Rioja and Malaysian Chinese Foods

This Rioja was one of my favorites as it is spicy, coffee, a bit of fishy (in a nice way), and edgy. The young harshness is what I looked for in this wine to pair with these curry, satay and chilly meaty dishes. The Malaysian Chinese curry chicken and lamb use not only the curry power but also the anise and Sichuan peppercorns. All these powerful tastes would easily overpower a weak red (whites are out of the question!) Rioja, with a tad of fishy note, is edgy enough to complement the saucy meats as well as the curry squid. Anise and Sichuan peppercorns are herbal, a hint of medicinal and cast that numbing tingling sensation the palate. Compared with Indian or Japanese curries, these lightly saucy curry dishes are perfect on rice or are good to eat with no carb. Satay is an awesome sauce that combines peanut sauce, red pepper flakes and soya sauce, and goes well with almost any meats. When it’s brushed on the skewers of meat, it infuses the meat and max out the flavor. If this satay meat skewers are cooked on charcoal, it would be the best passing hors d'oeuvre you have ever tasted.

Bogle Red Blend plus Cantonese Comfort Foods

People from the southern part of China traditionally liked to cook snake soup and fried sticky rice during the fall and winter months. This combo has the medicinal benefit of warming your body and nurturing your stomach. Nowadays these two comfort foods are readily available all year around and are served as street foods or delicacy in pricier and ‘old-brand’ Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong. The nuances justify the price and quality differences. At pricier and traditional places, the careful deboning process of the snake and lightly coating the lean pork julienne with corn starch that are cooked in the soup ensure the customer enjoys a non greasy and creamy soup. The white chrysanthemum petals and dill that typically sit in a glass jar on the dinning table of these old shops are to be accompanied the soup, adding aroma and flavor. The right balance amount of sticky and long grain rice, cooked to perfection, is the base of the successful sticky rice...chewy, sticky but still allowing you to pull out each grain by chopsticks if you want to. Chinese sausages that are used in the rice need to be lean but fat enough to flavor the rice. The sea aroma of the scallion infused dried shrimp ties the rice and sausage together, distinguishing a great bowl from an average one. This Bogle Essential Red is an affordable red blend of old Zin, Syrah, Cab and Petit Siraz that I would pair with these Cantonese delicacies. The medium tannin of this red is ripe and mouth-filling and can tame the complex flavor of the soup and rustic texture of the rice.

Pinot and Chinese Take-out

Friday night, too tired to cook...Chinese take-out crosses my mind. If you go easy on the grease and meat but rather carb load, I’d say this young unoaked Bacchus Ginger’s cuvée Pinot Noir would reinvent your take-out dinner. Since there’s no oat getting into way, its freshness and light-body with bursting raspberries on the nose and palate really beams through all these tasty carb heavy dishes like moo shu pork, shrimp lo mein and chicken fried rice. This Pinot is light but structurally maintains the fruity note and tannins, making it east to drink with subtle acidity. Of course, always eat your vegetable, some fried string beans won’t hurt. After a couple of glasses, the Pinot leftover would undoubtedly go well with your fortune teller cookie and Chinese pastries like winter melon cake(老婆餅) or pineapple cake.

Cava, Tsingtao Beer and Vegetarian Hot Pot

I leave it up to you to pair Anna de Cordorniu cavas or Tsingtao beer with vegetarian Chinese hot pot...well the formers are classier especially the center one brut Blanc de Blanc reserve is bubbly happy with well smooth notes of banana cream, vanilla and hint of clover that adds small punches to your taste buds. Why do I need that for my vegetarian hot pot? The greens, the lotus root, tofu (fresh or rehydrated), udon, oily noddle are cooked in extremely favorable broth and suddenly turn into a bowl of hearty ramen or udon noodle. This cava has the ability to bring out the creaminess of the starch from the noodle, enriching the whole meatless experience. No need to explain, Tsingtao goes well with almost all Chinese food and can sooth your mouth from volcanic temperature with the icy contrast in this case!

