Latest news with #Shaoxing
Time Out
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Asian Spice Afternoon Tea at ANA InterContinental Tokyo
Karin Chinese Restaurant at ANA InterContinental Tokyo is spicing things up this season with its Asian Spice Afternoon Tea, available through the end of August. The summer-inspired feast blends bold spices for a unique dim sum afternoon tea served in a beautifully crafted bamboo steamer. The tea set features ten savoury bites and eight desserts infused with aromatic flavours like cumin, star anise and cinnamon. Highlights include wok-fried wagyu beef with cumin and chilli, scallops in citrus-infused sweet chilli sauce, and creative desserts such as melon cream with star anise compote and bergamot mousse. Guests can also enjoy a free-flow selection of six Chinese teas and three original mocktails. The tea set is available during lunch and dinner, with an optional drink plan featuring sparkling wine, beer and Shaoxing wine.
Irish Examiner
24-05-2025
- General
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: My chilli oil recipe is perfect for salads, rice and these steamed mussels
Fermented hot sauces, crispy chilli oils and hot honeys have become staple condiments within the Irish pantry. The emergence of Lao Gan Ma into the European market was the catalyst for this demand of chilli flavoured oils. I came across Lao Gan Ma for the first time in 2019, during lockdown, having a little more time on my hands to browse the shelves in the Asian supermarket. It's the original crispy chilli oil, utterly addictive with crunchy fried chillies and MSG. Tao Huabi opened a noodle shop in the 1990s in Guizhou, China where she served a crisp chilli oil. It became so popular that customers were coming to the restaurant just to buy this sauce and in 1996 the first factory producing Lao Gan Ma was established. The range has expanded with a variety of ingredients added to this base sauce. You'll find Lao Gan Ma with mushrooms, fermented soya beans, peanuts and even a kohlrabi, peanut and tofu version. I take immense pleasure in making store cupboard essentials like this myself. They make for fantastic gifts and there is something so satisfying about having a jar of deliciousness like this on your shelf that you've made yourself. So, I'm sharing a very simple chilli oil recipe, served here with a bowl of Shaoxing wine steamed mussels that you can have a go at making yourself. I'll use this in salad dressings, over rice and noodle dishes and in dipping sauces. It's excellent with eggs and equally brilliant over steamed fish and vegetables. Shaoxing wine is key for this bowl of brothy mussels. A fermented rice wine widely used in Chinese cookery it adds a wonderful aromatic and savoury flavour to dishes. You'll find it along with black rice vinegar and Korean chilli flakes at your local Asian supermarket. Shaoxing steamed mussels with chilli oil recipe by:Aishling Moore I use this chilli oil in salad dressings, over rice and noodle dishes and in dipping sauces. It's excellent with eggs and equally brilliant over steamed fish and vegetables. Servings 4 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 20 mins Total Time 30 mins Course Main Ingredients For the mussels 1kg mussels 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 6 cloves of garlic, finely sliced 1 thumb of ginger, finely sliced 200ml Shaoxing wine 1 bunch of scallions chopped, to garnish For the chilli oil 500ml vegetable oil 60g gochugaru (Korean chilli flakes) 4 cloves garlic, smashed 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger sliced 2 star anise 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 cinnamon stick 2 bay leaves 2 tbsp black rice vinegar Method To make the chilli oil, heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and bring to 80°C.. Add the ginger and garlic to the oil and cook for eight to 10 minutes until they begin to turn golden brown. Add the star anise, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and cook for a further four minutes until fragrant. Place the chilli flakes in a large heatproof bowl Pass the oil through a heatproof stainer and add to the bowl of chilli flakes. Discard the ginger, garlic, bay leaf, and spices. Carefully add the vinegar to the chilli oil and allow to stand before storing in a sterile jar. For the mussels. fill a large bowl with water and add the mussels to the water. Using a small paring knife remove any barnacles from the shells and the beard of the mussel. The beard is what the mussel uses to attach itself to the surface of which it grows. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking. Heat a heavy-based large pot on medium high heat. Cook the sliced garlic and ginger in the rapeseed oil for one to two minutes. Keep them moving to avoid burning. Add the mussels to the pot and immediately follow by adding the Shaoxing wine. Place a tight-fitting lid on the pot. Give the pot a little shake and leave to cook covered for three minutes. Remove the lid. All the mussels should be cooked and open at this stage. Discard any that haven't opened. Add a couple of tablespoons of chilli oil and the chopped scallions and serve. Fish Tales Mussels should only be cooked when alive, so discard any that have cracked shells or do not close when tapped. They should smell fresh and of the seaside. It's very important when seasoning shellfish dishes to taste before you add any salt. Mussels are naturally high in salt. A temperature probe is key for making chilli oil to ensure accuracy and prevent the spices from burning. Use a pot large enough to fill only halfway when heating large amounts of oil. Make sure to use a flavourless high smoke point oil for this recipe. Korean chilli flakes are great for this oil as they are not aggressively hot in flavour. This oil will keep for weeks in the fridge. Read More Seafood Made Simple: These home baked beans go well with any piece of fish
