Does anyone know why it's so hard to find recipes that the best Chinese restaurants use! If anyone has any ideas or know of any websites that might help with a restaurant style Beef & Blackbean recipe and all those other yummy things, it would be greatly appreciated :) TIA.
uli,
Feb 18, 8:38am
What you get in a NZ Chinese restaurant is not what a Chinese person normally eats. I was watching the owners of such a restaurant in a food hall for years (once a week) - and when they had everything chopped and cooked and ready for the customers at about 9am they would sit down to their own meal and eat - and it was nothing I have ever seen on the menu. After a year (and when they knew me) I asked them and they said "Oh no nothing here is Chinese - we cook what Kiwis want to eat."
So there you go! The "restaurant style Beef & Blackbean recipe" is most likely on an American website somewhere :)
pooches,
Feb 18, 9:01am
Mmmm, I don't know uli - I've seen some pretty scary authentic Chinese restaurants whose customers are mostly Chinese and they seem to do a very nice B&B. Going by their clientele, they don't seem to cater for the Western world!
fifie,
Feb 18, 9:12am
I worked for a chinese couple and they never ate what the diners in the restaurant was eating, the staff did but not them. Out would come the little wok and he'd cook for them both,sometimes he'd grab some rice other times noodles to go with it. This usually happened when they closed and of course we were to busy setting up for next days lunch to see what was being cooked. Pooches davidt might be able to help you withsome recipes, she has some pretty good asian ones, try a search and see what you come up with.
pooches,
Feb 18, 9:15am
Thanks fifie, I'll look up davidt! My partner's even thinking of 'volunteering' at a local restaurant to get some tips, hahaha. We've tried everything.
davidt4,
Feb 18, 8:44pm
Here is a recipe from Fuschia Dunlop.It is delicious.I use a mixture of dried fungi but you can use just one kind.
750g piece boned belly pork, scored 3 cloves garlic, crushed 3 tab oil 3 tab Shaoxing wine 3 tab light soy sauce ½ c water 1 tsp five spice powder 1 tsp salt
Heat oven to 190C
Mix everything but five spice,pork and salt in roasting dish just big enough for pork.Rub five spice on flesh side, dry the skin well and place pork skin side up in dish.Sprinkle skin with salt.
Roast 1 hour or until well cooked and skin puffed up.Rest 5 min before serving.
If skin doesn’t puff place under moderate grill and watch constantly.
Combine eggs with half of spring onions, pork & preserved veg, all pepper & sesame oil.
Heat wok and add oil, when smoking add the egg mixture and fry in one piece until brown.Turn it over and brown other side.Drain on paper, leaving 1 tab oil in wok.
Reheat wok, add remaining ingredients and stir-fry 2 min.Pour over omelette & serve immediately.
davidt4,
Feb 18, 8:48pm
Beef & White Radish Stew (Ken Hom)
1 kg beef brisket 2 tab oil 2 tab ginger finely chopped 4 spring onions in 5cm pieces 4 garlic cloves crushed slightly 450g white radish in 5cm pieces 3 tab Shaoxing wine 2 tab dark soy sauce 1 tab light soy sauce 3 tab hoisin sauce 2 tab yellow bean paste 2 tab chilli bean paste 2 tab rock sugar 3 star anise ½ tsp black pepper salt 1.2 litres home made chicken stock
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and blanch the beef 10 min skimming constantly.Drain & discard water.
In wok heat oil and when smoking add ginger, spring onions & garlic and fry 1 min.Add beef & fry 10 min until brown.Discard all fat from pan.
Place meat in large flameproof vessel, add everything except radish and simmer covered 1 ½ hours until tender.Add radish and cook 30 min.
