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Cook's Country From America's Test Kitchen - Season 18 Episode 16 - Chinese Noodles And Egg Rolls
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00:00Cook's Country is about more than just getting dinner on the table.
00:09We're also fascinated by the people and stories behind the dishes.
00:14We go inside kitchens in every corner of the country to learn how real people cook.
00:20And we look back through time to see how history influences the way we eat today.
00:25We bring that inspiration back to our test kitchen so we can share it with you.
00:31This is Cook's Country.
00:37Today on Cook's Country, Kelly makes Julia Shanghai scallion oil noodles.
00:44I share the story of Grace Young and her work supporting Chinatowns across America.
00:49And Lawman makes Bridget American-style egg rolls.
00:52That's all right here on Cook's Country.
00:55Scallion oil noodles are a well-loved Shanghainese dish found everywhere from fancy restaurants to street carts to home kitchens.
01:14And today, Kelly is going to show us how to make them.
01:16That's right, Julia.
01:17These noodles are so savory and carry so much depth, but they're actually really simple to make.
01:22So to start, I like to build the sauce.
01:25And here I have a quarter cup of light soy sauce.
01:28So contrary to its name, light soy sauce doesn't actually mean low-sodium soy sauce.
01:32It's actually a Chinese pantry staple that's a little bit thinner and saltier than a regular Japanese soy sauce.
01:38Okay.
01:39And to that, I like to add two tablespoons of dark soy sauce.
01:43This is another Chinese pantry staple.
01:45It's sort of the polar opposite of the light soy sauce.
01:48So it's thicker, a little bit more viscous.
01:51And it has this really strong soy aroma that's really going to come out in the dish and be a distinct characteristic.
01:57Gotcha, sweetie.
01:58Two soys.
01:59Yes, two soys.
02:00And they're going to come together to form a beautiful sauce.
02:03And here I also have five teaspoons of granulated sugar.
02:06And I'm just going to give that a quick stir.
02:09I don't need to dissolve it or anything.
02:11And the sugar is just going to add a subtle sweetness.
02:13It's not going to be too overpowering, but it'll just add some stickiness and shine and help things come together.
02:19And now we're ready to focus on the star of the show, scallions.
02:23We're actually going to be using them in two different ways.
02:25So I'll start by separating the greens from the white and light green parts.
02:30I have about 15 to 18 scallions.
02:34The whites are going to go into the base of our sauce.
02:37They carry a little bit more of the scallion flavor.
02:39It's all on the root end.
02:41So to prep the whites, I like to first trim off the roots.
02:46And then because the whites are a little bit more bulbous, I like to have them lengthwise first.
02:51And then I'm just going to cut them into one and a half inch segments.
02:55And that will go into my bowl of already prepped whites.
03:00For the greens, no need to have lengthwise.
03:02They're hollow on the inside.
03:03So, you know, they're ready to go.
03:05And then for these, I also like to cut them in one and a half inch segments.
03:09These are actually going to turn into a crispy topping for us.
03:12And to continue adding to the base of the sauce, I'm going to be adding a little bit of fresh ginger.
03:18I'm just going to cut off a one inch piece to work with.
03:21So, out there.
03:25And because I have a nice large piece, I can peel it really easily.
03:30And then I'm just going to cut the ginger into thin rounds crosswise.
03:35From there, I'm just going to stack these rounds.
03:38And I'm just going to slice them thin into matchsticks.
03:42Almost done with prep.
03:43I have four heads of Shanghainese baby bok choy.
03:47And for the bok choy, if it has sort of a woody end, I like to just give that a little trim.
03:53But you want to keep the pieces mostly intact.
03:55And then for each of these heads, I just like to cut it lengthwise and give it a nice slice.
04:01And here, I'll just set these aside and we'll blanch them a little later.
04:05If you're a fan of Chinese cooking, then you should also be a fan of Grace Young.
04:17Young was born and raised in San Francisco.
04:20Her parents are Cantonese and built a life for the family, doing business in the city's vibrant Chinatown.
