This has been one of the more difficult countries to choose recipes for. The random country generator did me no favors by landing on China. A country with 1.4 billion people and the third or fourth largest land mass in the world, China has at least 8 different traditional styles of cuisine. The options are overwhelming.
My recipe search was limited to English recipes only, and I didn't have the will to sift much past the first page of Google results. The problem with that is that many of the recipes I came across were for homemade versions of Chinese American takeout. This is NOT what you would find people really eating if you go to China. I remember visiting a Chinese restaurant a few times when I was living in Japan. It was nothing like the Chinese food you find here! Chinese restaurants in the U.S. have adapted their menus to American tastes and ingredients. Menu items like General Tso's or beef and broccoli are the inventions of Chinese immigrants to America, much like chicken alfredo is the invention of Italian immigrants to America. While these foods are delicious, they're more American cuisine than anything else. That's not what I'm interested in for this project.
So I did my best to vet the recipes I used. Many of the authors are experts in Chinese cooking, come from China themselves, or use their Chinese family recipes. I also tried to use as many authentic ingredients as I could find, instead of easy substitutes. For example, I was able to get this shaoxing cooking wine at the Thai and Asian market, instead of using dry sherry.
Product of the People's Republic of China.
Lion's Head Meatballs and a classic Egg Fried Rice
This is what I came up with for night one. The lion's head meatballs are an example of Shanghainese cooking, and the fried rice is a dish enjoyed throughout China. What I liked about these foods is that they were simple and fresh. I wouldn't go so far as to call them clean, though (I used too much oil for that!)
Egg Fried Rice: Before you do anything else when making fried rice, you have to pre-cook the rice. Otherwise it doesn't work. I used jasmine rice for this recipe, and I bought it at the Asian market. To be honest, rice has been hard to find in the regular grocery stores during the pandemic. But I've noticed that the local international stores still have plenty, so shhhh... it must be a secret!
Now, I have a few tricks for making rice. First, I usually soak the rice for 20 minutes to 1 hour while I get other stuff ready. Then, I rinse the rice a few times until the drained water runs clearer. This removes a lot of the starch that makes the rice stick together in big globs. It also helps it cook faster. Next, I cook the rice. I usually add a bit of oil or butter to the water, along with salt and whatever seasonings I want in it. For this plain white rice I used just a tablespoon of vegetable oil and salt. Turn the heat up to high until the water boils, then turn it to low and leave it be. Finally, I fluff the rice with a fork when it's done.
This turned out PERFECT.
The next trick for fried rice is to put the pre-cooked rice on a tray and stick it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. You don't want it to actually freeze, it's just a quick way of cooling it off so it's easier to stir fry. After that, I just resumed following the recipe here.
This recipe was quick and easy, using only eggs, green onions, fresh ginger, and soy sauce along with the rice. Sometimes keeping it simple is best!
Lion's Head Meatballs: Younes tried to be a bit of wise-cracker when I told him the name of this dish. "Where did you find lion meat?" 🙄 In fact, these sweet meatballs are made with ground pork. Pork is a staple meat in China, and a lot of east Asian cuisines. I found a few recipes for lion's head meatballs, some had a thick red sauce, and some were plain like these. I thought these would be easier to make and find the right ingredients for. Recipe here.
First, I had to mix the meat with other ingredients like green onions, sugar, salt, shaoxing wine, sesame oil ❤️, and eggs (among a few other things). Then, the meatballs have to be fried in oil. This part was kind of fun. I love to hear my food sizzle!
Once the meatballs were fried, I set them on a tray lined with paper towels to drain some of the oil. Meanwhile, I prepared the bok choy and lined the bottom of a pot with the leaves. Then, I set the meatballs on top and turned the heat to medium to let everything steam for about half an hour. That's it.
Dinner is served.
As for our thoughts on the meal, Younes and I are divided. I really enjoyed it. I thought the meatballs and rice went well together, and I absolutely loved the hint of sugar and sesame in the meat. The fresh ginger really stood out in the rice, which I liked. It felt like a good "everyday" meal that wasn't too difficult or time-consuming to put together. If you like Asian flavors, then I'd recommend it in a heartbeat.
Younes on the other hand said if he had to give it a rating, it's a 4/10. He doesn't really like pork or rice to begin with, so that's not surprising. He complains that pork is too fatty and I don't know what he's got against rice. I will say that he went back for seconds, so it couldn't have been that bad. 😅
Comments