10 Steps To Stir Fry
I enjoy stir fried dishes, since its very simple, you just need to learn the basics, its easy, its quick and you simply combine ingredients that leads to different kinds of stimulating meals. Join me as we learn the ten simple steps in Chinese Stir-Frying.
1. 1 Meat plus 1 Veggie. Usually the stir fry serves as your major dish that means creating one balanced meal in itself. So go and have broccoli together with some slices of pork which is a classic example, or perhaps some string beans with chicken, or some zucchinis with some fillet of fish. Be adventurous and explore your cooking with various combinations since it contributes to this whole process of fun cooking.
2. Always keep your Dishes Simple. It may be tempting if you’d add different kinds of various ingredients, but more does not always signify better since it may result to creating flavors that are contradicting. The ingredients aside from your vegetable & your meat must be cautiously used, and simply to develop the textures and color of your major ingredients.
Meticulously ensure that the flavors should not be too overpowering. Some example ingredients with this kind of characteristic include some mushrooms and carrots.
3. Just the right amount of Ginger. Ginger makes each dish typically Chinese, but always remember that this spice shouldn’t comprise your major ingredients. But instead gingers used for removing the distinct smell or taste in your meat, perhaps simply neutralizing the balance of some foods particularly enhancing the food’s yin factor.
4. Use Intensely Hot Woks. Classic stir fry cuisines uses the chi of their Woks, which essentially suggests that each food has to be cooked with the quickest possible time utilizing the heated wok possible, locking in its flavor, its nutrients and its freshness.
5. Sauteing the Garlic or putting Ginger + Spring Onions. Chinese termed this whole process as ‘burst’ meaning it uses intensely heated oil and releasing its spicy essences. You may choose from spring onion or garlic with some ginger allowing your food a distinctly unique flavor. I generally use some garlic, and I enjoy throwing shallots into my dish to bring out that delicately sweet flavoring.
6. 1 Main Ingredient at one time, since they have different cooking periods. I put meat into the ‘wok’ first since it consumes a longer period of cooking, then allow some time that its innate meaty juices would leak from itself so that the other vegetables may absorb it.
7. The magic of Quick-Hands. When obtaining the wonders of cooking using Wok, you need to be very quick. Stir frying should not take five minutes or more.
8. Scoop the Vegetables before they are Completely Cooked. Remove your vegetables off your wok once you’d see that it’s about to be cooked, since the heat inside your food will continuously allowed for more cooking. You’ll be surely surprised that your vegetables will attain that beautiful green colored vegetables locking in it the vitamins and minerals even if the whole cooking process is over.
9. Stir Frying means Saucy dishes. Add some water either with or no seasoning & momentarily cover your ‘wok’ with some lid to allow them to be partially cooked. When your dish seems to appear a bit watery, then stir some prepared mix of gravy which includes 2 tablespoons of water and about two to three teaspoons of corn-starch just enough to make your sauce thickened. It will taste superbly.
10. ‘Wok’ it Out! Practice usually means perfecting your technique, so do not be afraid to explore your cooking talents by getting started in cooking some meat & some vegetables and you’re on your way of your stir frying adventure. You surely will do great!
Tip: make sure that your mix for gravy is prepared in water that isn’t warm since hot-water may precook your corn-starch making it very lumpy & very unstable
Chinese Vegetarian Recipe
“Chop suey” at times may seem dull because it contains just vegetables but try this one of a kind “chop suey” recipe and you’ll feel like you’re dining with the emperors during a festival on a great summer day. This recipe serves up to 4 persons.
This dish doesn’t necessarily need to be boring because all it has are vegetables because this recipe will surely be a super hit with adults and even with your kids because this is really delicious.
