Post by justme on Apr 19, 2021 16:42:18 GMT 1
Here is a complete analysis of the laboratory sample from the lab in China, listing each compound, possible sources, likely sources, and links to online references for each compound where possible.
Scan down to the bottom of page 2 for the most likely ingredient list.
Notes:
I suspect all sage compounds are absent due to regulation of the primary compound in sage: thujone. I think we can all agree that it does belong in the recipe. I can't imagine leaving it out.
The complete absence of any sulfide compounds rules out garlic and onion, at least from that sample. That's not to say that it isn't used in other countries, or wasn't used in the past, but they definitely were not in that sample. I know garlic supposedly appeared on some label somewhere - Singapore I think - but it wasn't in this sample. I don't remember any garlic or onion from when I was a kid.
The absence of carvacrol rules out savory and oregano. The absence of estragole rules out basil and tarragon. The absence of capsaicin rules out hot peppers like cayenne. "Red pepper flakes" supposedly identified were likely a sweet pepper, not hot. Try ancho as suggested by many experimenters. I don't remember any capsaicin heat from when I was a kid, and my family would not have eaten it if it were there in any detectable amount. Ancho works very well, as suggested by others before me.
Again, and I always say this, just because something was or was not in the sample, that doesn't mean it always was - or never has been - used in other countries or at other times in history, Sage for example. There is no guarantee that they use the same recipe everywhere in the world nor is there a guarantee that they haven't changed the recipe over the decades, and I think almost everyone agrees they have done that.
With that said, I have been using a recipe based on these ingredients since I last visited this issue months ago, and I have no intention of changing it. Two guests who tried it agreed. The smell is incredible and reminds me of the smell when I was a kid in the 1970's before they ruined the chicken. The smell is "cake-like" as described by old-timers when it is ready to pull out of the pressure fryer. The second or third time I tried it, I couldn't stop eating it, and I ate a whole 2-3/4 pound chicken.
You must use a pressure fryer to avoid cooking off many of the sensitive flavor compounds: 8 minutes dark meat, 7 minutes white meat, at 13 PSI. See YouTube vide of Magefesa pressure cooker although he ruins the chicken. I AM NOT responsible for anyone who decides to pressure fry. It's your risk, not mine.
You are supposed to use a 9-piece "keel bone cut" for the chicken (see YouTube) but I use a 9-piece "pulley bone cut" (a/k/a country style fryer) instead.
You must use a 2-1/2 to 2-3/4 pound chicken as described by CHS to get the proper ratio of seasoning to meat, and cake flour makes it exactly right.
You also have to let it stand in a steam cabinet (170 F) after cooking as specified by CHS. I use a small oven with a bowl of steaming water.
No, I'm not publishing my recipe because I don't want to hear any criticism. I'm just here to publish the data and the proven cooking tips.
I don't seem to be able to add an attachment. I hope these links work:
