Chinese Baihe snacks

Ingredients

400gm fresh Baihe (plant related to lily family)
200ml millk
5 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon cornstarch



How to prepare

Break the flower stem and wash boil it properly twice and drain. Pour the milk in wok add sugar, sesame oil, flower petal and cornstarch , boil all of them properly stir it for few minutes and it should be serve hot, while cooking you have to be very careful it should not stick on the pan.

Serve 4-5 people

Sweet and Sour delicious Pork

Ingredients

2 Pound Pork
3/4 Cup green pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/ 2cup water
1Tablespoon bacon drippings
1/2 cup onion
1/2 chunked pineapple
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup vinegar



How to prepare

Cut the pork in strips and brown the pieces of bacon drippings. Reserve the juice of pineapple and stir cornstarch in water and add sugar, soy, vinegar and pineapple juice. Cook all these ingredients until they cook properly and get thick.


Add the sauce with pork and cook it for 1 hour, until it get cook properly and chill it whole night. And before serving, heat it little bit and add pepper, onion, pieces of pineapple and finally serve it with wild rice.

Serve to 4-5 people

Sun Ya Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of the popular Cuisine in Asia. It is basically originated from China around 4000BC, later it became more elaborate dish, made more from fresh ingredient and often served as the penultimate dish in China. Ingredients used in the fried rice are basically vegetables like carrot, cabbage, beans, sprouts,peas and many more some people use meat also its according to the taste.




Sun Ya Fried Rice's ingredients


6 Table spoon oil
2 beaten egg and add salt in it
1/2 cup of fresh Shrimp,washed
1 1/2 cup teaspoons sherry
4 cup cold cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cooked chicken
1/4 cup roast pork
2 dried black mushrooms
2 tablespoons chicken stock
2 tablespoons peas


How to prepare

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in the pan, let it be get heated
After that pour beaten egg in it and scramble briskly with spoon
Take another pan heat the oil and stir fry Shrimp
After some time add sherry in it and stir for 10 seconds, remove in plate
Put rice in a empty pan and stir it, till it get hot, pour chicken ,pork, mushrooms and scrambled egg in it
Add stock in it and mix all of them well properly
At last add egg and shrimps and fry until it get heated properly

Serve hot

Serve 4-5 People

Black Sesame soup

1 Cup Rice
1 Cup black sesame seeds
7 cups water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Boiling water according to requirement




How to prepare

Soak the rice in cold water for 1 hour
After that toast the black sesame in the frying pan for 1-2 min till you get the fragrance.Drain the rice and add to blender with 3 cups of water Add sesame seed in the blender and 1/2 cup of water and grind it well Mix rice/water with the sesame paste and blend it well Ina pan add 3 1/2 cups water and sugar as it get boiled properly stir it till get cool And turn the heat low and stir constantly till it get thick At last, add boiling water in it , it depend how thick you want

Serve hot

Preparation time - 15-20 min

Chinese Pearl Rice

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Glutinous rice
1 Pound Pork
1Large green onion
2 Water Chestnuts
1 large egg
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 teaspoon salt (according to taste)
Black pepper, according to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch



Preparation

Soak glutinous rice for 6-7 hrs, spread rice on dry sheet Grind the pork Take bowl, add pork, soy sauce, sherry, green onion, water chestnut, salt , pepper,egg nad cornstarch Steam it properly

Take one tbspoon ground pork mixture and pearl ball and place with glutinous rice and place on heatproof plate.Place glutinous on steamer, cover the steam the pearl ball over boiling water For 25 to 30 min, till it get boil properly Serve the hot pearl balls with soy sauce

Preparation time- 25 to 30 min Serve to 3-4 people

Chinese noddles in Peanuts Sauce

Ingredients

500 gms Hakka noddles
2 tbsp sesame oil
6 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp soy sauce
6 tbsp dark soy sauce
6 tbsp sesame paste
1/2 dark sesame oil
2 cu any wine
4 tbsp white vinegar
2tsp chopped ginger
2 cup hot water
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
2 green onions, sliced



Preparation-

Boil noddle without salt, on a medium heat. After that rinse with cold water until it get cold. Drain it well add dark sesame oil in it, so it will stick together. For dressing, combine all ingredients except hot water in a food processor, blend it smoothly. Thin with hot water to consistency of whipping cream. For garnish put carrot in ice water for 30 min. Just before serving noddles garnish cucumber, peanuts, carrot and sliced onion. Serve it hot.

Mushroom Manchurian

Ingredients

200gm fresh mushrooms
2tsp ginger garlic paste
11/2 tsp soy sauce
1 pinch ajinomotto
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp red chili
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
2tsp corn flour
one egg
2 tsp chopped green chili
Oil for frying
2 tsp chopped garlic
Salt according to taste
Coriander leaves and onion for garnish



Preparation-

Soak mushroom with soy sauce, saly , chili powder, pepper powder,ajimotto, vinegar ,ginger and garlic paste Beat egg properly, add salt and chili and corn flour in it mix it well Then, mix marinated mushroom with egg mix it well till mushroom are well coated Heat the oil and deep the mushroom in it Take another pan and heat oil then put green chili, chopped garlic Add fried mushroom in it mix it properly Cook it properly for 1-2 minute Garnish with coriander leaves and onion

Seven Happiness soup

* 4 cups chicken stock
* 1 slice garlic
* 1/2 cup Chinese cabbage
* 1/3 cup tofu
* 1/3 cup of bamboo shoots
* 1/3 cup water chestnuts
* 1/3 cup carrots, sliced
* 1/3 cup mushroom, thinly sliced





Preparation

* Combine stock, ginger and garlic
* Simmer for 15 minutes
* Remove garlic and ginger
* Add remaining ingredients to flavoured stock
* Simmer gently for 20 minutes
* Serve hot

Serve 4-5 people

Fried Rice

Ingredients:

* 1 - 2 green onions, as desired
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Pepper to taste
* 4 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
* 4 cups cold cooked rice
* 1 - 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or oyster sauce, as desired





Preparation

* Wash properly and chop the green onions in small pieces.
* Then gently beat the eggs and add salt and pepper in it as desired.
* Heat frying pan and add 2 tablespoon oil in it.
* When oil get heated properly add beated egg in it.
* Stir until it get lightly scrambled but not to dry.
* After that add 2 tablespoon oil in another pan, add the rice and stir for few minutes after that use cop stick to break it apart.
* Add soy sauce as desired.
* When rice is heated add scrambled egg in it and mix them both properly.
* After that add green onion and stir all ingredients properly for few minutes.
* Serve it hot Fried Rice.

Orange Chicken

Made with chile paste and orange juice, this recipe for Orange Chicken is great for busy weeknights. For a more traditional Chinese Orange Chicken recipe use Red Chilies also while making.

