Andy Learns How to Cook Sichuan Food
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Date: 2019-10-25
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Comments and reviews: 10
Jason Tan
Andy is struggling with the cleaver/butcher's knife because knives like these fundamentally take their cutting strengths from a place that is different than that which other knives take theirs. In the common knives that you'll see in the grocery store-- the knives that everyone uses-- there is a large emphasis on the sharpness of the knife. We are to put the knife to the food and they should be so sharp that they start slicing with almost no effort. These heavier knives are not to be used that way. Their sharpness is less of a factor than their weight. So you have to put much more effort into your slice, or else it will not slice. Sturdy knives like these let you go through large partially frozen cuts of meat (or parts that are completely frozen, as long as they're not very thick, they let you cut through cooked bones, or thin bones. And you can get away with not sharpening them for vastly longer compared to others knives built with similar materials. All this is at the cost of being able to perform finer manipulations on vegetables. And not being able to slice something like. a tomato as finely and cleanly as you would a more precision knife. patpat andy you did good: 3It takes some time to get used to them if you didn't grow up using them.
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Andy is struggling with the cleaver/butcher's knife because knives like these fundamentally take their cutting strengths from a place that is different than that which other knives take theirs. In the common knives that you'll see in the grocery store-- the knives that everyone uses-- there is a large emphasis on the sharpness of the knife. We are to put the knife to the food and they should be so sharp that they start slicing with almost no effort. These heavier knives are not to be used that way. Their sharpness is less of a factor than their weight. So you have to put much more effort into your slice, or else it will not slice. Sturdy knives like these let you go through large partially frozen cuts of meat (or parts that are completely frozen, as long as they're not very thick, they let you cut through cooked bones, or thin bones. And you can get away with not sharpening them for vastly longer compared to others knives built with similar materials. All this is at the cost of being able to perform finer manipulations on vegetables. And not being able to slice something like. a tomato as finely and cleanly as you would a more precision knife. patpat andy you did good: 3It takes some time to get used to them if you didn't grow up using them.
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Nellie Rutten
You can fake the heat of the big burner by just letting the pan (don't do it with a non stick or aluminum pan only with stainless or an ordinary steel pan) get really hot before adding any oil or ingredients, but be sure to have everything ready and prepared to add real fast and keep it moving, not the pan keep that on the stove but move the ingredients. Eventually you'll loose the heat but if it's a quick stir fry and you don't add to much cold oil or to much portion wise ingredients it works
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You can fake the heat of the big burner by just letting the pan (don't do it with a non stick or aluminum pan only with stainless or an ordinary steel pan) get really hot before adding any oil or ingredients, but be sure to have everything ready and prepared to add real fast and keep it moving, not the pan keep that on the stove but move the ingredients. Eventually you'll loose the heat but if it's a quick stir fry and you don't add to much cold oil or to much portion wise ingredients it works
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rgpfighter
All-Purpose Sichuan Sauce (what I would potentially use and that's easy to find): - Peanut Butter (crunchy for texture/smooth for creamy sauce)- Tofu Chilli Paste- Spice Mixture- Chicken Powder (may replace this with some flour to make it thicker/vegetarian, I believe this was added for flavor also)- Sugar- Black Vinegar (Rice Vinegar/Jalapeno soaked vinegar for spice)- Soy Sauce- Red Oil (Hot Oil)I'm going to try this out to make some spicy tofu and see if it goes well on a stovetop _
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All-Purpose Sichuan Sauce (what I would potentially use and that's easy to find): - Peanut Butter (crunchy for texture/smooth for creamy sauce)- Tofu Chilli Paste- Spice Mixture- Chicken Powder (may replace this with some flour to make it thicker/vegetarian, I believe this was added for flavor also)- Sugar- Black Vinegar (Rice Vinegar/Jalapeno soaked vinegar for spice)- Soy Sauce- Red Oil (Hot Oil)I'm going to try this out to make some spicy tofu and see if it goes well on a stovetop _
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GoldPhoenix99
I'm really glad that the test kitchen is doing more regional, non-Eurocentric style of cooking. As much as I enjoy a Spanish tortilla or a boeuf bourguignon, I'm a big fan of Middle-eastern/North-African, South Asian, East Asian, and West African food. There's a huge variety of ingredients, wide variety of cookware and techniques, and it's definitely way to get yourself to rethink what you can do with food.
