The secret of Chinese restaurants in Australia. Anyone know?!
Answers: I love the Cantonese-style restaurants in Australia and am well aware that it isn't REAL Chinese. I cannot get my dishes to taste the same, though. I have tried soooooo many recipes and have tried different variations of the same ones (including varying amounts of MSG) but there is something missing. What's their secret????!!!!!!!!!
LOL.
My parents own a chinese restaurant, and its really good. And people ALWAYS ask how they make it (btw its cantonese).
Well, you just need the recipes, because there lots of differant ways, just go on google and find foods that are so called "chinese food" like kung-pao chicken recipies. -thoose are the stereotypes. But even if people don't know they are streotypes, their still good ^^.
And if the things you make from the recipis aren't that good..well then just ask them yourself politely and they might tell u.
Btw. DO NOT use MSG or it wont be real chinese food =]
It's the oil. Sesame oil makes food taste delicious.
i think the difference lies in the cooking. most chinese restaurants use a large wok that is contantly heated by a big fire. and this wok is never washed, just a quick swish of a small amount of water, which is thrown off the wok, then it is ready for the next dish. i think that this is way different from cooking at home on a stainless steel pan and stirring using a wooden spoon. with just burnt soy from the last cooking can add a lot of flavor to the next dish.
Maybe its left overs from the day before.. washed and re heated.. eww! haha remember that on the news a few years back?
I dont really eat chinese anymore.. the last time i bought it, it was smothered in oil.. Like it was cooked before and then just heated again in shitloads of oil..
Ask the place where you buy it.. They might tell you..
I prefer pho..
Chinese food is the oldest cuisine in the world. I think this is a case of a deep connection that Chinese people have with food. To put it simply Chinese people cook the best chinese food. Also the guy with the wok answer is correct as well, a wok that has been used a lot becomes what is called seasoned and imparts flavors to the food
no. sorry. ask something from India
Could be the flies.
The answer is oyster sauce...
THE HEAT OF THE STOVE WOULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE, IF YOU HEAT THE PAN WITH VEGGIE OIL TILL IT GET A LITTLE SMOKE AND ADD YOUR INGREDIENT IN THE PAN AND STIR THEM WITH YOUR SEASONING. THE KEY IS HEAT AND QUICK STIR OR COOK FOR VEGETABLE SO THEY REMAIN CRISPY AND FRESH.
lots of BTU. look at how much gas is being used here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_L3RE-NVj...
I'm familiar with the kind of 'Chinese' food served in Australian foodcourts & cheap Chinese restaurants, and I can't imagine why would anyone want to recreate them. It's like preferring horribly & obviously fake luxury goods & paintings over the real stuff.
I would suggest that you go to a good Chinese restaurant (usually those more expensive or those that are filled with Chinese people, those that are filled with Caucasians are likely to serve pseudo-Chinese food), get to know what truly authentic Chinese food tastes like and then try to recreate them. That makes way more sense.
Each restaurant would have their own 'secrets'. Some techniques are passed down over generations from master chef to apprentices. Some are special exotic ingredients or even a simple ingredient that no one has thought of using that way. Some cheap restaurants may have added 'ingredients' that you don't want to know about; ignorance is bliss. The fire, as mentioned by others, is very important in imparting the "wok hei" to the stir-fried food. This is almost impossible to duplicate in home kitchens without similar gas stoves capable of producing really huge roaring flames.
Instead of generally talking about 'secrets', perhaps you want to mention certain dishes where people in this forum might be able to help with authentic recipes and cooking tips. By the way, true Chinese cooking does not use MSG (aka taste or gourmet powder) as it's a cheap shortcut to heighten taste using poor/average quality ingredients and without display of true culinary skill.
The key to answer this question is which dish are you trying to make? The interesting part is that the way you prepare, cook, with differet seasoning could be the reason why it doesn't take the same.