Anyone use food coloring at home?

[vash]

I知 experimenting; I知 trying to make Chinese Char Sui. That red roast pork you find at most Asian joints. Sucks I took time for granted and didn稚 learn more from my stepdad. I知 going from memory with some internet research mixed in.

My marinate taste pretty good. The coloring is way off. I知 sure my version will be brown. There is no way I知 using food coloring. . My stepdad did.

I don稚 bake cakes. I致e never used coloring. Maybe Easter eggs for kids.

When I make sweet and sour chicken at home, I use ketchup, which I知 sure is loaded with coloring. I almost squirted some into my pork.

Anyone use those tiny plastic vials of coloring in cooking?

[legion]

Saffron will stain your food too....

[RKDinOKC]

Grandma's home made chicken & egg noodles are to die for. Made one time without the yellow food coloring, she had run out. It was all white looking and nobody ate very much even though except for the color it was exactly the same. Good thing she didn't try red, green, or blue! Red food coloring would have made Grandma's Chicken Noodles look like some kind of small animal guts.

[legion]

I still miss Crystal Pepsi...

[vash]

Haha. Legion. Funny. I can’t remeber. That taste like regular Pepsi?

[vash]

Damn. I have beets in the fridge. They are crazy red.

[legion]

Originally Posted by vash

Haha. Legion. Funny. I can稚 remeber. That taste like regular Pepsi?

It was regular Pepsi minus the caramel coloring. If you drank it from a can, you didn't even notice.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by legion

Saffron will stain your food too....

I have tan laminate counter tops, and use wax/cleaner on them regularly, but turmeric will stain them within seconds.

[Wyvern]

The food coloring vials are handy to work with .
For your red color Beets or beet powder are a good way to get the color. I have used Pomegranate juice in my Char Siu, The amount of ketchup needed (more than the small amount in most recipes) to give it enough color will change the taste.

[cantdrv55]

Annatto from achiote to make Guamanian red rice dish. You’ve had it here, I think.

[drkshdw]

I use Americolor gel food coloring for work. One drop will color a river. But it's not what you want for char sui. Not even the food coloring from the grocery store (the ones with the pointing caps that always leak everywhere).

What you want is the food coloring Chinese restaurants use which is actually a powder. You'll have to find it at an Asian market (or online) and it gives you the exact color you're looking for. Same stuff they use for sweet and sour. And it doesn't leave an awful taste like the liquid colors do.

(edit: this is similar to what you're looking for. A good market will have about 20 brands to choose from)

[cstreit]

Call me crazy but food dyes don't help the taste at all... ...and plenty of evidence that they are harmful... Maybe skip the dye?

[DanielLee5]

honestly I don't

[WPOZZZ]

I can send you some char siu sauce in a packet or a bottle. lol

[javadog]

I don't use any food coloring and I don't think you need to put in what you're making, either. The last time I made that, it ended up in fried rice anyway and who cares about the color there.

[vash]

i'll probably never use coloring.
the men in my family have been cancer's playground far too long. i aint flirting with it. best i can.

i massaged my pork (<---go ahead, low hanging fruit)

the char sui is looking pretty good. smells great. the honey is a bit over the top. i think i need maltose for the next attempt.

[javadog]

Honeyed roast pork (char siu) recipe by Fuchsia Dunlop:


Roasted meats, including pork, goose, chicken and suckling pig, are among the many glories of Cantonese cooking. They are often bought from specialist suppliers but they can also be made at home to scrumptious effect. The ingredients of the marinade vary widely, and may include five-spice powder, chopped shallot and other sauces and seasonings. For the most succulent char siu, use pork that has a good threading of fat: shoulder works well. The maltose syrup can be found in good Chinese supermarkets. You can, if you wish, brush the pork with runny honey instead for a different flavour and slightly less glistening result. Serve the char siu sliced with other dishes and rice as part of a Chinese meal, or on top of a noodle soup for a casual bite. Any leftovers, chopped finely, make a fine addition to fried rice.

skinless pork shoulder 500g
For the marinade:
salt ｽ tsp
sugar 4 tbsp
light soy sauce 2 tsp
ground yellow bean sauce 1 tbsp
hoisin sauce 2 tbsp
red fermented beancurd (optional) ｽ tbsp
cloves garlic 2, crushed or finely chopped
Shaoxing wine 2 tsp

For the glaze:
ginger 10g, skin on
maltose syrup about 4 tbsp

Cut the pork into strips about 4cm wide and 1.5-2cm thick. Make shallow cuts across any thicker parts of the pork to allow for the marinade to penetrate more easily. Prick the pork all over with a skewer and place it in a bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients, mix well and set aside for about an hour. Set the oven to 180C/gas mark 4.

Wash the ginger, crush with the side of a cleaver or a rolling pin and place in a cup with cold water to cover. Place the maltose syrup in a small saucepan (you won't be able to measure neat tablespoons because it is extremely sticky, but quantities are not critical). Add 2 tbsp of the water from the ginger, which will now smell wonderfully gingery. Heat the maltose and ginger-water gently to dissolve into a syrup.
Honeyed roast pork
Honeyed roast pork Photograph: Romas Foord

Have ready a roasting pan with a rack. Brush the rack with a little oil to avoid the pork sticking. When the meat is ready, bring some water to the boil and pour a little into the base of the roasting pan: this will catch any drips from the marinade and prevent burning.

Lay the strips of pork on the rack, and place the pan in the centre of the oven. Roast for about 25 minutes, turning halfway.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pork to cool for 3 minutes. If any edges have burnt, snip them off with kitchen scissors and discard. Warm up the maltose syrup and brush it generously all over the pork, turning to coat it on both sides. Return the pork to the oven for another 2 minutes.

Lay the pork on a chopping board and, holding your knife at an angle to the board, cut into thick slices. Transfer to a dish and serve.

[vash]

oh o!!

i put the honey in the marinade.

[javadog]

It's OK. Honey is better for you than what it's in the maltose syrup, which is probably corn-based in the US. Chinese maltose syrup is made from other grains, which I suspect is better for you. I hate any syrup made from corn.

I think the last time I made it, I used honey, too. You should check out Fuchsia Dunlop's recipes in her various books. I probably have several thousand Chinese recipes in all of the cookbooks that I own and I'm starting to think hers yield the best results.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by vash

I知 experimenting; I知 trying to make Chinese Char Sui. That red roast pork you find at most Asian joints. Sucks I took time for granted and didn稚 learn more from my stepdad. I知 going from memory with some internet research mixed in.

When you figure it out send me the recipe.

I love that stuff.