Tampopo

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

Since I'm striving to create the perfect bowl of ramen for my 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' menu of Chinese favorites in Japan, I can't help but be reminded of Tampopo, my favorite food film. Here's a link to my Tampopo 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

03:46 PM PDT Permalink |

MaPo Tofu

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

This is yet another dish that I've made more than once. The first time I tried it, I was put off by the intensity of the black bean sauce, but I've actually come to appreciate its salty savor. And I make my MaPo Tofu a little differently from the classic Chinese recipe. Instead of making a one-dish pork and tofu stir-fry, I fry the tofu to a golden brown first, and make the pork and black bean sauce separately. Somehow I think it looks and tastes better that way.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month, along with my 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' 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

11:25 PM PDT Permalink |

Deep Fried Spring Rolls

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

These crispy-golden spring rolls are another Chinese favorite in Japan, and one that I am happy to say that I have mastered. This batch was a little heavy on the meat, as I used lots of ground pork, mixed with a little shredded cabbage and carrots, seasoned with oyster sauce and soy sauce. I even made a few extra to put in the freezer to enjoy later as a quick appetizer for another meal. The dipping sauce is a bottled sweet chili sauce that I buy at the Asian market to keep on hand. It's so much more interesting than the Chinese sweet and sour sauce available at the supermarket.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month, along with my 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' 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

03:04 PM PDT Permalink |

Gyoza

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

Although they're labor intensive, there's something so satisfying about making my own gyoza. I use a basic filling of ground meat (pork, chicken, turkey, or even yak!), plus finely shredded cabbage, minced garlic, and a little soy sauce.

To assemble the gyoza, I like to create my own assembly line. I lay out all the wonton wrappers on a sheet of waxed paper, spoon a little of the filling mixture into the center of each one, moisten the edges of the wrappers, and seal each one by pleating the edges. Once you get the hang of it, you'll never buy the frozen ones again.

The cooking process is easy too, once you know the secret. Even though they're also called potstickers, I like to use a non-stick wok or skillet. I heat a little oil in the wok, brown the bottoms of the dumplings, add a quarter-cup of water, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and steam for about 15 minutes, until the filling is done through and the dumplings are plump and translucent.

For the dipping sauce, I mix equal parts of soy sauce and rice vinegar, plus a little chili oil for spice.

The recipe will be posted at the end of the month, along with my 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' 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

11:27 PM PDT Permalink |

Spotlight on Spice: Chili Garlic Sauce

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

Chili garlic sauce is a significant flavoring agent of many Asian cuisnes, and any good Asian market will offer a selection from various countries and cuisines. The two most commonly available brands are Uncle Chen, the Vietnamese variety, and Lee Kum Kee, a Chinese brand, both of which may also be found in any supermarket with an ethnic food aisle. Uncle Chen tends to be more smoky, heavy and spicy, while the Lee Kum Kee brand is sweeter and milder. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, it would be wise to sample your chili garlic sauce before adding it to your recipe.

And if you're feeling adventurous, you can always make your own. Here's a basic recipe:

12 medium red chili peppers, stems removed, coarsely chopped with seeds
1 whole garlic bulb, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth and uniform in texture. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. A little water may also be added to achieve the desired consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator. Makes about a cup. Mixture may also be used raw by omitting cornstarch.

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

10:15 AM PDT Permalink |

Shopping for My "Chinese Favorites in Japan" Menu

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

My shopping list for my 'Chinese Favoriets in Japan' menu includes: ground pork, scallions, napa cabbage, garlic, soy sauce, wonton skins, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil, onions, carrots, oyster sauce, sring roll wrappers, sweet chili sauce, shrimp, cornstarch, rice wine, eggs, ginger, black bean paste, ketchup, chicken stock, sugar, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green peppers, pork tenderloin, rice, canned pineapple, flour, pork bones, konbu (kelp), mirin, ramen noodles, nori, chives, tofu, Szechuan peppercorns, unflavored gelatin, mangoes, evaporated milk, and limes.

The best thing is that I have most of these things on hand already, and if not, I can buy them all at my neighborhood supermarket. No crazy goosechase involved.

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 |

Sources for Chinese/Japanese Ingredients

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

The ingredients I will need to prepare my 'Chinese favorites in Japan' menu are not especially exotic or scarce. In addition to the fresh meats, seafood, and vegetables, I will need wonton wrappers, spring roll wrappers, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce, oyster sauce, chili garlic sauce, black bean sauce, chili oil, rice wine, and rice vinegar, all of which I can buy in the ethnic food asile of any supermarket. In fact, with all the Asian cuisine I prepare, I already have all of them in my fridge and pantry.

