Chinese cuisine: basic products, dishes, recipes and cooking features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Chinese cuisine is over 3000 years old. Over the centuries, it has been improved and developed. About one and a half thousand years ago, a cookbook already existed in China. At present, Chinese cuisine has become widespread. Tourists from all over the world flock to the Celestial Empire in order to taste unique dishes. And each province is proud of its unique recipes.

Why should you try Chinese food?

If a tourist ends up in China, then numerous restaurants and eateries should become an obligatory point of his travel. There are special gastronomic tours to China. For gourmets, this will be a great way to experience the real “taste of China” in a short period of time and relatively little money.

Many things in Chinese cuisine can shock an inexperienced tourist, but after tasting it, one can easily be surprised at the variety of tastes that will open up before the receptors. And, although the cuisine of the Middle Kingdom is very diverse, there are still severaldishes to eat upon arrival in China are a must.

What to try?

The first dish you should definitely try is Peking Duck. This is one of the most popular dishes in China. A kind of symbol of cuisine, famous all over the world. A very thin and tasty skin gives it a special popular taste.

Another must-try dish in China is Bifengtan shrimp.

The next item on the menu should be "Chinese Sweet and Sour Meat". It has a reddish-orange color and a unique taste, sour and sweet at the same time. In the original recipe for cooking meat in sweet and sour sauce, only pork was cooked, but over time, chicken, beef, fish, pork ribs were cooked in the same sauce.

Gongbao Chicken is an excellent Sichuan-style dish that is especially popular with foreigners.

Another dish worthy of a tourist's attention is Tofu Ma Po. This is a recipe with over 100 years of history.

Another dish worth visiting China for is Wonton. The most common shape for Wontons is a triangle. Initially, they had a religious relationship to the kitchen. Wontons were consumed only on the winter solstice.

Well, of course, not a single Russian person can pass by dumplings. Almost everyone in Russia knows that dumplings came to our country from China. This Chinese dish is cooked at home in Russiapractically everything. In China, dumplings have been made for about two thousand years. They are popular in parts of China, such as Harbin, which is located on the border with Russia. Unlike the classic Russian recipe, dumplings are stuffed with minced meat and pieces of chopped vegetables. The filling is then wrapped in a small piece of dough. It is also popular here to use fish or beef for dumplings. The Chinese dumplings are steamed, baked, and often fried in butter. This is a must-have dish for the New Year's table.

A wonderful Cantonese dish - rolls. These are small rolls in the shape of a cylinder. Most of all they are similar to Dim Sim. Particularly popular in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

No less popular than dumplings in China are Chinese noodles. The dish usually consists of noodles and toppings: chicken, beef, onions and celery. Sometimes a raw egg is added to pasta. Initially, the noodles are boiled, after which they are fried along with the rest of the ingredients over a sufficiently high heat.

Traditional ingredients

Chinese food staple list:

• noodles;
• soy, beans from it, soy paste;
• vegetables: bitter cucumber, celery, broccoli, watercress, mustard leaves, Chinese cabbage, legumes;
• rice (in China there are several varieties);
• meat: chachao ham, duck, pigeon, pork, beef, chicken;
• seafood: in addition to fish (including raw), they use such unusual ingredients asshark fins, abalone, cucumbers and scallops;
• more sauces.

Sauces

The sauce plays an important role for the Chinese themselves. Here it is used in large quantities. It is customary to dip all food in some kind of sauces, and a lot of sauce is added during cooking.

Chinese sauces such as soy, oyster, fish, rice vinegar and hostin sauce are particularly popular.

Oyster. This is a type of sauce that is made from oysters. It has a viscous dark texture. The sauce consists of corn starch, oyster essence, s alt. This sauce does not smell like fish and has a pleasant aroma. Sometimes in China, instead of oysters, mushrooms are added to it. This is due to the great popularity of vegetarian dishes. Oyster sauce can be described as savory and slightly s alty.

Rice vinegar. There are several product options. Basically, these are Chinese, Japanese and Korean vinegars. Chinese, unlike its fellow tribesmen, is more sour. Its color can be either transparent or reddish or brown. Rice vinegar is usually sweet and mild enough.

The most popular is white rice vinegar. It is a colorless or light yellow liquid.

