America's Test Kitchen (2000–…): Season 22, Episode 19 - Chinese Noodles and Meatballs - full transcript
Sichuan noodles with chili sauce and pork; mortars and pestles; Lion's Head meatballs.
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-Today on
"America's Test Kitchen,"
Lan makes Bridget
dan dan mian,
Adam reviews
mortars and pestles,
and Dan makes Julia
lion's head meatballs.
It's all coming up right here on
"America's Test Kitchen."
♪♪
♪♪
-Today, we're making
dan dan mian,
that iconic dish from
the Sichuan province of China --
noodles, pork, spice.
Does it get any better, you ask?
It sure does,
because Lan's here
and she's going to show us
how to make it at home.
-Bridget, this is one of my
favorite noodle dishes.
Every bite
is a little different.
You never get bored.
Let's get started
with the sauce.
I've got 1/4 cup
of vegetable oil
and I'm adding it
to a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
If you've got a 14-inch
flat-bottom wok,
that'd be great for this, too.
-Mm.
-To this oil,
I'm adding a tablespoon
of Sichuan chili powder.
-[ Whistles ]
-Don't worry,
it's a chili powder
with a moderate heat.
It's a little funky,
little fruity.
Next up, I have 2 teaspoons
of finely ground
Sichuan peppercorn.
-Okay.
-These two ingredients
combine to create
one of the iconic flavors
of Sichuan cooking.
It's called málà, and that
translates to numbing heat.
The Sichuan peppercorns
have an oil
that cause your tongue
to tingle,
and the chili peppers
are just nice and spicy.
Last up to just kind of
round out all the flavors,
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
-Mmm.
-To infuse all these flavors
into that oil, I'm going to
set this burner to low...
-Okay.
-...and give this a quick stir.
And this is just
going to hang out at low
doing its thing
for 10 minutes.
-Okay.
-You could make this go faster,
but to do so,
you'd have to increase the heat,
and that drives away a lot
of the volatile compounds
that bring complexity
to this dish.
-That smells incredible.
-Right?
So much has happened
in just 10 minutes.
It's aromatic,
that oil is vibrantly red.
-Mm-hmm.
-I will transfer this to a bowl.
I'm going to reuse this skillet,
so I want to get
all of the spices out,
but I'm not gonna stress, like,
a little bit of oil in here.
To wrap up our sauce,
I've got four
little ingredients.
First up,
2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
This is pretty much
the salt for the dish.
Next, 2 teaspoons
of Chinese black vinegar.
It's got a soft acidity.
It's a little bit fruity.
Really fantastic.
-It is worth seeking out.
-Yeah.
Next, this ingredient
is pretty cool.
It's a sweet wheat paste.
-Mmm!
-And it's not actually sweet.
It's more of an umami bomb.
It's made by fermenting
wheat flour and salt,
and it packs a punch
in the best way.
So that's 2 teaspoons
of the sweet wheat paste.
-Okay.
-And last up,
Chinese sesame paste.
-Mmm.
-It's kind of like tahini,
except it's made
from toasted sesame seeds,
so it's darker in color,
little bit nuttier tasting.
-It has a really deep,
rich taste.
-Yeah.
-Oh, so good.
-And that was 1 1/2 teaspoons.
I'll just give this
a quick whisk and set this aside
while we move to the next step.
-Sounds good.
-Alright, Bridget,
we are moving on
to the pork topping.
-Love this part.
-It's so good.
During testing,
one of my colleagues
referred to it as pork panko.
-That's really good,
'cause it gets super crisp.
-Yes. I have 8 ounces
of ground pork here,
and I'm going to flavor this
with 2 teaspoons
of Shaoxing wine
and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
-Okay.
-I'm just gonna get in here
with my hands
and give it a good toss.
All I'm looking for
is to make sure
the pork is as
evenly seasoned as possible.
-Okay.
-That's, uh...
it's looking pretty great.
I'm going to go wash my hands.
-Okay.
-I've got 2 teaspoons
of oil here.
Do you mind bringing it to
a shimmer over medium-high heat?
-I will do that.
-Thank you.
Bridget, you nailed it.
It's a gorgeous shimmer.
-[ Laughs ]
You know, I do what I can.
-Now I'm adding our pork.
What I'm going to do
is a little bit different.
I'm going to smear it into
the bottom of the pan
and create one nice,
flat, even layer.
Our goal here is to make tiny,
tiny bits of pork
that can cling to the noodles
when we go to eat this,
and now that it's flattened
I'm going to use
the side of my spat
to break the meat up
into little clumps.
I'm looking for
1/4 of an inch pieces.
It's just a lot of mashing
and cutting with the spatula.
It takes about five minutes
to get this pork broken up
and nicely browned.
-Okay.
[ Pan sizzling ]
-This is looking pretty good.
It's starting to pick up
some color.
The pieces are broken up.
All that sizzling and popping
means it's kind of drying out
a little bit,
which is actually what we want.
This pork is here
to add texture.
-Mmm.
-I'm just going to
push this off to the side.
Make some space, and we're
going to get our aromatics in.
I've got a teaspoon
of vegetable oil,
three minced garlic cloves,
and 2 teaspoons
of grated ginger.
-Mmm!
-And I'm just going to
mash this around in the pan
and cook it till
it starts to brown.
-Alright.
-This is looking pretty great.
I'm going to stir this
into the pork.
-Mmm! Oh, my gosh.
-And we'll set this aside
and finish this just before
we assemble the bowls.
Alright, bok choy is next.
I've got two small-ish heads
of baby bok choy.
These are about 3 ounces each.
I am just going to trim
the bottom from this
and let the outer leaves
kind of fall away.
-Oh, they are so tender already.
-Yeah.
-I love bok choy.
The little baby bok choy,
oh, my gosh.
-So tasty.
And this core,
I'm just going to
split in half lengthwise
and repeat with the second one.
Now, people sleep on
the bok choy
because it's not kind of
as intense as the sauce
or the pork,
but the bok choy
makes a great palate cleanser
in between bites.
I love it.
How many dishes
take care of you like that?
-That's true.
-So I'm going to give this
a quick rinse...
-Okay.
-...just to make sure any grit
in here goes away.