1 lb of beans (string); sliced OR
5 ozs of beans (french ones); drained & thawed
1 pc celery stalk; diagonally sliced
1 stalk of broccoli; peels off & diagonally sliced
1 c of cabbage; diced
4 pcs of mushrooms (dried); pre-soak & slice
1 big onion
4 pcs of mushrooms (fresh, big)
8 cuts of water chestnuts (canned/fresh)
1/2 lb of asparagus tips (fresh) OR
5 ozs of asparagus tips (frozen); drain & thaw
1 garlic clove
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of sugar
1/4 tsp of MSG
Black pepper
2.5 tbsps of oil (from peanuts)
1 big tomato; peels off
1/2 lb of bean sprouts (fresh)
Slice your cabbages, celery stalks, string beans, broccoli stalks, mushrooms that were soaked in water just as instructed then put them aside. Then slice up some mushrooms this time the fresh ones, onions, then some water chestnuts, and cut the tips of asparagus in identical straight cuts. Pound your clove of garlic. Combine salt, your MSG (monosodium glutamate), pepper and sugar.
Then heat up your oil; throw in your garlic then cook and stop only when you see your garlic sizzling then remove from heat. Add in your tomatoes then squeeze its content free from their natural juices using your spoon. Next, add in the stalks of broccoli that were sliced, celeries, string beans, cabbagse, onions, mushrooms (dried) then stir fry.
Once done place into your skillet your mushrooms (fresh), the tips of asparagus, water chestnuts while continuing the stir fry process for about two minutes or less. Serve the dish while it’s still hot. Make this chop suey even more sumptuously with some leftover beef, pork, or chicken stirred and slivered just right before the food is being served.
Make sure that you do a quick stir-fry for your vegetables because you want them crispy and not wilted so that your dish will come out a winner. Vegetables need no long cooking time because they’re don’t take long at all. Stir-fry is one of the best ways to cook your vegetables.
Better too if you have a “wok” for cooking because this is the most ideal cooking utensil for the chop suey
Quick & Easy Chinese Recipes For Pork
Pork has been known to be “the other kind of white meat” plus these low fat pork cuts are great for a healthier diet regimen. We give you some old fashioned recipes for pork meat that’s just absolutely easy, healthy and affordable when serving them.
We only need minimal ingredients as well as minimal time. The Pork Barbecued steaks can also be a delicious method of serving affordable cuts of meat then when its grilled it helps eliminating fat too.
FAST COOKING STIR FRIED PORK
The recipe was found from a give away card in long ago in some groceries
1 lb of pork; thinly sliced
3 tbsps of soy sauce
2 tbsps of oil
1/2 c of carrots; sliced thin (julienne cut)
1 c of celery; chopped
1/2 lb of bean sprouts
1 c of onions; chopped
Brown the pork into your oil. Then add some soy or fish sauce, onions and celery. Stir-fry for about three minutes. Then add your bean-sprouts then stir-fry them again for another two minutes. Then serve your dish while it’s still hot.
PORK BARBECUED STEAKS
The recipe was found in this really old flyer ( found in the Nat’l Pork Producers Council)
4 pcs steaks (pork blade cuts); sliced to 1-1 1/4-inch in thickness
1/2 c of BBQ sauce (bottled); choose your own
1/3 c of honey
1/2 tsp of prepared mustard
1 tbsp of Worcestershire
1 tsp of garlic salt
Pound meat with the use of these meat mallets that will really tenderize your meat well. For the sauce, using a little bowl blend the mustard, salt, Worcestershire, honey and BBQ sauce – any brand of sauce. Then mix everything really well together.
Place the steaks onto your hot grill just about 4 inches right above your slow burning coals. Cook every side for about twenty minutes. Brush your meat with the sauce made and cook continuously for the next ten or twenty minutes, occasionally turning & brushing them with your sauce. Serves 4 persons.
Note: Today’s kitchen is so modernized that a lot of people usually have grills made for the indoor grilling. Simply adjust the instructions for cooking when using your modern grill.
These recipes are really great and stir-frying up your pork is a very Chinese way of cooking that will surely taste really great and be healthier in the long run too.
Stir frying is really a very healthy alternative to those deep fried dishes or those that incorporate lots of fats. Have fun with your wok.
