Real Chinese Appetizers (开胃小菜)

So there's a bunch of different appetizers in China, but we think that you could broadly categorize 90% of them into three groups: (1) Pickles (2) Liangban cold dishes (i.e. "Chinese salad") and (3) Fried peanuts or peas.
Written recipe's over here on /r/cooking:
/ recipes_chinese_appeti...
For the pickles, we'll show you some quick pickled daikon; the liangban cold dish, we'll do mu'er; and for the fried peanuts... we'll fry some peanuts. We promise that we'll do some of the lacto-fermented sort of pickles sometime... as I mentioned in the video though, here's some resources for you on that topic in the meantime:
The always excellent ChinaSichuanFood has a couple posts on the topic:
www.chinasichuanfood.com/pick...
For a video, check out Sarcasmo57's old vid on the topic for some super homestyle kind of pickles (and leave them a comment telling them that we miss them and they should post more lol):
• How to Make Pao Cai (C...
And for a more general introduction, check out Sandor Katz and Mara King's excellent "People's Republic of Fermentation". It's a crime that this series doesn't have more views, but... KZbin does tend to demand at least a weekly upload schedule...
• People's Republic of F...
Ok, so then for the clips in the very beginning. The bit in Italy was from Rick Steves - such an old-school pre Bourdain/Zimmerman style of travel show:
• Florence, Italy: Antip...
The bit showing the Kimchi was from the King of the Food Vlogs, Mark Weins. As an aside up in Heilongjiang they actually also use their own type of Kimchi as an appetizer:
• Korean Food in Los Ang...
And, of course, Good Mythical Morning comparing appetizers from Texas Roadhouse vs Outback Steakhouse. I enjoy watching Rhett and Link eating and rating food from mediocre American chains way more than I should...
• Texas Roadhouse vs. Ou...
And of course, check out our Patreon if you'd like to support the project!
/ chinesecookingdemystified
Outro Music: "Add And" by Broke For Free
/ broke-for-free
ABOUT US
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learn how to cook real deal, authentic Chinese food! We post recipes every Wednesday (unless we happen to be travelling)
We're Steph and Chris - a food-obsessed couple that lives in Shunde, China. Steph is from Guangzhou and loves cooking food from throughout China - you'll usually be watching her behind the wok. Chris is a long-term expat from America that's been living in China and loving it for the last eleven years - you'll be listening to his explanations and recipe details, and doing some cooking at times as well.
This channel is all about learning how to cook the same taste that you'd get in China. Our goal for each video is to give you a recipe that would at least get you close to what's made by some of our favorite restaurants here. Because of that, our recipes are no-holds-barred Chinese when it comes to style and ingredients - but feel free to ask for tips about adaptations and sourcing too!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a few notes: 1. That sauce is literally called “liangban sauce” - it’s what you’ll generally get when you order a cold dish here. That said, there’s… a mountain of different sauces that go with liangban dishes. Sesame, chili oil, etc etc 2. One of the reasons we didn’t end up going with ‘cold dishes’ as our translation for ‘appetizer’ is that while it’s always served near the beginning of a banquet it’s never THE starting dish. For example, in Guangdong the structure goes (1) simple savory appetizers, like here then (2) a savory soup and then (3) cold dishes. In a traditional Sichuanese banquet, meanwhile, the process would go (1) dried fruit/nuts and then (2) a specific kind of sweet soup (whose purpose is a ‘warm up exercise’ to start drinking liquor) then (3) cold dishes. So while cold dishes are the closest thing we could think to a Western-style appetizer, even in a banquet they’re probably coming third (in a normal restaurant they’d just come out along with all your other food). 3. Ok, so random Chris ramble. Appetizers seem particularly beloved by us Americans, don’t they? It seems a little strange that before I eat my burger we’ll have a ‘starter’ of mini-burgers, yeah? Hell, even Chinese takeout joints in America had to adapt, take a page from Tiki restaurants and serve ‘Pu Pu platters’. The question - why? In my personal opinion, I believe Americans have a deep seeded desire to eat family-style. The beauty of the appetizer tray is that there’s no order-regret: everyone at the table’s eating the same thing. Even at a higher end restaurants, there’s something about a shared appetizer that feels relaxed, casual, and correct. And it’s precisely this reason why, while I do love Western food as well, I *vastly* prefer the Chinese restaurant experience - when all the dishes are shared, it makes the whole thing more… communal and fun? This is why I always roll my eyes a little bit when I see high end ‘modernized’ Chinese restaurants mimicking the structure of a Western restaurant in order to chase that Michelin star. If anything, I’d be much more interested in the roles flipped: I’d love to see Western food served in the same style as Chinese food is. Imagine a restaurant with a round table, a lazy susan, little ‘ganbei’ cups for beer, all serving a variety of large American-style appetizers. That’s what I want right there… 4. The peanuts were 18 minutes total for us. The timing range can vary depending on your pot and the oil quantity (and of course your flame). Sometimes took as much as a half an hour. Definitely make sure the oil temperature doesn’t get up too high though - for reference, in the video and all of the tests I never surpassed 130C. That's all I can think of for now. I'll sure I'll edit some more in later!