I've got 4 quarts
of water here,
and I'm not going to season
this water at all.
We've got enough salt
going on with the dish.
I'm just going to pop this
bok choy right in,
and I'm just looking for it
to kind of develop
that jade green color.
Usually a minute will do it.
-Okay.
-What do you think?
Nice and vibrant.
-That looks beautiful.
-So, while we have
our water going,
I'm going to use this
to cook our noodles, as well.
I've got Chinese wheat noodles.
They're really simple,
nice and chewy in texture,
and they're going right in.
I'm going to give them
a quick stir
so that they don't cook
themselves into one giant mass.
This is a pound of Chinese
wheat noodles.
Now, if you can't find
Chinese wheat noodles,
you can sub other fresh noodles
like ramen or lo mein
or even dried lo mein.
It's probably going to take
about 4 minutes.
-Okay.
-These are looking perfect.
Just cooked through.
So we're going to drain
these noodles.
And before we walk away,
I want to make sure
that I give them a good rinse.
There's a lot of starch
on the exterior,
and if we left that in place,
the starches would glue
the noodles together,
which would make eating
really tricky.
So just want to give
this a nice toss,
maybe a couple stirs.
-It's hard for me to tell
because of the steam,
but that's hot water, right,
you're using?
-It is. It is warm water, yes.
And this takes about a minute,
really.
-Okay.
-Bridget, we're just minutes
away from eating.
I am so excited.
-Assembly time.
-Yes. So, we're going to reheat
our topping over medium heat,
and I'm going to add
one last ingredient.
It's kind of
the secret ingredient,
so worth seeking out.
This is called ya cai,
and it is a Sichuan pickle.
It's made by salting
and fermenting
a Chinese mustard plant.
-Mm-hmm.
-And it is funky, salty, savory,
a little bit of heat to it.
It's fantastic.
This is 1/3 of a cup
of that ya cai.
We're just going
to warm this through.
It takes about 2 minutes.
Do you mind keeping
an eye on this
while I start building
our bowls?
-You have so much trust in me.
-[ Laughs ]
-That sauce we made earlier
that's packed full of flavor,
we only need a little bit of it.
I'm just going to give it
a quick stir.
It's pretty normal for some
of the oil to break out.
And a quick spoonful,
or maybe two,
in the bottom of our bowl.
Next up, the noodles.
They're not clumping together
like mad, which is fantastic.
Now I'm adding our pork.
Quick spoonful right on top.
-Mmm.
-Maybe a little bit more.
-Yes, please.
-And then don't forget
the bok choy.
I like to kind of arrange
a couple
of the leaves on the side.
The color just pops.
-Beautiful.
-And last up,
just a little sprinkling
of scallions.
-The fragrance, the aroma.
So, a lot going on in this bowl.
-Yeah.
-And it's a work of art.
It's beautiful,
and you get to destroy it,
which I find fun.
I like to get the noodles
nicely coated in that sauce
before I dig in.
-Alright.
This is so dangerous.
Usually I have
a bib at this point.
-[ Laughs ]
-Mmm.
We're going to need a moment.
-There's a lot going on.
Little bit of heat,
it's savory, it's salty,
it's funky.
Your tongue's
vibrating a little bit.
-I'm loving that bit of warmth
in there, too.
-Mm-hmm.
-Oh.
It's like "Lady and the Tramp,"
but way better.
-[ Chuckles ]
-It's a gift
that keeps on giving
with every single bite.
-Yeah.
And if it ever does get
overwhelming,
a little bit of bok choy
to reset.
-Mm-hmm.
I do see a problem
with this recipe, though.
-What's that?
-This bowl is not big enough.
-[ Laughs ] You know, I agree.
I'm sorry. I'll do better.
-Alright.
I'm going to hold you to that.
But for now, this is excellent.
-Thank you.
-Thanks, Lan.
So if you want to make
this beautiful dish at home,
build a sauce with Sichuan
chili powder and peppercorns,
cook marinated pork
until brown and crisp,
briefly cook bok choy
and then wheat noodles,
and finish with ya cai.
So, from America's Test Kitchen,
a tongue-warming
and soul-warming
dan dan mian.
♪♪
-The humble mortar and pestle
has been around
since the Stone Age,
and is still used today
to make pureed sauces like pesto
or spice mixtures,
and I have to say,
the basic design hasn't changed
much over the years.
-There's only two parts to use,
only two parts to clean.
That kind of appeals
to the caveman in me.
-[ Laughs ]
-And you know, you hear from
cooks all over the globe
how much they love
a mortar and pestle.
And it's for this reason --
when you're pounding ingredients
as opposed to chopping them
in an electric appliance,
you get more of the aromatic
oils out of them.
Pesto is a really
good example of that.
You can see this one
was made a little earlier
in the mortar and pestle.
-Mmm.
-Look at how luscious
and soft that texture seems.
-Silky.
-And it smells really good.
The flavor is going to be,
you know, super complex
'cause you have more
of the aromatics.
It's going to be
a little more cohesive.
This one is delicious also.
This one was made
in the food processor,
but you can see pieces of
pine nuts, pieces of garlic
in there, and pieces of basil.
-Yeah.
-It's going to taste great,
but a little bit less complex
than the one made
in a mortar and pestle.
We tested seven
different models.
We got them for about $13
up to $100.
And there's a variety of
materials --
your stainless steel,
there's ceramic next to that.
These are all stone or granite,
and these two are marble.
The test included taking
a 1/2 cup of peppercorns
and pounding them coarsely...
-Mm-hmm.
-...2 teaspoons of peppercorns
and pounding them fine...
-Ah.
-...pounding whole spices down
into a garam masala powder,
and, of course, making pesto.
Testers identified three things
that made a difference
in terms of their design.
First was the shape
and the capacity.
You can see that this one,
for instance,
that's a big boy.
-That is big.
-And it's got
pretty straight sides.
-Yeah.
-Taller, straighter sides
helped keep all of what
you were pounding
in the mortar
while you were working.
That also meant that you have
a wider bottom surface,
and that lets the ingredients
spread out a little more
and it makes the pounding
a little more efficient.
-That makes sense.
It's more surface area.
