EDIT: Looking back at this video again ~1 month later... yeah, I for sure cut these noodles too thick. 1mm would be a better guide. Sorry about that (they were still tasty though) Hey guys, a few notes: 1. Many people’ll soak and toast the yacai before using. To be honest, during testing we tried both ways… and honestly we preferred it untoasted, so we didn’t bother. I suppose it’s just that recently I’ve been binge watching those “Italian chefs react” videos and it’s been making me increasingly unconfident lol. If you feel strongly on the subject, or if you find your yacai’s too salty, soak the yacai for ~5 minutes, then toast in a wok until its dry and just beginning to stick. 2. On a similar note, after spending the hours staring/cutting the video, in hindsight I… probably cut those noodles too thick. Dammit. We’re really spoiled in being able to get fresh noodles from the market. 3. The sodium carbonate can be subbed with an equal amount of Jianshui/Kan Sui. 4. Many of the ranmian we ate in Yibin - e.g. the noodles at 1:01 - weren’t hongran. Basically, for those kinds of noodles you make the spice oil in the same way we did here, but skip the pouring it in chili. Then with the topping, add toasted chili flakes to taste… basically, add enough so that the noodles are “hot” - there should be enough that you start to get a palpable burn after a few bites, but it shouldn’t be a struggle or anything. Everyone’s spice tolerance is different - for me, that’s roughly ~1tsp to ~1/2 tbsp for that size bowl of noodles. 5. This makes at least four bowls of noodles. You might have a bit of an ingredient here or there leftover, my bad for not tightening things up on that front. But yeah, four-ish… 6. If anyone’s interested in some Chinese punk, here’s a completely non-exhaustive playlist. I should say that Beijing probably has the best scene (even still), and that Changsha’s also pretty renowned for their heavy metal. I’m definitely not a definitive source for punk/metal (we’re into more Chinese reggae/folk/indie), so I wanted to make this open for anyone to add suggestions… but then I remembered that we’re on the internet and the playlist would inevitably turn into spam. In any event: ua-cam.com/play/PLrwj0yE_2deC2vHzKugMfiWejyrrmwSmx.html 7. Regarding the history of chili pepper usage in China, most sources point to Hunan being the first place it was used ~mid 17th century (it was around before that but was treated as an ornamental plant). Then during the 'repopulation of Sichuan' in the late 17th century, much of the province migrated from either Hunan or Shandong (which's why you see such a strong Sichuan-Shandong connection in their food too), and brought with them chili pepper. The first recorded use in Sichuan was in Chongqing IIRC, before moving into the Chengdu plain. I’m sure I’ll add a few more notes in a bit. If I (Chris) feel a touch less responsive than usual, it’s because this video was a bit of a beast to edit… and I kinda want to spend more time away from my computer screen today lol. As such, Reddit post’ll be out a day late too… sorry about that.
Dude, do not feel unconfident at all, these videos are gold. Also, spend more time away from the computer If that's what you need, trust me, too much computer is awful!
I watched a recently where chef Wang Gang did the same soak and toast, so I wouldn't be too uncomfortable doing it :) - plus, I find it very salty if it's not somehow processed before using.
There is a lot of videos out there that talk about making alkaline noodles without explaining how it works. you guys finally explained this in the most efficient way i've seen. Why am I even surprised, this channel is by far the best for authentic recipes
So good!! You guys are an indispensable source for Chinese cooking wisdom. Really love the background info on the dish, too. Only complaint is that „aggressively unavailable 菜籽油“ caught me off guard and made me spew my morning tea over my phone in laughter 🤣
Cheers man, glad you liked it! Loved your Hainan chicken/Bak Kut Teh videos by the way. You're a better person than me, bringing your DSLR travelling - we can never bring ourselves to lug ours around :) The videos seem really stable as well, you also pick up a Zhiyun crane or sth? When's the next time you're out this way? We still gotta do some sort of joint video one of these days.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Hit me up when you come to Wuhan next! We can go see a punk band and I'll show you a special noodle dish (that's not reganmian)
@@christopherbishop1858 How's the city been recently? Spirits up? Seems like y'all looking at the end of the tunnel. I really wanna go back, it's been too long.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Still trapped inside the community but more and more people have been going outside every day. Hit me up on wechat if you come to Wuhan: christopher231
Flute with heavy music can be awesome man. Check out Eluveitie. It's folk metal, and their songs have flute solos that you can headbang to. Respect the flute!
@@worsel555 Just watched, pretty awesome! Though his is a lot more classic rock from that time period, and I'm used to heavier stuff from modern rock/metal bands. Gotta remind myself not to wait for that kind of buildup
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's lead vocalist/guitarist plays flute too, but they're more like prog/acid/psychedelic/garage rock with lots of experimental stuff. Their most recent album has no flute on account of it being a thrash metal banger about humanity attempting to escape earth because of a superdisease.
Woohoo ... I finally tracked down a nursery (in oregon) selling sichuan pepper trees and bought their last 4 plants (2 for me, 2 for a friend). There were also 2 nurseries in california, but both were out of stock. They arrive early may, but it'll probably be a full year before I see fruit. Still psyched. I'll also be trying my hand at growing bitter melon with a trellace.
I'm in Virginia and found bitter melon was super easy to grow here; started from seed. One plant produced waaaay more than I had any desire to eat lol. They easily climbed up and took over a wood trellis I placed close by
@@NathanTAK Yes and no. A buddy of mine that I was going to split the order with waited several hours before placing the order, by which time all but 1 plant was gone (d'oh), so i let him have it ... he gave it to a friend who promised us cuttings as soon as it was viable. No success as of yet. We'll probably be dead of covid, or global warming, by the time I see them.
Tried this with Lahpet (Burmese tea leaves fermented on garlic and pickled) in place of ya cai: 100% will do again. Also, using prickly ash oil in place of rapeseed for the chili oil component compliments the pickled tea. Loving this channel not just for showing off Chinese cooking, but also the reasoning behind each ingredient so we can incorporate elements into our own cooking.
hey just wanted to thank you - because of your video i finally learned how to make passable noodles. i didn't do the whole dish, just the noodles, but my brother and mother literally ate them all up before i finished the final batch. also i did an experiment: made sodium carbonate from soda the way you described in the video, then made two batches with the exact same ratio of water and flour, one with the sodium carbonate and one without. and you could definitely tell the difference: the most obvious one was the colour, the one with sodium carbonate had a slightly green tint to it; and i think it was also more chewy (or i guess i could say more al dente?), which i definitely liked. also, when making sodium carbonate i wanted a way to make sure that the reaction actually did happen, and it turns out that the resulting product should have a weight of about 2/3 of the initial soda, so if you weigh it before putting it into the oven and after you will know for sure thanks again!
