Li Ziqi- if you have not discovered this gem of a Chinese woman....

[pangaia]

Her latest--

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[Kittycow]

1. I dearly want to get into Chinese cooking!

My main challenge is trying to figure out what basic spices and cooking sauces to get without breaking the bank. Plus do I try to go to an international market where reading the labels would be very challenging or just try Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, Amazon etc

[pangaia]

4. No need to break the bank---

Trader Joes and whole foods will not have the REAL important.ingredients,, but they are not hard to find...




Here is a great source for Sichuan ingredients ----this is THE BOMB place... you can trust them 100%
https://themalamarket.com/

They have recipes on their website that will answer your questions much faster than I can type.. :&gt ))

They are also on FaceBook

Li Ziqi is Shiuanese, btw, and lives in a town not far from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan. She has many, many videos;; and a beautiful LONG back story...abused as a child, parents died when she was young----- worth looking into.. she is just a national treasure....


Books for Sichuan and Hunan-- Fuchsia Dunlop
Any of her books-- EVERY GRAIN OF RICE and LAND OF FISH AND RICE are perfection also lists ingredients and

Books for Cantonese--
by Grace Young- BREATH OF A WOK, and THE WISDOM OF THE CHINESE KITCHEN beautiful, brilliant books..
She is also on FB as Wok Wednesdays


Happy cooking---

[Kittycow]

7. Thanks a million for the info!

I have a starting point now instead of my head swimming in confusion

ETA: the starter packs are just what I'm looking for!

Thanks again

[pangaia]

8. WOw Glad you checked them out.

And a GREAT backstory about Taylor Holliday and Fong Chong...

You know, some of the simplest basic ingredients are actually, now that I think about it, in any grocer store.

Many many dishes from all over china start with scallion, ginger and garlic....

Also, for Sichuan, anyway, you are looking for 'chili oil,' look for Lao Gan Ma, brand .. the real deal even better is MALA MARKET's BLANK SLATE.
it also is VERY easy to make your own..

[Kittycow]

9. Every Grain of Rice cookbook has rave reviews

on Amazon as being great for English speaking beginners so I think I'll order that. And a wok!

I asked for a wok for Christmas but hubby got me two Dutch ovens

Do you have a preference about woks? I was mulling over getting an electric one but we're running out of space for small appliances. I might just get a cast iron one with a flat bottom. (I've just been using a frying pan on our electric stove.)

[pangaia]

10. Oh it is just fantastic. I use it all the time....

I an no expert but have been to China 5-6 times to many cities and areas and my ex-wife is Chinese.
Spent 2-3 weeks in Chengdu on 2 different occasions
THAT book is superb...

OK here is a little gift for you..
Fuchsia Dunlop cooking "Water Boiled Beef.." I've made this dozens of times..


The "Chili paste' she mentions, in the jar, is Pixian Douban jiang-- MALA MARKET sells it.. there's is great especially the longer aged one...


https://www.seriouseats.com/2020/01/mala-sichuan-hot-and-numbing.html?fbclid=IwAR3_5Iy-qA71UJ78ebkMBQ_RzN4Bk9yN-tm2qr3dxfWPk5VY0iwMrTLD4CA

[Kittycow]

11. Thanks! Going to be fun!

[Paladin]

12. By all means, get into Oriental cooking.

I've been doing it for decades, and it's an absolute blast. Most of the equipment and seasonings are not that expensive; one helpful hint: when it comes to the frequently-used oyster flavored sauce, don't go for the cheap stuff---spend a couple of bucks more and get Lee Kum Kee brand, which is widely available at Oriental grocery stores, places like Whole Foods, and via mail order. Have fun.

[Kittycow]

13. My stir fries are pretty good...

but I need to branch out from teriyaki sauce from scratch Oh, and my favorite, Four Happiness Pork. I have a vintage Chinese cookbook but most of the recipes are deep fried so I haven't tried them.

I'm going to corral hubby and drag him to a big Asian shopping supercenter just a few miles away. (Fubon in Portland OR.) Plus there's a hole in the wall live seafood market with really good reviews I've been threatening to go to for quite some time.

We have to change our dietary lifestyle due to hubby being diagnosed with prediabetes and I have to go low oxalate due to kidney stones.

Thanks for the advice about the oyster sauce If I'm going to slave over a hot stove, I want to use decent ingredients to make it worth the effort!

[Paladin]

14. I started using my wok back in the 1980's.

I still have my first cook book, "Dorothy Huang's Chinese Cooking," and I still use it, for basics like beef with broccoli, fried rice, etc.

Happy hunting at that supercenter.

[secondwind]

2. I had trouble watching.

[pangaia]

6. Do you mean the pig? or....

[Afromania]

3. That was quite relaxing to watch.

Loved some of the old stuff she cooked with. Nothing like a well worn piece of cookware

[pangaia]

5. She has many other videos and a huge worldwide following.....

Long back story----