Sparking Shiraz and Seafood Hot Pot

Why I think this sparkling Australian Shiraz will go well with Chinese hot pot? This rose like sparkling red, when served chilled, has the crisp characteristic that provides an excellent alternative to drinker who doesn’t like too much sweetness. The fuzziness makes this wine light enough to balance the large party of seafood in Chinese hot pot without overpowering the seafood. Seafood is a perfect ingredient for tilapia, salmon, sole, shrimp, crab, mussel, fish balls, squid balls, fish paste, etc, as it cooks fast. This sparkling Shiraz is heavy enough to deal with the seafood being drenched in all types of, in some cases, heavy-mouth-feel stuff. After all, you are eating extremely hot food and this chilled wine cools you off!

Cape May Red and Meat Hot Pot

All-you-can-eat Chinese hot pot is so popular in the winter months for the obvious reason. For around $25 or less per person, you get to dip all kinds of meat, seafood, vegetables and noodles in the hot broth of your choice and have piping hot food that warms your heart and soul. Hot pots can be communal or personal. The latter allows each patron choosing his preferred broth such as numbing spicy, medicinal, tomato or miso soup base, which boils in an 8-inch pot for personal consumption. Like a regular buffet, patron goes to the food islands and take as much food and dipping sauces as they like. The dipping sauces are an abundant display of many types of sauces derived from chili, soya, fermented tofu, peanut butter, garlic and fresh herbs. Meat eaters can choose from or all the thinly sliced beef, lamb, Chinese meat balls, spam, pork blood curd, and sweet bread, etc. Cooking is fast and in no time, the meat is ready. Benefiting from the BYOB, I brought Tomasello Cape May Red and paired it with all these spicy, juicy and peculiar meats. This table red is versatile and surprisingly fruity that compliments the complex flavors.

New Year Resolution.....Eat Chinese Desserts, Drink Wines......Then Think about Diet!

Moving into 2016, there are a lot of proud moments for Chinese people.  To name a few, China's renminbi got approved by IMF as one of the world's main world currencies in November 2015. China joined force with the western allies

to fight ISIS.  The Chinese holiday cookies and desserts combine the best of east and west ways of making sweets, and are super delicious when they are consumed with wines? What? Yes, these proud creations of Chinese bakers can totally change the global dessert landscape, spreading joys, loves, and sweet sensations that rock everyone's palate....friends or foes. But, trying them with the wines I'm going to recommend.....a fun and upscale dessert party is in the making! Let's talk desserts......


 

To start with the lighter flair, this pine nut brittle is made out of egg white, corn starch and corn syrup.   The texture of this brittle is crispy, nutty and not too sweet. Just in case you are not aware, Chinese people are very good at turning any nuts to brittles.....cashew, peanut, walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan.  Usually the outcome of these Chinese style nut brittles is lighter, not so sweet, and in some cases, infused with Asian flavors like sweet osmanthus (gui hua 桂花) or jasmine.

If you are a fan of Chinese take-outs, you won't be unfamiliar with water chestnut. It is used in stir fried dishes and even sweet and sour soup.  This water chestnut cake is literally made of water chestnut flour you could purchase from Asian grocery stores.  The cake is toped with dried rose buds, which infuse the cake with rose aroma.  What is so great about this water chestnut cake is its gelatin style. It's soft, light,

and easy to eat at anytime during the day. Dim Sum enthusiasts probably are familiar with this dessert. Although the color of this water chestnut cake is a bit on the paler side, the Cantonese cousin, which you typically see in Dim Sum restaurant, is yellower and a bit greasier. It is made in a larger loaf and is cut into smaller squares and pan-fried.  Whichever water chestnut cakes you have a chance to try, they won't be disappointed!

These buttery pastries are stuffed with ingredients that are called for making Christmas fruitcake.  There are nuts and dried fruits (e.g., dried apricot, dried cherries, raisins, minced cooked nuts) inside that blast your taste buds with wholesome goodies.  What is so unique about this little pastry is its light and fluffy texture....not heavy but moist. The trick to achieve this greatness is all in the delicate balance of the amount of oil or butter used to make it fluffy and moist without drowning it with grease. 

The layered crepe cake has gained so much popularity due to the indirect advertising from food trends in magazines and TV.  This 26-layer green crepe cake is fully made from scratch, without cheating with store bought crepes.  Hey folks, other than having an additional kudos given to this dedicated baker, there is nothing wrong with using store bought crepes. Anything goes as long as you make a crepe cake, right! Until now, you probably get it that this layered cake is also not on the super heavy and sweet side, just like other sweets we talk about so far.  One of the Chinese bakers proclaimed this cake probably cost $59 in NYC.....we were lucky to eat it for free! If you don't like green tea, I totally can see you sticking with the tradition to spread regular vanilla cream in between crepes.  To add a tropical version of this crepe cake, I can see you using a mango mousse in between crepes to make some sunshine! The cake-bake was so much fun to kick off the New Year! Wait......we need to top the Chinese dessert experience with some vinos!

