Copycat Recipes

We do try to replicate recipes from restaurants that we love. My mom and I searched for Sizzling Tofu recipe which is from a restaurant called Max's in our country. We just cannot stop eating this, so yummy! And it is tofu so I guess it is healthy lol.

We cooked it at home and guess what? We almost got it to taste the same as the restaurant's Sizzling Tofu. Or maybe even better! We cook this once in a while as it is very tedious to cook.

 

I find it hard to replicate restaurant recipes.
Either they don't use the right ratios, or they use the proper ratios and I don't make them because they have SO MUCH salt and sugar.
That is the real secret of the restaurant industry, just add salt, sugar and fat.

 

Thanks for posting those links, Diane Lane....they're well worth looking through I like cooking and really like to improvise and experiment because I believe cooking ought to be FUN. A few times I've tried to replicate stuff I've had at restaurants and some of the dishes I've seen on Come Dine with Me. I'm not one to follow the recipe to the letter, there's a lot of tweaking and changing things, and some of the time my version turns out better than the restaurant's version

 

I'm not really savvy in what concerns the actual cooking process, and I wouldn't want to, because to me buying food is more rentable than cooking my own. The ingredients usually cost a lot more, and just don't have the time of doing the thing itself.

 

I had been trying to find a recipe for Asian Chao's "Bourbon Chicken" - the kind they pass out as samples in many mall food courts around the country. None of the recipes I've tried online even come close - and I've tried a ton of them. Some call for actual bourbon, while other folks say there is no real bourbon in the recipe, and that it's in fact a Cajun recipe named after Bourbon Street. Other recipes call for white grape juice and or maple syrup in place of the bourbon. I even asked one of my favorite chef bloggers that I follow, and he had no idea what the recipe was.

Eventually I found a company that supposedly sold the actual sauces used to make "bourbon chicken". It's a two part process where you first place the chicken thighs in their smokey marinade, then you roast the chicken in the oven in the second bottle of stuff which is a sweet glaze. I eventually ordered the set, which was like $15 plus shipping. While it did taste almost identical to the Asian Chao bourbon chicken, it ultimately wasn't really worth all the costs and time involved to make it yourself. Plus, the first ingredient on both bottles was MSG.

 

Also how about MSG? I swear some restaurants make my head ache so much after eating. It is like they use MSG too much. I noticed this in one Chinese restaurant in our place. It is an express restaurant kind and they serve your food fast.

The food was really tasty. And it was fast in being delivered too. However, I developed a massive headache after eating. I think they sprinkled a little too much MSG in their food. We never went back to that place lol.

 

Oh pardon me, Diane; for some reason I thought you were in the UK. I don't know what gave me the idea LOL Come Dine With Me is a UK TV show that has now gone global. I do hope that you guys have it over in America. It makes for really interesting viewing, especially if you enjoy cooking. Of course some of the people who go on it are just after their 15 minutes of fame, as they have absolutely zero skills in the kitchen and will make the weirdest concoctions, risking killing their guests hehe Very entertaining but also annoying at the same time! I have over the years picked up a few good tricks from the show, though

I haven't heard of Semi-Homemade, with Sandra Lee. I hope it's something I can find over here, or at least stream online.

 

Yea maybe I heard New England and just ran with it LOL Oh, I'm so glad you found a couple of episodes, Diane. these days I watch it more for the commentary than the cooking. But sometimes you do see something useful. You have to listen to the guy in the background, he's HILARIOUS! In my opinion, he deserves his own show because he totally makes Come Dine With Me.
Thanks for the Sandra Lee links, I'll be sure to have a butchers

 

Ahh the old MSG factor. If you find you get headaches you should get tested for a sensitivity. Could be MSG but it could be a million other ingredients.
MSG on it's own is NOT bad for you, that's a myth like gluten. There are many well documented studis to back this up. That's like saying peanut butter or milk is inherently bad for you because SOME people are allergic to them.

 

I think some of the recipes used are quite straight forward to follow and I think everyone needs to try at least once! It can work out much cheaper!

Although some are hard to do, I think there is a great deal of satisfaction cooking your own food instead of buying it and you can add extras if you want to aswell!

 

I’ve saved a few copycat recipes, but I haven’t yet gotten around to trying them out. I’ve gotten so into a routine when it comes to cooking that sometimes it’s hard for me to break out, haha. This post reminds me that I’ve always wanted to try making my own Harry Potter-style butterbeer, I should do it when autumn rolls back around.

 

@BrandonScooterman MSG has a bad reputation in our place lol. Elders advise against it and so we seldom use it in our meals. Salt and pepper is our way of making food tastier instead of using MSG. I did not know that some people might just be allergic to it. Older people advised me to refrain from using it to cook as it is processed still and they warned never to use it for my son.

@Diane Lane Lol! I read that MSG actually excites and overstimulated our nervous system. That is probably why you and your friend got 'high' with that Thai food! Hahaha. I did not have any reaction with lemongrass actually. I only experience migraines when eating out in fast food chains or some restaurants. You have quite many sensitivities to food which really requires you to eat at home as we do not know what ingredients are in at restaurants or fast food chains!