Learning How To Make Chinese Food The Expert Tips For Beginners
It is interesting how some Chinese foods you order in Chinese takeout are delivered with a short period. It may come as a surprise, especially if you are new to Chinese recipes. While there are some of their meal plans which are pre-cooked, several others are just easy to make, and are easy to learn even for beginners. The million-dollar question is, how to make Chinese food, more so if you are new to cooking.
Below is a list of foods that are easy to prepare, since they do not require much effort. Therefore, you won’t have to spend an entire day in the kitchen.
Fried Rice
This is probably the first food that anyone interested in Chinese Cuisine can learn. The benefit of beginning from fried rice is the fact that it gives you an opportunity to gain experience with woks, frying pans, and other cooking equipment. Additionally, you learn the use of some basic ingredients and condiments in the kitchen.
Fried Rice
If it is your first time cooking fried rice, you will need the following ingredients: eggs, green onions, salt, oyster sauce, and soy sauce. Once you can prepare the meal using the basic recipes that are available in this blog, or any other kitchen online forums, you can advance to adding meat and vegetables to the fried. Those simple ingredients convert the side dish into a quick meal. Simple. And that is why some people consider it the easiest meal, and the same reason it is the first dish on how to make Chinese food.
Oyster Sauce Chicken
While going through different Chinese recipes, you must have realized that the use of oyster sauce as an ingredient is a commonplace in most kitchens. That is because it imparts a unique umami flavor, which combines a little bit of a combination of salt and sweet. The other reason is the easy availability-you can never miss it in any Asian market.
Oyster Sauce Chicken
By trying out oyster sauce chicken, you will get a one of a kind experiences with the sauce. The recipe is simple with the main ingredients being chicken (thighs) and basic vegetables prepared in a frying pan containing simmering combination of oyster sauce, wine, soy sauce and broth or chicken stock.
The dish is served with rice, and can take a maximum of 30 minutes. An ideal choice for busy nights.
Pepper Steak Stir-Fry
While most dishes in Chinese are prepared with chicken, there are also delicious steak recipe. A classic example is the pepper steak stir-fry. For a super easy steak recipe, the pepper steak stir-fry is a good starting point.
Pepper Steak Stir-Fry
The recipe involves simmering beef in soy sauce broth for 30 minutes, after which tomatoes and bell peppers are added. Other ingredients used in flavoring the food include baby corn and garlic. To get a thicker consistency of the soup, you should consider adding corn starch slurry. It is worth noting that the cornstarch loses its potency when refrigerated. Therefore, if there are left-overs, do not be caught aback when the soup thins. The meal is generally impressive, and for them who know little about meal preparation will not know how little effort you actually required to pull this off.
Basic Beef Stir Fry
Stir-fry is a common cooking technique used in several Chinese cuisines. The recipe has featured on how to make Chinese food since it basically involves frying food in quick oil, while stirring it and swirling the pan. It is very easy.
A good starting point is stir-fried beef with vegetables. Actually, this is a traditional Chinese beef stir-fry recipe. First, you will be required to marinate the beef chops in marinade made with a combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, and rice wine. The beef and vegetables are cooked separately, after which they are combined in a quick stir fry using a homemade sauce.
Basic Beef Stir Fry
The only intimidating part in this recipe is preparation of the marinade, and homemade sauce. While it is relatively easy, getting a fine combination only comes through experience. That is because with time, you will get to understand the basic flavors offered by the different ingredients in the marinade, and you can adjust them to suit your taste. Nonetheless, you can opt to begin with a ready-made sauce like Kikkoman, and frozen vegetable mix. An advantage of following this route is that you will focus more on cooking technique instead of preparing the sauce only.
Orange Pork Chops Stir Fry
Pork is a base ingredient in Chinese food. It is used in making egg rolls, dumpling and several main dishes. Also, it can be a perfect substitute for beef in most of the dishes, yet produce amazing results. Due to the commonality of Pork in Chinese cuisines, a guide on how to make Chinese food cannot be complete without it featuring prominently.
Orange Pork Chops Stir Fry
Orange pork chop stir fry is prepared using bite size pork chops, preferably boneless. For this recipe, the first step involves marinating the pork, with a home-made marinade of your choice, after which it is stir fried with vegetables with a mix of soy and orange juice.
Cantonese Steamed Chicken
Unknown to many, there are healthy food options in Chinese cuisines, especially those which are prepared by steaming. Cantonese steamed chicken is a good example of one of these food options. The recipe has made the list, since it comes in handy in helping you equip your kitchen, especially with essential steaming equipment which many people overlook when stocking their cabinet, such as the round bamboo steamers.
Cantonese Steamed Chicken
The first step in making Cantonese steamed chicken involves marinating the chicken in a simple marinade made by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil and wine. The chicken is then placed in a steamer tray, alongside some mushrooms. For flavoring, additional ingredients such as chopped green onions, and crushed garlic and ginger are added. The contents are then steamed for 30 minutes, after which it will be ready.
Serve it with either fried or white rice.
Final Thought
How to make Chinese food should not be as difficult as most people make it out to be. You can start with the simple recipes, such as the ones mentioned in this blog post, and with time, advance to more sophisticated cooking. The more recipes you try, the better cook you become.
Happy Cooking!
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