How To Chose A Perfect Wine For Chinese Food
‘German Riesling’ & Chinese food makes a wonderful combination.
Choosing the appropriate wine when eating Chinese food or even some Thai food will need you to identify that central taste (bitter, salty, sour, sweet) sensation within the dish. Its central taste sensation would be sour (rice-vinegar), sweet(milk coconut, sugar) and some salty(soy sauce).
Pairing German Reisling wine drinks & Chinese cuisine, showed some scientists that each distinct taste features – bitter, salty, sour, sweet- inhibits or suppresses one from the other. Within the context of food & wine, they should complement or balance each other out.
Like sour tastes brings any acidity and some sweet flavorings allows suppressing one from the other, when adding some sugary taste full with lemons juices may reduce its tartness; its degree of sourness or acidity may have been altered but its sugar presence allows a different taste as well.
With the Reisling grape’s knack for developing high levels of sugary taste while enabling them to maintain its acidity produces excellent white-wines aging really well & simply compliments Chinese cuisine altogether. ‘Riesling’ wine varies from very dry – to extremely sweet; its degree of sweetness like a Spatlese or Kabinett offsets that Chinese cuisine’s salty & sour taste.
Wine brand of German ‘Riesling’ may not mean superior at subduing heat from chilies although it’s perfect for Chinese and Thai food.
The usual wisdom in combining wine of Gewurztraminer & Chinese food together with extremely spiced dishes of Szechuan works well apart from wine of Gewurztramine contains higher levels of alcohol (13%PRCTG%-14%PRCTG%) may jerk its burn by a little bit.
While Gewurztraminer means spice grapes. Its California counterpart contains a spicy peach flavor with some tiny hints of gingers. Another few options in combining wine together with Chinese cuisine includes wines such as “French Pouily Fuisse” or “Sauvignon Blanc”.
China’s haute cuisine is perfectly described in Cantonese cooking where foods are so much seasoned. Usually this combination uses wines together with that fruity sweet taste like a Spatlese or “German Riesling” or “Kabinett” gaining incredibly great results.
A Bourdeaux Red wine mixed with the specialty Shanghai Chinese cuisine is perfect because of its tendencies for being rich so its wine cooperates greatly with the fatty meat content.
‘St. Emilion’ or Pomerol’s famous Merlot or any Red-Burgundy like ‘Pinot Noir’ together with this cuisine from China compliments each other really well perfect for Peking- cuisine, that often depicts heavier kinds of meats like beef & duck.
Merlot, ‘Pinot Noir’ and Riesling goes perfectly well together with any fruit dishes containing peaches, mangoes, & bananas. ‘Tawny Port’ or Sherry goes greatly with food that contains large amounts full of peanuts or almonds.
‘Chardonnay’ and ‘Pinot Noir’ is perfect for hams that were smoked & duck. Zinfandel, Petite Sira, Gewurztraminer and ‘Riesling’ wines perfectly complements foods that have spices and fruits, laced together with some Szechuan chili-peppers, peppercorns, mustard, curry or wasabi.
Chinese food usually composes a lot of different dishes from delicate to smoky, to fruity then spicy and some even sweet. There’s usually duck, pork, lobster and chicken. A single wine isn’t enough to contain a wide array of textures and flavors when relating with any Chinese cuisine.
There are just certain kinds of wines which goes perfectly well together with any Chinese food. Like a medium to dry & lightly-sweet Riesling, some Chardonnay, that’s not sort of dry & not sort of oaky, & a full-bodied and mild ‘Merlot’ with that just right acidity level.
Merlot, Chardonnay & Riesling always goes really well together with various Chinese cuisine, these wines are safer to pick when matching them up with your Chinese cuisine to boost that sensual experience.
It’s secret to maximizing any pleasure experienced with food & wines by simply enjoying and relaxing warmly with your friends. Since you now know what’s the greatest wine combinations, Chinese cuisine anyone?
