This first video is just a thirdy second Travel Channel promo but I couldn’t believe the beautiful shots of Northeast China – I had no idea this area was so extremely COLD and architecturally stunning. It certainly makes me appreciate our 70 degree weather here in Tulsa, Oklahoma!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y_SqitVDjc
Bourdain eats roast duck in China:
Bourdain eats Dim Sum in Hong Kong:
My new favorite proverb comes from China: “Never hit a dog with a meat-bun.”
The saying indicates that punishment with a reward is doomed for failure, and that one must be careful when choosing how to solve problems.
A traditional Chinese place setting includes the following items:
Chinese aphrodisiac foods (the kind that make your heart go pitter-patter) include:
Hundred Year Old Egg, courtesy of Kowloonese
What are hundred-year-old eggs? Why duck eggs that have been preserved about three months:
[…the eggs] are enclosed in a coating made of lime, mud, saltpetre, fragrant herbs and rice straw […] They can be eaten after the third month, but their smell grows stronger with age. When they are broken out of their covering, the eggs are black and shiny.
I hope you have a most wonderful Friday!
Makes about 8 pancakes
Chinese Pancakes are quick and easy to make… and wonderful for scooping up stir-fry. The key to obtaining the characteristic chewy texture is to use boiling water. Make sure you use a healthy dose of salt to flavor the dough. Serve with Moo Shu Pork.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup boiling water
pinch salt
2 scallions, sliced thinly
sesame oil, as needed
Method:
Add flour and salt to a food processor…
Add boiling water … boiling water actually blanches the flour (cooks it briefly) and makes for a nice, chewy pancake. This is desirable because the texture will hold up better to moist stir-fry mixtures.
Pulse until dough starts to come together.
I used my hands to press the shaggy bits into a smooth ball. The dough is not sticky and should not cling to your hands much. Add more water or flour as needed to get the right texture.
Let rest for about an hour. The dough will relax and become super easy to work with.
Make small balls of dough (you need two at a time)
Press them flat with the palm of your hand.
Drizzle fairly liberally with sesame oil (or whatever oil you happen to have – but sesame oil tastes grand!). Spread it evenly around by rubbing the two discs together.
Sprinkle with a bit of green onion and press the two discs together.
Roll thin. At first it will be slippery and the discs will want to separate. Once it gets a bit thinner, the dough will start to stick and hold together better.
Place in a medium-hot pan with a bit of oil.
Cover and let cook a couple of minutes, or until light golden brown.
Flip and cover again.
When they come out of the pan you’ll be able to separate the two pancakes from each other! Wicked cool.
Fold in quarters and serve alongside your favorite stir-fry, like Mu Shoo Pork. Mmm.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 pancakes | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 20 minutes | 1 hour |
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Chinese Pancakes are quick and easy to make… and wonderful for scooping up stir-fry. The key to obtaining the characteristic chewy texture is to use boiling water. Make sure you use a healthy dose of salt to flavor the dough. Serve with Moo Shu Pork.
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At a restaurant, once I find an item on the menu that I like, I almost never order anything different again. It’s terribly lazy and non Adventurous.,. but also comforting after a long, terrible, grumpy kind of day. While I’ve had my fair share of Chinese food, I broke out of my comfort zone this week and put together a menu of dishes I’ve never tried, although you will recognize the names.
Have you ever had any of these dishes?
Mu Shoo Pork [Recipe]
From northern China, Mu Shoo Pork is a traditional stir-fry. Our version includes wood-ear mushrooms, chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots, and green onion. Mu Shoo Pork is commonly wrapped in Chinese Pancakes.
Chinese Pancakes with Green Onion [Recipe]
Chinese pancakes are made with dough, not batter. This recipe will show you how to cook two pancakes at once, separated by a bit of sesame oil and green onion.
Sichwan Chinese Hot and Sour Soup [Recipe]
Sichuan cuisine, from western China, is known for spicy, bold flavor. This soup, made with tofu, chicken, and chili peppers, is no exception.