Free Malaysia Today
09-05-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Chinese fabric exporters anxious for US trade patch-up
Sales to the US made up 18% of China's total textiles and apparel exports in 2024, according to Moody's Ratings. (EPA Images pic) SHAOXING : Surrounded by samples of silk and glittering tweed in one of China's largest fabric markets, textiles exporter Cherry said she was anxiously awaiting the result of trade talks with the US this weekend. Her company, which relies on US customers for around half its client base, is one of many caught in the crosshairs as the standoff between Washington and Beijing has escalated this year. Cherry has already had US orders cancelled, and is desperately hoping the negotiations starting Saturday in Geneva will result in the rolling back of the reciprocal tariffs that make doing business almost impossible. 'The situation will be very bad if this continues,' she said, sceptical of claims her industry would be able to weather prolonged levies. 'A few months ago I heard people say they'd had many containers (of goods) being cancelled… Some factories have already had to stop production,' she said. Sales to the US made up 18% of China's total textiles and apparel exports in 2024, according to Moody's Ratings. A significant proportion of that comes from the eastern manufacturing powerhouse province of Zhejiang, where the labyrinth-like Keqiao China Textile City is based in the city of Shaoxing. With a listed 26,000 shops selling everything from velvet to rayon to fake fur, it is touted as one of the world's busiest fabric hubs. However, customers were few and far between when AFP visited on a day of torrential rain this week, with vendors' spirits largely dampened too. 'Of course I am afraid,' said one woman surnamed Li, who added that business was already affected by the global turmoil. 'This is my job – I rely on it to support my family… I hope for a good outcome (for the talks),' Li said. 'Lose-lose scenario' The Geneva talks are the first official public engagement between the two sides aimed at resolving the stand-off triggered by US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs. The subsequent tit-for-tat means many Chinese goods entering the US now face duties of 145% – with some specific sectors even higher – while Beijing has hit back with 125% levies on most US goods. One seller in Keqiao market described the situation as a 'lose-lose scenario'. Some of her colleagues' US customers have agreed to pay a 30% non-refundable deposit to initiate production, on the understanding that the whole order can be cancelled if the final tariff level after negotiations is still too high. If that happens, everyone will lose money. 'We basically don't dare to take US orders anymore,' said 66-year-old Zhou, standing in front of swaths of khaki in various hues. 'The cost price can't even be covered, especially with such high tariffs added on,' Zhou said. 'For companies like his daughter's, which dealt mainly with US clients, 'the impact is huge',' he said. 'The best outcome would be for everyone to sit down and talk things through – it would be good for everyone, right?,' he added. Even the hint of de-escalation has brought some back to the table, with one exporter telling AFP a client who had suspended orders had recently given the go-ahead for production to begin. However, at a ski suit workshop in a cross-border e-commerce centre a few kilometres away, 31-year-old Xiao Huilan said a lot of local companies had lost out completing production for orders that had subsequently been reduced or held off. 'In the short term, we can manage, but in the long run, businesses can't sustain it,' she said. 'In a trade war, no one really wins. What we hope for is reconciliation, where everyone can coexist and prosper together,' she noted.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Jimmy Lee's Fish Ball Ho Fun Noodles
INGREDIENTS 200g fresh Ho Fun noodles (flat rice noodles) 100g fish balls (pre-shallow fried) 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp sesame oil ½ tsp chicken bouillon (stock cube) 50g beansprouts ½ sliced onion 1 stalk of chopped spring onion 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine 1 tsp oyster sauce 2 pinches of white pepper 1 egg beaten METHOD Wok on. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the fish balls, stir fry for 2 minutes and set aside. Clean the wok. Turn to a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add 1 beaten egg and fry. Add the onion and beansprouts and fry for 1 minute. Return the fish balls to the wok and fry for 30 seconds. Add the noodles, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon, and pepper. Wok fry for 2 minutes before adding the sesame oil and spring onion. Serve. NOTE: You can also use peanut oil which performs well at high temperatures. Don't use olive oil as it has a lower smoke point and is not ideal for wok frying. ALLERGENS: Contains gluten, fish, egg, alcohol