Riunite Moscato is my go-to party wine that will pair well with all these magnificent Chinese desserts.  Not only is this Italian Moscato affordable, it is also fruity enough to compliment these desserts. It has a bit of weight, but not too much; a perfect balance of dryness and sugar that makes it so easy to pair with mild desserts. Of course, if you decide to have a slice of black forest cake made out of 72% cacao chocolate, forget about this wine, as you need to drink a Merlot or Pinot Noir to weigh down your choice.  This Moscato baby could competently handle the light desserts!

I repeatedly have said it before - never mention pairing Riesling with Chinese food. It is boring and not creative. However, we are talking about Chinese desserts that are influenced by the American baking twists here.  I have to say this Riesling from Mosel does the trick to pair well with the desserts introduced, by having notes of green apple, lime and citrus.  The ripe peach flavors are balanced with lovely acidity and a nice bit of sweetness. This bargain find will not disappoint, either pairing it with Chinese desserts or drinking it on its own! 

OK....before you work on your New Year Resolution to go on a diet, motivate yourself ONE MORE TIME with these to-die-for Chinese desserts and great wines that mean to impress!

Remember, life is too short not to drink wine with Chinese food!

Pinny Tam 

Authentic Shanghai food paired with Virgina Red and Rose

I went to a Chinese lunch (Shanghai food to be exact) in Princeton, NJ with a group of WeChat enthusiastic foodies this past Saturday.  I kept wondering what could be really happening in the food scene there, a family town that attracts professionals with families due to its good school system and an Ivy League university. When I got to this unpretentious Shanghai restaurant (Shanghai Park), which is located across the hardware store, Ace, in the down-to-earth Princeton Shopping Mall, I told myself, OK?! Am I walking into a DMV office?  Of course not, I saw the big red lantern hanging at the entrance! Be open-minded and never judge a book by its cover! For $20 I was paying for this lunch, I got nothing to lose.  It was a no brainer! 

Well, to start, one of the appetizers was the sweet dark soya sauce scrap fish.  The fish was fried first and then cooked with dark soya and sugar.  The key to this dish is to make it crispy outside, soft inside and most importantly of all, not greasy.  This fish dish really spiked my interest, as it was extremely succulent.  The entrees were brought to the table fast, and were served along with the appetizers, family style.  

This walnut shrimp was coated with light batter before being deep fried, and was glazed with honey.   The family style made it easier for us to taste a piece of everything without overly stuffing ourselves!

Compared to the soya sauce scrap fish, I even loved this "water-cooked" tilapia more. The fish was tender with a hint of spiciness, infused by the red chili pepper and Sichuan peppercorns.  These peppercorns have a bit of licorice favor to them that leave a small tingeing sensation on your tongue.  I have seen a lot of American chefs using them to cure salmon, due to its distinctive and noticeable taste! I can't imagine eating all this good seafood without a sip of my new Summer love, this beautiful Virginia Rose. 

This 2014 Glen Manor Rose is named after the Morales family, who have been working in the Glen Manor vineyard for a long time.  The Rose is aromatic, fruity but has some weight, which is very delightful with flavorful cooked seafood. 

Moving on to another all time Shanghai favorite, the thinly sliced beef tenderloin with soft ligament ... this is a spicy appetizer that uses hot chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns. You probably get it now that this "hotness" combo is spicy and tongue-numbing in a good way.  The highlight of this Shanghai lunch was the pork belly slices cooked in Chinese preserved vegetable.  The fat of the pork belly has been rendered, which showcased the leaner meat tanned with the beautiful molasses color of the dark soya sauce. It looked and tasted so succulent that each slice was a perfect balance of fat and meat, a taste of heaven. The preserved vegetable was layered underneath the pork belly to absorb the yummy pork juice. Unlike vinegar-based pickle vegetable, the Chinese preserved vegetable is cured by salt and sugar, and develops mineral and earthy favor as it ages in clay containers.  It enhances the favor of the meat by making it richer and more complex in taste.  The charming Linden red from Virginia is all I can think of when biting into this pork belly.  This 2011 Red blend is a great wine made by the low-key Virginia wine pioneer, Jim Law, who makes quality wines day-in day-out in the mountainous Northern Virginia, impressing visitors near and far.  It is light to medium body and dry enough to cut the fat in these meat dishes. 
 