-It's more surface area,
exactly.
Something like this
has flared sides --
the bottom surface,
because the sides flare in,
it's smaller,
the ingredients bunch up more,
and the pounding
is a little less efficient.
-Mm.
-Second thing was the weight.
That made a big difference.
Heavier was better.
If it was too light,
a lot of times,
the testers would have to
stabilize it with one hand
while they're pounding
with the other hand.
-Oh, mm-hmm.
-Also, the weight of the pestle,
which is the stick you use
for pounding,
testers didn't see this coming,
but it made a real difference.
-Huh.
-I want you to try the red one
down there.
-Ooh, this is very light.
-Yeah, give it a shot.
Oh, I'm losing some peppercorns
'cause of the small size.
-Because of the small size.
-This actually would
take a while.
-That one left testers sort
of exhausted and frustrated.
-Yeah.
-It only weighs 3 ounces.
It's not doing much
of the work for you.
Now I want you to try this guy.
-Oof!
-[ Laughs ]
-This is quite a bit heavier.
-You get to skip your upper body
workout later.
-Oh, wow. I mean,
with just five, six pounds,
I'm already crushing
a lot of these.
-Another thing that testers
identified is the material
and the interior surface
of the mortar.
You can see that the stone ones
and the marble ones,
they have a slightly abrasive
interior texture,
so that will grab on
to the spices
or whatever it is
you're pounding.
That makes the pounding
more efficient.
-That makes sense.
-So in the end,
this was the winner,
and this one
has the best name ever.
You're going to love this.
It's the Frieling Goliath.
[ Both laugh ]
-It is big.
-Natural stone
mortar and pestle.
It's about $58.
Heaviest one of the group
at almost 12 pounds.
Did a terrific job.
It's got that nice,
nubbly interior finish.
If $58 feels like
a little too much to spend
to get into the mortar
and pestle game,
there was also a best buy.
It was about $26.
It's a little smaller.
it's a little lighter,
but it's still a terrific
mortar and pestle.
-Alright, so there you have it.
If you're in the market
for a new mortar and pestle,
check out the Frieling Goliath
natural stone mortar and pestle
for about $58.
♪♪
Today, we're going to make
shizitóu,
or lion's head meatballs,
which are popular in
the eastern part of China.
Now, they're usually served in
a simple but rich-tasting broth,
and they have a remarkably
tender texture,
and Dan's going to tell us more.
-Cookbook author
Hsiao-Ching Chou has a recipe
in her amazing cookbook
"Chinese Soul Food"
for these lion's head meatballs.
And the way she describes them
is so perfect.
It's a dish that gives
more than it takes.
-Oh, that's nice.
-There's not much
to put this together,
but it fills your house
with these amazing smells.
It's super comforting.
So we've got our
stand mixer bowl here.
I'm gonna add 3/4 teaspoon
of baking soda to the bowl
and 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
and together,
it's going to give it this nice,
cohesive texture
and hold on to tons of juice,
which is really important.
-Okay.
-And then I've got 2 tablespoons
of water here, as well,
and I'm just going to whisk this
until both
are dissolved in there.
-Mm-hmm.
-Okay, beautiful.
Now it is time for the pork.
Now, you'll see a lot of times
hand chopped pork for this.
-Yeah.
-I'm gonna use ground pork here,
which just makes it really,
really easy.
If you have the option of
a fattier ground pork
at the supermarket,
absolutely go for it.
It really fits with this dish.
It's supposed to be super rich.
This is 2 pounds of ground pork,
and we want it to come directly
in contact
with that baking soda mixture.
That way, it'll work its best
and keep it super moist
and super juicy.
Okay, great.
So now we're gonna add
the rest of our ingredients,
and these meatballs
are all about the pork.
You want to taste that
meatiness, and everything else
is just an accent to it.
So we have an egg here
that's lightly beaten.
That's going to really provide
some richness,
but also nice texture.
We have the whites of two
scallions that I minced up,
so just that white
and light green part.
And then I have 2 tablespoons
of soy sauce.
Also have 2 tablespoons
of Shaoxing wine.
4 teaspoons of sugar.
-Mmm!
A little bit of sweetness.
-Little bit of sweetness.
You know, get that beautiful
balance of sweet and savory
from all that soy.
I've got 2 teaspoons
of grated fresh ginger.
-Mmm.
-And finally, 1/2 teaspoon
of white pepper.
That's going to add
some beautiful floral flavors.
Just going to give us
a quick mix with my spatula.
Now we're going to go
into our stand mixer.
So a lot of times, you see this
dish and they're hand formed,
but you slap the meat
back and forth.
-Hmm.
-And so what you're doing there
is agitating it and getting that
myosin network going.
We're going let the machine
do the work for us here.
I'm using the paddle attachment.
Gonna go on medium speed
for about 45 to 60 seconds.
We want the meat
to get really sticky
and come away from the sides
of the bowl a little bit.
Beautiful. Okay,
so that's about 60 seconds,
and you can see the meat has
gotten really nice and sticky.
It's almost sticking
to the paddle itself.
-Yeah, and it's changed in
color, it's quite a bit lighter.
So, now it's time to make
our meatballs.
And so one of the key things
here is we've made
this sticky on purpose, right?
-Mm-hmm.
-So using a little bit of water
when you're forming
your meatballs
is really, really helpful.
I'm going to use
a 1/2 cup measure here.
We're looking for about
4 1/2 ounces per meatball.
They're going to be 3 inches.
So these are big meatballs.
-Yeah.
-And again, have
a little bit of --
little bit of water
on the hands is good.
Now I just pop this out.
And I like to just do
a motion like that
and get a beautiful
meatball there.
-Yeah, you're not having
to pack it very much.
It's really just cohesive
all on its own.
-Absolutely.
-Now, that is a big meatball.
-Right?
-It's like a tennis ball.
-Yeah, like a tennis ball.
-Yeah.
-So that's our eight meatballs,
and it's time to cook them.
So what we have is
4 cups of chicken broth
in this Dutch oven.
We had it at a boil,
so we're going to shut that off
and move it off heat.
Awesome.
So I'm going to put these in,
and I like to do them
kind of one at a time.
