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Chinese Culinary Culture

admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:10:36 +0000

Being one of the important fruits of China‘s age-old culture, the Chinese food and drink culinary art enjoys a high prestige both at home and abroad. The whole world looks upon eating a Chinese meal as a high-leveled enjoyment. The Chinese people whether living in or outside the county all share a proper sense of pride for such a rich Chinese food and drink culinary culture. Thus, to regard the Chinese food and drink culinary art as a culture, a science, or an art is entirely justifiable.

The Chinese culinary culture has a distant source and has become well established. The legend has it that the Chinese culinary culture originated with Yi Yin, a virtuous and capable minister of the Shang Dynasty (15th - 11th centuries B.C). It can be seen that China initiated the culinary art as early as the Shang and Zhou (11th century to 221 B.C.) times. With the growth and development of production and economy during various periods, the culinary techniques too registered step by step heightening and improvement—-from brevity to variety, from rudimentary to advanced stage, from day-to-day snacks to feasts, even to palatial dishes and delicacies. During about the time from the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) and the Warring Stated Period (CA. 475-221 B.C.), to the Sui-Tang period the Chinese dishes began to be marked apart by Southern and Northern tastes. During the period of the Tang (618-907 A.D.) and the Song (960-1279 AD) dynasties, people went in a great deal for eating and distinct local colors were added to the Chinese dishes, such as the Northern food (”Lu” or the Shandong dishes), the Southern food (”Yue” or the Cantonese dishes), the Chuan food (Sichuan dishes), Wei Yang (Yangzhou) and the vegetarian foods. Records respecting each kind of dishes have been handed down. No matter the four oldest groups (i.e., the Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong and Yangzhou groups) or the eight groups that gradually matured after the Tang and Song Dynasties (the Sichuan, Cantonese, Shandong, Yangzhou, Beijing, Anhui, Zhejiang and Hunan groups) or the Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Henan, Liaoning groups, as well as the Muslim feasts prevalent throughout the country. Each of these famous groups has its own long history and characteristic traditional techniques; these put together have truly for the Chinese culinary culture produced a rich, sublime fruit borne out of the policy of letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools contend.

Shanghai is China‘s biggest port city. Since the Opium War and the opening of the five ports to foreign trade, it was thronged by traders from all over the world and was densely populated by the Chinese and foreigners, and the city became thriving and prosperous. In the wake of economic growth, the several big culinary blocs poured into Shanghai one after another. Till the 1920s, restaurants featuring the various kinds of dishes, like the Cantonese food, Sichuan food, Beijing food, Yangzhuo food, Ningbo food, Anhui food, Muslim feast, Tianjin food, Suzhou and Wuxi food and Shanghai‘s local dishes together with Western cafes, numbering near a hundred, had emerged in Shanghai. So the saying “Satisfying eating is in Shanghai” is actually not coined by the Shanghailanders of today, but prevailed already some 80 years ago. Undoubtedly local people would enjoy their own food quite much. each of these sayings is correct, because in each place there are distinctly-colored regional culinary blocs and the delicacies of different tastes available in Chinese food, a fact acknowledged the world.

Chinese Food for many Americans

admin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:57:06 +0000

Forty years ago, Chinese food for many Americans was egg rolls, chop suey and drinks with paper umbrellas. Then it was General Tso’s chicken and sesame noodles.

But over the past decade, as large communities of people from India, Peru, Korea, Trinidad and Guyana have formed in New York and elsewhere, ideas of what Chinese food can be have expanded.

“I call them second-generation Chinese restaurants,” said Cheuk Kwan, who has directed a documentary film about the spread of Chinese restaurants around the world.

Dishes like chili-spiked, deep-fried chicken lollipops, which are a Chinese-Indian specialty, and lo mein topped with chunks of peppery jerk chicken are what Chinese food is now to many.

New York City’s first hyphenated version of the cuisine - after Chinese-American, of course - was Chinese-Cuban, which arrived in the 1960’s, when thousands of Cubans of Chinese descent came to New York after Fidel Castro’s rise to power.