Hot and Sour Cucumbers [Recipe]
This quick “pickle,” popular in northern China, is made with vinegar, brown sugar, chili peppers, and mushrooms, and can be served immediately after chilling. Special thanks to Laura Kelley of Silk Road Gourmet for sharing this recipe with us. A version will be in the third volume of her cookbook series “The Silk Road Gourmet.”
China is giant, offering up 24 classical regional cuisines within six time zones. To my highly untrained eye, the widest part of China looks to be about the width of North Africa. That’s some serious diversity.
Overall, Chinese value the spiritual and physical beauty of food as much as the nutritive qualities. Harmony is important – many dishes are designed to balance salty, bitter, sweet, and sour elements, not to mention crunchy versus soft textures. Additionally, hours can be spent preparing trimmings – carving vegetables and fruit, for example.
Typical seasonings and aromatics include ginger, bean paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, green onion, sesame and peanut oil.
The four most “talked about” cuisines are Peking (from north Beijing), Szechuan/Sichuan (from south central/western China), Cantonese (in the south), and Shanghai (to the east).
Peking
Peking, home of the Peking duck, is in northeast China where it is too cold to grow rice. As a result, wheat is the primary crop. The area is known for hearty meat dishes, braises, and barbecue. They also like roasts and pickles, like hot and sour cucumbers (recipe) which are served immediately after cooling. Because Peking is the old Capital of China, the region is considered to be “high table” cuisine.
In this area, buns, flatbreads, and noodles dominate. From the north also comes the wildly popular Moo Shu pork (recipe), a traditional blend of pork, scrambled egg, wood ear mushrooms, and lily buds.
Sichuan
Sichuan is south central/western China. This food is known to be spicy, although chili peppers didn’t come to the area until the Dutch brought it in 15th century. The area is predominately Buddhist, which means mainly vegetarian. The Sichuan peppercorn is known for its numbing qualities, which make the spicy food somewhat more bearable. Soups, such as hot and sour soup (recipe), contrast spice with sour agents like vinegar.
Cantonese
Cantonese food is in southern China. The food is known to be mild, with fresh flavor. Because they are along the seacoast, a great deal of seafood is enjoyed. Gently steamed fish with mild aromatics are common in this area. Southern China has lengthy summers which support the growth of rice, a mainstay in the area. Dim Sum, the popular brunch of steamed dumplings, buns, and desserts, also comes from Southern China.
Shanghai
Shanghai cuisine is at the mouth of one of the largest rivers in the world. The long growing season – with a a cool spring and fall – makes for good smoking and curing. They eat crustaceans as well as barbecue, smoked and cured meats.
Chinese pancakes (recipe) can be found throughout China. Made with dough, not batter, they are particularly good for wrapping up stir-fries.
Sugar on chicken casserole.
Lard in yeast-risen rolls.
Cookies that don’t taste like cookies.
Ice cream without an ice cream maker.
This week’s Chilean Global Table was a fascinating learning experience. And rich. So very, very rich. Without further ado, here’s my review. Now, please excuse me while I …ahem… change into my elastic pants.
Chicken Pastel del Choclo [Recipe]
What I liked most about this:
This is hearty Chilean comfort food. The corn releases sweet juices over the savory chicken blend, making the entire casserole moist. Although the sugary corn and raisins are an unlikely contrast to the briney olives and egg, the mixture works. The spices are mild, but the blend of cumin, cinnamon, and paprika pulls the entire dish together.
What I liked least about this dish:
I think I’d skip browning the casserole under the broiler next time, unless I can be more vigilant. The sugar turns deep brown super quickly and, although this is tasty, my version looked almost burnt and I would be hesitant to serve a casserole like this to guests.
Pan Amasado (Chilean Rolls) [Recipe]
What I liked most about this:
The use of lard made for a crispy, biscuit-like texture, while the yeast gave the otherwise dense bread a lift in flavor and texture. I loved the combination and would play with this recipe to achieve a lighter result.
