Rich G
TVWBB Honor Circle
Ok, we've had some discussion in a few threads recently about how things don't always turn out the way you planned. Tonight was one of those nights for me, as I tried to make Mu Shu Chicken for the first time. I have some good thoughts about what I can change, do differently, or just about why it didn't go well.....
I used THIS RECIPE, including the linked recipe for Mandarin Pancakes (I mean, what's mu shu without pancakes?!?!) So, pancakes first..... the dough came together fine, and even rolled out ok with two dough balls stacked on top of each other to make two pancakes at a time. However, when it came time to peel the pancakes apart, well......let's just say that didn't go quite as described in the recipe.
So, I ended up with six pancakes instead of 12, they were thicker than I wanted (lots of spring back when rolling, and I was on the clock, so didn't have time to let things rest), and, candidly, once we got to eating them they were bland and a bit tough. Lessons learned: reduce kneading time as there was too much gluten development, roll single pancakes at a time, and make them earlier and just keep warm.
Next up.....the star of the show, the Mu Shu. I should point out here that I deviated from the recipe as written. Since I'm not likely to use dried wood ear mushrooms or dried lily flowers much, I really didn't want to (a) hunt them down, and (b) have them in my pantry. So, I used some fresh shiitake mushrooms I found at the farmers market today (conveniently, right next to the Napa cabbage!) Everything with the stir fry went ok, however, I was lacking heat today. Same setup as I've used before with a full chimney of lit coals, and a nice preheat on the wok, but wind is the enemy of stored heat (as we all know from running WSM's in the wind.) So, nothing went as quickly as it should, the chicken steamed more than anything else, and I couldn't cook the liquid in the recipe off quickly enough to have a drier dish (you know, so the pancakes don't fall apart when you look at them), but I didn't want to cook it any longer for fear of ending up with rubber chicken. So, lesson learned on this portion is I need to consider the wind when I'm wokking outdoors, or I need to fire up the stove top!
The meal was not a total loss, as the flavors were there (if a bit more muted than I'd like......), and I think I can make some tweaks to come out with a more successful dish the next time. I did get a few photos, so.....
Mise en place (Chicken, cabbage, bamboo shoots, garlic, Shaoxing wine, cooking sauce, egg, mushrooms)
Shrooms, garlic and bamboo in the wok
Everybody in the pool!
Finished dish
I used THIS RECIPE, including the linked recipe for Mandarin Pancakes (I mean, what's mu shu without pancakes?!?!) So, pancakes first..... the dough came together fine, and even rolled out ok with two dough balls stacked on top of each other to make two pancakes at a time. However, when it came time to peel the pancakes apart, well......let's just say that didn't go quite as described in the recipe.
So, I ended up with six pancakes instead of 12, they were thicker than I wanted (lots of spring back when rolling, and I was on the clock, so didn't have time to let things rest), and, candidly, once we got to eating them they were bland and a bit tough. Lessons learned: reduce kneading time as there was too much gluten development, roll single pancakes at a time, and make them earlier and just keep warm.Next up.....the star of the show, the Mu Shu. I should point out here that I deviated from the recipe as written. Since I'm not likely to use dried wood ear mushrooms or dried lily flowers much, I really didn't want to (a) hunt them down, and (b) have them in my pantry. So, I used some fresh shiitake mushrooms I found at the farmers market today (conveniently, right next to the Napa cabbage!)
Everything with the stir fry went ok, however, I was lacking heat today. Same setup as I've used before with a full chimney of lit coals, and a nice preheat on the wok, but wind is the enemy of stored heat (as we all know from running WSM's in the wind.) So, nothing went as quickly as it should, the chicken steamed more than anything else, and I couldn't cook the liquid in the recipe off quickly enough to have a drier dish (you know, so the pancakes don't fall apart when you look at them), but I didn't want to cook it any longer for fear of ending up with rubber chicken. So, lesson learned on this portion is I need to consider the wind when I'm wokking outdoors, or I need to fire up the stove top!The meal was not a total loss, as the flavors were there (if a bit more muted than I'd like......), and I think I can make some tweaks to come out with a more successful dish the next time. I did get a few photos, so.....
Mise en place (Chicken, cabbage, bamboo shoots, garlic, Shaoxing wine, cooking sauce, egg, mushrooms)
Shrooms, garlic and bamboo in the wok
Everybody in the pool!
Finished dish