Seafood soups, fried rice with pork, scallions and tiny shrimp, and chicharrones de pollo - chicken cut into small pieces and deep-fried in the Cantonese style - were and are standbys.

Over the years, as more Americans have visited China and more Chinese have immigrated to the United States, more authentic versions of Chinese food have come to town on a gust of hot chilies, Sichuan peppercorns and bean paste. Restaurants serving the cuisines of Taiwan, Shanghai and Fujian have opened in the city’s burgeoning Chinatowns - Flushing in Queens and Sunset Park and Homecrest in Brooklyn.

When New York’s young Korean-Americans go out for Chinese food, they often eat ja jiang mien, boiled noodles in a rich meat sauce, mixed with Korean brown bean paste and studded with Chinese fermented black beans.

In Elmhurst, Queens, La Union, a Peruvian chifa (slang for Chinese restaurant), serves platters of chancho, a Hispanic rendering of char siu, Chinese for roast pork.

The roots of these hybrid Chinese cuisines around the world are the same as those of Chinese food in America. Millions of Chinese men, most of them from the province Guangdong (formerly known in English as Canton), left China in the late 19th and early 20th century. Only men were allowed to leave the country, often by becoming indentured workers to companies in need of cheap labor in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and South America.

Professional cooks were usually not among the emigrants, so the earliest Chinese restaurants outside China were started by men with little knowledge of cooking and a desperate need to improvise with local ingredients. The dishes they came up with, like chop suey, have long since been dismissed as “not Chinese” by scholars of the culture.

But Chinese food has never been quite what outsiders think it is.

“The term Chinese food represents an area four times larger than Western Europe and the eating habits of more than a billion people,” Mr. Kwan said. “You could say that there is really no such thing as Chinese food.”

Eugene Anderson, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Riverside, and author of “The Food of China,” disagreed. “Chinese food is defined by a flavor principle of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and green onions” and methods including stir-frying and steaming, he said. “Once you get too far away from those rules, it is no longer Chinese.”

Celebrate autumn with Asian moon cakes

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:00:54 +0000

The flavors of fall are complex and earthy.
Chestnuts. Pumpkins. Sweet potatoes.
And, if you are Chinese, moon cakes. These are not the sugary pastries that Westerners usually think of when it comes to cake. Moon cakes are small, dense and more savory than sweet.

They are eaten during the mid-autumn festival, traditionally on the 15th day of the eighth moon by the Chinese lunar calendar. This year, it falls on Sunday. This is when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.

Festivities include music, dancing — and eating moon cakes.

The Greensboro Chinese Association and various Asian student groups at UNCG will host an Autumn Moon Festival on Saturday. The event, which also promotes the university’s new Asian studies major, will include cultural speakers and music, dance and martial-arts demonstrations. UNCG geography professor Susan Walcott will talk about the significance of moon cakes. Festivalgoers also can sample moon cakes there.

More on moon cakes

The palm-sized cakes are round or rectangular. They usually come in a set of four and are packaged in tin boxes.

Traditional moon cakes are made of sweet bean paste fillings, with a golden-brown, flaky crust. Some are filled with a golden duck egg yolk.

The top of the cake is usually embossed with the Chinese characters for longevity, harmony or the baker’s insignia.

It takes two to four weeks to prepare the bean paste, so most families just buy them from a bakery or store.

Through the years, moon cakes have evolved from a Chinese delicacy to something as common as ice cream. Modern versions of the cake may be fat-free or feature flavors such as lychee or chocolate.

Other Asian countries also have adopted their own versions of the fall delicacy. In Vietnam, the cakes may be filled with roasted chicken, shark fin or mung beans.

Cambodians may fill it with durian, a large, pungent fruit, found in southeast Asia.

In Indonesia, moon cakes may be filled with chocolate, cheese or milk.

And the Japanese version of the moon cake may contain chestnuts or azuki beans, which are small, sweet and red.