[@ThePeppeFarina]

you said correctly, antipasto, at the start of the video... aperitivo is a cocktail served with appetizers, antipasto comes before a proper meal ("anti-pasto" before the meal)

[@NewbiaLeogetti]

There is an American restaurant that is like what you describe. Monell's is a soul food restaurant in Nashville that serves all dishes family style -- think big platters of fried chicken, corn pudding, etc. Different parties are seated together at random at one of the big tables, and you don't pick your food, they just bring out the specials of the day. Imagine your grandma cooked Thanksgiving and invited a bunch of strangers over to eat too. It's one of my favorite eating experiences ever!

[@abeershukla3756]

qq

[@theboringchannel2027]

You can use SUGAR instead of salt on the daikon and you do not need to rinse it off either. Works even better with cucumbers.

[@Anonarchist]

"sprinkle on some more cilantro for extra soapiness" *dead*

[@DianeH2038]

^same! I remember how gross cilantro used to smell to me at first. can't imagine living w/o it now!

[@uasj2]

Some people (=my wife) totally hate cilantro/coriander. There is nothing they can do about it. It Is a strong repulsively soapy herbaceous taint that ruins whatever it’s added to. It’s deeper than other dislikes and needs to be respected by those (=me) who absolutely love it. They seem to be tasting something that the rest of us don’t.

[@OnlyARide]

James Atlas yeah it's genetic. Please be sensitive to our disability 😆

[@tt-ew7rx]

@@OnlyARide You mean your ability.

[@pinkmonkeybird2644]

I’m one of those people repulsed by cilantro; I try it periodically just to see if I’ve overcome my genetics, but it’s always gross to me. Anyone have suggestions for adequate substitutions for Chris and Sarah’s recipes? I usually leave it out and maybe just amplify the other flavors a bit, but I’m not sure that’s best.

[@busydadscooking001]

I made the sauce for my Chinese wife a few years ago and I got a (very) rare compliment: "This reminds me of my grandma's kitchen!! Make this again!" There are many variations but if you have more or less the same stuff it'll taste great anyway.

[@thisissteph9834]

Yeah, it's basically a Chinese vinegarette, as long as you got the ratio kinda correct then it'll be tasty~~ Super easy. When I'm lazy, I do a 3:1 soy sauce to vinegar mix, plus some sugar and sesame oil and call it a day, lol.

[@dodo-eu6ox]

You are a sweet husband

[@robertwang3799]

A very important notice for “Mu Er” the woody mushroom or wood ear fungus whatever you call it. Don’t soak it too long time! Especially in summer. Or it will become toxic! I suggest no more than 2 hours. And it’s better to change water 2 or 3 times. Usually it takes 30 mins from dry to totally soft. And don’t leave it raw and wet for a long time. After finish soaking, just boil it. The raw wet one no matter it’s in water or out of water will be toxic after a long time.

