No, gluten isn't starch. It's protein. I've seen wheat starch in Chinese grocers.

JoelF wrote:No, gluten isn't starch. It's protein. I've seen wheat starch in Chinese grocers.

I guess I was being hopeful, because I do have a box of gluten.

Reading this comparative of between corn, wheat, potato and arrowroot starches was interesting. In a pinch, I could double the cornstarch until I get the wheat.

Regards,

Not chow fun, pan fried wheat noodle with stir fried chicken thigh and Chinese broccoli. Pan fried noodles make me happy!


Pan fried noodles, count me a Fan!

I know what brand of chili oil someone uses when they are apparently out of homemade.
I have two Chinese friends at work that pointed me to that brand. I dig it.

seebee wrote:I know what brand of chili oil someone uses when they are apparently out of homemade.
I have two Chinese friends at work that pointed me to that brand. I dig it.

Good eye! First is my chili oil followed closely by my recipe made by a friend such as Ronnie_Suburban. House chili oil from Sun Wah, which they sell by the pint when asked, comes in third.

When out of all the former Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp makes a tasty substitute and is readily available at most any Asian grocery for a hyper reasonable price.

I’ve tried making chow fun at home several times but I have issues getting the noodles not to clump together and then just disintegrate.

Gary,

You put the fun back in chow fun. Looks delicious!

=R=

In Gary's chili oil recipe, he references the dried chili's to be hot and fresh. The fresh part is where I get lost. Do dried chili's lose something over time? Is there a "rule" as to when the dried peppers are best? Thanks.

Octarine wrote:I’ve tried making chow fun at home several times but I have issues getting the noodles not to clump together and then just disintegrate.

SeriousEats has a recipe, which explains some of the ins and outs of making Chow Fun.

Regards,
Cathy2

Octarine wrote:I’ve tried making chow fun at home several times but I have issues getting the noodles not to clump together and then just disintegrate.

Without knowing exactly what you've got going on, a well seasoned wok, left to get screamin hot, then adding par cooked noodles, left in the wok to sear so they don't stick would be my first guess at probably incorrect advice.

Not much better than some nicely wok seared, crunchy, chewy noodles with spicy sauce. I already bought warm tortillas for tacos tonight, or else I'd change gears and bust out the wok.

Puckjam wrote:In Gary's chili oil recipe, he references the dried chili's to be hot and fresh. The fresh part is where I get lost. Do dried chili's lose something over time? Is there a "rule" as to when the dried peppers are best? Thanks.

Good question. Think of my statement of hot and fresh dried chili like Rancho Gordo beans. The RG are dried but fresher with more flavor and don't need to be soaked before cooking like most grocery store beans. They are packed/sold closer to production and reflect that in flavor.

If you put three or four types of crushed red chili on a counter, Spice House, Kalustyan's, grocery store, random Italian grocery you will notice a difference in moisture level, flexibility/brittleness, aroma and flavor. Locally I tend to have good luck with the Spice House.

Gary,

Have you tried the gorgeous chiles from Ma La Market?

Geo

https://themalamarket.com/

Geo wrote:Have you tried the gorgeous chiles from Ma La Market?

No, between The Spice House, Asian groceries on Argyle and the giant packed to the gills Park to Shop just off Chinatown I've felt no need. Though I am tempted by Ma La Market's 3-Year Pixian Chili Bean Paste (Yi Feng He Hao Doubanjiang).

You obviously like Ma La's products, what have you bought?

Pan fried noodles with shrimp stir-fry = dinner.




Pan fried noodles, count me a Fan!

We got some really nice, fresh rice noodles at the new Talard Thai Market and made a great batch of Pad See Ew.

HI,

I have attempted Chow Fun perhaps a half dozen times, but this time I came closer than before to a result I really liked. I largely followed Dry-Fried Chow Fun with Chinese Broccoli Recipe.

I managed a good sear on the Chinese broccoli and onions. I think I needed to be more patient with the noodles to obtain the crispness I adore.

The noodles I bought did have some corn oil on them, which helped in separating as well as browning. Previously, I had sourced my noodles at Asian bakeries which had no oil and were difficult to separate while cooking. These noodles by Harvester Foods were labeled as 'Stir fry noodle, Bahn Pho.' At least for me, I felt I had a much improved outcome.

While these noodles were purchased at 88 Marketplace, they are likely available elsewhere.

Harvester Foods
2411 South Archer Avenue Chicago, IL 60616
(312) 912-8813

Regards,
Cathy2