Moon cake folklore

* One legend is that the custom of eating moon cakes began in the late Yuan dynasty. It’s said that the Han people resented the Mongol rule of the Yuan Dynasty. Revolutionaries, led by Chu Yuan-chang, plotted to usurp the throne.

Chu needed a way to unite the people to revolt, without alerting the Mongol rulers of their plans. So, his close adviser, Liu Po-wen, came up with this plan: spread a rumor that a plague was ravaging the land and that only by eating a special moon cake, distributed by the revolutionaries, could they prevent the disaster.

So, the Han people received these cakes that when cut open, had the message: “Revolt on the 15th of the eighth moon.” This is how the people united to overthrow the Yuan. And that’s how moon cakes became an integral part of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

* Another legend dates back to ancient times when 10 suns appeared at once in the sky. The emperor ordered a famous archer to shoot down the nine extra suns. When the archer completed his task, the Goddess of Western Heaven rewarded him with a pill that made him immortal. When the archer’s wife found the pill and took it, she was banished to the moon. Legend says that her beauty is greatest on the day of the Moon Festival.

What Beautiful Women Eat

admin — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 07:47:41 +0000

A love of beauty is something that people will always have. Staying beautiful and what you eat is closely related. Many foods that people eat everyday not only contain nutrients that the body needs, but they can also maintain beauty. When Chinese medicine is added to some foods, they have a delicious flavor and curative effects, which help maintain beauty. Here are some recipes that also have Chinese medicine.

1. Porridge with red date and chrysanthemum:

Ingredients: 50 grams red date, 100 grams rice, 15 grams chrysanthemum
Method:
Add these ingredients into a pan with water, boil until it becomes a dense porridge. Then add some red sugar to taste. This porridge is beneficial for the spleen, blood, liver and eyes. Consumption of this porridge for a long time can prevent illnesses and maintain one’s beauty.

2. Lotus porridge:

Ingredients: 30 grams lotus, 30 grams Qianshi, 50 grams Yiren rice, 10 grams longan, honey
Method:
Soak lotus, Qianshi and Yiren rice in water for 30 minutes. Cook these ingredients and the longan into porridge over low heat, and then add some honey to taste. Longan can help re-energize people; lotus is beneficial for the spleen and stomach; Yiren rice and Qianshi are good for the spleen. Medical research has shown that Qianshi is abundant in Vitamins A, B, and C, while honey contains collagen and enzymes which stimulate the growth of cells and accelerate metabolism. This porridge is the perfect medicinal food for beauty, having the effect of eliminating wrinkles and whitening the skin.

3. Beauty porridge for enriching the blood

Ingredients: 3 grams Chuangong, 6 grams angelica, 2 grams safflower, 4 grams Huangshi, 100 grams Geng rice and chicken soup
Method:
Wash the rice and soak in water. Put sliced angelica, Chuangong and Huangshi in a small cloth bag. Put the bag and the chicken soup in a clay pot and boil. Add the rice to the soup and cook into porridge. Last, sprinkle green onion slices, MSG and ginger slices over the porridge. This porridge has enriches the blood. Long-term consumption of this porridge can help women regulate menstruation, enrich the blood and maintain one’s beauty. Take it once a day for 15 days as a treatment period.

4. Beauty tea

Ingredients: 500 grams ginger, 250 grams black tea, 100 grams salt, 150 grams licorice, 25 grams clove and 25 grams Chenxiang
Method:
Mash all the ingredients into a powder. Take 15 grams to 25 grams for each dose. Fry them or make them into tea early in the morning. It can be drunk several times a day. The tea is good for recovering the spleen, strengthening the stomach, enriching blood, soothing the nerves and curing depression. Long-term use of this tea can whiten and soften the skin and reduce wrinkles.

5. Porridge with white fungus and cherry

Ingredients: 50 grams white fungus, 30 grams cherry, sweet osmanthus and rock sugar
Method:
Boil the melted rock sugar and white fungus for about 10 minutes, then and add the cherry and sweet osmanthus. This porridge has the effect of recovering energy, enriching the blood, whitening the skin and maintaining one’s beauty.

