Hi All - Well let's clarify a few things, ok?
1 - I made this recipe for myself, this is how I enjoy it. I initially did this on my own Food Blog - it's what I like to eat, not about reputation, and not showing off. I really don't care if you read it or not. Because, to be frank, I'm eating it not you - go get your own food blog, OK? I didn't even know that this was being linked, until I checked the referring sites.
2 - I never made any claims of "authenticy", in fact, I almost never claim, "authenticy" on my site, for reasons, that will soon become clear.
3 - If you're looking for an authentic recipe - maybe TonyC has one, on his site????
BTW, here's a pretty good NRM, served at a very well known and "Reputable" Restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley called Tung Lai Shun - notice - no sichuan peppercorn, and the use of SPINACH - my God, the humanity! BTW, at 10 of the places I've had Niu Rou Mein, they served it with spinach. Of course I can't vouch for authenticy, because this is a Muslim Chinese place, and many times they don't serve their NRM, "red cooked" and sometimes with only green onions.
http://apassionforfood.blogspot.com/200 ... -kirk.html
I've had about 25 different bowls of Niu Rou Mein - and they have all been different. So unfortunately,I haven't been conditioned enough to "calcify" an idea in my mind. In fact if you READ, I just said I had Niu Rou Mein with hajiao, in fact at my favorite Sichuan Restaurant, but did not care for it. So I went back to speak to the Chef, who's pretty reputable, He has over 30 years of experience and was originally a Chef at Traffic Hotel, a 4 star hotel in Chongqing, so when he says something I'll listen. The Sichuan version has peppercorns and Zhacai, which they removed from the dish when he was still at ChungKing Restaurant in Monterey Park - the largely Taiwanese customers didn't like it. BTW, he also mentioned that NRM in the US is basically the popular "Spicy" (notice he did not say Sichuan) Taiwanese version. If you're ever in San Diego, the name of the Restaurant is Ba Ren, I've had a major Chowhound dinner there last year, and the food is to my taste, we used to drive all the way to LA to get Sichuan before.
I'm guessing that NRM stirs up emotion as much as Chili and American BBQ.
In fact, it is thought that NRM was invented in Taiwan, by ROC(Kuomintang) Military personnel who fled to Taiwan. So what's authentic? I don't think anyone really knows, in Northern China they don't use much sichuan peppercorn......Maybe, TonyC can fill us in? Being strong in your beliefs is great, but being small-minded, well......it's preference, I've had at least 25 different bowls of Niu Rou Mein, not 25 of the same recipe. I think things would be alot better if people were to perhaps ask questions, i.e. "Why do you use spinach in this dish?", and my answer would be, that the Missus doesn't like Bok Choy, or even God forbid Napa Cabbage in this dish, she likens biting into bok choy in this dish to be like biting into a pouch of lousy tasting water, or maybe "Are you claiming this to be authentic?" Instead of making ASS-umptions, don't you think?
You know, I enjoy all types of food, authentic or not, no matter what price range, so long it tastes good. I don't just eat things because they are authentic, or just to show how much I know, or how cultured I am, I just want them to taste good! So please don't visit my site:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/
OK?