How To Buy A Wok
‘Woks’ are commonly used for stir frying. Woks have been in existence for quite some time now. It has been one of China’s basic cooking techniques and some Asian countries’ cooking too, which means they may have different uses. Woks may be vessels for cooking since they are created with bottoms that are rounded and sides that slope aiding the whole process of cooking.
Woks came to exist because of growing fuel shortage. So extended cooking meant more fuel needed and there was some fuel shortage, or fuel wasn’t always abundant. So woks were invented to aid the whole process of cooking by heating up the ‘wok’ with very high degrees of temperatures over some short period of time. Its secret could be because of its intense high heat that is controllable.
Woks today are usually created with bottoms that are flat just like the ones made in ancient times. Woks with bottoms that are flat works better when using glass or electric stove top, while those woks bottoms that are rounded are perfect when using gas-stoves.
A lot of materials are used when making woks and these depends on your personal taste. Decide on which kind of material is suitable for your own needs.
A lot of Asian cooks affirms and swear by their old family-cast iron-woks. The modern stoves with glass tops work in tandem with some iron-enamel woks, & some gas tops stoves. Normally, a carbon made steel wok would probably cost an approximate amount of £50 while stainless-steel wok-sets are approximately £70.
Aluminum is also known for their heat conducing qualities. Cast-iron woks at about 14 inches in diameter sell from approximately around £10. And they just need a little maintenance and they’re very durable.
What’s so fantastic about cooking using a ‘wok’? It means lesser cooking duration which means sealing in those juices, saving energy plus creating various delicious and scrumptious flavors. Asians usually are lean because of their cooking using woks since it only takes not so much fat.
Using woks may allow you to use it for steam, simmer, deep-fry and of course the classic stir-fry. When using the ‘wok’ in deep frying one may still avoid spending extended cooking duration which means lesser absorption of oil therefore lesser chances of getting more calories.
A lot of accessories may be bought together when buying your ‘wok’ just to safeguard your newly learned cooking tips and techniques that are supposedly done accurately. Like for example, the steamer-basket should always be sized 12 inches in diameter perfect fit for those 14-inch woks.
Food preparations are prepared beforehand. Slicing and cutting the foods consumes a lot of time, so food preparation is definitely important. Purchase one wok cook book then research some great recipes for wok dishes via internet. Just think that your newly bought cooking equipment has totally opened yourself to new and wonderful culinary adventures.
Faster, delicious and healthy meal preparations are important factors to purchasing a ‘wok’ because it would assume a lot of cooking responsibilities. Allow your kitchen to make room for this wonderful cooking tool that may someday replace a lot of pots when you purchase it. Go and purchase that one suitable wok perfect for your own needs. Enjoy cooking!
Try This Delicious Chinese Stir Fry Chicken Dish
This recipe is one healthy Chinese-style stir-fry technique with some heat because of the ‘chili oil’ ingredient, which comes from red chili peppers. Make sure that you’ll put in just a bit, and perform a test of taste making sure that you’re not making the recipe too spicy or hot especially for the others, since some people have sensitive tasting buds.
You would need ‘bok choy’ for this recipe, it’s a green leafy vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It’s also commonly referred to as Chinese cabbage. ‘Bok choy’ has high levels of vitamins C, vitamins A and calcium. It tastes pretty good too. You may find these green leafy Chinese vegetables in supermarkets’ veggie section.
In order to create this recipe you will need the following: 1 lb of Chinese cabbage (bok choy) or about seven stalks, some veggie oil, some ‘chili oil’, about 4 chicken breasts filets sliced into halves then cut each to about 1 inch per piece, 1 pack of broccoli (frozen broccoli found in veggie section) stir-fry the meal first then put in some noodles (chow mein).
Arrange the chinese cabbage (bok choy) by sorting them out by their leaves generating from its stems. Then cut leaves approximately about 2 inches per piece then cut stems to about 1/4 inch per slice. Then set them aside.
