Hot and Sour Cabbage

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This easy dish made a nice complement to my Fiery Ginger Fish. It's a quick and simple stir-fry of finely shredded cabbage seasoned with ginger, rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, dried chili flakes, and Szechuan peppercorns. It's important that the cooking time be kept to a minimum to maintain the texture of the cabbage. Once done, it makes a perfect plate liner for the main course.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

07:06 PM PDT Permalink |

Forbidden Rice

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

In my travels on the Internet, I came across several articles about forbidden rice, and wanted to try it for myself. To my delight, our new Whole Foods market stocks it in their regular inventory, and as luck would have it, forbidden rice was on sale at two bags for six dollars. I followed the instructions on the package and cooked it in my electric rice cooker.

I was amazed at how black the grains of forbidden rice are, and even more surprised to discover that the rice isn't actually black, but rather a deep shade of purple that, once cooked, stains everything that comes into contact with it, including the cooking vessel and storage containers. I had originally planned to include the leftovers in a cold multi-grain salad, but I surmised that the forbidden rice would probably turn the whole thing purple. So, for my grain salad, I opted for wild rice instead.

However, I did serve the forbidden rice as a side dish on my chinese menu, and found it to be quite delicious, with an earthy, nutty flavor, and a popcorn-like fragrance similar to basmati when it's cooking. A tasty and unusual variation on a standard staple.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:12 PM PDT Permalink |

MaPo Tofu

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

The first time I made a dish using black bean sauce that I purchased from an Asian market, it was so shockingly salty that it shriveled my tongue. So I threw away both the dish I'd prepared and the jar of bean sauce. But when I began researching Chinese recipes for 'Farewell My Concubine', I came across several for MaPo Tofu, and I wanted to give it a try, so I decided to give black bean sauce another try. This time, I bought a different brand called Dynasty, commonly available in the Aisan food section of my local market. Again, I found the sauce to be inordinately salty, but tolerably so.

To prepare the dish, I drained the tofu, cut it into triangles, and pan-fried them in sesame oil to a golden brown. Next I made a sauce of ground pork, garlic, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, black bean sauce, and chicken stock. Once the sauce was done, I served it with the golden tofu triangles. The result was a pleasantly rich and savory dish, albeit a little more salty that I usualy enjoy. But in this case, the dish was so delicious that I was willing to make an exception, and mitigated the effect by drinking lots of water afterwards.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:01 PM PDT Permalink |

Fiery Ginger Fish

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

The sauce for this fish dish is a piquant combination of tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions, celery, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili flakes and lots of ginger. The fish itself I dredged lightly in flour and cornstarch and then pan-fried to a golden brown. Fiery delicious.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:56 AM PDT Permalink |

Velvet Crab with Crispy Noodles

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This dish was so creamy and crabby-delicious that it nearly knocked me off my feet. Its success, I think, is due to the fact that I added the minced garlic and finely sliced scallions directly to the cream without sauteeing them first. So both maintained their vibrant flavor. Also contributing to the quality of the dish was the half pound of dungeness crabmeat that I hand-picked from the shell. And amazingly, the only other ingredients I added to the dish were salt and white pepper, plus a little cornstarch for thickening.

When it came to the noodles, it took several tries to get them just right to serve as the 'chassis' for the Velvet Crab. I started with dried 'nests' of angel hair pasta prepared three different ways: deep fried dry, plain boiled, and finally, boiled and then pan-fried. The pan-fried version turned out to be the one with the texture and eye-appeal I wanted for the dish.

The wonderful thing about this dish is that at full size, it makes a nice light entrée. But if the pasta nests were composed a little smaller, they would make the perfect canape.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

11:16 AM PDT Permalink |

Lemon Blossom Soup

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

I was hoping for a light, simple, lemony broth with minimal spices and garnishes. So I started with a batch of really good homemade chicken broth, added to it the juice of two lemons, and once it came to a boil, I removed it from the heat, stirred in a whole egg, and garnished it with a handful of finely chopped scallions. The result was everything I'd imagined...Light...Lemony...Delicate...Delicious!

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:49 AM PDT Permalink |

Imperial Mushrooms

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This appetizer is remarkably tasty and simple to prepare. The filling is a mixture of ground pork, minced shrimp, celery, garlic, and scallions, seasoned with Chinese rice wine, and oyster sauce. The mixture is then used to fill the mushroom caps, which I prepared two different ways. Half of them I steamed, the other half, I baked in the oven. Each cooking method produced a different result. The steamed mushrooms were lighter in both color and taste, while the oven-baked version were darker and richer in both flavor and color. Both were equally delicious, and the sauce is a combination of soy sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock with a little cornstarch to thicken.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:07 PM PDT Permalink |

Tofu Delight

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

This tasty appetizer is a little labor intensive, but worth it. Hopped shrimp is mixed together with mashed tofu and seasoned with scallions, garlic and oyster sauce. First it's shaped into an omelet and fried. Then it's cut into wedges, dredged in flour and deep-fried. The result was a platter of light, crispy shrimp and tofu triangles, which I served with a rich soy dipping sauce. All in all, one of the tastiest appetizers I've ever made.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month along with the 'Farewell My Concubine' film review.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

06:25 PM PDT Permalink |

A Long-Awaited Shopping Excursion

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Several months ago, a Whole Foods Market opened in Napa, but for one reason after another it has taken me this long get up to the north side of town to check it out. The compelling reason for today's visit is that Whole Foods is the only market in town that carries Forbidden Rice, a specialty item that I wanted to include in this month's Chinese menu.

