Last night, I got in and pondered what to cook. In the fridge we had a few chicken breasts, peppers, onions, spring onions, pak choi and a few tomatoes, a pretty dull mix really. You can make wondrous Chinese dishes with any of these, you just need a cupboard stocked full of the basics and you can create a plethora of different and delicious dishes. I decided on Gan Bian Ji or dry fried chicken, a Sichuanese dish which I hadn't tried before, before Luke came in looking for the Sherpa's menu- Sherpas is a takeaway service here in Shanghai- because Trish wanted hummus. My eyes lit up and within minutes my kitchen was transformed and I was on a mish to create a Middle Eastern food feast. With my limited resources it would have to be a simple spicy stew, cumin and garlic flatbread, hummus and plain boiled rice. The dinner worked a treat, and I was especially pleased with the flatbread, which took only seconds to make and tasted pretty damn good if I do say so myself.
The pictures I've taken so far of my kitchen efforts have been mediocre to say the least, so given my satisfaction with the meal and the way it looked, I spent a few minutes arranging everything neatly so I'd get a good photo or two, while an impatient Luke stalked the table ready to snatch a bite from my picture perfect spread if my back was turned. Alas, it wasn't to be. I had a slight technical malfunction with not only mine but all the cameras in the house- the batteries had run out. I didn't want to make the guinea pigs (Trish and Luke) wait any longer, so I carefully plated up my meal and let everyone tuck in, while I sat patiently and waited for my battery to charge.
I contemplated whether I would let my food get cold for the sake of a few pictures for a blog which next to no-one reads. I tend to devour all food put in front of me with gusto, and never thought I would become of those blog people, the ones spend hours masterfully creating insightful and exciting blogs with beautiful pictures to boot (the ones who I envy) for the sake of their readers. I'm usually to hungry to do any of this, and prefer to concentrate on eating my food rather than perfecting it for the camera. But last night I demonstr ated excellent self control and waited half an hour while my food became cold in front of me. Sacrilege. It seems I've sacrificed my love of eating for the love of blog.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Thursday, 16 April 2009
Impromptu mini dinner party and a bottle of bacardi breezer
The Egg Fried Rice with Sweet and Sour Sauce is of course the thorn in this otherwise wholly Hunanese home style banquet. It was more of a craving I had for Chinese takeaway food at home, which I occasionally get. Fried rice is served in most places, but many stick to good old mi fan- plain, boiled rice. Sweet and Sour sauce is rarely served on its own, and many people in China disregard it as being too sweet. Either way, both dishes are easy to cook, cheap, and while not as fuss-free as just going down your local Chinese, they're a lot simpler than you'd think, and a lot healthier too, as you know exactly what you're putting into them. Golden Coins is a different and innovative way to use eggs, and always catches the eye. You don't necessarily have to cook it as part of a Chinese supper either, I would have it as part of a summer salad spread and maybe tone down the seasonings slightly. The braised pak choi is a favourite of mine and I cook it at almost every meal. It's always a crowd pleaser and a such a simple way to add vegetables to your meal.
I was impressed with my cooking time- just over an hour for five dishes! This would usually take me almost double. Rachel arrived just before the I'd finished cooking with a bottle of pink bacardi breezer for me, a total blast from the past.
I was quite happy with the dinner given the spontaneity and limited time, and I think everybody was pretty satisfied too. Afterwards we engaged in the regular bizarre conversation topics we seem to stumble upon, the messiness of mango much to Ali's distress, how to make a stew without cooking implements, my dislike for overpriced smoothie brands, a plan to make a giant creme egg and the joys of Waitrose.
Recipes
Golden Coins
(adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)
5 Eggs, hard boiled and cooled completely
4 tsbp Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Clear rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Potato flour (bought in Chinese supermarkets- I often just use plain flour anyway)
2 tbsp Chicken/vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp Fresh red chilli or sweet red pepper
3 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Groundnut oil
salt
1. Peel the eggs and slice into thick slices, coat in the plain flour and shake of the excess. Heat 100 ml oil until it reaches 180 degrees c (about medium to high setting). Meanwhile combine the vinegar, potato flour, stock and sesame oil in a bowl for later.
2. Fry the slices of egg in the oil two or three batches. Deep fry for a few minutes, the eggs will start to go slightly golden and the oil will froth up. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Clean out the wok and heat over a high flame, adding two tablespoons of oil. Fry the ginger and chilli/pepper very briefly until fragrant taking care not to burn, I usually turn the heat down a little for this.
4. Return the eggs to the wok and gently coat them in the ginger and chilli. Add salt to taste, then throw in the prepared sauce and spring onions. Stir briefly and serve immediately.
