since it's been many years since my last dim sum experience, I've long forgotten the name of this dish.

For anyone interested (especially after someone mentioned a bulgogi recipe), here is another famous Korean dish, grilled beef ribs (Sokalbi kooee, or 'kalbi' for short):

2.2 lbs. (or however much you'd like, doesn't matter) beef short ribs (or pork ribs)

Marinade:

5 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 Tablespoons crushed sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
2 Tablespoons cooking sherry
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 large green onion
1 bell pepper

1. Choose beef ribs with little gristle or fat and cut into 6-7 cm length. Score each piece of meat deeply with a sharp knife several times so cooked meat will be easier to remove from bone.

2. Combine soy sauce, sugar, onion, garlic, sesame seed, sesame oil, sherry and black pepper to make a sauce. Pour sauce over meat pieces and rub together with your hands so the beef ribs are well coated with seasonings. Broil meat in oven or over a fire. Keep basting the meat with the juices.

3. Divide the onion and pepper into 8 pieces each, skewer, baste with the seasoning mixture and broil with the meat.

The reason I love this dish...like the dim sum dish I mentioned above, for me, it's all in the sauce!