[@differentialequation9471]

Robert Wang Maybe boiled them will work?

[@robertwang3799]

@@differentialequation9471 yes, boiling is a mandotory detoxic process.

[@whatskraken3886]

i searched online and found no reference to any toxicity for 木耳

[@the1stcalling]

I had no idea what my mom’s sauce was growing up. We never knew the name of it besides what we would top freshly cut tomatoes with. Little did I know, we have been making Liangban sauce this entire time. Thank you for sharing this.

[@crabmansteve6844]

I was lucky enough for a massive Asian grocery to open near me, we had a smaller one, but the new one is so comprehensive, they have EVERYTHING. I even found caiziyou, it's made following along with you guys a breeze. Their fresh mushroom section makes me want to cry, it's astounding.

[@user-bz3kd2mt3u]

WHAT

[@JoeWDye]

Now Im super excited for when ever you you'll do the pickle episode!

[@Max-se3ii]

Love these videos with small appetizer ideas. You guys are a great channel!

[@vincentho4639]

Great visuals! I appreciate the amount of detail you put into making your videos. During my time at the CIA in NY i would refer to your videos to help me get through the Cuisine of Asia course!

[@doraima29]

Thank you so much for showing this. It has been a long time researching about how Chinese restaurants especially in Hong Kong serving these types of appetizers. And wondered if each of the restaurants have their own menu. And wondered how to make these at home. Almost like tapas in Spain and appetizers in any restaurant.

[@illatease]

Yeas! I look forward to trying your recipes. Thank you!

[@pabloschultz5192]

Big fan of both Chinese cooking and (lacto)fermenting. Can't wait for the video!

[@nidaxia9949]

Wow! You deserve a round of applause. I love her way of cooking and your skill of transferring the recipe to us easily

[@michigandave9680]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience. I am looking forward to the pickle video.

[@adamfolks1]

Fantastic as always. Thanks for sharing.

[@santoshghising8391]

I am your big fan.Thank you sooo much. Lots of love and respect 😘

[@no_chefs_here3194]

i am certainly a fan of the peanut side dish, the daikon looks amazing!

[@peabody1976]

I love these videos. I will say that since the move to Shunde and the balcony being filmed with the flat to the left, it feels like you're almost a mirror of your old flat in Shenzhen. :) I will probably try that pickle with Korean radish. The mu'er looks really good, since I love mushrooms/fungi. I will try the peanut recipe with something different since I'm allergic (maybe edamame, once I soaked and dried them).

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Well, if you ever want to try the fried peas, here's where I left off... Let dried peas soak 24 hours in the fridge. I tried a soak with just water, water + a touch of vinegar, water + a touch of alkaline water. Water + vinegar did the best. There was one recipe online that soaked in beer - I didn't go that route because I doubted it was traditional or the way a factory would do it, but they did get a nice end result. That would be my next go at it, probably. Do the same process as here, but once it comes up to ~100C, shut off the heat and let it cool back down. Repeat that process two more times, then let it go until cooked like here. Just like the peanuts, don't overdo it - they'll harden up after taking them out. Season with salt and sugar. It got close-ish, but the peas just didn't quite 'puff up' like I'm used to.

[@AntoniusTyas]

CHRIS, STEPH, THIS IS TOO SMOOTH FOR YOUR VIDEO I AM CONFUSED. That aside, liangban with wood-ear mushroom sounds interesting.

[@shiroineko13]

it is very tasty, but i am a sucker for anything sweat and sour.

[@hui-an-xin]

A comment on the fish sauce, interestingly, when I was in Qingdao over the summer, the family I was staying with like to use fish sauce for their cold dishes, as well as dressing for seafood. I've yet to have the experience of having fish sauce in my many times in Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Beijing, so it was very interesting. I wonder how common it is, they were a perfectly local Shangdong family, so I was not expecting it at all. And yes, oh my god, fried peanuts, fried peanuts everywhere.

