Ancient Chinese philosophy has a very important influence in Chinese food culture. Let’s first look at a very interesting picture:

yinyang

This is the traditional symbol for the forces of yin and yang, sometimes described as two fish swimming head to tail. The left half is yin and the right half is yang. Taken literally, yin and yang mean the dark side and sunny side of a hill. 

People commonly think of yin and yang as opposing forces. However, it is really more appropriate to view them as complementary pairs. The Chinese believe problems arise not when the two forces are battling, but when there is an imbalance between them. Floods, divorce, or even a fire in the kitchen - all can be attributed to disharmony in the forces of yin and yang.

How does the concept of yin and yang relate to food? 

A basic adherence to this philosophy can be found in ANY Chinese dish, from stir-fried beef with broccoli to sweet and sour pork. There is always a balance in color, flavors, and textures. 

However, belief in the importance of following the principles of yin and yang in the diet extends further. 

Certain foods have yin properties, while others have yang properties - Cooling or warm, fat or non-fat, high-calorie or low- calorie, and etc. 

Almost no foodstuff is purely yin or yang - it’s more that one characteristic tends to dominate. It also reinforces that it is not so much the individual ingredients, as the the balance and contrast between ingredients in each dish, that is important. Interestingly, cooking methods also have more of a yin or yang property, as the list below demonstrates.

Cooking Methods:

Types of Foods: 

Chinese food emphasizes on consuming a diet that contains a healthy balance between yin and yang. You’ll find most Chinese dishes are made of a mixture of ingredients and each meal is made up of a combination of dishes. 

That’s why:

• You always get a cup of steamed rice for every entree
   

• There is usually vegetable mixed with meat entree
   

• A fried dish usually comes with a steamed dish or soup

I know you have already realized that Chinese food is healthy and balanced food that is good for your health. 

Actually according to a survey held by the food industry,

• 72.4% people think that Chinese food is healthy
   

• 89.3% people like Chinese food
   

• 67.8% people would like to cook Chinese food if they know how

Before you start looking for vitamin pills or supplements, start eating a health and balanced diet from today.

FROM:http://www.chinesefooddiy.com/cookbooks.htm?hop=amhita

Zha Jiang Mian (炸酱面), a northen chinese dish, is a bowl of flat white noodles with a warm, thick and sweet minced meat sauce over it. I like it with oodles of cucumber shreds for the nice crunchy feel. For the extra punch, mix the minced meat sauce with some chilli paste or chilli flakes.

I used Chng Kee’s Peking Duck Dipping Sauce (甜面酱).

1. Cook noodles in a pot of water. Drain and leave them aside.
2. Remove core and seeds from the cucumber. Cut into thin strips.
3. Heat wok, add the oil.
4. Add garlic/shallots and stir fry until slightly brown.
5. Add the minced pork and stir fry till the pork is cooked.
6. Add Peking Duck Sauce, light and dark soya sauce.
7. Add water and simmer if you prefer more sauce.
8. Serve this meat sauce over noodles.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp garlic/shallots, chopped
• ½ cucumber, shredded
• 200g minced pork
• 2 tbsp of Peking Duck Dipping Sauce (甜面酱)
• ½ tbsp oil
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 190g flat white noodles (shanghai noodles)
• 30ml water (optional)

source:   www.didally.com

The waiter will pour the ingredients inside the big bowl in front of us.. this is how it looks before adding the “zha jiang”

After mixture……. looks good right? It is definitely a must try food when you come to Beijing! The texture and taste was so so so so so so great!!

I can’t believe it has taken me so long to post this recipe; this creation inspired my cooking blog! Three years ago we were spending at least $30-$40 a week on Chinese take-out which is ridiculous! I did some research online and discovered a Chinese cooking technique used in stir-frying called velveting chicken. It produces perfect Chinese chicken (just like take-out)! The brown sauce took a couple tries but I finally nailed it! Honestly though, the brown sauce is something you will have to taste and adjust to your liking. We like ours to be spicy to replicate the “Chicken with Garlic Sauce” we used to order from Chinese take-out… notice I said “used to order”. We no longer buy chinese take-out, it’s awesome!

Ingredients
3-5 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 egg white
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Brown Sauce Ingredients
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Optional- 1 teaspoon Huy Fong Hot Chili Garlic Sauce (this spicy sauce adds the heat).
I had a hard time finding it in groccery stores so here is a picture

Directions
I start with the brown sauce since it can sit and wait while I’m working on the chicken. So in a sauce pan whisk together all the brown sauce ingredients; beef broth, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, sugar, ginger, garlic, and the chili garlic sauce if you want it spicy. Once the sauce is whisked together and the cornstarch is mixed in turn on stove to medium heat. Stir the sauce occasionally as it cooks so the cornstarch doesn’t separate. Once the sauce starts to simmer you will notice the color will change from a cloudy tan to a dark brown. It’s ready! Turn the heat off and let the sauce rest, it will thicken even more as it sits.

Now let’s focus on the chicken! Slice your chicken breasts into thin strips.

In a bowl or a plastic bag toss the egg white with the chicken then mix in the 3 table spoons of cornstarch. You can use more cornstarch if needed.

Put the chicken into a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes blanching it. As the water starts to boil again the water will get really foamy, that is normal.

With a slotted spoon or colander pull the chicken out of the boiling water. This is velveting chicken! Kinda cool, huh!

