So… if you didn’t know this about me. I tend to find a thing and get locked into it for a while. I have always been a pretty good cook (though I am an expert at killing a good steak from time to time). My covid survival training has pushed me into the kitchen a lot and my cooking game has come up quite a lot. A couple of days ago I started thinking about Chinese food. Chinese food is probably my favorite food direction, but I haven’t really chased it. When I was younger I tried to make it how I thought it should be made and while not horrible, it wasn’t what you would get at the restaurant. Last weekend, I made a vegetable stir fry. It was dull and lifeless. I have been somewhat frustrated this week. I can make all these other things, but why can’t I get even close with Chinese. Why have I avoided pursuing it for so long? Because it’s some form of black magic? Some mysterious deep dark secret hoarded by the Chinese restaurants? Why?
Why? Because I have had no education.
So… I set out, like I usually do, to youtube university in search of how to do a stir fry. I found this channel of this Asian couple… I am assuming they are Chinese, but, I have no way of knowing… Not the point. But they are awesome. They make all the recipes you could ever want. Last night, I made another stir fry. IT WAS SPOT ON! The flavor, the texture, the sauce, the crunch… all of it. So, if you are wanting to make some killer Chinese food, check them out.
It turns out that an ingredient I swore… NO WAY… NOT IN A MILLION YEARS would I put that in my food, is precisely one of the flavors/textures, that I was missing. Oyster sauce. I do not like (most) fish. I don’t like oysters, I am just not into seafood. So, why the heck would I want to use something called oyster sauce. So I didn’t. But not I do. Why? Because it’s awesome, that’s why. But, I really had to push past a couple of mental barriers on this one. I opened the bottle and decided to taste it before I used it and possibly destroy a whole meal. Wow… My pupils dilated, my pulse quickened. Whaaaaaa! More! more!
Their video quality isn’t all that, and it’s sometimes blurry, but the information is really good. They say they have been in the Chinese food business for over 40 years. In one night my Chinese flavor profile went from a D- to at least a B+. Isn’t it interesting what a little education will get you? I have now watched several hours of their videos. And it’s interesting how many flavors they can pull out of many of the same ingredients.
