豆豉 is what we’re talking about here: in Cantonese, roughly “dao see.” Not black turtle beans, not the kind of thing you make black bean soup out of. We’re talking salted, fermented black soybeans, prepared with or without ginger, as used to make black bean sauce dishes in the Chinese culinary vernacular. Black beans are [...]
As a non-Chinese, white American cook who cooks a lot of Chinese and Chinese-style food, I have taken a particular interest in what happens to American ingredients when they’re used in a Chinese idiom. There’s been a fair amount written about “American Chinese food,” which as some of you probably know is its own culinary [...]
The last few days I have had a wonderful houseguest, visiting all the way from Melbourne, Australia. She’s vegetarian, and I had promised her vegan Chinese dumplings, so last night we made vegan wonton. There are a couple different ways you can roll with a vegan dumpling filling and still have it be pretty solidly [...]
As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am prone to eating bits of animals that are not commonly eaten in typical North American culture. Last Sunday I hosted a Not Exactly A Super Bowl dinner party, in large part a celebration of the Chinese New Year, whose tagline was “twice the pigskin, none of [...]
For lots of people, hot and sour soup is something that comes from Chinese restaurants, as if it were a magical commodity that could only be generated in those specific and exotic precincts. (Perhaps from a special faucet, in the back.) Fortunately for you — especially if you live somewhere that is not rich in [...]
Oh, I took photos. But would they really express the satisfaction, a long day of writing behind me, an evening’s worth still to go, of spending a half an hour in the kitchen with the cool crispness of bok choy and cucumbers and scallions? Would they convey the sizzle of the tofu hitting the hot [...]
Tagged black beans, bok choy, cucumber, garlic, home cooking, leafy greens, soup, stir-fry, tofu, wednesday's supperHaving written out my kimchi fried rice recipe last night, I thought I would follow up with a short list of essential stir-frying tips learned from many years of both excellent teachers and trial-and-error (which is sometimes the best teacher of all). Equipment: Do not stir-fry in a nonstick pan. Stir-frying requires very high temperatures [...]
Tagged stir-fryAmong the perks of working at home: Kung pao bison with asparagus. Betcha you won’t find this on the Lunch Specials at your close-to-the-office Chinese place!
Tagged asparagus, bison, home cooking, lunch, stir-fryDoubtless you are all too upstanding to know where the phrase “stems and seeds” comes from. Suffice to say that it means to be scraping the bottom of one’s, er, stash. Of comestibles, that is. Bare-larder syndrome. Lots of wide open spaces in the fridge. You get the idea. But a lot of good things [...]
Tagged black beans, cabbage, celery, chives, Friday's supper, garlic, pickles, pork, tofuI fervently believe that someday researchers will discover that brassica-family vegetables are a natural antidepressant. They work for me, anyway. Vegan “beef” (pressed, salted tofu) and broccoli with garlic “oyster” sauce (mushroom-based) for dinner tonight as a saving throw against a day made of grumpy. Coupled with sesame cabbage, using up the last of a [...]
Tagged broccoli, cabbage, home cooking, tofu, vegan, wednesday's supper