These Chinese Cooking Tips For Famous Chinese Food

Chinese cooking night is a wonderful tradition that my family has created over the years and one that we have all come to love! On this special night once a month, my aunts, grandmas, parents and even my two brothers and their families clear their hectic schedules and gather around the family kitchen to whip up a savory and delicious meal straight from the Orient. Why Chinese food, you ask? Of all the different cuisines we have tried throughout the years, Chinese recipes are easy to follow, the food is delicious and Chinese cooking sauces have become our favorite.

Their adaptability and variety of flavorful spices is loved by the whole family.
One thing we learned very early on is that Chinese food and Chinese cooking are greatly complimented by the key ingredients of the sauces. You can see this very easily in the American Chinese cooking trends. It is mainly a mixture of vegetables enhanced with Chinese sauces. These cooking sauces are used as garnishes and in preparing many types of delicious authentic recipes. Most of our favorite Chinese dishes, like noodles and fried rice are made with a variety of spices and sauces making them very popular and savory meals.

In America, Chinese food has been used in ways that are non-traditional and has taken on some of its own new traditions. Their sauces have become famous as dipping sauces and cooking sauces that are mainly used for different types of meat dishes like pork or chicken. Sweet and sour sauce was originally used as a simple sauce for fish dishes in different parts of the world but was used to create American-Chinese dishes such as sweet and sour chicken when it was introduced in America. Along with sweet and sour sauce, some other types of sauces used in America to enhance flavor in popular Chinese foods such as noodles, fried rice and other Chinese dishes are chili oil, oyster sauce and garlic sauce.

Chinese cooking with its tasty dipping sauces is also a fun way to liven up a meal and something that my children love! Try serving the dipping sauces in a small bowl along with the meal to accompany Chinese appetizers like pot stickers, spring rolls and egg rolls. Let the kids have their own bowl to dip and watch their faces light up.

One of the main reasons my family loves Chinese cuisine is that there are so many different types of flavors that can be easily incorporated into everyday meals. Some of the most famous are chili oil, sweet and sour sauce, hot mustard and garlic sauce. Chili oil is made from chili peppers and is normally used in stir-fry and to enhance the flavor of other dishes such as noodles. Another favorite and one that has been used for many centuries in China is sweet and sour sauce. Its main ingredients of sugar and wedding vinegar make it a very popular choice and one that adds savory flavor to Chinese dishes when combined with tomato sauce. Garlic sauce and hot mustard sauce are great sauces that work well with a variety of Chinese appetizers. Any of these sauces are easy to make and will give your meal that special oriental flavor your family will love!

Because Chinese cooking sauces are an easy way add great flavor to Chinese meals and are so adaptable, they have become very popular in China and around the world making Chinese food a truly international cuisine. It is easy to experiment with all the many sauces and spices Chinese food has to offer and even come up with your own favorite combinations! From sweet and sour sauce to garlic and hot mustard, Chinese cuisine and its many sauces have proven to be an all time favorite that my family loves. Try it out on your family and I am sure that they too will look forward to your special night of Chinese cooking.

Do Not Miss This Grilled Sanma Recipe Any More

Sanma or Pacific Saury is fish that becomes available in fall, and literary means "autumn sword fish" in reference to sanma season and its body shape resembling a sword.

As you know, the Japanese eat fish raw for sushi and sashimi, therefore, fish in Japan is generally very fresh. In order to enjoy the fundamental quality of the fresh fish itself, the most common preparation of fish is to sprinkle salt and grill. We call it Shioyaki – shio means salt and yaki means grilled. Now you start to recognize the menus from Japanese restaurants such as Saba Shioyaki, Salmon Shioyaki, and so on.
One unique feature about preparation for sanma is that it is usually grilled whole with the head and guts intact. This highly nutritious gut part is very bitter, but some Japanese actually eat the guts.

Grilled Sanma Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Pacific saury
• Sea salt
• 1 - 11/2 inch daikon
• 2 lemon wedges
• Soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Rinse the fish in cold running water and pat dry. Sprinkle sea salt on both side of fish. Set aside for 10 minutes. This will dehydrate the fish.
2. To avoid the fish skin bursting during grilling, insert a sharp knife next to the gill and score lengthwise.
3. The fish has a line running across its body where you need to score so just follow that line.
4. Repeat on the other side.
5. Start the grill.
6. Place the sanma on the grill. Face down the side that is going to be showing when you serve. Grill about 8-10 minutes each side.
7. Grill over strong heat but no flame. When charcoal gets too hot and the fish is about to catch fire, sprinkle some water on the flame so the fish doesn't get burnt. This is common since Sanma is fatty.
8. Around 8-10 minutes, the eye turns white, and that's the sign it's cooked. Flip the fish carefully just once.
9. Grill the other side for 8-10 minutes and serve on a plate.

You Can Try This Korean Kabocha Porridge Recipe

Korean Kabocha Porridge


Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup sweet rice flour
• 3 tablespoons warm water
• porridge:
• 1.5 lbs. kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet rice flour
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. For the rice cake balls: Place flour into a mixing bowl and stir in water. Stir until no lumps remain. Form 2 teaspoon sized balls with the dough and transfer onto a plate until all dough has been used. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until ready to use.

2. For porridge: Place squash in a steamer or steam basket (in a large pot) and steam for 45 minutes to an hour.

3. Once squash is fork tender, transfer to a blender, add hot water and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture into a medium pot and stir over medium-low heat.

4. In a small bowl using a fork, whisk together the 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet rice flour and 2 tablespoons warm water and stir into the kabocha puree. Stir in sugars, salt and add rice cake balls. Simmer until porridge thickens and rice cake balls have cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve hot.