Chinese Food: Why are all the recipes so dreadful?

The flavors, which I pick up on most are:

Soy Sauce

Sugar

Garlic

Chili

Ginger

Black bean sauce

Cooking sherry (less frequent.)

Sesame oil

Fivespice

It's my understanding that most chefs have unique palates and will use whichever ingredients are available to them at any given time and place. So, maybe your flavorless recipes should say, "Season to taste."

One thing Chinese restaurants have is a wok over a high BTU burner. When that burner is going, the roar sounds like a little jet engine.

With the high heat, you're able to achieve wok hei (breath of the wok) which adds a lot of flavor you get from Chinese restaurant dishes.

You can try this at home using a cast iron pan that's been heated hot. The main issue about cooking at home is you can only make small batches.

Chinese food is very difficult to do as a home cook. It depends so much on a well seasoned, professional quality wok over an extremely hot gas burner (hotter than most home stoves will go). It also takes lots of practice to develop good wok skills.

I've given up trying to cook Chinese at home, and I'm a pretty skilled cook. I have better luck with Thai curries. Super easy and tasty. They simmer in coconut milk so they translate well to the home kitchen. There are some good jarred Thai curry pastes that make it even easier.

most chinese restaurants don't serve real chinese food. It is essentially adapted for the fast-food market. Real chinese food can be made in any kitchen, real chinese food varies between the regions.

There are some great Chinese restaurants floating around that serve more regional cuisines, not the fast-food type of Chinese food that generally associate with.

I feel your pain and many of the other responders here. I am a pretty accomplished cook myself and I rarely do Chinese at home even though I really want to as the Chinese where I live is barely passable. I usually stick to simple sides and appetizers. I opt out for Japanese food (which I love) when cooking at home.

Well it could probably mean a couple of things.

1) Perhaps it's your cooking that's to blame? Trust me though, it's not easy to cook chinese food effectively.

2) Chinese restraunts usually add quite a lot Monosodium Glutamate(MSG) or salt in their cooking. It's a taste enhancer, to make food taste better, although it's certainly not a healthy option.

3) Get a new recipe book, i guess?

All the best in your cooking then.

North American Chinese food is nothing like Chinese food in China.

Perhaps your books are telling you how to make real Chinese food!

stirfry some beef strips mushroom and brocoli in some cooking spray or a little butter if you like take a seasoning packet from an oriental ramen noodle soup pack and season the stir fry with it. set aside. Boil the ramen noodles until just about done drain and add teriyaki sauce-don't over do it. cook some rice and put the strir fry over the rice with the noodles on the side

You convinced me you just don't know how to cook.

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