The Basics Of Cooking Chinese Food

Chinese cooking has yielded some of the most delicious foods that are
available, but you may feel as if the techniques used to prepare and
cook the foods are too complicated or unfamiliar to produce good
results. The truth is that Chinese cooking is simple, and can be done
by almost anyone.

Chinese cooking is usually done in a wok or a bamboo steamer. A wok is
simply a large, bowl shaped pan that can hold soups, stews or stir fry
easily. Bamboo steamers are made from bamboo, and are used to make
dumplings, meats and vegetables.

You will use the bamboo steamer inside the wok, which will be filled
with water. You do not need to use a lot of water, but you will want
to make sure that there is enough water so that the wok does not dry
before the food is cooked, and that the water is boiling before you
add the steamer.

You will also want to line the bamboo steamer with either cabbage
leaves or lettuce leaves to make sure that your food does not stick to
your steamer. Most Chinese foods can be cooked with these two simple
cooking utensils.

A wok is a great choice for making healthy and nutritious vegetable
dishes, since you can use a high heat for your dishes so that little
cooking time is required. Since Chinese cooking can be completed in
just a few minutes in a wok, your family will love being able to have
their favorite Chinese food anytime.

When you cook Chinese food, it is best to use ingredients that are
fresh. Most Chinese cooking is very simple, using only meats and
vegetables with seasonings such as ginger, soy and garlic. The staples
of Chinese cooking include beef, pork, chicken, cabbage and rice.

Typically, meats are used for seasonings in Chinese foods such as
dumplings and stir fry's rather than the main ingredient. Fresh
vegetables and fruits are very common in Chinese cooking.

Some Chinese cooking does require some practice to make, such as egg
rolls and dumplings. The main problem that you are likely to encounter
is working with and folding the wrappers for these Chinese foods.

A good tip to remember is to make sure that you measure the foods you
put into the wrappers, so that all of the egg rolls or dumplings cook
in the same amount of time. You can cook egg rolls and dumplings
either in hot oil for a crunchy snack, or in a steamer for a softer
one. Typically, egg rolls are fried while dumplings are steamed,
although you can always choose the cooking method that suits your
family best.

You can put any combination of foods that you like in your dumplings
and egg rolls. Chinese cooking is very versatile, and recipes can be
adjusted to meet the tastes of even the pickiest members of your
family.

_By: *Silvia Blach*_

*About the Author:*

Asian Food Recipes [1] is an online recipes and cooking website
offering plenty of free Asian Recipes [2] and cooking tips.

Links:
------
[1] http://www.chinesefood-recipes.com/asian_recipes/asian_recipes.php
[2] http://www.chinesefood-recipes.com/asian_recipes/asian_recipes.php