Chinese takeout/recipes, Sushi question too!?

Question

What do you order for takeout beside the fried/steamed rice, lol. Does anyone have good chinese takeout recipes? I like, along with half of America, Swt n Sr chicken or pork. I love Dim sum-crab, shrimp, whatever, their all good! In Michigan they have the plum sauce for ur eggroll, but outside MI they don't make it the same and it isn't as good. Wish I had THAT recipe.

Sushi Q: I always order the squid salad (one of my faves) but can never remember the dipping sauce they bring out in a saucer. That stuff is so friggin good, I think I might have to hit the place and do some damage since I have had sushi in a while.

Answer 1

I like cucumber sushi and tofu.

Answer 2

Chinese take out is based on the Peking/Central China style of cuisine, however, cooked typically by southern chinese (Cantonese).  What this means is that all recipes are different for each take out place.  The duck (not plum) sauce is a perfect example of this problem - and they even buy this stuff from common suppliers by the barrel!

Dim sum is actually akin to pastries in French cooking - each class of dishes requires a chef specializing on that form of cooking.  Making them will give you an appreciation of the effort that goes into a $3.00 dish of shrimp dumplings.

Here's some tips you should master before attempting your to make take out food on your own:

1.  Sweet n sour meat - try using pancake batter to dip and deep fry - just add a bit more salt to it than you'd normally would for pancakes.

2.  Learn how to use corn starch solution to thicken gravies in stir fry.

3.  Use day old rice for fried rice - fresh rice is too soft.

4.  Use soy sauce for the salt - use oyster sauce for the flavor and color.

5.  Duck sauce is a derivative of plum sauce.  Start with plum sauce and figure out their recipe from that.

6.  Deep fried eggroll skins will yield thicker chips than wonton skins.

7.  Coat meat with cornstarch, garlic powder and some salt.  Stir fry in a bit of oil.  Add COOKED broccoli, soy sauce, sugar until hot.Then add cornstarch solution to thicken.  Done.

8.  Soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic, scallions, ginger.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I usually get an appetizer - dumplings or shrimp toast or chinese pancakes.  Then I get a pint of noodles - shrimp or veggie lo mein.  And a chicken or shrimp dish.  Oh, and a egg roll too!