I read today that Americans eat pizza, burgers and Chinese food the most. A lot of Chinese food is pretty sad. Here are some of my favorites...what are yours?

Fried Dumplings-Pork mixture wrapped in dumpling then fried served with soy vinegar scallion sauce.
Hot and Sour Soup-I love it when this soup is already sour and salty and spicy enough on its own where I don't have to add hot pepper or soy sauce to it, various mushrooms, pork, tofu.
Kung Pao-My favorite Kung Pao is drier than is served in most restaurants. I hate it when they add extra ingredients like cashews, zucchini or water chestnuts and come up with a soggy mess. Dry 1 inch or less chicken pieces stir fried with hot peppers, peanuts, and celery and carrots that are cubed smaller than the chicken. The main part of this dish is the chicken and hot pepper, the other ingredients should only complement the main ingredients. The chicken should be nice pieces no gristle and no fat.
General Tao’s Chicken-I like this dish more on the vinegary side than most restaurants serve it. Start with nice white meat chicken in inch to inch and a half chunks battered and fried. Add hot peppers and sauce and finish with a few pieces of broccoli.
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce-Medium tender shrimp with julienned vegetables, in a brown gravy garlic sauce-once again not as sweet as most make it.
Beef with Broccoli-Tender and juicy beef, broccoli cooked but firm and a mild brown gravy sauce.
Pork Lo Mein-Tender strips of salty pork, with medium round noodles. Mixed in are bean sprouts and bamboo shoots in a mild brown sauce.
Moo Shu Pork-Strips of pork, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, egg and scallions. In a brown garlic ginger sauce. Served with hoisin sauce also known as plum sauce and Mandarin pancakes. The pancakes should be steamed and fairly light but unbroken.
Mongolian Lamb-Lamb with onions and spring onions served in a mild brown gravy sauce, with pancakes and hoisin sauce like the Moo Shu pork.
Peking Duck-Roast duck with crispy skin and most meat usually carved at the table, served with scallions, hoisin sauce and the Mandarin pancakes.
Shrimp in Walnut Sauce-There are many versions of this dish, the one I like has an orange flavor to the spicy sauce and is served with crispy candied walnuts and sometimes broccoli.
Szechuan String Beans and Chicken-Fresh string beans stir fried in a spicy garlic ginger sauce with chunks of tender chicken.
Dan Dan Noodles-Spicy brown peanut sauce with ground pork, peanuts, and scallions over tender light noodles.

Two dishes I haven't found lately:
Salt and Pepper Shrimp-Dry fried tender shrimp with ginger, garlic, onion and scallion.
Sizzling Rice Shrimp Soup-Sweet tomato orange flavored soup with shrimp and vegetables with sizzling rice dumped into the soup at the table.

 

Too bad you're not on the west coast... or more specifically, San Diego.

My brothers' (I have two brothers) have a fast food shop called Great Happiness (there are three locations)... they have (unless they discontinued it)... Garlic Shrimp... which is most of what you described for the Salt & Pepper Shrimp.

My two favorite dishes are GT Chicken (more on the salty side)... and one I haven't had for a LONG time... Mandarin Beef. I only had MB during the one semester and summer that I was in Champaign/Urbana. I forget what the shop's name was.

 

Well I am kinda torn between the City Beef and City Chicken myself.

YouTube - ‪CITY WOK iPhone 4 Shitty Quality HD‬‏

 

One of the few good episodes this year...you also might like this...LOL
YouTube - ‪Chinese Food / Cat's In The Kettle‬‏

 

Moo Shu Pork
GT Chicken

Local joint serves a mean dish called "Lobster Cantonese"

I have never seen it anywhere else.

 

my fav is definately the Pan fried noodles w/ seafood on top, or the hong kong style... don't really know what it's called in english but it sounds something like Liang Mein Wong

sooo delicious

 

Oh man this thread really makes me hungry.

I must say I really enjoy the Hong Kong style noodles myself. They sometimes add a hint of some yellow curry powder of some sort. It is really really good. Xcept I am no fan of seafood, but most places will replace it with the city chicken. The only downside is it's kinda hard to find at your run of the mill chinese joints.

On another note, Pad See Ew at Thai places is the bomb diggity.

 

Beef chow fun

 

general tso!!

 

Spring rolls, and pork chow fun for me.

 

the only chinese dish i can cook is rice with chicken, peanut sauce and broccoli (of course with tumeric and ginger) - but i love it

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The best Chinese food I ever had was with my cousin and his Chinese wife in the NYC China Town area.

I have no idea what she ordered for the table, but it was awesome.