"Westernised" Chinese Food?

[glbv]

May sounds rediculous with all the authentic chinese around, but I have just had the worst craving for some "western" chinese food.

General Tsos, sweet and sour chicken, lomain, etc. The real basics of what greesy crap you can find all over the states. If anyone has any recomendations ill travel far and wide, would even settle for a recipe.

[ShopBoy]

Broccoli beef

Ma Po Tou <deleted>

Your thread makes me hungryyyy...

[Kilgore Trout]

Broccoli beef

Ma Po Tou <deleted>

Your thread makes me hungryyyy...

If you want that US chinese flavor; don't forget to add the msg

[glbv]

Have a nitch market tha needs to be filled. Crappy overpriced westernised food of international cuisines. Next up taco bell!

[Jingthing]

China Garden in Pattaya takes a stab at that market. In my view, with mixed results.

http://www.chinagardenpattaya.com/default.asp?Folder=16&IdArticle=25937

[TexasRanger]

Whatever you do stay away from Chow Soy from the Door2Door menu, I ordered a few days back and it was absolute crap.

[DP25]

I'd love a Chinese American style take away but I don't think it exists. I can't even find a decent sweet and sour pork near me, lots of Thai restaurants make it but I've never found one I like. The sauce is always thin and bland, the pork is never breaded or fried, and it's usually not that good.

Edited March 13, 2012 by DP25

[attrayant]

Thais don't seem to have an interest in tangy food at all. After weeks of not being able to find pickle relish, I finally decided to make my own, and did a pretty good job of it if I do say so myself. I dressed a hot dog with some and a few of my friends were game to take a bite, and they made a face like they were chewing on a lemon rind. Likewise with sweet and sour pickles (gherkins, bread & butter chips).

You may have noticed how sweet the condiments are here, especially the mayo. It's just this side of cake frosting. Even the tartar sauce at the KFC is just super-sweet mayo.

So I think the sweet-n-sour Chinese carry-out will continue to remain an unserved market until such time as more folks develop a taste for it.

[smokie36]

Proper crispy duck n pancakes please with good hoi sin sauce....where?

[NanaFoods]

So many recipes on the web....

Saw this one that says it's "original" - but who knows.

Looks at least something like what I am familiar with, based on ingredients and method.

---------------------------------------------

General Tso'S Chicken (The Original Recipe)

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cornstarch

1/4 cup Water

1 1/2 tsp Garlic - minced

1 1/2 tsp Ginger - minced

3/4 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Soy sauce

1/4 cup White vinegar

1 1/2 cup Chicken broth - hot

1 tsp MSG (optional)

-----------------------

3 lb Deboned chicken - dark meat (thigh, leg), cut into chunks

1/4 cup Soy sauce

1 tsp White pepper

1 Egg, whipped

1 cup Cornstarch

1 cup Vegetable oil (I'd highly recommend peanut oil)

2 cup Scallions - diced

16 dried Asian Hot chilies

Instructions

To make sauce, mix cornstarch and water together. Add garlic, ginger,

sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and wine. Then add chicken broth and

M.S.G. and stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed.

In a separate bowl, mix chicken, soy sauce and pepper. Stir in egg.

Add cornstarch until chicken is coated evenly. Add oil to help

separate chicken pieces. Divide chicken into small quantities and

deep fry at 350 degrees until crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Place a small amount of oil in wok and heat until wok is hot. Add

scallions and peppers and stir-fry briefly. Stir sauce; add to wok.

Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens. Add either

cornstarch or water as needed.

Serve with rice.

Serves 6 - 8

---------------------------------------

Personally, I'd cook the sauce separately until thickened before adding to the chicken, to help keep the chicken somewhat crispy.

I'd omit the msg as well (not a fan)... and would definitely use peanut oil - it makes a big difference.

[glbv]

Going to give that one a go this weekend. There used to be a hole in the wall resturaunt in NY that made general tso's with this extremely thick and rich sweet sauce with hints of ginger and pepers and the chicken has a slight crunch. Probly 1600 calories for a small dish but my god it was pure heaven.

[MANICMINER]

Whatever you do stay away from Chow Soy from the Door2Door menu, I ordered a few days back and it was absolute crap.

Yes, i tried that place and it was dreadful. In Bangkok, the Chow Box does British chinese food, and they do the two types of sweet and sour pork: one with pork balls with seperate sauce and the one with deep fried strips of pork in flour with sauce (HK style). I use to order it through chefsXP delivery service, but they no longer list the Chow Box, so not sure if they are still in business. If you like the HK style sweet and sour pork, you can get it in the food court in indra square (pratunam market) - it's only 70 baht, and is the best sweet sour pork i have tasted in Thailand. Still not as good as chinese food in the UK, but very good. they also have other dishes, but their menu is limited.

[maxme]

Then I guess you guys like Thai versions of Western food, but to each his own I guess

[NanaFoods]

Then I guess you guys like Thai versions of Western food, but to each his own I guess

Invalid comparison.

American-Chinese cuisine has been developed by generations of Chinese-Americans since the days of the first transnational railroads, usually in and around the multitude of Chinatowns that came into existence as a result.

Are there any "Westerntowns" in Thailand?

In its proper form, American-Chinese cuisine is not versions or perversions of Chinese food made by non-Chinese Americans, such as you allude to Western food made by Thais in Thailand. It is Chinese cuisine that took a different evolutionary path when Chinese immigrated to America, due to availability of a different assortment of regional vegetables, herbs, and such.

However, some Westerners in Thailand have indeed come up with some worthy ideas, IMO, a fine example being the Thai-Sandwich thread here on TV.

[Ulysses G.]

I like Chinese food and I like the Americanized version too. There is no reason why one can not enjoy both.