The second is black rice vinegar. Its difference lies in the light aroma of haze. It has a dark color and is especially popular in the southern regions of China. It is easy to guess that black or sweet rice is used to make this vinegar, which usually has a sticky texture.

Third,but no less delicious, red vinegar. It has a special aroma that mold gives it. Its color is between white and black, with a slight reddish tint. Red yeast rice is used to make it.

One of the most piquant and incomprehensible sauces for a European is fish sauce. It is obtained as a result of the fermentation process. Fermentation is the process of fermentation. The fish, along with the s alt, goes out for a long time in barrels, as a result of which the sauce is released. The high content of monosodium glutamate gives a special taste. The abundance of this substance is a feature of Chinese cuisine. There are many varieties of fish sauce. It is a product made from raw fish, dried, one or more types of fish, with the addition of seafood, fish blood sauce, entrails, unseasoned and herb sauce, low or deep fermentation sauce.

"Hoisin". Rather, it is not a sauce, but a dressing for dishes or a marinade. It is often added during cooking. The sauce includes sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, red rice, and a mixture of the famous 5 spices.

How is rice prepared in China?

Certainly, the main ingredient of Chinese dishes is rice. It acts as a side dish for any meal. Its popularity can be compared with bread in Russia.

There are several variations of Chinese rice.

Steam rice

The first and easiest option is steamed Chinese rice.

To prepare this dish you will need:

• 80g dry long grainrice;
• water;
• s alt to taste.

Cooking process:

• rice thoroughly rinse with cold water;
• you need to let the water drain through a sieve;
• put the rice into a small saucepan and cover with cold water;
• add s alt;
• cook until half cooked (7-8 minutes);
• water should be drained;
• put rice on a damp cloth in a double boiler (for 10 minutes).

In this case, it turns out crumbly and very tender.

Cooked rice

The second option for cooking rice is to boil it. It is prepared much easier than steamed.

For cooking you will need:

• amount of rice needed for a meal (depending on the number of servings);
• water;
• s alt.

Instruction:

• Rinse the rice under running cold water. Or you can fill with water and leave for 20 minutes in cold water, then drain the water.
• Add rice to a pot, add water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover it, cook for 15 minutes.
• Turn off the fire and let stand for 5 minutes.

You can season this rice with a little oil. This helps to keep it from sticking. It is best to use sesame oil.

Fried rice

The most popular Chinese rice option is fried rice. It can be found in small eateries and large restaurants. He is incredibly popular. Cooking this rice is quite simple.

ForCooking Required:

• 450g long grain rice;
• 2 times more water;
• 3-4 tablespoons of butter;
• a little s alt;
• 7 teaspoons monosodium glutamate.

Cooking:

• Rinse the rice thoroughly, pour out the water, put the grits in the wok and bring to a boil, then cook for 7 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
• Take the rice out of the wok, put it on a pre-folded towel.
• Add oil to a deep frying pan or wok, put dried rice in a frying pan.
• The dish needs to be stirred continuously for about 1 minute. Then it must be s alted and added monosodium glutamate, fry for about 1 minute.

This rice is perfect for a meat dish. The Chinese often eat this dish with pickled cabbage, vegetables, or simply add soy sauce to it.

Chinese style meat in sweet and sour sauce

Traditionally pork was used for this dish. Therefore, this particular meat is used for the recipe, but you can use any other to your taste. This is a simple dish that won't take long.

For the dish you will need:

• pork - 500 grams;
• rice vinegar - 35 milliliters;
• large carrots - 1 piece;
• Bulgarian or other pepper - 2 pieces;
• chili pepper - half a piece;
• soy sauce - 85 milliliters;
• water - 110 milliliters;
• sugar - 65 grams;
• sesame oil - half tablespoon;
• starch - 100grams.

Practical part:

• Cut the meat into strips and marinate in soy sauce for 40 minutes, then place in a bowl, cover with starch and add a little water.
• Bulgarian pepper, carrots cut into cubes.
• Chili finely chopped.
• Mix water, vinegar and add sugar, s alt, about 40 grams of starch.
• Vegetables and fry over high heat until crisp, add sauce.
• Pork fry in plenty of oil. It is best to wait until the oil boils and lower the pork there, then you get a delicious batter. Roasted for 5 minutes.
• Mix vegetables and meat, put on a plate, sprinkle with sesame if desired.