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

10:03 AM PDT Permalink |

Serving Dishes for a 'Chinese favorites in Japan' Menu

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese/Chinese

I have a whole set of classic blue-and-white dishes that I bought at Tin's market in Oakland. So I'm all set for serving dishes. The best source I've found to buy Asian tableware is at larger Asian food markets. The good ones will have a whole aisle of porcelain and cookware at very affordable prices. I never can resist picking up a few with every visit.

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

09:51 AM PDT Permalink |

Special Cooking Utensils

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

To prepare a menu of Chinese favorites in Japan, I will need sharp knives, various mixing bowls, a wok for stir-frying, a heavy pan or wok for deep-frying, a saucepan for sauces, a kettle for stock, and a rice cooker for perfectly steamed rice. Nothing too exotic.

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

03:57 PM PDT Permalink |

Beverages to Go With a Menu of Chinese Favorites in Japan

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

Beverages to go with a menu of Chinese favorites in Japan could go either way:

For Chinese Beverages: Oolong Tea, Tsing Tao Beer, and Spiced Plum Wine

For Japanese Beverages: Ocha (green tea), Japanese Beer (Sapporo, Asahi, Kirin), and Japanese Sake, hot or cold.

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

03:28 PM PDT Permalink |

Recipes for Chinese Favorites in Japan on the Web

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Chinese/Japanese

In my Internet search for Chinese favorites in Japan, About.com proved very helpful, with recipes for Gyoza (potstickers), Ebi Chili (Shrimp with Chili Sauce), MaPo Tofu, Subuta (Sweet & Sour Pork), and Mango Pudding. For the Tonkatsu recipe, I found the best recipe and photos on ManThatCooks.com. Here are the links:

Gyoza

Ebi Chili

MaPo Tofu

Tonkotsu Ramen

Subuta

Mango Pudding

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

12:44 AM PDT Permalink |

Deciding on My 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' Menu of Chinese favorites in Japan

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

For my 'Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles' menu of Chinese favorites in Japan, I have decided upon seven classics:

Gyoza (Pork Dumplings)
Deep-Fried Spring Rolls
MaPo Tofu (Tofu with Spicy Black Bean Sauce)
Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork and Noodle Soup)
Ebi Chili (Shrimp with Chili Sauce)
Subuta (Sweet and Sour Pork)
Mango Pudding

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

12:32 AM PDT Permalink |

Researching Recipes for Chinese Favorites in Japan

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

To get the recipes just right for my Chinese favorites in Japan menu, I will also need to research the Japanese versions of classic Chinese recipes, as the Japanese interpretation may be significantly different from the original Chinese recipes. For that, I will also be searching the internet using the Japanese names for some of the dishes, such as 'gyoza' instead of potstickers, 'ebi chili' instead of chili shrimp, and 'tonkotsu ramen' instead of pork lo mein.

I have several Japanese cookbooks that may help in the process, including Martin Yan's Asia, A Gift of Japanese Cooking by Mifune Tsuji, The Cooking of Japan from the Time Life series, and a vintage volume called the Japanese Country Cookbook by Russ Ruzinski.

Once I have located both the Chinese and Japanese versions of each dish, I will compare the recipes, and use them for inspiration to develop my own.

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

05:53 PM PDT Permalink |

Recipes for Chinese Favorites in Japan

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

A few years ago, at a Friends of the Library used book sale, I was fortunate enough to find a vintage copy of The Complete Chinese and Asian Cookbook (edited by Isabel Moore), one of the best Chinese cookbooks I've ever seen. I know there are lots of really good recent ones out there, but this one seems to have a little of everything in the way of both popular favorites and more esoteric dishes, as well as a whole section of recipes from other Asian cuisines. The photography is terribly dated, but the recipes are spot on. It's out of print, but Amazon.com sometimes offers used copies, so it's worth a try if you're interested.

I also have another vintage Chinese cookbook titled Chinese Cooking for Beginners, by Alice Schryver, which is good for the basics, but there are no illustrations. And then there's A Gift of Chinese Cooking by Walter Long and Meili Lin, a lovely little volume with a nice, limited selection of regional recipes. Somehow between the three, along with my Internet research, I will find everything I need to guide me through the process of creating a menu of Chinese favorites in Japan.

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

03:49 PM PDT Permalink |

My Japanese/Chinese Cooking Experience

This Month's Film: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Cuisine: Japanese Chinese

In all my years of cooking, both for everyday meals, as well as for Chopstick Cinema and various food writing assignments, I have made so many Chinese and Japanese dishes, I couldn't begin to count them. And although I continue to learn from my intrepid forays into new and increasingly esoteric dishes, I can make a meal from either cuisine on a whim, from memory, with the ingredients I keep on hand. Nonetheless, I will be researching both online and in my cookbooks for the best recipes for the most popular Chinese dishes in Japan.

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

10:34 AM PDT Permalink |