China Food

In a sense, Chinese cuisines are cooked in ways that are similar to those of other cultures.  For example, many cuisines also fry or boil their food, but the Chinese is probably the only "invented" the stir-frys and the double-boil.  Therefore, Chinese food has several characteristics which set it apart from other food.

Just to clarify one point.  Chinese Chop Suey is well known in many countries around the world, but it is not known to most people in China.  It is not Chinese food.

Back to Chinese cuisines.  The typical Chinese meal for the family or friends consists of several dishes to be shared among the people at the table, rather than each one having his or her own dish of steak, pie or noodle with salad and other side dishes.  This gives variety.

Each dish may contain many different ingredients, marinated in different ways with different sauces.  Some cuisines are  cooked with herbs that have been used for thousands of years.

The food may be cooked in different styles (fry, stir-fry, stew, steam, double-boil, deep-fry, roast, etc).  The food may be cooked using different utensils (wok, normal pots, clay-pots, tall upright pots for boiling soup, etc). 

For stir-frying, some dishes are cooked in extremely high heat in a wok literally burned in a fireball to produce a distinctive taste.

Add to all these are food that were developed by different regions in China (Canton, Shanghai, Sichuan, Hunan, Yunnan, Peking, Mongolia, Teochew, Quinhai, Hainan, Taiwan, etc); some are more spicy and some are less, and you will find infinite permutations of cuisines.

As an example, rice alone can be cooked in several ways:

1.   steamed

2.   made in porridge (or congee) Cantonese style, where the rice is fully cooked in water to form a loose watery paste

3.   made into porridge, Teo Cheow (a province in eastern coastal China) style, where the rice is cooked in water, but remains like pieces of grain

4.   fried

5.   cooked in a traditional clay pot on charcoal, which produces an appetising aroma

6.   made into “crispy rice” (a Shanghaiese or Peking specialty)

Each of the above will then be served or further cooked with a variety of ingredients.  For the well-travelled, they will likely have tried the first four; but it is really worthwhile trying clay pot rice and crispy rice.  

Clay pot rice may not be easy to find as it is usually served in “old style” restaurants, and may take half an hour between ordering and serving.  Crispy rice is a delightful dish.  It is not eaten like a bowk of rice, but is mixed with seafood or meat in sauce to form a main course.

In some parts of China, you can find the more exotic dishes, with meat NOT coming from the usual fowls, chicken, lamb, pork, beef or fish.  Instead, the dishes may be cooked with meat from wild animals, snakes, eels, turtles, and the like.  If you like adventure, give them a try.