I always liked to write on my blog, but recently nothing has really happened that is note worthy or those things that have I don’t wish to immortalise on the intermaweb. Nonetheless I thought I’d share with you on a semi-regular basis a new “hobby” of mine.. besides drinking.. Chinese cuisine.
Cooking Chinese food is actually quite easy given the right ingredients and knowhow. For those of us actually living in Mainland China or any of the other Chinas, learning how to ask for and purchase said ingredients can be half the challenge so I’ll try to paraphrase my recipes in Chinese to make life easier.
That said, I thought I’d start with a repost (because I’m lazy) from a previous blog of mine, Cocacola Chicken.
I like simple home cooked Chinese food. This is a tasty dish popular in China which I like because you just can’t screw it up no matter how drunk/stupid you are. (Just remember to turn off the gas when you’re finished)
Disclaimer: I’m no chef. I don’t know the correct terminology for what I’m going to describe here. But as they say in New Zealand..
She’ll be right mate.
Ingredients
Chicken Wings
Garlic
Ginger
Coca cola
Bai Jiu (Chinese White Spirit)
A little MSG or Salt (to taste)
Honey
Whiskey (if desired)
Instructions
Dice some garlic and ginger. I always say you can never have too much garlic, but easy on the ginger though. Don’t chop the ginger too finely so you can pick it out later. No one likes crunching down on a big chunk of ginger when they expected sweet chickeny goodness. Pour a little oil in your wok, one with a lid if possible, turn on the heat and add your ginger, garlic and your chicken wings.
Slightly brown the chicken wings. Don’t worry about not cooking too thoroughly, nothing will survive the sticky bubbling magma of boiling hot Coca cola that will ensue. Add just enough Coca cola to cover your wings.
Optional: When the Coke begins to bubble, add a dollop of honey, a splash of bai jiu and maybe a little MSG (if you’re Chinese) to taste. I don’t know what the bai jiu does for the flavour but I like cooking with alcohol. (easy tiger, save some for the gan beis) The honey is a little unnecessary given the high sugar content of the coke, but hey who am I to change a winning formula?
If possible cover the Wok and leave to simmer until the coke has boiled down into a sticky mess which will now have glazed your chicken wings. Meanwhile, mix the remainder of the Coke with your whiskey in a tumbler with lots of ice and return to reading this blog.
[…] Good recipes. I just need to work on the execution a little. Especially the 家常豆腐. I’m not used to going from deep-frying to regular frying in one wok, and so I wound up with far too much oil. And I was in too much of a hurry, so the plan I had all carefully set out in my mind got thoroughly buggered. Never mind, it still tasted good, and with a little more practice I’ll get it right. And the chicken could’ve used a little more ginger and a dash of vinegar. […]