Have you ever wondered about making Chinese food at your own home? Not only is it possible, it can be done fairly simply! Chinese cooking is like many other things in the Chinese culture… it is based on balance. Spicy dishes will have a mild component. If it is a soft dish, it will have an ingredient offering a different texture.
Before you begin making Chinese recipes at home, you need to learn a few tricks of the trade. The first one is to always prepare your ingredients before you begin to cook. There are many Chinese recipes that cook quickly. You need to have all your ingredients prepared and ready to use at a moment’s notice. Do not mix up any of your ingredients unless the recipe specifically says to do so.
If you are going to marinade the meat, make sure it is fresh. When you cut it up into bite size pieces, cut it across the grain for tenderness. Stir fry the meat first. Remove it from the wok and then cook your vegetables. The meat will be added in before you add the sauce.
If you prefer tofu, drain it well before cooking. The tofu will absorb the flavors of the dish better if you drain it. Cleavers are a great tool to have on hand to cut your tofu, vegetables, and meats, but it is not absolutely necessary. A normal kitchen knife works great.
If you are cooking with leafy greens, wash them ahead of time so they are dry before cooking. Adding wet greens cools down your wok. When it is time to cook your vegetables, add the toughest and thickest ones first. They will take longer to cook. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, and kohl rabi will take longer to cook than bok choy, spinach, and chard. Add the leafy vegetables last. They only need a minute or less to cook. If you are not sure what order the vegetables should be cooked in, cook them each separately, and remove them before adding the next one. At the end, return all the ingredients to the wok before adding the sauce.
When you need to use soy sauce, always choose a light soy sauce unless the recipe calls for a dark soy sauce. Kikkoman and other commercial brands are usually fine to use as a light soy sauce. If you are deep frying part of your meal, it is easy to tell when the oil is ready by inserting a chopstick into the oil. If bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is hot. If they do not, the oil still needs to get hotter.
There are many delicious Chinese dishes that use the above techniques. Sesame chicken, chow mein and garlic chicken are just a few of the wonderful meals you can make once you learn these techniques. Once you have a few attempts under your belt, you can start experimenting with your own recipes.
Now that you have learned a little bit about how to cook Chinese food, you can try making some yourself. According to one cooking instructor, all you need is a hot stove and a sharp knife. Now that you can make Chinese food at home, your family will be very happy.
Looking for some easy chicken recipes try our chicken and broccoli alfredo recipes so good.
