Famous Chinese Dishes
Chinese food is a delicious way to expand your personal cookbook, particularly if you love to use simple, fresh ingredients with quick cooking time. These top ten dishes are popular around the world, and are must-haves in your collection of Chinese cooking recipes.
Fried Rice - A must have dish in Chinese restaurants, fried rice is the ultimate Chinese food, and can be one of the most flexible in your cookbook because you can use leftover rice and ingredients to make it. Of course, you can use fresh ingredients but it’s recommended to use rice that has been kept in the fridge overnight for best results. Ingredients usually involved in making fried rice are eggs, spring onions, diced meat of either chicken, pork or beef, ham, prawns and vegetables such as celery, peas, carrots, bean sprouts and corn. There are many types of fried rice but the more popular ones are the Yangchow and Fujian fried rice.
Kung Pao Chicken - Kung Pao chicken or Kung Po chicken is a Chinese dish from Sichuan cuisine and is considered to be a delicacy. The recipe for this tasty dish commonly calls for diced chicken that is pre-marinated and briefly stir-fried with red bell peppers, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, sherry or rice wine, chilli peppers and unsalted roasted peanuts. Alternatively, you can use shrimp, scallops, beef or pork in place of the chicken.
Moo Shu Pork - This is a dish of northern Chinese origin and a favorite of many. Ingredients in a Mu Xu pork recipe often include green cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, scrambled eggs, carrots, bean sprouts, day lily buds and scallions. Bell peppers, snow pea pods, celery, onions, Shiitake mushrooms and bok choy are sometimes used. The vegetables are cut into long and thin strips before cooking, with the exception for day lily buds and bean sprouts. Fried Mu Xu pork is then wrapped in moo shu pancakes that is brushed with hoisin sauce and eaten by hand. Moo shu pancakes are thin wrappers made of flour that is easily available in supermarkets and steamed just before eating.
Sesame Chicken - Sesame chicken or sesame seed chicken is a Chinese dish originated from Hunan and is very similar to General Tso's chicken. Its recipe involves chicken pieces that are boned and battered, and then deep fried. It is then dressed with sauce made from Chinese vinegar or wine, chicken broth, sugar and cornstarch solution. Finally, sprinkle toasted sesame seed generously on the dish and serve hot with white rice.
Spring Rolls - Spring rolls make great appetizers and snacks. They are similar to egg rolls, but are slightly different to its cousin. Springs rolls are have less filling than egg rolls, is smaller in size and its skin is thinner. To make a spring roll, chopped meat and thinly cut strips of vegetables are wrapped and sealed in a circular or square rice paper. It is then deep fried till crispy and golden brown. Serve this crowd pleaser piping hot.
Fortune Cookies - Chinese cooking would simply not be complete without the addition of a recipe for fortune cookies. All you need to make these treats are some sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract, making them a simple way to add some fun to your home cooked Chinese meal.
Beef and Broccoli - The key to making a fabulous Beef and Broccoli dish at home is to make an excellent sauce made up of oyster sauce, light soy sauce, thick soy sauce and cornstarch solution. Marinade the beef before stir frying with sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch solution, soy sauce and sugar.
Sweet and Sour Pork - This savory-sweet famous Chinese dish is of Cantonese origin. It is a good dish to prepare when you are planning on having guests, who will be wildly impressed with your cooking skill. As with other Chinese food recipes, the key to making a great Sweet and Sour Pork dish is in the sauce made of soy sauce, white vinegar, ketchup and sugar. Its ingredients include pork, onion, bell pepper and pineapple chopped into bite size pieces.
Mapo Dofu - Mapo doufu or Mapo tofu is a popular Chinese dish from the Sichuan province. Ingredients used for this recipe include beancurd or tofu, and minced pork or beef cooked in a bright red spicy sauce based on chili.
Chop Suey - Chop suey or “za sui” or “shap sui” literally means ‘mixed pieces’ is an American-Chinese dish usually made up of leftover vegetables and meats stir fried quickly in a sauce thickened with starch. It is a great dish when you need to use up the last of yesterday’s chicken or pork roast and can incorporate meats of any kind such as fish, chicken, shrimp, pork or beef and various vegetables from cabbage to celery and bean sprouts. Chop Suey is often eaten with rice.
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