Using a skillet (large in size) heat it up with approximately 2 tsps of veggie oil & about 1 tsps or less of ‘chili oil’ while the food is being cooked at medium heat until it starts to get hot. Throw in your cubed pieces of chicken then cook, stirring, for about 5 or seven minutes, and then you’ll see that the chicken slowly starts to lose its pink color.
Blend in your Chinese cabbage (bok choy) leaves then cook, while regularly stirring, for approximately 3 or four minutes, just when you see that each leaves slowly starts to wilt. Sprinkle some noodles (chow mein) and immediately serve the dish. Serve 4 persons.
An extra free recipe: ‘ Turkey ‘ Cutlets & Zucchini Stir-Fry
In order to create this kind of dish you will be needing: vinegar (tarragon), dried leaves of basil, 2 pieces of cloved garlic (minced), 1 lbs cutlets of turkey or perhaps fresh breast turkey slices, veggie oil, four cups zucchini that are sliced then some fresh pieces of mushroom – also sliced.
Use a bowl (small), mix 2 tbsps of vinegar (tarragon), 1 tsp of dried leaves of basil, with 2 minced cloves of garlic combined well. Then brush in this combination to all the sides of your turkey. Use a skillet (large) start to heat some 2 tbsps of veggie oil into medium heat.
Then add the cutlets of turkey into it then cook them for about two minutes per side or when turkey starts to lose its color. Remove meat from your skillet then place them on some serving plate. Cover it so to keep its warmth intact.
Heat your skillet using about 1 tbsp of veggie oil when it’s hot. Then mix in some four cups of zucchini that were sliced & about 1.5 cups of freshly sliced mushrooms. Then cook them while stirring regularly, till your zucchinis are done with some tender and crisp look. Then add some pepper and some salt to suit your taste.
Arrange the vegetables onto the plate together with your turkey. Serves 4 persons
Red-Cooked Eggs Recipe
Ingredients:
1 bottle of oyster sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil
1/2 c of broth (chicken)
1/2 c of soy sauce (dark)
1/4 c of sugar (brown)
half a dozen eggs
1 bottle of Hoisin sauce
Instructions:
Boil eggs, then allow to simmer for quarter of an hour. Let cool by washing w/ cool water. Remove the shells.
Mix sugar, broth, soy sauce, then pour in sesame oil. Place mixture in pan then heat. Put in cooked eggs then let simmer for about an hr.
Let eggs remain in sauce for an additional hour. Make sure that each one is evenly coated.
Prepare the dip by putting equal quantities of oyster and hoisin sauces.
>> Red-Cooked Eggs Recipe
Mu Shu Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tbsps of wood ear mushrooms
20 pcs buds of a tiger lily
3/4 lb chicken breasts; skinned, deboned
For the Marinade:
20 pancakes (Mandarin style); warmed
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp of salt
3 green onions
1 c cabbage (green); shredded
4 large chicken eggs; beaten
1 tbsp of soya sauce
1/2 tsp of sugar
6 tbsps of corn oil
1 tbsp of water
1 tsp of cornstarch
Instructions:
Chicken should be frozen in pcs then thaw them out til half frozen. Shred the meat finely.
To soften buds, soak these in lukewarm water for about half an hour. Remove hard end of each bud. Halve remaining bud part. Wash tree ears then slice into pieces. Throw out the liquid that the mushrooms were soaked in.
Combine all the ingredients listed for marinade then put in chicken pcs. Marinate all the pieces well.
Heat wok in medium flame. Pour in 3 tbsps of oil and throw in eggs. Fry by pushing eggs to and fro in wok. Remove eggs and set aside.
Heat wok again then pour in corn oil Put in chicken then stir-fry. Pour in buds, green onions, cabbage plus tree ears. Add salt and stir-fry continuously until cabbage is limp (3 mins).
Put eggs in then stir. Pour in sesame oil.
Warm the pancakes in your microwave if necessary. Serve these together with your dish.
