The Best of 1999
Since January is traditionally a time for reflection and taking stock, I thought I would begin the first article of the year with a timely inspirational quote. Last year, I indicated that my resolution for 1999 was to make sure that the majority of recipes on this site contained ingredients that were reasonably easy to obtain. My goal for the year 2000 is more in keeping with the technological explosion that's taken place in the last decade. I plan to obtain a digital camera, which will allow me to provide photographs to accompany the written text in my articles. For example, an article discussing how to make wontons will have a photograph accompanying each step of the process, including the rather tricky procedure of folding the wonton prior to steaming or stir-frying. Look for the newly digitized Chinese cuisine site in the spring.
In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to look back at the most popular features on my site for 1999:
Most Popular Articles
- Chinese Food Hunger - Can it make you fat?
A recent study provides support for the existence of "Chinese food hunger."
- MSG - Pros and Cons
Its detractors claim Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is responsible for "Chinese restaurant syndrome" - a combination of headaches, dizziness, and chest pains that some people experience after eating out at a Chinese restaurant. This article looks at the history of MSG in Asian cooking, and provides links to several articles.
- Ten Tips for Stir-frying
Basic tips to help you avoid the most common stir-frying problems, such as soggy vegetables and food sticking to the wok.
Most Popular Net Links Page
- Szechuan style
A page devoted to the dishes that typify Szechuan regional cooking: includes recipes for bang bang chicken and twice cooked pork.
- Canton style - Recipes include
steamed roast pork dumplings and sesame chicken.
- Online Recipe Sites - Links to other quality sites featuring Asian recipes.
Most Popular Page Elsewhere on my Site
- Eating Healthy - A collection of
healthy recipes culled from various sources on the Internet.
- Asian Recipe Sites - For
those interested in exploring other Asian cuisines.
- Astrology - Predictions for 1999 - includes a calendar to help you determine which Chinese animal sign you were born under.
Most Popular Forum Thread
- What made you a Chinese
food fan?
Readers share their experiences of how they became hooked on Chinese cuisine.
- Chinese Greens
A reader's request for a recipe using Chinese (mustard) greens prompted several responses.
- Chinese cheese
A reader wondered whether or not it exists.
Most Popular Poll
- What is your favorite Chinese
appetizer?
The results were quite interesting.
- Do you prefer to use chopsticks or
cutlery when eating Chinese food?
Chopsticks were the clear winner.
Most Popular recipe from my Recipe File
- Kung Pao chicken - The hands down
winner - this popular recipe was consistently in the top three every week.
- Lemon Chicken - One of the first
dishes I learned to make when I began Chinese cooking classes many years ago.
- Sweet Sour Pork and Sweet and Sour Sauce - While no one recipe took third place, the combination of sweet and sour was very popular.
Most Commonly asked email question
- How do I make hand-pulled noodles?
Hmm...Anything I've read on the subject says that making hand-pulled noodles is a technique that takes years to perfect. However, many readers showed an interest in trying to make them at home. Accordingly, I have a recipe from Wok Talk (a magazine that is no longer in publication). Also, you'll find photos illustrating several stages of the process, from Ditty Deamer's Chinese breakfast site.
