Hey guys, a few notes: EDIT: Misspoke re the lotus root quantity. 350g, not 130g. Sorry about that :/ 1. Something that we didn’t expressly say in the video, but I think is an important note: these two pots were both centered around (1) 1 kg of ‘stuff’ and (2) six tablespoons of ‘base’. Feel free to scale up or down. 2. On a similar note, the base that we whipped up for the Sichuan one is large enough for two dry pots, while the ‘western supermarket club’ one is enough for a singular pot. If you find yourself enjoying the dry pot, make a bigger batch next time & store it. 3. Regarding wok hei AND gan xiang, do know that both are kind of… abstractions. There would likely be some people out there that disagree with our specific formulation, because these flavors can mean different things to different people. These aren’t precise terms like ‘salty’ or ‘sour’, which’s why we tend to tell people not to get overly obsessive about it. 4. If I had to pontificate *why* the English language internet has got a little obsessive about the concept of wok hei, I think it’s likely because a lot of us were raised on ‘Chinese’ recipes like at 0:36, or at the very least stuff like 0:55. If you eat a lot of Chinese food, you can tell that something’s not quite right with the end result there, but it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint exactly - especially if you haven’t cooked a bunch of Chinese food. So I think sometimes people reach for ‘lack of wok hei’ as a simple explanation of what’s going on, when in fact there could be many other issues with a recipe (crowding, not marinating/velveting, lack of salt/overuse of soy sauce, over/under thickening, not swirling in the wine/soy sauce, not using the right ingredients, etc etc etc). 5. Oh, for the curious - the Rachel Ray/Jet Tila video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EyYAQiINnLw.html (95% sure they swapping out the cooked dish for a more edible looking end result), and the AllRecipes video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dZYFO2y9BrM.html 6. While I *was* kind of giving Rachel Ray/Jet Tila a little bit of flak there (I mean, crowded woks don’t lie), especially as I get older I’ve started getting less angst-y about recipes like the one in the AllRecipes video. By this point, it’s sort of like Chop Suey - I feel like the “Western-style stir fry” has practically become its own thing. And while I do think there’s ways that that general technique can be slightly improved by applying some Chinese sensibilities… I *also* think that there’s ways for HK Cha Chaan Teng “well done steak with ketchup sauce spaghetti” to be improved, and we nostalgically and faithfully recreate that, so… 7. Oh! If you want to make this a one-pot sort of deal, do it. The most ‘correct’ way to dry pot would actually be to serve it over a flame on the table like I mentioned in the video - what we did here was a slightly different technique in order to streamline things for home kitchens (you usually see this approach for tieban 铁板 dishes at restaurants). If you want to go one step further on the easy scale, cook things in a cast iron & eat out of it directly… go for it (perhaps give it a quick blast on high at the end?). Anyway, that’s all for now. Apologies that we haven’t posted in a couple weeks there - we did a brief trip to North Thailand (80% for fun, 20% for research)… and then coming back, the combination of being a touch under the weather and being absorbed re what’s going on in China right now kind of nerfed out productivity. Couple good dishes coming up in the next few weeks though that we’re excited about :)
Another great video. The first dish looks especially good (and the Thai "stink beans" are a great touch!). I might actually buy one of those stainless steel pans so I can try to reproduce the dish (well, maybe not exactly) It's great having you here: China's loss is Bangkok's gain.
One of your best videos. Thank you!I made the Sichuan version last night and it was fantastic. I used lotus root, broccoli, carrots, bean curd skin, and cloud ear. For the jiangshen version what would the sauce ingredients be if you have access to Chinese ingredients? I am guessing something with sesame paste, fermented bean curd, pickled chillies, etc. but would really appreciate your expertise!