Thanks man. Can't do this sort of deep dive every week (tons of work, would end up driving myself crazy haha) but I do want to try to do something a bit more ambitious ~monthly :)
This looks so good. My usual Asian grocery store is closed for renovation, so I can’t make this now. I’ll give it a go when they re-open soon. They used to have some pretty rare ingredients and now they are planning to be twice as big, so there’s a good chance I’ll find what I need.
YES, this video was made for ME! Thank you 🙏 Soaked up the history, geography and culture stuff. Nodded wisely through the chemistry. And I am right into cooking fresh pasta and absolutely LOVE Sichuan chilli and fermented flavours - I already found this sort of fermented mustard greens in one of my local Chinese grocery stores. So, I am “heaven-facing” right now and will be cooking this as soon as I can!
Correction - I’m wrong! The mustard greens I found (here in an Australian Chinese grocery store) are not the right stuff at all - the colour is not that dark for one thing. Still has a great intense funky acid flavour. I’m gonna give it go - despite Chris’s “no subs” warning! Sure to be good, but sure to make it a very different dish I suppose. .
I would not expect this channel to mention hardcore punk scene in China at all. Now my expectations are so high, please make a video about alternative genres music scene in China: techno/house/drum and bass/trance scene and rock/punk/indie/metal scene. Insanely curious about how people enjoy those types of music in China.
The only thing keeping me from going to China and trying all the food is the huge learning curve of the language and text -- these videos are so awesome, it means so much to me that you guys make them!
@jumper0122: Don't be afraid. Go to China. Watch videos of "first time in China" and you'll see foreigners visiting China who know literally nothing about China. It's safe, clean, inexpensive, cashless, easy to use public transportation, and you can navigate ordering food by pointing, smiling, and curious. there are videos on what to do ideally, before you get there. What apps will enable you to pay, (Alypay), etc. Everyone is very friendly and will try to help you. Just be open to new experiences.
You guys are so great! Thank you for introducing my hometown food! The method you use is really very authentic, as the real Yibin burning noodles. Respect from local people.
As an American learning Chinese cooking, these videos are really amazing! It's astounding how many different cultures and types of cuisine are within China.
Awesome stuff. I can't believe how much relevant - and interesting - information you get in, without wasting any time. Amazing. One of my favorite yt sites right now.
Holy shit. I dont know what I love more, this recipe, finding out about SMZB , or that you are going to post a chinese punk playlist. Pleaseeee, give me more of everything!
Hey it's in the description now, here's the link... totally not exhaustive just a few songs slapped together :) ua-cam.com/play/PLrwj0yE_2deC2vHzKugMfiWejyrrmwSmx.html
OMG, I have been looking for a good Yibin Ranmian recipe for AGES. It used to be one of my go-to lunch items when I lived in Sichuan. Thank you sooo much! (This just came up randomly, not from a search). I've only watched a few of your videos but they're wonderfully authentic. I'm willing to do the work to get the right taste! Oh, also, I've tried to explain that most people use rapeseed oil to cook with for Sichuan dishes; I didn't realize it isn't available elsewhere... T_T
@katiewong1547: "Canola oil" is the edible version of rapeseed oil and *very common* - even ubiquitous in the United States. *Caiziyou* , or ROASTED rapeseed oil however - is NOT easy to find due to import laws that are outdated for a reason that is unnecessary. This channel has an episode on this phenomena.
I love how you don't assume everyone has alkaline noodles, so you show everybody in like 20 seconds how to make them from scratch!! :D Also, re chili oil - in U.S. you can buy "asian" chili flakes or aleppo peppers to use and both work great. A cayenne pepper is usually ground super fine here, and will make a very very spicy oil.
This channel clearly shows the reason for the nationality of food. Acquiring ingredients, the techniques, and the history/origin of this dish play huge parts to the final result.
If you don’t have a good stand mixer that can go for long times kneading a stiff dough and the idea of hand kneading isn’t for you, check out The Way of Ramen channel here in UA-cam. He has a neat technique that involves just mixing the dough to crumbs, letting it sit, then kneading by stepping on the dough while double-bagged.
I looked up yibin yatcai in my Szechuan cookbook by Fuschia Dunlop. There is mention of it, along with what the package could look like. I bought mine at an Asian grocery in Stuttgart, Germany. The writing on the package called it “ delicious potherb mustard”. I am hoping when I get back to America I will be able to figure out what it’s called there. Your picture on the side of your package, combined with the one in Fuschia’s book helped me find it here. Thank you. After tasting it I was happily surprised. It’s savory and yummy. Not at all sulphuric in smell. Next I sampled some of my own lactic preserves that I made months ago, and found them to be similar. If anyone wants to make their own preserved mustard greens, it might make this dish accessible in places where Chinese ingredients are hard to get. Of course there is always amazon. If you are completely obsessed you could go the homemade ferment route. But, it might not be exactly right. I love that you guys do all the hard research. You are teaching me to cook Chinese cuisine.
@cynthiastinson7059: It's called Sichuan *Yibin Suimi Yacai Fermented Mustard* 400g (YaCai, 1 Pack) in the United States in Asian Grocery stores. Not sure why you assume there would be a sulfuric smell. Lacto fermented vegetables don't tend to have a sulfuric smell.
Y'all have rocked my world with this. I went the lazy route and bought my noodles and subbed Laoganma Fried Chili in Oil, so the whole affair came together in five minutes.
I absolutely LOVE the history lesson to go with the recipe! Our videos are the same way in that that sorta thing adds production overhead, but I'm telling ya, in your case it's SO worth it!
