has been so unexpected and widespread. This afternoon I was in my local Asian grocer collecting the ingredients for Alvin's Drunken chicken with bruised salad. The only thing I couldn't locate was the dried shrimps, so I asked the lady of the shop. She smiled and said "You cook Drunken Chicken?" It was the opening to an animated, several minute long, discussion on food and television. Presumably it's also a scene being played out all around Australia as people hunt around for less common ingredients to make what they have just seen on TV. In the midst of a Federal election campaign, it's a unity of will and purpose which so far no political party seems able to capture.
27 July 2010
The MasterChef effect. . .
has been so unexpected and widespread. This afternoon I was in my local Asian grocer collecting the ingredients for Alvin's Drunken chicken with bruised salad. The only thing I couldn't locate was the dried shrimps, so I asked the lady of the shop. She smiled and said "You cook Drunken Chicken?" It was the opening to an animated, several minute long, discussion on food and television. Presumably it's also a scene being played out all around Australia as people hunt around for less common ingredients to make what they have just seen on TV. In the midst of a Federal election campaign, it's a unity of will and purpose which so far no political party seems able to capture.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Shaoxing is so wonderful
wow.
i arrived home last week to find that my wife, and daughters, had prepared Alvin's drunken chicken, and bruised salad in tribute to his departing the show.
a delicious meal, not sure that we'll eat it again in a big hurry, but lovely stuff.
i logged on to cooked and bottled the next night to discover tim had made the snake bean salad, and a week later I visit here, and you've made it too Ed. It surely is an amazing phenomenon, Master Chef.
and I agree totally with you - purely on the basis of social exchanges, it's been astonishing. I had a ball being taught where the various ingredients live at our local Asian food retailer.
hard to imagine that salad working without the dried shrimp!
Jesse,
You've made me curious about Shaoxing now. Will do some investigaiton about what is on the market, though much seems rather industrial and cheap. any favoured brands?
Via,
Snap. I made the salad component again last night - to use the rest of the snake beans I bought. It's such a riot in the mouth, with so many flavours and textures.
I hope the lasting effect of the show (which is a little too optomistic) is that people keep cooking at home with real food, instead of resorting to cans and boxes of ready to eat stuff.
We are a fan of the ningbo national cereals, oils & foodstuffs brand. It has a sky blue, red and yellow label and says "shao hsing hua tiao chiew". Not salty and good depth of flavour.
$6.95 at that chinese food store with the big range of sake (Roe st end of Fitzgerald in Northbridge).
A friend gave us a drinking version that was fantastic for cooking. Similar to aged balsamic vinegar.
Carl,
I know the shop, I've bought Sake for cooking Tori Kara-age from there. Will visit again. I think I'll make this a new topic for exploration. . . interestingly, my First edition copy of the Oxford Companion has nothing on Rice wine.
I just buy whatever shaoxing is available. I'm sure there are different grades, but most of it in Australia would be pretty industrial
Just realised my bottle doesn't even seem to have a brand (at least not in English). Just says Chinese Cooking Wine :)
Jesse,
My bottle was much the same. . . I wonder how tightly they police geographic indicators / labeling of rice wine?
AOC? :)
Post a Comment