I'm gonna get seven
around the outside
and one in the middle.
So, we're going to be braising.
These are not going
to be completely covered
with the broth,
and that's totally fine.
They're going to season
the broth.
The broth is going to help
season them.
It's going to make
a beautiful soup at the end.
And special one in the middle.
Great.
So, if you can cover that,
I'm going to go wash my hands.
-Great.
So that step of vigorously
mixing the pork is key
when making
this style of meatball.
Here's why.
Mixing ground meat
encourages a protein
called myosin
to come out of the muscle
and mesh together
into a sticky gel.
And the more you mix the meat,
the more myosin you get,
which is exactly what we want.
As the meatballs cook,
the gel sets,
which helps the meat
trap moisture
and adds extra structure,
which helps the meatballs
stay intact,
moist,
and tender during cooking.
-So the next part of this is
we've formed all that myosin
and we're going to
get into cooking them.
We're going to cook them
pretty low and slow in a braise.
So we're gonna go into
a 325-degree oven
for about an hour,
and it's going to take
all of that nice collagen
in the meat
and then turn it into
really supple gelatin.
So, our meatballs have braised
for an hour
and they're hanging out
over there.
The next part of this
is the lion's mane,
and that actually comes
from Napa cabbage,
and it's going to be
underneath the meatballs
and it's going to give
the whole effect of
the lion's head meatball.
So we're going to prep this.
It's really, really easy.
Basically cut lengthwise
into quarters.
We're just going to simply take
the core out,
which is really easy
with Napa cabbage.
It's just that last
little bit there.
And then we simply cut it
into 2-inch lengths.
-Oh, nice, big pieces.
-Exactly.
Nice, frilly, big mane.
-[ Chuckles ]
-So we tried having the cabbage
in there
from the very beginning,
and we found that it ended up
being kind of too soft
and started to fall apart.
So that's why
we're saving it here.
We'll give it another 30 minutes
in the oven.
-Okay.
-So, what we're going to do
is take this off.
You can see our meatballs.
They've gotten some really nice
browning on top.
-Mm-hmm.
-Some recipes have
a deep-frying step
ahead of time.
Some use soy sauce
to get more color.
But we found that you actually
get really nice browning
just in the pot where they're
uncovered on the top there.
Gonna take these out.
-Whoa, that smells incredible.
-Doesn't that smell good?
-Yes.
-So I'm going to get
the cabbage in here,
and we just basically
want it all on the bottom,
kind of in a single layer.
-It's a decent amount of
cabbage.
-It is. You know, it's going to
cook down a ton in there.
Beautiful.
So the next key is just
when I put them back,
I'm going to put
the brown side down
so we get a little more
browning on the top, as well.
-Makes sense.
-I'm going to cover this again.
We're going to go back into
our 325-degree oven
for 30 minutes.
Everything's going to be
tender and perfect.
-Alright.
-So some versions of this dish
feature rice noodles in it.
-Mmm.
-And it's just beautiful.
It makes it a little bit
more of a complete meal.
I have 4 ounces
of rice vermicelli here,
and I've got 4 quarts
of boiling water,
so I'm just going to
shut off the heat,
slide this off the heat.
It's a really great way
to cook these.
It's super gentle.
-Yeah, they're so easy
to overcook and turn to mush.
-I'm just going to
slide these in,
and I'm going to let these
sit for about 10 to 15 minutes,
just stirring occasionally,
especially as they start to
come apart
so they don't stick together.
So I've pulled our meatballs
out of the oven
after that 30 minutes.
Our rice noodles are going to be
perfectly cooked at this point.
So I'm just going to drain these
and then I'm going to give them
a quick rinse.
It gets rid of a little excess
starch
so they don't clump up.
I just really like to make sure
I get all that water off.
We've got really intensely
flavored broth.
We want that to be in the bowl,
not water.
Great. Alright.
So now I've got two bowls here.
I'm just going to put
a little bit of the noodles.
This is enough for four.
So I'm just going to put
a little bit
in the bottom of each.
Beautiful.
So come over here.
Alright, the big reveal.
Oh, look at those.
-Mmm.
The aroma is incredible!
-So nice, right?
-Oh, my goodness.
I see what you mean
by comforting,
and it is such a rich smell.
-And your whole house
smells like that.
It's just the best.
So I'm going to start
with a little bit of cabbage,
and I'm going to have a little
fun with it and just arrange it
so we get a little of that
lion's mane look to it.
I love cabbage cooked like this.
-Mm-hmm.
-So tender, ends up being
really sweet, too.
-Yep.
It's picked up, obviously,
all of that flavor
from that porky,
chicken-y broth.
-Mm-hmm.
-And then do
a couple of meatballs,
and I'll come back
with the broth.
-Mmm, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
-Don't you wish it was, like,
snowing outside right now?
-Nice fire,
an old movie on the TV.
-Right? It'd be perfect.
And then finally, we've got
some scallion greens there.
Those are from
our scallions earlier,
if you'd like
to add a little bit to the top.
-Always.
-Beautiful and flavorful.
Mm-hmm.
-Alright. Let's dig in.
-Okay, I've got to dive
into this broth.
-Yeah. I'm going to go
right for a meatball.
-Oh!
You know, that would soothe
whatever ails you.
-Right?
-It is so flavorful, so rich,
and it's just the broth
and the meatballs
and the cabbage
that simmered together.
It's incredible
it transforms into this.
-And this is just perfect.
Oh, my God, so excited.
-Oh,
I like your technique there.
-Mmm. It's just so good.
All of the juices
and all of the fat are trapped
in there along with
those beautiful seasonings,
but it's really tender because
of that long braising time.
It's just out of this world.
-Mmm!
And the cabbage has taken
on the flavor of the broth,
but it still has some texture.
It's nice and tender, not mushy.
-Mm-hmm.
-Dan, this is wonderful.
Thank you.
-You're welcome.
-If you want to make these
incredibly aromatic meatballs,
mix ground pork,
baking soda, and a few aromatics
together using a mixer,
give the meatballs a good
head start in the oven
before adding the cabbage,
and serve with rice noodles.
From "America's Test Kitchen,"
an ultra-comforting recipe
for lion's head meatballs.
