Chinese Cooking Methods: Providing Delicious Variety To Your Everyday Meal - By Juzaily Ramli
June 28, 2007
By Juzaily Ramli
Nowadays, food lovers are spoilt for choice when it comes to cooking skills and techniques, as well as cooking methods and style. These new advances provide an outlet for even more types of cuisine to be explored and shared with food lovers around the world.
With the latest methods available, cooks and chefs can discover the most perfect blend of aromas, essences, colors and food qualities especially with Chinese cooking. Even though most of the basic ingredients in Chinese cooking do not differ much, it is the style and preparation technique of foods that differ and thus make cooking all the more enjoyable.
The most common methods and styles of preparing food in the Chinese style are boiling, braising, stewing, frying, sauteing, smoking, simmering, and steaming.
Frying is a key method in Chinese cooking and plays a major role in many recipes. That is why there are even more types of frying in Chinese cooking. The quick-fry, deep fry and slippery-fry are the three common types of frying utilized in Chinese cooking.
With many methods of frying, it all boils down to the type of food that you are dealing with, as different food calls for a different method to acquire the desired results. For example, frying is the best choice if you want flavorful and juicy meat, and if you prefer your vegetables crispy. In Chinese cooking, speed also comes into play, as one of the most common method is the stir-fry where as the name suggests, all the ingredients are swiftly stirred and then fried.
Another popular method in Chinese cooking is sauteing or also known as shallow cooking. The good thing about sauteing is that it uses less oil than frying or deep frying. It also requires a lower temperature than stir-frying. How is food sauteed? Food is sauteed by slowly browning food in a little oil. It could be done on one side or on both sides. Sauteing results in softer food on the inside and crispier on the outside. Generally, sauteing would be followed by sauce making.
Other Chinese cooking methods include boiling, braising, simmering and stewing.
Parboiling is also an option. In parboiling, food ingredients are chopped, washed and put into a pot where they can float. They are then cooked over a high heat. However, it is good to remember that parboiling slowly and for long periods of time can destroy the nutritional value of the food, not to mention the flavor. So, instead of prolonged parboiling, opt for cooking on a slow simmering heat as this can help in maintaining the nutritional value of your food.
In Chinese cooking, smoking and cold mixing is also popular. These two methods involved precooked food ingredients instead of raw food. Cold mixing uses parboiled or scalded ingredients which are then mixed into salads and chilled before being served. Roasting on the other hand lets the raw ingredients marinate before being barbecued over direct heat.
And finally, another Chinese cooking method is poaching, where ingredients are cooked in liquid a little below the boiling point. This style of Chinese cooking is highly recommended especially when cooking delicate fish where you want the fish to be cooked just till the meat is tender.
These methods are just some of the more common styles of Chinese cooking. Incorporate them into your routine and you might find that they make your food more appetizing and delicious.
Learn how to cook mouth watering dishes from all over the world with Juzaily Ramli and his wife at
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Chinese Cooking Technique: Deep Fry - By Helen Fan
May 25, 2007
By Helen Fan
There are usually 2 ways of deep frying in Chinese cooking:
- Deep frying the ingredients directly
- Deep frying the ingredients with batter
The latter is the most commonly used method. Here are some pointer in how to deep fry Chinese food most effectively.
- The sizes of the ingredient pieces should be uniform.The dimensions, including the thickness of the pieces that you are frying should be as close as you can get them. Otherwise, some pieces will be overcooked, some will be undercooked, and even the colors will be different piece by piece.
- Marinade the ingredients in the batter/pasteThis will enhance the taste and the aroma of your cooking.
- Maintain adequate oil temperatureThe oil temperature require for each dish will vary depending on the ingredient types, sizes, batters, wraps, etc. For those not easily cooked through, they will require cooking twice (see below). For those easily cooked through, it can be done simply in high heat.
When deep frying, maintaining constant oil temperature is a must. Most idealy, the ingredients need to be put in together. If you are cooking large servings, then divide them up, but still put each divided servings in together to get the same taste and color. Once done, pick them up with a strainer to preserve the appearance.
- Deep fry Twice on ingredients that are not easily friedSome dishes like the ones that require chicken or fish rolled into balls are not easily cooked through when deep frying. So these will require deep frying them twice. The first time using medium heat until 70, 80% cooked. Take them out, crank up the heat to high, then deep fry them again to achieve the desired results.
Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com
You can learn more about other Chinese cooking techniques at http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/techniques/techniques.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Fan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Chinese-Cooking-Technique:–Deep-Fry&id=50833
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Chinese Cooking Technique: Thicken - By Helen Fan
May 25, 2007
By Helen Fan
“Thicken”, or “Thickening” is a very common technique used in both Chinese restaurants and household kitchens. It is very easy to prepare, but if not used properly, can really mess up the presentation. Below is a brief description of “Thickening”. You can learn more about other Chinese cooking techniques in the Techniques section of our website.
Technique: Thicken
Thicken, or thickening, refers to the use of cornstarch as a part of the process of preparing a Chinese dish. Cornstarch is a very commonly used condiment in Chinese cooking. When used properly, it can really make your presentation stand out. Below are two important pointers:
- Follow the recipe as givenToo much cornstarch can make the dish too pasty. Too little would make it too thin. After cooking a particular dish the first time, you can use the original recipe as a guide to increase or decrease the amount of cornstarch to add to your dish to your liking the next time (even though we are confident that you’ll love the recipes we have on our website :).
- Watch the timing and stir appropriatelyDo not add cornstarch (and water) until the dish is cooked. You must also stir gently and quickly once it is added to the dish, as it tends lump up if not stirred immediately.
