Cooking is pengdiao(Åëµ÷) in Chinese. Unlike westerners who consider food as a
means to satisfy the desire to eat for survival or as indispensable nutrition supply,
Chinese consider pengdiao as an art just like music or painting.
As we already know, Chinese foods are very diverse. However, each style of food
emphasizes all four qualities ; color(É«), taste(ζ). fragrance(Ïã)
and appearance(ÐÎ).
These qualities are determined by the selection of ingredients, combination of ingredients, way of using knife(µ¶¹¤), control of the fire temperature(»ðºò) and use of spices. And now, let's take a closer look at the cooking methods of Chinese food.
The Selection and combination of ingredients
"Selection" is choosing the ingredients, and every cuisine has a
unique composition of ingredients.
"Combination" is mixing the supplementary ingredients. Thus, the same chicken may
have different names and tastes depending on the specific combination of ingredients.
For example, even jiding (¼¦¶¡, chicken cut into cubes form) becomes lazijiding(À±×Ó¼¦¶¡)
if peppers are put in and gongbaojiding(¹¬±£¼¦¶¡) if peanuts are used.
Ingredients of Chinese food can be distinguished as main ingredients, supplementary
ingredients and spices. Now, let us take a look at frequently used marine products,
fresh water products, meats, vegetables, grains and spices.
Most of Chinese food names include the ingredients and cookery, so it would be
helpful when ordering Chinese food if we know the names of ingredients and spices.
Understanding Chinese food is essential to understanding Chinese culture, and it
is essential to understand its ingredients and cookery to understand Chinese food.
First, let's find out about the marine and fresh water products.
Yanwo(ÑàÎÑ) : The nest of sea swallow
Yuchi(Óã³á) : Shark's fin
Yuchun(Óã´½) : Dried shark's lip
Haishen(º£²Î) : Sea cucumber. Black ones are called wushen (ÎÚ²Î) and
are the best.
Haijiao(º£½º) : Dried fish bladder
Ganbei(¸É±´) : Dried scallop. Actually, the dried eyes of scallops after
having been steamed
Baoyu(±«Óã) : Dried abalone
Xiami(ϺÃ×) : Dried shrimp
Shibanyu(ʯ°ßÓã) : Grouper. Also called Epinephelus tsirimenara,
it lives between rocks in the sea or stony places. It varies greatly from cheap
niban(Äà°ß) to high quality red spot(ºì°ß) or star spot(ÀÏÊó°ß), but the best of
the best is laoshuban(ÀÏÊó°ß). Often used in Guangdong foods.
Suwei(ËÕβ) : A large greenish fish of even higher quality than
laoshuban, with firm flesh, tasty to chew.
Huangyu(»ÆÓã) : A kind of croaker
Jiweixia(»ùΧϺ) : Cultivated sea shrimp
Longxia(ÁúϺ) : Sea lobster
Huaxie(»¨Ð·) · hongxie(ºìз) : Blue crab
Luo(ÂÝ) : Turban shell
Daizi(´ø×Ó) : A kind of scallop
Iiyu(ÀðÓã) : Carp
Tianji(ÌＦ) : Frog. Tastes like chicken
Dajiaxie(´ó¼×з) : Fresh water crab
Xierou(зÈâ) · xiefen(з·Û) : Crab flesh
Xiehuang(з»Æ) : Crab eggs
Shuiyu(Ë®Óã) : Snapping turtle
Now, let's find out about meat.
Rou(Èâ) : In Chinese, meat means pork. The basic ingredient of Chinese
food is pork, so there is no need to put zhu (Öí,pig) as a modifier.
Niurou(Å£Èâ) : Beef is called niurou in Chinese, and
water buffalo with gray skin is widely used.
Yangrou(ÑòÈâ) : Mutton
Gourou(¹·Èâ) : Dog meat
Zhushou(ÖíÊÖ) · ti(Ìã) : Pig's Feet
Huotui(»ðÍÈ) : Chinese ham
Chang(³¦) : Intestines
Paigu(ÅŹÇ) : Ribs of cows or pigs
Gan(¸Î) : Liver
Niuliu(Å£Áø) : Sirloin of cow
Ji(¼¦) : Chicken. Usually euphemized as phoenix(·ï»Ë).