Really appreciate the western supermarket friendly version here! I never get to try your stuff since my nearest Asian grocery store is over an hour away
Have you ever tried weee? It delivers Asian products and groceries to your house. I don’t know where you live but at least for me any time I’ve bought produce and meat from them it comes fresh and I’ve been able to find most of the ingredients that they’ve used for recipes on there
Same here, but once you feel ready to give the from-scratch recipes a go, you can get a lot of key ingredients with long shelf lives to whip up most recipes! Soy sauces, cooking wine, fermented black beans all keep really well! Meat, garlic and veg can come from wherever :)
some western supermarket have asian section which might have some of the stuff. got my lao gan ma at my local kroger lol (nearest asian supermarket are like 2 hours away)
Man, I knew that those round guys in the first stir fry were quail eggs, but for some reason whenever I looked at them my brain just went "big olives" 🤣🤣
You guys are amazing. Seriously this technique is going to do wonders for my ability to try out Chinese flavors when cooking at home for my family. Thank you!
it must be noted that, almost ironically, "pickled" in english can also mean lactofermentation, depending on the product and region, so calling them "pickled chilis" is completely valid even if there is no vinegar involved
They're quite good in the context of a Sichuan dry pot Also, boiled stink bean+soy sauce+LGM black bean is a fantastic snack. I could totally see stink bean being popular in Southwest China
I'm excited to see a dry pot recipe. My wife and I would often go to a Sichuan restaurant in grad school and the dry pot shrimp was one of our favorite dishes.
Love it, you guys are doing amazing job presenting real Chinese cooking, I lived in China for 10 and it's nice to see proper Chinese cooking on RU-vid in English as well.
really interesting seeing the contrast between kitchen/utensil styles being so obvious in this video! Appreciate making a more accessible version for a western viewer. I'll work my way up to the authentic recipes someday!
Interesting that you say that! In my head the biggest difference between the two is ingredients - like, we totally could've sorted the Sichuan style in that nonstick/cast iron combo. I do wonder how many people potentially get intimidated by our videos simply by using a Cantonese-style round bottomed wok on a gas burner. We probably won't ever swap because I really *like* using a round bottomed wok (round bottomed wok, stainless steel soup pot, large non-stick skillet, and cast iron dutch oven are basically my four cooking vessels of choice - in that order), but I do hope that people know that 99% of the time a wok isn't mandatory or anything.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified that’s a good point! I’ve been doing most of your recipes in my nonstick Pan, and trying to learn how to use a wok. What stood out to me especially in this video was the layout of the kitchen, the big burners and such did look different. I do imagine some people might find the wok intimidating or confusing - for example, I had a stainless steel wok lying around and was trying to use it the same as yours before I realized there was probably something different I wasn’t accounting for!
I did a stir fry tonight and it was just "OK". I came to your channel tonight to get a lesson on improving my technique and I am always impressed by what I learn from Chinese Cooking Demystified. Thank you both!
This is a really helpful video for me; I've been making stir-fries as a quick and easy way to do large community dinners for a few years, and always find myself disappointed mostly with how "wet" they end up being. Making a base more like what you're using in this video is the exact change I think it would benefit from.
Me too, it's one of my favourite vegetables. My favourite way to eat it is a Korean dish called yeongeun jorim, but in any dish it's fantastic and beautiful. :)
I have been watching everyone of your videos for the last couple of years and just want to tell you how much I love them. Well done, good information and thank goodness not Americanized. Keep up the great service you provide us.
Just made the western supermarket version. I saw this video like a week ago and kept coming back to watch it like 7 times I had to make this asap. Was so good and I even spent 130$ on some ingredients to make 3 more recipes from this channel
I had no idea skippy made a no salt no sugar version. Where i'm from the name skippy is almost synonymous with sugary peanut butter, interesting The american accessible version was really useful, i'll definitely try out that sauce base in the near future
I always have this urge to try to make the legit one and order all the ingredients but I know that's kinda extra to have a single meal haha I appreciate yall also presenting recipes that are approachable so we can at least try the technique you're talking about.
Yeah the way we've been thinking about things for the last year or so is that (1) we hope we can share some approachable recipes but (2) clearly explain our logic/thinking behind that approachability. Because we're not chefs or anything - I feel like our strength is research, so I do think that something like our 'western supermarket club' pot could probably be further improved by a more talented cook/recipe developer than us :)
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I really appreciate the work yall put in! Truly I've learned a lot from your channel and enjoy trying the techniques you share.
Little suggestion for those who want to try it: instant ramen noodles would go great with this technique as well. Blanch it then add it like the rest of the ingredients
Can we get something similar to "Big Plate Chicken?" I love stuff like that. I love to cook, but I'd rather spend two hours three times a week making something great, than spending an hour a day making dinners.
