Chinese cuisine is a bright branch in Chinese culture, and it is also a dominant one in the field of world cuisine.

Chinese Cuisine Chinese Cuisine

MAP OF CHINA

HISTORY OF CHINA

Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. The written history of China can be found as early as the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1700 BC – ca. 1046 BC).[1] Oracle bones with ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been radiocarbon dated to as early as 1500 BC.[2] The origins of Chinese culture, literature and philosophy developed during the Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC-256 BC).

The Zhou Dynasty began to bow to external and internal pressures in the 8th century BC. The ability of the Zhou to control its regional lords lessened, and the kingdom eventually broke apart into smaller states, beginning in the Spring and Autumn Period and reaching full expression in the Warring States period. In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang united the various warring kingdoms and created the first Chinese empire. Successive dynasties in Chinese history developed bureaucratic systems that enabled the Emperor of China to directly control vast territories.

The conventional view of Chinese history is that of alternating periods of political unity and disunity, with China occasionally being dominated by Inner Asian peoples, most of whom were in turn assimilated into the Han Chinese population. Cultural and political influences from many parts of Asia, carried by successive waves of immigration, expansion, and cultural assimilation, are part of the modern culture of China.

CHINA GEOGRAPHY

Located in Southeast Asia along the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, China is the world's third largest country, after Russia and Canada. With an area of 9.6 million square kilometers and a coastline of 18,000 kilometers, its shape on the map is like a rooster. It reaches Mohe in Heilongjiang Province as its northern end, Zengmu Ansha (or James Shoal) to the south, Pamirs to the west, and expands to the eastern border at the conjunction of the Heilongjiang (Amur) River and the Wusuli (Ussuri) River, spanning about 50 degrees of latitude and 62 degrees of longitude. China is bordered by 14 countries -- Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Marine-side neighbors include eight countries -- North Korea, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

CHINA GEOGRAPHY MAP

SOUTHEAST CHINA MAP

SOUTH CHINA SEA

STAPLE FOOD.FOODS OF THE CHINESE

Rice is China's staple food. The Chinese word for rice is "fan" which also means "meal." Rice may be served with any meal, and is eaten several times a day. Scallions, bean sprouts, cabbage, and gingerroot are other traditional foods. Soybean curd, called tofu, is an important source of protein for the Chinese. Although the Chinese generally do not eat a lot of meat, pork and chicken are the most commonly eaten meats. Vegetables play a central role in Chinese cooking, too.

TheChinese eat many foods that are unfamiliar to North Americans. Shark fins, seaweed, frogs, snakes, and even dog and cat meat are eaten. However, the Chinese follow the spiritual teaching of balance signified by yin ("cool") and yang ("hot"). This philosophy encourages the Chinese to find a balance in their lives, including in the foods they eat. While preparing meals, the Chinese may strive to balance the color, texture, or types of food they choose to eat.

There are four main regional types of Chinese cooking. The cooking of Canton province in the south is called Cantonese cooking. It features rice and lightly seasoned stir-fried dishes. Because many Chinese immigrants to America came from this region, it is the type of Chinese cooking that is most widely known in the United States. Typical Cantonese dishes are wonton soup, egg rolls, and sweet and sour pork.

SEASONINGS

Seasonings, necessary in cooking various dishes, create special dish flavors when used either singly or blended. Even a skilled cook, let alone a beginner, needs seasonings to cook any dish especially delicious dish with distinctive flavor and attractive color. Many people say that they are eating seasonings instead of dishes, because even delicious ingredients can taste bland and uninteresting without appropriate seasonings. Chinese dishes are well-known all over the world, while Chinese seasonings will also open your eyes.

Salt Vinegar Soy Sauce White Sugar

Monosodium Glutamate Cooking Wine Prickly Ash Seeds

Cinnamon Chicken Bouillon Chili Sauce Dried Pimiento

Pepper Powder Starch

Cardamom (cao guo)

Lesser galangal (liang jiang)

Kaempferia Galanga (shan nai) White Cardamon (bai dou kou)

Star Anise(da hui xiang) Fennel Seeds(hui xiang)

SALT

Salt, the seasoning most used in Chinese people's daily life, tastes salty, just as the name implies. It is an inorganic, white crystalline compound of sodium and chlorine, essential for human body. Salt is an indispensable seasoning, used in almost every dish in China. It has the function of getting rid of fishy smell, increasing freshness, sterilizing the food and preventing it from spoiling. It can also stimulate the secretion of the digestive juice in the stomach, which gives one a good appetite.