So, phoenix feet(·çצ, Fengzhao) is chicken feet
and phoenix wing(·çÒí, Fengyi) is chicken wing.
Ya(Ѽ) : Duck. Yazhang is duck's feet; yashe is duck's tongue and is said to be
the tastiest among birds' tongues
E(¶ì) : Goose
Tiane(Ìì¶ì) : Swan
And now, let's find out about vegetables and grains.
Baicai(°×²Ë) : Cabbage of China's southeastern area and is smaller and
softer than other cabbages
Luobo(Âܲ·) : Icicle radish
Hongluobo(ºìÂܲ·) : carrot
Caixin(²ËÐÄ) : The most loved vegetable in the southern part of China.
Doumiao(¶¹Ãç) : The soft stem and leaves of garden pea, mostly eaten from
late autumn to winter.
Kongxincai(¿ÕÐIJË) : Named so because because the hollow stem is
like a straw.
Xiangcai(Ïã²Ë) : A strong flavored herb, mostly put on the food or deep fried
with fried food.
Qincai(ÇÛ²Ë) : Chinese celery
Huanggua(»Æ¹Ï) : Potherb mustard, eaten seasoned with salt.
dongxun(¶¬Ü÷) · zhusheng(ÖñóÏ) : Cucumber
Cong(´Ð) : Green onion
Yangcong(Ñó´Ð) : Onion
Suan(Ëâ) : Garlic
Jiang(Ǽ) : Ginger
Huasheng(»¨Éú) : Peanut
Xiqin(Î÷ÇÛ) : Celery
Lusun(¶Ëñ) : Asparagus
Vegetables are mostly cooked in a hot pan in a short time.
This way of cooking maintains the nutrition of food and preserves the color of the
vegetables.
The following are grain ingredients.
Sumi(ËÚÃ×), Yumi(ÓñÃ×) : Corn
Xingren(ÐÓÈÊ) : Apricot seed
Mifen(Ã×·Û) : Rice powder or rice noodle
Fensi(·ÛË¿) : Chinese noodle made of starch
And now, let's take a look at the spices.
Bajiao(°Ë½Ç) : The fruit of Japanese star anise. The unique smell of Chinese
streets comes from this spice.
Dingxiang(¶¡Ïã) : The oil of clove tree and mainly used in meat dishes
Huajiao(»¨½·) : The fruit of Zanthoxylum schinifolium
Rougui(Èâ¹ð) : Cinnamon powder or oil
Huixiang(ÜîÏã) : Fennel or fennel oil
Wuxiangfen(ÎåÏã·Û) : The mixed powder of cinnamon, Japanese star anise,
clove tree and fennel. Putting these five spices into soybean sauce is called
wuxiangjiangrou(ÎåÏã½´Èâ).
Laochou(Àϳé) : Not very salty soy sauce in spite of the dark color.
Shengchou(Éú³é) : Very salty soy sauce
Tianmianjiang(ÌðÃæ½´) : A sweet flavored thick broad-bean sauce, made with
wheat flour and used with green onion when eating Beijing Duck dish wrapped
in grilled wheat cake.
Shachajiang(ɳ²è½´) : Thick broad-bean sauce with shrimp, sesame and
peanut. It is used as a dip when eating boiled meat, shrimp or vegetables with
huoguo(»ð¹ø) in the southern districts of China
Lajiaojiang(À±½·½´) : A sauce made with crushed red peppers
Lajiaosi(À±½·Ë¿) : A sauce of thin sliced red pepper in soy sauce, used to
dip steamed shrimp
Xiangcu(Ïã´×) : Black vinegar
Lajiao(À±½·) : Pepper
Heijiao(ºÚ½·) : Black pepper
Layou(À±ÓÍ) : Pepper oil
Mayou(ÂéÓÍ) : Sesame oil
Yan(ÑÎ) : Salt
Zhishi(֥ʿ) : Cheese
Mizhi(ÃÛÖ) : Honey
Controlling the temperature of the cooking fire
The best way to prevent loss of nutrition and to keep the ingredients' original
taste is to cook over a strong fire for a short time.