Here ya go ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-yFicazAu-x8.html An old video that could be improved, and we might circle back to it, but Dapanji is definitely one of my favorites :)
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I believe what they were saying was that they enjoyed Big Plate Chicken, and would be interested in similar dishes that fill the same niche because they can't just eat BPC every single day
This is a fun one - thanks for sharing it! We have a few restaurants nearby that specialize in this sort of dish; you pick your proteins and veggies and whatnot at the counter (like Subway, sorta!) and they charge by weight. Then the bowl is whisked away and comes back a few minutes later cooked and spicy. Will be nice to have in the back pocket at home for when compatible veggies present themselves. Curious what the suan la base would look like!
Great work guys ! The 'western clubbing' version in your video was genius. I laughed out loud. While I have access to a well stocked Chinese supermarket but it was good to see what to do if I have limited ingredients or don't feel like getting in the car to make dinner. Great stuff !
WOW! This looks fantastic! And I can see a lot of options for variation and substitutions. The technique itself is fantastic. I imagine that this might also be a really unique way to use up leftover Thanksgiving turkey that's on its last legs.
Nice to know it’s possible to make “not so authentic” but very tasty “Chinese” food for normal Americans. And I love my cast iron pans. So it’s a win-win
Wok spoon and spatula helps with larger loads of ingredients. When I worked at panda express, that double call on chow mein is no joke. Had forearms like popeye.
Yeah those chopped chilis aren't very hot for the hands That said, I also (maybe stupidly?) use bare hands for shit like Thai birds eye though... gotten nicked a few times from that habit, but as long as you thoroughly wash your hands after it's usually ok
Have I been missing the way Chris pronounces 'component' before now? Never lept out at me before this video. Looks like a great technique though. Look forward to trying this.
Love that i was waiting the beer to get involved in the Americanized recipe, till I noticed it slowly disappearing. That was the most American part of the whole video. 🤣
My favorite aspect of this channel is that the dishes are taught technique wise, rather than recipe centered, so I learn how to prep a dish, rather than memorize a list of ingredients. Side note, Jet Tila is the guy in the Rachel Ray video and I fucking hate him. I haven't seen him yet do a recipe where his technique was on point, and half the time, his ingredients are wrong or prepped incorrectly. I hate to suggest it, but I think people see his ethnicity and assume he's good with "Chinese Food" and he's in fact, the Panda Express of TV chefs. I'm no where near as versed as you guys are and still cringed seeing him give people bad advice on how to cook because I know enough to know when I hear bad advice. This channel is a big part of why I know the difference. Thank you!
This seems like an awful lot of extra. I recently purchased a 14 inch stainless steel Wok pan, and while I'm excited to start cooking with it, I purchased some mason jars for storing salt, sugar, brown sugar and corn-starch, and I wonder if I'm going to have to purchase a million steel bowls to mix and cook everything properly. Previously, I had been using a frying pan, a sauce-pan, and a crock pot to make all my meals. This involved about 1 and a half hours of cooking on a stove-top once a week to make one large pot of food which lasted 4 days. Now I have to figure out how to portion and store everything separately. Doesn't help that olive oil and butter have low smoke points, so I had to purchase a neutral oil. We'll see.
lately I've been seeing posts about the UK's localized version of "Chinese food" which seems quite alien even the US's, but also in contrast to that there's Ireland's version with some signature dish type called a "spice bag", which with its mix of potatoes, meat, veggies and seasonings in a hot container for all the flavors to intermingle brings to mind this video, and makes me wonder if the origins of their version is some sort of distant relative of the dry pot.
Watching this just before bed was a mistake - now I'm starving! I'm really intrigued by the Guizhou shrimp paste version - do you have a rough outline for the base? Or even just the characters so I can have a stab at googling it?
Here ya go ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ueQZYfIa8oY.html You can use a Thai fermented fish sauce (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pla_ra ) in place of the shrimp paste, works pretty well
"Sambal Oelek", the Indonesian style chilli paste is available in most European super market. Second is "Harissa", the north African style. Any experience using them as a supplement?