What I liked least about this dish:
Unfortunately, my system is not used to eating lard – in fact I was not super excited to use it, but I knew that lard is an integral part of South American cooking and needed to give it a try. Although it makes superior crusts and crisps and biscuits, lard is also dense and heavy. After just two rolls I felt as though I’d eaten a pile of bricks and was filled up for hours. Keith claims I shouldn’t have eaten two, but I can normally handle two rolls! Plus, they smelled so good… how could I resist? Perhaps next time I’ll cut back on the lard.
Chilean Alfajores with Dulce de Leche [Recipe]
What I liked most about this:
The orange flavor from the juice and zest was lovely and bright. Coupled with intense, caramelized flavor of the milk fudge/dulce de leche, this sticky dessert was a treat.
What I liked least about this dish:
The cookies weren’t really cookies in texture – they are more of a soft dough. This is no big deal if you know what to expect, but I had no idea what I was in for. To make an even softer texture -I’ve seen several recipes that combine equal parts flour and corn starch. They say it gives a more “melt-in-your-mouth” feel.
Crema de Limon (Chilean Iced Lemon Sherbert) [Recipe]
What I liked most about this:
This ice cream is lemony as can be. I loved the sharp citrus tang and find myself craving it throughout the day. I also loved that I didn’t need an ice cream maker to make it.
What I liked least about this dish:
Sweetened condensed milk has a distinct flavor which I enjoyed, but which also took me a few minutes to get used to in ice cream. I also think this dessert filled me up faster than regular ice cream. Who knows, though. It could have been those rolls.
Ava’s Corner
Serves 2-4
Sweet, savory, briney, …. the flavors in Pastel de Choclo are varied and incredible. Special thanks to Linda Bladholm for sharing this authentic Chilean recipe with me. I adapted the version that can be found in Linda’s book, Latin & Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.
Ingredients:
2 lb rotisserie chicken, taken off the bone
2 onions, chopped
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch of cinnamon
5 olives with pimentos, quartered
1/4 cup raisins
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
3 cups corn kernels
1/2 cup milk
a few pinches of sugar for topping
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Assemble your spices…
… and shred up the chicken.
Then, saute the chopped onion over medium heat until translucent and soft.
Add chicken, raisins (I only had currants), and green olives. Green olives have a special, briney place in my heart.
Then add chopped egg and spices.
Stir to combine and warm everything through. Spread into a medium casserole. Easy!
Next step is easy too…
In a blender, puree corn with a little milk
Mmm.
Spread the corn mixture over the chicken mixture.
Sprinkle with a bit of sugar…
…and bake for 30-35 min. Then, if you really want to take the pastel de choclo over the top, you can place the casserole under the broiler for 1-3 min, to caramelize the sugar.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 2-4 people | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 30-35 minutes |
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Sweet, savory, briney, …. the flavors in Pastel de Choclo are varied and incredible. Special thanks to Linda Bladholm for sharing this authentic Chilean recipe with me. I adapted the version that can be found in Linda’s book, Latin & Caribbean Grocery Stores Demystified.
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Serves 8
A cross between a yeast roll and a biscuit, pan amasado has a crispy exterior and slightly doughy interior.
Ingredients:
2 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup warm water
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
½ Cup shortening, softened
Method:
Mix yeast, sugar and water together. Set aside.
Add flour, salt, and shortening to the bowl of an electric mixer.
Lard gives the dough rich fatty flavor, but shortening is okay too.
Salt makes the flavor pop.
Knead together until the shortening breaks up into pea-sized pieces. Add in the frothy, yeasty mixture.
Knead with dough hook until the sides scrape clean. If you need a little more water or flour, adjust as necessary.
Let rise for about 3 hours, covered and in a draft-free spot.
Here’s what it looks like after the rise:
Knead it as smooth as you can. I didn’t do a great job at this, so my biscuits are a bit shaggy looking. Spend some time on this step and you can have really pretty rolls. Let rise another 30 minutes after shaping and prick with a fork. Preheat oven to 375F.