My son Will and I spent most of an hour browsing its aisles, and even treated ourselves to a couple of sushi bentos. The lighting throughout the store is as seductive as any singles bar, the aisles are stocked with the best of everything, and the ready-to-eat section carries an impressive array of pre-packaged entrees and side dishes, a huge salad bar, two stations of hot foods, and full bakery. Irresistably alluring...

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

06:17 PM PDT Permalink |

Shopping for My "Farewell My Concubine" Chinese Menu

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Many of the ingredients for my Chinese menu are commonplace grocery and produce items: Fresh meats, seafood, and vegetables; staples such as flour, sugar, eggs, cooking oil; and common Chinese ingredients such as soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Some of the other ingredients are only slightly less common, such as black bean paste, hoisin sauce, rice noodles, and chili oil. And then there were the specialty items such as forbidden rice and lychee fruits, which required a special trip to Whole Foods. More on that shopping experience tomorrow.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:44 PM PDT Permalink |

Spotlight on Spice: Szechuan Peppercorns

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Szechuan peppercorns are the pods of the Zanthoxylum plant, which are a commonly used spice in Asian food, especially in Chinese food from Szechuan province, as well as in Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, Africa and South America. Also referred to as huājiāo (flower pepper), shānjiāo (mountain pepper), and sansho, Szechuan pepper is not related to black pepper or capsaicin.

The flavor of Szechuan peppercorns has citrus overtones rather than the peppery flavor of similar spices, and may cause the mouth and lips to feel numb or tingly when consumed in large quantities. Szechuan peppercorns are also used to make a flavored oil for adding spice to Asian dishes, and as a component of both Chinese five-spice powder and Japanese seven-spice togarashi. And because Szechuan peppercorns thrive in the harsh climate of the Himalayas, they are a predominant spice in the cuisines of Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

08:29 PM PDT Permalink |

Sources for Chinese Ingredients

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Every metropolitan area will have one if not several or even dozens of Asian markets, whether specifically devoted to Chinese ingredients, or to Asian ingredients in general. And even if you live in a smaller city, chances are that it will have at lease one Asian market. And with the growing demand for Asian ingredients, large supermarkets often carry an impressive array of Asian ingredients. If your city has a Cost Plus World Market, they may also carry Asian ingredients. But in the event that the town where you live doesn't offer Asian ingredients locally, there's always the internet. Here are two good sources, especially for Chinese ingredients.

Oriental Supermart

Asian Wok

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

07:06 AM PDT Permalink |

Chinese Serving Dishes

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

Among my many serving dishes, I have a whole set of classic blue-and-white Chinese dishes, of the kind one might see in a Chinese restaurant. I bought them at Ten's Market in Oakland, where, as with many Asian markets, there is always an abundant array of attractive and economically priced dishes. However, it’s been awhile since I visited Ten's, so I'm overdue for a trip to Oakland, and will, as always, find it hard to resist the their dishware aisle.

And an attractive table setting always adds an extra element of elegance and authenticity to a Chinese meal. Instead of a floral centerpiece, I like to use Lucky Bamboo, which can often be found in the floral departments of upscale supermarkets. And a colorful sarong with an Asian motif is always a more interesting choice than an ordinary tablecloth. Add chopsticks, serving dishes with a classic Chinese pattern, a little candlelight, and you’ve got just the right feng shui for a memorable Chinese meal.

To subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

04:30 PM PDT Permalink |

Special Chinese Cooking Utensils

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

It almost goes without saying that the one essential cooking utensil for Chinese cooking is a good wok. I have two: one traditional cast iron model, and one non-stick model. Both have their own appeal. The cast-iron model is excellent for deep-frying, while the non-stick model is easy to clean and maintain. But they are basically interchangeable.

Of course, you're going to need more than a wok to make a multi-course Chinese meal. A set of garden-variety cookware that includes a large kettle is indispensible. And utensils such as sharp knives for preparing fresh ingredients, wooden spoons for stir-frying, and tongs for transferring food from hot pans to serving plates will all come in handy.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

12:07 AM PDT Permalink |

Beverages to Go With a Chinese Meal

This Month's Film: Farewell My Concubine
Cuisine: Chinese

As always with Chinese food, the beverages are a no-brainer: Oolong Tea, Tsing Tao Beer, and Plum Wine. The same things one might order in a Chinese restaurant, and all are readily available.

Regarding the pairing of varietal wines with Asian food, there are certain types that harmonize with Asian flavors, especially the more fruity whites such as Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Gewurtztraminer, and demi-sec sparkling wines. However, when it comes to international cuisine, I am a purist, and prefer to enjoy each cuisine with native beverages from the country of origin. So this time, it's going to be Oolong Tea, Tsing Tao Beer, and Plum Wine.

For questions, comments, or to subscribe to Chopstick Cinema's monthly menu and film review, send e-mail to cheiter at thingsasian dot com

01:48 AM PDT Permalink |