Dried and fresh Thai chiles, sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice make a bold and relevant web-site delicious dressing for this Isan-style salad. Toss the dressing with tomatoes, bean sprouts, and pork rinds that soak up the flavorful dressing.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.
“General rule is that if the dish is hot and/or salty then find something with a little sweetness to extinguish the burn and flow with the dish. Riesling and off-dry Chenin Blanc are your wingmen. Wines with serious tannins, on the other hand, are your worst nightmare. For me this would be angry chimpanzees and big reds like Cabernet Sauvignon with spicy dishes. The spiciness of the dish is amplified to the nth degree and your mouth will be en fuego. For Peking duck, think Pinot Noir form the New world or riper-vintage old world. California Pinot Noirs with finesse like Eric/Kent, Ghostwriter and Littorai. And if you want something from Burgundy then look for the 2009 vintage. This was a warmer vintage and the wines show a bit more voluptuousness. Baby got back! For cumin lamb? I like Zinfandel with lamb or of you want to get all fancy pants then Greek reds work as well. For a Zinfandel find one that has a bit of elegance to it—my favorites would be Scholium Project “Arrows of Apollo” Zinfandel. For the Greek wine try Skouras St. George.”— Josiah Baldivino, Michael Mina (San Francisco)”In the wine world we say, what grows together goes together. When it comes to pairing Chinese food with wine that theory goes out of the window. As the general rule I would pick wines with lower tannins, light to medium body and focus on preparation and cooking technique rather than ingredients. For example, if you serving spicy and complex dishes of Sichuanese cuisine, I would go with wines from Alsace (Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris…etc) or German Riesling. If we are enjoying delicate seafood dishes of Cantonese cuisine my choice would be Chablis, Gruner Veltliner and any lean, crisp white wine. With fried food, the best choice would be any refreshing, palate cleansing sparkling wine(Cava, Prosecco, Sekt,…) or Champagne. Sweeter dishes like mushu pork I would match with softer style Rose wines (Tavel, Muga Rose).”— Oz Podnar, BLT Fish (NYC)Beef with broccoli is usually the worst offering at a Chinese buffet—who wants a dish laden with bland, overcooked florets of Western broccoli? Our version of the dish replaces them with Chinese broccoli, which has a more complex, mildly bitter flavor. Once you’ve got that ingredient, the rest of the dish is simple—just shallots, garlic, marinated beef, and an oyster sauce–based sauce.If you want a break from the usual white rice that goes alongside a stir-fry, try adding noodles to make it a complete meal. Here, that means lo mein, which we mix up with strips of country-style ribs, purple cabbage, Chinese broccoli, carrots, and a variety of aromatics. Serving it with sambal oelek on the side lets each eater customize the spiciness level to their taste.”When pairing with Chinese food, you’re looking for wines that are spicy, soft, and on the richer side. Chinese food is a generous cuisine, bringing expressive and muscular wines is important. For Mapo tofu, you’re looking for spice and energy to match the dish. Red wines from the Douro in Portugal would play well with this dish. Mushu pork has a crunchy and fresh tone. Cabernet Francs from the Loire Valley, Cote de Beaune Reds, and Austrian Blaufrankisch would be a good fit, offering bright fruit and a fresh nature. Peking duck needs some richness and sweetness. Try rich and bold California Cabernets or Grenaches from the Languedoc Roussillon. Experience this dish with a mature Maury (fortified wine from Roussillon)—a great combination.”— Adrien Falcon, Bouley (NYC)The history of Singapore noodles is unclear—they probably aren’t actually Singaporean—but we are confident about how to make the tastiest version. Most of the seasoning comes from curry powder, which we add to the noodles and vegetables separately so that everything turns out perfectly spiced.While the most traditional versions don’t include a sesame product, I’ve recently taken to adding a touch of tahini to my sauce, after having tasted it in Chichi’s vermicelli with chili oil recipe. Not enough to bring a distinct sesame flavor to the dish, but just enough to lightly bind the sauce and add a touch of creaminess to help it cling to the noodles a little bit better.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.