Smoky Braised Mushrooms
300g Shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp Fresh ginger sliced
4 tbsp Chicken or vegetalbe stock
3 tbsp Groundnut oil for cooking
2 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Dried chilli flakes (I used chopped dried chillies because I didn't have these)
Salt and pepper
1. Pat the mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel to clean (I learnt once that washing them under the sink saturates them too much with water so I do this) and stem. You can slice the mushrooms if you wish, but I like the shiitake ones whole as they taste meatier.
2. Heat the oil in the wok over a medium to high flame and add the garlic and ginger, fry briefly until fragrant taking care not to urn them. Scatter in the chilli flakes to taste.
3. Tip the mushrooms into the wok, stir fry for a few minutes until tender. Add the stock and stir until the liquid evaporated a little. Season with pepper, top with spring onions and serve.
Tip: This is great with chopped smoky bacon too, add at the beginning to the second step before the garlic and ginger. I would also recommend using mixed mushrooms but I didn't have any of these, you can use a mixture of mushrooms such as button, oyster and enoki.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
3 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Chinkiang or black Chinese vingear
2 tsp Light soy sauce
1tbsp Potato flour (or plain will do)
2 tsp Chopped garlic
2tsp Chopped fresh giner
150 ml Chicken stock (vegetable stock will be okay for vegetarians)
1/2 tsp Salt
Groundnut oil
1. Mix the white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and flour together in a small bowl. You might want to play around with this to get the desired taste and a good balance of sweet and sour flavours.
2. Heat the wok on a medium to high heat and add 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry briefly until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and being to the boil and add the prepared mixture. Stir briskly as the liquid thickens and reduce down for a minute or two to a slightly thick sauce. The sauce will also thicken slightly as it cools. Add a few chopped spring onion greens as a garnish and serve.
Egg Fried Rice
You can make this dish as simple as you want it. If you don't have all the ingredients it doesn't matter, essentially all you need is boiled rice, oil and eggs, but you can add as much or as little as you want to make it more flavoursome.
Boiled rice (I usually use about two handfuls/serving spoons per person)
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped ginger
1tbsp Soy sauce
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
2tsp Sesame oil
3 Beaten eggs
4tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock (or you can just use and oxo/knorr cube or some chicken oil)
A handful of frozen peas/sweetcorn or fresh carrots cut into small cubes
A handful of pak choi or spinach
1. Heat the wok on a high heat and add the groundnut oil, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds (if using I would add the carrot now too to soften for a few moments). Add the beaten eggs and stir around in the wok, it will cook quickly and seperate as you stir.
2. Throw in the boiled rice and turn down the heat. Mix together for a few moments and then add the stock, stir until it evaporates.
3. Add the frozen vegetables, pak choi, spring onions and soy sauce. Stir fry all together for a couple of minutes until it's all heated through and mixed in. Take off the heat, splash on the sesame oil, then serve.
Braised Pak Choi
300-500g Pak choi (you can also use spinach)
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped chilli
1 tbsp Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
3 tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1. Wash the pak choi and the heads are quite big, slice them lengthways into halves or quarters.
2. Heat a wok or a frying pan to a high heat, add the groundnut oil and then the chilli and garlic. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the pak choi and fry until soft for a minute or two, it will start to wilt. Then throw in the black vinegar and stock, and fry for a few seconds until the liquid evaporates slightly, and serve.
Recipes
Golden Coins
(adapted from Fuchsia Dunlop's Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)
5 Eggs, hard boiled and cooled completely
4 tsbp Plain flour
1 1/2 tsp Clear rice vinegar
1/2 tsp Potato flour (bought in Chinese supermarkets- I often just use plain flour anyway)
2 tbsp Chicken/vegetable stock or water
1/2 tsp Sesame oil
1 tbsp Finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp Fresh red chilli or sweet red pepper
3 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Groundnut oil
salt
1. Peel the eggs and slice into thick slices, coat in the plain flour and shake of the excess. Heat 100 ml oil until it reaches 180 degrees c (about medium to high setting). Meanwhile combine the vinegar, potato flour, stock and sesame oil in a bowl for later.
2. Fry the slices of egg in the oil two or three batches. Deep fry for a few minutes, the eggs will start to go slightly golden and the oil will froth up. Then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Clean out the wok and heat over a high flame, adding two tablespoons of oil. Fry the ginger and chilli/pepper very briefly until fragrant taking care not to burn, I usually turn the heat down a little for this.
4. Return the eggs to the wok and gently coat them in the ginger and chilli. Add salt to taste, then throw in the prepared sauce and spring onions. Stir briefly and serve immediately.
Smoky Braised Mushrooms
300g Shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp Garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp Fresh ginger sliced
4 tbsp Chicken or vegetalbe stock
3 tbsp Groundnut oil for cooking
2 Spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
Dried chilli flakes (I used chopped dried chillies because I didn't have these)
Salt and pepper
1. Pat the mushrooms with a damp kitchen towel to clean (I learnt once that washing them under the sink saturates them too much with water so I do this) and stem. You can slice the mushrooms if you wish, but I like the shiitake ones whole as they taste meatier.