Desserts of China

The Chinese are very fond of sweets: pies, buns, jelly, ice cream, cakes, pastries and more. All this has already entered Chinese cuisine and has managed to adapt to the tastes of the inhabitants of this country.

The most popular are:

• fortune cookies;
• honey peaches;
• rice fritters;
• pea pie.

Fortune cookies

This cookie is often called Chinese, but the truth is that this recipe was invented by a Japanese who emigrated to America. Why is it called a Chinese dessert? Everything is simple. Cookies as a compliment from the chef were often served in American Chinatowns. After, together with people, the recipe crossed the ocean and settled in China, where it became widely used.

For cookies you will need:

• egg whites - 6 pieces;
• flour - 180 grams;
• powdered sugar - 180 grams;
• s alt to taste;
• vanilla essence - 1 teaspoon;
• papers with wishes.

Cooking process:

• Beat egg whites.
• Mix s alt, essence, flour, powder.
• Gradually add the mixture to the proteins, mix gently so that the foam does not settle.
• Gently spread the dough onto a baking sheet with a spoon (lay baking paper), trying to form thin circles.
• After five minutes, remove the baking sheet and put the circles from the baking sheet with a spatula. You need to roll the cookies very quickly before they are cold, otherwise they will crumble.
• Folding cookies is easy: fold the circle in half, then bend it in the middle so that you get a crescent. Before folding cookies, you need to place a piece of paper with a prediction in it.

Noodles

Noodles in China are as popular as rice. It is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usually, bagged noodles are used, but restaurants continue to cook in the traditional way.

There are more than a hundred noodle recipes in China. Consider the most popular - Chazhangmen. Some mistakenly consider noodles to be a Korean dish, but this is Chinese noodles. This dish may seem simple, but in the past only Chinese emperors could eat it.

This Chinese dish is easy to make at home.

We will need ingredients such as:

• instant noodles or udon;
• bean paste - 2 tablespoons;
• sugar - 200 grams;
• oyster sauce, sesame oil - half tablespoon each;
• chicken broth - 70 milliliters;
• onions - 300 grams;
• a small zucchini;
• onion to taste;
• pork - 200 grams;
• shrimps - 10 pieces;
• garlic to taste;
• vegetable oil;
• pickled radish - 40 grams;
• cucumber - 1 piece.

Recipe:

• boil noodles;
• prepare vegetables: wash and cut;
• cut the pork and fry, add the shrimp to it and fry for another minute, put the vegetables and fry for another four minutes;
• after being ready, add sugar, oyster sauce, garlic to vegetables and meat, mix everything;
• add bean paste, pour in broth and sesame oil;
• put the noodles on a plate and put the vegetables, mix and decorate with cucumber on top.

Soups

Soups are especially popular in northern China. As a rule, the soup is prepared in the restaurant on their own. Arriving at the restaurant, the visitor orders the ingredients, after which he prepares soup from them on a special table equipped with a burner.

Lagman

Lagman is the king of Chinese soups.

For cooking you will need:

• beef - 400 g;
• onion - 1 piece;
• radish - 1 piece;
• tomatoes - 2 pieces;
• water - 2.5 cups;
• garlic - 6 cloves;
• vegetable oil - 30 grams;
• s alt and ground red pepper - to taste;
• ready-made noodles - 400 grams.

Practical part:

• peel the meat, wash and chop;
• put the meat in the wok and fry in oil until crispy;
• peel and chop the onion and radish, add to the meat along with the mashed tomatoes and fry for 15 minutes;
• fill everything with water and cover, cook for 50 minutes;
• at the end add garlic, pepper.

Salads

Many people mistakenly believe that you can taste real Chinese food only in special restaurants. This is not entirely true. In China, there are a large number of salads, which will not be difficult to cook in Russia.

Shandong Salad

For the salad you will need:

• cucumber - 400 grams;
• boiled beef - 250 grams;
• marinated mushrooms - 200 grams;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• soy sauce - to taste.

Recipe:

• boiled beef and cucumber cut into small cubes;
• peel and finely chop the garlic;
• cut mushrooms (if they are large);
• mix all ingredients and add soy sauce to taste.

This is one of the easiest Chinese salads that won't take long but is sure to please everyone.