The MSG dilemma

It is an eternal, age old mystery. Just why does Chinese food always taste better from a takeaway or in a restaurant? Other cuisines can be successfully replicated and mastered at home, why not egg fried rice and chow mein. Smug chefs will tell you they know the answer, but it comes at a price: MSG they will say. The price? Your health, of course. While it may be true that MSG definitely adds a little something something to the flavour, is it really so bad for us and just what is it anyway?

 

Lately, after stumbling upon a shocking report of toxic waste dumping in a quarry near my home in Wales, I've become quite interested in chemicals, especially PCBs, and dioxins. After research, I can tell you what these are and why they're so bad for us, as well as discovering what actually goes into those products we use everyday. See for yourself here, type in your favourite product or check the drop down lists and you may be fairly surprised. (Did you know some baby products are actually officially labelled as 'high hazard')? 

So, what is MSG? Does it really fall into the hazardous category that it's been so carelessly labelled with for many years? I have a friend who claims she's allergic to it and specified no MSG please at a restaurant we visited together. Upon leaving she claimed that they had sneaked some in anyway as she could feel heart palpitations and shaky hands. Wow, I thought, this stuff is dangerous.

According to Wikipedia: monosodium glutamate is an abundant naturally occurring non essential amino acid, and in truth, seems no more harmful than regular salt. In fact, when browsing through the safety concerns, the word death appears in the salt information far more than for MSG. If you want to read more on them both, check here and here. It was when I was flicking through the pages of a cookbook by LEON, a healthy fast food restaurant in London, that I first became interested in the qualities of MSG, "it's not as bad as you think" they stated. Wow, from health gurus even. 

It seems that MSG earned it's bad rap in part from one Mr Robert Ho Man Kwok, who reported the symptoms he felt after a Chinese - American meal, even though he himself could not be specific about whether it was the MSG, the alcohol or even the salt. But, since then, everyone has jumped on the 'msg bad' bandwagon and now many people, like my friend, claim an intolerance. 

It seems the seasoning itself enhances other flavours, but only in the correct amounts. Too much and the food becomes unpalatable. I think it's probably best to leave the subtle, delicate balance of salt, MSG and other seasonings to the professionals to achieve the perfect umami sensation.

Of course, Chinese cooking in restaurants and takeaways rely on techniques that are not so easy to achieve at home. Neil smirked at our chicken and cashew nuts from a takeaway last night. Obviously feeling he had won some personal triumph over me, he asked why I insisted on only buying organic chicken when I was happy to eat the reconstituted stuff on our plate.

I had to explain to him that it had been velveted: tossed in a batter made from egg whites and cornflour before being cooked to render it silky on the outside and juicy within. He prodded a piece open to look at the chicken - like structure and seemed a little defeated, but it illustrated how difficult it is to do this well at home, usually resulting in a sticky mess. Which, brings me to the next point: Chinese restaurants and takeaways have no fear of very hot oil and smoking woks, both of which are necessary to achieve that perfectly velveted piece of meat and a decent non - greasy stir fry.

Above, an example of velveting with a fear of scorching, splashing oil and wailing smoke alarms. Not so silky, more lumpy.

Of course, many people enjoy their own homemade Chinese food immensely and I myself have had success with quite a few dishes, but, like Indian food, there's always an elusive takeaway taste which is probably why they are two of the most popular foods to buy instead.

Recipe : Egg fried rice with prawns and bbq pork

1/2 cup of long grained rice
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 scallions, (spring onions), chopped finely
1 chili, deseeded and sliced finely
1/4 cup cooked bbq pork, chopped into small dice or sliced finely
1/4 cup cooked peeled prawns
2 eggs, beaten in a bowl
1/2 tsp of salt or more to taste
a pinch of MSG (optional)
a few drops of soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil

Cook the rice in a large pan of boiling, salted water until cooked through, (you can follow the manufacturers instructions on the back of the pack for more accuracy). Drain well and set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium to high heat and add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, (scallions) and chili when the oil is really hot. Stir fry them together quickly for about 30 seconds until they are very fragrant.
Add the rice and fry for a few minutes to start the rice getting toasty and crispy.
Add the pork, prawns and beaten egg and stir fry together, stirring continuously until the egg has scrambled into the rice and everything is getting a little golden brown. Add the salt and MSG, (if using), stir through then reduce the heat to medium. Fried rice is all about that toasty crust at the bottom, so spread the rice out evenly into the pan and leave it untouched for a few minutes to brown and crisp. When you are ready to serve, spoon the rice onto serving plates, being sure to dig down into the crust and serve with the soy sauce and sesame oil sprinkled over the top.

Recipe : Chicken with cashew nuts

Adapted from Chinese Cooking by Caroline Ellwood

3 tbsp dry sherry

1 egg white

1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

2 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

2 tbsp oil

2 spring onions, scallions, finely sliced

1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

125 (4oz) canned bamboo shoots

1 tbsp soy sauce

125g (4oz) unsalted cashew nuts

To velvet: Mix 2 tbsp of the sherry, the egg white and the cornflour together. Add the chicken and mix together well. 

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat and add the spring onions. Stir fry for 30 seconds then add the chicken and fry for 3 minutes. (This is when you want your oil to be Chinese restaurant hot, otherwise, the velveting batter won't adhere to the chicken as well as it should and might even form into lumps. Also, the chicken pieces may just stick to each other as one big lump. So, be brave, whack up the heat, open a window, put the extractor fan on and drop the chicken, piece by piece, into the scorching oil, just be very careful of splashing. This will ensure the batter will immediately start to fry as soon as it hits the oil and leaves you with separate, silky chicken pieces). 

Add all the remaining ingredients and fry for a further 2 minutes. Serve. Easy.