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You may get confused by
terms such as sauteing, marinades, stir-fry and
deep-fry for you just start learning Chinese
cooking. In fact they are all cooking methods in
Chinese cuisine. In this tip, you are going to be
familiar with the following 8 basic cooking methods.
In the following tips, we will talk more about
stir-fry and deep-fry.
Frying
Chinese cooking uses many
methods of frying, including
several types of deep-frying,
"slippery-frying,"
"quick-frying," and several
types of stir-frying.
Deep-frying (zha)
In deep-frying(zha),
ingredients are fried in four
to six cups of vegetable or
peanut oil over a high heat.
Dry deep-frying (gan zha)
In dry deep-frying(gan zha),
foods are given a thick
coating of
cornstarch (corn flour) before being
fried. They come out very
crisp outside and tender
inside.
Clear deep-frying (qing zha)
In clear deep-frying(qing
zha), the foods are not coated
with
cornstarch before being
cooked.
Flaky deep-frying (su zha)
In flaky deep-frying(su zha),
foods are parboiled or steamed
until they are almost cooked
through. Then they are dipped
in a thick batter of
cornstarch and water and
cooked in boiling oil until
the coating turns crisp and
flaky.
Soft deep-frying (ruan zha)
In soft deep-frying (ruan
zha), the ingredients are not
precooked, but are given a
light coating of
cornstarch
before being fried. They come
out tender but not crisp.
Chinese cooking also uses
two techniques for deep-frying
ingredients in wrappers.
Paper-wrapped deep-frying (zhibao
zha)
In paper-wrapped
deep-frying (zhibao zha), the
food is wrapped in sheets made
of glutinous rice flour.
Crisp deep-frying (cui zha)
In crisp deep-frying (cui
zha), the wrappers are made of
dry bean-curd sheets.
Both methods involve first
deep-frying the packets of
food in moderately warm oil
over a high heat and crisping
them by frying them briefly
when the oil comes to a boil.
Slippery-frying (liu)
Slippery-frying (liu)
involves two processes. The
ingredients are deep-fried and
then covered with a
cornstarch-based sauce
prepared in a separate pot
during the frying or
immediately afterward. When
the sauce is poured over the
food, it results in a texture
as slippery as satin. Foods
prepared this way are
fragrant, crisp, and tender.
Deep-frying before
stir-frying (peng)
In deep-frying before
stir-frying (peng), foods are
deep-fried in very hot oil
until cooked. Then the excess
oil is poured out and a sauce
which unlike slippery-frying
does not contain
cornstarch
is
added. The dish is stir-fried
for a few moments to blend the
ingredients before being
served. Dishes prepared this
way are crisp outside and
tender inside , with each
morsel covered in a velvety
sauce.
Quick-frying (bao)
In quick-frying (bao),
foods are deep-fried in very
hot oil over high heat and
then the oil is poured out and
seasonings are added to the
food, which is left in the
wok.
Chinese cooking
distinguishes four types of
stir-frying (chao). In all
four types, ingredients are
cut into small cubes, strips,
shreds, or slices, and cooked
over high heat in a few
tablespoons of very hot oil in
a wok. The technique of
stir-frying involves using a
flat scoop to toss and turn
the ingredients so they cook
evenly in the oil. Sometimes
the wok is also shaken.
Stir-frying usually takes only
a few minutes. The food must
be removed as soon as it is
cooked to guarantee its fresh
flavor and crunchy-tender
texture.
Raw stir-frying (sheng chao
or bian)
In raw stir-frying (sheng
chao or bian), raw ingredients
are quickly stir-fried,
resulting in a fresh, tender
dish with little sauce.
Stir-frying pre-cooked food
(shu chao)
In stir-frying pre-cooked
food (shu chao), the
ingredients are parboiled or
precooked before being
stir-fried.
Soft stir-frying (ruan chao)
In soft stir-frying (ruan
chao), the food to be
stir-fried is coated with a
batter before being cooked.
There is also
stir-frying
without coating (gan chao).
Sauteing
Chinese cooking uses three
methods of sauteing, which is
also called "shallow-cooking."