So cookery actually is controlled by the fire temperature and time, in other words, is
distinguished by huohou(»ðºò). In Chinese cookery, the fire temperature and time is very
important and almost every dish reveals its huohou in its name. So by looking at the name
you can guess how the food is prepared.
The temperature of the cooking fire can be classified as wanghuo (Íú»ð,high-temperature fire),
wenhuo (λð,medium-temperature fire) and weihuo (΢»ð, low-temperature fire).
The temperature of the fire differs according to the characteristics and shapes of the ingredients.
Not only the temperature but the method of cooking ingredients also varies a lot.
Let's take a look at the temperature of fire and the method of cooking ingredients.
Chao (³´)
Stir frying with oil over a high temperature fire for a short time. It is the
most common method used for Chinese food and has the merit of savouring the
original taste of the ingredients and preserving nutrition.
Ganchao(¸É³´)
Stir frying with little oil so when the cooking is done,
little oil or broth remains. Shengchao(Éú³´) is stir frying without
seasoning the ingredients. For example, qingchaoxiaren(Ç೴ϺÈÊ) is stir
fried peeled shrimp.
Bao(±©)
Cooking instantly in hot oil or water and widely used for Beijing foods.
When using soy sauce, it is called jiangbao(½´±¬). For example,
youbaodaizi(Óͱ¬´ø×Ó) is scallop stir fried instantly in sizzling oil.
Jian(¼å)
Grilling or stir frying with a small amount of oil.
For example, shengchoujianxia(Éú³é¼åϺ) is grilled shrimp on a frying pan
with soy sauce and oil.
Shao(ÉÕ)
Boiling or re-frying after deep-frying or stir frying.
Zheng(Õô)
Steaming. Qingzhengshiyu is a dish of steamed herring.
Ban(°è)
Seasoning with some condiments. Liangbanhaizhui(Á¹°èº£×º) is boiled jellyfish
seasoned with oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar.
Dun(ìÀ)
Stewing long over a weak fire. Qingdunniuwei(ÇåìÀţβ) is a stewed
dish of ox tail with wine, vinegar and salt.
Zhuo(×Æ)
Parboiling in hot water until water remains about 80%, widely used for
Guangdong foods. For example, baizhuoxia(°××ÆÎr) is parboiled shrimp in
boiling water.
Kao(¿¾)
Roasting in direct fire. Kao has the characteristic of being crisp outside and soft
inside. For example, Beijingkaoya(±±¾©¿¾Ñ¼) uses this method of roasting duck
over jujube wood fire.
Zhu(Öó)
Boiling at a high temperature in guo (¹ø,pot) first, then when the
food is about half done, lowering the temperature to medium and
when the food is well done, boiling at a low temperature.
For example, qingguazhushengxia(Çà¹ÏÖóÉúϺ) is a dish of cucumber and
shrimp, cooked by this method.
Geng(¸þ)
A kind of soup with meat or vegetables steamed, widely used for Guangdong
foods. For example, taijisucaigeng(Ì«¼«Ëز˸þ) is boiled soup of ground
vegetables served in shape of two comma patterns (taiji) with green and white vegetables.
Lu(±)
Cooling off after boiling at low temperature with spices and bittern.
For example, lushuiepian(±ˮ¶ìƬ) is boiled goose in sliced bittern
Xun(Ѭ)
Cooking by smoke. Xunqingdou(ѬÇඹ) is smoked bean, after
having been boiled and salted.
Zha(Õ¨)
Deep-frying with lots of oil. Zhaxiaqiu(ըϺÇò) is a deep-fried dish of
ground meat and shrimp ball rolled in bread crumbs.