04:26She grew up watching Julia Child and developed an interest in food and cooking.
04:30Today, she's an award-winning cookbook author and writer who's made a name for herself in Chinese cuisine and, most recently, activism.
04:39In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the U.S.,
04:44Young noticed that Chinatowns across the country were taking a particularly hard hit.
04:49Mandatory lockdowns, coupled with xenophobia and misinformation, left many Chinese businesses on the verge of closure.
04:57So Young created a video series that documented the stories of these business owners.
05:02In her view, preserving America's historic Chinatowns was a way of preserving an important piece of American history.
05:10Young also joined forces with the Welcome to Chinatown organization.
05:14They purchased meals from local restaurants and gave them to people in need.
05:19Young's impact has been felt in Chinatowns across the country,
05:23and her work has been honored by numerous organizations.
05:26Here at Cook's Country, we're inspired by Grace Young's example and celebrate Chinese cookery
05:32in our recipe for Shanghai scallion oil noodles.
05:43So, here I have four quarts of boiling water.
05:45We're going to be using the pot of water for multiple things today.
05:49Okay.
05:49First, I'm going to start by blanching my bok choy.
05:51This is just going to take about one minute.
05:55Okay.
05:56Things have turned bright green.
05:57The leaves have completely become tender.
06:00Now I'm just going to transfer them to a paper towel lined sheet to soak up any water.
06:05And you could certainly use tongs for this, but again, I like to use chopsticks all the way through.
06:10But these are tender and I'm just going to set them aside for later.
06:12Okie doke.
06:13That's quite a few noodles you have there.
06:14I've prepared a selection for you.
06:17So, here I have one pound of Chinese fresh wheat noodles.
06:21And I like to purchase them fresh because they have a little bit of chew, but you can also buy them dried.
06:26The thickness of these noodles is really important to the success of this dish.
06:30Gotcha.
06:30And when I was developing, I particularly enjoyed this thickness in terms of it not sticking and being coated in the sauce.
06:37And a piece of this raw noodle is about the thickness of a piece of cooked spaghetti.
06:42Okay.
06:43That's what you want to look for in the store.
06:45This is another fresh wheat noodle.
06:46You'll notice that it's a lot thinner.
06:48A lot thinner.
06:48And something like this will stick a lot in the wok when you're tossing it later on.
06:53So, you want to avoid this thickness.
06:55Okay.
06:55So, this is the Goldilocks.
06:56All right.
06:57Standard.
06:58So, we're just going to drop these right in.
06:59This is the same water I used to blanch the bok choy.
07:03Again, my chopsticks come in handy.
07:05It's going to separate out those strands.
07:07And since these are fresh, they should only take about two to three minutes to cook.
07:11Okay.
07:11We're looking for the noodles to be slightly puffy.
07:14So, they're starting to get tender, but they're not blown out or falling apart.
07:17Okay.
07:18I do like to give it a taste when I think it's about ready.
07:25Great.
07:26They've got a little bit of chew still, but they're nice and tender.
07:29Great.
07:29So, these are cooked, so we'll go to the sink.
07:32Give these a quick drain.
07:33And now, I'm just going to give these a quick rinse in cold water to stop the cooking.
07:39It gives us some buffer room while we cook other things.
07:41And also, we'll be heating it through later.
07:43Those are cooled down, so we'll just let them drain and get back to them later.
07:48Now, we're ready to start using the wok.
07:50Here, I have a 14-inch flat-bottom wok.
07:53Now, we're going to make a crispy scallion topping.
07:56So, here I have two-thirds of a cup of peanut oil that I've already added to the wok.
07:59Okay.
08:00I like using peanut oil because it's a Chinese pantry staple, but you could also use vegetable oil.
08:05And to that, I'm adding my prepared scallion greens.
08:08Just adding everything before I turn on the heat.
08:10And I just want these to crisp up, so I'm going to cook them on medium-high heat.
08:15So, I'm just going to toss these to coat.
08:17I'm looking for the scallion greens to become nicely browned and crispy, and that should take about 8 to 10 minutes.
08:22Okay.