This recipe is soooo tasty! I've found it to be pretty blisteringly hot, though, and I have a pretty good spice tolerance. I made my first batch as directed (subbing arbols and generic Chinese chilies that I think were probably Thai bird's eye) and ended up having to reduce the chili oil to 1-2 tsp per bowl instead of 2 Tbsp. For my second batch, I dropped the Thai chilies and used only arbols, and surprisingly didn't see much of a reduction in heat level. I usually still use a tablespoon of oil per bowl because it tastes so good, but start to regret it about halfway through eating (and even more a few hours later). EDIT: I've now made this with the authentic chillies and it is significantly milder. I'd encourage anyone thinking of trying this to NOT substitute arbols. If you can't find er jing tiao chillies locally, order them. I'm also curious to know more about yacai. My local Chinese grocery store has several different kinds of preserved mustard greens, none of which seem to be labeled as yacai (I don't speak Mandarin but tried to visually match the characters you used), so I just picked the one that looked most like what you used. I imagine the other kinds are various local variations, and it would be interesting to see you do a comparison of the various kinds and how they're used. Even better, I'd love to try making it at home if you have a recipe! EDIT: it turns out yacai is indeed a unique creation and imitations don't compare. Again, order in if you want the authentic dish. I still hope to try making it myself, though!
You can actually get yacai online (if you can manage to copy the characters, put that into the search). There really seems to be only one producer - all the ones I have look exactly the same as what he showed in the video. It's "Suimi Yacai."
You can buy yacai easily from Yamibuy.com which is a popular US-based webstore for all kinds of hard to find Chinese and other asian food/ingredients. Just search for "芽菜" and the first result is the same brand that you see at 4:49 in the video
This channel has awakened a curiosity for authentic Chinese cuisine that I have never experienced before. The world really is a splendid, diverse, wonderful place. Perhaps I'll visit when it stops being a kidnapping hazard.
@GregTom2: Don't be afraid. Go to China. Watch videos of "first time in China" and you'll see foreigners visiting China who know literally nothing about China. It's safe, clean, inexpensive, cashless, easy to use public transportation, and you can navigate ordering food by pointing, smiling, and curious. there are videos on what to do ideally, before you get there. What apps will enable you to pay, (Alypay), etc. Everyone is very friendly and will try to help you. Just be open to new experiences.
Even fresh local noodles are really hard to find in Germany nowadays which is super sad - today i was super lucky to find fresh Gnocchi at a store which aren't even local (or noodles for that matter...) so thank you for showing how to make these noodles fresh!!
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I literally over-tightened mine to the point where I can't get it off. It now lives on the edge of my bench. Permanently. When I tried turning the plastic knob on the bolt back the other way...the knob just spun off.
My second favorite noodles (after 甜水面) When I had them in Yibin, I remember how shiny the crystals of MSG on top were. Thanks for the video full of information. Love it
Love your videos ❤️ I made the alkaline noodles tonight per your instructions and they turned out awesome. Also had fun making the chilli oil, except for nearly killing everyone in the house by forgetting to turn the extraction fan on 😭 I made surplus chilli oil and put aside a batch to which I added salt, sugar, MSG and fried garlic to use as condiment
When transferring hot oil to a vessel, make sure the vessel is metal. Ceramics, and especially plain glass can shatter , splashing hot oil on you resulting in severe burns.
'The Mala Market' has the oil - though it comes and goes into and out of stock and the chili already ground - fragant-hot roasted ground chilies (Sichuan Chili Flakes , Xiang La La Jian Mian) and much more expensive than I found in a converted Gander Mountain sports store to Asian Mall in Eden Praire MN the Yiban Yacai
Hello, been a while . i was getting carried away with that pangzai dude beer drinking antics. One of the best chinesse home cooking content on UA-cam. Cheers.
I really enjoyed this. I made the alkali noodles as instructed, but ... well they had no real 'lift' in taste, and yes this was after toasting sodium bi-carb at the right temp for an hour. Might as well have been Udon. Yes, I cut them as instructed and it was much too thick. And I should have used the thinnest setting on the pasta maker as well. Quite ruined them. However, the mustard leaf pickle was huge. And the chilli oil was absolutely wonderful. I could not get a whole walnut so used pieces instead. This earthy taste was the standout contribution of the meal. I managed to find heaven facing chilli and combined these with Kashmiri chillies for a milder taste. Really great result, spicy but with so much taste. Lastly, I happened to be out of lard so used duck fat instead, which I flatter myself added something. In closing, mistakes all over the place but a great start to following your advice. And thank you for that,
I had this in a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne , Aus .To date one of my favorite dishes ever, but I forgot what it was called until I found it now Thank you!!! one day i'll make it :D
bruh, as a dry noodles lover from chongqing, i feel ashamed to admit that i don't know any of the history behind these dry noodles... thanks for the interesting intro, love this channel
Just made these! So simple and so fucking good. The chili oil coated the noodles so well, and the nuttiness and crunch of the sesame and peanuts provided a nice contrast. And the ya cai was a must have, so deep and funky in flavor. Thanks for the exploration
You can get raw pressed rapeseed oil in the UK! It's just kinda expensive because it's a luxury product like a fancy olive oil since most of the rapeseed oil goes for cheap hot pressed rapeseed.
This is sooo good. easy to follow instructions but I love the sprinkles of history and science in it too. Can you do a video into how you got into cooking Chinese cuisines?
I was waiting for the part where you make the yah-cai from scratch ... since you did that to everything else. :-) I'm from yii-bin too, when i watch this whole thing, the grinding the kneading ..., i was like: Oh my goodness, i will just go out to a mian-guan, and eat! LOL
I loved this!!! I love to cook, and am already an avid fan of Bon Appetit's cooking channel, Binging With Babish, YouSuckAtCooking, etc. I've been feeling a genuine void in my life for a window into amazing Chinese food, and I'm so excited to delve into this channel! I fell in love with American Chinese cuisine as a teenager on the east coast of the US, but after moving to Portland, Oregon 9 years ago in my mid-20's, I found out about authentic Sichuan cuisine and it's so amazing! Unfortunately, Portland is more commonly comprised of Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai restaurants. (Not that they aren't all phenomenally delicious in their own right.) An ex-girlfriend of mine taught me to be fearless in the kitchen when working with new ingredients & dishes from different countries & cultures, so I'm genuinely stoked to have your channel as a resource! Thanks for posting, and I look forward to your forthcoming videos!
Thank you for the history and the cooking lesson! 6:00 - Rapeseed Oil is apparently simply Canola oil in the US & Canada. What do you recommend as an alternative for the Peanut Oil for someone who is vegetarian and also has a severe nut allergy?
This is one of the best chinese cooking channels i've seen so far i love the content ! :) Thank you so much for all the recipes and information and all that without with stupid and annoying influencer bullshit and talking trash. Love that ! :)
I work in a restaurant in the states where i have access to mustard greens. Could you make a tutorial detailing the pickling and fermenting process if i were to make my own yi bin yah tzai?