Bake 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked throughout.
Serve with stews or salads or casseroles or nothing at all!
Serves 4
While Alfajores (cookie and dulce de leche “sandwiches”) are made throughout South America, the Chilean version is unusual both in technique and presentation. They use an egg-based dough (in other countries shortbread is favored). In addition, Chileans only roll one side of the dough, which results in a curled leaf effect on the dough as it bakes.
Ingredients
5 Egg yolks
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup as needed
½ tspn. baking powder
1/4 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp Orange juice
Dulce De Leche (recipe)
Method:
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and cornstarch.
Add in some orange zest if you have it. Orange zest adds lovely fresh citrus flavor to the cookies.
Beat egg yolks until pale yellow.
Add the dry ingredients to egg yolks in three parts, mixing in the orange juice in between.
I used OJ with extra pulp, for extra goodness.
If the dough seems sticky, add extra cornstarch one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky.
Roll the dough out thinly. Only roll one side of the dough or else it won’t curl when baked.
You’ll see pretty orange flecks if you used orange zest.
This is about the right thickness:
Cut out the cookies. I used circle and heart shaped cutters. Make sure you have an even number of each, in order to make the sandwiches.
Prick the cookies with a fork so that they won’t puff up.
Mmm.
Bake for 4-7 minutes. Do not let them brown. They should remain soft and tender.
Let cool. Then, spread with dulce de leche.
Put two halves together and enjoy, sticky fingers and all.
Unless, that is, you would like some powdered sugar.
Powdered sugar makes every thing better. Even pretty little sweethearts.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 people | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 4-7 minutes |
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While Alfajores (cookie and dulce de leche “sandwiches”) are made throughout South America, the Chilean version is unusual both in technique and presentation. They use an egg-based dough (in other countries shortbread is favored). In addition, Chileans only roll one side of the dough, which results in a curled leaf effect on the dough as it bakes.
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Makes 14 oz
Ingredients:
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Method:
Remove label from can of sweetened condensed milk and pierce with two holes on the top. Note that my label is still on the can. This becomes a mess later and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Place can in a small pot and fill with water. Bring to a gentle simmer and maintain water level about 1″ below top of the can at all times. Simmer for about 3 hours. Let cool before handling, eating, or touching.
Here is a light dulce de leche (I had my heat very, very low – otherwise the can rattles around in the pot. The longer you cook it, the thicker and darker it becomes):
Here’s a thicker, darker dulce de leche. Cooked for the same amount of time, but the heat was up slightly higher.
NOTE: This picture is from Argentina…. wow, our photography has improved! Shout out to Keith 🙂
P.S. To make it thick enough to spread on Alfajores, simmer for about 5 hours.
Serve with ice cream, cookies, Alfajores, crepes … anything you can imagine!
Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is relaxing and fun. 🙂 Here are a few Chilean food videos to check out…
The Chilean Miners
Please join me in sending a basket of good vibes over to the 33 Chilean miners who’ve been trapped underground since August 5th. They could be freed anytime between next week and November. It just depends on how long the digging machines take to finish their jobs.
Each miner will take three hours to lift out of the mine, in a very narrow, bullet looking contraption. Three hours, lifted through rock, a half mile tall, but nearly touching both shoulders.
Just the thought makes my chest feel tight.
Here’s a complete story from a few weeks ago.
Chilean meal times:
Lunchtime is celebrated in Chile. Often a leisurely affair, complete with appetizer, main course, and light dessert, lunch falls in the middle of the afternoon – usually between 1 and 3 pm.
About the time my family eats dinner (5-7 pm), Chileans are eating “Onces.” They’ll usually put on a pot of tea or coffee and eat some bread, rolls, pastries, or even sandwiches.
I’m already in my pajamas when Chileans eat dinner. They sit down between 9pm and midnight. For real.
