Cuisine- Chinese Cuisine

Chinese Cuisine
cuisine which means cooking in french some times associated with specific regions and  the culture. A food is prepared by various  vegetables, herbs, spices, which are available locally, and for that these are famous by the region like Indian cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Thai cuisine etc. Some times it reflect two or more cultures or regions.

Chinese Cuisine

China is a vast country and such is exposed to extremes of both, geography and climate. This naturally result in growth of different agriculture products, so it is little wonder that cuisines vary from province to province. Chinese cuisine is broadly carved into four regions.

• Peking or Northern
• Shanghai or Eastern
• Szechuan or Western
• Cantonese or Southern

One feature, unique to chinese cooking, is the technique of stir-frying. Here a small amount of oil is poured into heated wok and a few condiments are added to ‘arouse the wok’ and lend the fragrance to the main ingredients, which are rapidly stir and cooked in a short time. In chinese cookery the ingredients are cut into uniformly small pieces so that they will both; absorb the taste of the seasoning  that they are marinated in, and keep their freshness, juiciness and many cases crispness.

Another speciality of the Chinese Cuisine is  its uses of dried products. Before the invention of canning and  the deep-freezing, drying was the chinese way of preserving food. This is because the dried product when reconstituted, add an extra dimension to the taste and richness of the finished dish. Leaves or vegetables, whether boiled or stir fried, must keep their crispness.

The wok is the national cooking utensil and soy sauce is a ubiquitous and indispensable seasoning.

Main Ingredients In Chinese Cuisines

• Bean and bean products
• Cereals, grain and noodles.
• Dried products-fruits, vegetables and meats
• Herbs and spices
• Vegetables – leafy vegetables, chinese cabbage taro, bamboo shoots. etc.
• Sauces - oyster, hoi sin, chilli soy etc.
• Oils – corn, sesame, groundnut, etc.
• Wines and vinegar.

The Chinese Meal

To the Chinese , a meal constitutes rice or another grain, with few dishes. The number of dishes accompanying the rice depends on the number of people sharing the meal. The dishes are well-balanced so that in one meal a variety of ingredients, including meat , seafood and vegetables are eaten and different cooking methods appreciated.

Peking Or Northern Cuisine:

Noodles, steamed breads and buns are the staple and more popular than rice. Lamb dishes are most popular, the most famous of which are Mongolian Fire Pot and lamb slices barbecued on a spit. They also have a liking for leeks and raw garlic.

Peking Duck is a duck specially fattened for the table and roasted in a special oven. Then pancakes and special sauce or all-in-one meal in which the head tongue and feet are served as separate courses along side the more familiar crispy skin and meat.

Shanghai Or Eastern Cuisine

Taken as a whole,  the cuisine is rich, decorative and rather on sweet side.The area as a whole is renowned for certain products and dishes: the specially cured Chinua ham, with its pinkish-red flesh and succulent savory-sweet taste ; the rich dark chin kiang vinegar; and the amber-colored Shashing rice wine.

Classic dishes include crisp stir-fried shrimps, eel cooked in oil, yang chow fried rice. Lion’s head and fish from the West lake with sour  and sweet sauce. One special technique originating from  this region  has been adopted nationally. This is ‘Hung-Shao ‘ or the red braising method of cooking, where by the ingredients are cooked slowly in an aromatic mixture of thick dark soy sauce and rice wine.

Szechuan Or Western Cuisine

A special spice, Szechuan pepper corn and preserved vegetable are two special products.The food here is highly seasoned and spicy hot.Fresh and dried red chilli, are clear.

Special Szechuan are hot and sour soup, fragrant and crispy duck, twice fried pork and a range of fragrant fish dishes. In terms of cookery techniques, Szechuan dishes often use multiple processes; e.g. it is famous for smoked duck, which is first marinated, then steamed and finally deep-fried.

Cantonese Or Southern Cuisine

Rice is the staple in this region and is eaten twice a day. High quality tea is a specialty of Fukien, While all along the coast, fish and sea foods – crabs, crayfish, prawns, scallops and clams are plentiful.

Cantonese cooking is the most versatile and varied of Chinese cooking. Dim sum, hot hors d’oeuvre of pastry cases, stuffed with mixture of delicacies such as pork, beef or seafood, bamboo shoots or mushroom, steamed sautéed or deep-fried, is another Cantonese speciality.