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Thread ID: 105184	2009-11-22 08:17:00	Chinese cooking question.	Colpol (444)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
832482	2009-11-23 02:58:00	I wouldn't recommend to use tenderizers, you're actually adding chemicals to the meat! Of course, there are some natural meat tenderizers but I dount any restaurants using them. Do you folks notice that most (if not all) Chinese restuarants are having similar menus (similar names) and they taste quite the same, too. Food in NZ is 'BORING'. That's a rather sweeping statement bk T - care to elaborate?	nofam (9009)
832483	2009-11-23 03:37:00	The cuts of meat I use are chicken breast, Thin sliced rump or sirloin and pork pieces . There goes part of the reason that your meat is dry, you're using the expensive cuts . For stir fry, I would suggest slightly thicker cuts and under cooking the meat (Chicken should be cooked a bit more) . When you add them back into the pan for a mix in, the residual heat should be enough to get it to a safe to eat stage . Bob's marinade sounds good . But I'd like to emphasise the point he made about the sesame oil . . . use very little . It can be really pungent and lousy to taste if too much is used . Just a few drops or half a teaspoon at most . Thats what we used to put in at our old takeaway from what I can remember . Then again, I quite like sesame oil :drool We now have one of those noodles in a box place, and the meat is preboiled first .	bob_doe_nz (92)
832484	2009-11-23 04:17:00	That's a rather sweeping statement bk T - care to elaborate? OK. 1. Very limited seafood varities- only a few species of fish available in the market. Of course, if you own a boat and go out sea to fish yourselves it's a totally different story. Prawns are frozen and tasteless. Crabs are frozen, too - in Singapore or Hongkong, we don't eat frozen crabs/prawns. Simply because, frozen seafoods are tasteless. Most foods are frozen in NZ. 2. Very limited supply of green leaves vegetables, and those available are so 'old' and 'chewy'. One should check out the varieties available in SG & HK. They are so 'young' , 'tender' and beautifully green. 3. Our meats (beef and lamb) used to be excellent, but those were the days. Chicken and pork are no good. 4. Shortage of real good chefs - I mean those experienced and qualified chefs. It could be due to our immigration policies. Just look at the menus - they just copy from other restaurants and they taste more or less the same through out Auckland. There is no creavity and originality in food preparation. Maybe, there are shortage of essential ingredients. I can confidently say that 90% of the restaurants in Auckland were to open one in Singapore, they will shut their doors within a month or two.	bk T (215)
832485	2009-11-23 06:37:00	OK . 1 . Very limited seafood varities- only a few species of fish available in the market . Of course, if you own a boat and go out sea to fish yourselves it's a totally different story . Prawns are frozen and tasteless . Crabs are frozen, too - in Singapore or Hongkong, we don't eat frozen crabs/prawns . Simply because, frozen seafoods are tasteless . Most foods are frozen in NZ . 2 . Very limited supply of green leaves vegetables, and those available are so 'old' and 'chewy' . One should check out the varieties available in SG & HK . They are so 'young' , 'tender' and beautifully green . 3 . Our meats (beef and lamb) used to be excellent, but those were the days . Chicken and pork are no good . 4 . Shortage of real good chefs - I mean those experienced and qualified chefs . It could be due to our immigration policies . Just look at the menus - they just copy from other restaurants and they taste more or less the same through out Auckland . There is no creavity and originality in food preparation . Maybe, there are shortage of essential ingredients . I can confidently say that 90% of the restaurants in Auckland were to open one in Singapore, they will shut their doors within a month or two . 1 . Sorry, but have you actually been to a fish market? Seafood here is certainly expensive due to the fact we export the majority, but I think the variety is pretty good, and pretty fresh . . . . It's certainly different than you would find in those parts of Asia, but if you're not in Hong Kong or Singapore you learn to adapt . 2 . Again, are the greens here not good, or just different? From what I've seen, the markets in Auckland have a pretty good variety of Asian-style green like Bok Choy/Pak Choy/Wong Bok . I grew Bok Choy down here in Dunedin - a pack of plants cost me about $6 3 . Agree with you on the meats not being as good as they were, but that's what you get when you export the majority of what we produce . Paying market rates for meat/dairy/produce is the trade-off for being able to buy cars, iPods and plasma TV's . And what we do get here is better than the Australian and American meat and produce I've eaten in those two countries . 4 . If you're talking about Chinese food, then yes, the Chefs here may not do the most original food, but sadly, ethnic cooking is not seen as haute cuisine like it is in other parts of the world . To most New Zealanders, chinese food is pork fried rice and lemon fish . Even Australia has restaurants like Flower Drum . Seems to me like you're making massive assumptions about New Zealand based entirely on what you've found in Auckland . . . . . a very dangerous thing to do for any reason!! :rolleyes:	nofam (9009)
