"The Four Schools of Chinese Cooking" - Dinner at China Islamic

A few months back, I came upon this online article on the Cooking Light website simply entitled "The Four Schools of Chinese Cooking" and as the title suggests, it talked about 4 different types of Chinese cooking based on schools or more likely "regions": East, West, South and North. Given the fact that I'm lucky enough to live in the San Gabriel Valley where the breadth of Chinese cooking is unparalleled, I thought I'd start a new dining series for Pleasure Palate where we would dine at restaurants representing each school. Our next visit focused on the Northern School.

Taken directly from the article, "The Northern School is the most eclectic, incorporating the refined cooking of palace kitchens and Shandong province (where classic Chinese cuisine originated), as well as Mongolian and Muslim dishes. acclaimed for its spicy dishes, includes Sichuan, Hunan, and Yunnan provinces." Look below for more info.

What the North is known for: Noodles, Steamed Breads, and Pancakes are served instead of rice.

Styles of Cooking: Stir-Frying, Pan-Frying, Braising, and Barbecuing

Common Seasonings: Garlic, Chives, Leeks, Star Anise, and Sweet Bean Sauces.

Representative Dishes: Moo Shu Pork With Mandarin Pancakes.

To represent the Northern school, I chose China Islamic in Rosemead and I tried to choose dishes, with the help of the staff, to best showcase what the Northern School was all about. For our meal there, we shared 12 dishes.

Starting our meal was the Dabing, which is a thick sesame and green onion pancake. I've only had the thinner versions of this pancake before, so I was interested in tasting the difference. The Dabing is definitely quite filling on its own. When you cut into and see the cross-section, it looks like a pancake within a pancake.

After taking a few bites, it didn't do much for me. I found it too dough-y and preferred the thinner pancakes that we ordered later in the meal. Of the remaining items, I have to say that everything was pretty good, but some were more memorable than others.

The first dishes to arrive were the Lamb with Green Onions and the Beef with Pickled Cabbage. I enjoyed how the grassiness of the green onions complimented the stronger flavors imparted by the lamb, which by the way, was tender to the bite.

When it came to the Beef with Pickled Cabbage, I was one of the few at my table or maybe, I was the only one at my table who loved this dish. Compared to some of the other items which were bolder in taste, this dish was pretty mild. What drew me to this dish was my Filipino palate which favors foods that have a sour/vinegary tang to them. I liked the combo of the cabbage, which was almost like sauerkraut and the meatiness of the beef. I would definitely order this dish again.


Although some kind of green bean dish is seen on most Chinese restaurant menus, regardless of the region that the restaurant represents, I have to say that their Dried Shrimp and Green Bean dish is better than most. The addition of the dried shrimp gave a nice hit of saltiness and overall, the little bit of heat coming from the sauce that the beans and shrimp were sauteed in was very appealing to my taste buds.

Like the green beans, noodle dishes are also standard Chinese dishes, but the Three Flavor Chow Mein that we ordered was exceptional in that the noodles were hand cut and had a nice slightly chewy texture that really did it for me.

The two dishes that wowed me the most arrived last. One was the oxtail in brown sauce. All I have to say is "Mama Mia!" and I'm not even Italian and I'm not even dining at an Italian restaurant, but that brown sauce was so good, I could have dived into it. It was thick and had a smoky, slightly sweet heat taste to it. I can't say enough good things about it. The added bonus was that they didn't skimp on the oxtail, which I found to be meaty and also quite tender.