What you need-

* 2 tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1 tbsp. cornstarch
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
* Marinade


Sauce-
1/4 tsp.chile paste
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 1 slice minced ginger
* Oil
* 1/3 cup orange juice
* 2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
* 1 tsp. sesame oil
* 1 tsp. brown sugar



Way To Make-

Place the chicken in a bowl, and add the marinade ingredients to it. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce ingredients and the garlic and ginger.Heat some oil in a wok, add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color. Push up to the sides of the wok, making a well in the middle. Add the sauce. Combine the sauce and the chicken. Stir-fry and serve hot.

If the orange flavor is too tangy, use a combination of orange juice and water to make 1/3 cup.

vegetable MOMOS

MOMOS are a pure rapture for every Chinese Cuisine Lover. Momos are available in different variants, intrinsically differing in their stuffing ingredients. They can be filled with Vegetarian as well as Non-vegetarian stuffing.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Aida
• 1/2 Cabbage, grated)
• 1/2 tbsp Salt
• 3 medium-sized Onions (chopped)
• 1/2 tsp Ginger paste
• A pinch of Baking Powder

For Chutney

5 Garlic flakes, chopped
• 5 Red Chillies, chopped
• Little amount of Vinegar




Method of Preparation:

Make a fine dough with Maida (Wheat Flour), Water and baking Soda. Leave it overnight. Make small balls and roll them into mid-sized chapattis. Akin samosas, slice the Chapattis into two halves. Prepare the stuffing by mixing grated Cabbage, Onion, Ginger paste and Salt to taste. Stuff the half-cut Chapattis with this mixture and repeat the same for all other rolled balls. Momos can be Steamed or Fried according to taste and liking. To steam one can use the easily available Idli-steamer. For the preparation of Chutney, churn Garlic, Red Chilli and vinegar in a mixer. Serve hot with Chutney and other garnishing for that perfect Taste and aroma.

Baked Chicken Chowmein

Recipe at a Glance:

The recipe results in extremely crisped noodles as available in any Chinese Restaurant but without the added fat as it is baked. Each serving includes: Calories 358, 43 gm Carbohydrates, 33 gm Protein, 6 gm Fat, 1 gm Saturated Fat, 100 mg Cholesterol, 5 gm Fibre, 466 mg Sodium, 555 mg Potassium. An excellent source of vitamin D, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folacin, and iron. A good source of fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B-12 and zinc.


Preparation Time: 15 Min
Baking Time:15 Min



Ingredients:

* 1 lb (500 gm) boneless chicken breast, cut in thin strips
* 1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
* 1/4 (1 ml) salt
* 1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry sherry
* 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) white pepper
* 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch
* 1 lb (500 gm) Chinese-style steamed noodles or cooked thin egg noodles
* 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) Chicken Stock
* 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced ginger
* 1/2 cup (125 ml) thinly sliced onions
* 3 large dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked and thinly sliced
* 2 cups (500 ml) Chinese flowering chives or green onions, cut in quarters
* 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame oil
* 3 cups (750 ml) bean sprouts, tightly packed
* Black pepper to taste

Method Of Preparation:


Mix Chicken and marinade the ingredients- soy sauce, salt, dry sherry, white pepper and cornstarch. Keep them aside. Blanch noodles in large amount of boiling water for 1 minute or as per package instructions. Drain well and cool slightly. Fluff up noodles to allow drying. Spread the dried noodles on a cookie sheet lined with Aluminum Foil.

Broil the noodles for 5 Minutes and ensure that they crisp but not burn. Meanwhile, heat wok over high heat, add stock and bring to boil. Add ginger, onions, and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Stock should thicken slightly. Add flowering chives or green onions and sesame oil; stir to mix for 1 minute. Remove it from heat, season it with Pepper. Add the Chicken mixture and serve. It serves well for 4.

Chinese Fried Rice

Fried rice is hugely popular and home-cooks are constantly looking for fried rice recipes. Fried rice is a versatile dish and one can add any ingredients to it. Taste the difference.

Ingredients:

12 oz. overnight rice
4 oz. chicken breast (cut into cubes)
4 oz. shrimp (cleaned and deveined)
2 oz. long beans (tips removed and chopped into very short pieces)
2 oz. carrots (cut into tiny cubes)
2 eggs (beaten)
2-inch ginger (peeled and cut into thin long strips)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoon cooking oil
3 dashes white pepper powder
Salt to taste (optional)




Method:

Heat up a wok with two tablespoons of oil. Add ginger strips and fry until aromatic, follow by chicken, shrimp, long beans and carrots. Stir fry until they are half cooked. Add in the overnight rice and stir well with the ingredients. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster
sauce, white pepper powder and continue to stir the fried rice for a couple of minutes.

Make a “well” in the middle of the fried rice and pour the beaten eggs in the well. Wait for 30 seconds and then cover the “egg well” with the fried rice. Leave it for 30 seconds and continue to stir-fry so the eggs form small pieces and mix well with the fried rice. Add in the fried salted fish and do some quick stirs, dish out and serve hot.

Vegetables and Pork Over Chinese Noodles

The sweet-and-spicy sauce flavors of this typical chinese delicacy
accentuates the vegetables and noodles taste too. And thus
understandably it is likeable.

Ingredients

1 tsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
1/4 cup dry sherry
8 ounce(s) pork, stripped into thin slices
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 pound(s) Chinese wheat noodles (wide lo mein noodles) or linguine
2 tsp. canola oil
3 clove(s) garlic, minced
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup water
2 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
6 ounces snow peas, tough strings and ends removed




Way to make-

Combine cornstarch, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of the
sherry in a medium bowl. Add pork and toss to coat. Cover and
refrigerate for 15 minutes.Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, hoisin, brown sugar, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, and remaining 1/4 cup sherry in a small bowl.Set aside.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, or until just tender or as label directs. Drain and refresh under cold water.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil, add pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove the
pork from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil,
garlic, ginger, and red-pepper flakes. Stir-fry for 45 seconds. Add
water, carrots, and scallions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add
yellow pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the reserved broth mixture and snow peas and cook, stirring, for 2
minutes. Return the pork and reserved noodles to the pan and toss to
coat with the sauce. Cook for 1 minute, or until heated through.

Serve fresh immediately.

Egg Drop Soup

he basic recipe for Egg Drop Soup (also called Egg Flower Soup) is very simple; and time needed is hardly 10 minutes. Traditionally, the broth for Egg Drop Soup is rather bland, allowing the egg flavor to stand out. If white pepper is added for extra bite, you can leave it out or substitute 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Egg Drop Soup is frequently thickened with cornstarch in restaurants that makes a great variation.
What you need-

* Salt to taste
* A few drops of sesame oil (optional)
* 4 cups chicken broth or stock
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1 -2 green onions, minced
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper




Way to make the egg drop soup:
In a wok or saucepan, bring the 4 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add the white pepper and salt, and the sesame oil if using. Cook for about another minute.
Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute. To make thin streams or ribbons, gently stir the eggs in a clockwise direction until they form.
Garnish with green onion and serve.

