Vegetables in China

Chinese Vegetables - The Essentials
1.Cut vegetables first then wash and drain them and keep them aside
2. Using frozen vegetables - thaw them completely and all excess moisture must be drained off.
3. In Asia, including China, vegetables (and especially green leafy vegetables) are washed after cutting and just before use. It is believed that washing starts the softening process in veggies and the integrity of the vegetables must be preserved. For the same reason vegetables should be kept in the refrigerator.
4. Green leafy vegetables if washed too much in advance may rot and wilt.
5. Chinese cooking also uses spices and seasonings like star anise, fennel seed, chilli, cilanro, mint and garlic and ginger.
The Soy curd and the soy sauce - both Chinese inventions have put Chinese cuisine on the vegetarian map. China's use of bean pastes, pickled vegetables and mushrooms add depth to vegetables and vegetarian cuisine.


Cooking Vegetables the Chinese way
1. Leafy vegetables are washed, then cut and used right away for stir frying.
2. Other greens may be washed and then parboiled till they turn bright green and the they are removed and plunged briefly into cold water to retain their color, then they are set aside, ready to be cooked with the other ingredients
3. Vegetables like carrots, cabbage and brussel sprouts are parboiled and set aside
3. Fresh, crisp, brightly colored and well chilled vegetables tossed in sesame oils, soy and sweetner with chili sauce make great Chinese salads.

                                           中国蔬菜

做中国菜的基本要素：
1、 先切菜，后洗菜，最后再把菜沥干
2、 在使用冷冻蔬菜的时候，要先让它充分解冻，一直把多余的水分全部沥干为止
3、 在亚洲，包括中国在内，蔬菜一般都是先切后洗（特别是一些绿叶蔬菜），因为人们认为洗菜会使蔬菜的表面受损，而蔬菜需要保留的正是它的完整性。同样的原因，蔬菜还应当保存在冰箱里。
4、 绿叶蔬菜如果洗的过早，容易腐烂、枯萎。
5、 中式烹饪也使用一些调味料和作料，像八角茴香，小茴香，红辣椒，薄荷以及姜和蒜。
中国人发明的豆酱和酱油把中式烹饪摆到了素食主义的位置，中国对豆酱，泡菜和蘑菇的使用进一步增加了素菜和素食烹饪的内涵。

中式素菜的做法：
1、 先把绿叶蔬菜洗了切好，准备炒
2、 其他的一些蔬菜洗好后，则先要用热水烫一下，等到全部变成翠绿色后，捞起投入冷水中以保持它本身的绿色，然后放在一边，准备和其他的作料一起炒。
3、像胡萝卜，卷心菜，小洋白菜这一类的蔬菜要先烫一下，然后放置一边待用
4、那些用香油，酱油，甜味料以及辣椒酱凉拌的蔬菜，不仅又香又脆，而且色泽光鲜，是一道很棒的中式色拉。