I find it really odd that salmon and eggs on toast, or avocado toast count as “dry lunch”. Even his ham sandwich has a slather of butter and tomatoes. Just how wet are Chinese lunches? Is everything less liquid than a soup counted as dry?
Actually sort of. I mean I guess what you would call a soup. Though the Chinese would just consider that a sauce. The put that shit on everything. Well different sauces. Here’s a random picture of a Chinese school lunch.
You see how the veggies are glistening? They’re covered in a sauce made with cornstarch and broth. Even the fish has a layer of sauce on it.
So yeah, a sandwich would be pretty dry. But that’s not really what they’re talking about.
In Chinese food, there’s an insane amount of seasonings that basically go in everything. At a minimum they use something called 5 spice which is a mixture of you guessed it, 5 spices. So the dry they’re referring to is actually seasoning. So something like a subway sandwich with italian dressing, salt, pepper and oregano wouldn’t be dry in the way they’re using it. They’re really just referring to the sandwich being unseasoned. Also, here’s a tip, if you’re going to make a sandwich, season it. Even just adding salt and pepper will make it taste way better.
Well… if you’re in America I’d be cautious about adding anything. Unfortunately, American peanut butter is already heavily seasoned with sugar and salt which makes it a game of over powering the seasonings that are already in American peanut butter. But if you crush your own peanuts with a small amount of salt, as others have said do as the Asians do. Curry powder works great, cumin and as all Asians pretty much do, add some kind of hot sauce (if you can take spicy). But sadly, if you’re looking at a can of jiffy, you’re gonna need a lot of curry powder to overwhelm the salt and sugar content.
bread, peanut butter, hot sauce, fried egg, slice of cheese, mayonnaise, bread
peanut butter goes really well with both sweet and savory options – both west Africa and Thailand like pairing peanut butter and chili in savory dishes – even mixing in a little curry powder or masala gives great results
I’ve been making an SPG blend for a while on and off based on proportions my buddy used for his brisket rub. Sometime last year he started keeping a whole jar of it on hand and seasoning everything savory with it rather than just using salt when it’s called for. The biggest difference between his and mine is that he uses sea salt and I use regular table salt. The flavor is slightly different and I don’t get the big crystals, but it’s still pretty great.
He turned me into a believer. I’ve started keeping my own jar and that’s my base spice for everything. Chicken, fish, beef, pork, veggies, whatever. Most things get extra like paprika, chili powder, oregano, parsley, or whatever the meat calls for, but everything gets at least those three. Even my homemade mayo gets it, which means it goes on all my sandwiches as well.
Yup, that’s what the Chinese are saying when they say it’s dry. You gotta have seasoning. That 5 spice I was talking about, that’s actually different from place to place. Each one representing the flavors that the chef wanted. It’s actually the same in India. Curry powder is not a real thing. Each area and household has their own spice mix.
For me personally, while I agree with you that you should make your own, I tend to just use Cajun seasoning. Dunno, it’s cheap and readily available. But you keep doing you. Personal spice blends is absolutely the way to go.
There’s nothing wrong with Cajun seasoning! I used to use either Tony’s or Cavender’s on stuff for years because I had a busy lifestyle, didn’t always have the give a shit to mix my own spices, and early on I didn’t really have the knowledge to know what was good yet. I’m just in a place where it makes sense for me and I’m very happy with it.
By the way, if you’re looking for something pretty good that isn’t Cajun seasoning, check out Kinder “The Blend”. It’s a legit SPG.
Are you asking me for my super secret family recipe?!?!? Sure thing! But I have a lot to say about it so get ready for the infodump. You’re not just getting the proportions, you’re getting too much information.
Let me start by saying it’s hard to mess up SPG. Get roughly equal parts salt and pepper, add a little garlic, and you’re good. Some folks also add onion to theirs and that’s pretty good as well. I know guys who have won local smoking competitions who eyeball that shit.
His everyday mix is one part dried, minced garlic to three parts sea salt and three parts coarse ground black pepper by volume. On brisket he uses another part pepper to help develop that deep bark.
My everyday mix is one part dried, minced garlic to two and a half parts coarse ground black pepper and three parts table salt by volume (I had an iodine deficiency and don’t want to remember to take my supplement). On brisket I use his blend.
For the garlic I generally mince it and spread it on parchment paper then pop it in the oven on 170f for an hour or so. However much garlic I end up with decides how much SPG I have so generally I’ll do a whole bulb at a time. You could do the same thing with the jars of minced garlic you can buy at the store, McCormick dried minced garlic, or even garlic powder. I happen to prefer the flavor of doing it myself but not everyone has the time, extra garlic from their garden, an oven, desire, or whatever to do it and honestly the difference in results isn’t going to be greatly noticeable to most people.
I find it really odd that salmon and eggs on toast, or avocado toast count as “dry lunch”. Even his ham sandwich has a slather of butter and tomatoes. Just how wet are Chinese lunches? Is everything less liquid than a soup counted as dry?
Actually sort of. I mean I guess what you would call a soup. Though the Chinese would just consider that a sauce. The put that shit on everything. Well different sauces. Here’s a random picture of a Chinese school lunch.
https://whatsforschoollunch.blogspot.com/2009/08/china-school-lunch-fish-and-vegetables.html
You see how the veggies are glistening? They’re covered in a sauce made with cornstarch and broth. Even the fish has a layer of sauce on it.