I second this request. These look very unique in how they are fermented and processed. I made simple fermented mustard greens with a brine, ginger and garlic and they never got that dark. Also, the commercial product that's used here seems very dry too. I'm guessing they are very salty and not needed to be stored in the refrigerator like a wet ferment like kimchee.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified The Chinese do more solid state fermentation than any other culture by far. It is very dependent on climate and the use of local straw from rice and sorghum to protect the growing mycelium and bacterial cultures. Too much moisture or too little will wreck the results. Also veg like mustard greens is first air dried (like Japanese pickled daikon radish is hung up and air dried before salting and packing in large clay jars) before salting to remove excess water and then packed in clay jars to be fermented over the season outside like Korean Kimchee but much drier. Expect a long learning curve to get a result close to authentic. The local climate has a big influence on the final product. BTW I have found several different brands of US and EU imported cold pressed rape seed oils with that characteristic vibrant green color and back of the throat bite. One brand made in the US is by Flora Health. Severel German Co's now sell a version as well.
YES. This is a favorite of mine from ny neighborhood Szechuan place, and I'd been having trouble finding more info on the noodles burning my face weekly. Thanks!!
Great video! One small thing about making the chili oil. You can mix a bit of cold oil with your chili powder before pouring in the hot oil. This way it lowers the overall temperature a bit and you'll get less of that burnt bitterness while still retaining all that fragrance.
i definitely don't expect much of a response here given the age of the video and specificity of the request. but: i can't do peanuts. i love la zi ji and dan dan noodles, have been messing with other stir fry and want to cook more similar sichuan profiles in general, and love the idea of trying these. how essential are the peanuts here? can i eliminate them or substitute a different nut; or is there some other dish i'd basically be making at that point?
you can replace with sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or just bump up the sunflower seeds. the only non negotiable ingredients are the chilis for the oil and the ya cai/pickled mustard greens
This was fabulous. I'm just back from Japan, where on a previous trip the best ramen I had was Shirunashi Tantanmen at King Ken in Hiroshima. The proprietor had grown up on this Hiroshima classic, then studied the original influences in Chengdu. This trip, King Ken Tokyo was disappointing, but going to source materials, Yibin Ran Mian really scratched that itch.
11.5 ph is 100 times more basic than 8.5, not 20 times. Because, as you say, the scale is logarithmic. Also, rapeseed oil is definitely available outside of China, where it's generally known as canola oil.
Your videos are amazing! Thank you. I appreciate learning from you both. I am not Chinese but love the cuisine from the different areas and am learning slowly. I live in nyc and am grateful to have access to all of the ingredients that i need. Thanks again!
Love dry noodles and obsessed with Sui Mi Ya Cai so this is a no brainer for me. To be honest, though, I’m a bit of a lightweight with spice. Is there a milder dried chili you can recommend that would give me the body/texture of a chili oil? I find it missing in a few dishes. Lastly, do you add MSG that way to be pretty? I would think it would spread more evenly if it was added to the chili oil to dissolve. Does it make a difference? As always, thanks for all the great dishes!
EDIT: Looking back at this video again ~1 month later... yeah, I for sure cut these noodles too thick. 1mm would be a better guide. Sorry about that (they were still tasty though)
Hey guys, a few notes:
1. Many people’ll soak and toast the yacai before using. To be honest, during testing we tried both ways… and honestly we preferred it untoasted, so we didn’t bother. I suppose it’s just that recently I’ve been binge watching those “Italian chefs react” videos and it’s been making me increasingly unconfident lol. If you feel strongly on the subject, or if you find your yacai’s too salty, soak the yacai for ~5 minutes, then toast in a wok until its dry and just beginning to stick.
2. On a similar note, after spending the hours staring/cutting the video, in hindsight I… probably cut those noodles too thick. Dammit. We’re really spoiled in being able to get fresh noodles from the market.
3. The sodium carbonate can be subbed with an equal amount of Jianshui/Kan Sui.
4. Many of the ranmian we ate in Yibin - e.g. the noodles at 1:01 - weren’t hongran. Basically, for those kinds of noodles you make the spice oil in the same way we did here, but skip the pouring it in chili. Then with the topping, add toasted chili flakes to taste… basically, add enough so that the noodles are “hot” - there should be enough that you start to get a palpable burn after a few bites, but it shouldn’t be a struggle or anything. Everyone’s spice tolerance is different - for me, that’s roughly ~1tsp to ~1/2 tbsp for that size bowl of noodles.
5. This makes at least four bowls of noodles. You might have a bit of an ingredient here or there leftover, my bad for not tightening things up on that front. But yeah, four-ish…
6. If anyone’s interested in some Chinese punk, here’s a completely non-exhaustive playlist. I should say that Beijing probably has the best scene (even still), and that Changsha’s also pretty renowned for their heavy metal. I’m definitely not a definitive source for punk/metal (we’re into more Chinese reggae/folk/indie), so I wanted to make this open for anyone to add suggestions… but then I remembered that we’re on the internet and the playlist would inevitably turn into spam. In any event: ua-cam.com/play/PLrwj0yE_2deC2vHzKugMfiWejyrrmwSmx.html
7. Regarding the history of chili pepper usage in China, most sources point to Hunan being the first place it was used ~mid 17th century (it was around before that but was treated as an ornamental plant). Then during the 'repopulation of Sichuan' in the late 17th century, much of the province migrated from either Hunan or Shandong (which's why you see such a strong Sichuan-Shandong connection in their food too), and brought with them chili pepper. The first recorded use in Sichuan was in Chongqing IIRC, before moving into the Chengdu plain.
I’m sure I’ll add a few more notes in a bit. If I (Chris) feel a touch less responsive than usual, it’s because this video was a bit of a beast to edit… and I kinda want to spend more time away from my computer screen today lol. As such, Reddit post’ll be out a day late too… sorry about that.
Dude, do not feel unconfident at all, these videos are gold. Also, spend more time away from the computer If that's what you need, trust me, too much computer is awful!
Italian chefs just REACT 👎 But Chinese Cooking Demystified TESTS, EXPLORES, EDUCATES and COOKS WONDERFUL THINGS 👍🏽 Be confident mate!
Hahaha. Those Italian chef videos are hilarious. Humans are funny animals. Love your channel btw. Def my favorite food channel🤘
I watched a recently where chef Wang Gang did the same soak and toast, so I wouldn't be too uncomfortable doing it :) - plus, I find it very salty if it's not somehow processed before using.
Where you based out of? I've seen it in both Philly and NYC.