[@thisissteph9834]

Jiaodong Pennisula (the east side of Shandong province) also produces fish sauce, they call it "虾油" (shrimp oil). It's not too common in Shandong, but you do see it here and there in certain dishes.

[@pmchamlee]

What a spectacular video! [I am an OLD China guy who hasn't been back for 40 years] My memories of the full Chinese meal are still divine. I remember these "appetizers" and am so glad you shared them and the concept so other folks can get a good idea of the comprehensive combinations of flavors that accompany a full-on Chinese feast. 非常感謝你！🤠

[@3LLT33]

Nice cameo by the "walked away drunk with it" Tiger beer mug. I've got two!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha we've actually got three. One of them was from years ago when I was a drunken idiot and totally just walked away froms ome bar with my mug. Two were from the closing of an old expat bar in Shenzhen - La Casa - sort of a much beloved place among older expats here, but the owner Dave ended up getting pushed out by the landlord who wanted their own bar (long story).

[@slightlyoffthebeatentrack7322]

These look awesome and so easy - and easy to sub the oyster sauce for veggie oyster sauce in the first one! Can't wait to give these a go!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Oh yeah! Always blank on oyster sauce when labeling things vegetarian, damn. But yeah, swap for veggie oyster sauce or just skip it.

[@Emmas]

You talk me into this. I'm making 木耳花生 for dinner!

[@doraima29]

I wonder if you could feature dan tat especially the one with a silky egg custard and a shortbread crust or the wet and dry dough tart bases used in one.

[@OlliWilkman]

Yesterday I made the mushrooms in liangban sauce with some funnel chanterelles (Craterellus tubaeformis) that I picked in my parents' woods a few days earlier. With fresh mushrooms, I just blanched them and added the sauce. They turned out really good.

[@thisissteph9834]

Cool, glad you liked it. Would it be too garlicky for you?

[@danspragens4935]

A bit late to this, but to answer your question in the intro about "antipasto" vs. "aperitivo:" Antipasti (lit. before-meal) are small plates like appetizers, while aperitivi (like the French "apéritif") are light pre-meal drinks. That said, an aperitivo can be accompanied by some light snacks, and in some cases enough food to make the aperitivo a small meal in its own right. It's been a few years since I was last in Italy, so I may be missing some nuance here. But that should be in the ballpark.

[@DavidJYuan]

Nice labeled and organized fridge!

[@flikkie72]

That cold dish sauce is a lot like the one they use in Vietnam! But they use mint or Asian basil instead of coriander (where i did cooking classes at least) Really nice to see these! I miss Chinese food 😭

[@paulkim4481]

The liangban muer seems like it would be a good banchan, the sort of thing you can keep in the fridge and eat over a couple of days.

[@jadecummings8093]

Okay, Those Chinese appetizers looks so good, I wonder what it's tastes when I try it out. Great video and thanks for telling all about it! 😉

[@fasttasty7210]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@Cyberia398]

Your fridge looks unnaturally tidy!!!

[@thisissteph9834]

Yeah, right, so I'm a bit crazy when it comes to organizing stuff.

[@erinb4237]

@@thisissteph9834 can you teach me your ways? We just made the hike to our local Korean market, and the tofu, lotus root, and assorted deliciousness has turned our fridge into a nightmare. A very yummy nightmare, but a nightmare nonetheless

[@thisissteph9834]

@@erinb4237 I usually use same size lunch boxes to seperate different categories of stuff, label and stack them in the fridge (same size is soooo important as they can neatly stack and fit). The black ones we used in the video are the one I used in the fridge too. For things with irregular shape, use opened square container, lay them in according to categories, like perishable or dried non-perishable things. That's the basic idea.

[@PostPatriot]

If thats unnatural. You are a slob.

[@whatskraken3886]

the extra soapiness joke was hilarious

[@mbax9qx2]

Good job!