You can find this recipe and all
the recipes and product reviews
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
-Today on
"America's Test Kitchen,"
Lan makes Bridget
dan dan mian,
Adam reviews
mortars and pestles,
and Dan makes Julia
lion's head meatballs.
It's all coming up right here on
"America's Test Kitchen."
♪♪
♪♪
-Today, we're making
dan dan mian,
that iconic dish from
the Sichuan province of China --
noodles, pork, spice.
Does it get any better, you ask?
It sure does,
because Lan's here
and she's going to show us
how to make it at home.
-Bridget, this is one of my
favorite noodle dishes.
Every bite
is a little different.
You never get bored.
Let's get started
with the sauce.
I've got 1/4 cup
of vegetable oil
and I'm adding it
to a 12-inch nonstick skillet.
If you've got a 14-inch
flat-bottom wok,
that'd be great for this, too.
-Mm.
-To this oil,
I'm adding a tablespoon
of Sichuan chili powder.
-[ Whistles ]
-Don't worry,
it's a chili powder
with a moderate heat.
It's a little funky,
little fruity.
Next up, I have 2 teaspoons
of finely ground
Sichuan peppercorn.
-Okay.
-These two ingredients
combine to create
one of the iconic flavors
of Sichuan cooking.
It's called málà, and that
translates to numbing heat.
The Sichuan peppercorns
have an oil
that cause your tongue
to tingle,
and the chili peppers
are just nice and spicy.
Last up to just kind of
round out all the flavors,
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
-Mmm.
-To infuse all these flavors
into that oil, I'm going to
set this burner to low...
-Okay.
-...and give this a quick stir.
And this is just
going to hang out at low
doing its thing
for 10 minutes.
-Okay.
-You could make this go faster,
but to do so,
you'd have to increase the heat,
and that drives away a lot
of the volatile compounds
that bring complexity
to this dish.
-That smells incredible.
-Right?
So much has happened
in just 10 minutes.
It's aromatic,
that oil is vibrantly red.
-Mm-hmm.
-I will transfer this to a bowl.
I'm going to reuse this skillet,
so I want to get
all of the spices out,
but I'm not gonna stress, like,
a little bit of oil in here.
To wrap up our sauce,
I've got four
little ingredients.
First up,
2 tablespoons of soy sauce.
This is pretty much
the salt for the dish.
Next, 2 teaspoons
of Chinese black vinegar.
It's got a soft acidity.
It's a little bit fruity.
Really fantastic.
-It is worth seeking out.
-Yeah.
Next, this ingredient
is pretty cool.
It's a sweet wheat paste.
-Mmm!
-And it's not actually sweet.
It's more of an umami bomb.
It's made by fermenting
wheat flour and salt,
and it packs a punch
in the best way.
So that's 2 teaspoons
of the sweet wheat paste.
-Okay.
-And last up,
Chinese sesame paste.
-Mmm.
-It's kind of like tahini,
except it's made
from toasted sesame seeds,
so it's darker in color,
little bit nuttier tasting.
-It has a really deep,
rich taste.
-Yeah.
-Oh, so good.
-And that was 1 1/2 teaspoons.
I'll just give this
a quick whisk and set this aside
while we move to the next step.
-Sounds good.
-Alright, Bridget,
we are moving on
to the pork topping.
-Love this part.
-It's so good.
During testing,
one of my colleagues
referred to it as pork panko.
-That's really good,
'cause it gets super crisp.
-Yes. I have 8 ounces
of ground pork here,
and I'm going to flavor this
with 2 teaspoons
of Shaoxing wine
and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.
-Okay.
-I'm just gonna get in here
with my hands
and give it a good toss.
All I'm looking for
is to make sure
the pork is as
evenly seasoned as possible.
-Okay.
-That's, uh...
it's looking pretty great.
I'm going to go wash my hands.
-Okay.
-I've got 2 teaspoons
of oil here.
Do you mind bringing it to
a shimmer over medium-high heat?
-I will do that.
-Thank you.
Bridget, you nailed it.
It's a gorgeous shimmer.
-[ Laughs ]
You know, I do what I can.
-Now I'm adding our pork.
What I'm going to do
is a little bit different.
I'm going to smear it into
the bottom of the pan
and create one nice,
flat, even layer.
Our goal here is to make tiny,
tiny bits of pork
that can cling to the noodles
when we go to eat this,
and now that it's flattened
I'm going to use
the side of my spat
to break the meat up
into little clumps.
I'm looking for
1/4 of an inch pieces.
It's just a lot of mashing
and cutting with the spatula.
It takes about five minutes
to get this pork broken up
and nicely browned.
-Okay.
[ Pan sizzling ]
-This is looking pretty good.
It's starting to pick up
some color.
The pieces are broken up.
All that sizzling and popping
means it's kind of drying out
a little bit,
which is actually what we want.
This pork is here
to add texture.
-Mmm.
-I'm just going to
push this off to the side.
Make some space, and we're
going to get our aromatics in.
I've got a teaspoon
of vegetable oil,
three minced garlic cloves,
and 2 teaspoons
of grated ginger.
-Mmm!
-And I'm just going to
mash this around in the pan
and cook it till
it starts to brown.
-Alright.
-This is looking pretty great.
I'm going to stir this
into the pork.
-Mmm! Oh, my gosh.
-And we'll set this aside
and finish this just before
we assemble the bowls.
Alright, bok choy is next.
I've got two small-ish heads
of baby bok choy.
These are about 3 ounces each.
I am just going to trim
the bottom from this
and let the outer leaves
kind of fall away.
-Oh, they are so tender already.
-Yeah.
-I love bok choy.
The little baby bok choy,
oh, my gosh.
-So tasty.
And this core,
I'm just going to
split in half lengthwise
and repeat with the second one.
Now, people sleep on
the bok choy
because it's not kind of
as intense as the sauce
or the pork,
but the bok choy
makes a great palate cleanser
in between bites.
I love it.
How many dishes
take care of you like that?
-That's true.
-So I'm going to give this
a quick rinse...
-Okay.
-...just to make sure any grit
in here goes away.
I've got 4 quarts
of water here,
and I'm not going to season
this water at all.