2. Heat the oil in the wok over a medium to high flame and add the garlic and ginger, fry briefly until fragrant taking care not to urn them. Scatter in the chilli flakes to taste.
3. Tip the mushrooms into the wok, stir fry for a few minutes until tender. Add the stock and stir until the liquid evaporated a little. Season with pepper, top with spring onions and serve.
Tip: This is great with chopped smoky bacon too, add at the beginning to the second step before the garlic and ginger. I would also recommend using mixed mushrooms but I didn't have any of these, you can use a mixture of mushrooms such as button, oyster and enoki.
Sweet and Sour Sauce
3 tbsp White sugar
2 tbsp Chinkiang or black Chinese vingear
2 tsp Light soy sauce
1tbsp Potato flour (or plain will do)
2 tsp Chopped garlic
2tsp Chopped fresh giner
150 ml Chicken stock (vegetable stock will be okay for vegetarians)
1/2 tsp Salt
Groundnut oil
1. Mix the white sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt and flour together in a small bowl. You might want to play around with this to get the desired taste and a good balance of sweet and sour flavours.
2. Heat the wok on a medium to high heat and add 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry briefly until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken stock and being to the boil and add the prepared mixture. Stir briskly as the liquid thickens and reduce down for a minute or two to a slightly thick sauce. The sauce will also thicken slightly as it cools. Add a few chopped spring onion greens as a garnish and serve.
Egg Fried Rice
You can make this dish as simple as you want it. If you don't have all the ingredients it doesn't matter, essentially all you need is boiled rice, oil and eggs, but you can add as much or as little as you want to make it more flavoursome.
Boiled rice (I usually use about two handfuls/serving spoons per person)
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped ginger
1tbsp Soy sauce
2 Spring onions, finely chopped
2tsp Sesame oil
3 Beaten eggs
4tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock (or you can just use and oxo/knorr cube or some chicken oil)
A handful of frozen peas/sweetcorn or fresh carrots cut into small cubes
A handful of pak choi or spinach
1. Heat the wok on a high heat and add the groundnut oil, add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for a few seconds (if using I would add the carrot now too to soften for a few moments). Add the beaten eggs and stir around in the wok, it will cook quickly and seperate as you stir.
2. Throw in the boiled rice and turn down the heat. Mix together for a few moments and then add the stock, stir until it evaporates.
3. Add the frozen vegetables, pak choi, spring onions and soy sauce. Stir fry all together for a couple of minutes until it's all heated through and mixed in. Take off the heat, splash on the sesame oil, then serve.
Braised Pak Choi
300-500g Pak choi (you can also use spinach)
2 tsp Finely chopped garlic
2 tsp Finely chopped chilli
1 tbsp Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
3 tbsp Chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp Groundnut oil
1. Wash the pak choi and the heads are quite big, slice them lengthways into halves or quarters.
2. Heat a wok or a frying pan to a high heat, add the groundnut oil and then the chilli and garlic. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the pak choi and fry until soft for a minute or two, it will start to wilt. Then throw in the black vinegar and stock, and fry for a few seconds until the liquid evaporates slightly, and serve.
Tanked on teppanyaki
All-you-can-eat Teppanyaki IS the future. For those who aren't familiar with fashionable eating fads, Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses a Teppan, a flat iron griddle to cook food. In Teppanyaki restaurants you sit around the griddle and watch the chef cook for you, which is a spectacle in itself. All-you-can-eat Teppanyaki takes it one step further.
The concept is simple. You pay 150 yuan each (about 15 pounds), they hand you a menu and you can eat and drink whatever you want from it all night. How they make money when a troop of fifteen hungry and very thirsty Westerners turn up on a Saturday night birthday party is beyond me. Which is exactly what we did. The chef must have seen us coming and wanted to run a mile. For the next 4 hours he cooked whatever we desired; steak, lamb chops, kebabs, squid, prawns, sushi, a host of vegetables, noodles and rice. And then there was the drink, endless amounts of sake, beer, wine, and as much coconut juice as I could force down myself.
As my obsession with food has developed, I've become quite sceptical about these all-you-can-eat establishments, believing that the food cannot surely be of a high quality for restauranteurs to justify serving these mammoth portions to people. But I've been to three of these Teppanyaki restaurants since I've arrived in China, and the quality in each has been of a pretty high standard. The sushi at this restaurant was its only downfall, it didn't seem very fresh and was falling apart, but everything else was spot on. The steak wonderfully flavoured and cooked to perfection, the squid not too chewy and nicely seasoned, the prawns juicy and moreish. And I could eat as much of it as I wanted, cooked right in front of my eyes.
As the night went on, the sake took hold, and all manner of antics replaced the rapid devourment of food. Highlights of the evening included a De Niro 'face off' between Dave and Luke, a arm wrestling competition between birthday boy Tom and one of the chefs, various homoerotic poses for the camera and much swooshing of a light saber.