Nutritional Reality - Each serving contains: Calories 81, 2 g Carbohydrates, 8 g Protein, 4 g Total Fat, 1 g Saturated Fat, 106 mg Cholesterol, trace Fibre, 866 mg Sodium

Egg Drop Soup Variations
These would be added after the seasonings. After adding, let the soup cook for a few more minutes and then add the beaten egg.

If you are preparing the soup for someone who is ill, try adding a slice of fresh, grated ginger. Among its many benefits, ginger is believed to be helpful in treating colds and flue.

Kung Pao Chicken

The traditional Kung Pao Chicken is stir-fried instead of deep-fried, reducing the fat content. Yet it is a delicacy that you will enjoy to utmost.

How to make Kung Pao Chicken-

* 2 boneless, chicken breasts, 7 to 8 ounces each
Marinade:
* 2 tsp. soy sauce
* 2 tsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1 tsp. sesame oil
* 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
Sauce-
* 2 tbsp. dark soy sauce
* 1 tbsp. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1 tsp. sugar
Other requirements-
* 8 small dried red chili peppers
* 2 cloves garlic
* 2 green onions (spring onions, scallions)
* 4 tbsp. oil for stir-frying, or as needed
* 1 tsp. Szechuan peppercorn, optional
* 1/2 cup peanuts or cashews
* a few drops sesame oil, optional





Preparation:
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine with the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 25 minutes.While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce and vegetables: In a small bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar. Set aside.

Cut the chilies in half so that they are approximately the same size as the chicken cubes. Remove the seeds. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Cut the green onion on the diagonal into thirds.

Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil.When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Stir-fry until it turns white and is 80 percent cooked. Remove from the wok.Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Add the chili peppers and the Szechuan peppercorn if using. Stir-fry briefly until they turn dark red.

Add the sauce to the wok. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken back into the pan. Stir in the peanuts and the green onion. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil. Serve hot.

Serves 3 to 4 people.

Traditional Mandarin Fried Rice

It is recommended to use day-old rice so that the drier rice can soak
up the flavors and make a great Mandarin Rice.


What you need-
Canola oil
3 eggs
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. minced ginger
1 bunch chopped scallions, green and white separated
1 lapchang, diced (Chinese sausage), can substitute with 4 strips of
cooked bacon
8 cups cooked rice
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp.white pepper
Salt to taste




Way to prepare-
In a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and quickly soft-scramble the eggs.
Remove the eggs. In the same wok, coat with oil and stir-fry garlic
and ginger.

Add white scallions and lapchang. Add rice and mix thoroughly. Add soy
sauce, white pepper and scrambled eggs. Check for seasoning.
Serve immediately.


Enjoy!!!

Curry culture of Asia

Unhappily, the query does not contain an easy answer. Whilst a lot of citizens consider that curry refers to a solitary spice called curry powder, establish in spice racks at the restricted supermarket, curry can in detail be dry or wet, a combination of dried out spices or a spiced sauce. There is a high-quality chance that the dish you are served up at a restaurant and won't hold curry leaves. It possibly will not even be sizzling

Record of Curry dust

Uncertainty engages back to the days of British colonialism. The tale goes says that a British officer, arranging to depart from India and deficient to enjoy his desired Indian dishes after he returned home, prepared his servant in the direction to prepare a mix of Indian spices. Thus, the detection of curry with a dry powder was born.

Curry in actuality

In order to comprehend the spot on nature of curry, it facilitates to know that the word comes from the Tamil kahri, which means "sauce". Right through Southeast Asia and India, curries are not spice unifies but a dish, one with a liquid, gravy-like consistency. Also, contrary to popular opinion, not every curry is exceedingly hot. This makes sagacity when you consider that, although curries have been a mainstay of Indian cooking for centuries, chili peppers are a New World fruit. Prior to the capsicum's introduction to Europe (and subsequently Asia) by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, the most pungent ingredient in a curry mix would have been black pepper.

Nowadays, there are four spices frequently institute in curry pastes and powders:

Chilies - the type used will affect the pungency of the dish; generally smaller chilies are hotter. The red and green curry pastes featured in Thai cooking are made with red and green chilies, respectively.

Turmeric - this is what gives many curries their yellow color.

Coriander - the seeds from the coriander plant, valued since ancient times for their rumored aphrodisiacal properties

Cumin - one of the world's oldest seasonings, it has a nutty flavor and is frequently used in spice blends

Although there are no hard and fast rules, at least three of these spices will be present in most curries.

"Curry is not a thing; it is a state of being."

Chineses cooking tips

Basically Chinese food is simple to cook. It doesn't need more tricks and traits. The only obligatory is to be done as possible and to get ready everything in advance before the actual cooking process starts. So before you begin try out with any recipes in your kitchen, organize all of the ingredients, measure them, slice up them, chop them, then place all the raw stuff in to the line beside the stove in the order in which they are to be added to the cooking pot. Many dishes, particularly stir fry ones, just do not allow time to turn around and scramble amid a chaos of half prepared ingredients.

The concealed secets of Chinese cooking lies, in fact in the preparation. Food is chopped, slices or cut according to certain planned rules. For really productive short-cooking dishes, all of the material should be cut or chopped to as near the same size as possible to guarantee that they are all cooked to the same degree. For very tender, almost velvet-textured meat, the meat should be shredded along the grain, for little bit crispy texture it should be sliced against. Somewhat frozen meat is much easier to slice into very thin strips in this way than meat at room temperature. Vegetable especially, are often sliced on the diagonal both for sensuous appeal and for regularity of cooking.

Salads from mainland china

In china salads are appreciated more than just a starter without the discrimination of being Hot or cold,

Chinamen have been got pleasure from the wholesome charge of a simple salad in view of the fact the ancient times, when they utilized salt to spice uncultivated plants and herbs. (In fact, the word salad comes from sal, the Latin for salt). On route, salads have advanced ever since those outlying days. In the present day, with toting up to greens, salads could be unruffled of vegetables, pasta, and fruit.

A number of them are further filling, holding meat, poultry, or cheese. Other up to date contraption embrace the Waldorf salad - an easy concoction of celery, walnuts, apples and mayonnaise - and the Caesar salad, believed to have been shammed by an Italian chef inhabiting in Mexico in the 1920's. At the same time as mainly salads are served cold, a small amount of, such as the German potato salad, are intended to be dollied out hot.

