Being as Pesach (Passover) is a celebration of freedom (beyond the metaphorical appreciation of The Exodus) in all forms, I have been thinking a lot about what "freedom" means to the average Chinese person. My reflections have coincided with some interesting China-related current events: Mike Daisey taking "freedoms" with his reporting on the Foxconn factories that supposedly oppressed workers; Bo XiLai's ousting over, in one way or another, acting too freely with his power; and the recent and brief shut-down of China's version of Twitter because of false rumors about a coup in Beijing. (That last link also has a good discussion about what foreigners can expect career-wise in China.)
When I ask my students about "freedom," many say they believe they are as free as anyone should be--that they are free to do and say as they like. This is an obvious delusion or a "Polly-want-a-cracker" trained response--interpretations will vary based on cynicism and views of an Orwellian China. But my students seem to be vaguely aware of their limits because of the way they blanch whenever the following topics arise: politics, religion, and criticism of the Chinese government.
Despite what people say about the inherent power of Chinese democracy, this is still a country essentially run by ten chairmen. They govern based on the infantilizing policy that they know what is best for the Chinese people. Average citizens have little sway over the voice of these chairmen. These chairmen will oust a popular Party member if he (or she) doesn't tow the line enough; and these chairmen will sever Internet communication over even preposterous rumors.
My students go even further, though, to accuse The U.S. of being a falsely free country. My students cite: economic disparity, the death penalty, gang activity, and the drinking age. Some of these examples encourage debate, but I find their ability to observe lacking freedom elsewhere versus domestically (in China) a curious contradiction.
With those thoughts in mind, I am thankful to be in a position to take advantage of the freedoms of being a modern Jewish American living in China.
***
The "Confertzel Cookbook" should serve as documentation of one Jew-in-China's attempts to make "soul food" using what is available at local Chinese wet markets and corner stores. I intend to keep the recipes fairly low budget and to use methods that most people in China (or with limited resources and kitchen facilities) could accommodate. If I offend anyone with how heinously I drift from traditional recipes, let me apologize preemptively. Specifically, I apologize to my Jewish grandmother.
Though one could make homemade matzah, I cheated and brought a box from The States. To make-up for my rule-breaking: Today's Cookbook entry is a bonus of two dishes and three recipes!
In its most basic form, matzah brei is Pesach's french toast. But I have many fond memories of childhood Pesachs that involved family and matzah brei. My mother favored a heavy dose of sugar and cinnamon with maple syrup as a pseudo-breakfast; my father experimented with curry spice. In honor of both of them, I have made one breakfast matzah brei and one dinner side dish.
On a related note of nostalgia, I have fond memories of receiving wide-praise for my ability to roll the largest matzah ball. This is a craft many would not appreciate without experience in the matter. If you roll the ball too large and too loosely packed, the ball will disintegrate mid-boil; conversely, you cannot roll the ball too densely or too small unless you want someone whining about a slightly uncooked or unsatisfying portion. It takes skill and natural born talent to roll a fist size matzah ball.
Recipe:
Notes for improvement:
I chose to pair the matzah brei with the seasonal fruit. I think this would have worked well with mangosteens or cantaloupe as well. I would sway from using a citrus, though,
Recipe:
Notes for improvement:
I am not entirely certain of how to make the "fish fragrance sauce," though I do know it does not involve fish or any ingredient that vaguely smells like a fish. I think there is some amount of chili oil, sugar, and salt. Beyond that, I am uncertain. The flavor is a medium-to-mild spice.
I think that reddening the matzah brei could have worked well, too.
Keep in mind that there is a pretty stable ratio of 1 matzah: 1 egg : 1/8 cup of milk.
Recipe:
Notes for improvement:
I didn't make the "numbing hot soup" myself because I am uncertain about the actual recipe. I have heard reports that say it is a combination of the 麻辣 pepper, chili oil, and basic broth; I have also heard that some amount of iron phosphate is necessary. Also, I have yet to see anyone actually cook 麻辣汤 at home. This seems to be strictly a street food.
This recipe worked well because of how the matzah balls really soaked-up the spice from the broth. This also provided a good opportunity to sneak some veggies into the mix that usually don't accompany matzah balls--i.e. lotus root, wood-ear mushroom, bok choy, etc.
It would have been interesting to experiment with the actual matzah ball. I didn't have matzah meal, so I had to accept the mix as is. Were I to have had matzah meal, I would have made the balls from scratch and maybe tossed in some scallions or ground ginger.
As a side-note, the matzah and Chinese ingredients offset one another well when it comes to digestion.
 |
| So thin...Eat! Eat! |
Despite what people say about the inherent power of Chinese democracy, this is still a country essentially run by ten chairmen. They govern based on the infantilizing policy that they know what is best for the Chinese people. Average citizens have little sway over the voice of these chairmen. These chairmen will oust a popular Party member if he (or she) doesn't tow the line enough; and these chairmen will sever Internet communication over even preposterous rumors.
