Yesterday’s short post did cause a bit of a laugh. I mentioned I usually have two bowls of rice at meals, and quite a few of you assumed I must have an enormous appetite.
Honestly, Master Chi’s appetite isn’t small — but a bowl of rice at a Shanghai restaurant is barely the size of a small fist. Nothing substantial about it. So one bowl is too little, two bowls is just right.
Since you all seem to enjoy talking about food, let’s dig in a bit deeper.
Let me start with my personal favorite: Huaiyang cuisine. The flavor profile is primarily savory and clean — worlds apart from Shanghai’s local-style cooking — so it never feels cloying or heavy.
For everyday home cooking, Huaiyang dishes aren’t difficult either. Pick up some pre-shredded dried tofu and fresh minced meat at the market, do a little prep, and you’ve got braised tofu silk and steamed lion’s head meatballs. No joke — add a bowl of chicken broth and some frost-kissed greens, and Master Chi could eat these same dishes over and over until the end of time.
Oh, and here’s one that fewer people know about: crystal pork terrine. This dish is made from cured trotter meat pressed into a meat jelly, served with a dip of Zhenjiang black vinegar and slivered ginger — perfect alongside rice or a drink.
Then there’s Northeast Chinese cuisine and Cantonese cooking — both have plenty of dishes I’m fond of.
Take Northeast staples like pickled cabbage with pork and blood sausage (lean meat actually tastes better), braised spare ribs, or crispy stir-fried pork strips — control your oil and dare to crank up the heat, and they’re guaranteed to be something sublime.
And then there’s di san xian — three earthly treasures. To this day I’m still amazed at how this humble dish makes the concept of wok hei so vivid and concrete. Four or five years ago, when wok hei was a hot topic but most people had no idea how to grasp it, I’d send them straight to try Northeast di san xian. That dish is a textbook on wok hei — full stop.
Cantonese cooking is technically more demanding, but what’s interesting is that many Cantonese dishes actually develop a surprising charm when you accidentally get the heat or technique slightly wrong. Black bean spare ribs, sand ginger chicken, blanched choy sum — all wonderfully homey and delicious.
So as you can see, Master Chi’s everyday tastes are fairly simple and unpretentious.
Finally, on the topic of rice — Wuchang rice, slender jasmine rice, and Songjiang rice are all excellent choices.
And here’s a small tip you can try tomorrow: when you add water to the rice cooker, put in just a fingernail’s worth of cooking oil, the tiniest splash of vinegar, and a barely-there pinch of salt. The effect is remarkable. 😏