Sauteing uses much less oil
than deep-frying and is done
at lower temperatures than
stir-frying. Ingredients are
usually cut into slices or
flat pieces. Seasonings are
added after the food is
browned.
Sauteing on both sides (jian)
In sauteing on both sides (jian),
foods are browned slowly on
both sides in oil but do not
have a coating.
Sauteing on one side (tie)
Sauteing on one side (tie)
means browning batter-coated
foods on one side only.
sauteing followed by
cooking in sauce (ta)
In sauteing followed by
cooking in sauce (ta), foods
are coated in a batter and
sauteed on both sides. Then a
sauce is added and the dish is
simmered until the sauce
thickens. The food will be
soft inside, but with some
crispness outside, and the
thickened sauce will be
slippery.
Braising, Stewing, Boiling
and Simmering
Chinese cooking has many
methods of cooking foods in
liquids.
Stewing one kind of meat (ao)
Stewing one kind of meat (ao)
means slow-cooking chunks,
slices, cubes, or shreds of
meat after first stir-frying
them briefly until the
surfaces have lost their raw
look but before the insides
are cooked. Seasonings and
broth are added and the liquid
is brought to a boil. Then the
heat is turned down and the
meat simmers slowly until
done. The sauce is not
thickened.
precooking before stewing (hui)
In precooking before stewing (hui),
several ingredients are
parboiled or precooked before
being placed in one pot for
slow simmering. Unlike ao, the
final step involves thickening
the sauce.
Stewing over low heat (men)
Stewing over low heat (men)
resembles braising. The meat
is stir-fried briefly to
brown. Then seasonings and a
sauce are added and the dish
simmers over low heat until
the sauce is almost all
reduced.
Stewing over medium, then
high, heat (shoo)
Stewing over medium, then
high, heat (shoo) means
braising foods over medium
heat until tender, then
turning the heat to high to
reduce the sauce.
Both of the above methods
can be applied to
"red-cooking," or braising in soy sauce. The soy sauce
imparts the reddish look that
gives this technique its name.
Stewing meats with bones (ju)
Stewing meats with bones (ju)
is similar to the above
methods, but the meat or
poultry is first marinated in
rice-wine and soy sauce. Then
it is deep-fried before being
simmered in sauce and water.
The meat is not boned.
Stewing and adding thickening
(pa)
Stewing and adding thickening
(pa) is similar to stewing
meats with bones, but the
sauce is thickened with
cornstarch instead of being
reduced and thickened by
simmering.
In quick-boiling in broth (cuan),
thinly-sliced ingredients are
cooked quickly in a boiling
clear broth, or in water.
Dip-boiling (shuan)
In dip-boiling (shuan), as
with the "hot pot" dishes
referred to earlier, diners
pick up morsels of meat,
seafood and vegetables and
cook them by dipping them into
boiling water or stock in a
fire-pot.
Boiling (zhu)
Boiling (zhu) simply refers to
cooking ingredients in a large
amount of water over high
heat. The sauce is reduced and
the food comes out tender. No
cornstarch
is used. The gravy
or sauce is rich but light and
fresh.
Simmering (one of several
forms of dun)
In simmering (one of several
forms of dun), foods are put
into cold water and brought to
boil. Then seasonings are
added and the heat is reduced
for long, slow cooking.
Simmering over high heat (wei)
Simmering over high heat (wei)
also starts with cold water,
as in dun, but the food is
cooked at high heat over a
long period. This method
tenderizes tougher meats and
poultry and yields a thick,
heavy sauce.
Simmering over charcoal (wo)
In simmering over charcoal (wo),
the food is cooked over very
low heat from a charcoal
burner for three or four
hours. This gives it a
delicate flavor and a soft,
tender texture.
Steaming
Chinese cooking uses two
methods of steaming, or
cooking foods over, rather
than in, liquids.
Basic steaming (zheng)
In basic steaming (zheng), the
ingredients are placed in a
heat-proof container with a
seasoned sauce. Then the
container is placed in a
steamer partially filled with
water and set over high heat.
The food cooks quickly in the
vapor and is removed when
barely done. The result is
fresh and tender.
