i ask a lot of cooking questions...?

Question

because i looove cooking! i always wanted to be a chef but fell into something different,anyway,another food question..what gives chinese chow mein and fried rice that authentic flavour?and has anyone got an authentic recipe for egg fried rice?

Answer 1

I know what you are saying about wanting to be a chef - all my brothers and my father are chefs!! : )

Looking at the other answers so far, it looks like we all seem to have our own little ways of doing fried rice and chow mein!! : ) One thing I'd add to the other replies, is to use cold, or possibly warm rice for the best results. Left over rice from the night before is good too, so long as it has been put in the fridge and it's dry when you come to fry it. Puffy, fluffy rice is not good for fried rice - it gets all sticky. Adding spring onions and a drizzle of sesame oil will round it all off, and so too will adding MSG - as usual. I always put the egg in the hot oil first, then the rice - all the other stuff go in later.

With chow mein, we always fry the noodles first (if they are the thin ones), and add / serve the stir fry on top of the noodles!! A few drops of sesame oil, soy sauce and sherry in the stir fry is good. Beansprouts in it work well too!! Cooking is great, isn't it? : )

Answer 2

Hello.

I'm a chef, and I would encourage you to ask as many questions as you wish. To me, a chef is someone who is passionate about food and cooking, so you so not have to be employed in the cooking business to be a chef! Passion is the key.

As regards Chinese cuisine, I understand there are three mainstream traditions in Chinese cooking. These are Cantonese, Szechuan and Beijing, so the egg fried rice that you are familiar with may come from any of these traditions. Authenticity cannot therefore be guaranteed. I found this out with Indian/Pakistani cooking - what we get in many Tandoori restaurants bears little resemblence to the meals of the same name that you cook yourself, using recipes from Indian/Pakistani/Iranian sources and spices from Asian suppliers. I do not cook Chinese myself, but if you are ever in London UK, go to Lee Ho Fuk (yes, the name is authentic), in Soho.

I suggest you have a look on the web for Ken Hom, who is a popular chef on the TV in the UK. Or e-mail the Chines Embassy, and ask for their Cultural Attache. The Indian and Pakistani Embassies in London were very helpful to me.

Answer 3

The thing you are probably looking for is '5 spice'. Can't help with the fried rice though - I have tried too many times and finished with something completely unlike what I get from the take away...

Answer 4

Kikkoman Soy Sauce

Answer 5

Browse the website below, for recipes from everywhere in the world, North, South, East, and West.

You will find the 61 Scottish recipes at the second webpage below.

Answer 6

8ozs cooked rice
1 red pepper diced
1 green pepper diced
1 onion diced
white pepper
salt
sugar
garlic
soy sauce a good one like kikomens dark soy
oil
omelette

heat oil till hot fry onions pepper garlic sugar and fry till cooked add rice fry until rice is hot add omelette white pepper and a little soy mix well remove from heat add salt if needed but do not add to much soy

the secert is the sugar and white pepper you can also add peas.ham. or what ever else you like

Answer 7

Apart from Chinese spices and good soya sauce, that intense Chinese flavour is most probably toasted sesame oil.

Answer 8

In Chinese Accent: "Its Da Secra Soz!"

But seriously, since I'm asian: Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, MSG.

Answer 9

MSG,garlic, green onions, and the right amount of soy sauce.

Answer 10

That something called Ajino Moto (Spellings may be wrong) and Soya Sause...........Vinegar...nothing else.