I work in a Chinese takeaway

[mniser]

I've worked there 7 years and I'm currently very bored AMA

@Kwkwjwkek either the salt and pepper mixed box or special curry normally

@Schuyler I am in the north east a main dish is usually £5.40 for any meat a special is £6 and comes with boiled rice or chips free fried rice is 50p extra

@Fredastaireatemyjamsandwich it's fish powder and you can buy it online also it's just deep fried cabbage cut thin you could make it at home.

@ironicname none of our dishes on the menu are authentic to be honest most places aren't a lot of dishes are designed for our palate including the currys I'd say the closest dish is the Chinese mushroom dish but even then it's sweeter then they would have it. For 6 people I would suggest a mixed starter which is ribs veg rolls won tons prawn toast sweet and sour sauce, a special curry, beef or chicken black bean, a chicken chow mien and a Peking king prawn two fried rice and a three portions of chips.

Have you learnt any Chinese whilst working there?

@nameymcnamechangeagain we use already boiled rice then add it to the wok with pre heated sesame seed oil then we add soy sauce salt and egg then mix for a good five mins.

@AgeLikeWine normally people go for the special curry or the mixed box. There's not a staff meal as such but we can pick a free meal off the menu each shift so I could get anything within reason so say not the set meal for 3 people

@Awks we are located just outside of durham

@wonderrotunda we just use brown onions however because they are huge I tend not to find them too strong I think that helps also they only lightly fry them I'm not sure why they stay so light but they are deffo fresh.

@Sporty99 it's a very shitty situation there's a lot people don't know such as how close to running out of food the town is no fresh produce is available all shops and supermarkets are closed due to risk and a lot of the small villages don't have doctors so I think the owner is very worried but he hasn't been back there in nearly three years so no risk of contamination. The bbq sauce is different from our hoi sin however the gravy is also made with bbq sauce. We get drunk people in alll the time a lot are easy to handy sometimes not so much.

@drspouse we get loads of more odd requests so yours would be quite normal we would have no problem filling a container to save on plastic as if anything it would save us money however I will say we have recently switched to recyclable foil containers and wrap them in paper and don't use plastic any more.

@MissConductUS that is interesting I would love to know the types of things normally on your menu.

@Titsywoo we cook it in a big rice cooker/ steamer thing and it's made fresh every night we don't reheat it as it stays at a constant temperature we also fry the egg fried rice in a wok and then put it into the rice cooker to keep it hot

@Mikeymoo12 I can not speak Chinese but would love to learn I can now tell the difference between arguing and joking though because the tones of voice are very similar I can read a little bit of Chinese now but just very basic stuff I probably couldn't read anything unrelated to food

MissConductUSA - Thank you! Cannot wait to try it!

@momtoboys It's the hosin sauce that really gives the dish that special flavor. I had to find it in a large supermarket that has a big oriental food section. You may also be able to get it on amazon.

@mniser I think your salt and pepper box might be similar to what's called a pu pu platter here:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_pu_platter

Do you have a recipe for chicken and cashew nuts in yellow bean sauce, please? It’s my all-time favourite dish from the Chinese takeaway, and none of the takeaways near me offer it.

@MissConductUS it is similar so ours is salt and chilli pepper seasoning which is garlic powder Chili powder Chinese five spice then you fry some fresh garlic chilll and onions and peppers in the wok then add whatever so for example chicken then add the seasoning then to finish a drop of white wine then the box itself contains spring rolls ribs chicken balls chicken strips chips noodles egg fried rice and a sauce to dip. What is your go to Chinese meal? I've had an American family in before and they said they like crab won tons in cream cheese sauce but I'd never heard of that.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius I'm sure yellow bean sauce comes in a paste you can buy it online if you can't find it in your local supermarket ill try to find out a recipe for you.

Thank you!

@mniser - My favorite Chinese entree would be a tossup between beef with broccoli (or snow peas) and sweet and sour pork. Crab wontons are indeed very good and usually included with the pu pu platter. And I've just had a revelation! Crab wontons, also called crab rangoon sound very similar to your prawn crackers:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crab_Rangoon

Until looking into this I never realized how much Chinese food in the US arrived here via Hawaii and how that influences what's on our menus as opposed to yours.

Are you chinese and can you take left overs home with you?

Your restaurant sounds good and you obviously are cared about and care about the people you work for.

@MissConductUS we do wontons but they are chicken and shrimp. I can't really describe prawn crackers they are similar to to wontons however I'd say they are lighter in texture. I do enjoy beef with broccoli too as long as it's cooked well I only like it if the broccoli is still slightly crunchy.

@typewrriter12 I am not Chinese no and still can't speak any after working around Chinese people for seven years which is inconvenient at times. We cook all food fresh go order so there are no left overs but I do get a free meal of choice so that's great.

@FredaFrogspawn they are brilliant people to work for they are a lovely family and make me feel very welcome.

I think if i worked there i would be eating everything !

Thats Saturday nights dinner sorted - Chinese :-D
I need a good buffet so i can sample different dishes without committing to one as i always order the same meal

@typewrriter12 that's my problem I've worked my way through the menu and just don't get sick of it!

@timeforawine what do you normally order?

salt and pepper mixed box

That's inspired! It's always such a dilemma which one to have.

I always order chicken in Cantonese sauce. I'm not a fan of battered chicken with the sweet and sour dish.
For my husband its either chicken chow mein or black peppercorn sauce dish.
Do you think I'd like Szechwan? Or OK sauce?

Is your takeaway called Wok n Roll ?

@IntermittentParps it's brilliant honestly!

@timeforawine it depends which Szechwan the garlic one is similar to sweet chilli sauce and the chilli one is more of a tomato base. I'd try honey Chili dish or the Peking if you Chinese do it then go from there.

@Oscarsdaddy no it's not where is that based? It's a good name though.

Thank you

First question : When I was on holiday in America 20 years ago I went to China Town in Sam Francisco and had the best Chinese dish I've ever had. It was called Mu Shu pork but I've never found it on a menu in the UK. Is it called something else here? My husband and I still talk about that meal now as it was so delicious!

2nd question : I love going out for a sit down Chinese meal but have found that there are fewer and fewer Chinese restaurants in the area I live in ( Essex) and we now have to travel a bit to find one. There used to be loads of them. Is it the same in your area?

Thank you - love this thread!

Hello, I eat a gluten-free diet and have a problem with soya (migraines). I can have tamari (gluten-free) soy sauce though (doesn't give me migraines somehow).

What would you recommend I order (something simple to modify)? I stopped having Chinese because of my dietary requirements . This thread is making me crave Chinese takeaway!

I can cook pretty good fried rice, and I've almost cracked making Chinese-style curry sauce. And chow mein with rice noodles.

@AngelsWithSilverWings I've never heard of that dish but I've just had a quick google and to be honest most Chinese places will stock all the ingredients it's sounds a bit similar to oyster sauce dishes just with a lot less sauce and scrambled egg in not sure if that's correct though have you ever asked if they would prepare it for you? I live in Durham and we are quite close to Newcastle there's maybe five decent sit in Chinese places in Durham and maybe the same in Newcastle so not loads but enough to find a really good one.