I don’t have a fancy schmancy wok, just a large skillet. I use the same large skillet to blanch the chicken and to stir-fry the chicken. So once I pull the chicken out of the boiling water I dump the water out of the skillet and return it to the stove. Whichever you use, a skillet or a wok… it’s time to stir-fry! On high heat put your chicken into the skillet and pour on the brown sauce! Stir the mixture and cook until it’s hot and bubbly!

Serve over white rice for an authentic Chinese take-out experience!
享用 (Chinese for enjoy! )

Fried Rice - A popular item in Chinese restaurants, fried rice is the ultimate Chinese food, and can be one of the most flexible in your cookbook because you can use leftover rice and ingredients to make it. Of course, you can use fresh ingredients but it’s recommended to use rice that has been kept in the fridge overnight for best results. Ingredients usually involved in making fried rice are eggs, spring onions, diced meat of either beef, chicken or pork, ham, prawns and vegetables such as bean sprouts, peas, celery, corn and carrots. There are many types of fried rice but the more famous ones are the Yong Chow and Fukien fried rice.

Kung Pao Chicken - Kung Pao chicken or Kung Po chicken is a Chinese dish from Szechuan cuisine and is considered to be a delicacy. The recipe for this savory dish commonly calls for diced chicken that is pre-marinated and quickly stir-fried with unsalted roasted peanuts, red bell peppers, sherry or rice wine, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and chili peppers. Alternatively, you can use shrimp, scallops, beef or pork in place of the chicken.

Moo Shu Pork - This is a dish of northern Chinese origin and a favorite of many. Ingredients in a Mushu pork recipe usually involve green cabbage, carrots, wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallions, scrambled eggs and day lily buds. Bell peppers, snow pea pods, celery, onions, Shiitake mushrooms and bok choy are sometimes used. The vegetables are cut into long and thin strips before cooking, with the exception for bean sprouts and day lily buds. Fried Mushu pork is then wrapped in moo shu pancakes that is brushed with hoisin sauce and eaten by hand. Moo shu pancakes are thin wrappers made of flour that is easily available in supermarkets and steamed right before eating.

General Tso’s Chicken - General Tso’s chicken is a Hunan cuisine that tastes spicy and sweet and very popular in Chinese restaurants in Canada and America where it’s often marked as a “chef’s specialty”. General Tso’s Chicken recipe commonly calls for battered chicken deep-fried and marinated with ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine or sherry, sugar, scallions, and hot chili peppers.

Spring Rolls - Spring rolls make fabulous snacks and appetizers. They are similar to egg rolls, but are slightly different to its cousin. Springs rolls are have less filling than egg rolls, is smaller in size and its skin is thinner. To make a spring roll, minced meat and thinly cut strips of vegetables are rolled and sealed in a square or circular rice paper. It is then deep fried till crispy and golden brown. Serve this crowd pleaser piping hot.

Chinese Dumplings - Chinese dumplings are a fabulous addition to your home cooked foods, and can be made simply and quickly using just a couple of ingredients. The key to making an excellent dumpling is to ensure that all of your ingredients are finely minced, so that each of the dumplings are steamed in the same amount of time.

Beef and Broccoli - The key to cooking up a delicious Beef and Broccoli dish at home is to make an excellent sauce made up of oyster sauce, light soy sauce, thick soy sauce and cornstarch solution. Marinade the beef before stir frying with sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch solution, soy sauce and sugar.

Sweet and Sour Pork - This savory-sweet highly popular Chinese dish is of Cantonese origin. It is a good dish to prepare when you are planning on having guests, who will be wildly impressed with your cooking skill. As with other Chinese food recipes, the key to making a great Sweet and Sour Pork dish is in the sauce made of sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, and soy sauce. Its ingredients include pork, pineapple, bell pepper and onion cut into bite size pieces.

Chow Mein - In American Chinese cuisine, Chow Mein is a stir-fried dish consisting of noodles, meat such usually chicken, shrimp, beef and pork, cabbage and other vegetables.

Chop Suey - Chop suey or “za sui” or “shap sui” literally means ‘mixed pieces’ is an American-Chinese dish usually made up of leftover meats and vegetables stir fried quickly in a sauce thickened with starch. It is a great dish when you need to use up the last of yesterday’s chicken or pork roast and can incorporate meats of any kind such as fish, chicken, shrimp, pork or beef and various vegetables from celery to bean sprouts and cabbage. Chop Suey is often eaten with rice.

from:http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jennifer_8_lee_looks_for_general_tso.html

Today’s special is a famous cuision in Hunan Province. If you like spicy taste，

Seasoniong：
1 tsp salt
2 tbs Chinese rice wine(Chinese wine sauce)

Before cooking:
1.Clean the silver carp and open the bottom of head but not cut off.
2. Put the salt cover the head of silver carp about 5 minutes.

3.Chop ginger,spring onion and garlic.( you will have to chop if your chili is as a whole)

Cooking processes:
1. Put the chopped ginger and chili on the silver carp and pour in Chinese rice wine on the plate.
2. Steam the fish head about 15—20 minutes.

3. Cover the chopped garlic and spring onion on the dish.
4. Pour boiled oil on the garlic and sprion onion and dish off.

Attention：
If you can not find pickle hot chili then use fresh chili peppers can also be replaced. Well, this cuisine needs more salt.

from :http://www.achinesefood.com/2008/08/21/chinese-food-recipe-steam-the-head-of-silver-carp-with-chop-hot-chili-pepper.html

deep-fried peanuts

braised pork with soy sauce

the spicy and hot bean curd

cucumbe

roast duck

crabs

chicken soup

rice dishes

scrambled eggs and tomatoes