Liu (Áï)
First heating the pan with oil, stir frying the ingredients,
then adding starch and frying again. Liuyupian(ÁïÓãƬ) is a thin sliced fish with
starch and fried.
Bao (ìÒ)
Boiling in deep earthenware. Qiezibao(ÇÑ×ÓìÒ) is a dish made by
stir frying ground pork with oil and then boiling with eggplant.
Shuan (äÌ)
Parboiling thin layers of meat in meat broth. Shuanyangrou (äÌÑòÈâ) is
a Beijing dish of parboiled mutton in meat broth.
Tang(ÌÀ)
A kind of soup. Chicken is mainly used, and fish, pork, beef, chicken bone, pork
bone or vegetables. Every ingredient can be an independent cuisine
or a supplement of other ingredients.
For example, suanlatang(ËáÀ±ÌÀ) is boiled dish of blood of pig or chicken
with chopped doufu, vinegar and arrowroot starch.
Dong(¶³)
cooling off with agar or gelatin. Dongti(¶³Ìã) is a dish made of minced flesh
of pig feet with other ingredients, cooled with gelatin.
Zui(×í)
Soaking chicken or crab in shaoxingjiu(ÉÜÐ˾Æ) with spices to
achieve a special flavor and fragrance. Jiuzuifengyi(¾Æ×í·çÒí) is a dish served
two days after adding wine and salt to cooled chicken wing, then boiling with
green onion and ginger.
Peng(Åë)
Boiling in hot oil. Ganpeng is a method of soaking deep-fried
food in spices. Ganpengji(¸ÉÅ뼦) is a
chicken dish made in this way.
knife Technique.
The way of handling a knife can play an important role in determine the taste and shape
of the ingredients. Chinese cuisine especially uses knife technique to influence the flavor and appearance of food.
Let's take a look at how to use knives in preparing ingredients.
Pian(Ƭ)
Slicing into wide, thin pieces. For example, bairoupian(°×ÈâƬ) is a main
food of Chinese court cuisine. A piece of pork sirloin is boiled over a strong
fire first, then over a weak fire, sliced into wide, thin pieces and
eaten with spicy sauce.
Kuai(¿é)
Chopping. Zhabakuai(Õ¨°Ë¿é) is a dish of fried, chopped chicken with
green onion, ginger and wine.
Ding(¶¡)
Chopping into cubes. Gongbaojiding(¹¬±£¼¦¶¡) is cubed
chicken seasoned with soy sauce and fried with dried
peppers, wine, vinegar and salt.
Si(Ë¿)
Cutting into long, thin slices like thread. Liusansi(Á÷ÈýË¿) is made with pork,
sea cucumber and bamboo shoot, sliced this way and fried in oyster sauce.
Qiu(Çò) · wan(Íè)
Cutting or making into a spherical shape. Xiaqiu(ϺÇò) is ground shrimp balls
and zhawanzi(Õ¨Íè×Ó) is ground pork with ground ginger and green onion,
deep-fried in oil in the shape of balls.
Rong(È×) · ni(Äà)
Mincing ingredients. Yuni(ÓóÄà) is a soup of minced taro.
Song(ËÉ)
Making fish, shrimp or meat loaf into a thin thread or powder. For example,
chaohesong(³´ãØËÉ) is made of fried rice powder and fried pigeon or
chicken liver powder with wine and soy sauce, later stir fried together
with green onion and ginger over a high temperature fire, wrapped in lettuce.
Tiao(Ìõ)
Cutting or making thick threads. Youtiao(ÓÍÌõ) is a deep fried wheat paste
shaped into sticks, often eaten as breakfast with doujiang(¶¹½¬,bean soup).
There are also other cutting techniques such as li (Á£, a way of making powder),
duan (¶Î,chopping up relatively thick ingredients), foshou (·ðÊÖ, cutting
the food to resemble a human hand and fingers) and long (Áú,a way of cutting a
long ingredient to look like the body of a dragon).
