Magic Chinese Restaurant Ingredient?

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

This is going to make me sound a little crazy, mainly because it's hard to express the question. I used to eat in Chinese restaurants and I often crave the taste of the food they make. The thing is, when they made a plainish stir-fry or even an egg roll, it always had this basic mild but tasty flavor to it that I'd like to reproduce but don't know how. It is not a strong easily identifiable flavor like soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce. It is something mild and subtle. Does anyone know I'm talking about and what it is?

Diamond Member Joined: Dec 28 2005 Posts: 4663

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

Its absolutely msg.
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Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 17 2011 Posts: 6012

Do you use Five Chinese Spice Powder when you cook?

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

ginger and sake give great mild flavor

as does soy sauce and toasted sesame oil for stronger asian flavors
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Active Poster Joined: Mar 16 2012 Posts: 31

I don't know if this could be it but someone my parents are friendly with who is a caterer, invited them to her house for a chinese evening and at the end she gave my mom the left overs to take home. The next night my mom heated them up for supper and the whole house smelt of a real chinese restaurant. The caterer said that she had used a good amount of ginger in the food... it was amazing!!!!

MSG. Yum. Be careful, some are allergic, some get shilshul, some get migraines.

For the record, Chinese people in China only use it in cheapo places.
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Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

If someone isnt sick from it, I totally would understand using it.

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

I have used ginger with or without cloves before, with good effect and I might try the 5 spice mix some time. For the record, ginger and cloves is totally different from the subtle flavor I'm talking about. I usually use a combination of soy sauce and sesame oil, but again, that is also different and I have a bit of an aversion to that at the moment. Thank you all for your concerted efforts!

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48159

I really like the 5 spice blend. I use it a lot when I cook.

Platinum Member Joined: Aug 17 2011 Posts: 6012

Gold Member Joined: Feb 13 2007 Posts: 1266

It's definitely MSG. Sorry! But sometimes a little miso used in a sauce gives a kind of similar flavor.

Diamond Member Joined: Feb 15 2007 Posts: 3245

Silver Member Joined: Jul 07 2009 Posts: 932

Beef Lo mein,

Boil linguine noodles

In frying pan, stir fry pepper steak meat or any shredded steak, with softened green peppers, chopped scallions, mushroom carrot slices, and finally the main ingredient, SOY VAY. Add some canola oil if you like your noodles with a little texture. When meat is cooked through and veggies are softened, mix with noodles in tin tray and add to your preferred taste powdered beef boullion ( does have msg in it I think so you can omit if you want)

Eat right away or let it sit in your fridge so the noodles can marinate in the sauce overnight,

It really tastes like take out!

Also if you are stir frying chicken cutlets like for a Teriake recipe, add the marinade at the last stage of cooking when the meat is just about to turn all white. This allows the marinade to attach itself fimly to the chicken so you get that coated bite your looking for.
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