UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII • COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • HOME ECONOMICS CIRCULAR 3

ABOUTCHINESE FOODS

KATHRYN J. ORRFoods and Nutrition Specialist

HELEN C. GASCONExtension Home Economist

IILEASURE IN food has been part ofthe Chinese culture for centuries.Until the twentieth century, therewere no recorded recipes of the

Chinese cuisine, and then only in Westerncountries. In China, cooking is done by feeland by taste, and its secrets are passed on fromone generation to another. Since it is the­method of cooking that is basic, rather than theingredients used, most Chinese dishes can becooked with foodstuffs we use in America everyday of the year.

The differences between Chinese andWestern cooking are many. Among the mostnoticeable is that in Chinese cooking, the bite­sized pieces of meat and vegetables are sea­soned while cooking; but in Western cooking,the meat and vegetables are cut into largerpieces or left whole. Pepper and salt are fre­quently added at the table.

Another difference between the Chineseand Western modes of cooking is that inChinese dishes the meat and vegetables arecooked together, thus allowing a small amountof meat to go a long way. In Western cooking,with some exceptions such as stews and cas­serole dishes, the meat and vegetables arecooked separately but eaten together.

Communication in China, or rather the lackof it, put its stamp on the cooking of the people.In general, five distinct types of cuisine devel­oped through the centuries, those of Canton,Fukien, Shantung, Honan, and Szechuan. The

Cantonese school of cooking is the best knownoutside China, because the Cantonese peoplewere the travelers, the emigrants, who came tothe Western world. With wealth and leisurea cuisine characterized by sauteing, roasting,and grilling was developed. Fried rice andfried noodles are specialties of this school.

The Fukien people were the sailors ofChina and settled in Thailand, Malaya, andSoutheast Asia. This cuisine is characterized bygood all-around cooking, although many com­plain that too many soupy dishes are includedin its repertoire, A red fermented bean sauceis a specialty of Foochow and the best soysauce used to be produced in this part of thecountry.

Shantung produced philosophers and goodcooking! As Peking was nearby, many peopleof Shantung migrated to the big city and tooktheir cooking with them. This food is lighterthan that of the South. Much is cooked in winesauce and very little sauteing is done. Themost famous dish from this region is PekingDuck.

Honan was once the capital of China, sogood cooking was demanded by the court. Itis the home of the sweet-and-sour dishes. Thecarp from the Yellow River is famous.

Until Chungking became a temporarycapital, Szechuan in the far west had been leftto its own devices. Its summers are terribly hot,and like all people who live in hot climates,the Szechuanese developed a hot, very highly-

seasoned cuisine. Chicken with hot peppersis a good example.

Five main methods of preparing food in theChinese manner are common to all five schools:they are sauteing, red cooking (a kind ofbraising or stewing with soy sauce, known ashung shao in Chinese), deep frying, steamingand roasting, and barbecuing or grilling.

ChineSe cooking utensils deserve someattention. Old Chinese stoves were built ofconcrete, tile, and brick. They were conicalwith an opening on top. Similar stoves of aportable type known as "chatties" were devisedfor the poorer people.

Today, gas is more popular than electricityfor Chinese cooking because the Hame can becontrolled instantly. In Hawaii, a gas stove canbe adjusted to a typical "Chinese Harne."

Upon entering a Chinese kitchen, the firsteye-catcher is the cooking utensil known as awok (called kuo in China). It is a cookingpan with rounded bottom which allows foreven heat and has no comers to clean! Youcan use it for sauteing, cooking in small orlarge amounts of water, for deep frying, andas the base for a steamer. A vegetable cuttingknife similar to a cleaver is indispensable ina Chinese kitchen. With a sharp one, you canchop bones, scale fish, and mince meat. Thechopping block is the most picturesque thing ina Chinese kitchen. It is usually 16 to 18 inchesin diameter. Additional tools would be a pan­cake-like turner, wooden dippers for water andliquids, China spoons, and chopsticks for stir­ring and tasting. Colanders and sieves are use­ful, too.

Chopsticks are the utensils one uses foreating. They are made of silver, ivory, bamboo,wood, or plastic; are about 10 inches long andabout the thickness of a pencil. These twopieces of wood take the place of egg beaters,cooking forks, mixing spoons, draining spoons,and wire whisks. "Chopsticks" in Chinese

means "quick little ones." "Quick" stems frompidgin English meaning "chop." Thus the name"chopsticks" came into being.

The dining table for a Chinese meal is gen~

erally round, because it permits placing eachdiner at the same distance from the centerwhere the food is placed and affords a time ofrelaxation for pleasant conversation.

There are two distinct styles of servingChinese menus-the family style and the partystyle. The dishes may be the same for either.At a family-style meal the main dishes and soupare placed in the middle of the table and abowl of rice served to each diner. Each personserves himself a little food at a time. Thedishes are never passed. At a party-style meal,each course is placed on the table one at atime and passed to the guests. Toasts may beoHered by the host between courses, or a guestmay toast the host and thank him for his party.When the meal comes to an end, it is the guestof honor who makes the nrst move. The otherguests slowly follow suit, and the host leavesthe table last.

