Not by Chinese authors, but I love Beyond the Great Wall https://www.amazon.com.au/Beyond-Great-Wall-Recipes-Travels-ebook/dp/B00D7EJC6Y because of the photography and the exploration of a different side of China that I have no knowledge of. The recipes work well in a western kitchen too, and they all come with a story.
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this soy sauce is very low sodium
I believe this is the wok Kenji Lopez-Alt recommends. Assuming you have a fairly standard western style kitchen, anything that is carbon steel, roughly 2mm thick, and flat bottomed should work. A local restaurant supply store, asian grocery store, etc may have something suitable for a bit cheaper.
Sounds simple enough
Buy the vegetables
Chicken (diced and marinade with some rice wine and corn starch 1 teaspoon)
Beef (marinade with rice wine and corn starch 1 teaspoon)
Beef (diced and marinade with rice wine and 1 teaspoon of dark soy and corn starch)
Char su can be made you tube a recipe or keep it out. Amazon was £54.99 for a 1/2 kg which is extortionate.
Egg noodles Amazon link here
Laogangma chilli oil link here
1) Stir fry the individual raw meats separately in a wok and leave to cool.
2) chop the broccoli, carrot, and cook separately. You can also cook the egg and cut it up for later.
3) add the beansprouts to a pan cook for 1 minute. Add the cooked meats and char su, vegetables, noodles and egg warm through shouldn’t take more than a minute or two and sprinkle a little sesame oil on top.
At the end add the chilli oil to taste. Also you can buy some MSG on amezon its also called ‘ajinomoto’ fast food has it in so you’re probably used to the taste.
Its easier to cook most of the ingredients separately or slightly under so when you put them together they will warm through and cook.
Have you tried the one at taste of chungdu? Even better in my book. I've cooked the version from Fuchsia Dunlop's sichuan cookbook and was pleased.
Ye I can imagine that the sides of the wok is a "problem". I was trying to find a good inside alternative to a burner for a while and saw the nuwave induction wok. I wish I could get that but it's just too much of a hassle in Sweden (even if I could get it it would be more problems).
But I still think the heat should be good for it, technically the BTU should be higher on the induction but I'm not entirely sure how it translates. Are you sure the material is optimal? I actually have only used induction stoves at friends places etc (Actually have my own arriving on tuesday because my ceramic one broke down). But to my knowledge some materials are better than others, it also depends on the bottom of the pan/wok.
Even if the heat is a bit lower on induction I feel like it's so much more effective that it would balance it out. I think a gas burner wastes like 40-60% of the energy, so a lot of heat just goes into the grates or the room. But ye, absolutely not an expert and maybe I'll get a rude awakening when my induction stove top arrives on tuesday haha. Wish I could get the nuwave tho :/
There really isn't an induction range in existence that can match a natural gas range. I bought a single burner gas stove just for cooking in a wok and i suggest the same to you. It is smallish and does the trick well.
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This is the one I have. Iwatani is the brand to beat as far as I know.
I don’t use this method I use a garlic press or a garlic grinder
The english brand name is Spice King
You can buy it here in a smaller bottle.
It looks just like any other Sichuan pepper oil though, so if you just want some to cook with you can choose any brand.
How do you use them? so for something like the mala spice mix whole spices are fairly cheap and most sichuan recipes call for whole spices anyways even if you toast them and grind them.
If you want something for lazy cooking you could make a spice blend by toasting then grinding dried chilies and sichuan peppercorn then adding however much salt, msg and whatever other spices you want so you could use it like a taco seasoning pack.
If you're interested in learning to cook sichuan food I would check out The Food of Sichuan
There are many variations of soup for Tang yuan so I am not sure which one you are looking for.
The easiest since you are at a Chinese supermarket is to look for premade congee e.g. Red Bean Congee. Heat on stove/ microwave and then add the cooked tang yuan.
Another soup is a sweet ginger soup. It is just water, sugar(to taste), ginger and pandan leaves (optional) heated together until the sugar melts. Sugar can be rock sugar, palm sugar, whatever you want.
I just watched Made With Lau on youtube. The soup they used is white in colour.Made With Lau
This is the kind you want, it's good.
If you have to order from Amazon.. I highly recommend this : https://www.amazon.com/Pixian-Sichuan-Broad-Paste-%E9%83%AB%E7%B8%A3%E8%B1%86%E7%93%A3%E9%86%AC/dp/B084DGK79M/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1VFHQ36RXNTHR&keywords=doubanjiang&qid=1643575231&s=grocery&sprefix=doubanjiang%2Cgrocery%2C74&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzQ1BEQU03NTlHOEhIJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTc4NzE4MldMN1VXU0QyWEVMUiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNzM1NzkxVDEyMkY4S1k3WUREJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
And as others have mentioned, Mala Market is a great source also!
