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Chinese takeaway - do you always get the same?

Started by Barry Admin, November 20, 2021, 05:40:08 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Always the same?

Same dish for years
Alternate between a small number
Different every time
Quote from: stonkers on November 21, 2021, 12:12:11 PMSoooooo.....not chicken Maryland then?

They're blatantly just making it up as they go along aren't they.  It's tikka massala for the European Dishes orderers.


Consider my hat fucked because that's absolutely what I thought chicken Maryland was until now. I definitely used to get it from the Chinese when I was very wee and more of a fussy eater, I remember being horrified by accidentally biting into the banana fritter thinking it was chicken. My mum would make herself fairly often as well.

I remember thinking Maryland must be next to Anniesland in Glasgow when I saw that on the menu for a Chinese takeaway when I was visiting relatives up that way. Must be the local delicacy, I thought.

Seven or eight twenty-eight years old I was, of course.


Kankurette

Generally it'll be something with tofu, but what I have with the tofu varies.

Ferris

Quote from: Big Mclargehuge on November 22, 2021, 08:06:57 PMGenerally it's always:

Sweet and sour Chicken/Praw balls
Singapore/Chicken/Beef Chow Mein
and a Hot and Spicy Soup or Salt and chilli chips.

at least a couple of times a year me and the missus will order something "out there" just to see what it's like. but we always come back to the core above items

My man.

imitationleather

Last time we ordered from a Chinese takeaway we got the Munchie Box.

Never again!

While most (if not all) of the fare available at the Chinese place is far superior to that shitshow, I have to be honest and say that Chinese food is pretty low down the takeaway league table for me. Living in the centre of Newcastle there's an embarrassment of choice and I'll very rarely go for Chinese over what else is on offer.

Ferris

Quote from: imitationleather on November 22, 2021, 11:36:07 PMLiving in the centre of Newcastle ... I'll very rarely go for Chinese over what else is on offer.

I see - and how is the [insert funny/bad food here]?!!!

imitationleather


Ferris


shoulders

After infecting us all with deadly voris i am boycotting China food for 3-6 months

mothman

Ever since I read this thread I've been craving crispy chilli beef, and so gosh darn it I'm having some tonight! With fried rice.

pancreas

Quote from: imitationleather on November 22, 2021, 11:36:07 PMLast time we ordered from a Chinese takeaway we got the Munchie Box.

Never again!

While most (if not all) of the fare available at the Chinese place is far superior to that shitshow, I have to be honest and say that Chinese food is pretty low down the takeaway league table for me. Living in the centre of Newcastle there's an embarrassment of choice and I'll very rarely go for Chinese over what else is on offer.

You need to know where to go. There are not many good places.

Sky Chinese for dim sum / cantonese (their crispy beef and egg fried rice are exemplary)
Infusion for sichuan/north-east chinese
La Yuan for sichuan if money is no object
Pop-up wok for HK street food, if it is ever open
Chinatown express for roasted meats
The dim sum in grainger market is also very good, if a little lacking in chew

mothman

Crispy Chilli Beef update: came in a sweet & sour sauce. So was therefore more Chewy Chilli Beef. Feeling disappointed and unsatisfied.
Spoiler alert
That's what she said.
[close]

shoulders

Daddy up in heaven with the angels now got his Kung PO w/ chinese chips from GOLDEN VALLEY OLDHAM 🍟😇😭🙏

wooders1978

Sweet and sour chicken, Hong Kong style
Char Sui chow mein
Egg fried rice

Occasionally will mix things up and do chicken and cashew nuts in yellow bean sauce and if I'm feeling really generous I'll Chuck a crispy chilli beef in the mix

flotemysost

I know this is a takeaway thread, but I went into the older, less exciting looking Asian supermarket that's near me tonight (as opposed to the newer shiny hipster one which has its own Instagram account and everything) and it's brilliant, they sell pretty much everything including the stuff that caters to my inauthentic basic bitch English tastes, as well as actual kitchen utensils for steaming rice and noodle bowls and all sorts. Never looking back. The other one does sell booze, though.

I got a medium fry up some tom yum soup paste, prawn crackers, a tin of kimchi and a bag of frozen wonton. If I need to isolate any time soon I'm sorted

the science eel

Quote from: imitationleather on November 22, 2021, 11:36:07 PMLast time we ordered from a Chinese takeaway we got the Munchie Box.

Never again!

While most (if not all) of the fare available at the Chinese place is far superior to that shitshow, I have to be honest and say that Chinese food is pretty low down the takeaway league table for me. Living in the centre of Newcastle there's an embarrassment of choice and I'll very rarely go for Chinese over what else is on offer.

