Chinese food - need help identifying recipies

**TheManWhoCan** · October 2nd, 2006, 10:26 PM

I'm looking for recipies for chinese food, like the kind you get at restaurants or all you can eat buffets, not "food from china". Just thought I'd get that out of the way.

I have no idea what these things were called, but I remember they were made from pork and shrimp, and they were in a ball. It looked like a meatball, only it was kinda whiteish. I had it a long while ago, and no buffet around me has them. Anybody have any ideas what they were called or how to make them?

Secondly, does anyone have a recipe for those chicken balls. Man those are good.

Mr.Noodle · October 3rd, 2006, 08:20 PM

Hmm is this it?

http://www.bpe.com/food/recipes/chin...rimp_balls.htm

**TheManWhoCan** · October 3rd, 2006, 09:12 PM

That sure sounds like them. Thanks a lot man. I think I'll try making them in the near future.

**Hans_Rachid** · October 3rd, 2006, 10:09 PM

If it doesn't taste as good as at the restaurant, add in a little bit of secret chinese ingredient AKA monosodium glutamate and that should do it

**haphakhung** · October 3rd, 2006, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hans_Rachid

If it doesn't taste as good as at the restaurant, add in a little bit of secret chinese ingredient AKA monosodium glutamate and that should do it

Hey Hans,

Amazed Canadians haven't gone anti-msg over where you are. Here in the US, chinese restaurants all across the country went anti-msg probably 10 years ago when there was a media backlash about how unhealthy it was.

Just so anyone doesn't know, msg is basically a taste enhancer, I kind of think of it giving your food taste a steroid boost ;-)

Taste your food first, if it tastes bad, msg can't reverse it, it could actually over-enhance it in the wrong way, you'll just have to find a better recipe in that case.

Hap

**TheManWhoCan** · October 4th, 2006, 04:59 PM

Thank you. I hope it tastes good, but I've got my doubts. See I don't really like shrimp or pork but for some reason I really liked these things.

waterdragon · October 10th, 2006, 11:09 PM

yeah man MSG is a huge thing in China, i have had many fights with my girlfriend about using msg or not,

her answer "chinese food doesn't taste right without msg!"

how can you argue with that

**Hans_Rachid** · October 11th, 2006, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haphakhung

Hey Hans,

Amazed Canadians haven't gone anti-msg over where you are. Here in the US, chinese restaurants all across the country went anti-msg probably 10 years ago when there was a media backlash about how unhealthy it was.

I wasn't advising the thread starter to use monosodium glutamate by the way, I was being totally sarcastic !
I was at a chinese buffet last year and there was a sign reading "NO MSG"; of course chinese restaurants are aware they shouldn't be using this ingredient with all the negative press it has received, yet what tells you this creepy chinese restaurant which serves this delicious General Tao chicken that doesn't look anything close to chicken, yet tastes so good, doesn't use MSG ? There are probably tons of chinese restaurants (just a guess) who still use it in the USA, but they won't brag about it !

Quote:

Originally Posted by waterdragon

yeah man MSG is a huge thing in China, i have had many fights with my girlfriend about using msg or not,

her answer "chinese food doesn't taste right without msg!"

how can you argue with that

The problem when you use MSG every time you cook chinese food, is just like adding a lot of salt to anything you eat (MSG is a form of salt), or adding plenty of Tabasco to your food, you get used to it and then everything you eat will seem flavourless if not as salted or spicy enough.

**haphakhung** · October 11th, 2006, 11:13 PM

Sorry Hans, didn't know you were being sarcastic. Just a note, foods definitely don't need taste enhancers like msg to taste really good. Right after the anti-msg in the US. Many restaurants changed over and used beef stock as inhancers or other regular ingredients to make do. Lots of our customers also couldn't taste the difference, basically it isn't so dramatic as being so good that you would remember it and won't like anything else. I kind of think of it as some instantaneous effect.

To be honest, you can't tell the difference of good tasting food containing or not containing msg unless you taste test them side by side. And have the chef tell you which one is MSG. With the current crop of hybrid foods (cultures sharing different cooking/seasoning techniques, food has gotten a lot better without the need of unhealthy enhancers.

However, chefs and family members of mine, and I, do tend to agree that usually you might be able to tell after eating dinner. If your throat feels extra dry than normal, good chance it was spiked.

As for how many restaurants that still use msg, I couldn't figure it out either. It isn't just chinese restaurants, any asian restaurant would have access to it. Believe it or not, I was told back then that the Japanese where so bright because they ate a lot of msg when I was a kid. Talk about a marketing gimic. The stuff is probably still huge in asia. As for restaurants that still use it, that sucks. The place I worked at stopped immediately when we were warned of its negativity, plus we were told some people are alergic and can die from it (not sure if it was true), that was why we abstained from it. We didn't really have the monetary funds to get sued ya know. ;-)

As for the creepy chinese place, run, run for your life =P

By the way, anybody know who the hell is general t'sos?

Hap

**PythonPower** · October 12th, 2006, 02:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheManWhoCan

I'm looking for recipies for chinese food, like the kind you get at restaurants or all you can eat buffets, not "food from china". Just thought I'd get that out of the way.

I have no idea what these things were called, but I remember they were made from pork and shrimp, and they were in a ball. It looked like a meatball, only it was kinda whiteish. I had it a long while ago, and no buffet around me has them. Anybody have any ideas what they were called or how to make them?

Secondly, does anyone have a recipe for those chicken balls. Man those are good.

Dont do it! its poison for your body!

**orientalkid** · October 12th, 2006, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Dont do it! its poison for your body!
__________________

Erm i believe it is call "sui mai" or shrimp dumplings. The filling (for good quality at those resturants which never save on the ingridents) is made of minced meat(pork or chicken) with prawn and wrapped with a thin layer of dough and then they are steamed, hence it appear white (the dough) It is not poison.