Up till, no matter what the ingredients have been, we’ll be accountable to assume of a salad as a form of entrée: handed round at the commencement of a meal and intended to soak our appetite for the main course. Except salads engage in recreation a diverse function in Asian cuisine. For one thing, the frequent assortment garden salad is mysterious in Asia. For a new, a salad such as a noodle salad may make up a complete meal. A salad is over and over again planned to make available a distinction or sense of balance with other dishes, given that the pleasant-sounding unification of consistency colors, and flavors is one of the characteristics of Chinese cuisine. The crispy texture of lightly washed-out vegetables may set of scales a soft noodle dish, for example. And, like a sorbet, a salad may be used to clear the palate after a particularly spicy dish.

One more perceptible attribute is the total of heed taken in the physical manifestation of a Chinese salad. As a proxy of being flipped in a bowl, salad vegetables - repeatedly blanched as a substitute of being left raw - are normally watchfully prearranged on a platter.

Vinaigrette and accompaniments are frequently used in Chinese salads. In actuality, in prehistoric times it is expected that the Chinese seasoned their plants with soy sauce in its place of salt. Several of the more familiar garnishes used to top salads are cilantro (Chinese parsley), peanuts, and chilies. Lime juice is a regular feature in dressings, while peanut and/or sesame oil are the most general oils used.

ASIAN FRUITS IN CHINA

A tremendously admired fruit, mangoes are full-fledged just about the world, from Mexico to Israel to Australia. In the United States, one can move toward transversely mango groves successful under Florida's sunny skies. The aromatic flavor of the mango is used to color up the whole lot from salads and desserts to drinks. In Asian cooking, mangoes mark drastically in salads and rice dishes.

Deciding over Mangoes

While choosing mangoes, one might stare for ones with unwrinkled skin that give up to calm weightiness (like a ripe peach). Unripe mangoes must ripen within a week at room temperature. Once ripened, mangoes could be kept in the refrigerator, but they must be eaten within a couple of days. Moreover, refrigeration tediousises their fragrant scent, so remember to leave them at room temperature for awhile before eating. One word of warning: be sure not to eat the mango skin. Primarily it looks as if not dangerous adequate by way of uniformity akin to the skin of an apple and a slightly mild flavor. Then the relish strikes you, and you without setback recognize why people submit to this as distress from "turpentine mouth."


Mangosteen


Mangosteen are not normally grown outside Asia and Australia, as they are exceptionally tricky to grow and necessitate a tropical, humid climate. While in season, they are available at Asian/Chinese markets. The United States has lately raised a long-term ban on mangosteen bring in (due to concerns over likely fruit-fly contamination) to allow imports of irradiated mangosteen from Thailand.
When acquiring mangosteen fruit, look for ones that are dark purple or reddish purple but not blue-black in color. (Once home, it pays to look them over again carefully; I had a nasty experience recently when I discovered tiny ants living underneath the flower remnants). Mangosteens are commonly eaten raw as a dessert.

Lychees



Preserved lychees are impatiently offered right through the year; depending on somewhere you live, you may also be able to procure unsullied lychees during the summer months when they are in season. (Like mangos, lychees thrive in Florida's warm climate). A little gourmand’s claim that there is no association flanked by fresh and canned lychees. While I wouldn't go that far, there is no doubt that fresh lychees have a stronger flavor, so try them if you can.
While choosing fresh lychees, check for a rosy looking skin. (Unlike mangos, lychees will not ripen extra after being harvested). At home, store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and eat within a week. Lychees are a popular dessert, and both mangos and lychees are old in Asian savory dishes.

Previous to eating fresh lychees, get rid of the stem and peel off the outer skin. Bear in mind that the shiny brown seed in the middle is also unpalatable and wants to be removed.

Wheras a mangosteen, the simplest technique is to place the mangosteen in the palm of your hands, with the flower stem on top, and employ your fingers to exert calm heaviness on it until it cracks open. one more alternative is to cut from side to side the diameter of the shell all the way around, and then purely lift off the top. Just remember not to cut through the segments.

Featured Asian Fruit Recipes:

Shrimp and Scallop Shu Mai in Spicy Mango Sauce
Mango Chicken Stir-fry
Pork With Lychees
Chinese Chilled Melon Fruit Salad With Mango and Papaya
Chinese Fruit Salad
Mango Pudding
Mango Ice Cream
Mango Muffins
Mango Lassi - a refreshing yogurt drink fron Northern India
Mango and Lemon Cream Cheese Tart - from About's guide to Australian Food.
Mango Smoothie With Yogurt - from About's Guide to Southern U.S. Cuisine
Pollo al Mango - Mango Chicken Italian-Style, from About's Italian Cuisine Guide
Mango Julius - a non-alcoholic "mocktail," from About's Guide to Cocktails.

The Chinese all Spice Powder and the Five Elements hypothesis

Even nevertheless the precise origins of five-spice powder are mislaid to the past, there is a few reflection that the Chinese were putting efforts to make a "wonder powder" encompassing all of the five essentials. All of the five flavors - sour, bitter, sweet, pungent, and salty - are found in five-spice powder. Then again, it's possible that a cook accidentally stumbled upon this particular combination of spices, and realized its power to enliven the blandest dish. Whatever the case, there is no doubt that five-spice powder is unique.

Of course, these days the definite amalgamation of spices used to make up five-spice powder varies. In fact, a few brands could more correctly be labeled "seven-spice powder," since they contain seven ingredients. A average recipe calls for fennel, cloves, and cinnamon, along with star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Nevertheless, you'll also locate five-spice powder made with cassia (a member of the same family as cinnamon), ginger, nutmeg, and even licorice (star anise has a wonderful licorice flavor). Sense free to experiment with different varieties until you find the one you like best.

Bottled five-spice powder can often be found at local supermarkets. Though, if at all possible, I would suggest acquire it from an Asian market. You'll pay a lesser amount and the spice combination will be more bona fide. An supplementary benefit is that it is normally packaged in plastic bags, agree to the aroma to come through and giving you a chance to compare brands before buying. At home, remove from the bag and store in a dry place in a sealed jar.

Below, a information related to is provided a basic recipe for five-spice powder, along with several dishes that make use of its powerful flavor. But don't limit your use of five-spice powder to specific recipes - add it whenever you want to lend flavor to stir-fries, soups and red-cooked dishes. It works well with meats, and makes an excellent marinade. (You'll sometimes find packages of five-spice marinade designed specifically for chicken in Asian markets). Just remember to use sparingly - a little goes a long way.

Feng shui magic in Chinese cuisine

It’s amusing though but its true, foodstuff and Feng Shui go along together. You can accomplish superior force by optimizing the Feng Shui of your rations and by means of cooking linked stuff to your benefit. Fundamental steadiness, Yin/Yang stability, Aromatherapy, and opening to boost up affluence and profusion are every one of essential elements of Feng Shui along with fare.

