More food of China

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:30 pm

I should have had this meal when I first arrived. This Sichuan samples is a variety of traditional Chengdu dishes, all in small portions that allowed me to sample each without feeling guilty not finishing one. An excellent meal and highly recommended.

[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food124.jpg[/img2]

First up is this thick and oily greenish-brown paste. The copped nuts act as if it will be more enticing to eat this now that it has a familiar garnish. Still looks like it came out of a baby-diaper to me. It was actually a "butter" made from nuts, just like our peanut butter... only sweeter, and not from peanuts. It was good... but eating a bowl of nut butter? I'm thirsty.

How about some bean soup. Served at room temperature, this black bean soup tasted just like black beans boiled in water. Next!

Now for something even more bland, Rice water tastes exactly as it sounds.

Wonton soup! Yes, I know this.. and this is the best I have ever had. Powerful chicken flavor coming from the center of these noodles.

Pork dumplings in chili oil. Excellent. I loved these.

Rice noodles in a chili oil. Hot hot hot!

This classic Sichuan dish has been featured on Bizarre Foods. Those noodles are made from cutting tofu. The sauce is some of the hottest around. Delicious but painful to eat.

A steamed pork dumping. What's not to like. These are simply perfect. I would eat them every day if I could.

Pickles in chili oil. The cool and tang of the pickles really contrast with the chili oil. It makes for an interesting snack. Not sure I could make a meal of it.

Roast duck.

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:51 pm

Craving some hunks of meat... so, time for some Korean-style BBQ!

Sat at a table with a huge exhaust hood over it, and the lighting was horrible for photography. So here are just a few photos of the many meats we ate. My favorite was actually the grilled slices of lotus root. Warm and crispy.
The meats were great, but they were all slim cuts, not very filling.
It was also very awkward to have the waitress come to the table over and over bringing new meats and grilling them on the burner right between the two of us.

The hot coals were delivered as we sat down.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food135.jpg[/img2]

Just like with hotpot, I had a dish of flavored sauce to dip the BBQ in.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food136.jpg[/img2]

When meats are done grilling, they are moved you the end of the grill and new raw meat is added to the center. Potential for cross contamination here, but oh well.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food137.jpg[/img2]

Pork belly
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food138.jpg[/img2]

Lamb chops
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food139.jpg[/img2]

All done
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food140.jpg[/img2]

Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:58 pm

Walking through the streets and passing literally thousands of vendor carts, there area a variety of striking sights and smells. There are probably some that are irresistible to the typical Chinese, and by my guess it was the "Meats on sticks" variety. I couldn't resist salivating when I passed by vendors shoveling around chestnuts in a fiery mix of gravel and coals. Roasted chestnuts are a Christmas smell to us, and you can find it on any street corner in china year-round. I picked up a back of these sweet meaty treats. An excellent snack, but for 10 yuan (about $1.60), it was just too much for me to handle at one time.

[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food141.jpg[/img2]

Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:28 pm

A night at one of Chengdu's most renowned beef restaurants.

Sichuan was a part of the silk road, so it is no surprise food elements like this mediterranean couscous makes it into dishes like this beef pasta.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food142.jpg[/img2]

A cold dish of thin, fatty slabs of beef covered in nuts and spices.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food143.jpg[/img2]

Beef fried in chili oil and vegetables. Very hot!
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food144.jpg[/img2]

Even hotter. Beef flashed fried with peppers and onions in Sichuan pepper and chili oil. So hot it made my eyes water.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food145.jpg[/img2]

Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:39 pm

Another night of Hot Pot...
Though this time the style was a bit more modern. Prime cuts of beef were the staple and each of us had a large bowl of fresh veggies to cook too. I had some tofu, but it was a bit fishy (bacteria harvested from fish is used to make certain types of tofu). I definitely enjoyed the veggies.
I wussed out and got the mild broth again.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food146.jpg[/img2]

You can see how complicated this meal gets. The tables was packed with dishes.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food147.jpg[/img2]

Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:42 pm

I did some candy shopping in china. The supermarkets have a nice selection of modern and traditional candies but preserved beef and fruits are more commonplace.
This is one Chinese candy I tried. It's was like knock-off Starbursts, only small, softer and less flavorful. I still ate the whole bag though.

Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:51 pm

Another round of Sichuan food for lunch.

This is fried pork and scallions. Very delicious.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food149.jpg[/img2]

This dish has to be one of the best I have had in china. I had it once last year and it was great, but this time it was perfect.
This corn is slightly breaded with salted egg yolks and corn starch, then fried until crispy. A bit of sugar is added to balance the salt out. IT is an amazing snack food and I think it could become extremely popular in the US as a festival food or at ball games. A cup of these and a spoon would rock. I'm going to try to whip up a batch at home.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food150.jpg[/img2]

Pork and cabbage soup.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food151.jpg[/img2]

Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:51 pm

My last meal in Chendu, Sichuan. Sentimental. I am becoming very familiar with the streets here and the cuisine especially. I'm not sure if I will ever be back.
We eat on a street that is a replica of ancient china, now filled with vendors selling traditional dishes. I'm given a variety of these dishes.

Pig intestines with sweet potato noodles.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food152.jpg[/img2]

The drink: a rice soup... served at room temp... that is sweet and a has a nice fermented kick. I liked this.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food154.jpg[/img2]

Tofu with noodles, smothered in veggies, beans and nuts.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food155.jpg[/img2]

I love dumplings... and these were delicious!!
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food157.jpg[/img2]

This was actually one of the first things I ate in china, but didn't photograph it then because I was walking while eating, which is what I saw a lot of people do there. These must be the "mall pretzels" of china, in which they are irresistibly tasty , easy to eat, and readily available. Its a circle of crispy fried dough. I little dense in the center. I can't really explain the taste... this one was vegetarian, but it tasted meaty. The first one I had on the street, was stuffed with meat.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food156.jpg[/img2]

These two snacks are like waffle pockets folded in half. One has strawberry jelly in it (not impressed as it was straight from a western jam bottle) and the other had some meat in it.
[img2]http://www.nyfalls.com/posts/china-food2/food153.jpg[/img2]