I await the next Teppanyaki with huge anticipation.
Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Cookie misadventures
Although I'm a perfectionist and never satisfied with what I cook, I think I can say that I very rarely make a blunder when it comes to cooking, because I hate getting things wrong in the kitchen. If I'm trying something new I'm often very careful and precise; I like to experiment and try new things but I keep within my boundaries, as it were, and stick to methods I'm familiar with. Last Friday however, I made a blunder, although technically it happened outside the kitchen.
And what a mess I created. Unfortunately, hooked on Romeo and Juliet, I completely ignored my cookie dough. I added too many eggs and the cookie dough became ridiculously sticky and would just not go together. I began to add flour, yet more flour, but somehow it just wouldn't come together. It started to stick to my fingers and I couldn't get rid of it, it was everywhere!
I managed to salvage the dough somehow, I threw in a bit more sugar and some butter and that seemed to improve it slightly, but I was still unhappy with the result. I was going for a soft, chewy cookie with a delicious white chocolate, apple and a hint of cinnamon on every bite, but the cookies were slightly too floury, and I wasn't getting enough of the flavourings.
I have learnt my lesson. Pete Postlethwaite's priest impression + modern take on a Shakespearean tragedy - sufficient time allowance = seriously neglected cookie dough.
I'm still following by my 'baking once a week' rule and even if I have absolutely no time and 100 other commitments, I'm determined to bake anyway. I was craving, apple, cinnamon and white chocolate, so I decided to bake these ingredients in a muffin form. Alas, I couldn't find cupcake or muffin trays, so I had to stick to the regular cookie. I got in at 8 o clock last Thursday after searching around for some white chocolate, and set to work. Luke was watching Romeo and Juliet, so I decided to join him and create a mess in front of the TV.
And what a mess I created. Unfortunately, hooked on Romeo and Juliet, I completely ignored my cookie dough. I added too many eggs and the cookie dough became ridiculously sticky and would just not go together. I began to add flour, yet more flour, but somehow it just wouldn't come together. It started to stick to my fingers and I couldn't get rid of it, it was everywhere!
I managed to salvage the dough somehow, I threw in a bit more sugar and some butter and that seemed to improve it slightly, but I was still unhappy with the result. I was going for a soft, chewy cookie with a delicious white chocolate, apple and a hint of cinnamon on every bite, but the cookies were slightly too floury, and I wasn't getting enough of the flavourings.
I have learnt my lesson. Pete Postlethwaite's priest impression + modern take on a Shakespearean tragedy - sufficient time allowance = seriously neglected cookie dough.
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
A regular night at the stove
Last night was just a regular night at the stove. Being in China I try to cook the Chinese way, which is usually to cook four or five separate dishes (mostly meat, fish, vegetables and soup) with plain boiled rice, and I am an advocate of shopping in markets as much as possible and using fresh, local produce. Unfortunately, I also get in late most evenings so Chinese eating culture does not fit in with my work schedule. I could have chosen to cook something quick and simple for the guinea pigs, but no, I insisted on doing it the Chinese way as usual, which takes a considerably longer amount of time. I'm also a slow cook and like to saunter and take time over getting things right, often scrutinising Fuchsia's recipe book and following every word, which I later disregard to do everything my own way. We didn't sit down until gone 11 o'clock.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Time for a recipe...
So far this blog has written about my eating adventures outside the kitchen, so I thought I'd start to document my cooking habits. With the arrival of my oven a couple of months ago I decided I wanted to get back into baking. I'm not baking under optimum conditions unfortunately, Shanghai isn't the best city in the world to buy good baking ingredients, and my oven is not so much an oven as a grill with a temperature setting, but I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I'm trying to bake at least one batch of cookies a week this month (I seem to be actively opposed to dieting at the moment), and this week it was the turn of the peanut butter cookie. I'm still messing around with the perfect cookie dough, the right temperature and the right consistency, but the verdict was pleasingly positive. They were chewy and not too sweet but Ali thought my previous batch of milk chocolate and toffee were better s0 I think I'll add some white chocolate or toffee to spice it up next time. I'm currently challenging for the title of 'better than subway cookies', which seems to be the benchmark for Dave, Trish and Luke.
The recipe is below, but my baking style is not very accurate. I tend to go by taste and instinct rather than following exact recipes, and often add a little more or a little less, this usually gives me an excuse to eat cookie dough throughout the process.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 30
375g Caster Sugar
250g Brown Sugar
700g Plain Flour
200g Unsalted butter, softened
3tsp Baking Powder
3-4 tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter
3-4 eggs
1 Vanilla Pod
Preheat the oven to 160 c. Mix the sugars, flour and baking powder together with the seeds scraped out from the vanilla pod and then cream together with the softened butter, until all the butter is mixed in with the flour and sugar.