We've got enough salt
going on with the dish.
I'm just going to pop this
bok choy right in,
and I'm just looking for it
to kind of develop
that jade green color.
Usually a minute will do it.
-Okay.
-What do you think?
Nice and vibrant.
-That looks beautiful.
-So, while we have
our water going,
I'm going to use this
to cook our noodles, as well.
I've got Chinese wheat noodles.
They're really simple,
nice and chewy in texture,
and they're going right in.
I'm going to give them
a quick stir
so that they don't cook
themselves into one giant mass.
This is a pound of Chinese
wheat noodles.
Now, if you can't find
Chinese wheat noodles,
you can sub other fresh noodles
like ramen or lo mein
or even dried lo mein.
It's probably going to take
about 4 minutes.
-Okay.
-These are looking perfect.
Just cooked through.
So we're going to drain
these noodles.
And before we walk away,
I want to make sure
that I give them a good rinse.
There's a lot of starch
on the exterior,
and if we left that in place,
the starches would glue
the noodles together,
which would make eating
really tricky.
So just want to give
this a nice toss,
maybe a couple stirs.
-It's hard for me to tell
because of the steam,
but that's hot water, right,
you're using?
-It is. It is warm water, yes.
And this takes about a minute,
really.
-Okay.
-Bridget, we're just minutes
away from eating.
I am so excited.
-Assembly time.
-Yes. So, we're going to reheat
our topping over medium heat,
and I'm going to add
one last ingredient.
It's kind of
the secret ingredient,
so worth seeking out.
This is called ya cai,
and it is a Sichuan pickle.
It's made by salting
and fermenting
a Chinese mustard plant.
-Mm-hmm.
-And it is funky, salty, savory,
a little bit of heat to it.
It's fantastic.
This is 1/3 of a cup
of that ya cai.
We're just going
to warm this through.
It takes about 2 minutes.
Do you mind keeping
an eye on this
while I start building
our bowls?
-You have so much trust in me.
-[ Laughs ]
-That sauce we made earlier
that's packed full of flavor,
we only need a little bit of it.
I'm just going to give it
a quick stir.
It's pretty normal for some
of the oil to break out.
And a quick spoonful,
or maybe two,
in the bottom of our bowl.
Next up, the noodles.
They're not clumping together
like mad, which is fantastic.
Now I'm adding our pork.
Quick spoonful right on top.
-Mmm.
-Maybe a little bit more.
-Yes, please.
-And then don't forget
the bok choy.
I like to kind of arrange
a couple
of the leaves on the side.
The color just pops.
-Beautiful.
-And last up,
just a little sprinkling
of scallions.
-The fragrance, the aroma.
So, a lot going on in this bowl.
-Yeah.
-And it's a work of art.
It's beautiful,
and you get to destroy it,
which I find fun.
I like to get the noodles
nicely coated in that sauce
before I dig in.
-Alright.
This is so dangerous.
Usually I have
a bib at this point.
-[ Laughs ]
-Mmm.
We're going to need a moment.
-There's a lot going on.
Little bit of heat,
it's savory, it's salty,
it's funky.
Your tongue's
vibrating a little bit.
-I'm loving that bit of warmth
in there, too.
-Mm-hmm.
-Oh.
It's like "Lady and the Tramp,"
but way better.
-[ Chuckles ]
-It's a gift
that keeps on giving
with every single bite.
-Yeah.
And if it ever does get
overwhelming,
a little bit of bok choy
to reset.
-Mm-hmm.
I do see a problem
with this recipe, though.
-What's that?
-This bowl is not big enough.
-[ Laughs ] You know, I agree.
I'm sorry. I'll do better.
-Alright.
I'm going to hold you to that.
But for now, this is excellent.
-Thank you.
-Thanks, Lan.
So if you want to make
this beautiful dish at home,
build a sauce with Sichuan
chili powder and peppercorns,
cook marinated pork
until brown and crisp,
briefly cook bok choy
and then wheat noodles,
and finish with ya cai.
So, from America's Test Kitchen,
a tongue-warming
and soul-warming
dan dan mian.
♪♪
-The humble mortar and pestle
has been around
since the Stone Age,
and is still used today
to make pureed sauces like pesto
or spice mixtures,
and I have to say,
the basic design hasn't changed
much over the years.
-There's only two parts to use,
only two parts to clean.
That kind of appeals
to the caveman in me.
-[ Laughs ]
-And you know, you hear from
cooks all over the globe
how much they love
a mortar and pestle.
And it's for this reason --
when you're pounding ingredients
as opposed to chopping them
in an electric appliance,
you get more of the aromatic
oils out of them.
Pesto is a really
good example of that.
You can see this one
was made a little earlier
in the mortar and pestle.
-Mmm.
-Look at how luscious
and soft that texture seems.
-Silky.
-And it smells really good.
The flavor is going to be,
you know, super complex
'cause you have more
of the aromatics.
It's going to be
a little more cohesive.
This one is delicious also.
This one was made
in the food processor,
but you can see pieces of
pine nuts, pieces of garlic
in there, and pieces of basil.
-Yeah.
-It's going to taste great,
but a little bit less complex
than the one made
in a mortar and pestle.
We tested seven
different models.
We got them for about $13
up to $100.
And there's a variety of
materials --
your stainless steel,
there's ceramic next to that.
These are all stone or granite,
and these two are marble.
The test included taking
a 1/2 cup of peppercorns
and pounding them coarsely...
-Mm-hmm.
-...2 teaspoons of peppercorns
and pounding them fine...
-Ah.
-...pounding whole spices down
into a garam masala powder,
and, of course, making pesto.
Testers identified three things
that made a difference
in terms of their design.
First was the shape
and the capacity.
You can see that this one,
for instance,
that's a big boy.
-That is big.
-And it's got
pretty straight sides.
-Yeah.
-Taller, straighter sides
helped keep all of what
you were pounding
in the mortar
while you were working.
That also meant that you have
a wider bottom surface,
and that lets the ingredients
spread out a little more
and it makes the pounding
a little more efficient.
-That makes sense.
It's more surface area.
-It's more surface area,
exactly.