Finally, there was the Lamb in a Warm Pot dish. The broth was just so goooood. Notice the extra "o"s in the word gooood. There was so much flavor in that soup plus it was rich and hearty. I loved the addition of fresh cilantro. It's a dish that's perfect cold weather comfort food. The lamb was also tender and in general, the running theme is that this restaurant really knows how to prepare their meat dishes. There wasn't anything I had where the meat wasn't cooked just right.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at China Islamic and I can see why it's gotten consistent raves from bloggers, food critics and regular dining folk alike since it's opened. My second visit there happened a month or so later and this time we ordered different dishes and the meal was still just as good as the first time. China Islamic is definitely a must visit for anyone who enjoys Chinese dining and even more so, if you're interested in checking the Northern Style of Chinese Cooking that China Islamic represents so well.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157613063801490/

China Islamic
7727 Garvey Ave
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 288-4246
http://www.chinaislamic.com/

"The Four Schools of Chinese Cooking" - Dinner at Yunchaun Garden

A few months back, I came up on this online article on the Cooking Light website simply entitled "The Four Schools of Chinese Cooking" and as the title suggests, it talked about 4 different types of Chinese cooking based on schools or more likely "regions": East, West, South and North. Given the fact that I'm lucky enough to live in the San Gabriel Valley where the breadth of Chinese cooking is unparalleled, I thought I'd start a new dining series for Pleasure Palate where we would dine at restaurants representing each school, starting with the Western School.

Taken directly from the article, "The Western School [is] acclaimed for its spicy dishes, includes Sichuan, Hunan, and Yunnan provinces." Look below for more info.

What the West is known for: Fiery Dishes That Will Perk Up Your Tastebuds in a Big Way.

Styles of Cooking: Seasonings and Condiments Combine for Mouthfuls of Hot, Sour, Sweet and Salty All in One Bite.

Common Seasonings: Chiles (Fresh, Dried and in Pastes), Peppercorns, Ginger, Garlic, Water Chestnuts, Bamboo Shoots, Mushrooms and Nuts.

Representative Dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Twice Cooked Pork, Szechuan Beef and Mapo Tofu.

To represent the Western school, I chose Yunchaun Garden in Monterey Park to be the first dining experience in this series and I tried to choose dishes, with the help of the staff, to best showcase what the Western School was all about. For our meal there, we shared 11 dishes. The dishes ran the gamut from awesome to good to okay to "What were we thinking?"

The absolute highlight of the meal for me was the Chongqing Spicy Cold Chicken. Sitting on a flaming red pool of chili oil, it was both vibrant looking and vibrant tasting. This chicken definitely packed some heat while the slight nutty-grassiness of the peanuts and green onions added some great flavor to this dish. Also a favorite was the Chongqing Special Flavor Boiled Fish. The fish itself was delicate and tender and it definitely absorbed the hot kickiness of the chili peppers and the spicy red broth it was cooked in.

Another really tasty dish was the fried lamb with cumin. The bite of the cumin, the spiciness of the red chili pieces beautifully flecked all over the meat's surface and the distinct bold flavor of the lamb really combined into a dish that was definitely a palate pleaser. Some of the other dishes were good, if not outstanding.

Everyone enjoyed the Kung Pao Shrimp. The Won Tons in Chicken Soup and the Sauteed Snow Bean Leaf helped in cleansing the palate in between bites of the spicier foods. I thought the Ma Po Tofu was okay, but needed improvement. After taking a bite, you could feel a little bit of heat on the tip of your tongue and maybe, the back of your throat, but compared to the other three, it lacked depth and dimension. It felt like it was hot just for the sake of being hot.

Dishes I wouldn't order again include the Twice Cooked Pork and the Stir-Fried Duck with Ginger. In both cases, both the pork and duck were chewy while the dishes in general were just really bland. The Yunnan Yam Cake also wasn't to my liking. I'm not even sure how to describe the texture. It reminded me of a firm tasteless jell-o.

In general, I enjoyed my meal and would come back for a return visit. I do prefer my food, while not necessarily mind-numbing hot, to be bold in flavor and my dinner at Yunchaun Garden certainly did provide that and sometimes more. I'm sure that I've barely cracked the surface of what the Western Style of Chinese Cooking is all about, so if anyone has any recommendations for what I can order for a future visit, I'd love to know about them.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157605509723582/

Yunchaun Garden
301 N. Garfield Avenue
Suite D102
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 571-8387