Healthy Chinese eating

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:34:57 +0000

One of the things that always strikes me in China is how remarkably well so many people eat. It’s ironic that so many westerners think of Chinese food as being unhealthy - all those negative images of deep-fried food in gloopy sauces laden with MSG. Restaurant food is often richer, with more meat and fish, more oil and fewer vegetables, but home cooking tends to be centred on grains and vegetables, with small amounts of meat here and there.

And look, to the left and below, at what I found builders on a construction site eating when I visited Beijing in March: a widerange of fresh vegetables, freshly-cooked, some meat and beancurd, plenty of rice… It’s hard to imagine British builders eating so healthily during their lunchbreaks. And yesterday, on the expressway to Hangzhou, my bus stopped at a service station where the refreshments on offer were mainly many different kinds of fresh fruit, and steaming zongzi (leaf-wrapped glutinous rice parcels) with a variety of fillings. Again, I couldn’t help comparing this kind of thing with the packaged foods sold at British petrol stations and motorway services…

How To Make Jiao Zi (Chinese Dumplings)

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:34:48 +0000

The humble dumpling. In Western-style cuisine it is a simple staple, a source of carbohydrates and great comfort food. Done Chinese style, it is a work of culinary art. Jiao Zi (or Gow Gee, in the Mandarin dialect) is a concoction made of dough stuffed with meat and/or vegetables. It is often served as part of dim sum. Proper preparation takes a bit of time and effort. But the results, when done correctly, are well worth it.

Ingredients

Wrap:

4 cups white flour
1-1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt

You’ll want to acquire the correct type of Chinese flour, whether you use rice flour or wheat flour. Ordinary Western-style wheat flour has a very different consistency when prepared.

Chill the water to just above freezing and dissolve the salt into 2 cups of it. Blend thoroughly and add the extra 1/2 cup only if the dough isn’t completely wetted. Knead well and ensure that the result is firm. If needed, sprinkle in a bit more flour. Then chill the dough.

Filling:

1 lb lean ground meat
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp brandy
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper

Combine all the ingredients, then stir. Don’t overdo it in order to avoid making the meat mushy.

Bring out the chilled dough and separate a piece into two parts. Flatten each section until they’re about 1/8 inch thick. Layer the meat mixture onto one then cover with the other. Crimp the edges until the result looks something like a white fortune cookie crumpled around the rim. Repeat until you’ve used up all the dough and meat.

The raw dumpling can be boiled or fried, as desired.

To boil, use a pot large enough to cover the dumplings with a couple of inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then layer the Jiao Zi along the bottom of the pot. Stir gently to prevent them sticking together. Continue heating until the mixture boils again. Add a cup of cold water and allow to come to a boil again, then remove from heat.

To fry, simply line a wok with a layer of sesame oil and bring to a high heat. Then toss in the dumplings. Remember that woks cook very quickly. You’ll need to keep the dumplings moving in order to get them evenly cooked on both sides. It’s particularly important to ensure that the meat inside is well done.

Serve

The results are often dipped into a sauce of equal amounts of black vinegar and soy. Jiao Zi is a component of a traditional dim sum cart and are often served during the Chinese New Year’s celebration. As a symbol of wealth they bring good fortune in the coming year, but these are delicious anytime.

All About Chinese Chopsticks

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:43:48 +0000

As anyone who has been to a Chinese restaurant knows, chopsticks are the traditional implements for eating Chinese dishes. But far from being difficult and inefficient, they’re actually very versatile. They require a moderate amount of technique and practice, but in short order anyone can learn to use them well.

Chopsticks have been in use for over 3,000 years. They receive a mention in The Book of Rites dating from the Shang Dynasty that ruled China from 1600BC – 1100BC. In that time they’ve been made of ivory, bronze, bamboo and many other materials. Decorative designs may employ gold, silver, ceramic enamel or lacquer and other compounds. The Kuaizi Museum in Shanghai has collected over 1,000 pair, many of them centuries old.

