Preserved mustard root like this (often labeled “Sichuan Preserved Vegetable”) can be found in cans or jars in your Chinese market. Once opened, they’ll last for months in a sealed container in the fridge. You don’t need much to add big flavor to dishes.
Dan Dan noodles are an ultra-simple dish of cold or warm noodles placed in a bowl with a ladleful of highly seasoned sauce poured on top. In this vegan version, starch-laden noodle game Updates|https://Noodleinsight.com/ water is used in place of chicken stock to bind the sauce to the noodles, and dry-fried mushrooms are used to give the meatiness and texture usually imparted by pork. It’s finished off with fermented chili bean paste, black vinegar, pickled mustard root, and plenty of hot chili oil. Gentlemen, start your slurpring.
One of the problems with ordering dan dan noodles at a Chinese restaurant is that you never know exactly what you’ll get. Are they gonna deliver the hardcore Sichuan version swimming in red-hot chile oil and laced with pickled zha cai (mustard root) and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns? Or can you expect the equally delicious but totally different Chinese-American version with more pork, a vinegary soy-based sauce, perhaps some greens, and a sprinkling of peanuts?
“German Riesling is the ultimate answer to this question. Find a lighter bodied riesling like a kabinett for the ma po tofu. A richer spatlese or auslese style for the duck to hang out with the fat. Pairing with Asian food is complex because there are so many flavor components. Spicy, sweet, fatty, tangy…Riesling easily handles all of those flavors. Don’t be afraid of wines with a little sweetness to them! They can really be excellent for pairing.”— Adam Chumas, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Seattle
“With Chinese food, my basic advice is to pick a wine that has great acidity that will get your mouth watering for all of the different textures within the cuisine. The foods can often be fatty or fried so wine with great acidity will cut through the fat and make for a great pairing. With spicy dishes in particular, I like a wine with great aromatics and a bit of residual sugar. A Riesling or Gewürztraminer is a great choice as the sugar helps with heat. With a sweeter Chinese dish that involves pork or duck, a red burgundy is an amazing option. I would not go with a Pinot Noir that is overly ripe and sweet as you can normally get that addition with a hoisin sauce; instead, I would choose a balanced red burgundy that has some mushroom flavors and girth to it. Make sure the red you pick has some tannin as it will help cut through a fatty meat. For an overall pick that will go with any of the dishes on the table, the best white is a Vouvray as it has nice aromatics. I really like the amazing value Vouvray from Bourillon Dorleans– the pear and fig notes complement a variety of dishes. For a red that will go with anything, I like a nice fruity Gamay. My pick would be the Morgon from Foillard.”— Natalie Tapken, Burger & Barrel, Lure (NYC)
Yes, these are derivative of jalapeño poppers, but jalapeños are great, refried beans are great, and golden brown and crunchy is great, so why not stick them all together? Crisp on the outside and creamy in the middle, they come out of the fryer super hot, so make sure you’ve got plenty of cold beer on-hand.
Fried-things-in-sandwiches has been a recurring theme throughout Vegan Month, and for good reason; they’re delicious! Here is sandwich #3: tempura-battered oyster mushrooms with simmered daikon root. The two play off each other to make a crunchy, savory, chewy filling, and are perfectly complemented by a miso-agave mayonnaise .
If you only ever eat cucumbers raw or pickled, you aren’t using the vegetable to its full potential. Salting and lightly cooking cucumbers tenderizes them, turning their crunch into a meaty bite. One of our favorite ways to cook cucumbers is in this easy stir-fry, seasoned with marinated ground pork, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
To Finish : Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain. While noodles are cooking, heat oil in a wok or a small skillet over high heat until smoking. Add pork and preserved vegetable and cook, stirring and shaking constantly, using a spatula or a spoon to break up pork until cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
The second great thing about making dan dan noodles—it’s an exceedingly simple dish to make. Once you’ve put together your roasted chile vinaigrette (which holds for months in the fridge, by the way), it’s just a matter of cooking your noodles, frying your chopped pork, and throwing everything together.
Crispy fried sope shells, followed by a rich and creamy layer of refried beans , a drizzle of hot and tangy salsa verde, crunchy toasted pepitas, and a fresh sprinkle of onions, jalapeños, and cilantro make for a filling meal with a whole slew of textures.
J. Kenji López-Alt
Recipes abound for General Tso’s chicken, one of the most iconic dishes in the takeout canon. All of them, however, seem to consist of chicken fried in a crispy shell, then tossed in a sweet, glossy sauce flavored with garlic, ginger, dried chilies, soy sauce, and sesame oil, among other ingredients. Our biggest complaint about the formula is that overly sugary sauce, which we balance in this recipe with a good amount of vinegar. A couple of tablespoons of vodka and a little marinade added to the batter result in a supremely crunchy, well-textured coating.