Pretty simple, right? Now, you can check out our recipes section and find a recipe to practice it on (wink).
Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com
You can learn more about other Chinese cooking techniques at http://www.chinesehomecooking.com/techniques/techniques.htm
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Fan
http://EzineArticles.com/?Chinese-Cooking-Technique:–Thicken&id=51211
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Topping Off Chinese Meals With Table Wine - By Jimmy Cox
May 23, 2007
By Jimmy Cox
No dinner is complete without wine, which brings joy and drives away depression, and makes the old feel young and the young still more youthful. Taken in moderation, it is undoubtedly an excellent stimulant. In the far north of China where the climate is cold and kaoliang abundant, Kaoliang wine, which is somewhat stronger than Russian vodka or English gin, is commonly drunk.
In Central China a milder drink known as Shaohsing wine - named after its producing centre in Chekiang - is very popular. It is the wine of China. It has another name Hua Tiao tfa W meaning flower decoration, because the jars in which the wine is kept usually bear a floral decoration. When a girl is born, it is the common practice for the parents to make several jars of Shaohsing wine, the quantity depending upon the size of their purse, and keep them in a cool and dark room, until their daughter is married, so that on her wedding day, they will have at least some good old wine with which to entertain their guests.
In the South, where the climate is much warmer, a still milder drink known as Liao Pan meaning half strength, is commonly used. Stronger varieties, however, are obtainable. The flavoring of the wine is usually added afterwards, such as orange blossom and green plum.
Though Confucius was very particular in regard to food, his list of undesirable foodstuffs being a long one, he was not so with wine, as apparently all wines were acceptable to ‘him. There are no records as to his capacity, but he is believed to have been a good drinker like the rest of those ancient scholars.
My own capacity does not exceed one wine cup of Shaohsing, so I am really not qualified to say much on the art of drinking. Perhaps it is well, for it is a subject in which I suspect our Western friends can give Eastern folk quite a few lessons.
In days gone by, good wine was named after an official in Chingchow. By a strange coincidence, the best Shaohsing wine obtainable at the wine merchant Wong Yu Ho in Shanghai is called LL.D. wine, after a famous Chinese lawyer who was one of his best customers. To secure some of this brand for my own use I have to go to the shop armed with a note from my legal friend as I know full well that I would not get it otherwise: the shop will not supply it to anyone who they think will not appreciate it.
The lawyer is now in Geneva, but I do not doubt that this shop continues to supply him with his favorite wine.
According to our ideas tea should be drunk in quiet surroundings, while wine should be accompanied by song. This may be the reason why restaurants are always noisy.
The renowned poets of old were, as a rule, good drinkers. Among them I may mention Li Pochinese, T’ao Tsin and Pa Chu I. Wine gave them inspiration and, when they drank enough, they wrote beautiful verses, a great number of which are still recited by school boys and girls of today. As you can see, wine had and continues to have a reserved spot at the Chinese dinner table.
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Home Style Chinese Food - By Jimmy Cox
May 23, 2007
By Jimmy Cox
China is a country where the appreciation of good food is developed into a fine art. Chinese are epicures. Their cooking is distinctive: No other cooking resembles it in any way. There are many ways to cook Chinese food, but those who cook at home usually roast or steam their food.
Chinese food is rich, but not greasy: it is delicately flavored, but not pungently spicy. Cook what is freshly slaughtered, and eat what is freshly cooked, a doctrine universally recognized throughout China. It is better that one should wait for the meal than that the meal should wait for one. Variety is another important feature.
A Chinese dish almost always consists of a mixture of foodstuffs - the meat or fish is generally cooked with, and improved by, the addition of some appropriate vegetable. All the material to be used is cut into convenient size in the kitchen before serving, so that no carving instruments are required at table. All the condiments are added during the process of cooking, thus doing away with the necessity of the usual cruet. The only exception is some Soya bean sauce provided at the table in case it is required.
With the passage of time the methods of cooking have necessarily undergone many improvements as compared with the original crude processes. Expert cooks in different parts of China have introduced numerous improvements, and, with China being such a vast country, its component parts differing widely not only in climate and customs, but even in the spoken language, it is only to be expected that different terms are found in different localities for the same way of cooking.
For instance, roasting in the North is known as K’ao while in the South it is called Shao M. Similarly Shao Fan M M in North China means cooking rice, but in Canton they say Chu Fan . In these circumstances I have to employ those terms, which are more commonly used and are more generally understood. All the terms used in this little book are in the National language, that is, Mandarin (Kuo Yu ).
Roasting is one common cooking method. There are two different ways of doing roasting: one is roasting over an open fire known as 
Chinese cooking utensil while the other is roasting in an oven.
By the first mentioned method we prepare roast suckling pig and barbecued Peking duck. In exactly the same way the Russians make “shaslick” and the Javanese “sateh” dishes, which are well known to foreigners in the Orient.
The Cantonese dish known as “gold coin chicken” consisting of a combination of alternate pieces of ham, chicken and pork is made the same way. Material for barbecuing should be hung for six to seven hours, and then covered with the proper condiments. Then it is fixed to a metal fork or skewer and held over a strong charcoal fire. Constant turning of the fork is necessary to ensure even roasting. In barbecuing a whole pig the skin should be punctured before roasting to secure an even surface at the end of the operation.
The material to be roasted is hung inside the oven, and both openings are closed. The result is identical with that of a modern gas or electric oven. When the meat is finished roasting it is soft, moist and ready to serve.
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