Something like this
has flared sides --
the bottom surface,
because the sides flare in,
it's smaller,
the ingredients bunch up more,
and the pounding
is a little less efficient.
-Mm.
-Second thing was the weight.
That made a big difference.
Heavier was better.
If it was too light,
a lot of times,
the testers would have to
stabilize it with one hand
while they're pounding
with the other hand.
-Oh, mm-hmm.
-Also, the weight of the pestle,
which is the stick you use
for pounding,
testers didn't see this coming,
but it made a real difference.
-Huh.
-I want you to try the red one
down there.
-Ooh, this is very light.
-Yeah, give it a shot.
Oh, I'm losing some peppercorns
'cause of the small size.
-Because of the small size.
-This actually would
take a while.
-That one left testers sort
of exhausted and frustrated.
-Yeah.
-It only weighs 3 ounces.
It's not doing much
of the work for you.
Now I want you to try this guy.
-Oof!
-[ Laughs ]
-This is quite a bit heavier.
-You get to skip your upper body
workout later.
-Oh, wow. I mean,
with just five, six pounds,
I'm already crushing
a lot of these.
-Another thing that testers
identified is the material
and the interior surface
of the mortar.
You can see that the stone ones
and the marble ones,
they have a slightly abrasive
interior texture,
so that will grab on
to the spices
or whatever it is
you're pounding.
That makes the pounding
more efficient.
-That makes sense.
-So in the end,
this was the winner,
and this one
has the best name ever.
You're going to love this.
It's the Frieling Goliath.
[ Both laugh ]
-It is big.
-Natural stone
mortar and pestle.
It's about $58.
Heaviest one of the group
at almost 12 pounds.
Did a terrific job.
It's got that nice,
nubbly interior finish.
If $58 feels like
a little too much to spend
to get into the mortar
and pestle game,
there was also a best buy.
It was about $26.
It's a little smaller.
it's a little lighter,
but it's still a terrific
mortar and pestle.
-Alright, so there you have it.
If you're in the market
for a new mortar and pestle,
check out the Frieling Goliath
natural stone mortar and pestle
for about $58.
♪♪
Today, we're going to make
shizitóu,
or lion's head meatballs,
which are popular in
the eastern part of China.
Now, they're usually served in
a simple but rich-tasting broth,
and they have a remarkably
tender texture,
and Dan's going to tell us more.
-Cookbook author
Hsiao-Ching Chou has a recipe
in her amazing cookbook
"Chinese Soul Food"
for these lion's head meatballs.
And the way she describes them
is so perfect.
It's a dish that gives
more than it takes.
-Oh, that's nice.
-There's not much
to put this together,
but it fills your house
with these amazing smells.
It's super comforting.
So we've got our
stand mixer bowl here.
I'm gonna add 3/4 teaspoon
of baking soda to the bowl
and 1/2 teaspoon of salt,
and together,
it's going to give it this nice,
cohesive texture
and hold on to tons of juice,
which is really important.
-Okay.
-And then I've got 2 tablespoons
of water here, as well,
and I'm just going to whisk this
until both
are dissolved in there.
-Mm-hmm.
-Okay, beautiful.
Now it is time for the pork.
Now, you'll see a lot of times
hand chopped pork for this.
-Yeah.
-I'm gonna use ground pork here,
which just makes it really,
really easy.
If you have the option of
a fattier ground pork
at the supermarket,
absolutely go for it.
It really fits with this dish.
It's supposed to be super rich.
This is 2 pounds of ground pork,
and we want it to come directly
in contact
with that baking soda mixture.
That way, it'll work its best
and keep it super moist
and super juicy.
Okay, great.
So now we're gonna add
the rest of our ingredients,
and these meatballs
are all about the pork.
You want to taste that
meatiness, and everything else
is just an accent to it.
So we have an egg here
that's lightly beaten.
That's going to really provide
some richness,
but also nice texture.
We have the whites of two
scallions that I minced up,
so just that white
and light green part.
And then I have 2 tablespoons
of soy sauce.
Also have 2 tablespoons
of Shaoxing wine.
4 teaspoons of sugar.
-Mmm!
A little bit of sweetness.
-Little bit of sweetness.
You know, get that beautiful
balance of sweet and savory
from all that soy.
I've got 2 teaspoons
of grated fresh ginger.
-Mmm.
-And finally, 1/2 teaspoon
of white pepper.
That's going to add
some beautiful floral flavors.
Just going to give us
a quick mix with my spatula.
Now we're going to go
into our stand mixer.
So a lot of times, you see this
dish and they're hand formed,
but you slap the meat
back and forth.
-Hmm.
-And so what you're doing there
is agitating it and getting that
myosin network going.
We're going let the machine
do the work for us here.
I'm using the paddle attachment.
Gonna go on medium speed
for about 45 to 60 seconds.
We want the meat
to get really sticky
and come away from the sides
of the bowl a little bit.
Beautiful. Okay,
so that's about 60 seconds,
and you can see the meat has
gotten really nice and sticky.
It's almost sticking
to the paddle itself.
-Yeah, and it's changed in
color, it's quite a bit lighter.
So, now it's time to make
our meatballs.
And so one of the key things
here is we've made
this sticky on purpose, right?
-Mm-hmm.
-So using a little bit of water
when you're forming
your meatballs
is really, really helpful.
I'm going to use
a 1/2 cup measure here.
We're looking for about
4 1/2 ounces per meatball.
They're going to be 3 inches.
So these are big meatballs.
-Yeah.
-And again, have
a little bit of --
little bit of water
on the hands is good.
Now I just pop this out.
And I like to just do
a motion like that
and get a beautiful
meatball there.
-Yeah, you're not having
to pack it very much.
It's really just cohesive
all on its own.
-Absolutely.
-Now, that is a big meatball.
-Right?
-It's like a tennis ball.
-Yeah, like a tennis ball.
-Yeah.
-So that's our eight meatballs,
and it's time to cook them.
So what we have is
4 cups of chicken broth
in this Dutch oven.
We had it at a boil,
so we're going to shut that off
and move it off heat.
Awesome.
So I'm going to put these in,
and I like to do them
kind of one at a time.
I'm gonna get seven
around the outside
and one in the middle.