Add the eggs one by one and mix after each egg, until you get a cookie dough mixture, the eggs should be holding the mixture all together so you get a big wad of cookie dough, if it's too dry add the fourth egg and if it's too wet and sticks to your hands too much add a bit more flour.
Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly, I actually used my hands to do this but a wooden spoon is probably best. I kept adding peanut butter as I went along so I would taste it to check if it's enough.
Tear off chunks of the dough and roll them into evenly sized balls (if the dough is too wet or sticky then you need to add a bit more flour), then push each ball down with the palm of your hand. I like the dough to quite thin but thick enough to make the cookie soft and chewy. Place them on a greased baking tray, making sure they're far enough apart so the cookies won't merge together in the oven, and bake for about 10 minutes if you like them chewy, or 12 for crunchy cookies. When I take them out the oven they're slightly golden, but so soft and almost falling apart, any longer and they won't be soft enough, they eventually will cool and you should have a prefect yummy cookie. The recipe I adapted this from suggested the temperature be 180c, but my oven has a mind of its own.
I've just realised I'm terrible at writing recipes. I tend to just improvise as I'm going along, so you might have to do this too. Oops.
The recipe is below, but my baking style is not very accurate. I tend to go by taste and instinct rather than following exact recipes, and often add a little more or a little less, this usually gives me an excuse to eat cookie dough throughout the process.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 30
375g Caster Sugar
250g Brown Sugar
700g Plain Flour
200g Unsalted butter, softened
3tsp Baking Powder
3-4 tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter
3-4 eggs
1 Vanilla Pod
Preheat the oven to 160 c. Mix the sugars, flour and baking powder together with the seeds scraped out from the vanilla pod and then cream together with the softened butter, until all the butter is mixed in with the flour and sugar.
Add the eggs one by one and mix after each egg, until you get a cookie dough mixture, the eggs should be holding the mixture all together so you get a big wad of cookie dough, if it's too dry add the fourth egg and if it's too wet and sticks to your hands too much add a bit more flour.
Add the peanut butter and mix thoroughly, I actually used my hands to do this but a wooden spoon is probably best. I kept adding peanut butter as I went along so I would taste it to check if it's enough.
Tear off chunks of the dough and roll them into evenly sized balls (if the dough is too wet or sticky then you need to add a bit more flour), then push each ball down with the palm of your hand. I like the dough to quite thin but thick enough to make the cookie soft and chewy. Place them on a greased baking tray, making sure they're far enough apart so the cookies won't merge together in the oven, and bake for about 10 minutes if you like them chewy, or 12 for crunchy cookies. When I take them out the oven they're slightly golden, but so soft and almost falling apart, any longer and they won't be soft enough, they eventually will cool and you should have a prefect yummy cookie. The recipe I adapted this from suggested the temperature be 180c, but my oven has a mind of its own.
I've just realised I'm terrible at writing recipes. I tend to just improvise as I'm going along, so you might have to do this too. Oops.
Last week
Last week was jam-packed with eating and drinking adventures. I've noticed that city life often throws exciting opportunities in front of you without even trying, especially in cuisine terms, and this week in particular was an excellent example.
WEDNESDAY-
On Wednesday I was invited to a press wine tasting at Jean Georges to sample the Vignobles Brunier's new vintage. This was arranged thanks to a food review website I write for in Shanghai called Best Food in China (not the most innovative name in the world). The vineyard owner, Daniel Brunier was coming to Shanghai to introduce the city to his wines and his wine philosophy, which was followed by an interview with him. I was so incredibly excited when I found out I was going that I wrote off Tuesday evening mostly jumping for joy, brushing up on my wine knowledge and researching the vineyard in question. Vignobles Brunier makes wine predominantly in the Châteauneuf du Pape AOC, an very highly regarded wine region known for making often very expensive and high quality wines. Admittedly I hadn't actually heard of Vignobles Brunier before, but came to realise that it was in fact a dominant wine maker in the region, giving further status to the Appellation.
The even itself was full of pretentious media types who asked all sorts of ridiculous questions to make sure we knew that they knew what they were talking about (if you know what I mean). It was all slightly pompous and over the top, with airs and graces flying left, right and centre. And then there was the spitting. I love wine tasting but I refuse to spit, thinking of it as a ludicrous concept. Even if it aids the tasting process, wine is a drink and it is meant to be drunk. So I drank and enjoyed all four samples of wine (in a very sophisticated manner of course) and drinking on an empty stomach it's safe to say I had a pretty bad headache come the evening. But I still refuse to spit.