VINEGAR

Vinegar is a transparent and colorless or reddish-brown liquid seasoning, with an acid taste. It is prepared by fermentation of rice, broomcorn or corn. Vinegar protects vitamins from being destroyed and is used to increase the flavor and nutrition of the dishes when used in stir-frying. It helps remove the smell of the beef and mutton when baking, and converts the phosphorus and calcium in fish bone into absorbable substances when cooking fish. Moreover, it can lighten the piquancy and reduce the salty taste when used in dishes which are too hot or salty.

SOY SAUCE

A feature of Asian seasonings, Soy Sauce, reddish-brown in color, is brewed from soy beans, wheat or bran. It tastes fresh and a little salty, having a unique soy flavor. Soy Sauce is divided into two types. One is reddish and is used in fried dishes and cold dishes for a salty taste. The other is brown and lustrous and used in the dishes that need color, and a sweetish taste. The sauce should be added later than other ingredients in order to retain nutritious elements such as amino acids and sugars. However, this is not necessary when cooking green vegetables.

WHITE SUGAR

Made from sugar cane or sugar beet, white sugar is white crystal, pure and with high-intensity sweetness. It performs the following functions in cooking. Basically, it helps increase the sweetness, lighten the sourness and color the ingredients especially all kinds of meat. It is particularly a necessity in cooking sweet and sour dishes and dishes in hot toffee. It is also used to make the surface of the food glassy or frosty. Furthermore, it has the property of adherence, sterilizing and adding luster.

COOKING WINE

Cooking wine, a yellowish-brown seasoning, brewed from sticky rice and millet, is especially used for cooking dishes with aquatic ingredients and meat to remove the fishy smell and increase the aroma of the dish. Its strong permeability and can help to keep the food fresh for longer. Though cooking wine is preferable, beer and brandy can be used instead in its absence. In order to play its part into full, the best time to add cooking wine is when the temperature in the wok reaches its highest.

MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE

Used mainly to increase the freshness of the dishes, Monosodium Glutamate is a white crystalline seasoning, easily soluble in water. It can be used in dishes, soups and all sorts of sauces. It is composed primarily of sodium glutamate which is said can help cure chronic hepatitis, hepatic coma, nervous exhaustion and epilepsy. However, be mindful that sodium glutamate is converted into carcinogens if used at high temperatures, above 100 ℃ (212 ℉). Eating too much may also lead to stomach cancer.

PRICKLY ASH SEEDS

This particular spice, prickly ash seed, comprises claret or reddish-brown cones from prickly ash tree. It causes a slight numbness on the tongue, and is used mainly to remove a fishy smell. Mostly used in Sichuan Cuisine, prickly ash seeds are added in when the oil in the wok is hot and are removed when they turn black. The seeds can also be made into an oil or powder to be added to the dishes without being picked out. Prickly ash seed also has the effect of benefiting the stomach, dispelling cold, removing dampness and alleviating pain.

CINNAMON

From the bark of cinnamon tress, cinnamon is one of the earliest used spices. It is employed in cookery as a condiment and flavoring material. It is always tube-shaped and reddish-brown. Having a powerful aroma, cinnamon can help make the dishes not so fishy or greasy, necessary when cooking meat. Adding some cinnamon can help to prevent diabetes and to cure hyperplasia of the prostate. Cinnamon oil is also an important industrial flavoring. However, it also contains safrole which may cause cancer, so the less you eat the better.

CHICKEN BOUILLON

A special monosodium glutamate, chicken bouillon is a freshness enhancer, made from chicken powder, chicken bones and egg. It is granular form in yellow color, containing multiple amino acids, vitamins and protein. It can be used in all of the dishes and soups where monosodium glutamate used, having similar effect with monosodium glutamate but with higher nutrition. Chicken bouillon cannot only help increase people’s appetite, nut it can also supply human body with amino acids to enhance and maintain the cerebrum functions.

CHILI SAUCE

Red chili after salted or milled, chili sauce has been developed into a great variety by adding in different ingredients such as minced garlic, preserved beans, beef, peanuts, chicken, almonds and so on. The products sold in the market are mostly made through fermentation, bright red or brown in color. Chili sauce can be eaten with the food directly or used for cooking dishes as a kind of seasoning. In China, chili sauce made in Guilin is most renowned, reputed as the ‘Three Treasures of Guilin’ together with Guilin pickled tofu and Guilin Sanhua Jiu (a kind of rice liquor).