Chinese history AND a chemistry lesson alongside a recipe, truly an educational channel
Thats basically why the people who only got 30% grade in Chemistry like me cannot understand how noodle is made...
and this is also a bit of Inorganic Chemistry Demystified there
Totally agree! Phenomenal video! Thanks! My mouth is watering!
100% agreed. Puts a lot of cookery TV programmes to shame.
Dude kinda sounds like Nile Red too.
I like when you add the history and culture tidbits in with the recipes.
Same it's so interesting
There is a lot of videos out there that talk about making alkaline noodles without explaining how it works. you guys finally explained this in the most efficient way i've seen. Why am I even surprised, this channel is by far the best for authentic recipes
he earned a "like" there
@TheVenusEagles: This channel and Souped up Recipes. Look up her recipe: Cold Noodles Recipe (Liangpi 凉皮) - _talk about authentic_ ...
So good!! You guys are an indispensable source for Chinese cooking wisdom. Really love the background info on the dish, too. Only complaint is that „aggressively unavailable 菜籽油“ caught me off guard and made me spew my morning tea over my phone in laughter 🤣
Cheers man, glad you liked it! Loved your Hainan chicken/Bak Kut Teh videos by the way. You're a better person than me, bringing your DSLR travelling - we can never bring ourselves to lug ours around :) The videos seem really stable as well, you also pick up a Zhiyun crane or sth?
When's the next time you're out this way? We still gotta do some sort of joint video one of these days.
Nice to see that two of my favourite cooking channels are getting inspired by each other! :)
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Hit me up when you come to Wuhan next! We can go see a punk band and I'll show you a special noodle dish (that's not reganmian)
@@christopherbishop1858 How's the city been recently? Spirits up? Seems like y'all looking at the end of the tunnel. I really wanna go back, it's been too long.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Still trapped inside the community but more and more people have been going outside every day. Hit me up on wechat if you come to Wuhan: christopher231
1:37 "Yeah babe, I'm in a punk band."
Oh? What do you play?
"...the flute..."
Flute with heavy music can be awesome man. Check out Eluveitie. It's folk metal, and their songs have flute solos that you can headbang to. Respect the flute!
@@TF_NowWithExtraCharacters Jethro Tull or nothing! ;)
@@worsel555 Just watched, pretty awesome! Though his is a lot more classic rock from that time period, and I'm used to heavier stuff from modern rock/metal bands. Gotta remind myself not to wait for that kind of buildup
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard's lead vocalist/guitarist plays flute too, but they're more like prog/acid/psychedelic/garage rock with lots of experimental stuff. Their most recent album has no flute on account of it being a thrash metal banger about humanity attempting to escape earth because of a superdisease.
skin flute
Woohoo ... I finally tracked down a nursery (in oregon) selling sichuan pepper trees and bought their last 4 plants (2 for me, 2 for a friend). There were also 2 nurseries in california, but both were out of stock.
They arrive early may, but it'll probably be a full year before I see fruit. Still psyched. I'll also be trying my hand at growing bitter melon with a trellace.
I'm in Virginia and found bitter melon was super easy to grow here; started from seed. One plant produced waaaay more than I had any desire to eat lol. They easily climbed up and took over a wood trellis I placed close by
@@lkbasgiohbasg my grandma used to make bitter melon soup for me when I spent summer breaks with her. I am going to grow them here in texas! Lol
Did they arrive?
@@NathanTAK Yes and no. A buddy of mine that I was going to split the order with waited several hours before placing the order, by which time all but 1 plant was gone (d'oh), so i let him have it ... he gave it to a friend who promised us cuttings as soon as it was viable. No success as of yet.
We'll probably be dead of covid, or global warming, by the time I see them.
@@RovingPunster Global Warming probably isn't gonna kill us anymore according to Kurzgesagt.
Tried this with Lahpet (Burmese tea leaves fermented on garlic and pickled) in place of ya cai: 100% will do again. Also, using prickly ash oil in place of rapeseed for the chili oil component compliments the pickled tea.
Loving this channel not just for showing off Chinese cooking, but also the reasoning behind each ingredient so we can incorporate elements into our own cooking.
hey
just wanted to thank you - because of your video i finally learned how to make passable noodles. i didn't do the whole dish, just the noodles, but my brother and mother literally ate them all up before i finished the final batch. also i did an experiment: made sodium carbonate from soda the way you described in the video, then made two batches with the exact same ratio of water and flour, one with the sodium carbonate and one without. and you could definitely tell the difference: the most obvious one was the colour, the one with sodium carbonate had a slightly green tint to it; and i think it was also more chewy (or i guess i could say more al dente?), which i definitely liked.
also, when making sodium carbonate i wanted a way to make sure that the reaction actually did happen, and it turns out that the resulting product should have a weight of about 2/3 of the initial soda, so if you weigh it before putting it into the oven and after you will know for sure
thanks again!
these noodles do be yibin doe
YIBE CHECK
Its a yibe.
"lightly blow the nuts"
Guys, you’re getting better and better. Content, editing, explanations. Amazing, congrats!!!
Thanks man. Can't do this sort of deep dive every week (tons of work, would end up driving myself crazy haha) but I do want to try to do something a bit more ambitious ~monthly :)
The amount of detail is incredible. A history lesson intertwined within a cooking recipe!!!
This looks so good. My usual Asian grocery store is closed for renovation, so I can’t make this now. I’ll give it a go when they re-open soon. They used to have some pretty rare ingredients and now they are planning to be twice as big, so there’s a good chance I’ll find what I need.
YES, this video was made for ME! Thank you 🙏 Soaked up the history, geography and culture stuff. Nodded wisely through the chemistry. And I am right into cooking fresh pasta and absolutely LOVE Sichuan chilli and fermented flavours - I already found this sort of fermented mustard greens in one of my local Chinese grocery stores. So, I am “heaven-facing” right now and will be cooking this as soon as I can!
Correction - I’m wrong! The mustard greens I found (here in an Australian Chinese grocery store) are not the right stuff at all - the colour is not that dark for one thing. Still has a great intense funky acid flavour. I’m gonna give it go - despite Chris’s “no subs” warning! Sure to be good, but sure to make it a very different dish I suppose. .
This channel has everything. History, chemistry... and cooking!
I would not expect this channel to mention hardcore punk scene in China at all. Now my expectations are so high, please make a video about alternative genres music scene in China: techno/house/drum and bass/trance scene and rock/punk/indie/metal scene. Insanely curious about how people enjoy those types of music in China.