Fundamental steadiness within victuals could be accomplished all the way through application of color. A plate jam-packed of monochromatic food might seem to be quite plain and in all probability wouldn't get a hold as seal of authorization as of a dietitian moreover (they habitually give advice a plate full of lots of dissimilar colors.) therefore a stir-fry prepared by yellow bell peppers, green bell peppers, orange bell peppers, red tomatoes, Chinese purple eggplant, and some pink shrimp would be at much enhanced Feng Shui variety. Fruits as well as vegetables appear into an collection of colors and apply them to your Feng Shui improvement. There isn’t any need for eating each color in the rainbow by the side of every meal, however further colors in your diet would go a long way towards optimizing your Feng Shui.

The perception of Yin and Yang in addition can affect to your food. In the midst of food, Yin would be the milder flavors whilst Yang would be the bolder flavors. Chinese recipes previously obtained a lead of this sort of Feng Shui balance. sugary and tart, sizzling and acerbic, and strapping flavored dishes harmonized along with basic rice are all examples of Yin/Yang balanced foods. whilst organizing these dishes the chef is at all times watchful to poise the conflicting zest. Sugary and Sour Shrimp that is all sweet or exceedingly sour wouldn’t be very enjoyable to the palate and wouldn’t be good Feng Shui. And coupling a peppery dish with other fiery dishes would overburden the savor buds. Yin and Yang can also be used to explain the appeal of dishes traiting a concoction of pliable or fragile foods with crusty or crisp foods. Tofu dishes with chopped nuts or diced water chestnuts always balance these textural differences. A plate full of crunchy food could tire the mouth, while a plate full of soft food might not seem very fulfilling. Balance is very important in food and Feng Shui.

Aromatherapy is very imperative in Feng Shui cause each and every senses need to be accommodated. Nothing is more agreeable to the nose than luscious stink foods. Imagine in relation to the odor when catering Chinese food. All and sundry in the house are acquainted by way of cooking when the house is filled with the scent of toasting Szechuan peppercorns. And what a joy it is to smell a grinder filled with ground Szechuan peppercorns (toasted or un-toasted.) Aromatic seasonings like garlic, scallions, chilies and ginger often go into the wok near the beginning of the cooking process so they can lend their scents and lightly stir-fried flavors to the main ingredients. Plus, they are a treat for the cook to smell and they fill the home with a wonderful aroma. These wonderful scents rid the home of negative energy and fill them, and you, with positive energy.

Jujube- An exceptional and succulent fruit from China

Jujube has its origination form Chinese Jujube Tree (Chinese date), Ziziphus zizyphus. Chinese Jujube was pioneered properly in U.S. in the year 1908 by the USDA that traded in the most brilliant Chinese cultivars from China, Japan, Korea and Indochina. In relation to 50 of these trees were reputable at the University of GA Experimental Station underneath the regulation of the Mr. Otis J. Woodard at Tifton, GA and additional plantings were made in LA and CA.
The planting of atypical Chinese Jujube trees at Tifton, GA had rooted a large amount confined exhilaration and numerous Tiftonites endeavored unproductively to source the brushwood, and others seek placing the seeds of the Chinese jujube, but not an iota of the resultant plantlet formed jujube fruit as fine as the inventive trees established by the USDA. Mr. Otis J. Woodard, the appointed horticulturist, who implanted some of the limbs from the USDA imported Chinese jujube onto uncultivated sharp seedling rootstocks and disseminated a few of the spliced Chinese jujube trees to confined contacts, and other researchers at a range of farming stations right through the U.S.

Jujube Tifton woods were totally bulldozed in the mid-last century to create an opportunity for the research orchard pecan tree research plot. Lots of exclusive Chinese jujube cultivars were missing in the devastation of the jujube Tifton, GA orchard, but a number of them stayed alive in the back garden of Tiftonites, and expectantly other jujube trees are at rest rising at sprinkled position in the U.S.Jujube tree has been growing basically in each of the areas of the U.S., where the trees can endure frosty temperature as low down as -25 F. The jujube tree fabricates hefty crops of fruit each year, and the jujube tree has no acknowledged pest or syndrome troubles. The proceedings of Chinese archaeologists confirmed that the Chinese jujube trees have been cultured in China for about 4000 years.

On the other hand, further Internet observers say that the jujube in Ancient Israel, Syria and Jordan is definitely argued in several scriptural rhymes from the Holy Bible, together with the Book of Judges. The rigid occurrence of jujube in these earliest civilizations has been established, but the record is not lucid about the barbed plant illustrated in the Book of Judges, because precise plant nomenclature was not in existence until the botanist, Linnaeus, began to create rules for plant nomenclature.The jujube fruit that advanced in the prehistoric Mildeast societies does not have the fruit size or the quality that the Chinese developed in their assortment and promising hybridization. It is possible that the jujube that raise in the Mildeast today nurtures from seeds brought by antique processive traders from China and were deposited to breed and look up by selection in Syria, Jordan and Israel.

The Chinese jujube tree can live to tell the tale cold temperatures as low as -25 F, by the tree also prosper in the sultry heat of the Deep South. The jujube tree does not require a lot winter chilling to begin a profound crop of fruit, and the late flowering of the tree allows the bloom leading to fruit production resistance to late frosts in Northern States.The crisscross outline of the branch expansion is abnormal and seem to be bizarre in the winter on leafless branches, and the gnarled facade of the trunk and branches makes this tree a selective landscape tree for the gardener who is gazing for somewhat different, for something as an ornamental specimen of accent tree. The shiny leaves of the jujube tree are green, waxy and beautiful, reflecting light like small mirrors. The tree of the Chinese jujube grows a massive root system and care must be taken when digging under grafted jujube trees not to cut roots radiating from the jujube tree, or else a thorny insipid seedling of low fruit value will arise from the cut root just like in the case of crape myrtle tree.

Sizzling Chinese tub

During winter weather, when chilly temperature and frosty wind triumphs more than the earth, populaces like to eat foodstuff which instantaneously warm their bodies and pushes up their emotional state. The hot pot is a delectable and energetic selection. Families or groups of friends assemble about a table and munch from a steaming pot in the core, cooking, drinking and chatting. Consuming hot tub is not a unreceptive movement. Diners have got to choose morsels of equipped raw food from plates sprinkled about the table, rest them in the pot, wait for them to cook, fish them out of the soup, dip them in the preferred sauce, and then eat them hot, fresh, and tender. They can also ladle up the broth from the pot and drink it.

The cooking being in progress its there some waiting, so the diners may drink a little hard liquor. Togetherness ensues, which pacifies their hearts. Weilu--to 'circle' a hot pot--has a deep and reflective connotation to the Chinese, who are gregarious and strongly stress family and clan. It is cozy, yet informal. It's not a feast, yet it can obtain as much time as one. It uses a single pot, yet is speckled in ingredients, sauces, and cooking styles.

It originated in the north, where people have to fend off the chill early in the year. It multiply to the south during the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-906). Later, northern nomad who advanced in China enhanced the pot with beef and mutton, and southerners did the same with seafood. In the Ching dynasty, the hot pot became admired all the way through the whole area of China.

