Introduction
When I first ate Chinese food in the UK in the 1970s, it was really quite unappealing. Everything came in a dismal sauce and seemed to taste the same, due to the excessive use of sodium glutamate, supposedly a flavor enhancer, but actually nothing of the sort. Then in the 1980s came a new breed of Chinese restaurant (at least it took that long to reach the provinces) that provided lighter and tastier Chinese cuisine, showing the regional differences. However, it had one drawback, that this new type of restaurant was much more expensive than the original cheap and tacky ones. As a result, I thought how nice it would be to cook Chinese food at home, but I had no idea where to start until BBC TV came to my rescue in the form of Ken CBE, a US-born chef of Cantonese parents.
Ken presented Chinese cuisine in such an easy-to-understand way, demonstrating techniques and suggesting alternative ingredients if the originals are not available at your local supermarket. The book that accompanied the series, Ken chef Chinese Cooking, became my bible and I still have my copy, the pages stained with drops of oil and streaks of sauce.
To help you on your journey to cooking Chinese food at home, I'll briefly cover the basic equipment, ingredients and techniques you need to know to make simple and tasty meals. I hope you enjoy the article and that it inspires you to cook!
Ingredients
Before you rush out and buy the entire Chinese section of the supermarket, keep in mind that some ingredients don't store well when not in use. Just pick something simple from the selected cookbook and buy the things you need to make it, then you can expand your selection as you progress through the different dishes.
Some common cupboard ingredients you will almost certainly need are dark and light soy sauce, some type of cooking oil and sesame oil, cornmeal and rice wine or sherry. For more information, see my article Chinese Cooking - Ingredients and Equipment.
Frying with constant stirring
The most famous Chinese cooking technique is frying. This is where your wok comes in handy, as its shape and size (at least 14 inches in diameter with deep sides) is ideal for quick cooking. The secret to successful frying is to have all the ingredients prepared in advance.
The meat should be cut according to the recipe, but usually into thin strips. Vegetables as well, but in any case should be of a similar shape and size to ensure even cooking. Long, thin vegetables such as spring onions, carrots or asparagus are often cut on the diagonal, exposing more surface area for faster cooking. Measure the sauce ingredients - check the recipe - if they are all added to the dish at once, you can put them all in one small bowl. If cornmeal is included, be sure to mix it well before adding it to another food.
Once you have everything ready, heat the wok until it is very hot, then add the oil, using your chosen stirring tool to ensure that the oil is spread evenly over the surface of the wok. Before you add your components. The wok should be so hot that it is almost smoking - this will prevent the food from getting greasy. The exception is if you season the oil with garlic, chili, spring onion, ginger or salt - these will burn if the oil is too hot.
Now add your other ingredients in the order listed in the recipe and toss them around the surface of the wok, making sure nothing stays in one place for too long, and move the food from the center of the wok to the sides. I recommend that you wear an apron or other protective clothing during this operation, as the food often splatters due to the high temperature at which it is cooked.
Shallow frying
This is the same as the western technique. Fry the food on one side, then the other side, draining the excess oil before adding the sauce ingredients. A normal pan is suitable for this.
Swagger
Steaming is widely used in Chinese cuisine. You can use a bamboo steamer in a wok, a hot plate placed on a wok rack or other large pan, or you can use a regular European steamer.
If using a bamboo steamer or wok plate, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil. Place the stand in the wok (if the bamboo steamer is large enough to sit on the sides of the wok without being in the water, you don't need to stand) and balance the plate or steamer with the food on it. Put a lid on the steamer or wok and check occasionally to see if you need to top up the water (use water that is already hot).
Whichever method you use, make sure the food is above the surface of the water and not wet.
As with Western cooking, braising is used for tougher cuts of meat and involves gently cooking the meat and/or vegetables in a flavored broth. Red-braising is a technique where food is braised in a dark liquid such as soy sauce, which gives the food a red/brown color. This type of stew can be frozen and reused.
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