CIDNESE FOODSMENU

SAl YONG CHOY TONG(Watercress Abalone Pork Soup)

WUT GAl(Pot Roast Chicken)

NCO YUK FAN KAY(Beef Tomato)

GEE YUK SIN CHOY(Pork with Sour Cabbage)

FAN(Rice)

CHA(Tea)

ALMOND COOKIE

1 bunch or 1 poundwatercress

2 tablespoons oUSalt to tastelf2 teaspoon monosodium

glutamate

NGO YUK FAN KAY(Beef Tomato)

SAl YONG CHOY TONG(Watercress Abalone Pork Soup)

6 servings

V2 pound lean pork,sliced Va-inch thick

5 cups water1 can abalone, cut in

thin slices

Wash watercress, discard yellow or damagedportions. Pick off leaves and cut stems into 2-inchlengths. Heat oil, add salt and monosodium gluta­mate, and saute pork. When slightly brown, addwater and bring to boil. Add watercress stems andcook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, add abaloneand watercress leaves, and serve.

1 pound of sirloin tip,sliced Vs-inch thick

2 teaspoons ~ornstarch

3 tablespoons soy sauce1 teaspoon sugarPinch of saltDash or two of pepperV2 teaspoon monosodium

glutamate2 tablespoons oil1 clove garlic, chopped

fine (optional)1 round onion, sliced2 green peppers, sliced

6 servings

2 stalks of celery, slicedOil for frying2 teaspoons cornstarchJ,.4 cup cold water1 teaspoon sugarV2 teaspoon monosodium

glutamateSalt and pepper to taste3 or 4 tomatoes, cut into

wedges3 or 4 sprigs of green

onions, cut into 2·inchstrips

1 2-or-3-pound wholefrying chicken

1 cup soy sauce2 cloves of garlic,

crushed1 small piece (walnut

size) fresh ginger,crushed

lf2 teaspoon monosodiumglutamate

WUT GAl(Pot Roast Chicken)

4 to 6 servings

2 tablespoons sugarSalt and pepper to tasteJ,.4 cup oil1 sprig Chinese parsley,

chopped (freshcoriander)

2 green onions, cut in 2·inch strips

Marinate chicken in soy sauce mixture preparedfrom next six ingredients 1 hour before cooking, turn­ing occasionally. Remove chicken and reserve sauce.Heat oil in a large pot and brown chicken on allsides. Pour reserved sauce over chicken and simmerfor 45 minutes. Remove chicken and cut in servingpieces. Pour remainder of sauce over chicken toserve. Top with chopped parsley and green onions.

Marinate sliced sirloin tip in sauce made from nextseven ingredients. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Ifgarlic is used, brown in small amount of oil in fryingpan. Add marinated beef and fry very lightly untilhot and meat changes color. Push meat to outer edgeof pan and add a little more oil. Cook round onion,green peppers, and celery for 5 minutes. Do NOTovercook these vegetables.

Make a paste of 2 teaspoons cornstarch and ~ cupcold water. Stir in next three ingredients. Add tobeef and vegetables and stir until sauce clears. Addtomatoes and green onions last. Remove from heatand serve.

GEE YUK SIN CHOY(Pork with Sour Cabbage) ALMOND COOKIES

°SOUR CABBAGE(Prepare day before use)

Yield: 1 quart

Fry pork in oil until tender. Add celery and onion.Cook for a few minutes and add next six ingredients.Make a paste of 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in ~ cupwater and add to cabbage mixture. Cook until sauceis clear and serve.

Sift Hour, soda, and salt together. Beat egg withfork until lemon-colored and add almond extract.Cream sugar and shortening well, add egg, and mixthoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients gradually. Rollinto balls about 1 inch in diameter and place an inchapart on greased cookie sheet. Press thumb gently incenter top of each ball. Fill depression with half ablanched almond, or touch it with the end of a chop­stick dipped in red coloring. Bake 20 minutes at350°F. For celebrations, a drop of red coloring putin the center of each cookie signifies joy and goodfortune.

Mix boiled and cooled water, vinegar, and saltfor vinegar brine. Wash cabbage and set aside todrain. In a large pot bring a large amount of waterto a rolling boil; remove from heat and add cabbage.Let stand until cabbage turns a bright green. Drainand cool. Add cabbage to vinegar brine.

34 pound pork, slicedlis-inch thick, bite size

Oil for frying1 stalk celery, sliced1 round onion, sliced1 pound sour cabbag~

sliced2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 quarts boiled andcooled water

1 tablespoon vinegarIjz cup rock or Hawaiian

salt

6 servings

2 teaspoons sugar2 tablespoons vinegarVz teaspoon monosodium

glutamateSalt and pepper to taste2 teaspoons cornstarch% cup water

Water to cover cabbage2 large mustard cabbage

or 1 large solid headcabbage

2 tablespoons cooked rice

3 cups flour1 teaspoon sodaliz teaspoon salt1 large egg1 teaspoon almond

extract

4~ dozen

1 cup sugar11/3 cups shorteningBlanched almonds or

red coloring

FOR USE IN 24 HOURS:

Add 2 tablespoons cooked rice to cabbage mixture.Top with a weight to keep cabbage submerged inbrine. Let stand at room temperature to ferment.Drain off liquid and use cabbage.

FOR GENERAL USE:

Omit rice and let cabbage stand in brine 3 to 4days to ferment. Remove fermented cabbage fromliquid and place in jars or plastic containers. Storein refrigerator until used.

REFERENCES

1. The Art of Chinese Cooking. Mimie Ouei. RandomHouse, 1960.

2. Fun with Chinese Recipes. Myrtle Lurn Young.Vantage Press, Inc., 1958.

3. Mary Sia's Chinese Cookbook. University ofHawaii Press, University of Hawaii, Honolulu,Hawaii, 1959.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agri­culture, and Director and Interim Dean Noel P. Kefford, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii at Manoa,Honolulu, Hawaii 96822. An Equal Opportunity Employer providing programs and services to the Citizens of Hawaii without regard to race,color, national origin or sex.

HEC 341-Reprinted 0781/3M