The only thing keeping me from going to China and trying all the food is the huge learning curve of the language and text -- these videos are so awesome, it means so much to me that you guys make them!
@jumper0122: Don't be afraid. Go to China. Watch videos of "first time in China" and you'll see foreigners visiting China who know literally nothing about China. It's safe, clean, inexpensive, cashless, easy to use public transportation, and you can navigate ordering food by pointing, smiling, and curious. there are videos on what to do ideally, before you get there. What apps will enable you to pay, (Alypay), etc. Everyone is very friendly and will try to help you. Just be open to new experiences.
You guys are so great! Thank you for introducing my hometown food! The method you use is really very authentic, as the real Yibin burning noodles. Respect from local people.
I use this channel as the premium point of reference when researching Chinese recipes.
This, and Xiaoying's video recipes for me. ^^
That's incredible, I've learned like 4 techniques just by seeing this video.
pH difference between 8.5 and 11.5 actually translates to 1,000 stronger due to log base 10.
I thought he was getting there, and then the graphic. Ah well.
He says the pH scale is exponential...
@@KKSuited but it is logarithmic, dunno what you are trying to say
@@KKSuited he said ph is logarithmic, and the carbonate content added would be exponential
Slowly falling in love with this channel
I like the term “aggressively unavailable “. It really speaks to the frustration of trying to find that one ingredient you’re missing.
As an American learning Chinese cooking, these videos are really amazing! It's astounding how many different cultures and types of cuisine are within China.
Awesome stuff. I can't believe how much relevant - and interesting - information you get in, without wasting any time. Amazing. One of my favorite yt sites right now.
The Infinite kaleidoscope of Nuance and context you show in your Posts is Epic
All I can say is Thanks
Holy shit. I dont know what I love more, this recipe, finding out about SMZB
, or that you are going to post a chinese punk playlist. Pleaseeee, give me more of everything!
Hey it's in the description now, here's the link... totally not exhaustive just a few songs slapped together :)
ua-cam.com/play/PLrwj0yE_2deC2vHzKugMfiWejyrrmwSmx.html
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thank you very much! This is an excellent start for discovering the underground punk scene in China.
I really love the combination of historical overview and recipe demonstration!
OMG, I have been looking for a good Yibin Ranmian recipe for AGES. It used to be one of my go-to lunch items when I lived in Sichuan. Thank you sooo much! (This just came up randomly, not from a search). I've only watched a few of your videos but they're wonderfully authentic. I'm willing to do the work to get the right taste!
Oh, also, I've tried to explain that most people use rapeseed oil to cook with for Sichuan dishes; I didn't realize it isn't available elsewhere... T_T
@katiewong1547: "Canola oil" is the edible version of rapeseed oil and *very common* - even ubiquitous in the United States. *Caiziyou* , or ROASTED rapeseed oil however - is NOT easy to find due to import laws that are outdated for a reason that is unnecessary. This channel has an episode on this phenomena.
You guys need a cook book, seriously! It’s been difficult finding a Sichuan cook book in the States, might be a good market
Best independent cooking channel on UA-cam. Facts.
I love how you don't assume everyone has alkaline noodles, so you show everybody in like 20 seconds how to make them from scratch!! :D Also, re chili oil - in U.S. you can buy "asian" chili flakes or aleppo peppers to use and both work great. A cayenne pepper is usually ground super fine here, and will make a very very spicy oil.
This channel clearly shows the reason for the nationality of food. Acquiring ingredients, the techniques, and the history/origin of this dish play huge parts to the final result.
If you don’t have a good stand mixer that can go for long times kneading a stiff dough and the idea of hand kneading isn’t for you, check out The Way of Ramen channel here in UA-cam. He has a neat technique that involves just mixing the dough to crumbs, letting it sit, then kneading by stepping on the dough while double-bagged.
God I love this channel! It's 4:00AM and I can't stop binging
If I can’t find that beer bottle, is it okay to sub it with an empty lone star bottle instead?
Yes, but you'll lose some authentic bonus points.
I looked up yibin yatcai in my Szechuan cookbook by Fuschia Dunlop. There is mention of it, along with what the package could look like. I bought mine at an Asian grocery in Stuttgart, Germany. The writing on the package called it “ delicious potherb mustard”. I am hoping when I get back to America I will be able to figure out what it’s called there. Your picture on the side of your package, combined with the one in Fuschia’s book helped me find it here. Thank you. After tasting it I was happily surprised. It’s savory and yummy. Not at all sulphuric in smell. Next I sampled some of my own lactic preserves that I made months ago, and found them to be similar. If anyone wants to make their own preserved mustard greens, it might make this dish accessible in places where Chinese ingredients are hard to get. Of course there is always amazon. If you are completely obsessed you could go the homemade ferment route. But, it might not be exactly right. I love that you guys do all the hard research. You are teaching me to cook Chinese cuisine.
@cynthiastinson7059: You might also like "Souped up Recipes" Look up her recipe: Cold Noodles Recipe (Liangpi 凉皮)
@cynthiastinson7059: It's called Sichuan *Yibin Suimi Yacai Fermented Mustard* 400g (YaCai, 1 Pack) in the United States in Asian Grocery stores. Not sure why you assume there would be a sulfuric smell. Lacto fermented vegetables don't tend to have a sulfuric smell.
Y'all have rocked my world with this. I went the lazy route and bought my noodles and subbed Laoganma Fried Chili in Oil, so the whole affair came together in five minutes.
I absolutely LOVE the history lesson to go with the recipe! Our videos are the same way in that that sorta thing adds production overhead, but I'm telling ya, in your case it's SO worth it!
This recipe is soooo tasty! I've found it to be pretty blisteringly hot, though, and I have a pretty good spice tolerance. I made my first batch as directed (subbing arbols and generic Chinese chilies that I think were probably Thai bird's eye) and ended up having to reduce the chili oil to 1-2 tsp per bowl instead of 2 Tbsp. For my second batch, I dropped the Thai chilies and used only arbols, and surprisingly didn't see much of a reduction in heat level. I usually still use a tablespoon of oil per bowl because it tastes so good, but start to regret it about halfway through eating (and even more a few hours later). EDIT: I've now made this with the authentic chillies and it is significantly milder. I'd encourage anyone thinking of trying this to NOT substitute arbols. If you can't find er jing tiao chillies locally, order them.
