Chinese cooking has a distinct style of entertainment, aloofness, and precision that cannot be matched.
Balancing beauty with minimal complications means that all of us can recreate classic Chinese dishes to wow away our friends without having to take up classes.
The most commonly recreated Chinese cooking method is stir-frying. It’s quick, and simple and allows you to add a ton of flavor.
Before you get started you need to have a wok and a spatula along with a stove.
This method isn’t complicated so once you buy a wok and spatula you can recreate this meal over and over again.
Typically, a stir-fry will contain mostly vegetables and noodles with a small portion of meat. The meat is usually seasoned with soy sauce or salt.
Some people will create hunan pork or szechuan pork to add to the meaty flavor. Anna Brooks explains that these delicious pork types are very similar, but it’s the preparation that sets them apart.
Making a stir fry is easy, simply prepare the vegetables and meat as normal, add a small amount of oil to the wok and then cook through the ingredients.
When there are around 5 mines of cooking left add in the soy sauce and noodles, and there you have it. A simple stir fry!
Steam cooking is one of the healthiest methods of cooking regardless of culture. It heats up your ingredients without oils, for a clean cooking method.
Although many cultures use steam to cook their food, Chinese chefs will use bamboo steamers which are perfect for delicate meals.
Typical steam-cooked meals are buns, dumplings, and dim sum. All of these foods have a delicate outer layer that could be ripped if steamed in a metal container.
Along with your stove, the only equipment you need is a bamboo steamer. These steamers have multiple layers to allow you to boil water and steam cook multiple items at once.
Unlike stir-frying, steam cooking can encompass a large range of meals. If you want to steam-cook fish, for example, you simply need the fish and the vegetables.
However, if you want to make dumplings you need either the dough to make the pastry or the dumping wrapping for a pre-made and easier method.
Next, you’ll need the filling, for example, pork and scallions, chicken and mushroom, or Tofu, carrots, and onions.
Once all of the ingredients are together, you roll them or fold them into the classic dumpling shape.
When the meal you want to create is ready, simply place them into the bamboo steamer with boiling water underneath. Close the lid and let the steam heat your meal.
If you’re making dumplings, we suggest giving each ball enough room to avoid touching each other. If they touch while cooking, they will stick together and possibly rip.
Red stewing or red cooking is a unique Chinese technique mostly used for tough meat such as mutton.
The idea is to rub the meat with large volumes of sugar, soy sauce, red wine, and other seasonings. Once it has marinated for a while, cook the meat on low heat for several hours.
The slow cooking method makes the tough meat tender, but the rub is what creates a rich and dark color.
Because the red stewing method needs a long time to cook, you will need either a slow cooker or a stew pot. Stew pots are used on stoves, while slow cookers simply need an electrical socket to plug in.
All you need for this recipe is tough meat, red wine, soy sauce, ginger, and sugar. Add in some vegetables too and then chuck it all into the slow cooker.
Put it on low heat for 2 hours until the meat is tender. Once you remove the meat it will be stained red, and dripping with delicious flavors.
Chinese food cannot be called simple, but they are delicious, easy to follow, and fun to create.
As you’ll have noticed from the equipment listed above, you don’t need to buy tons of rare gadgets in preparation for these meals. Simply understanding the slight changes in technique is all you need to get started.
Now get cooking!