DRIED PIMIENTO

Fresh red chili after dried, dried pimiento is tapering or oblong fruits of pimiento, green while immature and red while fully ripe. It has low moisture and can be kept for a long time. It is a common seasoning used in Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan Cuisines. Dried pimientos are maily used in stir-frying and quick-frying, having the effect on improving and increasing appetite. However, since it is very spicy, eating too much would lead to dryness of the mouth, cough, sore throat and constipation.

PEPPER POWDER

A special seasoning in China, pepper powder is fruits of pepper trees after ground, produced in India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore as well as Guangdong and Hainan Provinces of China. There are two kinds of pepper power according to the color, one is white pepper powder made from the fully ripe fruits and the other is black pepper powder from the immature fruits. Black pepper powder is spicier than white pepper powder, mostly used in cooking seafood and entrails, while white pepper powder has greater medicinal properties.

STARCH

Also named thickening powder in cooking, starch used for cooking is mainly made from green beans, potatoes, wheat, lotus roots and corn. Among them, corn starch is the most commonly used because of its steady character, low price and good appearance is usually prepared with water an added into the dishes when almost ready to make the dishes smoother, fresher and more tender and lustrous through thickening the broth and sauce. Meanwhile, starch is also a necessity when coating all kinds of meat to stop the water in the meat escaping out when heated.

CARDAMOM (CAO GUO)

Fruits of cardamom tree, cardamom is oblong shaped in brown color, produced in Yunnan, Guangxi and Guizhou, China. It has strong spicy fragrance, mainly used for braising all kinds of meat to reduce the fishy smell and to improve the flavor. It can be used directly or ground into powder. Cardamom powder can be used as a kind of spice used for stir-frying dishes. Furthermore, cardamom is also a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, having the functions of strengthening the stomach, promoting digestion and dispelling wind and dampness from the body.

LESSER GALANGAL (LIANG JIANG)

Also named Alpinia officinarum Hance, Lesser galangal is the root of Alpinia officinarum, cylindrical-shaped and in reddish-brown or dark-brown color. There are gray brown wavy junctions every 0.5-1 cm on its surface. It smells fragrant and tastes spicy. It is usually used in spicy sauce for salting meat or ground into power as one of the ingredients of the ‘Five Powder Spices’ (wu xiang fen) in China. It’s said that lesser galangal powder is also used in curry dishes, rum and beer in some districts of Far East.

KAEMPFERIA GALANGA (SHAN NAI)

A common spice used in Sichuan Cuisine, Kaempferia Galanga is mostly round-shaped sections, with light brown or yellowish brown skin and white section. It has a special fragrance and tastes spicy, mainly produced in Guangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong and Taiwan in China. In cooking, it is mostly used in hotpot, salted vegetable and preserved vegetable in Sichuan. It is also used for cooking chicken by Cantonese. Meanwhile, it is also a herbal medicine, having functions of warming spleen and stomach and relieving swelling and pain.

WHITE CARDAMON (BAI DOU KOU)

Dry fruits of White Cardamon trees, White Cardamon are spherical, having unapparent dull prisms on the yellow-white skin. It smells fragrant but tastes cold-pungent, mainly produced in Vietnam and Thailand. It used for cooking all kinds of meat soups, salted meat and chicken to get rid of the peculiar and fishy smells and increase the fragrance. It is also an ingredient of curry powder and a herbal medicine. It’s said that White Cardamon was also used as the main ingredients of perfume in ancient Greece and Rome Times.

STAR ANISE(DA HUI XIANG)

In the shape of stars, Star Anise is also the fruit of Star Anise trees, produced in Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces in China. It is hard and brittle in purple-brown color, with smooth and lustrous appearance. It is one of the ingredients of the ‘Five Powder Spices’ (wu xiang fen) in China, necessary for cooking all kinds of meat to get rid of the fishy smell and increase the fragrance. Star Anise is usually added in the dish at the very beginning of the cooking in order to fully dissolve its fragrance and make the meat mellower.