[@dimasakbar7668]

I just tried your liangban cold dish recipe using fresh cucumber; dried bad quality mu er, and organic fresh mu er. All of them taste so delicious (it mask the bad mu er bitterness), it may be most delicious quick small dishes i have ever tried. Many many thanks . If someone love red kimchi flavour profile, they will love liangban, heck it is arguably toe to toe with gyeotjorri. Authentically, beside ear mushroom, what do chinese people use with liangban sauce? thanks

[@chrisw7347]

the pickle video teaser... oh man. I want to learn how to make my own cai pu

[@busydadscooking001]

3:43: Refrigerator with calendar of upcoming delicious youtube videos scheduled :D

[@ericwitakiza1722]

Great meals

[@timmccarthy872]

Your fridge calendar is THE CUTEST. "Water plants: Every day"

[@timothysteadham331]

When I was in Shanghai, a cold dish that would often come first was a spicy peanut dish. The sauce was a spicy black sauce - perhaps vinegar and chili oil - with peanuts, onion, and hot peppers (line jalapeños but unsure if they were jalapeño or similar one). Got a recipe for this dish?

[@IceArdor]

Is pickled cabbage (泡菜) a common appetizer? How often do you see it seasoned with a few Sichuan peppercorns (花椒)?

[@iceblue1457]

Where can we buy those porcelain dishes you used in your video? They're so beautiful. Thank you.

[@JNYC-gb1pp]

I love going to the Chinese superstore to pick up some basics but the problem for me is that all the containers are SO HUGE that I don't use them enough to use them up and they sit in my cupboard for years! The Japanese store has much smaller bags of stuff.

[@ShinpenKyojitsu]

In Chinese medicine you soak the peanuts to reduce how much “Fire” they have, no idea if it’s related but I have an allergy unless I soak em so sometimes maybe it is necessary

[@Satoshi9801]

I love pickled radish. If only my stomach did, too. Anyhow, interesting selection of bites.

[@TomMaynard--TCM--]

I paused, had to laugh, and listened again, "Did he say 'noir?" I listened three times until I got it,

[@carlosagulto560]

Pls show how to make different types of dimsums...I would like to make them for my restaurant

[@vasilias7987]

i must try that peanut

[@sarcasmo57]

Hey mate, even though I just brushed my teeth your video has my mouth watering again! Cheers for the link. Yeah, we just moved house and will totally be making more videos very soon (I seem to say that a lot though). That Asian Woman will be going back to her home town very soon and I have told her to film her mum and dad at work. Her mum has a small tofu business, and her dad brews, distills, and sells baijiu. If she can pull off the filming it should be interesting. Anyhoo... Loving your work, keep it up.

[@thisissteph9834]

Hey dude, nice to hear from you again! We are definitely looking forward to more vids!

[@skaldjfhrulez]

Can you do a video on how to sharpen a Chinese cleaver?

[@chronicallycooking8905]

I’m American we will eat burgers for dinner with sliders as the appetizer before and on the sliders normally have are small serving of pickles.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

The American way ;)

[@stephenharris]

Cliff hanger: What did you do with your pickle juice...?

[@kommissarkush2402]

For frying the peanuts, when cooling off, sprinkle a splash of baijiu over the hot peanuts, then let it cool off. The peanuts will be extra crunchy if being cooled off this way.

[@hugodesrosiers-plaisance3156]

For lacto-ferments, be sure to take a look at Joshua Weissman's channel. He does some super cool stuff with the technique.

[@BlackMamba-mh5vw]

As a bonafide 老外，I love authentic Chinese food😃🤸🏼‍♀️

[@Sherirose1]

To make fried chickpeas, check out fried channa from Real Nice Guyana .

[@PsychoEkan]

how long can you keep the "quick pickles" or is it not recomended to keep them any longer when they are "done"?

[@thisissteph9834]

It can stay in the pickle sauce for up to 5 days but in the end, the daikon shrinks a bit. Then you can put another batch of daikon in, the sauce keeps for about 2 weeks.

