A brief introduction of Chinese food

A brief introduction of Chinese food

Chinese cooking is one of the greatest methods of cooking. Since ancient time, many factors that have influenced its development. Confucius once said: "Eating is the utmost important thing in life." Cooking Chinese food requires more time and effort, and is considered a very sophisticated art. As a result, many travelers who have visited China consider Chinese cuisines one of the best. 

 

A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two general components: main food - a carbohydrate source or starch, typically rice (predominant in southern parts of China),noodles, or buns (predominant in northern parts of China), and
accompanying dishes - of vegetables, fish, meat, or other items.
This cultural conceptualization is in some ways in contrast to Western meals where meat or animal protein is often considered the main dish. Chopsticks are the primary eating utensil in Chinese culture for solid foods, while spoons are used for drinking soups. Food is usually prepared in bite-sized pieces (except fish, crabs and so on), ready for direct picking up and eating. Traditionally, Chinese culture considered using knives and forks at the table "barbaric" due to fact that these implements are regarded as weapons. It was also considered ungracious have guests work at cutting their own food.

Chinese food styles

As China is a geographically huge country, it is diverse in climate, ethnicity and subcultures. Not surprisingly therefore, there are many distinctive styles of cuisine. Traditionally there are eight main families of dishes, namely

* Hui (Anhui)
* Yue (Cantonese)
* Min (Fujian)
* Xiang (Hunan)
* Yang (Jiangsu)
* Lu (Shandong)
* Chuan (Szechuan)
* Zhe (Zhejiang)
Today there are mainly four main styles of food in China, namely the Beijing Style, the Shanghai Style, the Sichuan/Szechuan Style and the Cantonese Style. The Cantonese style is the most popular style in overseas restaurants. When you are traveling in China, you would find it extremely hard to resist the Peking duck, the Shanghai pork bun, or the Cantonese dim sum.

Chilly chicken Dry

Chilly chicken Dry:

I love Chilli Chicken the dry way. This is a well flavored , quick, easy and satisfying chicken dish. This goes well along with Fried rice and Noodles. It’s a great hearty meal and rather healthy too. This chilly 

chicken is dry and doesn’t have much of a gravy. This turns a hit for potlucks and family get togethers

Here is the recipe for the Indianised chilly chicken dry

try this delicious recipe and let me know...

Ingredients:

·      Chicken boneless                                  - ½ kg 

      Onion                                                   - 2

     Soya sauce                                           - 2 tbsp

Egg                                                      - 1

·         Pepper                                                 - ½ tbsp

·         Green chilly sauce                                 - 1 ½ tbsp

·         Ajinomoto                                             - a pinch

·         Garlic paste                                          - ½ tbsp

·         Corn flour                                             - 1 tbsp

·         Garlic                                                    - 4 pods

·         Green chillies                                        - 1 or 2

·         Capsicum chopped                               - ½ cup

·         Vinegar                                                  - ½ tsp

       Oil to fry

·         Salt to taste

·         

   Method:

1. Wash and clean the chicken pieces

2.   Marinate in soya sauce, salt, beaten egg, pepper pwd, green chilli sauce, aginomoto, garlic paste and corn flour for 1 hour.

3.    Heat oil in a fry pan, fry the marinated chicken till they turn dark brown in color.

4.   Remove excess oil, by wrapping in tissue paper.

5. In the hot oil, add chopped garlic, grenn chillies , onion and fry for 2 mins.

6.     Now add fried chicken, capsicum and sauté on medium heat

7.  To this add, soya sauce, green chilli sauce, pepper, ajinomoto and mix well

8.   Turn off the flame, add ½ tsp vinegar and stir.

9.   Serve hot with Fried rice or Noodles.

10.    Also, this can be served as an delicious appetizer

·      

s

Garlic Broccoli Stir-fry

Garlic Broccoli Stir-fry:

A hardy vegetable loaded with nutritional benefits, broccoli readily absorbs the Asian flavors in this easy stir-fry with fresh garlic and oyster sauce. The key to this recipe is to make sure the broccoli is thoroughly drained before stir-frying and to stir quickly so the garlic doesn't burn.

This recipe for Garlic Broccoli serves 3 to 4 as a side dish.

Yield: Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound broccoli
• 4 – 5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• .
• Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
• 1/4 cup Chicken broth or stock
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• .
• Cornstarch Slurry:
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons water
• .
• Other:
• 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, for stir-frying

Preparation:

Chop off the hard stems at the bottom of the broccoli. Break off the flowerets and then split them into either halves or quarters. Peel the stems and slice them diagonally into thin slices (about 1/8-inch thick).
Cook the broccoli in boiling water for about 3 minutes, until it just begins to soften and become tender but is still crisp. (Be careful not to overcook). Place in a colander and drain thoroughly.
In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, chicken broth, Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, and sugar. In a separate small bowl, stir the cornstarch into the water to form a "slurry."
Preheat the wok. To test to see if the wok is hot enough, add a few drops of water to the pan. If the water starts sizzling immediately, the wok is ready.
Add oil to the pre-heated wok, tilting the wok and moving it back and forth so that the oil goes partway up the sides of the pan. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. (To test and see if the oil is hot enough, add one or two slices of garlic. The oil should immediately start sizzling evenly all around them). Stir for about 10 seconds, then add the broccoli. Stir to mix with the garlic and add the sauce.
Reduce the heat to medium, cover the wok and cook for about 30 seconds. Re-stir the cornstarch/water mixture and add it to the wok, stirring to thicken. Stir to mix everything together. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Do a taste test and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Breakdown - based on 3 servings, using 4 garlic cloves and canola oil for stir-frying
Each serving contains: Calories 133, 8 g Carbohydrates, 3 g Protein, 10 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 165 mg Sodium, Excellent source of Vitamin C, high in Vitamin A