FENNEL SEEDS(HUI XIANG)

Seeds of fennel plants, Fennel Seeds are similar to unhusked rice grains in shape and grey in color, having a hot flavor. Besides the seeds, stems and leaves of fennel plants are also used as the stuff of dumplings and steamed buns (baozi). As a seasoning, Fennel Seeds are used for cooking meat, seafood and wheaten food in China, while they are used in curry or eaten after meals to remove the smelly breath after roasted with sugar in India. As a herbal medicine, they can help warm livers and kidney, alleviate pain and regulate qi-flowing for harmonizing stomach.

COOKINGEQUIPMENT

Chinese Chopping board

Rice Cooker

Deep Fryer

USING CHOPSTICKS

Would you eat a sandwich with a spoon? Or use a fork to eat ice cream? Certain foods require the appropriate utensil. Asian foods are no exception: they seem to taste better eaten with chopsticks. And although some of us were raised using chopsticks, it can be an awkward experience for the rest of us. Fortunately, learning to eat with chopsticks is a simple matter, as this tutorial shows. Many of us labor under a misperception about chopsticks--that both sticks are moved together in your hand as you pick up a morsel. This is only half-true. Instead you'll be holding one chopsticks in place while pivoting the other one to meet it. Simple, eh?

STEP 1 - POSITION THE CHOPSTICKS

Place the first chopstick so that thicker part rests at the base of your thumb and the thinner part rests on the lower side of your middle fingertip.Bring your thumb forward so that it traps the stick firmly in place. At least two or three inches of chopstick should extend beyond your fingertip.Now position the other chopstick so that it is held against the side of your index finger by the end of your thumb. (As if you were holding a pencil)Press the ends of both sticks on the plate, while holding them at a slight angle to the table. Allow them to slide just a little so that the ends line up.

STEP 2 - PIVOT THE TOP CHOPSTICK

Step 2 - Pivot the top chopstickPlace a little pressure on the top chopstick. It will pivot on your index finger and thumb. Remember: the bottom chopstick is stationary. Your thumb will stay fairly stationary, while the index and middle fingers are used to move the top chopstick. The tip of the top chopstick will move towards the tip of the bottom chopstick. Encourage this. Hold those tips together firmly enough to grasp a piece of food and lift it off the plate. Place delicately into your waiting mouth. Although there's no need to stoop, you may wish to lean over your plate a bit during your first attempts. It might save you a clean-up. That's about it. Have a little practice, use mini-marshmallows or some other small food items, and you'll be able to use chopsticks with the best of 'em.

CHINESE MENU

SOUPAlva's "Jook" - Chinese Style Turkey Soup (Reader Favorite)Bok Choy Chicken SoupChicken and Spinach SoupChicken StockChinese Mushroom Soup Recipe - Dan's Special Shroomy Mushroom SoupCrabmeat and Cream Corn SoupCream Corn SoupEgg Drop (Egg Flower) SoupHealthy Spinach SoupHot and Sour SoupPho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)Red Bean Soup (Sweet Red Bean Dessert Soup)Salty Soybean Milk SoupSizzling Rice SoupSweet Black Sesame SoupSweetcorn Soup With CrabmeatSweet Red Bean SoupTomato Egg Drop (Egg Flower) SoupWatercress SoupWest Lake Beef SoupWinter Melon SoupWon ton Soup

CREAM CORN SOUP (WITH CRABMEAT)

Cook Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 15 minutesIngredients:5 cups homemade chicken stock or storebought chicken broth 1 1/4 cups canned creamed corn 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar Black or white pepper, to taste 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry 3/4 cup cooked crabmeat, or cooked diced ham 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water 2 egg whites, lightly beaten 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil, or to taste 2 green onions (spring onions), finely chopped for garnish, optional

PREPARATION:1. Bring the broth or stock to a boil in a saucepan

over medium heat. Stir in the creamed corn and bring back to a boil (about 3 minutes).

2.Stir in the salt, sugar, white pepper, rice wine or sherry and cooked crabmeat. Cook for about 2 minutes to bring back to a boil again.

3.Give the cornstarch and water mixture a quick re-stir, and then pour into the boiling soup, stirring to thicken. When the soup has thickened, remove the saucepan from the heat.

4. Pour the egg whites into the soup in a steady stream, and quickly stir in a clockwise direction until they form thin shreds.