So, we're going to be braising.
These are not going
to be completely covered
with the broth,
and that's totally fine.
They're going to season
the broth.
The broth is going to help
season them.
It's going to make
a beautiful soup at the end.
And special one in the middle.
Great.
So, if you can cover that,
I'm going to go wash my hands.
-Great.
So that step of vigorously
mixing the pork is key
when making
this style of meatball.
Here's why.
Mixing ground meat
encourages a protein
called myosin
to come out of the muscle
and mesh together
into a sticky gel.
And the more you mix the meat,
the more myosin you get,
which is exactly what we want.
As the meatballs cook,
the gel sets,
which helps the meat
trap moisture
and adds extra structure,
which helps the meatballs
stay intact,
moist,
and tender during cooking.
-So the next part of this is
we've formed all that myosin
and we're going to
get into cooking them.
We're going to cook them
pretty low and slow in a braise.
So we're gonna go into
a 325-degree oven
for about an hour,
and it's going to take
all of that nice collagen
in the meat
and then turn it into
really supple gelatin.
So, our meatballs have braised
for an hour
and they're hanging out
over there.
The next part of this
is the lion's mane,
and that actually comes
from Napa cabbage,
and it's going to be
underneath the meatballs
and it's going to give
the whole effect of
the lion's head meatball.
So we're going to prep this.
It's really, really easy.
Basically cut lengthwise
into quarters.
We're just going to simply take
the core out,
which is really easy
with Napa cabbage.
It's just that last
little bit there.
And then we simply cut it
into 2-inch lengths.
-Oh, nice, big pieces.
-Exactly.
Nice, frilly, big mane.
-[ Chuckles ]
-So we tried having the cabbage
in there
from the very beginning,
and we found that it ended up
being kind of too soft
and started to fall apart.
So that's why
we're saving it here.
We'll give it another 30 minutes
in the oven.
-Okay.
-So, what we're going to do
is take this off.
You can see our meatballs.
They've gotten some really nice
browning on top.
-Mm-hmm.
-Some recipes have
a deep-frying step
ahead of time.
Some use soy sauce
to get more color.
But we found that you actually
get really nice browning
just in the pot where they're
uncovered on the top there.
Gonna take these out.
-Whoa, that smells incredible.
-Doesn't that smell good?
-Yes.
-So I'm going to get
the cabbage in here,
and we just basically
want it all on the bottom,
kind of in a single layer.
-It's a decent amount of
cabbage.
-It is. You know, it's going to
cook down a ton in there.
Beautiful.
So the next key is just
when I put them back,
I'm going to put
the brown side down
so we get a little more
browning on the top, as well.
-Makes sense.
-I'm going to cover this again.
We're going to go back into
our 325-degree oven
for 30 minutes.
Everything's going to be
tender and perfect.
-Alright.
-So some versions of this dish
feature rice noodles in it.
-Mmm.
-And it's just beautiful.
It makes it a little bit
more of a complete meal.
I have 4 ounces
of rice vermicelli here,
and I've got 4 quarts
of boiling water,
so I'm just going to
shut off the heat,
slide this off the heat.
It's a really great way
to cook these.
It's super gentle.
-Yeah, they're so easy
to overcook and turn to mush.
-I'm just going to
slide these in,
and I'm going to let these
sit for about 10 to 15 minutes,
just stirring occasionally,
especially as they start to
come apart
so they don't stick together.
So I've pulled our meatballs
out of the oven
after that 30 minutes.
Our rice noodles are going to be
perfectly cooked at this point.
So I'm just going to drain these
and then I'm going to give them
a quick rinse.
It gets rid of a little excess
starch
so they don't clump up.
I just really like to make sure
I get all that water off.
We've got really intensely
flavored broth.
We want that to be in the bowl,
not water.
Great. Alright.
So now I've got two bowls here.
I'm just going to put
a little bit of the noodles.
This is enough for four.
So I'm just going to put
a little bit
in the bottom of each.
Beautiful.
So come over here.
Alright, the big reveal.
Oh, look at those.
-Mmm.
The aroma is incredible!
-So nice, right?
-Oh, my goodness.
I see what you mean
by comforting,
and it is such a rich smell.
-And your whole house
smells like that.
It's just the best.
So I'm going to start
with a little bit of cabbage,
and I'm going to have a little
fun with it and just arrange it
so we get a little of that
lion's mane look to it.
I love cabbage cooked like this.
-Mm-hmm.
-So tender, ends up being
really sweet, too.
-Yep.
It's picked up, obviously,
all of that flavor
from that porky,
chicken-y broth.
-Mm-hmm.
-And then do
a couple of meatballs,
and I'll come back
with the broth.
-Mmm, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
-Don't you wish it was, like,
snowing outside right now?
-Nice fire,
an old movie on the TV.
-Right? It'd be perfect.
And then finally, we've got
some scallion greens there.
Those are from
our scallions earlier,
if you'd like
to add a little bit to the top.
-Always.
-Beautiful and flavorful.
Mm-hmm.
-Alright. Let's dig in.
-Okay, I've got to dive
into this broth.
-Yeah. I'm going to go
right for a meatball.
-Oh!
You know, that would soothe
whatever ails you.
-Right?
-It is so flavorful, so rich,
and it's just the broth
and the meatballs
and the cabbage
that simmered together.
It's incredible
it transforms into this.
-And this is just perfect.
Oh, my God, so excited.
-Oh,
I like your technique there.
-Mmm. It's just so good.
All of the juices
and all of the fat are trapped
in there along with
those beautiful seasonings,
but it's really tender because
of that long braising time.
It's just out of this world.
-Mmm!
And the cabbage has taken
on the flavor of the broth,
but it still has some texture.
It's nice and tender, not mushy.
-Mm-hmm.
-Dan, this is wonderful.
Thank you.
-You're welcome.
-If you want to make these
incredibly aromatic meatballs,
mix ground pork,
baking soda, and a few aromatics
together using a mixer,
give the meatballs a good
head start in the oven
before adding the cabbage,
and serve with rice noodles.
From "America's Test Kitchen,"
an ultra-comforting recipe
for lion's head meatballs.
You can find this recipe and all
the recipes and product reviews