Know anything about Cajun/Chinese fusion cuisine?
May 4, 2010 12:12 PM Subscribe
Cajun/Chinese fusion cooking? Anyone tried this or know anything about it?
It seems as if it would work because of the commonalities -- rice, fish, peppers, chili, oil, bacon fat, shellfish stock, garlic, sugar, etc. As long as you stayed away from the butter and olive oil.
YES I KNOW THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF CHINESE CUISINE!! Please don't feel free to give me a lecture about that.
Thanks.
It seems as if it would work because of the commonalities -- rice, fish, peppers, chili, oil, bacon fat, shellfish stock, garlic, sugar, etc. As long as you stayed away from the butter and olive oil.
YES I KNOW THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF CHINESE CUISINE!! Please don't feel free to give me a lecture about that.
Thanks.
Gumbo Jumbo in San Jose has crawfish eggrolls and crawfish wontons.
posted by cazoo at 12:24 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by cazoo at 12:24 PM on May 4, 2010
Yeah, crawdads are basically freshwater shrimp/prawns (I am not a zoologist), and they're a regular item at Chinese buffets in the American South--right next to the fried catfish.
posted by box at 12:33 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by box at 12:33 PM on May 4, 2010
(They look like lobsters, but I think they taste more like shrimp. YMMV.)
posted by box at 12:36 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by box at 12:36 PM on May 4, 2010
I know crawfish are served at Chinese buffets here in Ohio. Also, at the mall here the Cajun restaurant is owned by the same people who own the Chinese restaurant - and they use the same cooks and wait staff.
posted by charred husk at 12:39 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by charred husk at 12:39 PM on May 4, 2010
I've made fried rice out of leftover dirty rice and/or jambalaya. And I use Sriracha when I don't have new-world hot sauces on hand.
Works for me.
posted by DaveP at 12:41 PM on May 4, 2010
Works for me.
posted by DaveP at 12:41 PM on May 4, 2010
I don't think you are going to convince many folks in Louisiana that red beans are dessert, but that said I did most of the cooking for my wife and I while we lived in China and I found it very simple to cook a fairly standard Southern Soul Food/Cajun fair. Greens, seafood, red chili pepper, pork, parts of chicken that yankees ignore/throw out, garlic, onion, you name it, its all there!
crawdads are basically freshwater shrimp/prawns
Xiao Long Xia is crawdad in Chinese. That is basically little lobster, but they live in rice paddies!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:46 PM on May 4, 2010
crawdads are basically freshwater shrimp/prawns
Xiao Long Xia is crawdad in Chinese. That is basically little lobster, but they live in rice paddies!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:46 PM on May 4, 2010
Best answer: There are something like two Chinese+Cajun+fried+chicken restaurants in the Los Angeles area. I've never been to one. But yes, Chinese/Cajun fusion exists.
posted by Nattie at 1:25 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by Nattie at 1:25 PM on May 4, 2010
Best answer: There are a couple of different kinds of Chinese sausage (lap cheong) that would go great if you diced 'em up into a gumbo.
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:25 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by infinitywaltz at 2:25 PM on May 4, 2010
Best answer: Check out Trey Yuen Cuisine of China outside of New Orleans for cajun ingredients cooked with Chinese techniques (szechuan spicy alligator, shrimp and crawfish in a cloud, etc.)
posted by motherly corn at 6:19 PM on May 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by motherly corn at 6:19 PM on May 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
You know all those mall food court shops called "cajun cafe" (or some variant)? I have found them to be mostly run by Chinese people. Now, it's not real cajun, or chinese, but I think you are definitely on to something.
posted by ch1x0r at 7:10 PM on May 4, 2010
posted by ch1x0r at 7:10 PM on May 4, 2010
Best answer: The Boston Globe today had this article about Vietnamese/Cajun restaurants that might give you some ideas.
posted by ldthomps at 5:49 AM on May 5, 2010
posted by ldthomps at 5:49 AM on May 5, 2010
ch1x0r: "You know all those mall food court shops called "cajun cafe" (or some variant)? I have found them to be mostly run by Chinese people. Now, it's not real cajun, or chinese, but I think you are definitely on to something."
The kitchen staff of the Chinese place in the small Ohio town where I went to college were mostly Mexicans, but that didn't make the food they made Chinese-Mexican fusion. Here in Pittsburgh, where there aren't many Mexicans, the most popular Mexican restaurants are owned and staffed by white Europeans, and a lot of the food-court Chinese and Mexican places both are staffed by Indians. Just 'cause the labor's cheap, doesn't mean they have any influence on the food they cook.
posted by FlyingMonkey at 11:55 AM on May 5, 2010
The kitchen staff of the Chinese place in the small Ohio town where I went to college were mostly Mexicans, but that didn't make the food they made Chinese-Mexican fusion. Here in Pittsburgh, where there aren't many Mexicans, the most popular Mexican restaurants are owned and staffed by white Europeans, and a lot of the food-court Chinese and Mexican places both are staffed by Indians. Just 'cause the labor's cheap, doesn't mean they have any influence on the food they cook.
posted by FlyingMonkey at 11:55 AM on May 5, 2010
The kitchen staff of the Chinese place in the small Ohio town where I went to college were mostly Mexicans, but that didn't make the food they made Chinese-Mexican fusion. Here in Pittsburgh, where there aren't many Mexicans, the most popular Mexican restaurants are owned and staffed by white Europeans, and a lot of the food-court Chinese and Mexican places both are staffed by Indians. Just 'cause the labor's cheap, doesn't mean they have any influence on the food they cook.
Oh, I agree, don't get me wrong, but there ain't much "cajun" about the crap they serve at "cajun cafe", and in fact I find much of it to be very american-chinese whether or not they are staffed by chinese americans. It's basically americanized chinese food, slightly differently flavored, served with quasi-rice and beans.
posted by ch1x0r at 7:22 PM on May 6, 2010
Oh, I agree, don't get me wrong, but there ain't much "cajun" about the crap they serve at "cajun cafe", and in fact I find much of it to be very american-chinese whether or not they are staffed by chinese americans. It's basically americanized chinese food, slightly differently flavored, served with quasi-rice and beans.
posted by ch1x0r at 7:22 PM on May 6, 2010
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posted by box at 12:16 PM on May 4, 2010