I'm also curious to know more about yacai. My local Chinese grocery store has several different kinds of preserved mustard greens, none of which seem to be labeled as yacai (I don't speak Mandarin but tried to visually match the characters you used), so I just picked the one that looked most like what you used. I imagine the other kinds are various local variations, and it would be interesting to see you do a comparison of the various kinds and how they're used. Even better, I'd love to try making it at home if you have a recipe! EDIT: it turns out yacai is indeed a unique creation and imitations don't compare. Again, order in if you want the authentic dish. I still hope to try making it myself, though!
You can actually get yacai online (if you can manage to copy the characters, put that into the search). There really seems to be only one producer - all the ones I have look exactly the same as what he showed in the video. It's "Suimi Yacai."
You can buy yacai easily from Yamibuy.com which is a popular US-based webstore for all kinds of hard to find Chinese and other asian food/ingredients. Just search for "芽菜" and the first result is the same brand that you see at 4:49 in the video
This channel has awakened a curiosity for authentic Chinese cuisine that I have never experienced before.
The world really is a splendid, diverse, wonderful place.
Perhaps I'll visit when it stops being a kidnapping hazard.
@GregTom2: Don't be afraid. Go to China. Watch videos of "first time in China" and you'll see foreigners visiting China who know literally nothing about China. It's safe, clean, inexpensive, cashless, easy to use public transportation, and you can navigate ordering food by pointing, smiling, and curious. there are videos on what to do ideally, before you get there. What apps will enable you to pay, (Alypay), etc. Everyone is very friendly and will try to help you. Just be open to new experiences.
I got a salt min schnauzer too. He literally looks at me the same way when I'm eating
This recipe came out 💯 when I cooked it the other day guys, thanks so much for your time. Dual Chinese/English recipe book please!
a flute in a punk rock band is super punk
Hyun Frayer - I’m a flute player…how did I miss that? Lol.
The Pouges.
Wow, you really don't take shortcuts (other than the noodle press). That's a lot of dedication to your craft.
so cool! that winter swimming bit warmed my heart and made me want to go there immediately.
Even fresh local noodles are really hard to find in Germany nowadays which is super sad - today i was super lucky to find fresh Gnocchi at a store which aren't even local (or noodles for that matter...) so thank you for showing how to make these noodles fresh!!
I'm going to start saying it's "aggressively unavailable in the west " for EVERYTHING!
Yeah makes me sad. This looks like it's tailor made to my tastes.
Love the geography/history lessons, would like to see more of that!
SO HAPPY to see that I am not the only one who has trouble with my pasta machine jumping off the table :)
Haha, when the dough is drier or when it's thicker, it always does that, lol.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I literally over-tightened mine to the point where I can't get it off. It now lives on the edge of my bench. Permanently. When I tried turning the plastic knob on the bolt back the other way...the knob just spun off.
My second favorite noodles (after 甜水面) When I had them in Yibin, I remember how shiny the crystals of MSG on top were. Thanks for the video full of information. Love it
Love your videos ❤️
I made the alkaline noodles tonight per your instructions and they turned out awesome.
Also had fun making the chilli oil, except for nearly killing everyone in the house by forgetting to turn the extraction fan on 😭
I made surplus chilli oil and put aside a batch to which I added salt, sugar, MSG and fried garlic to use as condiment
When transferring hot oil to a vessel, make sure the vessel is metal. Ceramics, and especially plain glass can shatter , splashing hot oil on you resulting in severe burns.
'The Mala Market' has the oil - though it comes and goes into and out of stock and the chili already ground - fragant-hot roasted ground chilies (Sichuan Chili Flakes , Xiang La La Jian Mian) and much more expensive than I found in a converted Gander Mountain sports store to Asian Mall in Eden Praire MN the Yiban Yacai
This channel is state of art now!
Hello,
been a while . i was getting carried away with that pangzai dude beer drinking antics.
One of the best chinesse home cooking content on UA-cam.
Cheers.
I really enjoyed this. I made the alkali noodles as instructed, but ... well they had no real 'lift' in taste, and yes this was after toasting sodium bi-carb at the right temp for an hour. Might as well have been Udon. Yes, I cut them as instructed and it was much too thick. And I should have used the thinnest setting on the pasta maker as well. Quite ruined them. However, the mustard leaf pickle was huge. And the chilli oil was absolutely wonderful. I could not get a whole walnut so used pieces instead. This earthy taste was the standout contribution of the meal. I managed to find heaven facing chilli and combined these with Kashmiri chillies for a milder taste. Really great result, spicy but with so much taste. Lastly, I happened to be out of lard so used duck fat instead, which I flatter myself added something. In closing, mistakes all over the place but a great start to following your advice. And thank you for that,
@robinstacpoole2667: Where did you find heaven facing chilli?
@@violetviolet888 internet! Easy to order, keep for ever. Sorry, don't remember where
I had this in a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne , Aus .To date one of my favorite dishes ever, but I forgot what it was called until I found it now Thank you!!! one day i'll make it :D
Very informative with history , gives a wider picture of the roots of the dish. Very nicely done , Thank You!
BTW Mustard seed oil is illegal to use for food purposes in the US so nearly everything you find willl say not for ingestion or similar.
bruh, as a dry noodles lover from chongqing, i feel ashamed to admit that i don't know any of the history behind these dry noodles... thanks for the interesting intro, love this channel
Just made these! So simple and so fucking good. The chili oil coated the noodles so well, and the nuttiness and crunch of the sesame and peanuts provided a nice contrast. And the ya cai was a must have, so deep and funky in flavor. Thanks for the exploration
Very authentic introduction, this is the case.很地道的介绍，谢谢。
The chemistry in this went way over my head but it looked amazing. That flavor profile must be bananas!
You can get raw pressed rapeseed oil in the UK! It's just kinda expensive because it's a luxury product like a fancy olive oil since most of the rapeseed oil goes for cheap hot pressed rapeseed.
Really enjoyed this video. Loved the information about the history and etymology of Chinese ‘dry’ noodles. I’ll try and make these
I love your channel! I spent 10 years learning how to make Indian food. I want to spend the next 10 years to learn how to make Chinese food.
Super cool historical background. I lived in Chongqing for a year, and it was the best year of my life. Chongqing forever.
I love the background information and history of this
Thank you!
My girlfriend and I have eaten this so many times in the past couple of weeks! Now were running out of yacai! Thanks for the recipe!
This is sooo good. easy to follow instructions but I love the sprinkles of history and science in it too. Can you do a video into how you got into cooking Chinese cuisines?