There's a Chinese supermarket near George Street and they do the cheapest canteen shit - three quid Thai curries and chow mein. I always go there when I'm in town.

but it's shite so yeah, I get what you're saying 

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: flotemysost on November 29, 2021, 10:14:50 PMI know this is a takeaway thread, but I went into the older, less exciting looking Asian supermarket that's near me tonight (as opposed to the newer shiny hipster one which has its own Instagram account and everything) and it's brilliant, they sell pretty much everything including the stuff that caters to my inauthentic basic bitch English tastes, as well as actual kitchen utensils for steaming rice and noodle bowls and all sorts. Never looking back. The other one does sell booze, though.

I got a medium fry up some tom yum soup paste, prawn crackers, a tin of kimchi and a bag of frozen wonton. If I need to isolate any time soon I'm sorted

There's one like that here (and two less good ones) in the snack bit there's an entire shelf rack dedicated to different flavours of dried pea!

flotemysost

That sounds great! I know what I'm stocking up on in my next trip.

dissolute ocelot

Quote from: pigamus on November 22, 2021, 08:13:00 PMI learned as a student in Cardiff many years ago that anywhere trying to be both a Chinese and a chip shop should be avoided like the plague
Deep frying is one of the basic skills of Chinese cookery, and maybe the only one you can't replicate at home (unless you have a really good deep fryer and don't mind cleaning it a lot). But frying real chips seems fundamentally different from frying Chinese food - I guess part of it is the Chinese go for light, flavorless oil, and want it quick and crisp not lovely and stodgy.

mothman

I'm sure you'll all be relieved to learn that last night I was finally able to source some definitely-crispy not-chewy chilli beef. Happy now.

Dex Sawash

Went to Red Lotus for lunch today and they don't do Genghis Khan tofu any more, had to get thai basil tofu which I reckon is my new always same thing.

TrenterPercenter

#110
Love Chinese takeaway food; one of my formative memories is the old man having a good week and treating us to some Chinese food; I can remember sitting on one of those cheap plastic chairs you got back then, feet not even touching the floor waiting for our order.  Then eating a few prawn crackers on the way back as "payment" for coming with him.

My mum (as she would always do in her thrifty ways) learnt how to cook homemade versions which of course tasted different but were still great; which meant I learnt how to cook some stuff myself from quite young age.  I knocked out a couple of dishes tonight as it happens; chicken wings in oyster sauce, egg fried rice and bok choi in garlic sauce; all great and much healthier; but no stodgy batter coated goodness dipped in sugary-sourery red goo.



Cold Meat Platter

Been trying to do char siu recently but can't quite get it tasting as I'm used to it from restaurants, although it is tasty. There seems to be a kind of floral note missing, maybe rose water?

holyzombiejesus

I used to really enjoy Chinese food when I lived in Manchester. Our local takeaway in Chorlton (YeoPans) did some really ace vegetarian stuff and their mock chicken/ tofu satay was so good. We'd also go to Red Chilli on Portland Street and that was fantastic too. Unfortunately, where I live now we're limited to takeaways that deliver and the choice is dreadful. The one nearest us ('Wonderful' - ha!) can't even do decent chips. Just inedible gunk.

TrenterPercenter

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on December 05, 2021, 09:48:15 PMBeen trying to do char siu recently but can't quite get it tasting as I'm used to it from restaurants, although it is tasty. There seems to be a kind of floral note missing, maybe rose water?

Depends on what you are trying to emulate; my friends wife is from Bejing her mum makes an incredible char siu which is traditional but tastes nothing like what you would get from a takeaway.  A lot of the time it is because of the processes involved in preserving and mass producing stuff that makes things taste the way they do (and consistently).

I've made traditional style char siu before; if you are not using the red fermented bean paste then that is probably why you are not getting the floral taste; here is a good recipe https://madewithlau.com/recipes/char-siu-chinese-bbq-pork

Cold Meat Platter

Quote from: TrenterPercenter on December 05, 2021, 10:08:29 PMDepends on what you are trying to emulate; my friends wife is from Bejing her mum makes an incredible char siu which is traditional but tastes nothing like what you would get from a takeaway.  A lot of the time it is because of the processes involved in preserving and mass producing stuff that makes things taste the way they do (and consistently).

I've made traditional style char siu before; if you are not using the red fermented bean paste then that is probably why you are not getting the floral taste; here is a good recipe https://madewithlau.com/recipes/char-siu-chinese-bbq-pork

Yeah using the red fermented bean curd, maybe not enough. Been watching that guy's YouTube channel, wholesome stuff and well explained.

TrenterPercenter

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on December 05, 2021, 10:10:52 PMYeah using the red fermented bean curd, maybe not enough. Been watching that guy's YouTube channel, wholesome stuff and well explained.

Might be that or it could be rose rice wine which is commonly used not sure whether rose water would pass.

Another recipe here that uses it (this website is really good as well)

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/char-siu-chinese-bbq-pork/

Also from the same website - if you've not made this yet then get on it asap

https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/crispy-pork-belly-siu-yuk/