So yeah, a sandwich would be pretty dry. But that’s not really what they’re talking about.
In Chinese food, there’s an insane amount of seasonings that basically go in everything. At a minimum they use something called 5 spice which is a mixture of you guessed it, 5 spices. So the dry they’re referring to is actually seasoning. So something like a subway sandwich with italian dressing, salt, pepper and oregano wouldn’t be dry in the way they’re using it. They’re really just referring to the sandwich being unseasoned. Also, here’s a tip, if you’re going to make a sandwich, season it. Even just adding salt and pepper will make it taste way better.
Do you have any spices you recommend for a peanut butter sandwich? I’m open to try
Well… if you’re in America I’d be cautious about adding anything. Unfortunately, American peanut butter is already heavily seasoned with sugar and salt which makes it a game of over powering the seasonings that are already in American peanut butter. But if you crush your own peanuts with a small amount of salt, as others have said do as the Asians do. Curry powder works great, cumin and as all Asians pretty much do, add some kind of hot sauce (if you can take spicy). But sadly, if you’re looking at a can of jiffy, you’re gonna need a lot of curry powder to overwhelm the salt and sugar content.
Is molasses a spice?
Better, it’s actually a food group.
It’s what’s left over from refined sugar!
It’s what most rum is made from!
bread, peanut butter, hot sauce, fried egg, slice of cheese, mayonnaise, bread
peanut butter goes really well with both sweet and savory options – both west Africa and Thailand like pairing peanut butter and chili in savory dishes – even mixing in a little curry powder or masala gives great results
I like to put some chilli, usually sambal oelek or similar, as well as some cucumber for freshness
I’ve been making an SPG blend for a while on and off based on proportions my buddy used for his brisket rub. Sometime last year he started keeping a whole jar of it on hand and seasoning everything savory with it rather than just using salt when it’s called for. The biggest difference between his and mine is that he uses sea salt and I use regular table salt. The flavor is slightly different and I don’t get the big crystals, but it’s still pretty great.
He turned me into a believer. I’ve started keeping my own jar and that’s my base spice for everything. Chicken, fish, beef, pork, veggies, whatever. Most things get extra like paprika, chili powder, oregano, parsley, or whatever the meat calls for, but everything gets at least those three. Even my homemade mayo gets it, which means it goes on all my sandwiches as well.
Yup, that’s what the Chinese are saying when they say it’s dry. You gotta have seasoning. That 5 spice I was talking about, that’s actually different from place to place. Each one representing the flavors that the chef wanted. It’s actually the same in India. Curry powder is not a real thing. Each area and household has their own spice mix.
For me personally, while I agree with you that you should make your own, I tend to just use Cajun seasoning. Dunno, it’s cheap and readily available. But you keep doing you. Personal spice blends is absolutely the way to go.
There’s nothing wrong with Cajun seasoning! I used to use either Tony’s or Cavender’s on stuff for years because I had a busy lifestyle, didn’t always have the give a shit to mix my own spices, and early on I didn’t really have the knowledge to know what was good yet. I’m just in a place where it makes sense for me and I’m very happy with it.
By the way, if you’re looking for something pretty good that isn’t Cajun seasoning, check out Kinder “The Blend”. It’s a legit SPG.
Lol, yes I use Tony’s. I will definitely try out the Kinder “The Blend” Since you seem to have a similar taste profile to me. Thanks!
So what’s the proportions? Don’t hold out on us.
Are you asking me for my super secret family recipe?!?!? Sure thing! But I have a lot to say about it so get ready for the infodump. You’re not just getting the proportions, you’re getting too much information.
Let me start by saying it’s hard to mess up SPG. Get roughly equal parts salt and pepper, add a little garlic, and you’re good. Some folks also add onion to theirs and that’s pretty good as well. I know guys who have won local smoking competitions who eyeball that shit.
His everyday mix is one part dried, minced garlic to three parts sea salt and three parts coarse ground black pepper by volume. On brisket he uses another part pepper to help develop that deep bark.
My everyday mix is one part dried, minced garlic to two and a half parts coarse ground black pepper and three parts table salt by volume (I had an iodine deficiency and don’t want to remember to take my supplement). On brisket I use his blend.
For the garlic I generally mince it and spread it on parchment paper then pop it in the oven on 170f for an hour or so. However much garlic I end up with decides how much SPG I have so generally I’ll do a whole bulb at a time. You could do the same thing with the jars of minced garlic you can buy at the store, McCormick dried minced garlic, or even garlic powder. I happen to prefer the flavor of doing it myself but not everyone has the time, extra garlic from their garden, an oven, desire, or whatever to do it and honestly the difference in results isn’t going to be greatly noticeable to most people.
Thanks, I appreciate it.
I think that this is the definition of dry that means boring.
I heard avocado toast was such a luxury it was the downfall of entire generations
in Asian countries it still isn’t smart to drink the water so cooking in water to make a soup base is very common.
In England they got around this by drinking all the tea and/or beer so they could enjoy their dry lunch without getting cholera.