08:24So, things are starting to sizzle.
08:26They smell good.
08:27And I'm just going to keep everything moving to get an even browning on it.
08:31The scallions have become nice and crisp.
08:33You'll see that they're browned on the edges, but not overly dark.
08:37I've shut off the heat, and I'm just going to transfer these to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
08:42I'm going to keep that oil underneath because it's super flavorful.
08:45So, just like with any fried food, I want to season them when they're hot so that the salt sticks.
08:50So, here I have an eighth of a teaspoon of table salt.
08:53Let's give it a little hit of savoriness.
08:56Make it a nice little toss.
08:58And these we'll set aside for later.
09:01So, we're going to continue building on this scallion-infused oil, and now we're going to make the base of the sauce.
09:07To start, actually, I'm going to add one shallot that I've halved and sliced thin.
09:12To that, I'm also adding my prepared scallion whites and ginger.
09:16My goal here is to break everything down and slowly infuse the oil with flavor.
09:21So, to do that, I'll go really low and slow at medium-low heat.
09:25And I just want to stir this often to get an even cook on everything.
09:28That should take about 11 to 13 minutes.
09:30So, things are getting slightly browned around the edges.
09:33So, now I'm ready to add my soy sauce mixture back into the wok.
09:36There you go.
09:36So, I'm going to give that a quick stir, just because the sugar sometimes settles on the bottom.
09:42Just pour that right in.
09:46And I'm just looking for things to come to a rapid simmer and to dissolve my sugar.
09:51So, this should only take about one to two minutes.
09:53Great.
09:54So, everything is at a rapid simmer.
09:56The sugar has been dissolved.
09:57Now, I'm ready to add my noodles and toss them.
10:00And this is when I transfer to using tongs, because it just helps me get some more strength with the noodles.
10:10Oh, that looks good.
10:12Yeah, make sure to scrape the bottom of the wok.
10:14And we're just looking for all the noodles to be coated and for them to be heated through.
10:18You can see that dark soy sauce is really doing the work to color the noodles.
10:23The oil is also keeping the noodles slick.
10:25And there's a saying in Shanghainese cuisine, and that just means rich with oil and red with sauce.
10:33And that's what you're looking for in a dish.
10:36So, now I'm just going to transfer this to a serving potter.
10:40Oh, it smells delicious.
10:42So, we're almost at the finish line, but I have one last topping that I want to make.
10:45Okay.
10:46So, I've given my wok a wipe down, and now we're going to use it to make one of my favorite toppings to put on any dish, a fried egg.
10:53I love it.
10:53So, this is a half cup of oil.
10:55You can use peanut or vegetable.
10:57And I just want to heat it until it's super hot, so 350 degrees.
11:01And the hot oil is going to really help set the egg right away so that the steam rises and it becomes puffy.
11:06So, I like to just tilt the wok and test the temperature.
11:11Great.
11:11So, the oil is at 350 degrees.
11:14Now, we're ready to drop our egg in.
11:16You're cooking them one at a time?
11:20Yes.
11:21I'm only making stew today because there's two of us.
11:24But you could rinse and repeat with as many as you'd like.
11:27And I'm just basting hot oil over the top of the egg to set the top at the same rate that the bottom is cooking.
11:35So, you're essentially shallow frying here.
11:37And you can see that the egg is becoming puffy.
11:39Yeah.
11:40It's from all the hot oil immediately making the steam rise.
11:43It should only take 30 to 60 seconds.
11:46I'm just looking for the whites to be opaque.
11:49And the edges are crisp and brown.
11:51And you can see that we've gotten a nice frilly edge.
11:54I like to shut my heat off just to prevent it from overcooking.
11:58All right.
12:00And at this point, I'm ready to transfer.
12:03I want to carefully skim the bottom.
12:07And let any excess oil just drain off.
12:11And just slide it right over your noodles.
12:13Yes, please.
12:14So, I'm going to do the same thing with my second egg and maintain my oil at about 325 to 350 degrees.
12:22And now we're ready to add all the other toppings.