[thedude]

Are there any "Westerntowns" in Thailand?

Interesting question. I guess Thai "Western" food such as steak with pepper sauce, veal schnitzel, and spaghetti bolognese could still be found in some old and almost forgotten cafes along Silom, or Khao San. Can't imagine a Thai expat in the US craving this stuff though.

[Jingthing]

Are there any "Westerntowns" in Thailand?

Interesting question. I guess Thai "Western" food such as steak with pepper sauce, veal schnitzel, and spaghetti bolognese could still be found in some old and almost forgotten cafes along Silom, or Khao San. Can't imagine a Thai expat in the US craving this stuff though.

I recall there was a popular western food for Chinese tastes restaurant going strong in San Francisco. Not sure if it's still there. It's funny to imagine a Thai in the U.S. griping that they can't find "American fried rice" with a hot dog!

[Pseudolus]

Sweet and sour sauce is so easy to make yourself and to get that real cantonese stickiness. Cook in the pan what ever you like (onion, chicken, cashews, pineapple is a bog standard); add sugar, vinegar, tomato sauce (Ketchup which is what the HK joints use) or tomato puree, a drop of worcestshire sauce or a dribble of soy and simmer it until you reach your preferred texture. Just stick the sauce components in a pan by themselves and you have just the S+S sauce to pour onto deep fried chicken or pork balls if you have a craving for that. So simple though and the sauce takes 3-5 minutes to cook.

[tutsiwarrior]

when I lived in England I tried to find US west coast style chinese takeaway food but there is a whole different variation there, horribly greasy and inedible...it compared unfavorably but the chinese chip shop owners did the best fish and chips in Brighton...

then I traveled to China on business and was feted extensively as owner's representative and then there was a whole new way of looking at the world with extensive discussion on food preparation with the local engineers and there would be disagreements and fisticuffs in the restaurants...those dudes are serious...

after the second trip as I was fussing over noodle preparation the ex-wife observed sceptically in dressing gown, fag and cup of tea and said: 'yer skin is gettin' yella and there is now a slitty-eyed aspect to yer countenance...I thought that I married a white man...' and it was then the devil's business forever after...

Edited April 16, 2012 by tutsiwarrior

[golfhacker]

Proper crispy duck n pancakes please with good hoi sin sauce....where?

You can get London China Town style Crispy aromatic duck with pancake roles and the dark sauce etc at the Nan Yuan : Chinese Restaurant which is inside the Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel in bangkok.

Take MRT to Rama 9 and head for Fortune.

You should call to order your Aromatic duck in advance. Sorry i do not have the number near me.

Enjoy

[Jingthing]

UK style crispy aromatic duck (1/4 of a fat duck) is available for a mere 149 baht including ample pancakes, cucumber, green onions, and hoison sauce at Katai Restaurant, Soi Lengkee off Soi Buakow, Pattaya. No need to order in advance. Viva Pattaya!

[bonobo]

I have long maintained that when comparing Chinese food from most of China with that of the US, the US would win hands down. Even the westernized Chinese food is more edible.

Hong Kong is a different story, but if you travel though the industrialized areas, food is really deplorable. However, I just got back from Shanghai, and I would put the food there, at least at the places in which I ate, as really quite terrific. Most of it, I really did not recognize. The SIchuan Folk specialized in giant salamander, yak penis, "ass meat," and the like, but it also had Kung Pao Chicken, although not like anything I had tried in the US. It was heavily laced with vinegar. Quite good, though.

One new restaurant had some "San Francisco" Chinese food. Once again, I had never had any of it before, but the shrimp in "tartar" sauce and apples was amazingly good. The tartar sauce was a spicy orange-colored concoction, but boy was it tasty!

I like the bulk of the cuisines found in China, and I like Americanized Chinese food as well. I cook orange chicken and Mongolian lamb here in Thailand regularly, but even that is with a more European flair than what I can get in the US. I like the Shangarila Restaurant off Soi Thaniya, but I would mind a restaurant which makes more westernized Chinese dishes.

[Sayonarax]

These so called favorites are easy to make at home. It can be a little time consuming to make sweet and sour pork.

Another reason why food taste crap is because the store owner buys cheap crappy produce. I have found Villa to have some of the best local produce supplied from an organic farm.

Places you shouldn't buy food from if you expect quality are Tesco, Big C and Carrfour.

Best area to shop would have to be Thong Lor. The Tops supermarket near burger king and star bucks is one of the better ones I've shopped at along with Villa at Paradise Park.

[Sayonarax]

My quick and easy sweet and sour pork.

You can buy all these ingredients at Foodland. If you look in the packet sauce section along with the Thai packet mixes you will see an orange colored packet with some Chinese writing on it.

2x Sweet & Sour sauce pkts

400g Pork Fillet (Look in the display window you will see it in tube like casing..) Don't use pork steak it will dry out

Corn flour

bicarb soda

1 Fresh Pineapple

Red and Green Peppers/Capsicum (You can get pre-cut stuff from the salad bar if you don't wanna buy two whole peppers)

1x Onion

Jasime Rice <-- should have loads at home lol

1. Cut pork in to bite size pieces

2. Mix corn flour and bicarb soda with some water to make batter. Not sure of ratio, it may be written on the back of the sauce packet. You only need a little bicarb soda.

3. Dip your pork pieces in to batter and fry in small batches... Do not over crowed the pan.

4. After cooking your pork, cut onion and capsicum and fry in a wok or non stick pan for 2-3mins.

5. Add pineapple and meat and sauce. <-- you can fry the pineapple before adding meat and sauce if you desire.

Not to hard to make, just a pain in the butt making the fried pork lol.

If you like cooking at home like me, then this wont be a problem to make!

Edited April 30, 2012 by Sayonarax