Chinese chopsticks are usually about 8-10 inches long and often thickened or blunt at the ends. Both sticks are the same. Japanese chopsticks, by contrast, have narrowed ends, more pointed than their Chinese cousins.

To use Chinese chopsticks, place them both into one hand. Clamp them between the index finger and thumb, then move one to between the index and middle finger. The ends should be at the same point and both should lie in the same plane. In using Japanese chopsticks one stick protrudes slightly out from the other and they may be slightly twisted.

The trick is to have both a firm grip on each while being able to swivel one into the other in a pincer-like movement. That motion is performed by moving the index finger and thumb just slightly, opening and closing the pincer. You should be able to tap one end into the other and make an audible sound without losing grip on either.

Chinese dishes are prepared with all this in mind. Instead of large slabs of beef or whole legs or breast of chicken, meat is made bite-sized. Dumplings (Jiao Zi) are made so that they can easily be grasped between the chopsticks. The weight and size make it simple to hold them without opening the pincer too wide or falling out too easily. Rice can be scooped into the mouth by bringing the bowl up to the lips. Slurping soup is not considered rude in Chinese dining.

Despite the name, no stabbing or chopping is required or expected. In fact, in Chinese dining etiquette, such things would be considered impolite. There are several other traditional customs in the proper use of chopsticks, as well.

Sticking chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice is considered poor taste. They resemble the incense sticks that are placed in rememberance of the dead. Unlike some Western circumstances, the Chinese don’t generally mix meals with mourning. In Chinese culture, eating even an ordinary meal is a celebration. Instead, rest them on the side of the bowl or plate.

Waiving chopsticks in front of the face or at other diners is equally bad manners. Neither should one suck on the tips or lick the length of the chopstick. Nor are they used to pull a food dish toward one. Chopsticks may be provided in or with a central dish to scoop food onto one’s plate. Use them instead.

Wonton Soup Recipe

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:43:32 +0000

Recipe: Wonton Soup
Serving: 15 wontons or 3 servings of wonton soup

Ingredients:

8 oz. peeled and deveined medium size shrimp
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
1 small pinch of salt
3 dashes white pepper powder
1 oz yellow chives (chopped finely)
1/2 teaspoon corn starch
15 wonton wrappers
3 cups stock
Salt to taste
White pepper powder to taste
Sesame oil to taste

Stock Ingredients:

1 1/2 pound leg quarters (chicken thighs and legs)
1 1/2 pound lean pork
1 1/2 pound ham
10 cups water

Method:

Prepare the stock first by boiling all the ingredients in a deep stockpot. Bring it to boil and skim off the scum that surfaces until the stock is clear. Simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. Pour the stock through a sieve and set aside. Save the extra in a container and keep it in the fridge for future use.

Put the shrimp in a small bowl and rinse them under cold running water for about 5-10 minutes. (This step makes the shrimp crunchy.) Drain the water and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and then cut each shrimp into 3-4 pieces.

Add half of the chopped yellow chives into the shrimp and marinate with the seasonings for 1 hour. Blend the shrimp well with the seasoning.

Place a wonton wrapper on your palm and put about 1 teaspoon (about 3-4 pieces) of the shrimp filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Gather the corners of the wrapper with the other hand and give it a twist in the middle to “close” the wonton. Repeat until the filling is used up.

Add 3 cups of stock into a medium saucepan and bring it to boil. Add the remaining chopped yellow chives into the stock, add salt, white pepper powder, and sesame oil to taste and set aside.

Heat up another big saucepan with water. As soon as it boils, drop the wontons into the water. Stirring gently so the wontons don’t stick together. Continue to boil until the wontons are cooked and float to the surface.

Transfer the wontons out with a hand strainer and divide them into 3 equal servings. Pour a ladleful of stock over each serving and serve immediately.

Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe (咕嚕肉)

admin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 07:39:40 +0000

Sweet and Sour Pork, the ubiquitous and arguably the most well-known Chinese recipes in the world, is a classic Cantonese dish. Called “咕嚕肉” or “goo lou yok” in Cantonese dialect, sweet and sour pork is very pleasing to the palate because of the flavorsome sweet and sour sauce–the sweetness from sugar plus the tangy ketchup and sharp rice vinegar–with the crispy fried pork pieces. The green and red bell peppers and pineapple pieces are just icing on the cake.