Skim fat and serve with chopped spring onions on top.Will reheat well.
valentino,
Feb 18, 9:41pm
Prawns Chinese Sichuan Sweet and Sour in minutes by Ching-He Huang Serves 2 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook in: 8 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 egg 100g/31/2oz potato flour or cornflour 2 tablespoons water 600ml/1 pint groundnut oil plus 1 tablespoon 12 large raw tiger prawns, head and shell off, tail on, and deveined 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2.5cm/1 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated 2 medium red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon lime juice 2 spring onions, chopped at an angle into 2.5cm/1 inch long pieces 1 small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped steamed jasmine rice and deep-fried vegetables (optional; see Ching’s Tip) to serve For the sauce 200ml/7fl oz hot water 5 tablespoons tomato ketchup 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 2 teaspoons cornflour METHOD • Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and stir to combine, then set aside. • Put the egg, potato flour or cornflour and the water into a bowl, and mix to make a batter. Set aside. • Heat a wok over a high heat and add 600ml/1 pint groundnut oil. Heat the oil to 180ºC/375ºF, or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface. • Dip each prawn into the batter, then lower one by one into the oil and cook until they turn golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the oil and drain on absorbent kitchen paper. • Heat a small wok and add 1 tablespoon groundnut oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and stir-fry for a few more seconds, then add the sauce and bring to the boil. Add the lime juice, spring onions and coriander and remove from the heat. • Place the prawns on a plate, pour the delicious sauce over them and serve immediately as a starter or with jasmine rice and deep-fried vegetables as a shared main course. Ching’s Tip • Once you’ve fried the prawns, you can dip some sugar snap peas, chopped baby corn, or any vegetable of your choice, into any remaining batter, then deep-fry and serve with the prawns.
valentino,
Feb 18, 9:47pm
Asian chicken noodle soup (by a known Chinese Cook, name is escaping me at the moment).
Combine fresh Asian greens with chicken and noodles to create this winter warming soup.
450g thin noodles 1 tablespoon peanut oil 3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 small red chillies, deseeded, finely chopped 6 cups reduced-salt chicken stock 500g chicken breast fillets, trimmed 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3 teaspoons brown sugar 4 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally 1 bunch baby bok choy, chopped Green onions, finely shredded, to serve Method Step 1 Place noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain and separate noodles. Step 2 Heat peanut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic and half the chilli. Cook for 30 seconds. Add 2 cups stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add chicken. Cook for 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer chicken to a chopping board. Slice crossways into strips. Step 3 Add remaining 4 cups stock, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar to soup. Cover. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to the boil. Add green onion and bok choy. Cook for 1 minute or until leaves just wilt. Step 4 Divide noodles between bowls. Top with chicken. Ladle boiling broth into bowls. Top with shredded green onions and serve with remaining chilli on the side.
valentino,
Feb 18, 9:51pm
A very simple one. Asian noodle salad
• Ingredients •1 packet instant noodles •3 teaspoons lime juice •2 1/2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce •1 cup shredded wombok cabbage •1 carrot, shredded •1/4 cup shredded snowpeas •1 cup chopped barbecue chicken • Method 1. Place instant noodles (do not add the flavour sachet) in a saucepan of boiling water. Cook according to packet instructions, then drain. 2. Meanwhile, combine lime juice with sweet chilli sauce in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine wombok, carrot, snowpeas and chicken. 3. Add the cabbage mixture and sweet chilli mixture to the cooked noodles and toss to combine. Divide among serving plates and serve immediately.
valentino,
Feb 18, 9:59pm
Boiled Dumplings (Jiao Zi)
Ingredients: 4 1/2 cups (500 g) flour, sifted 10 1/2 oz (300 g) lean boneless pork or mutton, minced 1 tsp salt, or to taste 6 1/2 tbsp (100 g) scallions, chopped 2 tsp ginger, chopped 1/8 tsp five-spice powder
Directions:
1. Mix the flour with 3 1/2 oz (100 ml) of water to make a dough. knead until smooth and let stand for 30 minutes.
2. To prepare the filling, mix the pork or mutton with 7 oz (200 ml) of water and the salt. Stir in one direction until it becomes a paste. Add the scallions and blend well. divide filling into 100 portions.
3. Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll into long rolls. Cut each into 25 pieces. Flatten each piece and roll into 2 inches (5 cm) circles. Place 1 portion of filling in the center of each wrapper and fold the dough over it, making a bonnet-shaped pouch. Pinch the edges together to seal the dumpling. Repeat until all the dough and filling are used.
4. Bring 8 cups (2 litres) of water to a boil over high heat, Add half the dumplings. Stir them around gently with a ladel, and let the water return to a boil. Add enough cold water to stop the boiling, then bring back to a boil. When the water boils again, add more cold water and bring to a boil a third time. The dumplings will be done when they float to the surface. Remove, drain well, and serve.
Editing to add that these can be frozen and use amounts to suit when required. Great as an additional sides to other meals. Simply put into boiled water to reheat and wait until they float to the surface or lightly sauteed in a wok or frypan with a little bit of peanut oil and olive oil mixed.
valentino,
Feb 19, 12:06am
After reading your post again, there are thousands of various Chinese recipes, it more or less comes down to personal taste buds and what you really want and noted the beef and black bean recipes to which I'm not overly keen on and have shied a little from from but the Mad Butcher and Pak n Save (Lincoln Road one at least, not too sure of any in Hamilton though) have these hellaby's Peppered beef Roasts, these are a huge favourite with the Chinese Students. Great either hot or as a cold meat cooked in a slowcooker with out adding anything further, if cold then cook it the day before and refrigerate overnight fully wrapped in foil. Also a jar of "Hot Spicy Paste" is a must for them to compliment most meals. Dumplings with sesame is also very popular, has a sesame paste in them and is classified as a sweet, the paste is not like the taste of sesame seeds or oil. The following is what I do also as side dishes to our (English - Kiwi) meals and always vanishes.
Thin Noodles, packet of 6 at Pak n Save but only do two bundles per meal serving, cooked as per packet instructions but prior to serving to mix in a mixture of 1 tbsp Soy, 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1/8th cup of oyster sauce.
The other is Fried rice, beat 3 eggs at least using a fork, add a dash of soy and a dash of water. In a large frypan or wok goes 2 good dollops of Peanut oil and likewise olive oil. Cook the egg then when nearly cooked, use a spatula to break it all up like a scrabled egg and remove the egg from the pan. Into the pan goes one chopped onion and cooked a little, then some cooked drained and cooled rice, I usually use a couple bags of Uncle ben or something similar, heat it all through then add in the egg, mix it throgh then a couple dollops of soy to taste and colour tossing it about to mix through then serve, this really does disappear quickly by everyone including the non - Chinese.
Noted a dumpling recipe above, can use beef instead of pork or mutton - lamb, this is used as a side dish also.
Now, the students will use their spicy paste to suit.
Also re Blackbean recipes, if one bing or google (bing is better)chinese blackbean recipes, quite a few does come up, matter of spending time to what arouses you.
Cheers and hopes this help.
hestia,
Feb 19, 12:30am
Beef with black beans is just a stir-fry with fermented black beans as an ingredient.
Of course, the requisite ingredients are necessary, but the key to authentic Chinese cooking is using the correct technique. For stir-frying, a hot wok is necessary to achieve wok hei: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wok#Wok_hei
Also, you must marinate your meat before cooking.
hestia,
Feb 19, 12:32am
Menus in Chinese restaurants cater to the Western clientele, Chinese customers order "off the menu".
accroul,
Feb 19, 1:08am
Funny, I was just thinking of a nice Beef Black Bean whilst scrolling this thread! I know this isn't my thread, but would you mind posting a Beef Black Beanrecipe marinade & all please (using beans rather than readymade sauce)!
There is no such thing as a Chinese recipe. Each area has it own cuisine and apart from some basic ingredients, they are completely different. Restaurants havewestern versions that sell but are not authentic.
taurushat,
Feb 19, 8:07am
100% correct
uli,
Feb 19, 8:47am
Pretty much what I said in post#2 :)
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