Chinese Food. What's the secret?

Downeast

Downeast

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I have been trying for years to duplicate the "taste" of Chinese restaurant food and for the life of me I can't figure it out. Somebody on here has to know! Sauce, spice, cat brains, what the hell is it?
 
Honestly, my wife and I were just talking about this Monday night. We want hibachi chicken or steak, but cannot figure out the secret ingredient.
It is always decent when we do it at home, but just not the same!
I am thinking about dumpster diving at one of the local restaurants to figure out what it is they use to make the "majic". šŸ˜¬
 
Downeast said:
So just meat, vegetables, sweat and MSG?
:rolleyes:
I've tried adding soy, teriyaki, Hunan, oyster sauces, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, white pepper, chicken stock, and still no luck
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I bought and used a bottle of stir fry sauce and was surprised at how close the end result was to what I've eaten in Chinese joints.

Amazon product ASIN B0BJFKKNZ4
 
Supermatch said:
And usually well seasoned carbon steel, to boot. Sort of like cooking in grandma's cast iron vs a non-stick pan.
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Yep. Cook real fast, everything with a little oil on it to prevent sticking, then a ladle of water and a whisk to move the steam around as it instantly vaporizes and on to the next dish.

I used to watch the chef in my local place, pure artistry and economy of motion. Little tiny thing she was, throwing woks bigger than she was around.
 
BrettB said:
MSG , velvet any protein , shop at legit Asian markets
Cook in a wok that is the heat of the sun so it cooks very fast
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If it doesn't sound like someone peeing on the door of a running blast furnace it's too cold.
 
Supermatch said:
MSG, cook everything hot and fast. Stir fried meat also gets velveted.
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Agreed. I am not great at Chinese, but did some research and tried a few new recipes lately. The smoking hot and fast thing does make it better. I cringe when my wife adds meat to a cold pan.
 
MSG probably has some if not a lot to do with it but my wife and I have developed an intolerance to it. The back of my wife's neck will sweat like menopause and my stomach will do flip flops. HT brand pop corn has msg but not listed in ingredients. This happens a lot. Flavor enhancer and preservative.
 
CZfool68 said:
Agreed. I am not great at Chinese, but did some research and tried a few new recipes lately. The smoking hot and fast thing does make it better. I cringe when my wife adds meat to a cold pan.
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Smaller quantities at a time, too. Their woks are usually pretty huge, overloading even a large sauce pan sucks the heat out and can make everything steam instead of fry.
 
As others have stated it's primarily MSG and utilizing VERY high heat cooking methods to finish most dishes. Of all the Youtube channels out there offering "Chinese Takeout" recipes this one IMO has some of the best recipes:


If you want to go down the Asian food cooking rabbit hole here are two other channels:
hot-thai-kitchen.com

Thai Recipes and Video How-To Tutorials

Authentic Thai recipes with step-by-step video tutorials by Pailin Chongchitnant, cookbook author, TV host, and YouTuber.
hot-thai-kitchen.com hot-thai-kitchen.com

 
NCLivingBrit said:
Yep. Cook real fast, everything with a little oil on it to prevent sticking, then a ladle of water and a whisk to move the steam around as it instantly vaporizes and on to the next dish.

I used to watch the chef in my local place, pure artistry and economy of motion. Little tiny thing she was, throwing woks bigger than she was around.
Click to expand...
You are hired!
 
banner-lkk-oyster-sauce-new.jpg


+ super hot seasoned wok, light & dark soy sauce, velvet coating with starch, and sesame oil.
 
when i worked for Procter&Gamble,
we had a restaurant product that the Chinese liked.
i have been in too many Chinese kitchens and have seen their "secrets" :
the absence of basic sanitation methods and disregard for child labor laws.
 
Maggi Sauce. Mi Lings carries every flavor they make. I use the heck out of it.

mazon.com/Maggi-Seasoning-liquid-27-oz/dp/B000LRKQCO/ref=asc_df_B000LRKQCO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242032900028&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5671349519714864380&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021085&hvtargid=pla-606987501594&psc=1&mcid=4ed86c4b761b3cbdb7b81e01aa0e981f&gclid=Cj0KCQiA35urBhDCARIsAOU7QwkG_9Qeh90k_bbBRUMenUr3GtojTr5DsUvoPGoMh9coBQy00C8h7c4aAqqREALw_wcB
 
it doesn't taste right without some sesame oil. my wife hates sesame oil, so normally i have to make stuff with regular veg oil and then sprinkle sesame oil on my serving.
and sometimes a pinch of cinnamon is the other secret
 
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DrScaryGuy said:
it doesn't taste right without some sesame oil. my wife hates sesame oil, so normally i have to make stuff with regular veg oil and then sprinkle sesame oil on my serving.
and sometimes a pinch of cinnamon is the other secret
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I rub pork loins with a glaze of chili crisp oil, honey, Chinese 5 spice, minced garlic, minced ginger, soy sauce, and a dab of siracha. Kitchen smells like spicy Christmas when it's cooking.
 
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