The secret of an authentic sweet and sour pork dish lies in the perfect balance of the sweet vs. sour taste of the sauce. To master this dish, it’s not about the technique of stir-frying nor the use of the freshest ingredients, although both are equally important and wouldn’t hurt. To me, the sweet and sour sauce is the soul of this dish. If you fail the sweet and sour sauce, you fail the dish. With that in mind, I will teach you how to make that perfect sweet and sour sauce and share with you the secret ingredients I use…(get sweet and sour pork recipe after the jump)

While traditional Chinese/Cantonese sweet and sour pork recipe calls for the use of rice vinegar and ketchup to bring out the sour taste, I also use plum sauce to add some extra zing, plus a few dashes of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and oyster sauce to complete a harmony balance. They are my secret ingredients and do make a nice difference in terms of taste, in my honest opinion.

Other than the sauce, the frying batter is no less important. A great batter recipe promises crispy and crunchy coating for the pork. In my recipe below, you will also find the instructions and exact measurement to make the batter. It is simply awesome!

Rasa Malaysia’s Secret Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Pork:

Plum Sauce
Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Oyster Sauce (my not-so-secret seasoning medium)

So, discard the canned pineapple juice or orange juice in the Americanized sweet and sour pork recipe. Do try out my secret ingredients above the next time you prepare sweet and sour pork.

Anyway, once you master the techniques of making sweet and sour sauce, you can pretty much whip up any sweet and sour dishes in a jiffy: pork, chicken, fish, or shrimp…just don’t tell Panda Express my secret recipe! *wink*

Pork and prawn wonton (recipe)

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:26:29 +0000

Pork and prawn wonton, a simple and basic recipe.

Regional Cuisine: Hunan Cuisine

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:15:27 +0000

Hunan cuisine shares many commonalities with its close, more well-known cousin, Szechwan cooking, both cuisines originate in the Western region of China. The climate there is sub-tropical – humid and warm enough to encourage the use of fiery spices to help cool the body, and to require high spicing of food as a preservative. With similarclimate, the two regions also share many ingredients – rice is a major staple in both diets, and chili peppers are an important part of most dishes. The two styles of regional cuisine are similar enough that many restaurants and cookbooks lump them together under ‘Western Chinese cooking’ or simple refer to both as Szechwan cuisine.

There are some important differences, though. Hunan cooking is, for one thing, even more fiery than most Szechwan dishes. Szechwan dishes often include chili paste for rubbing into meats, or including in sauce. Hunan chefs include the entire dried chili pepper, with its intensely spicy seeds and rind.

The differences in the actual land of the two regions also has an effect on the differences in their cuisine. The Szechwan region is mountainous jungle, with little arable land for farming. The Hunan region, by contrast, is a land of soft rolling hills and slow rivers. Because of its fertile hillocks and valleys, the Hunan region has access to an amazing variety of ingredients that aren’t available to Szechwan chefs. Seafood and beef are both far more common in Hunan cooking, as are many vegetables.

The land, and the hardships associated with it, also give the Hunan more time to concentrate on food. Hunan cooking features complex and time-consuming preparation time. Many dishes begin their preparation the day before they are to be served, and may be marinated, then steamed or smoked, and finally deep-fried or stewed before they reach the table. The same attention is paid to the preparation of ingredients, and it is said that Hunan cuisine is the most pleasing to the eye of all Chinese cuisines. The shape of a food in a particular recipe is nearly as important as its presence in the final dish. Hunan chefs are specialists with the knife – carving fanciful shapes of vegetables and fruits that will be used in preparing meals, or to present them.

