Anyone an expert Chinese food cook?

I’m really loving learning how to cook Chinese food. I’m just a beginner and getting to grips with simple chow mein, but I want to make a great chop suey. I went to ‘FLK Chinese food shop’ in Catford - the lady in there is really great at giving advice on how to cook your favourite recipe and with what ingredients you’ll need. I’ve just made one of my favourites tonight - chop suey - but I still always find bean sprouts a tad bitter, despite loving all sassy flavours - particularly sour. Does anyone know how to make beansprouts just a bit less bitter? I’m planning to put them into a raw salad tomoz for my mum, but I think they’ll over-power the other ingredients because they’re a bit bitter even when cooked, let alone raw.

Not an expert Chinese cook, but I’ve always found the bean sprouts sold in the UK supermarkets to be a little too close to on the turn even when they are “fresh”. I tend to sprout my own seeds now. I use one of these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Germinator-11010-Large-Sprouter-Device/dp/B003TY3JT8/ref=sr_1_7_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1525459102&sr=8-7&keywords=bean+sprouter - and buy the seeds online. When they are really fresh they should be neither bitter nor sour.

Also, you shouldn’t ever sprouts bought in shops raw. They can be a source of food poisoning.

Sorry - realise this won’t help in time for tomorrow!

Jump on the 176 bus, and it will take you to Chinatown. They have the freshest bean sprouts around. The supermarkets there are full of enticing sauces, spices and ingredients!

Put fresh bean sprouts in large gass bowl fil with boiing water to cover put bowl in microwave for 3 minutes strain sprinkle garlic oil and oyster sauce toss lightly eat! You can treat PakChoi and Choi sum the same.

Only buy fresh from Wing Yip or Chinatown

Not an expert either but a keen student. Agreed with others re ingredients. It’s all about the prep. Get Ken Hom’s Hot Wok and read his intro carefully. Substitute corn flour with tapioca starch and sherry with Shaoshing rice wine. Get the wok hot then add oil at the start but never during stir fry. If it gets too dry looking add water or rice wine. When you double up on ingredients only add half oil instead.

Also get a rice steamer. This means you can concentrate on the main course.

Home cooked Chinese rocks. Enjoy.

Is our closest Asian grocery the one by Catford Bridge?

Don’t know but I tend to use the one I get to and from quickest. There is one in New Cross which I can nip to on Overground. There are closer ones in Peckham I think - depends where you are I guess.

There is one in Deptford High St opposite a nice Vietnamese restaurant. Soft shell crab is excellent!
Wing Yip or China town have best selection, There is a supermarket in Strstford mall opposite Sainsburys (Loon Fung).

Use Thai fragrant rice buy this years crop and get a rice cooker simple to use.

That never seems to be open, or never seemed to be open when I lived there. There is also a very good Asian store in Peckham just off the high st.