The regional cuisines of Chinese cooking (Part 1 of 4)

Written by Helen Fan


Continued from page 1

Peking, which lies torepparttar northern corner ofrepparttar 148998 region, has beenrepparttar 148999 capital of China sincerepparttar 149000 15th century. It isrepparttar 149001 land of fried bean curd (tofu) and water chestnuts. With it beingrepparttar 149002 capital, andrepparttar 149003 city ofrepparttar 149004 emperor's residence, it isrepparttar 149005 only area inrepparttar 149006 region whererepparttar 149007 availability andrepparttar 149008 variety of food is abundant. The Imperial chefs were compensated handsomely, and along withrepparttar 149009 large, wealthy market inrepparttar 149010 capital,repparttar 149011 infusion of gourmet chefs from all over China brought about a great concentration of culinary expertise in Peking . This tradition is what characterizes Peking cuisine today, which is lighter and more elegant than that ofrepparttar 149012 outlying regions. The greatest delicacy ofrepparttar 149013 region is, of course,repparttar 149014 elaborate, world-renowned dish Peking duck. In Peking, ducks are specially bred for this dish and force fed to justrepparttar 149015 right degree of plumpness and tenderness in preparation for this dish.

Inrepparttar 149016 part 2 of this 4 part series, we will cover Szechuan:repparttar 149017 western cuisine.



Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com


Wok this Way! (Part 1 of 5)

Written by Helen Fan


Continued from page 1
is to achieve food tenderness through quick cooking to retainrepparttar natural taste, flavor, and color ofrepparttar 148997 ingredients,repparttar 148998 wok's ingenious unique design makes it a perfect fit in Chinese cooking. Its bottom concentrates heat to achieve 2 objectives: 1) to directrepparttar 148999 heat atrepparttar 149000 food, while sealing inrepparttar 149001 flavors and allowing food to be cooked evenly, and 2) to allow cooking food quickly with very little oil. The stir fry cooking technique shifts food aroundrepparttar 149002 wok quickly, coating it with oil during cooking, as opposed to using a flat frying pan where a lot more oil is required. Consequently, cooking with a wok is essential for a healthy diet. It also has curved sides to keep in food that is being tossed and flipped during stir frying. Food, when cooked, may be moved uprepparttar 149003 sloping side ofrepparttar 149004 wok to stay warm without cooking further, while other food is cooked atrepparttar 149005 bottom. It is also ideal for deep frying as it requires less oil than any other kitchen cookware to dorepparttar 149006 job.

Next, in Part 2 of Wok this way!, we'll go over selecting a wok.

Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com


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