Hunan cuisine is noted for its use of chili peppers, garlic and shallots, and for the use of sauces to accent the flavors in the ingredients of a dish. It is not uncommon for a Hunan dish to play on the contrasts of flavors – hot and sour, sweet and sour, sweet and hot – pungent, spicy and deliciously sweet all at once. Hunan chefs are noted for their ability to create a symphony of taste with their ingredients. A classic example is Hunan spicy beef with vegetables, where the beef is first marinated overnight in a citrus and ginger mixture, then washed and rubbed with chili paste before being simmered in a pungent brown sauce. The end result is a meat that is meltingly tender on the tongue and changes flavor even as you enjoy it.
More and more, restaurants are beginning to sort out the two cuisines, and Hunan cuisine is coming into its own. Crispy duck and Garlic-Fried String Beans are taking their place alongside Kung Pao Chicken and Double Cooked Spicy Pork. But there is no battle between the two for a place of honor among Chinese Regional cuisines – rather, there are only winners – the diners who have the pleasure of sampling both.

Cooking With Spring Roll Wrappers – Add a Little Crunchy Fried Goodness to Your Next Meal!

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:10:23 +0000

After you’ve procured yourself a frozen package of spring roll wrappers - you will not believe how easy it is to make great spring rolls. But although these wafer thin squares of dough do roll up nicely into an Asian style spring roll snack – why limit yourself to the tastes of the Orient? Spring roll wrappers can be incorporated into the flavors of any cuisine and add a surprising and very tasty bit of crunch to any meal idea.

What Kind of Spring Roll Wrappers to Buy?

In truth there is only one kind of spring roll wrapper, but these are sometimes confused with egg-roll wrappers or with rice paper wrappers (which are used to make fresh Vietnamese style rolls).

Egg roll style wrappers are thicker and usually smaller – and they look like egg pasta. These are not what you want.
Rice paper wrappers are dried and brittle and are an almost translucent white. Don’t get these either.
Spring roll wrappers are made from wheat flour and water and are generally sold frozen. They are very thin and resemble filo pastry in appearance. They are generally sold in about 4-5 inch square package sizes.

Keep these in the freezer indefinitely, removing wrappers as you need them.

How Do You Use Them?

You can roll your chosen filling up either by closing (folding over) the ends as you wrap, or by leaving the ends open. To seal off the rolls, mix together a small quantity of water and flour to form a paste like glue. Add a dab of this flour to the end corner of your wrapper paper and this will hold your seal.

How Do You Flavor Them?

As an idea to get you started. Take a single spring roll wrapper our and lay it flat on your work surface. Add on about 2 Tbls of grated carrot and a small pinch of salt.

You are going to roll this up “open ended” style like a cigar to add crunch, visual interest and savory taste to your plate, but you should also add in a complimentary seasoning that matches with the flavor profile of your dinner.

If you are cooking a Caribbean meal – you might add in a scant tough of ginger or cinnamon and after frying add another pinch of cinnamon outside.
If you are cooking Italian, you might add in a pinch of fresh thyme with the carrots and serve with a tomato “salsa” in an olive oil and garlic dressing.

Add in any spice or flavoring that would compliment the carrot (or whatever other filling ingredient you choose) and the other main ingredients on the plate.

Alternatives to Rolling?

You can also cut the wrappers into halves, and fry them in oil flat. When they are crispy, you can use them on your plate to create very professional looking napoleons! Try layering in flavored root vegetable purees between slices of fried spring roll pastry…delicious!

Or, fry them flat and toss them in flavored sugar for a crunchy garnish to your favorite dessert.

Or, proceed as above with the sugar, but layer in ice cream and fruit sauces for an impressive homemade ice cream sandwich!

Pick up a package the next time you find yourself in an Asian grocery store and start playing around with these very versatile and very tasty sheets of CRUNCH!

Secret Chinese Cooking Recipes

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:48:13 +0000

Chinese cookery is one of the world’s classic and most highly respected cuisines. Its influence has extended around the whole world. It is famous for its combinations of colour,texture and flavour. The Chinese food can be easily created at home.
It is easy and quick to cook any kind of Chinese Dishes at Home. It is fresh and healthy. If you looking for something green and fresh to serve your guests. Chinese Dishes will be the best.
If you’ve decided to take the plunge and start cooking Chinese food. That’s great! To help you get started, here are easy Chinese recipes that will give you an idea of the tastes and flavors used in Chinese cooking, without having to buy a wok. The ingredients used should be available in the ethnic or international section of most grocery stores.