THURSDAY-
On Thursday I reviewed an Italian restaurant for the same website. The restaurant was awful, and a very poor reflection of true Italian cuisine, which isn't actually that difficult to find in this city. Among the numerous misdemeanors the restaurant made, there were three that in my book were unforgivable. First of all they failed to enquire as to how I like my steak cooked. I like it bleu and it came well-done- bleugh. Secondly when I asked for fresh bread which I would expect to be served to me within minutes of sitting down, we were told that the chef was too busy for the moment. What cheek! We were later brought out some mediocre garlic pizza bread which was a poor consolation. Thirdly, there was no dessert menu. No panna cotta, no tiramasu, no gelato, nothing. The manager later told me that they were considering adding a menu, which would include desserts such as 'cheesecake', how very authentic. I gave them a pretty bad write up which can be viewed here.
In the evening, I cooked a Sichuan/Hunan influenced homestyle meal with a double whammy of sweet and sour dishes- both chicken and cabbage, stir fried eggs with onion and mushroom, potato slivers with vinegar and braised pak choi.
FRIDAY-
On Friday I was invited out to lunch by one of my adult students. I had a Chinese lesson arranged, lots of work to do and a terrible cold, but I never pass up on an opportunity to eat free food. It was a Japanese restaurant in Xintiandi (a pretentious yet charming dining area in Shanghai where well-heeled locals and expats sip Starbucks and eat overpriced food). My student told me he dined there at least twice a week, so I was expecting it to be good. This turned out to be somewhat of an understatement as I thought the food was amazing. In true traditional Japanese style, we were told to take off our shoes on our arrival, before being escorted to our bamboo screened booth. The ambiance was authentic Japanese with a modern twist. An attentive service first caught my eye. Within seconds our teacups were full and a little stand was brought out to hold our sake and bottle warmer. We munched on salted snow peas and dried sweet fish with mayonnaise and as the guest, I chose from the book-esque menu. I went for a standard sushi assortment of tuna, salmon and wagyu beef nigiri, various sashimi, california rolls and giant stuffed rolls.
While my fellow diner and his companion talked business I happily tucked into a feast of sushi. The sushi was all served at the perfect temperature, was wonderfully fresh and delicate, with fluffy, slightly salty rice packed tightly together holding the fish nicely in place.The tuna nigiri was the star attraction; the thick slab of the finest cut of tuna almost melted in my mouth.
Later came a dish of grilled Wagyu beef which was absolutely delectable. The Wagyu was well layered with fat, so flavoursome and tender, sprinkled with sesame seeds and brushed with a dark, salty soy based sauce. It was 'lush' as the (Welsh) valleys in me would say, lush with a capital L.
WEDNESDAY-
On Wednesday I was invited to a press wine tasting at Jean Georges to sample the Vignobles Brunier's new vintage. This was arranged thanks to a food review website I write for in Shanghai called Best Food in China (not the most innovative name in the world). The vineyard owner, Daniel Brunier was coming to Shanghai to introduce the city to his wines and his wine philosophy, which was followed by an interview with him. I was so incredibly excited when I found out I was going that I wrote off Tuesday evening mostly jumping for joy, brushing up on my wine knowledge and researching the vineyard in question. Vignobles Brunier makes wine predominantly in the Châteauneuf du Pape AOC, an very highly regarded wine region known for making often very expensive and high quality wines. Admittedly I hadn't actually heard of Vignobles Brunier before, but came to realise that it was in fact a dominant wine maker in the region, giving further status to the Appellation.
The even itself was full of pretentious media types who asked all sorts of ridiculous questions to make sure we knew that they knew what they were talking about (if you know what I mean). It was all slightly pompous and over the top, with airs and graces flying left, right and centre. And then there was the spitting. I love wine tasting but I refuse to spit, thinking of it as a ludicrous concept. Even if it aids the tasting process, wine is a drink and it is meant to be drunk. So I drank and enjoyed all four samples of wine (in a very sophisticated manner of course) and drinking on an empty stomach it's safe to say I had a pretty bad headache come the evening. But I still refuse to spit.
THURSDAY-
On Thursday I reviewed an Italian restaurant for the same website. The restaurant was awful, and a very poor reflection of true Italian cuisine, which isn't actually that difficult to find in this city. Among the numerous misdemeanors the restaurant made, there were three that in my book were unforgivable. First of all they failed to enquire as to how I like my steak cooked. I like it bleu and it came well-done- bleugh. Secondly when I asked for fresh bread which I would expect to be served to me within minutes of sitting down, we were told that the chef was too busy for the moment. What cheek! We were later brought out some mediocre garlic pizza bread which was a poor consolation. Thirdly, there was no dessert menu. No panna cotta, no tiramasu, no gelato, nothing. The manager later told me that they were considering adding a menu, which would include desserts such as 'cheesecake', how very authentic. I gave them a pretty bad write up which can be viewed here.
In the evening, I cooked a Sichuan/Hunan influenced homestyle meal with a double whammy of sweet and sour dishes- both chicken and cabbage, stir fried eggs with onion and mushroom, potato slivers with vinegar and braised pak choi.