Just found this channel and am so in love with this content! Like so educational and entertaining!
I like your perseverence among the epidemics.
I was waiting for the part where you make the yah-cai from scratch ... since you did that to everything else. :-)
I'm from yii-bin too, when i watch this whole thing, the grinding the kneading ..., i was like: Oh my goodness, i will just go out to a mian-guan, and eat! LOL
2:43 hey watch out your amazon page shows your information in the left corner!
Oh snap it does
Jenn Ferley Well spotted. I hope it’s not an importand address!
The noodles may not ignite, but this content is on fire. Great job!
Happy New Years to you, it's good to see you two back on the job.
I loved this!!! I love to cook, and am already an avid fan of Bon Appetit's cooking channel, Binging With Babish, YouSuckAtCooking, etc. I've been feeling a genuine void in my life for a window into amazing Chinese food, and I'm so excited to delve into this channel!
I fell in love with American Chinese cuisine as a teenager on the east coast of the US, but after moving to Portland, Oregon 9 years ago in my mid-20's, I found out about authentic Sichuan cuisine and it's so amazing! Unfortunately, Portland is more commonly comprised of Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai restaurants. (Not that they aren't all phenomenally delicious in their own right.)
An ex-girlfriend of mine taught me to be fearless in the kitchen when working with new ingredients & dishes from different countries & cultures, so I'm genuinely stoked to have your channel as a resource! Thanks for posting, and I look forward to your forthcoming videos!
Thank you for the history and the cooking lesson!
6:00 - Rapeseed Oil is apparently simply Canola oil in the US & Canada.
What do you recommend as an alternative for the Peanut Oil for someone who is vegetarian and also has a severe nut allergy?
This is one of the best chinese cooking channels i've seen so far i love the content ! :) Thank you so much for all the recipes and information and all that without with stupid and annoying influencer bullshit and talking trash. Love that ! :)
Looks so yummy! What kind of wok are you using? Is that a special burner? Most wok I use end up more like boiling then frying...
I work in a restaurant in the states where i have access to mustard greens. Could you make a tutorial detailing the pickling and fermenting process if i were to make my own yi bin yah tzai?
One day :) Truth be told we're kind of fermentation novices.
I second this request. These look very unique in how they are fermented and processed. I made simple fermented mustard greens with a brine, ginger and garlic and they never got that dark. Also, the commercial product that's used here seems very dry too. I'm guessing they are very salty and not needed to be stored in the refrigerator like a wet ferment like kimchee.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified The Chinese do more solid state fermentation than any other culture by far. It is very dependent on climate and the use of local straw from rice and sorghum to protect the growing mycelium and bacterial cultures. Too much moisture or too little will wreck the results. Also veg like mustard greens is first air dried (like Japanese pickled daikon radish is hung up and air dried before salting and packing in large clay jars) before salting to remove excess water and then packed in clay jars to be fermented over the season outside like Korean Kimchee but much drier. Expect a long learning curve to get a result close to authentic. The local climate has a big influence on the final product.
BTW I have found several different brands of US and EU imported cold pressed rape seed oils with that characteristic vibrant green color and back of the throat bite. One brand made in the US is by Flora Health. Severel German Co's now sell a version as well.
很怀念以前重庆夏天的时候，一碗燃面配上两碗凉稀饭，好舒服哦。
还有凉糕，凉虾和冰粉...希望能够快点出去，好好吃饭。
YES. This is a favorite of mine from ny neighborhood Szechuan place, and I'd been having trouble finding more info on the noodles burning my face weekly. Thanks!!
I'm realky intrigued by this Wuhan punk and heavy metal scene.
Are there any bands you'd recommend in particular?
Great video! One small thing about making the chili oil. You can mix a bit of cold oil with your chili powder before pouring in the hot oil. This way it lowers the overall temperature a bit and you'll get less of that burnt bitterness while still retaining all that fragrance.
Damn... Who else is waiting for the "long yau" like me?
i definitely don't expect much of a response here given the age of the video and specificity of the request. but:
i can't do peanuts. i love la zi ji and dan dan noodles, have been messing with other stir fry and want to cook more similar sichuan profiles in general, and love the idea of trying these. how essential are the peanuts here? can i eliminate them or substitute a different nut; or is there some other dish i'd basically be making at that point?
you can replace with sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or just bump up the sunflower seeds.
the only non negotiable ingredients are the chilis for the oil and the ya cai/pickled mustard greens
This was fabulous. I'm just back from Japan, where on a previous trip the best ramen I had was Shirunashi Tantanmen at King Ken in Hiroshima. The proprietor had grown up on this Hiroshima classic, then studied the original influences in Chengdu. This trip, King Ken Tokyo was disappointing, but going to source materials, Yibin Ran Mian really scratched that itch.
Just made this, if anyone has the means to reproduce this recipe, do it. My mouth is on fire and I haven't been this happy in months!
Still waiting for that cookbook.... let me know if you need a partner to create it!
Thank you for the "keeping veg" peanut oil sub for lard! Appreciate it!
11.5 ph is 100 times more basic than 8.5, not 20 times. Because, as you say, the scale is logarithmic. Also, rapeseed oil is definitely available outside of China, where it's generally known as canola oil.
1000 times, no?
@@charliewhelan9488 Oops! Yes, you're quite right. 11.5 is 1000 times more basic than 8.5. I was thrown off by the original assertion of 20.
Your videos are amazing! Thank you. I appreciate learning from you both. I am not Chinese but love the cuisine from the different areas and am learning slowly. I live in nyc and am grateful to have access to all of the ingredients that i need. Thanks again!
Just discovered you guys and really loving your videos!
Wow I love the detail in this video! You guys have always been awesome :)
Hey Chris!!!!!! Love this channel and your recipes!!!! I'm getting a chance to try quite a few out!!!!! Keep up the GREAT work and videos!!!!
Came here expecting a fun new recipe, did not expect to see footage of a punk show in Vox. So many memories unlocked, wow.
I watch you from the UK. I'm always wondering what you would think of the very pure rapeseed oil here.
Love dry noodles and obsessed with Sui Mi Ya Cai so this is a no brainer for me. To be honest, though, I’m a bit of a lightweight with spice. Is there a milder dried chili you can recommend that would give me the body/texture of a chili oil? I find it missing in a few dishes. Lastly, do you add MSG that way to be pretty? I would think it would spread more evenly if it was added to the chili oil to dissolve. Does it make a difference? As always, thanks for all the great dishes!