CRISPY SPRING ROLLS
Makes 40 spring rolls

Ingredients:
115g/40z white mushrooms
225g/80z fresh bean sprouts
115g/40z fresh carrot
115/ 40z tender leeks or spring onions
1 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
a few drops sesame oil, to taste
3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
20 spring roll wrappers
1 Tablespoon cornflour paste flour, for dusting
3 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed

Preparation:

Cut all the vegetables into thin shreds, roughly the same size and shape as bean sprouts.
heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the vegetables for about 1 minute. Add the salt, sugar, soy sauce and wine or sherry and continue stirring for 11/2- 2 minutes. remove and drain the excess liquid, then leave to cool.
to make the spring rolls, cut each spring roll skin in half diagonally, then place about 1 tbsp of the vegetable mixture one-third of the way down on the skin, with the triangle pointing away from you.
lift the lower flap over the filling and roll once.
fold in both ends and roll once more, then brush the upper edge with a little cornflour paste, and roll into a neat package. Lightly dust a tray with flour and place the spring rolls on the tray with the flap side down.
To cook, heat the oil in a wok or deep-fryer until hot, then reduce the heat to low. Deep-fry the spring rolls in batches (8-10 at a time) for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy, then remove and drain. Serve the spring rolls hot with dip sauce such as soy sauce or spicy salt and pepper.

Chinese Food Recipes Tips And Guide

admin — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:02:31 +0000

My friend simmon’s family cooks a Chinese food at least once a month. It looks like a tradition. Everyone clears the schedule. He sister, parents, He uncles, He brother gather around the family kitchen to taste meal from the Orient. Yes, Chinese food. They really love it because it is easy to follow. One of our favorite is the sauces. It’s very delicious for our tongue. Our family can adapt with the variety of flavorful spices.

The main taste of Chinese food or Chinese cooking depends on the ingredients of the sauces. If you are fan of Chinese food, you must know it. These cooking sauces are used in a variety of delicious authentic recipes. Fried rice, for example, is made of spices and sauces that make the delicious taste.

Kids really like a delicious meal. There are a lot of Chinese foods for children. Try to serve the dipping sauce in a little bowl to accompany appetizers like egg rolls, spring rolls or pot stickers. Let them choose the bowl and you’ll see their faces light up. By the way, there are so many different Chinese cuisine types of flavors that can be implemented into everyday menu. Some of the famous are sTheyet and sour sauce, garlic sauce, hot mustard and chili oil.

They use chili oil to enhance the flavor. Chili oil is made of chili peppers. Hot mustard and garlic sauce are delicious sauces. It is used for Chinese appetizers. And another favorite in Chinese food is sTheyet and sour sauce. If you interested with those sauces, you can try to give your family Chinese food for dinner. The sauces are easy to make.

Nowadays, the sauces have become very popular around the world because They can make it easily and it has a great flavor when you add to Chinese meals. It’s so adaptable. Chinese cuisine has become our favorite. You can try it out. Happy cooking!

Chicken Noodles

admin — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:48:11 +0000

Ingredients:

500 gms of Noodles
300 gms Soy Sauce
200 gms Ginger cut into small pieces
300gms Garlic cut into small pieces
Coriander leaves
1 Onion cut into long pieces
pre cooked chicken pieces -200 gms
Pepper & salt to taste
cloves, cinnamon, cardamom - each 3 pieces.

Preparations:

* Boil the Noodles when it is cooked well keep it a side, and let the water to drain
* Heat a little oil in a pan.
* Fry the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, onions, cooked chicken pieces, ginger and garlic .
* Add the soy sauce and the pepper to it.
* After the soy sauce starts to boil add the cooked rice and mix it well
* Garnish with coriander leaves.