The pot itself is habitually ceramic or metal. In the past, charcoal was the preferred fuel. Nowadays people use mostly gas or electricity for this purpose; only the most nostalgic use charcoal. Alcohol is also used occasionally. Some of the pots are equipped with a chimney in the middle along with a valve for controlling the size of the flame.

The soup stock is prepared well beforehand and is made by boiling beef, pork, or chicken bones. Meat, seafood, vegetables, tofu, and bean noodles are the most popular ingredients. Freshness commands. Pork, beef, and chicken are often presented side by side; mutton is less frequently used. Meat should not be cooked too long; otherwise it will lose its tenderness. It's best for the meat to be cut as thin as paper, and that's why a sizable piece of meat often shrinks to a small bite after being boiled.

Seafood usually includes shrimp, crab, oysters, clams, squid, cuttlefish, and fish fillet. To make sure the morsels do not drift away or sink to the bottom or hide somewhere, a strainer in which each diner can hold onto his or her delicacies is recommended. Meat, seafood, and egg come in ball or ravioli-like form.

Popularly used vegetables are cabbage, spinach, turnip, green onions, celery, and lettuce. Lettuce is a special favourite among diners for its tender, crispy, and sweet nature. People use a variety that does not have a head and whose leaves are dark green, resembling those of chrysanthemums. Fresh vegetables should be boiled only lightly. Mushrooms of various kinds, dried or fresh, are widely used, as are dried lily flowers. Bean curd and bean noodles serve as more than just fillers. They do not have much taste themselves, but they absorb the richness of the other ingredients. Bean noodles are usually cooked later to help finish up the soup. Some people put plain rice into the last of the soup to make a porridge. Consistent with Chinese culinary thrift, nothing is wasted.

The sauces are also pre-prepared. Some are personal concoctions; while most consist of soy sauce, vinegar, and hot pepper, some people like to beat a fresh egg, or just the white of it, into the sauce. Like other Chinese cuisine, various kinds of hot pot from the mainland have congregated in Taiwan since the arrival of mainlanders in 1949. The Taiwanese have also developed their own styles and have even imported foreign varieties. In Taiwan today, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Swiss hot pots exist alongside Chinese ones.

Provincial gastronomy Of China: Szechwan Style

Szechwan approach of cooking arises since an ethnically dissimilar region in the mid western of division of China, a region recognized as Sichuan. This region of China came into its own racially towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, at some stage in the 15th century. Nevertheless, it was also the type of weather of the area that helped to figure the gastronomic civilization that was to come up from Sichuan province and make their way into the kingdom of international cookery. The prefecture from which the fare that the world knows as Szechwan evolved is frequently scorching and muggy, and added to the essentiality of preparing foods in ways that vary considerably as of further regions of China. Szechwan cuisine is first and foremost identified for its hot and spicy dishes, although in nature there is more to Szechwan food than spice and sauces loaded and strong in flavor.

Taking a universal impression of gastronomic history and trends reveal that, for the most part, area that tend to spice heavily were areas in which the unsullied food supply was not as unswerving as in places that customarily used a lighter hand in their utilization of spices. The temperature of Sichuan is conducive to faster food spoilage. This, on the whole in the past, made indispensable food conservation technique that they left behind a burly savor, such as salting, pickling, drying, and smoking. Thus, spices served to mask the flavors of less than fresh foods and those that have been potted by methods that influence their natural aroma. In adding up to masking certain flavors, the usage of hot spices, such as chili peppers, tend to be more ordinary to hot climates, as the sweat that they can fabricate is thought to cool the body.

A large amount of the spicing of provincial Chinese cooking is based upon bringing jointly five primary taste sensations – sweet, sour, pungent, salty and bitter. The poise of these particular elements in any one dish or regional cuisine can vary, as per need and desire, especially as influenced by climate, culture and food availability. Szechwan cuisine uses a diversity of ingredients and spices used to create these fundamental flavor feelings. Including a variety of chili peppers, peppercorns over a range of types, Sichuan peppers, which are in reality a type of fruit, not pepper, and produce a numbing effect in addition to their warm flavor. Sichuan peppers, also called flower pepper and mountain pepper, are a traditional part of the Chinese five spice powder, or at least of those that are modeled upon the most authentic versions of the spice combinations common to regional Chinese cooking. Szechwan cuisine is marked by its rich traditional flavors, which stem from a culture of hundreds of years and are in part shaped by the natural forces of climate. Authentic Szechwan cuisine offers a unique dining experience made up of adventurous and creative taste sensations.

Green Tea Secrets of ancient times around 4000 years

Chinese have identified about the medicinal remuneration of green tea for over 4,000 years. But current study is just opening to release these antique secret of green tea.

Nowadays, immense contract of investigation are being conceded out regarding green tea fitness settlement and the conclusions are very exciting.

At this point are just a few medicinal conditions that consumption of green tea is supposed to be helpful with:

Cancer
Rheumatoid arthritis
High cholesterol levels
Cardiovascular disease
Infection
Impaired immune function
Controlling high blood pressure
Lowering blood sugar

Researchers judge the real unidentified data of green tea lies in the fact that it is rich in EGCG which is a prevailing anti-oxidant. EGCG has been instituted to kill cancer cells exclusive of harming healthy tissue.

University of Purdue study recently concluded that a compound in green tea actually inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Red wine has been long studied because it contains resveratrol, a polyphenol that limits the negative effects of smoking and a fatty diet.


Though researchers from the University of Kansas determined that EGCG is twice as controlling as resveratrol, which may explain why the rate of heart disease among Japanese and French men is quite low, even despite the fact that roughly seventy-five percent of them are smokers.

Examine also indicates that drinking green tea lowers total cholesterol levels, as well as improving the ratio of good (HDL) cholesterol to bad (LDL) cholesterol.

But the health benefits of green tea don't end there.

Green tea has been found to inhibit the abnormal formation of blood clots which is the leading cause of heart attacks and stroke.

New studies have actually shown that green tea can even help you loose weight. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition performed a study at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. Researchers found that men who were given a combination of caffeine and green tea extract burned more calories than those given only caffeine or a placebo.

It has also been shown that drinking green tea can give your body a greater ability to fight infection and kill bacteria.

Green tea can even help prevent tooth decay. Its bacteria-destroying abilities kill the bacteria that causes dental plaque and aids the immune system with its antifungal properties by improving digestive function.

You may be asking if other Chinese teas offer similar health benefits. But the answer is no. Although green, oolong, and black teas all come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant, the way green tea is processed is what sets them apart.

Green tea leaves are steamed, and that prevents the EGCG compound from being oxidized. Black and oolong tea leaves are made from fermented leaves, which converts the EGCG into other compounds. This process makes oolong and black teas much less effective in preventing and fighting various diseases.

