Chinese Food page

[HonuRacer]

I married into a Chinese family. I love Dim Sum - Chicken Feet, Beef & Pork Tripe, Beef Tendon, Abalone & Mushrooms...

Would these dishes be considered primal? I can cook all of them myself, so I know what goes into them, they don't always have to be consumed at a restaurant.

I recall someone asking why Chinese people don't get fat. From my own experience with my in-laws it's because they don't really eat a lot of rice. Rice is a small portion of their meal. Leafy vegetables tend to make up a large part of their diet. Gai Lan, Sui Choy, Choi Sum, Bok Choi are all popular every day vegetables that are consumed in fairly large quantities. The older people especially would eat the fattier cuts of meat - stewed pork belly (had some today!), fatty beef tendon and turnip stew, etc. It's only been since the westernization and the idea that fat meat is bad for you that these old-fashioned dishes have lost favor. People are eating more rice, less meat and then very lean meat when they do consume it and we see the results of that - chubbier Asians. The same thing has happened to my in-laws. When I first started dating my husband, 25 years ago, his parents were slim. They ate more vegetables, less rice and fattier meats. Now they eat more rice, less vegetables, and very lean meat, which they consume rarely. My mother-in-law has put on a nice spare tire. She, however, attributes it to old age rather than diet.

[Torrtrefireto]

I have a similar tale, having a Chinese partner too.

As long as it is made with proper ingredients, I eat just about anything that is wheat free.

What kind of Dim Sum? Cantonese style, or N Chinese style? N Chinese style has a lot more healthy options.

You never mentioned Peking Duck, which as long as you don't eat the pancake, is perfect for this type of diet.

I know a lot of people are zero grain, which is totally respectable, but I don't really see white rice to be evil and eat it whenever I want. (Kurt Harris goes deeply into this)

Anyways, what I am trying to say, is that TRADITIONAL Chinese cooking is meat+rendered animal fat+either rice or millet depending on the region

Sounds pretty paleo/primal acceptable to me, especially if you avoid the rice/millet and don't eat out at cheap Chinese resteraunts

You sound very lucky that your spouce's family have yet to go fully American. Just recently my fiance's mom stopped buying beef liver, becuase of the cholesterol...

[spughy]

I also married into a partly Chinese family. I've found that things like steamed fish, roast duck, pork, stir-fried greens, soups, etc. are pretty primal-compatible as long as you don't use commercially prepared sauces, like hoisin, oyster sauce or black bean. Those are LOADED with sugar. I do use them, sparingly and occasionally, but I don't try to pass them off as "good for you" and my husband knows that they are an occasional treat. I do sometimes buy duck or pork from the chinese butchers; their sources are slightly better, sometimes, than totally factory-farmed meat but they're still largely grain-fed. We eat big family meats at a restaurant 2 or 3 times a year and then I just go and enjoy it all and don't bother with the rice.

[HonuRacer]

My husband is not a big fan of duck. I love it, but he's kinda so-so. I also like the roast pork with the crispy skin. Again, he's kinda so-so. And of course the price of Peking duck here is outrageous - $7.95/lb. so we don't eat it very often. The predominant Dim Sum is Cantonese style... Chinese New Year is coming up... always look forward to dinner.

I love beef liver, pork liver, chicken liver.... especially Nando's version of Chicken liver. I've learned to make it myself. Leave out the Portuguese roll and you're in business.

[slacker]

This is good inspiration to go try dim sum selecting primal dishes. I've not gone for dim sum since I went primal because I think of sticky rice and things wrapped in noodle dough. Thanks for posting this.

[Torrtrefireto]

I also married into a partly Chinese family. I've found that things like steamed fish, roast duck, pork, stir-fried greens, soups, etc. are pretty primal-compatible as long as you don't use commercially prepared sauces, like hoisin, oyster sauce or black bean. Those are LOADED with sugar. I do use them, sparingly and occasionally, but I don't try to pass them off as "good for you" and my husband knows that they are an occasional treat. I do sometimes buy duck or pork from the chinese butchers; their sources are slightly better, sometimes, than totally factory-farmed meat but they're still largely grain-fed. We eat big family meats at a restaurant 2 or 3 times a year and then I just go and enjoy it all and don't bother with the rice.

I don't bother with leaving Hoison or Oyster sauce out. Our oyster sauce has 4 grams of sugar a tablespoon and we just put 2 tablespoons in probably 8 servings of venisin stir fried with broccoli. Agreed that its not the healthiest, but at least its not quite as deadly as marying someone with a bread-loving background

My husband is not a big fan of duck. I love it, but he's kinda so-so. I also like the roast pork with the crispy skin. Again, he's kinda so-so. And of course the price of Peking duck here is outrageous - $7.95/lb. so we don't eat it very often. The predominant Dim Sum is Cantonese style... Chinese New Year is coming up... always look forward to dinner.

I love beef liver, pork liver, chicken liver.... especially Nando's version of Chicken liver. I've learned to make it myself. Leave out the Portuguese roll and you're in business.

That is outrageous for duck. Interestinng. Peking Duck is the only resteraunt Chinese food I eat. (hate dim sum, family ashamed of me for it, plus I try not to get anything fried because its all soy oil)

[DarthFriendly]

I love eating Chinese dishes, lots of veggies, lots of meats. Fattier meats, soups, broths etc. Great stuff. Alot of it can be primal if you just leave off the rice, and noodles, and soy.

[HonuRacer]

Well then... eating out shouldn't be too much of a problem for someone like me and hubby. We usually do Sushi/more Sashimi to keep the carbs low, and Dim Sum once in a while, though I'm getting tired of the cold fish... a girl needs variety once in a while!