Placing one tightly-closed
pot inside a larger pot
(steaming dun)
Another form of steaming
involves placing one
tightly-closed pot inside a
larger pot (steaming dun). In
this method, the ingredients,
a seasoned sauce, and a large
amount of stock go into one
pot, which must have a
tight-fitting lid. The pot is
half-immersed in boiling water
in another larger pot and
steams for two or three hours.
The result is very soft.
Flavor-Potting
This method refers to stewing
foods in a highly-flavored
sauce (see the section on
"Stocks and Flavoring Sauces"
below) that permeates the
dish.
Basic flavor-potting (lu)
means stewing the food in a
mixture of soy sauce, rice
wine, sugar, salt, red
fermented rice mash, and
five-spice powder,
scallions,
ginger, chicken stock and
water. The food cooks over low
heat for several hours and
comes out tender and full of
flavor.
Marinating and
flavor-potting (jiang) adds
the step of marinating the
food in salt, soy sauce, and
soybean paste (also known as
ground bean sauce) before it
is stewed in the
flavor-potting sauce.
Smoking
Chinese cooking treats smoking
and roasting as similar
methods.
Smoking(xun)
In smoking (xun), foods are
parcooked and then cured in
smoke from burning wood or
peanut shells.
Roasting (Kao)
In roasting (kao), raw
ingredients are marinated in
seasonings before being
roasted in an oven or
barbecued over direct heat
from a coal or charcoal
burner.
Marinades
Marinades are an essential
part of many Chinese recipes
and marinating may take place
before or after ingredients
are cooked.
Ban
In ban, raw foods or those
that have been cooked and
cooled are cut into small
pieces and mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame
oil. Other seasonings, such as
garlic,
ginger, sesame paste,
sugar, or ground peppercorns,
may also be added to heighten
the flavor.
Qiang
In qiang, the main ingredient
in the marinade is peppercorn
oil, mixed with other
seasonings and poured over
foods that have first been
parboiled or partial fried.
Yan
The yan method of marinating
uses saltwater brine, water,
or liquor. In salt-marinating,
the food is soaked in brine,
which draws out the moisture
from the food so it can better
absorb the seasonings in the
marinade that follows.
Wine-marinating is similar to
salt-marinating, but uses
fermented rice liquor instead
of seasonings in the marinade.
Finally, the Chinese
specially called
"drunk-marinating" means
soaking live food, especially
seafood such as shrimps, in a
clear liquor and then
marinating them in salt. Then
the food is often eaten while
still alive (see recipe
"Drunken Fresh Shrimps").
Sugar and
Syrup Coating
Chinese cooking has three
methods of coating foods with
sugar or syrups.
Spinning
In spinning a thread of syrup
(basi), the ingredients are
deep-fried or boiled before
being dipped into sugar that
has been melted in either oil
or water and cooked until it
thickens and spins a thread.
Preserving in syrup (mizhi)
In preserving in syrup (mizhi),
foods are partially cooked and
then boiled in a sugar and
honey sauce until the syrup
thickens.
Coating with frost (guashuang)
In coating with frost (guashuang),
foods are cooked by
deep-frying while sugar is
melted with water or oil in
another pot to make a white
syrup. When the food is mixed
with the syrup, it looks as if
it is covered with a layer of
frost.
Sauces
and Gravies
Thickening the liquids in the
pan into a sauce or gravy is
often the last step in a
recipe, and can be crucial to
the success of a dish.
Sauces are made either by
stirring a mixture of
cornstarch that has been
dissolved in an equal amount
of water into the liquid and
cooking it until it thickens,
or by making a sauce or gravy
in another pan and pouring it
over the dish just before it
is served.
Sauces help blend the
flavors of all the
ingredients, impart an added
aroma, and give the dish a
shiny, glistening finish.
Chinese recipes usually
rely on two kinds of gravies.
The first is a mixture of
cornstarch, soy sauce or salt,
sugar, vinegar,
MSG, and a
little water. It is usually
used for stir-fried and
slippery-fried dishes and is
added to the pan at the last
stage of cooking.
The other way to make gravy
is to add seasonings gradually
while the dish cooks and to
thicken it at the last minute
with
cornstarch and water.
This lets the flavors of the
seasonings permeate the food
and is generally used with
long, low-heat cooking
methods.
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