12:25So, here I have these crispy scallion greens, which I'm just going to use my hands to drizzle around.
12:33Lots of textural contrast.
12:35You can hear how crisp they are.
12:37And this makes enough to serve four.
12:39So, the other half, I'm just going to portion over the remaining noodles.
12:44And now it's time for the bok choy.
12:46Gorgeous.
12:48First up, got to break the yolk, right?
12:50Exactly.
12:51Oh, hello.
12:53All right.
12:54These noodles are long.
12:55I wore a brown shirt for the occasion.
12:57I came prepared.
12:58Long life.
12:59Mm-hmm.
13:00Mmm.
13:04Mmm.
13:06There was so much flavor in that.
13:08The soy sauce is really in the background.
13:10I know you used two types.
13:11Not one overpowers the other.
13:14It's a nice balance.
13:15A little bit of sweetness.
13:17I love how the fresh wheat noodles really have that perfect balance of chewiness and tenderness.
13:22The scallion topping.
13:23Oh, man.
13:25This is the magic of the wok.
13:27Yeah.
13:27The egg is just lacy and adds more of that crunch.
13:31Oh.
13:32Kelly, this is spectacular.
13:33Thank you for showing me how to make it.
13:35It was my pleasure.
13:35If you want to make Kelly's scallion oil noodles, start by making a simple sauce using light and dark soy sauce.
13:43Cook the scallion greens and whites separately.
13:46Boil the noodles, finish it all in the wok, and top with a fried egg.
13:50From Cook's Country, Kelly's very own recipe for Shanghai scallion oil noodles.
13:55I really got to learn how to cook my egg this way.
13:58This is kind of a game changer.
13:59A crispy, crunchy egg roll is one of the best parts, most iconic parts of a Chinese-American restaurant menu.
14:11But you don't have to wait till you go out.
14:13Why not try to make them at home?
14:15And it's a good thing I know Lawman, because he's going to show us how to make egg rolls.
14:19And you've got some serious thoughts about egg rolls, too.
14:21I do, Bridget.
14:22Between you and me, I have a love-hate relationship with egg rolls.
14:27I either have one and it's delicious, or I eat one, take a bite, and I'm all set.
14:32Not good.
14:33No.
14:34So in the interest of research, we ate tons of egg rolls, and we figured out the difference between an egg roll that's really, really good and one that's meh is complementing flavors and textures.
14:44Okay.
14:45So today, we're going to make a really, really good egg roll.
14:47So to start, I have 12 ounces of fresh ground pork.
14:50You want to use fresh ground pork because it has a higher fat content, but you can use prepackaged ground pork.
14:55Okay.
14:56So I'm just going to add this to our stand mixer, and we're going to add two tablespoons of lard that's been cut into four pieces.
15:03Just not enough fat in that pork for you, huh?
15:05Exactly.
15:06So the lard's going to add some more richness to the pork.
15:09And we're going to add our paddle attachment.
15:10And we're going to set this to medium, and we're going to whip it for about two minutes until it's lightened in color.
15:18Okay.
15:20So it's lightened in color.
15:22Now we're going to add some shrimp.
15:24I have four ounces of shrimp that's been peeled, deveined, and the tails have been removed.
15:29Now, it doesn't matter what size shrimp, as long as it's four ounces.
15:32Okay.
15:32And we're just going to chop this up.
15:34We want it just small enough that you have enough shrimp in the egg roll, but it's not going to be big chunks.
15:41Okay.
15:41I'm just going to add that to the pork mixture.
15:44And I'm just going to wash my hands before we add our seasonings.
15:47Okay.
15:47So my hand's nice and clean.
15:48Now we're going to add our seasonings.
15:50Every seasoning in the kitchen.
15:53Yes.
15:53I'm going to add one tablespoon of soy sauce, one tablespoon of oyster sauce.
15:59That's a powerhouse right there.
16:01One tablespoon of granulated sugar, one tablespoon of chicken bouillon powder.
16:07Now this might sound weird to add, but it's going to add some nice concentrated savoriness to the mixture without adding any liquid.
