The Chinese Chef

I'm not one of those people who can pop into a grocery or market, grab a few key ingredients, and go home to build an affordable and nutritious meal. I'm a recipe chef, which has left me hanging here in Shanghai. American food differs from Chinese food in many ways, and so many of those key American ingredients come at a high price in Shanghai - if they can be found at all.

One of my favorite resources for new recipes is Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine. I know you think she's overplayed. In Shanghai she is anything but, and her recipes always please my family's palate. My mom stockpiles them for me, and so I've stayed in the Rachel Ray food loop since we moved. Trouble is that most of her recipes call for a trendy new ingredient, like a jar of roasted red peppers or a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. These things are surely absent from any shelves in Shanghai. Furthermore, her recipes focus on local fresh ingredients - but those same ingredients are neither local nor fresh in my market. And lastly, American recipes focus on cheese and bread, both of which come at a premium in Shanghai.

But September's issue was different. Much of the produce listed in the recipes can be found on my local shelves. Some of the recipes even have an Asian flair. I decided to make a pork stir-fry on Monday night. Many things about the ingredients and the prep style reminded me of the dishes I learned in my Chinese Cooking Class last month. I substituted real Chinese marinades for American "stir-fry sauce" and used real Asian eggplant. The only American portion I noticed was the use of a red bell pepper rather than green peppers.

It tasted good. It was affordable and simple. It made a lot, so we had leftovers.

The next day, our new Chinese ayi Wendy was preparing lunch for S-- and I. She found these leftovers and added a few bites to her bowl. As we sat at the table, she shared that she had tried my dish.

Wendy: This pork is very good. Did you make it?

Lynne: I did. You really like it?

Wendy: Yes, it tastes very good.

Lynne: That's great! I'm excited that you, a Chinese person, actually likes my homemade Chinese food.

Wendy: This is Chinese food?