Request: Can someone point me to recipes that replicate Chinese restaurant-type

[Nay]

Chinese dishes? Or can someone tell me what sauces/bases/dry mixes can replicate the sauces that Chinese restaurants actually use?

I have tried all the dry mixes and sauces available at the regular grocery store. Only one, Ly Ting's General Tso's sauce, has been acceptable.

I would prefer actual recipes, since I would like to replace any sugar with xylitol because I have diabetes. Most of the recipes I've tried do not have the kind of full and complex flavor that Chinese restaurants manage to create. Is it really just some MSG that makes the difference? What can I do to replicate something very flavorful?

Thanks!

[Kali]

1. from-scratch meat broth, ginger, oyster sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, good quality soy sau

a few ingredients that need to be in a sauce (to me)

chicken broth - a whole chicken, 4 or 5 green onions, 4 or 5 slices of fresh ginger, water to cover simmer for several hours

here are a few basics http://chinesefood.about.com/od/recipesbymeal/tp/restaurant-recipes.htm

http://www.mrfood.com/Editors-Picks/26-Takeout-Dishes-to-Make-at-Home-Easy-Chinese-Recipes
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/recipesbymeal/tp/restaurant-recipes.htm

[Nay]

3. Thanks for the broth idea -- but don't the ingredients like oyster sauce, soy

sauce, etc., overpower that fairly delicate broth? At least in the small quantities of broth you'd use in a stir fry?

I actually have tried several of the recipes at about.com, and they are the ones I'm kinda complaining about! I went on a few sites over the past 6 months and had the same problem with the flavors just not having much depth or strength. Now I don't even look at recipes that have only soy sauce and one other 'Chinese' item, because I know it will simply taste like regular food with soy sauce poured over it. I hate that.

I see all the sauces (oyster, hoisin, etc.) and just don't know how they combine with other ingredients to get that authentic taste. I am an indifferent cook, so it frustrates me to try 6 or 7 recipes and not be happy with even one of them. I am in a process of finding about 14 go-to recipes for dinners that Mr Nay and I both like, and that require the least time in the kitchen because I simply hate cooking and only want to get it out of the way.

I will try that broth, though -- sounds good.

[Galileo126]

2. I agree with Kali

Stock up on your Chinese-related pantry items. For me, oyster and hoisin sauces are a must. Sesame oil, too. I'm a big fan of "House of Tsang" wok oil - it is oil infused with coriander and garlic, and absolute must for any stir fry.

I understand about the sugar issue, but yeah, I do have powdered MSG in the spice rack. For some folks, it can make the difference for a certain 'flavor' that you just can't put your finger on. For others, it (literally) brings on a headache, like my dad.

One thing, though, that you will never - EVER - create at home, is that awesome "Breath of the Dragon". That only comes from a 80,000 BTU wok station. It's that char flavor on veggies, while still having a nice bite to it, and the outside has that yumminess to it.
Believe me, I tried to recreate it, it just can't be done on a home stove top.

Chinese cooking is remarkably easy, it's all in the prep. Chop and slice first, no matter what recipe you follow. Most recipes will take 15 minutes of prep, and only 5 minutes of actual cooking.

"Chinese restaurant-type"? Do you mean Cantonese? Szechuan? I'm a fan of the latter, but grew up on the former, since New Englanders prefer the Cantonese style.

I'd love to point you in a direction, but I need a little more info on what you are looking for (style-wise).

[Nay]

4. I have made many so-called Chinese recipes, so I'm totally familiar with

how to do the prep, etc. I just can't get anything to taste like the stuff in the restaurant. I like Szechuan best.

I did buy sesame oil and have been adding a few drops to reg oil for stir fry. It helps. Will try House of Tsang wok oil, too, thanks for the suggestion. I also may get some MSG -- I don't get a headache after eating at restaurants, so I guess I'm OK with MSG.

I feel like sneaking into the kitchen of my fave Chinese restaurant and writing down the names of all the sauces, prepared mixes, etc., that they must use every day. Maybe I should get a job there??

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. I have been making super good Chinese dishes for years now.

You don't buy the sauces, you make them, from the ingredients at hand.
There are a handful of items one must always keep at hand, as mentioned above post.

The other secret is to cook in a smoking hot wok. I use the wok on highest temp, wait till it is smoking, add oil, wait till it is smoking lightly, and then do the stir fry.
It's the high temps that are important for a lot of the dishes.

You might try choosing a restaurant recipe you like, like beef and broccoli, then googling for the recipe.
You will soon recognize the good Chinese cooking sites on the web.

Usually you will use 2 sauces...one to marinade the meat in, and one to add to the wok, stir to thicken, before you add back the meat and vegetable.
I like to double the cooking sauces, so there will be more for the rice.

THIS is an excellent recipe, I make it several times a month, we do love it:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chickenrecipes/r/broccolichicken.htm

[Nay]

6. Thanks! I'll try this. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. FWIW....sesame oil is usually added to marinades.

and occasionally to noodles.
Not something you add to the oil, as a rule.
And...little bit goes a long way.

[pinto]

8. Some simple ideas / suggestions. Prep, marinate, drain, hot oil, turn all frequently 'till just done

Then add the sauce and let the dish sit a bit in a serving bowl or platter. Sauces aren't really meant for the stir-frying itself. They are usually used to marinate beforehand and / or toss into the finished dish at the very end.

Have fun exploring the options.

[grasswire]

9. the sauces are a rip-off, IMO, and many have high fructose corn syrup

Plenty of flavor is achieved with garlic, fresh ginger, and so on. One old cookbook that seems pretty authentic is "From Hawaii Authentic-Original Chinese Recipes" by Gail Wong. I see copies of it now and then and actually own two copies. Wong was a restaurateur and a licensed instructor in Chinese cooking. Probably could find it on ebay easily.

Duck with Dried Bamboo
Sweet and Sour Pig Small Intestine

Exotic dishes like that, but many standard ones, too.

[laundry_queen]

10. I know exactly what you are talking about.

I can never seem to get 'that' taste with Chinese food. I can with Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese etc but not Chinese (with the exception of Chinese yellow curry - found a great recipe for that one) - especially Cantonese. Some tips I've learned over the years are - use more garlic and ginger than the recipe calls for, use oyster or fish sauce liberally while cooking, when you make a sauce, add cornstarch and only add the sauce at the very end, use a very hot wok, noodles or rice taste better when cooked in broth...

One way I've found good restaurant-type recipes for Thai or Japanese dishes is to go to a local chain restaurant and then google clone recipes for the dishes you like from that restaurant. I've found a few really good sauce recipes that way. I'd like to try it with Chinese food but I haven't had a chance to eat out much in the last few years.

I'll be following this thread - always looking for new ways to try to cook Chinese!

[Nay]

11. It's interesting that you have Thai and Vietnamese dishes that taste

like the restaurant ones -- so do I! I had no trouble with them! But Chinese -- dang. I agree about the garlic and ginger; I always have a frozen ginger root that I grate, and fresh garlic. I will take your advice on more oyster/fish sauce and see if that helps. My problem is that a lot of so-called Chinese recipes don't even have either of those sauces in them - they just have soy or teriyaki sauce!! I have learned to reject those recipes out of hand. Good idea about looking for clone recipes -- I'll do that right away.

Someone else mentioned adding the sauce at the very end; I've always done that, so that's one thing I haven't been doing incorrectly. It has to be the ingredient mix. I may have to buy some MSG.....I REALLY want it to taste right if I'm going to go to the trouble. Thanks for your tips.