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Chinese Cooking - Basic Tips
1. General Chinese Cooking Principles:
Try to vary the meat and vegetables in a dish, so that there is an interesting variety of flavors, textures, and colors. The Chinese believe it is important to find balance and harmony in every aspect of life, including food.
Fresh is best: always use fresh ingredients when possible.
Be sure to have everything prepared before you start cooking: the vegetables washed, drained and cut; the meat cut and marinated; the sauces prepared.
2. Chinese Cooking Equipment:
While you don't absolutely need one, a wok is the one piece of cooking equipment you may want to purchase before you start cooking Chinese food.
While it's nice to own one, you don't need a cleaver to cook Chinese food.
3. Preparing Vegetables:
Wash green, leafy vegetables ahead of time. This gives them more time to drain so they will not be too wet when you stir-fry.
Place all the cut vegetables on a tray or cooking sheet. That way, you won't forget anything. Just be careful not to mix them up, as cooking times will vary among vegetables.
4. Stir-frying Vegetables:
When stir-frying vegetables, cook the toughest and thickest vegetables for a longer period than the softer, leafy vegetables. Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and cabbage need to be cooked longer than bok choy, which in turn is cooked longer than snow peas or bean sprouts.
If you are uncertain in which order to cook vegetables, simply stir-fry them separately. Never overcook.
5. Tofu (Bean Curd):
For stir-frying or deep-frying, use firm or extra-firm tofu. Firm tofu will keep its shape and not fall apart in the wok.
Drain the tofu before using, as this allows it to absorb the other flavors in the dish.
6. Meat and Fish:
Always marinate fresh meat.
If a marinade calls for cornstarch, add it last. It will act as a binder.
Always cut beef across the grain. This helps make it more tender.
Cut the meat into uniform pieces so that it will cook more evenly.
When cooking meat or poultry, make sure that the wok is very hot before adding the food.
If preparing stir-fried meat and vegetables, stir-fry the meat first and set it aside. Usually you will return it to the wok with a sauce during the final stages of cooking.
7. Cooking With Oil:
When adding oil for stir-frying, drizzle the oil down the sides of the wok.
When deep-frying, to tell if the oil is hot enough, simply stick a chopstick in the wok. When the oil sizzles all around it, you can begin adding the food.
8. Sauce and Seasoning Tips:
Always use fresh ginger, not powdered.
If desired, use sugar as a substitute for MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).
The formula for mixing cornstarch and water is 1 to 2 or 1 to 4: for example, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water.
Don’t use more cornstarch than called for in the recipe.
9. Rice:
For best results when cooking rice, use long grain rice.
When making fried rice, use cold cooked rice, preferably at least one day old.
Finally, remember that, in the immortal words of one of my favorite cooking teachers: "the two most important things about Chinese cooking are a hot stove and a sharp knife."
中式烹饪—小贴士
1、尽量把肉和蔬菜放在一起炒，这样的话菜就会有不同的味道，口感和色泽。中国人认为找到生活中各个方面的平衡与和谐是很重要的，同样做菜也不例外。
新鲜的就是最好的，如果可以的话，尽量使用新鲜的材料来做菜。
在你开始炒之前，你要确保所有材料都已经准备好：蔬菜要洗好，沥干，切好；肉要切好并浸泡在卤汁中；调味料也要准备好
2、中式烹饪需要准备的炊具：
即使你确实不需要，但是锅确是你在做菜之前必须得买的炊具之一。
3、准备蔬菜：
提前把绿叶蔬菜洗好，这样的话，可以让菜有更多的时间把水沥干，炒的时候就不会那么湿了。
把切好的蔬菜放在托盘里，或者烹饪用的纸上。这样的话，你就不会忘记任何材料。千万不要把蔬菜混在一起了，因为不同的蔬菜其烹饪时间是不同的。
4、炒蔬菜
炒蔬菜的时候，那些比较难炒比较厚的蔬菜则要比绿叶蔬菜炒得时间长一些。像胡萝卜，西兰花和卷心菜一类的蔬菜则要比小白菜炒得时间长，而小白菜又要比荷兰豆和豆芽炒得时间
长。
豆腐：
用来炒或者炸的豆腐，要硬实一点的。比较硬实的豆腐在炒的时候才能保持它原来的形状，不会散开。
豆腐在使用前先要沥一下水，这样可以让它更好的吸收其他菜的味道。
6、肉和鱼：
通常要先把新鲜的肉在卤汁里浸泡一下。
如果卤汁里面需要加一些玉米淀粉的话，最后再加进去。它的作用就像是粘合剂一样，把肉粘合在一起。切牛肉的时候，要垂直于肉的纹理来切。这样切可以使它更为鲜嫩。
肉要切成大小统一的片，这样才能炒得比较均匀。
当炒猪肉或者家禽肉的时候，在放入肉之前，先确保锅足够烫。
如果是准备炒肉和蔬菜，先把肉炒一下，放在一边备用。通常最后一步你还是会把它倒回锅里和其他的调味料看一起炒。
7、用油烹饪：
炒前往锅里倒油的时候，要沿着锅的边缘，慢慢地往里倒。当炸时候，如果想看锅里的油热了没有，最简单的方法就是伸一根筷子到锅里。当油在筷子的周围发出嘶嘶声的时候，你就可以放入食物一起炒了。
8、有关调味料和调味汁的一些小技巧：
总是用新鲜的生姜，但是也不要切的太碎。
如果有需要，可以用白糖作为味精的替代品。
玉米淀粉和水混合的比例应该是1比2，或者1比4，例如，一大勺玉米淀粉则需要两大勺水。
使用玉米淀粉时不要多于食谱的要求。
9、米饭
要想蒸出好的米饭，就要用长颗粒的米来做。
当做炒饭的时候，要使用冷米饭，最好是前一天的米饭。
最后要谨记的是，我最喜欢的烹调老师的一句名言：中式烹饪最重要的两样东西是滚烫的火炉和锋利的菜刀。
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