So how much green tea should you drink? There are as many answers to this question as there are researchers investigating the health properties of green tea.

While some companies selling green tea say that ten cups per day are necessary to reap the maximum benefits, a University of California study on the cancer-preventative qualities of green tea concluded that you could probably attain the desired level of polyphenols by drinking two cups a day.

The research of this ancient beverage continues, and it may take decades to unlock all of the secrets it holds. Although green tea should not be considered to be a magic bullet, researchers agree the positive health benefits are very promising.

Inauguration to Chinese Cuisines

Variations on Chinese fare

Partake of you yet been curious re the variance stuck between bureaucrat and Cantonese cuisines? Where did carroty chicken and Peking duck originate? How do Sichuan (Szechuan) dishes link to critical of Hunanese or Shanghainese? later than a while, these regional styles sound like a medley of chop suey ñ which, by the way, was invented in America, as was the honored fortune cookie. loads of Chinese restaurants recommend a amount of regional cuisines on the equal menu, so it is not so as to easy to decide the differentiation at what time all dishes are in the same way delicious. at this juncture is a lively introduction on the generally prevalent Chinese cuisines set up in America.

Borough cooking

Cantonese cooking originated since the areas of Guangdong region and Hong Kong in southern China. Constituency is an old seaport city that these days are referred to as Guangzhou. Dim sum denotation touch the heart, the Chinese meal of insignificant tidbits of cuisine vacant on roving carts, began in this region. Sparkle is supreme to the Cantonese. Sentient fish and seafood are under arrest in tanks solely more willingly than human being dispatched instantly for cooking. Cantonese sauces are mild and clever so as to not subjugate the brightness of the ingredients. Widely held Cantonese dishes enter steamed total fish, crispy-skinned chicken, shark's fin soup, and heat suckling pig.

Official cookery

Bureaucrat cookery is the fodder of the northern imperial courts of old Peking, famous at the moment as Beijing. In this region, wheat as an alternative of rice is broadly used, as is a pale thriving cabbage, acknowledged as Napa cabbage in America. The crepe love bend mu-shu pork and crisp Peking duck accompanied in the midst of steamed buns originated in this area. Mandarin cuisine, an elaborate style arising commencing the imperial days, is time and again intricately bedecked with vegetables fixed into flowers, animals, and designs. In a further northern dish, Mongolian hot pot, diners bake their own meats and vegetables in a substantial boiling pot of palatable bouillabaisse at the table. Other general bureaucrat foods are pan-fried pot stickers, garlic and scallion Mongolian beef, and beggar's chicken.

Shanghai food

The Shanghainese engage in mastered the arts of braising and stewing so full-bodied flavors commingle on the tongue. Generally considered the fare of dishes is southeastern region of Zhejiang Province, the sauces have a tendency to be rich due to slow cooking techniques and decline of sauces. The subject is too celebrated for preserving chow by pickling vegetables and curing meats. Noodle harvest is heartier as in Shanghai noodles. The locality is sherry-colored wine, Shao Xing, is exported worldwide and is an chief ingredient in several dishes. Current regional dishes are cold appetizer dishes such as drunken shrimp, and plum chicken, stewed "lion's head" meatballs, sea cucumber plus shrimp roe, and pickled greens with pork.

Sichuan fare

Chili peppers and red peppercorns are used in Sichuan (Szechuan in Cantonese) cooking to stimulate the sip buds and counter the bitter iciness of winter. Sichuan dishes are considered spicy, even if the excitement is not immediate, it can creep up on you. Because of pickling and salt-curing, the vegetables and meats of this section are preserved to last from end to end the harsh winter. The joint flavors of vinegar with sweetly fried fodder originated in this central western region. Properly known Sichuan dishes are Szechuan beef, stir-fried simple beans, distant noodles including peanut sauce, and zesty stir-fried Ma-Po tofu. Go to Szechuan luxury gastronomy to look at more.

Hunan cookery

The food from Hunan is hot, hot, hot. It's often difficult to recognize Hunan starting Sichuan cuisine, as countless Chinese restaurants in North America have a propensity to serve both regional styles side-by-side. The cuisines dovetail nicely as the two provinces too are neighbors in Chinaís heartland. The Hunanese use preserved basics such as substantial oils, garlic, and chili-based sauces. The stir-fried meats are regularly baked former to stir-frying, creating sauces and dishes with the intention of emanate comfort. prevalent dishes beginning Hunan are carroty beef or chicken, spicy eggplant in garlic sauce, and hot crusty fish. Chinese Hunan Cuisine

Fare from china - "presentation & vegetarianism"

Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese originated beginning the many regions of figurines and has become rife in countless extra parts of the globe starting Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa. In recent years, connoisseurs of Chinese gastronomy give furthermore sprouted in Eastern Europe and South Asia. American Chinese cooking and Canadian Chinese victuals are popular examples of local varieties.

Confined cultural variations adapt to a great extent inside China, giving climb to a typical style of food across the nation. Traditionally their are eight main regional cuisines, or Eight Traditions Anhui, Cantonese, Fujian, Hunan,Jiangsu,Shandong,Sichuan and Zhejiang. every so often four of the Eight immense Traditions are prearranged better, and are considered to dominate the cookery heritage of China, acknowledged in turning as the "Four Great Traditions.

They are notably clear along geographical lines: Sichuan (Western China), Cantonese (Southern China),Shandong (Northern China), as well as Huaiyang Cuisine (Eastern China), a major elegance resultant as of Jiangsu cooking and drawn viewed as the account of that region's cooking.

In advanced times, Beijing cuisine and Shanghai cuisine on motivate are what's more cited beside as well as the classical eight regional styles as the Ten Great Traditions . in attendance are too featured Buddhist and Muslim sub-cuisines surrounded by the superior Chinese cuisine, plus an emphasis on vegetarian and halal-based diets respectively.

1) Presentation:-

A Song era Chinese painting of an open-air banquet, the painting is a re-establish of a after-taste rule original. In largely dishes in Chinese cuisine, cooking is primed in bite-sized pieces, arrange for direct alternative up and eating. In time-honored Chinese cultures, chopsticks are worn at the table.

2) Vegetarianism in bone china :-

Vegetarianism is not uncommon or infrequent in China; though, as is the holder in the West, it is merely expert by a comparatively small tiny proportion of the population. Most Chinese vegetarians are Buddhists, following the Buddhist teachings as regards minimizing suffering. Chinese vegetarian dishes time and again contain large varieties of vegetables (e.g. Bok Choy, shiitake mushroom, sprouts, corn) and some mock meat. Such simulated meat is fashioned customarily by way of soy protein and/or wheat gluten to mimic the texture, taste, and outer shell of duck, chicken, or pork. Imitation seafood items, inished from supplementary vegetable substances such as konjac, are also available.

