dmreed's Profile
Spicy Etiquette
I carry a printed note in Chinese which I show to the waiter/waitress and says 2 things:
I want my food prepared the way Chinese people eat it.
If spicy is 1 to 10, I want spicy 15.
This usually seems to works for me.
Wok Hay
I would suggest that "hot pizza" would only have wok hay if it were baked quickly in a very hot oven on an appropriate surface...I agreed with the earlier poster that wok hay is the result of slight charring...a frozen pizza heated in a microwave would be hot pizza but no wok hay!
Keeping tortillas warm
you have had many decent replies but I did not see anyone addressing corn tortillas appropriately. you say you don't care for corn tortillas. does this apply to crispy tacos as well as soft tacos?
if you like crispy tacos but do not care for soft tacos made with corn tortillas, you belong to a portion of the community who are sensitive to the taste of unfried corn tortillas.
frying the corn tortilla changes the taste significantly for many people (I suspect that it is genetic). deep frying is usually done for crispy tacos. for any other "plain" use, I simply spritz both sides of the corn tortilla lightly with oil and heat them slightly on a flat griddle (they will reduce slightly in size).
enchillada and other baked sauce covered corn tortilla dishes do ot seem to keep the unpleasant taste.
once griddle fried, the corn tortillas may be kept warm as described by the other replies.
Duck Feet, and your Fear Factor Moment
Actually everything in this thread is quite tame...order some braised sea cucumbers...now that is not a dish for the squimish!
Chinese food
I am under the impressions that "Ma" is a "taste" not a spice. the Sichuan peppercorn (not really a peppercord) is a spice which produces Ma.
Chinese fermented black beans?
Here in San Diego, almost every large supermarket (Vons, Albertson's, Stater Bros., etc.) have many different Asian sauces in small bottles including garlic black bean sauce. All Asian supermarkets also have many sauces and brands.
Quoc Viet pho base
the instructions on my fresh rice noodles says to boil for 10 SECONDS
Using Saba Dressing
how about a link for Saba? I can't fingure out what it is???
never mind...I just found it!
Quoc Viet pho base
a cook at a local pho restaurant, told me that the best way to deal with fresh rice noodles is to essentially boil them separately for about 90 seconds or until al dente just before putting them in the serving bowl.
Quoc Viet pho base
I have seen multiple recipes which say to briefly boil the meat and bones and throw away the water and then start over...I suspect that some "nasty" stuff is thrown away and that there is plenty of good stuff left in the meat and bones.
update: I just checked another recipe, the process is called "parboiling" and it removes impurities...boil meat and bones vigorously for 2-3 minutes, then drain, rinse meat and bones, thoroughly clean out the pot, then continue with recipe.