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I'm really glad that the test kitchen is doing more regional, non-Eurocentric style of cooking. As much as I enjoy a Spanish tortilla or a boeuf bourguignon, I'm a big fan of Middle-eastern/North-African, South Asian, East Asian, and West African food. There's a huge variety of ingredients, wide variety of cookware and techniques, and it's definitely way to get yourself to rethink what you can do with food.
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Stephen Hutchison
You really CANNOT match the cooking process without the short time and high heat -- I say this having been trying to cook Chinese foods for literally decades. Going lower and slower works, but it's much more difficult to get the external-crisp without overcooking the insides. It really helps to have the add-ins prepared and measured out ahead of time rather than setting up a mize like that.
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You really CANNOT match the cooking process without the short time and high heat -- I say this having been trying to cook Chinese foods for literally decades. Going lower and slower works, but it's much more difficult to get the external-crisp without overcooking the insides. It really helps to have the add-ins prepared and measured out ahead of time rather than setting up a mize like that.
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Beejay Swifter
Seeing Andy struggle like that makes me pretty proud of myself. Of course, I started learning Chinese cooking in my middle teens. But I did teach myself Szechuan style on my own to add it to my Chinese cooking classes. Love the fish flavor or the strange flavor. Once I had tasted them, they took the place of a lot of my Cantonese style cooking. It's a great cuisine. Thanks.
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Seeing Andy struggle like that makes me pretty proud of myself. Of course, I started learning Chinese cooking in my middle teens. But I did teach myself Szechuan style on my own to add it to my Chinese cooking classes. Love the fish flavor or the strange flavor. Once I had tasted them, they took the place of a lot of my Cantonese style cooking. It's a great cuisine. Thanks.
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txlonghorn82
I love Szechuan Beef. I've had two versions. One is beef with spicy sauce and spears of carrots and celery. The other has beef, some carrots and celery but has different sauce, still spicy, buit adds water chestnuts, baby corn cobs, bamboo shoots. I prefer the former. Can someone explain why the two are so different and which is most authentic?
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I love Szechuan Beef. I've had two versions. One is beef with spicy sauce and spears of carrots and celery. The other has beef, some carrots and celery but has different sauce, still spicy, buit adds water chestnuts, baby corn cobs, bamboo shoots. I prefer the former. Can someone explain why the two are so different and which is most authentic?
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The Walking Crow
Sichuan peppercorn is in Xanthoxylum (yellow wood. It's a neat genus cause they all have that numbing quality to them in some way or another. It's in the citrus family, too. I've wondered for a long time if the North American specimen have some kind of spice quality to them that hasn't been tapped, yet.
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Sichuan peppercorn is in Xanthoxylum (yellow wood. It's a neat genus cause they all have that numbing quality to them in some way or another. It's in the citrus family, too. I've wondered for a long time if the North American specimen have some kind of spice quality to them that hasn't been tapped, yet.
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ironlion45
Interesting to see the ingredients there. Hearts of Paradise are actually an African ingredient. Fascinating to see that in traditional Sichuan cooking. BTW, the English speaking world usually calls them Grains of Paradise, or sometimes Paradise pods if they are still in the pod, as they are in this video.
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Interesting to see the ingredients there. Hearts of Paradise are actually an African ingredient. Fascinating to see that in traditional Sichuan cooking. BTW, the English speaking world usually calls them Grains of Paradise, or sometimes Paradise pods if they are still in the pod, as they are in this video.
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Alice C
This really shows the craftsmanship and skill which goes into Chinese cooking, which Westerners so frequently write off as in some way lesser than French or Italian or American food. Its heartening to see BA introduce Chinese cuisine to their audience, who may not truly understand or appreciate it.
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This really shows the craftsmanship and skill which goes into Chinese cooking, which Westerners so frequently write off as in some way lesser than French or Italian or American food. Its heartening to see BA introduce Chinese cuisine to their audience, who may not truly understand or appreciate it.
reply
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