16:15Next, we're going to add one and a half teaspoons of Shaoxing wine, one and a half teaspoons of sesame oil.
16:22Toasted, right?
16:22Yes.
16:23Okay.
16:24One and a half teaspoons of Chinese white vinegar, one teaspoon of table salt, half a teaspoon of white pepper, and last but not least, a quarter teaspoon of five spice powder.
16:39So we're going to set the mixer to medium low.
16:41We're going to combine this so that it's fully incorporated for about 30 seconds.
16:45Okay.
16:46And now we're just going to cover this with some plastic wrap, and it's going to sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
16:52So that the flavors can meld.
16:54Okay, great.
16:55So while the pork's marinating, I have one and a half ounces of dried mung bean noodles, and if you're not familiar with them, they're made from the mung bean starch, and they're great added to soups where they absorb all the flavor and the broth.
17:08And they can also go into egg rolls, spring rolls, and even dumplings, where they're going to give you a nice chewy texture.
17:15So we're just going to add this to four cups of hot water, and this is going to rehydrate the noodles so that they're pliable and we can work with them.
17:24Okay, great.
17:24So it's going to sit in there for about 15 minutes.
17:27Well, that sounds like we have time to do something else.
17:29We do.
17:30We're going to cook the vegetables that are going to go inside the egg rolls.
17:33Great.
17:34So here I have a 14-inch flat-bottom wok.
17:37I'm going to crank the heat on high.
17:39We're looking for it to start smoking.
17:41Great.
17:42So as you can see, it's smoking.
17:44Now I'm going to add one teaspoon of vegetable oil, and I'm just going to pour it right around the edge so it cascades down.
17:51It's really smoking, so we know it's really hot, so I'm going to turn the heat to medium-high.
17:55Now I'm going to add two cups of chopped green cabbage, one carrot that's been peeled and shredded, a tablespoon of soy sauce, and one teaspoon of sugar.
18:12You want to cook this for about two minutes, moving it constantly so that the vegetables don't steam and they don't burn.
18:20It's been about two minutes.
18:21The vegetables are cooked, and I didn't burn them.
18:25No, you did a great job.
18:27So we're just going to add them to a plate.
18:30We just want to spread this out in an even layer.
18:32So now we're just going to put this in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
18:35It's going to stop the vegetables from cooking, and it's going to make the vegetables cool so that we can handle them inside the filling.
18:41Okay.
18:42It's been 15 minutes, and as you can see, the noodles are nice and pliable.
18:47They're noodling.
18:48They are.
18:49So we're just going to drain them.
18:51Okay.
18:51I want to make sure that there's no excess starch on them, so we're also going to rinse them one more time.
18:59Okay.
19:01And we're going to drain the excess water again because no one wants a wet noodle.
19:04No.
19:04And now I'm going to cut the noodles into one-inch pieces.
19:08Basically, you want them to be bite-sized pieces.
19:10When you're eating the egg roll, you don't want the noodle to stretch out.
19:14You don't want to have, like, a Lady and the Tramp situation with your egg roll.
19:17Speak for yourself.
19:18And it just needs to be kind of, like, a rough one-inch.
19:23It doesn't have to be exact.
19:25As you can see, it's basically a bite-sized piece.
19:28So here I have the pork mixture that's been marinating for 30 minutes.
19:31Nice and chilled.
19:32Exactly.
19:33We're going to add our noodles and our cooled veg.
19:36Oh, yeah.
19:37And we're going to add it to the mixer.
19:42So we're just going to put it on low, and we're going to combine this for about a minute.
19:46Make sure it's thoroughly combined without beating up the ingredients.
19:49Got it.
19:53It's thoroughly combined.
19:55Now it's time to make the egg rolls.
19:57I'm going to make one, and then hopefully you'll help me make the rest.
20:00You got it.
20:01So I have 12 7-inch egg roll wrappers.
20:04Okay.
20:04And to start, you want to place it so it's kind of like it looks like a diamond.
20:09And you're going to take a quarter cup dry measuring cup and take some of the filling.