My students go even further, though, to accuse The U.S. of being a falsely free country. My students cite: economic disparity, the death penalty, gang activity, and the drinking age. Some of these examples encourage debate, but I find their ability to observe lacking freedom elsewhere versus domestically (in China) a curious contradiction.
With those thoughts in mind, I am thankful to be in a position to take advantage of the freedoms of being a modern Jewish American living in China.
***
The "Confertzel Cookbook" should serve as documentation of one Jew-in-China's attempts to make "soul food" using what is available at local Chinese wet markets and corner stores. I intend to keep the recipes fairly low budget and to use methods that most people in China (or with limited resources and kitchen facilities) could accommodate. If I offend anyone with how heinously I drift from traditional recipes, let me apologize preemptively. Specifically, I apologize to my Jewish grandmother.
Though one could make homemade matzah, I cheated and brought a box from The States. To make-up for my rule-breaking: Today's Cookbook entry is a bonus of two dishes and three recipes!
In its most basic form, matzah brei is Pesach's french toast. But I have many fond memories of childhood Pesachs that involved family and matzah brei. My mother favored a heavy dose of sugar and cinnamon with maple syrup as a pseudo-breakfast; my father experimented with curry spice. In honor of both of them, I have made one breakfast matzah brei and one dinner side dish.
On a related note of nostalgia, I have fond memories of receiving wide-praise for my ability to roll the largest matzah ball. This is a craft many would not appreciate without experience in the matter. If you roll the ball too large and too loosely packed, the ball will disintegrate mid-boil; conversely, you cannot roll the ball too densely or too small unless you want someone whining about a slightly uncooked or unsatisfying portion. It takes skill and natural born talent to roll a fist size matzah ball.
 |
| Pineapple on stick, egg, milk packet, butter, matzah, soy sauce, "fish fragrance sauce" |
- Soak 2 broken-into-strips matzot (plural of matzah) in water for two minutes. Meanwhile, beat two eggs with 1/4 cup of milk and melt a teaspoon of butter (or two) into the mixture. Stir in one teaspoon of soy sauce. Add a pinch of salt as well as two teaspoons of sugar.
- Soak matzot in mixture. Make sure both sides of each piece of matzah is well drenched in the eggy mix.
- Cook strip-by-strip in a skillet over medium-low heat. Each side of the matzah should take about two-five minutes and should look gold brown. I poured a little extra egg mix when flipping to keep the newly browning side well soaked--be careful not to pour an excess unless you want runny scrambled eggs with your soggy matzah (which sounds only slightly less appetizing than kosher for Pesach cereal).
- Add more soy sauce until you find the Teriyaki-sort-of taste. Serve with sliced pineapple.
Notes for improvement:
I chose to pair the matzah brei with the seasonal fruit. I think this would have worked well with mangosteens or cantaloupe as well. I would sway from using a citrus, though,
Recipe:
- Soak 1 broken-into-strips matzah in water for two minutes. Meanwhile, beat one egg with 1/8 cup of milk and melt a teaspoon of butter (or two) into the mixture. Add a pinch of salt.
- Soak matzah in mixture. Make sure both sides of each piece of matzah is well drenched in the eggy mix.
- Cook strip-by-strip in a skillet over medium-low heat. Each side of the matzah should take about two-five minutes and should look gold brown.
- Coat in 鱼香酱 (yu xiang jiang, "fish fragrance sauce").
 |
| Best consumed with whiskey on the rocks en route to a chabad seder in Shanghai |
Notes for improvement:
I am not entirely certain of how to make the "fish fragrance sauce," though I do know it does not involve fish or any ingredient that vaguely smells like a fish. I think there is some amount of chili oil, sugar, and salt. Beyond that, I am uncertain. The flavor is a medium-to-mild spice.
I think that reddening the matzah brei could have worked well, too.
Keep in mind that there is a pretty stable ratio of 1 matzah: 1 egg : 1/8 cup of milk.
 |
| Rawish ingredients |
- Open a box of matzah ball mix.
- Make matzah balls.
- Purchase one bowl of 麻辣汤 (mala tang, "numbing hot soup") from your preferred street vendor. Feel free to mix in whichever veggies you prefer.
- Pour soup into a four quart pot. Dilute with two quarts of water.
- Bring soup to a boil, lower to simmer, and add the matzah balls. Let the matzah balls cook for 15-20 minutes--remove just before the balls crack and break-apart.
- Add veggies (usually already cooked by street vendor), and serve.
Notes for improvement:
 |
| Small ball, lotus, golden mushrooms, wood-ears |
This recipe worked well because of how the matzah balls really soaked-up the spice from the broth. This also provided a good opportunity to sneak some veggies into the mix that usually don't accompany matzah balls--i.e. lotus root, wood-ear mushroom, bok choy, etc.
It would have been interesting to experiment with the actual matzah ball. I didn't have matzah meal, so I had to accept the mix as is. Were I to have had matzah meal, I would have made the balls from scratch and maybe tossed in some scallions or ground ginger.
As a side-note, the matzah and Chinese ingredients offset one another well when it comes to digestion.
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