Epoch Times
25-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Epoch Times
Pork and Asparagus Stir-Fry With Spicy Cucumber Salad
Fresh ideas for dinner can spring from so many places: the pages of a new cookbook or food magazine, a funny TikTok or instructional video on Instagram or (among my favorite sources for inspiration) websites like Food 52, Serious Eats, or Smitten Kitchen. It also can depend on what you happen to stumble upon while grocery shopping. This week's recipe hinges on what I was thrilled to find on sale in my local produce section: big bunches of spring asparagus priced at just $1.99 a pound. I couldn't resist swooping up two bundles of the tender spring veggie along with a couple bunches of spring onion and two fat cucumbers that were one sale for 99 cents. It's so easy to get excited about green foods in the spring—especially when they're so affordable—and I knew I'd figure out how to best put them to good use in my kitchen. I ended up with this easy stir-fry. Lots of recipes calls for steaming, blanching or roasting asparagus, and you can also saute it. Here, the stalks are diagonally cut into bite-sized pieces and then cooked hot and fast, gently blistered, in a skillet with oil and salt. Then, they're tossed in a pan with ground pork that's been cooked with Asian aromatics—garlic, ginger, and green onion—along with soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Related Stories 3/7/2025 8/4/2024 It was incredibly quick, and really hit the spot when paired with a super-simple (and spicy) cucumber salad that also took just minutes to throw together. Both include the gentle heat of chili crisp, which you can easily omit if appealing to tamer taste buds. When choosing asparagus, look for bright green stalks with tightly closed and compact tips. To keep it fresh in the fridge until cooking, store it upright in a glass or cup with about an inch of water, and cover the tops with a plastic bag. I generally prefer super-thin asparagus because I believe it's the most tender, but you can also use thicker spears. Just be sure peel the bottom third after snapping off the knobby ends. Pork and Asparagus Stir-fry PG tested Serves 4. 2-3 teaspoons olive or vegetable oil, divided 1 1/2 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on a diagonal into 1- or 2-inch pieces Kosher salt 1 pound ground pork 6 scallions, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely chopped 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or medium-dry cooking sherry 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1-2 teaspoons chili crisp, plus additional for serving Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving, optional Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet on high. Once the pan is hot (oil will be lightly smoking), add half of the asparagus and a couple pinches of salt and cook, tossing only once or twice so the pieces have a chance to blister, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a plate. Add another teaspoons olive oil to skillet (no need to wipe it out) and repeat with remaining asparagus. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to skillet, then add ground pork, spreading it out in an even layer. Season with a couple pinches of salt and cook, undisturbed, until meat begins to brown underneath, about 2 minutes. Break up meat with a wooden spoon and add chopped scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, until pork is crisp and mixture is very fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine or sherry, soy sauce, and chili crisp, and return asparagus to skillet. Cook, turning to coat with pork mixture, until heated through, about 1 minute. Transfer stir-fry to a platter or large shallow bowl and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with rice and additional chili crisp, if desired, garnished with chopped cilantro. Recipe adapted from For cucumber salad Serves 4. For a less spicy salad, omit the chili crisp. 1 pound cucumbers, sliced very thin 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoon rice vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 heaping teaspoon chili crisp 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish Red chili pepper flakes, for garnish In a medium bowl, toss cucumber and salt. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the dressing. In a large serving bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, chili crisp, garlic, ginger, sugar, and sesame seeds. Set aside. Rinse cucumber slices with cool water in a colander two or three times to remove the salt, then strain into a bowl. Pat dry with paper towels. Pour cucumber slices into the bowl with the dressing and toss well to combine. Garnish with sesame seeds and red chili flakes for extra heat. Thin stalks of spring asparagus are blistered, then tossed with ground pork, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS Recipe by Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to