[@PsychoEkan]

@@thisissteph9834 Thanks :)

[@normanmarino7285]

You can microwave the tree ear mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes and you are ready to go.

[@hellobello3153]

@4:01 extra soapiness. Glad you feel the same. Still enjoy it though.

[@peachmelba1000]

The best liangban I have had was a simple salad of peanuts, sesame oil and chinese celery.

[@thisissteph9834]

Oh, yeah, peanut with celery is a northern classic. Sometimes in the same style, they do tofu skin with celery~ also delicious.

[@PinochleFrog]

Totally apropos to nothing here but I bought a bag of dried "Vietnamese black fungus" on a rampage at Hong Kong Market recently, would these be a reasonable 1-to-1 for Wood Ear mushrooms in dishes like Liangban or Hot&Sour soup?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Same thing just a different size. The one we were working with is generally considered 'better' (softer) but those are totally good to use. Just tear in smaller pieces.

[@bvskitchen1045]

👌👌👌

[@Killerchloe1217]

that daikon pickle recipe is identical to a korean side dish recipe I use.

[@thisissteph9834]

That's interesting. We had this at Cantonese restaurants and I found several Chinese radish pickles recipe then combine and adjust to the taste. Guess the dish we have at the restaurants here came down from the north, huh. But it just feels so Cantonese as it's sweet, savory and umami.

[@slim9798]

My favourite cold dish that I've tried is chilli pig ear, would you know if this lianban sauce is used to make that? Or does it use a red oil type sauce

[@thisissteph9834]

This sauce can also be used on it. But for the classic one, it's usually a red chili oil+garlic sauce, kinda similar to the suan ni bai rou flavor: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZbLi5luobatma8, but less sweet, heavier on the chili oil.

[@slim9798]

@@thisissteph9834 Ok great thanks, I'll try something along those lines

[@mia1997108]

is there a perticular reason for the distilled water in the last recipe?

[@vimo1601]

I wish you would taste the food at the end and describe the taste to us :)

[@SkeeterMcBeater]

Lol. Did you say extra soapiness?

[@werdfeefs7027]

As a vegetarian in the west, Chinese food uses so much more sugar than I ever would have guessed! It blows my mind because it shows up all sorts of places I wouldn't think to add it.

[@normanmarino7285]

I microwave my wood ear mushrooms in water and watch them grow. It works great and quick .

[@AlucardXIX]

So there was a Strictly Dumpling video a while back where he got an appetizer of peanuts in dark vinegar at a Chinese restaurant in Japan. Would you just do the same thing here and add them to dark vinegar or is that a totally different kind of app?

[@thisissteph9834]

The vinegar-soaked peanuts can be categorized as quick "pickles". Those are boiled peanuts soaked in vinegar, taste pretty good~

[@AlucardXIX]

@@thisissteph9834 I haven't found any kind of recipe for them myself, something I've really wanted to try

[@ethanlaw]

@@thisissteph9834 would love a recipe for this!

[@ElementEvilTeam]

"Red stomach" appetizer

[@David_T]

For the fried peanuts, are you starting with raw peanuts or roasted peanuts?

[@thisissteph9834]

Raw ones~

[@AnhTrieu90]

Can we reuse the pickling liquid for another batch?

[@thisissteph9834]

Yes, sure. The liquid can last for about 1-2 weeks, make sure your daikon is dried on the surface and not extra water got mixed in, it should be fine.

[@OptimusWombat]

Where's the pickled jellyfish?

[@ws.hicks14]

Off-topic but your video kinda reinforce the idea; someone just pointed out to me that Chinese food doesn't really have raw vegetable, the closest is pickled or marinated veggie, just like what you have shown. Looking through your vids, the closest I found was Ningmeng Sa which had raw veggies in there. So, is it true that Chinese food doesn't really eat raw veggie? Is there any reason behind it? By the way, by raw veggie, I don't mean it need to be salad but any dish that has a substantial amount of raw veggies at all. Ex. in Thai food we eat 'Nam Prik' which are variety of relishes eaten with raw veggies. On the other hand. I really like to know how to make the boiled peanuts you mentioned though. Found them in restaurants in Singapore. There's a whiff of five spices to them and the peanuts are so tender, but with a little texture from the skin. Mmmm.