Hi, I had small question, maybe someone can help me out. So, usually multiple small dishes are served, but I personally struggle getting those on the table hot. I tend to prevent the issue by using cold dishes or stews etc, but how do you get multiple stir fries hot on the table without having to stay in the kitchen yourself, not joining your guests for dinner and adding them as you go? Especially seeing the stove in the video with just 2 burners. Or is it considered OK to have things cool down a little?
Mise en place, plan ahead, prep everything, when the wok hit the stove then it's a full go. Mix and match steamed/stew/braised/roasted dishes, cold dishes, soups, pots, and any other dish that can be cooked for a long time or can hold their own heat for a long time or doesn't mind the serving temp with stir-fries. 4-5 stir-fries maximum, more than that, a home kitchen can't handle it.
Bodyno has you covered BUT I'd add one more thing: Don't be afraid of using the microwave. You wouldn't want to nuke something like a stir fried veg (so that gets done last), but a quick 45 seconds to get fried rice or Kung Pao or sth from lukewarm to hot? Go for it. Steph's parents are kind of funny - they actually keep their microwave in their dining area. So as we eat and chat... as some of the dishes get cooler, they pop them back in the microwave to heat them back up.
Every time I watch a Sichuan recipe on your channel that involves a chili base, I'm increasingly convinced that the ubiquitous szchewan (yes, sorry that is the way we spell it haha) sauce in Indian Chinese cooking has some link to actual Sichuan cooking - just need to find the written evidence now.
I never have luck with direct links, but Chef Ranveer Brar has a number of recipes where he makes it; usually captioned to English as well. I'd agree the two sauces look at least cousin-like, fwiw.
When using peanut oil, do you go for refined or unrefined? Wanting to get as close to authentic as possible but I've found no info on the channel. Thanks!
We use this stuff, which I believe is semi-refined? www.amazon.com/Luhua-Chinese-Stage-Press-Peanut/dp/B09F8YJF4V (don't, uh, pay that much for it though) I'm not sure exactly how unrefined peanut oil is made in the west (cold pressed, perhaps?), as a quick Google tells me that the smoke point is only 160C - whereas our peanut oil smokes at ~210C. In such a case, refined peanut oil would be more appropriate for frying, and you can always finish with a touch of toasted sesame oil in order to get the missing nuttiness.
Do you have a suggestion for an oil substitution for peanut oil? I would like to prepare a variety of Chinese dishes for a friend, but they very, very allergic.
Wait wait wait. Sataw beans? aka. _Parkia speciosa_ or stink beans? Never expect you guys to use them. It's a marmite kind of food, you either love it or hate it. Those who hate it cite its tendency to stink, but those who enjoy it really swore by it. I am strictly in the 'enjoyer' camp. In Indonesia it's called petai/pete (hard 'e' on the end, like in 'French pate'), and if my potato & liver stir-fried 'sambel' does not contain pete I will not even consider it 'proper'. Heck, I'd even fry some as an accompaniment for rice and fried chicken.
Thanks so much for sharing all these amazing recipes! Do those bases keep well or do they perish easily? Does one do better than the other? Would refrigerating help? I was considering trying to make a larger amount for multiple uses. But I'm not sure how long it'll stay good, or if it'll lose a lot of the fragrance, particularly if kept in a fridge.
Chris, just be careful about eating too much of those beans... You may notice that your toilet will have a... distinct smell after eating those buggers 🤣
lol yeah for a while I was eating them like every day for lunch I don't think they 'stink' when you're eating them, but uh... yeah, that's indeed a variable
I think these dishes are pretty easy to replicate in both Chinese/Western kitchens, and there's a lot of potential variations as well. Like you can add Marmite to the Steamed Chicken mix for UK/Australian viewers, you can also add beans to Steamed Egg to give it more oomph. Maybe also another video about how to utilize "excess oils" from cooking, like Lard with rice 豬油撈飯?
Hey! So we've covered a couple of these before. 肉饼 is on the docket :) Steamed mushroom & chicken: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BWq7Jdmgo5o.html For steamed egg there's a savory one, though we leaned into a Sichuan version: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-D2BSrIXrpNU.html And there's also a dessert shop style coconut one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aj3Lhhbz9Ho.html
Is there anything similar in chinese cuisine to a korean spicy soft tofu stew, soondubu jigae? I'd love to see your take on it with chinese ingredients.
