Comments on: Curiously Delicious Bran Dough

By: Kian

Kian — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:45:29 +0000

Michele, The mock meats you mentioned are variations of seitan. So is this “bran dough.” The only difference is the added bran flour. You know in fact some manufacturers simply make it with only seitan (or wheat gluten) and no bran.

Also you’re not the only one who considered the Marlon pun. Every time I serve this dish at dinner someone invariably would mention it.

By: Michele

Michele — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 13:56:29 +0000

I’ve had this, but never had any idea what it was made of. Isn’t it usually called “mock [insert name of meat]” in Buddhist vegetarian restaurants?

I feel like there’s some kind of Marlon pun waiting to be made with the name of this dish.

By: Hugging the Coast

Hugging the Coast — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 03:57:07 +0000

I love seitan as well as use bran regularly in my recipes, so I’ll definitely be looking for it at my local Asian supermarket!

By: Kian

Kian — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:58:11 +0000

Betsy, There are two major categories of Chinese alcohol beverage. Both made from grains and they are known as yellow and white wine.

Yellow wine (Huangjiu) is the kind that Shaoxing (a city in Zhejiang province) is very well known for. There is a wide range of quality grades in Shaoxing wine. But the lower grade wine is commonly used for cooking. They usually only cost about $3 or $4 in Chinatown.

Good quality Shaoxing wine can be very smooth and has a slightly sweet taste. Almost like a good dry sherry. They can also cost hundreds of dollars a bottle for the 25 years or 30 years aged wine.

White wine (Baijiu) on the other hand really is not “wine” in that it is distilled and should be considered liquor. It has very high alcoholic content and can really be brutal for those not accustomed.

I do not know the about the extra salt type you referred. So I would not advise you to use that. If you can’t get the Shaoxing cooking wine you can replace it with regular dry sherry.

By: Betsy

Betsy — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:54:59 +0000

Sounds very interesting! I must see if I can find bran dough around here. But when you say “Shaoxing cooking wine,” do you mean the stuff with all the extra salt in it? Or do you mean that the stuff I usually use (standard brands, about $7/bottle) isn’t really good enough to drink? (I’ve never taken to it as a beverage, but I love it as an ingredient.)

By: kang

kang — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:36:10 +0000

Don’t think I’ve ever had bran dough before… but now that you mentioned it, I think I’ll def give it a try!

By: thepinkpeppercorn

thepinkpeppercorn — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:41:42 +0000

Very cool – thanks for sharing!!

By: Maggie

Maggie — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:38:46 +0000

I never was a big fan of seitan in my vegetarian days but the Shanghai flavors and the added bran make this sound so appealing. Now I have a new ingredient to look for at the Asian grocery!

By: Susan/Wild Yeast

Susan/Wild Yeast — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 23:26:04 +0000

This looks so interesting! It’s something I have never seen before but now I am going to keep an eye out for it in restaurants and Asian markets.

By: Jessie

Jessie — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:31:26 +0000

Oh wow, thanks for the recipe and the explanation. I’ve never heard of this, but I’m excited to see if I can find fresh bran dough in Boston. It looks so good!

+Jessie
a.k.a. The Hungry Mouse