I love Chinese food! I love Chinese and Italian food so much that I could eat them every day and never tire of it. This was the biggest dilemma for me to choose when we went out for my birthday dinner when I was little. Chinese or Italian?
For many years Marty and I were unable to eat many of the Chinese dishes we love so much because they contain soy sauce which contains wheat, or dishes that are fried in the same oil that is used for wheat items. That’s called gluten cross-contamination.
Last year, we learned from a couple at the Troy Farmers Market who are gluten-free, not by choice like us, about a Chinese place in Latham, NY, that they love. Marty and I were like, what? Don’t tease us.
Sure enough, Ala Shanghai has many dishes we have missed. Everything is clearly marked on the menu, and the staff is careful about cross-contamination. The food and service are wonderful. It was last year’s food miracle for us!
We had a big delivery day on Thursday after production, which ended in the Albany area. We had to go to Troy, to the Atrium Building, where we set up our vendor booth for the first indoor market on Saturday.
It was almost 4 pm when we were done, and hadn’t eaten lunch yet. We went to our favorite place Ala Shanghai! We’ve tried a few things on their menu, and everything is delicious, but we both keep ordering Sesame Beef in Brown Sauce with Rice; every single time.
It’s pieces of lacquered crispy pieces of beef in a delicious sauce and with sesame seeds. It is so good that I get so sad while eating it that it will disappear. This happens to me a lot when I eat something I love; the happiness turns to dread until I can eat it again.
We found out a long time ago food is not the same when it’s take-out. I firmly believe besides pizza; most things lose their crispiness or freshness when shoved in a container to keep them warm. Soups, cold sandwiches, and mushy things are usually ok, though.
One day when we were having lunch at Ala Shanghai, we were sitting next to a young Chinese couple. They had so much food on their table and ate slowly. We noticed they kept their rice in the little bowl it comes in and used it as a resting place for the food on their chopsticks.
There are always plenty of Chinese couples and families in Ala Shanghai, and I noticed them eating this way as well. I tried it, and it’s brilliant! It took me 55 years to learn this or pay attention to how other cultures eat.
The people I watched didn’t load up the plate the restaurant provides for your entree; instead, they put the bowl of rice in the middle of the plate. When you take a piece of food with your chopsticks from a platter that is too big for one bite, you rest it on top of the rice. The rice soaks up all the flavors and is eaten slowly during the meal.
The other dish I order every time is Steamed Shrimp Dumplings. Dumplings are usually not gluten-free; oh, how we missed them terribly. Ala Shanghai has many different types of dumplings we can’t have, but they have the shrimp one, and I love shrimp. Double score!
The servers are always careful that the small bowl of soy sauce to dip the shrimp dumplings is gluten-free. The dumplings are made fresh, in-house. We have watched servers sit at tables after the lunch rush making dumplings for dinner.
The shrimp inside the dumpling wrapper is flavored with garlic, toasted sesame oil, and snaps; it’s so fresh and crisp when you eat it. The dumpling wrappers are delicate and look like tiny parcels of deliciousness. Mmmmmm!
I made Italian food tonight that was so good I could have easily overeaten, but then I would have felt uncomfortable and upset with myself for making a pig of myself. I always put my fork down the second I feel full; this is dedication when I eat something I love. I must remind myself there will be leftovers to enjoy the next day.
I took demo photos of the dinner I made tonight. It has options to be healthier and even vegan if that’s what you want. I have to write the recipe and will share it when I am done. I took photos of a kitchen hack that made food prep faster.
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend! I’ll catch up with you guys soon!