5. Add the sesame oil and the green onions garnish if using.

SALADIngredients:6 medium red potatoes (about 2 pounds) , cut into chunks . Dressing: 5 tablespoons rice vinegar 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese light soy sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, according to taste 3/4 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon chile paste, or to taste 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped . Other: 2 ribs celery, strung and chopped on the diagonal 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 stalk bok choy, green leaf shredded, white stalk chopped on the diagonal 1/4 cup chopped green onion

PREPARATION:Preparation:1. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, olive oil, light and dark soy sauce, Asian sesame oil, sugar, chile paste and garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the potatoes.

2. In a large saucepan, bring the potatoes, salt and enough water to cover to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender (about 20 minutes). Drain.

3. Whisk the dressing again and then add it to the potatoes in a large bowl. Toss to mix thoroughly. Let the potatoes cool, then mix in the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Stir the salad again before serving.

RICE

Basic Cooked RiceCantonese Chicken in Rice (Wat Gai Fan) Congee:Basic CongeeAlva's "Jook" - Chinese Style Turkey SoupCongee (Jook) With TurkeyFried Rice:Basic Fried RiceChicken Fried RiceFried Rice With HamPearl Balls (Steamed Porkballs in Glutinous Rice)Pork Fried RiceQuick and Easy Pineapple Fried RiceShrimp Fried RiceSun Ya RiceTaiwanese Style Fried RiceYangchow (Yangzhou) Fried Rice

MAIN COURSE

Baked Chicken Chow MeinBeef and Broccoli Lo Mein with Oyster Sauce (uses Ramen Noodles)Beef Chow Fun (Quick and Easy)Beef Lo MeinChicken Chow MeinChar Kway TeowChinese Noodles in Peanut Sauce (Reader favorite)Cold Noodles with Sesame SauceEasy Dan Dan Noodles (step by step photo instructions)Hot and Sour Shrimp Lo MeinLongevity NoodlesNoodles with Meat Sauce MixturePan-fried NoodlesShanghai Pan-fried NoodlesPork Lo Mein With Ramen Noodles

NOODLES

Shanghai Stir-fried NoodlesShanghai Stir-fried Noodles With Chicken For TwoSingapore Noodles (with shrimp)Singapore Curried Rice Noodles (with barbecued pork)Szechuan Noodles Szechuan Noodles (Reader Submitted Recipe)Three Flavored Lo MeinTofu and Cashew Chow MeinTurkey Chow Mein

SWEET AND SOUR PORKIngredients:3/4 pound pork tenderloin 2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce Pinch of cornstarch Sauce: 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons ketchup 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup water or reserved pineapple juice 1/4 cup vinegar 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water Batter: 1/3 cup flour 1/3 cup cornstarch 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon vegetable oil  1/3 cup warm water, as needed Other: 1 carrot 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 green bell pepper 1/2 cup pineapple chunks 3 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed

PREPARATION:Directions for sweet and sour porkCut the pork into 1-inch cubes. Marinate in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar. Set aside. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Set aside.

Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.

Heat the oil for deep--frying to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch. Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil. Add as much of the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too dry or too moist. (The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon).

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep-fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry the pork until it is golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.

(If desired you can deep-fry the pork at second time to make it extra crispy. Make sure the oil is back up to 375 before you begin deep-frying again).

To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple. Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture, stirring. Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired. Serve hot over the deep-fried pork. Serve the sweet and sour pork over rice.

DESSERTAlmond CookiesAlmond FloatAsian Style Snap - Orange Almond BiscuitBananas in Cinnamon Coconut Sauce (Indonesian)Bird's Nest with Rock Sugar SoupBow TiesCandied Banana FrittersChinese Steamed Sponge CakeChinese Sponge Cake with Coconut IcingChocolate Fusion FondueCoconut BallsCoconut Ice CreamDofu faDurian Ice CreamEight Precious PuddingFive Spice PeanutsFortune Cookie RecipeFresh Ginger Ice CreamGreen Tea Cakes (Japan)Hot Bananas in Coconut Milk (Indonesian)Mango Ice CreamMango PuddingMooncakesNian Gao (Chinese New Year Cake)Peking DustRaspberry Almond FloatRed Bean PasteRed Bean SoupSago CakesSesame CookiesSesame Seed Fried CustardSteamed PearsSteamed Chinese Fruitcake (Sticky Cake)Sweet Almond SauceSweet Red Bean SoupThick & Creamy Pineapple Tofu ShakeWalnut Cookies

THANK YOU