Fragrant Sichuan Eggplant 60
Stir-fried Vegetables 60
Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli with Beef 62
Hoisin-glazed Green Beans 63
Crunchy and Tangy Fresh Lotus Root Salad 64
Hot and Sour Chinese Cabbage 65
Tofu-stuffed Vegetables 66
Quick Asparagus 66
Ma Po Tofu 69
Black Bean Chicken 70
Hunan Chicken Salad 71
Fried Chicken in a Tangy Hot Sauce 72
Braised Chicken Wings in Plum Orange Sauce 73
Kung Bao Chicken with Dried Chilies 75
Sweet and Sour Shandong Chicken 76
Tea-smoked Duck 79
Steamed Buns 79
Beggar's Chicken 81
Twice-cooked Pork with Peppers 82
Beef with Black Pepper 83
Mongolian Lamb Hotpot 85
Sweet and Sour Pork 86
Beef with Sesame Seeds 89
Red-braised Fish 90
Ginger-seasoned Fish with Carrots Bamboo Shoots and Celery 91
Stir-fried Shrimp or Lobster with Chili Sauce 93
Shrimp with Vegetables and Ham 94
Wok-seared Sesame Scallops 96
Steamed Mussels, Clams or Oysters with Garlic 97
Ginger-poached Trout or Seabass 98
Sweet Black Bean and Sesame Squid 101
Salt and Pepper Squid 101
Iced Almond Jelly with Lychees 102
Banana Fritters 103
Candied Apples 104
Mango Pudding 107
Sweet Rice Dumplings 107
Sweet Red Bean Soup with Lotus Seeds 108
Sweet Red Bean Pancakes 108
Measurements and conversions 110
Steamed dumplings are popular in most regions of China and connoisseurs can recognize their provincial origin by their stuffing and accompanying sauces.
Food in China
An ancient, innovative cuisine that is beloved the world over.
China has fascinated the West ever since Marco Polo's account of his travels in that unimaginably exotic land was published in the 13th century. Long before this, however, junks laden with the rich treasures of China had been heading for other countries on annual trading voyages.
Silk, gunpowder, printing and the compass are among the great Chinese inventions that have altered the course of history But of all China's contributions to modern civilization, the most popular is Chinese food, enjoyed in restaurants and homes in every corner of the globe, from Iceland to Texas to Auckland. Few people in the world, with the possible exception of the French, are as passionately devoted to food as the Chinese Meals are socially important events and special menus are presented for weddings and birthdays; important festivals also have their traditional dishes and snacks.
What is the reason for the enduring worldwide popularity of Chinese food? It begins with a cornucopia of unique ingredients, vegetables and nourishing tofu plus subtle or emphatic sauces and seasonings that are partnered with just about every creature that swims the seas, flies the air or roams the land. This astonishing variety of ingredients is transformed by the Chinese into memorable works of culinary art Every dish must meet three major criteria—appearance, fragrance and flavor; other considerations are texture, the health-giving properties of the food and its auspicious connotations.
The array of seasonings and sauces used by Chinese cooks is not vast; nor are a large range of culinary techniques employed. However, the endless interplay of one basic ingredient with another—meat with tofu, vegetables with slivers of pork, lychees with shrimp—and the transformation of these basics when combined with different seasonings, allows for almost endless variety.
Throughout its history. China has known a perpetual cycle of flood and famine. Food has always been a matter of desperate concern for its huge population (about 25 percent of the world's total population, living on just 7 percent of the world's land). The paradox of Chinese food is that this cuisine, born of hardship and frequent poverty, is not one of dull subsistence, but is arguably the most creative in the world.
You can travel throughout China and the Chinese communities of Asia and never have the same dish served in exactly the same way twice. China's vast territory, diverse population and wide range of regional cuisines provide such infinite variety that eating in this ancient and inventive country is always an enjoyable adventure.
A Rich Culinary Tradition
Early Chinese culinary techniques included boiling, steaming, roasting, stewing, pickling and drying. Stir-frying, the best known method today, probably developed later. In sum. it can be said that the basic Chinese diet and means of preparation were in place about 6,000 years ago, although many imported ingredients—some transported over the Silk Road—entered the Chinese larder and new cooking methods were adopted.
A balanced mixture of grain and cooked dishes
