Tag Archives: chinese

Don’t Mention the Soy Sauce

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What did you eat in the Great War, Daddy?

Before World War II Americans ate a lot of meat. And potatoes. Sometimes they ate their meat with their potatoes. Even Chinese and Italian food was considered exotic. But something changed in the 1950s. Slowly new cuisines began to grow across America. Diners continued to exist, but people were willing to try new things – both at restaurants and at home. A big reason for this was that the food wasn’t strange anymore – at least for the men who served in the war.

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Chinese Frown at Cheese

Slate

I’m now desperate to sneak a pouch of Brie into my husband’s carry-on when he heads to Beijing this week.

It was lunchtime, in a private room at the Xianheng Tavern, the most famous restaurant in the ancient Chinese city of Shaoxing. I opened the plastic boxes that I'd carried, sealed, all the way from London, and the stench of farmhouse cheeses began to waft across the room. The Chinese chefs and waiting staff seated around the table eyed them warily. Only two of the younger chefs had any cheese-related experience. None of the others, including the manager and executive chef of the Xianheng, Mao Tianyao, had tasted it in any form.

cheese, china

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Talking Sichuan Tripe

Image credit: Kake Pugh

Watching @silentypewriter and @richmajor at Wuli Wuli in Camberwell last night shoveling down shredded pigs’ ears and duck tongues, I reflected on my lack of stomach for the Sichuan extremities being piled up before us.

My first Chinese meal was with a girl from the top of my road, when I was 13. One Saturday she took me to a local takeaway and ordered a dish I didn’t recognise with the speed and efficiency of a highly professional bikini waxer. Continue reading »

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Dying Happy In the Arms of General Tso

Eat Noodles Love Noodles

I've finally tracked down a decent version of General Tso's chicken (左宗堂雞) in London. Never having had a proper rendition of this American-Chinese dish before, I wasn't sure quite what to anticipate. That said, it felt more real compared to my previous brush with what turned out to be a fake General.

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Coca Cola chicken wings are it

appetiteforchina

I don't know exactly when or how Coca-cola chicken wings became a Chinese dish, but it's a baby compared to everything that originated back when dynasties existed. Heck, many people don't even realize it's a Chinese dish, much less a common one. I have never seen it printed on a restaurant menu or in an English-language Chinese cookbook. It does, however, appear from time to time in Chinese-language cookbooks and on cooking shows, sometimes involving as few as three ingredients. In China, Coke and other sodas hold a higher prestige than they do in the US. About 5 years ago, when I first visited Beijing, some relatives took me out to a pretty lavish restaurant for my first Peking duck experience. After drink orders were taken, the head waiter returned to the table with a wine cart. With a flourish, he brandished a bottle in his right arm for inspection, which, for course, turned out to be Coke instead Bordeaux.

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What the Duck? Crispy Duck about as Authentic as Chicken Tikka Masala

eatlovenoodles

Amongst the most popular Chinese dishes in Britain is crispy aromatic duck but like General Tso's chicken in the USA and dim sims in Australia, it isn't a dish that would be easily recognisable in China. So how did the crispy aromatic duck that the British know and love come into being? The crispy aromatic duck served in Britain has its roots in a dish from Sichuan that shares the same Chinese name, xiang su ya 香酥鴨. Both dishes are prepared in the same way with the duck marinated with herbs and spices, before being steamed until tender, cooled, and finally deep-fried before serving.

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Stir-fried Baked Beans

Sunflower Food Galore
Words do slightly escape me – in a good way
I love baked beans with English breakfast, on toast or on baked potato. Ever had stir fried baked beans? Since I was a kid I adored baked beans with pork a la Chinese style. I think many Chinese kids brought up in the far east are familiar with this. It's cheap and tasty, perfect comfort food with rice.
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