[@killham1337]

The I only veggie I can think of being eaten raw here in Fujian is cucumber for liangban cucumber, if I think of something later I will try to find my way back to this comment. Raw salad leaves are often used for decoration but not eaten. Cherry tomatoes are eaten raw but considered fruit, not veggie. At the end of a Chinese dinner you often get a fruit plate for dessert and at least here that usually has cherry tomatoes, normal tomatoes are considered veggies Once when visiting my girlfriends family she made me make a salad, her aunt just looked at it smiling, shook her head and said "raw vegetables, I don't dare eat that". No one else ate it either...

[@killham1337]

As for the boiled peanuts you just boil raw peanuts with plenty of salt and the flavours you want. Don't use five spice powder, instead go for the whole spices, five spice if i remember correctly would be: cinnamon/cassia, star anise, sechuan pepper, cloves and fennel seeds. Boil for quite a long time (I think at least half an hour) tasting for texture until you're happy. I think it can also be done with ready to eat dry peanuts for a considerably shorter time, just soak in boiling water infused with the spices for a bit. Booth should be done with peanuts in their shells

[@killham1337]

Come to think of it the peanuts don't need to be in their shells but it is a good trick to keep your guests from finishing them to quickly

[@thisissteph9834]

To answer your question and provide some extra info here: For the boiled peanuts, if you're using dried ones, you'd wanna soak them overnight first, so that you can cut the cooking time significantly. The tips provided by ​ @William Emanuelssonis is basically how people do it. If you wanna do shells on, then use fresh shell-on peanuts, wash them clean, cook them in spiced salt water (it should be slightly saltier than a soup but not so much, fresh peanut absorb flavors pretty well). Cook for about an hour and let it cool down. As for raw vegetables, it's not a common thing to have as a dish in China. I love Nam Prik, and I also saw the Dai people in Yunnan has a very similar (basically the same version) that's called Nam Mi. But they'd use fresh cucumber or blanched okra, I remember the long beans are also blanched. You'll definitely find most raw food in the ethnic regions in Yunnan. In Cantonese food, there's lettuce wrap that uses raw lettuce. Smash cucumber all over the country uses fresh cucumber. There's a mixed vegetable salad called "大拌菜/da ban cai", literally meaning "big mixed vegetables" in the Northwest China that uses assorted raw vegetables. People in the north like to eat raw garlic along with with their meal (noodles especially), does that count as raw veggie? Yeah, not so much raw veggies or raw food in general. It's a cultural thing that goes deep. But western-style salad is really gaining popularity among the younger generation living in bigger cities.

[@ws.hicks14]

Wow, thanks to you both, William and Steph, the boiled peanuts are way simpler than I thought. Will try it some day.

[@Situbusit]

Yum!! And all of them are easily vegan - thanks guys!!

[@kevinfmchugh]

Good that someone is subtly pointing out lazy editing by Serious Eats

[@brokenspine66]

Maybe it's similar to Spanish Tapas.

[@jeremyruhland6645]

Any tips for making pickled daikon not smell like death? My family forbids it from the fridge.

[@gewreid5946]

Hmm, if you have jar or something that's airtight, maybe that might help?

[@uasj2]

Hmm, have you smelled death? Diakon is fine!

[@Sherirose1]

Why is China so far? I want to visit these restaurants.

[@chanceDdog2009]

MSG stands for My Savory Good friend

[@pradanamardya1851]

Wait, i always eat all of those with rice

[@nurlagrande]

I literally watch this channel religiously.

[@robertlee5456]

I pray every time I try to cook one of these dishes, too.