I’ve bought this one a few times. In a store I think it’s about half that price but it’s not too expensive either way Sichuan / Pixian / Pi Xian Broad Bean Paste 16OZ (454g)
So in general when bones, we use the back of the Chinese chopping knife, which I guess looks like a cleaver? This is what I had for a couple years until we moved and downsized, when I got it it was under $10 and that’s what I used to chop all the bones. You should be able to find ones like that pretty reasonably priced on Amazon. I think you might get by with maybe a hammer and philip to break the fish bones too but if you’re doing this on the regular I highly suggest getting one of these knives.
Pick up a small jar of Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili crisp, and use this in conjunction with the suggestions from maofx.... I think you might be really close to what you are used to. example of Chili Crisp container
Look on Amazon for a “personal electric hot pot”, they are about 2L, and is more than enough for 1 person. The only down side with a smaller electric pot is, like all electric pots, they heat up slower. But if she’s just doing it by herself it’s not bad. It’s also nice to have to make congee, or boil noodles as a personal pot.
This is another one I would recommend , this is big enough for 2-4 people but still good for 1. It’s big but not deep, so it’s not huge like the ying yang pots. This also doubles as a grille if she ever wants to make bbq. It is faster than the pots mentioned above, and very versatile. I actually had this for four years before I moved and bought the smaller electric pot I mentioned above. Highly recommend this, especially at the same price point as the smaller pots above.
I strongly recommend this over MSG. Or maybe even in addition to.
Takii Umami Powder, Magic Shiitake Mushroom Seasoning, Add Instant Flavor and Depth to All Your Favorite Dishes (1-3.5 Ounce Pouch) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HYL4HK2/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_0YFHCCXJN7XXZEK19SQK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I think it’s totally worth it to get the better stuff. I’ve been getting this one: https://www.amazon.com/Soeos-Chinese-Shaohsing-Cooking-Shaoxing/dp/B07K6VD6DL/ref=mp_s_a_1_3
it’s super good - I don’t think I could ever go back to the cheap ones. Not sure if you would drink a glass of it if that’s what you’re asking, but I taste it when I’m making sauces prior to cooking and it smells/tastes amazing.
Not sure where you're located but I've bought this stuff before and it's what they serve in congee restaurants in Canada. Also, see The Woks of Life article on it.
Amazon has a good selection based on your needs and budget. Personally I have enough of them but am looking for a bone cleaver like this one to add to my collection.
https://www.amazon.com/Kitory-Cleaver-Butcher-Traditional-K4/dp/B082ZW16R2/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=chinese+bone+cleaver&qid=1619479634&sr=8-14
Here's the brand I usually buy:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUIKGU0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glc_fabc_PTWNANFHE3SKTFPDRGK2
It will only be a few dollars if you can find it in a shop. Most Asian markets will carry it.
“All Under Heaven” by Carolyn Phillips is a great book written in English. The book is divided by region (like the Southeast vs the River delta, etc) instead of provinces, but it covers what you’re looking for. I’m in the US so I’m not sure if you can order a physical copy in Australia for a good price but here’s the link for the Kindle version:
https://www.amazon.com.au/All-Under-Heaven-Recipes-Cuisines-ebook/dp/B012KJYR48/ref=nodl_
I've seen the divided hot pots at my larger local Asian grocery stores. This might be fancier than necessary--and sold out right now--but I've ordered ingredients from the Mala Market and haven't been disappointed with the quality.
If you're looking for more knowledge I would browse some of the blogs and online stores that are dedicated to Chinese cooking (Mala Market, Omnivores Cookbook, the Woks of Life, etc). I would also reach out to some of the more well known Chinese food "bloggers" online with your question (Chinese Cooking Demystified, No Sweet Sour, Fuchsia Dunlop, etc). You may find recommendations for stuff that's over priced, too fancy, etc, but you should be able to get an idea of what features to look for and what might be considered good and practical.
This hot potvwas recommended by Woks of Life, but it is an electric hot pot. Maybe the brand also makes other hot pots for use on a burner...
Please let us know what you end up using and how it works out! I'd like to start making hot pot at home this Winter.
that's awesome, you can try some chinese recipe apps, one i suggest is '懒饭' means lazy cooking, it attach tutorial videos in every recipe https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.xiachufang.lazycook
Looks great! I just ordered this at 200 https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B003GISCDK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZXuqFb2TKZ1XN delivered but rethinking my choice now.
Does it come with a stand and wok rim? Also where did you order it? I assumed you're from Australia too :)
Would advise you to invest in a Chinese cookbook, they are still some of the highest quality repositories of authentic recipes written in English. I am a vegetarian, and personally use this one:
https://smile.amazon.com/Earth-Chinese-Vegetarian-Cooking/dp/0026329859