832486	2009-11-23 07:22:00	2. Very limited supply of green leaves vegetables, and those available are so 'old' and 'chewy'. One should check out the varieties available in SG & HK. They are so 'young' , 'tender' and beautifully green. Your relatives aren't market gardeners are they? :drool	bob_doe_nz (92)
832487	2009-11-23 07:27:00	1 . Sorry, but have you actually been to a fish market? Seafood here is certainly expensive due to the fact we export the majority, but I think the variety is pretty good, and pretty fresh . . . . It's certainly different than you would find in those parts of Asia, but if you're not in Hong Kong or Singapore you learn to adapt . 2 . Again, are the greens here not good, or just different? From what I've seen, the markets in Auckland have a pretty good variety of Asian-style green like Bok Choy/Pak Choy/Wong Bok . I grew Bok Choy down here in Dunedin - a pack of plants cost me about $6 3 . Agree with you on the meats not being as good as they were, but that's what you get when you export the majority of what we produce . Paying market rates for meat/dairy/produce is the trade-off for being able to buy cars, iPods and plasma TV's . And what we do get here is better than the Australian and American meat and produce I've eaten in those two countries . 4 . If you're talking about Chinese food, then yes, the Chefs here may not do the most original food, but sadly, ethnic cooking is not seen as haute cuisine like it is in other parts of the world . To most New Zealanders, chinese food is pork fried rice and lemon fish . Even Australia has restaurants like Flower Drum . Seems to me like you're making massive assumptions about New Zealand based entirely on what you've found in Auckland . . . . . a very dangerous thing to do for any reason!! :rolleyes: 1 . I certainly have been to most of those fish markets in Auckland . If you think that we have a good varities of seafood supplies, than I do not know how you will describe the varieties/ qualities of seafood in Singapore ( I lived and worked there for 17+ years, and still go there quite frequently) . It's the matter of comparison . Most of other parts of Asia do not have such varities/qualities as Singapore/Hk (correct me if I'm wrong) 2 . The greens here are definitely NOT as good as those in Singapore/HK, and far less varieties . They have 90% (if not 99%) of the veges that we have and much better in quality . And much cheaper, too! 3 . As regards restaurants, I have to say that I'm talking about Chinese Restaurants . Even western food, I'm pretty sure that Singapore/HK have better Western Restaurants than NZ . As raw material and ingredients play quite an important role in the final food served . If there are no good quality meat an vege how can a chef prepare good dishes? 4 . You are right that my experiences (not assumptions) are based in Auckland's environment and in any situation, I should not be too far out in most instances . 5 . In this world, we can't have the best of everything in life . I came to NZ for it's environment - fresh air, comfortable temperature - neither too cold nor too hot . We got to sacrifice some other thing in order to get what we look for . As far as food is concerned, I'm not (at least I consider myself) a fussy person, as I eat to live . I commented that NZ food is BORING was merely for the sake of discussion . One really has to compare before saying whether NZ is good or no good (referring to food) as there is no specific guideline .	bk T (215)
832488	2009-11-23 08:43:00	We marinade the meat with a bit of water and cornflour and refrigerate overnight. We also use a v hot wok with gas and quick cook. We do add other marinade but that is more before you cook it up. As for the western restaurants. Go to any big cities and you have european chefs. These days western food sell for big bucks in Asia. Say a fusion between EU and JP cuisine - using wasabi in a form of a mousse. Or similar with chinese - a creme brulee with oriental ingredients all sized like a little cup cake. As for fish market, came back from Japan. Wouldn't say it taste better but different, NZ add so much more sauces and stuff. They are so much fresher over there, breakfast alone set me back nearly thirty bucks with some other stalls selling at close to fifty bucks.	Nomad (952)
832489	2009-11-23 10:04:00	Take a trip to the South Island and sample some freshly caught Blue Cod or Scallops :drool:	bob_doe_nz (92)
832490	2009-11-23 10:10:00	Sounds like bk T needs to just get out of the country and move to Singapore before he creams himself thinking about it.	roddy_boy (4115)
832491	2009-11-23 10:19:00	Sounds like bk T needs to just get out of the country and move to Singapore before he creams himself thinking about it. ? ? ? ? ? ?	bk T (215)
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