[@kentwu8407]

👍

[@joshelguapo5563]

Huh, I always thought Liang ban had vinegar in it. I guess it's just the ingredients

[@user-uh2ll4uu3g]

liangban cold dish hahahahahaha! My favorite!

[@thisissteph9834]

Sup girl~ lol

[@catmansion]

I see you using SE, there. Good. Good.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Of 'generalized cooking' (i.e. resources that aren't specializing in Chinese cooking), SeriousEats is actually one of the better resources for Chinese food - specifically, Kenji and Chichi Wang.

[@catmansion]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified That's good to know! I'm always concerned, especially for Asian recipes, about how 'legitimate' the directions are (that's why your channel is so great) ever since I had to go translate a recipe for 'eel sauce' from a historic recipe on a Japanese blog because literally all of the ones on the English web were just thin, sad, soy sauce concoctions.

[@jonathanswarnapati9833]

6:25 I saw an insect flew outside the jar.

[@aierce]

Why did you heat up the salt? Chemically that should do nothing?

[@angfeng9601]

the salt helps a uniform heat transfer

[@Sherirose1]

The chick peas is soaked overnight ,dried , crushed garlic,salt and pepper added ,fried high , drained. Be careful, it pops and you could sustain a nasty burn.

[@Gkowi]

2:53 So does the water have to specifically be pool water, or can i use any kind of water I have?

[@Goddot]

I guess it's up to the taste of your local water: we have pretty good tap water, all my pickling's done with it and tastes great, but some cities add chlorine to keep the water clear of bacteria and it doesn't taste too great.

[@HateNeverCeasesHate]

why do the pickles need to be dry before you added them to the pickling liquid? They are just getting wet again...

[@munirahbakar4123]

So that the pickling solution is not diluted

[@otto3207]

How much of a actual thing spring rolls are in chinese cooking? why are they so popular in the west?

[@TheFlippyNioa]

I've been wondering the same thing! I was trying to find some at my asian market in the freezer section, but all i can find are loads of different dumpling/gyoza varieties and steamed buns. The gyoza is pretty kickass though so i'll take it.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Sorry for the delay! Spring rolls are a classic Cantonese dim sum dish. I can't think of any time I've ever seen them outside of that context, but I could be blanking. Maybe once or twice as a street snack? Definitely not an 'appetizer', per se. At Dim Sum they're often served alongside Worcestershire sauce for dipping. As for why they're popular in the West? I mean... they're crispy deep fried things. Even the pickiest eaters in the world would have a tough time saying no to a Spring Roll haha. I imagine the takeout joints started carrying them way back in the day because (1) they're easy to enjoy and (2) they look interesting.

[@jojotwice8918]

Can we request eggtarts?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

It'll definitely happen in the next few months if we can swing it. It's the last of the 'big four' (Siu Mai, Har Gow, Char Siu Bao, & Egg Tart) that we still've had yet to tackle.

[@xiehe5186]

Please set up a Bilibili channel! I want to share this to my friends in mainland!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

We were thinking on tossing these videos on Baidu cloud just for people here in the mainland to download... ultimately if we wanted to so sth on Chinese social media I think we'd wanna teach people how to cook Western food ;)

[@xiehe5186]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified I send my mom a few video clips on WeChat (10-15 seconds long). She actually watches this to learn English lol. That such a good idea teaching people how to cook Western food using ingredients that are available in China.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha yeah we should definitely do something. Actually, I've got a friend that's teaching English to hotel staff and he's been using these videos as an activity with them. It's just another thing we gotta do though... we're only two people after all :) Soon Steph's gunna be quitting her full time job, so we should have a bit more time later on!

[@ABurgess]

Mmm soapiness

[@yuzuyuzu8870]

those are some big tablespoons

[@phantasmaleye3879]

if i'm vegan can i not use oyster sauce

[@kosherpig5878]

the person who eats chiken wings like that 0:12 , he or she should be in prison

[@jenilynneful]

What is the hyper-firm tofu called?

[@kommissarkush2402]

'dougan' aka 豆干