>> Mu Shu Chicken Recipe
Chinese Fire Pot Recipe
Ingredients:
chives or cilantro
1/4 pound egg noodles (fine); cooked
mustard (Chinese style, hot)
soy sauce
sweet and sour sauce
4 (13 3/4 ounce) cans of chicken stock
1 pound sirloin (boneless)
1 pound chicken breast; deboned
1 pound shrimps (medium size)
1 pound of fish fillet
1 pound of cabbage (Chinese)
1/2 pound mushrooms (cultivated or forest)
lemon juice
3/4 pound of pea pods (Chinese)
2 bunches of scallions
2 bunches of spinach
2 packs of mushrooms (Enoki)
8 ounce can of water chestnuts; drained & chopped
8 ounce can of bamboo shoots; drained & chopped
Instructions:
Place your fish, chicken & beef in your freezer until they are firm when you touch but not that frozen. Cut the beef & the chicken meat into strips that are quarter of an inch thick and around 2-inches in length. Dice cutlets of fish around 3/4 inch.
Remove the shell of the shrimp then devein it. Slice the cabbage to bits small enough to chew. Wash mushrooms then remove stems if needed (for forest mushrooms and enoki). Cut mushrooms into bits and add a dash of lemon juice.
Prepare the pods by trimming the ends then washing them. Cut scallions in half lengthwise. Further slice into lengths of 2-inches each.
Wash spinach; remove thick parts (stems). Put all the ingredients mentioned above in an artistic manner on a big platter or invidual platters. Place hot or fire pot above a heating equipment or unit.
Pour broth in the pot then heat it up. Each individual should dip his/her own choice of ingredients into the boiling broth. Use the different sauces (soy sauce, sweet and sour, hot mustard) for flavoring. Pair with cooked noodles then garnish with cilantro.
>>Chinese Fire Pot Recipe
Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe
Ingredients:
3 c of oil
10 sheets of dough skins
1 egg; beaten
1/4 tsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp lite soy sauce
ground pepper
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
1/3 c of young bamboo culms
10 pcs water chestnuts
1/2 lb of pork/ 1/2 lb of chicken liver;cooked
1/2 pound of shrimp; cooked
2 celery stalks
1 lb of Chinese cabbage
Instructions:
Boil the celery and cabbage until both are tender. Remove excessive water and shred. Drain some more.
Leach the shrimp then cook the pork by baking or frying. Chop both ingredients into tiny pieces. Shred the bamboo culms and water chestnuts.
Then, combine all the ingredients together except the egg. The egg is to be used for sealing the dough skins. Beat the egg.
For cooking part, prepare the oil. Heat it in a wok up to around 375deg. Put in the egg rolls. And when these turn a shade of gold, remove them from the oil then drain.
Note: You can partially cook these and store them in the fridge. Use the same frying technique for the second cooking. This will ensure that egg roll insides will retain their moisture & the outer covering will still crispy.
>> Chinese Egg Rolls Recipe
Moo Goo Gai Pan Recipe
Ingredients:
6 green onions; sliced to small pcs.
4 tbsps of soya sauce
Pinch of salt
4 lbs of Chinese cabbage; chopped
8 ozs of mushrooms (fresh); chopped
5 tbsps of corn oil
1 tbsp of cornstarch
2 c of water
4 garlic cloves; chopped finely
a dash of pepper
2 tbsps of sugar
4 pcs chicken breasts; halved, deboned & sliced into bits
Instructions:
Mix salt, garlic, pepper, cornstarch and chicken bits. Heat wok then pour 3 tbsp of oil. Drop the mushrooms, Chinese cabbage and the sugar. Cook this for 2min uncovered then cook another 5min covered. Remove the mixture from the pan.
Heat the rest of the oil in your wok. Stir fry chicken. This should take 2min in high temperature. Pour the soya sauce then mix. Cook coverd for 6min.
Put in vegetables plus the green onions. Fry for around a min. This is best served w/ rice.
>> Moo Goo Gai Pan Recipe