FRIDAY-
On Friday I was invited out to lunch by one of my adult students. I had a Chinese lesson arranged, lots of work to do and a terrible cold, but I never pass up on an opportunity to eat free food. It was a Japanese restaurant in Xintiandi (a pretentious yet charming dining area in Shanghai where well-heeled locals and expats sip Starbucks and eat overpriced food). My student told me he dined there at least twice a week, so I was expecting it to be good. This turned out to be somewhat of an understatement as I thought the food was amazing. In true traditional Japanese style, we were told to take off our shoes on our arrival, before being escorted to our bamboo screened booth. The ambiance was authentic Japanese with a modern twist. An attentive service first caught my eye. Within seconds our teacups were full and a little stand was brought out to hold our sake and bottle warmer. We munched on salted snow peas and dried sweet fish with mayonnaise and as the guest, I chose from the book-esque menu. I went for a standard sushi assortment of tuna, salmon and wagyu beef nigiri, various sashimi, california rolls and giant stuffed rolls.
While my fellow diner and his companion talked business I happily tucked into a feast of sushi. The sushi was all served at the perfect temperature, was wonderfully fresh and delicate, with fluffy, slightly salty rice packed tightly together holding the fish nicely in place.The tuna nigiri was the star attraction; the thick slab of the finest cut of tuna almost melted in my mouth.
Later came a dish of grilled Wagyu beef which was absolutely delectable. The Wagyu was well layered with fat, so flavoursome and tender, sprinkled with sesame seeds and brushed with a dark, salty soy based sauce. It was 'lush' as the (Welsh) valleys in me would say, lush with a capital L.
Everything was spot on, from the brilliant burst of bright orange salmon roe on the California rolls to the impeccable service and attention to detail, right down to the way the gari was arrange on our plate. I'm not sure whether I was phased by my increasingly bad cold, the Sake or the ridiculous price tag that may have clouded my judgement, but the meal was incredible.
And when the going gets really tough...head for the streets
Street food is another Chinese cheap eat essential and if you're ever hungry, you're never far away from a greasy street vendor. It usually involves carbs and some degree of deep frying, as well as the eating-on-the-move manoeuvre which is usually very messy and unflattering. But it tastes good. At first I was a little nervous about eating street food. I was never entirely sure what anything was and with my limited Chinese I was never able to find out. Then there was always the health and safety issue, which you must always be aware of. You have to know which places are good and look clean, and not take any chances if you're uncertain. The vendors that usually have a fixed stand or stall are usually better than those who just roam around with their push carts, as are the ones that are a little more expensive. Get past those issues however, and street food can be a great way to eat and a good way to get involved in Chinese culture. In the morning on my way to work, people crowd around big bamboo steamers waiting for their morning bao zi fix, a steamed bread filled with lightly spiced meatballs or vegetable greens. The vendor opens them up and clouds of steam rise up, filling the air with tempting aromas. Elsewhere a vendor is turning a giant frying pan full of dumplings, which disappear in seconds to hungry customers. My favourite snack of the moment is a eggy pancake not dissimilar to an omelette. It costs about 1 yuan (10p) and is a cheap, and a less messy lunch. Then there's always the self explanatory 'meat on a stick', a popular after drinking indulgence, which in the more touristy places branches out into scorpion on a stick, starfish on a stick or squid tentacles on a stick, which I have yet to try.
This Sunday we went to a food street called Wujiang Lu, just behind the Marks & Spencer's and one of the biggest shopping streets in Shanghai, Nanjing West Road. Typically that great Chinese steamroller of progress will be bulldozing it all down next month to make way for yet more metro stations, western shopping malls and five star hotels. The street was packed with people slurping on smoothies, nibbling chicken wings, noodles and dumplings. We ate at Yang's Fry Dumplings, an institution in Shanghai which is famous for its shengjian mantou, a pan fried, sesame studded bun filled with a pork and sage meatball. We finally reached the front of a 10-minute long queue to be served, and I watched the whole dumpling making process unfold in front of me. I watched as a neat, efficient production line churned the dumplings in seconds, from the man who tore the dough, to the woman who filled them; to the man who fried them to the woman who served them. Biting into them released a burst of hot, soupy liquid followed by a nicely seasoned, flavoursome meatball and a slightly crunchy bun. Delicious.
Street food at its best.
This Sunday we went to a food street called Wujiang Lu, just behind the Marks & Spencer's and one of the biggest shopping streets in Shanghai, Nanjing West Road. Typically that great Chinese steamroller of progress will be bulldozing it all down next month to make way for yet more metro stations, western shopping malls and five star hotels. The street was packed with people slurping on smoothies, nibbling chicken wings, noodles and dumplings. We ate at Yang's Fry Dumplings, an institution in Shanghai which is famous for its shengjian mantou, a pan fried, sesame studded bun filled with a pork and sage meatball. We finally reached the front of a 10-minute long queue to be served, and I watched the whole dumpling making process unfold in front of me. I watched as a neat, efficient production line churned the dumplings in seconds, from the man who tore the dough, to the woman who filled them; to the man who fried them to the woman who served them. Biting into them released a burst of hot, soupy liquid followed by a nicely seasoned, flavoursome meatball and a slightly crunchy bun. Delicious.