The dishes that were served in this little gem in Princeton, Shanghai Park, were solid authentic Shanghai food that totally "wowed" all the Chinese foodies (including some Shanghai originals who got to taste their "soul food"). The chosen Virginia wines go amazingly well with this Shanghai food as they are uniquely versatile and handle the complexity of Chinese food well. Most interestingly, they both are little gems that serve big taste.   

Cantonese Banquet Part 1 of 3 - 2010 Pacific Peaks Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

An authentic Cantonese banquet dinner, which typically consists of no fewer than 12 dishes, is served in family style for major celebratory events such as wedding, family reunion, Chinese New Year or fund-raising for charities.  Depending on the host's budget and eagerness to impress their guests, the price tag for both alcoholic beverage and food per guest (usually between 10 and 12 guests per table) that is charged by the restaurant varies from $50 to $200. Just like everything else, different grades of ingredients used in the banquet drive the price disparity.  

The banquet dishes that are introduced here are priced at the lower-end, averaging $75 per guest. The sequence of the dishes - appetizers, entrees and dessert, should not be strictly applied to the banquet dinner, as you may find a bit heavier dishes served up-front and carb-loaded dishes (e.g., rice and noodles) served last.  

Part 1 Appetizers (Three Dishes) -  

Serve 2010 - Pacific Peaks Pinot Noir (Priced at approximately $18)

Menu: 

Appetizer

• Fresh fruit medley and bacon salad
• Chinese BBQ platter
• Stir-fried celery with razor clams and shrimps

Entree

• Glanced stir-fried mushroom and bok-choy
• Julienne chicken, white asparagus and scallop soup
• Stewed sliced abalone with boneless goose feet 
• Steam fresh whole sea grouper
• Poach fresh whole chicken in aromatic broth

Dessert - Finale

• Happy family fried rice
• Shrimp dumplings with Cantonese noodle in shrimp broth
• Sweet red bean soup desert 
• Seasonal fruit

Fresh fruit medley and bacon salad

This doesn't sound like a typical Chinese appetizer.  However, Cantonese dishes are famous for being creative and versatile, and often are "fusioned" with other cuisines.  For this salad, a Japanese mayonnaise, a lighter version of the American counterpart, was used to lightly coat the chopped pears, peaches and apples.  Garnished with tomato and boiled egg slices, as well as bacon pieces, this salad is light, salty, crunchy but without crowding your palate.

 
Chinese BBQ platter

Restaurant patrons often see Cantonese BBQ prominently displayed through the restaurant windows in Chinatown.  This BBQ dish has slices of roasted whole piglet with crispy skin, duck and pork tenderloin, nicely garnished with soya and sesame oil coated seaweed stripes. The family style allows you to taste a piece or two of each type of meat and leave amble room for more dishes to come. Also, the hanging roasting method used in Cantonese BBQ drips all the fat and grease off the meat, making it healthier.  

Stir-fried celery with razor clams and shrimps OK, I'll not call it a complete Cantonese banquet dinner without a few seafood dishes, lovely complemented with the stir-fried cooking in cast-iron woks. Razor clams and shrimps were first lightly coated with a bit cornstarch, which was mixed with water to allow for smooth mouth feel, and lightly quick fried in oil.  The quick stir-fry technique, renowned in Cantonese cooking,  distributes the heat evenly to cook the celery, razor clams and shrimps, allowing the "wok-chi" to come through.  "Wok-chi" is the unique aroma and golden brown color on the food resulting from high-heat, quick stir-fry.

Why this wine?

2010 Pacific Peaks Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is ripe yet elegant, medium bodied, smooth tannin, and infused with raspberry and wild flower notes, and perfectly complements versatile appetizers.  This wine is raised in French barrels for 10 months which lends a roundness to the wine without overly oaky.  Retailed at approximately $18, this valued Pinot Noir exhibits the flexibility to handle the meats and shellfish.   

This is all I have for today.  Look out for the PART 2 and 3 of Cantonese Banquet.

Remember, life is too short not to drink wine with Chinese food!

Pinny Tam