20:15And you're going to add it about a third of the way down.
20:17And then you're going to form this into a 4-inch cylinder.
20:21Now you want to wet your finger and go around the edge.
20:23This is going to help seal the wrapper.
20:25Take the corner that's closest to you, bring it over the filling, and then press out any air bubbles.
20:31Then take the right corner, fold it over.
20:35The left corner, fold it over.
20:37Then roll it away from you so that the seam is underneath.
20:41That is beautiful.
20:43And you're going to add it to your parchment-lined sheet pan.
20:46And then I have a damp towel here.
20:47I'm just going to put it on top.
20:48Okay.
20:49So that they don't dry out.
20:50All right.
20:51You're going to walk me through the next one?
20:52I'd love to.
20:54What do you think, boss?
20:54So far, so good?
20:55So far, so good.
20:56All right.
20:56Then this goes over.
21:00What do you think?
21:02I'd eat that.
21:03Bridget, now that you're an expert, we're going to keep going until we have all 12 wrapped,
21:07and then we'll be ready to fry.
21:09So our egg rolls are rolled.
21:11We're going to fry them right away.
21:12We're going to cook six at a time.
21:13Okay.
21:14You'll notice that our wok is back, and we have two quarts of oil.
21:17This is vegetable oil.
21:19You can also use peanut oil if you want to get fancy.
21:21You could use some duck fat.
21:23So first, we want to make sure the temperature is at 350 degrees.
21:27Now we're going to add our egg rolls.
21:29So you want to ease them into the oil, seam side down.
21:32You don't want any splashes.
21:34We're going to cook them four to eight minutes, flipping halfway through until they're nice and golden brown.
21:39So, Bridget, it's been about, say, five minutes, and they're ready to flip.
21:45We're going to let them go about two or three more minutes.
21:48Okay.
21:50So, Bridget, they're nice and golden brown.
21:52They're ready to come out of the pool.
21:54Okay.
21:54So we're going to add them to our triple-layered paper towel-lined sheet pan.
22:00In fact, we want to make sure we get some of that excess fat off the egg roll.
22:06So now we're going to cook the second batch.
22:07We just need to return the oil to 350.
22:09We're going to add the rest of the egg rolls and cook, flipping halfway through.
22:14So, Bridget, here are those really, really good egg rolls I promised you.
22:18Really, really good.
22:19I think they're going to be great.
22:21They look fantastic.
22:22I'm going to cut one in half so you can see the inside.
22:25Okay.
22:26Yeah, because they look pristinely beautiful on the outside.
22:30Look at that.
22:30Chunks of shrimp.
22:31I can smell it.
22:33As soon as you cut that open.
22:35That's going to be great.
22:37So this one's going to be for you.
22:40I have two sauces here.
22:41We have a spicy mustard and we have a plum sauce that you can get the recipe on our website.
22:45Okay.
22:46So what do you suggest?
22:47Dipping?
22:48We're going to dip.
22:49First, I'm going to try the plum sauce.
22:55A little hot, a little sweet, a lot of crispy.
23:00Super, super crispy.
23:01That filling, gorgeous.
23:03Really cohesive.
23:06Mm.
23:06The interior, you have the complementing flavors and textures.
23:10The noodles add some chew to this.
23:13You get that rich pork flavor.
23:14Mm-hmm.
23:15And the shrimp is nice and tender.
23:17Everything makes its presence known, but wrapped up together, it's the perfect egg roll.
23:22You're the perfect egg roll.
23:24Thanks, Laman.
23:25Well, if you'd like trying these at home, it starts with the filling.
23:28Beat together lard and pork.
23:31Add shrimp and flavorful oyster sauce, bouillon powder, and five spice.
23:35Pre-cook a cabbage and carrot mixture until softened, and then fry in batches until crisp and golden brown.
23:42So from Cook's Country, crispy, savory, American-style egg rolls.
23:47You can get this recipe and all the recipes from this season along with product reviews and select episodes.
23:53And you'll find them all on our website, cookscountry.com slash TV.
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