American Chinese cuisine

This cuisine defines the style of food served by some Chinese restaurants in the United States. The uniqueness of this cuisine is that this type of cooking suitably caters to Western tastes and preferences, and is very much different from the cuisine of China.

Ancestral Heritage:-

American Chinese cuisine was developed by Chinese restaurateurs in late nineteenth century as they modded their food for Caucasian American tastes. Restaurants were first opened for railroad workers, and later on were established in towns where Chinese food was completely unknown. Serving to their customers' tastes these restaurants made use local ingredients. Numbers were usually given to the delicacies in the menu, and also given was a roll and butter on the side.

In the process, chefs would invent numerous dishes such as chop suey and General Tso's Chicken. As a result of which they invented a new cuisine or style of cooking Chinese food which was not found in China.

Differences between American Chinese and authentic Chinese cuisine

1)In Chinese cuisine the main focal point is the inclusion of vegetables as a main part of a preparation whereas American Chinese food treats vegetables as garnish. Carrots and tomatoes are an example of it. Bok Choy and Kai-Ian, fresh meat and seafood are the main components of the Native Chinese cuisine. This cuisine makes frequent use of Asian leafy vegetables. As a result, American Chinese food is usually less pungent than authentic cuisine.

2)American Chinese food tends to be cooked very quickly with a great deal of oil and salt. Many dishes are quickly and easily prepared, and require inexpensive ingredients. Stir-frying, pan-frying, and deep-frying tend to be the most common cooking techniques which are all easily done using a wok. The food also has a reputation for high levels of MSG to enhance the flavor. The symptoms of a so-called Chinese restaurant syndrome or "Chinese food syndrome" have been attributed to a glutamate sensitivity, but carefully controlled scientific studies have not demonstrated such negative effects of glutamate. Market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus.

3)American Chinese cuisine often uses ingredients not native and very rarely used in China. One such example is the common use of broccoli in American Chinese cuisine.

Types of restaurants
Chinese restaurants can be divided into three primary categories

1)Sit-down dining:
These restaurants cater to customers who sit down in a dining room and order from a menu. They tend to provide more authentic Chinese food than fast-food restaurants or places of informal dining.

2)Take-out:
These restaurants, which cater primarily to call-in and take-out orders, serve as convenient outlets for traditional American Chinese dishes. Nearly all of them feature delivery to customers' homes, thus allowing the folded, waxed cardboard boxes (oyster pails) that are commonly used to attain similar recognition as that of the pizza box.

3)Buffets: Buffet-style American Chinese restaurants :
Which have recently seen an increase in popularity, tend to serve a wide variety of food in buffet style; the authenticity of the food varies from outlet to outlet.


American Chinese dishes

a) Dishes that often appear on American Chinese menus include:

General Tso's Chicken
Sesame Chicken.
Chinese chicken salad\
Chow mein
Crab rangoon
Fortune cookie
Fried rice

b) Regional American Chinese dishes:

Chow mein sandwich
Chop suey sandwich
St. Paul sandwich

c) Americanized versions of native Chinese dishes

Batter-fried meat
Chicken balls
Egg drop soup
Egg foo young
Egg roll
Fried rice
Kung Pao chicken
Lo mein
Mei Fun (see Rice vermicelli dishes)
Moo shu pork
Wonton soup
Cashew chicken
Meat "with" a vegetable
Broccoli beef

Tea culture of China

China is a country known as "world's oldest and continuous civilizations", consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It also has its diverse cuisine and a unique tea culture which the country is known for worldwide.

The people of china preferably drink tea in between meals or at the time of different meals for maintaining a sound health and simple pleasure. Chinese tea mainly consists of tea leaves, processed using various methods adopted from ancient China. Tea was first discovered by a Chinese Emperor - Shennong in 2737 BCE , it is said that incidently "a leaf from a Camellia sinensis tree had fallen into the water which the emperor was boiling, and it resulted as change in the flavor and color of the water which eventually led to the invention of tea. The ancient Chinese used tea leaves for medical purposes and thereon the Chinese learned to grow tea plants and use their leaves to make various types tea.
It is a well known fact that tea culture is deeply rooted into the history and culture of China and its cuisine. Tea, by default is pondered as one of the 7 basic necessities of the lives of people in China, apart from tea other essential elements are firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar.

Tea is manly dissevered into four categories:-

1) White,
2) Green,
3) Oolong,
4) Black.

Some other varieties are as follows:-

1) Green tea
2) White tea
3) Black tea
4) Oolong tea
5) Pu-erh tea
6) Flower tea
8) Yellow tea
9) Pressed tea
10) Quick tea
11) Medicinal tea
12) Kudin tea
13) Red tea
14) Scented tea
15) Chrysanthemum tea.


Almost all of the above mentioned varieties of tea come from the same parent plant namely "Camellia sinensis plant. The other famous tea such as the "Chinese flower tea" is extremely popular but it is not a true tea type. Most of the Chinese tea produced is consumed within the country and is hardly exported. Green tea is one such variety of Chinese tea which has gained a lot of fame worldwide and is exported in large volumes, bringing in return a lot of revenue as being the most popular type of tea used in China.

Among these main stream varieties of tea in china, lie a vast number of their sub-varieties and are estimated to be more than a 1000 sub-varieties. These variations occur mainly due to the different regions where tea plantation is practised and also because of the diverse climatic conditions.


Tea leaf selection

1) The highest grade white tea, yellow tea and green tea are made from tender tea shoots picked early spring.
2) The more oxidised tea such as red tea or oolong tea are made from more matured leaves.
3) The highly regarded green tea Liu An Gua Pian is made from more matured leaves.

Chinese tea history

Many different types of tea were grown during each of the dynasties in China.

1) Tang Dynasty
A list of the differing grades of tea grown in the Tang Dynasty:
Premier Grade Tea: Xiazhou, Guangzhou, Huzhou, Yuezhou, Pengzhou.
Second Grade Tea: Jingzhou, Ranzhou, Changzhou, Mingzhou.
Third Grade Tea: Shouzhou, Hangzhou, Muzhou, Hengzhou, Taizhou, Xuanzhou, Yiazhou,
Fourth Grade Tea: Jinzhou, Lianzhou, Huangzhou, Sozhou, Yunzhou, Hanzhou, Meizhou.

2) Song Dynasty
Tea was an important crop during the Song Dynasty. Tea farms covered 242 counties. This included expensive tribute tea; tea from Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, where some was exported to Southeast Asian and the Arab countries.

3) Ming Dynasty
Ming dynasty scholar Wen Zhenheng's book "Zhang Wu Zhi (On Superfluous Things) chapter 12 contains description of several famous Ming dynasty teas:
a) Tiger Hill Tea and Heaven Pool Tea
b) Jie Tea
c) Liu An Tea
d) Song Luo Tea
e) Dragon Well Tea and Eyes on Heaven Tea