Street food at its best.
Cheap Eats
Sometimes having little money can be a blessing in disguise. I spend most of my money on cooking or eating out, so whenever I get paid or we have a little bit more money than usual, we tend to go a bit overboard and eat extravagantly. This usually means eating Western food, which at first was an out-of-reach craving that we would occasionally spoil ourselves with; deriving from a desire for Western staples such as cheese, bread and essentially, fat. This eventually turned into an obsession that got out of control. We shamefully neglected Chinese food in favour of diners, delis, decadent dining rooms and, regrettably, fast food chains. Running low on money a few weekends ago, I quickly came out of this calorie-driven haze and embarked on a Western detox, well, with the odd cookie thrown in.
You don't have to look hard in China to find a cheap, unassuming eatery serving up delicious food at rock bottom prices. Admittedly, they don't focus on creating the right ambiance or perfect atmosphere. There's rarely any mood music, rather the proprietors' screaming toddlers or a Chinese TV serial blaring in the background. There's no innovative Phillipe Starck design, instead bare walls, a few tables, and poor lighting. The food is neither fashionable nor mind blowing. But what it is this; simple, unpretentious and good hearty cuisine.
Nanjing was the scene of my cheap eats weekend. The first night we ate a Sichuanese restaurant, fast becoming one of my favourite cuisines for its fabulous flavour and cooking style. We had salty and slightly spicy twice cooked pork, sweet and sour cabbage, the always-a-crowd-pleaser fish fragrant aubergines, and a big bowl of boiled rice. Tasty and moreish. Price? 36 yuan or £3.60 (Cue shock-horror facial expressions.)
The next evening we went to a noodle house which, on my second visit became one of my favourite fast food haunts. I love the simplicity of everything here. Diners huddle over their bowls of favourite noodle soup to get out of the cold and you hear little chatter for all the slurping sounds and occasional splattering of soup on the wall (that's usually me). There's only about 10 dishes available, written up on the wall. You go in, order (or point to) your dish from the guy with a till at the front, he shouts our order to the waitress and within minutes, two big bowls of steaming noodle soup arrives in front of us. We had a spicy noodle soup with pork, pak choi and mushrooms with crunchy dough stick (a sort of cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a crouton) and coriander served on top. It was delicious, satisfying and I can never finish. Price? 7.5 yuan per bowl, or 75p. Beat that Wagamama.
On the last evening of my cheap eats crawl we kept it simple and found a small eatery on a busy food street in Nanjing. We ate a dish each of chicken fried rice and braised pak choi with mushrooms. Simple and effective. Price? 19 yuan or £1.90.
This is one thing I will seriously miss when I get home.
You don't have to look hard in China to find a cheap, unassuming eatery serving up delicious food at rock bottom prices. Admittedly, they don't focus on creating the right ambiance or perfect atmosphere. There's rarely any mood music, rather the proprietors' screaming toddlers or a Chinese TV serial blaring in the background. There's no innovative Phillipe Starck design, instead bare walls, a few tables, and poor lighting. The food is neither fashionable nor mind blowing. But what it is this; simple, unpretentious and good hearty cuisine.
Nanjing was the scene of my cheap eats weekend. The first night we ate a Sichuanese restaurant, fast becoming one of my favourite cuisines for its fabulous flavour and cooking style. We had salty and slightly spicy twice cooked pork, sweet and sour cabbage, the always-a-crowd-pleaser fish fragrant aubergines, and a big bowl of boiled rice. Tasty and moreish. Price? 36 yuan or £3.60 (Cue shock-horror facial expressions.)
The next evening we went to a noodle house which, on my second visit became one of my favourite fast food haunts. I love the simplicity of everything here. Diners huddle over their bowls of favourite noodle soup to get out of the cold and you hear little chatter for all the slurping sounds and occasional splattering of soup on the wall (that's usually me). There's only about 10 dishes available, written up on the wall. You go in, order (or point to) your dish from the guy with a till at the front, he shouts our order to the waitress and within minutes, two big bowls of steaming noodle soup arrives in front of us. We had a spicy noodle soup with pork, pak choi and mushrooms with crunchy dough stick (a sort of cross between a Yorkshire pudding and a crouton) and coriander served on top. It was delicious, satisfying and I can never finish. Price? 7.5 yuan per bowl, or 75p. Beat that Wagamama.
On the last evening of my cheap eats crawl we kept it simple and found a small eatery on a busy food street in Nanjing. We ate a dish each of chicken fried rice and braised pak choi with mushrooms. Simple and effective. Price? 19 yuan or £1.90.
This is one thing I will seriously miss when I get home.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)