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Published:
October 11, 2000

Chinese Cooking For Dummies

Overview

Forget about takeout!

Have you ever had a craving for fried dumplings or hot and sour soup at midnight? Ever wonder how your local Chinese takeout makes their food taste so good—and look so easy to make? Still don’t know the difference between Sichuan, Cantonese, and Mandarin cooking? Discovering how to cook the Chinese way will leave you steaming, stir-frying, and food-styling like crazy!

The indescribably delicious cuisine of a fascinating country can finally be yours. And in Chinese Cooking For Dummies, your guide to the wonders and magic of the Chinese kitchen is none other than Martin Yan, host of the award-winning TV show Yan Can Cook. In no time at all, you’ll be up to speed on what cooking tools to use, how to stock your pantry and fridge, and the methods, centuries old, that have made dim sum, Egg Fu Young, Kung Pao Chicken, and fried rice universal favorites. You’ll also be able to:

  • Think like a Chinese chef—usin g the Three Tenets of Chinese Cooking
  • Choose and season a wok, select a chef’s knife, plus other basic tools of the trade
  • Find the essential ingredients—and ask for them

in Chinese with a Chinese language (phonetic) version of black bean sauce, hoisin sauce, plum sauce, bamboo shoots, and more

  • Cook using a variety of methods—including stir frying, steaming, blanching, braising, and deep frying
  • And with over 100 recipes, arranged conveniently like a Chinese menu, Chinese Cooking For Dummies lets you select from any column in the comfort of your own kitchen...which is when the fun really begins. Imagine putting together your ideal meal from the book’s rich offering of recipes:

    • Delectable morsels—including Baked Pork Buns, Spring Rolls, Potstickers, Steamed Dumplings, and Shrimp Toast
    • Seafood dishes—including Sweet and Sour Shrimp, and Oysters in Black Bean Sauce
    • Poultry dishes—including Moo Goo Gai Pan, Kung Pao Chicken, and Honey Garlic Chicken
    • Pork, beef, and lamb dishes—including Sichuan Spareribs, Tangerine Beef, and Mongolian Lamb

    Chinese Cooking For Dummies gives you all of the basics you’ll need, letting you experience the rich culinary landscape of China, one delicious dish at a time—and all, without leaving a tip!

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    About The Author

    Mexican Cooking
    Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger may be “two gringas from the Midwest,” but they fell deeply in love with Mexican food when first introduced to it more than 20 years ago. The two chefs became friends in the late ’70s while working in the otherwise all-male kitchen of a prestigious French restaurant in Chicago called Le Perroquet. After honing their skills in fine restaurants in France and America, they opened their first restaurant, the highly celebrated City Café, in Los Angeles in 1981. These days, they divide their time between their three restaurants, Border Grills in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, and the upscale Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. They also have authored five previous cookbooks, including Mexican Cooking For Dummies, host the popular Television Food Network series, Too Hot Tamales, and are heard regularly on Southern California radio.

    Helene Siegel is the co-author with Mary Sue and Susan of City Cuisine, Mesa Mexicana, Cooking with the Too Hot Tamales, and Mexican Cooking For Dummies. She also is the author of The Ethnic Kitchen series and 32 single subject cookbooks in the best-selling Totally Cookbook series. Her articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Times Syndicate, Fine Cooking, and on the Web at cuisinenet.com.

    Italian Cooking
    Cesare Casella
    was born in a small town outside Lucca, Italy. He grew up in and around his family’s restaurant, called Il Vipore. As a young chef, he transformed Il Vipore into a world-class establishment, earning a well-deserved Michelin star. Since 1993, Casella has been working as a chef at several leading Italian restaurants in New York. He is the coauthor of Diary of a Tuscan Chef and Italian Cooking For Dummies.

    Jack Bishop is the author or coauthor of several books on Italian food, including The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook, Pasta e Verdura, Lasagna, and Italian Cooking For Dummies. He is the senior writer for Cook’s Illustrated and writes for various national magazines and newspapers. He has studied cooking in Italy.

    French Cooking and Greek and Middle Eastern Cooking
    Tom Lacalamita (Long Island, New York) is a best-selling author of five appliance-related cookbooks. Nominated for a James Beard cookbook award, Tom is considered a national authority on housewares and has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows across the country. With a passion for food, cooking, and all sorts of kitchen gadgets, Tom is a spokesperson for various food and housewares manufacturers. He is the author of Slow Cookers For Dummies and Pressure Cookers For Dummies.

    Indian Cooking
    Heather Dismore began her career as a well-traveled, highly productive restaurant manager. She left the industry to devote time to her family and her love of writing. In a publishing career spanning over a decade, her work has impacted some 400 titles. Dismore resides in Naperville, Illinois, with her husband, who is a professional chef, and their two daughters. She is the owner of PageOne Publishing, a freelance Web content development company with a focus on the hospitality industry.

    Chinese Cooking
    Martin Yan, celebrated host of more than 1,500 cooking shows, highly respected food and restaurant consultant, and certified master chef, enjoys distinction as both teacher and author. His many talents are showcased in over two dozen best-selling cookbooks, including Martin Yan’s Feast: The Best of Yan Can Cook, Martin Yan’s Invitation to Chinese Cooking, and Chinese Cooking For Dummies. Yan is the founder of the Yan Can International Cooking School in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yan Can Cook has received national and international recognition, including a 1998 Daytime Emmy Award, a 1996 James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism, and a 1994 James Beard Award for Best TV Cooking Show.

    Japanese Cooking
    Dede Wilson, CCP (Certified Culinary Professional), is a self-taught chef who loves making appetizers and organizing parties. She has worked professionally for more than 17 years as a restaurant chef, bakery owner, caterer, recipe developer, radio talk-show host, and frequent television guest. Dede is also a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit magazine and a contributing editor to Pastry Art and Design magazine and is the food and entertainment expert for CanDoWoman.com. Dede has written three other cookbooks, including The Wedding Cake Book (Wiley, 1997), which was nominated for an IACP Julia Child Cookbook Award. She also authored Christmas Cooking For Dummies and Appetizers For Dummies.

    Thai Cooking
    Joan H. Moravek left the Securities Industry in 1990 and decided to pursue a career in the food service industry. The last 12 years have led her to explore some of the many facets of the culinary profession. A lifelong resident of Chicago, Joan has traveled extensively and continues to educate herself by researching, cooking, and “eating her way” through the cuisines of many countries.

    Kristin Eddy is the Food Writer for the Chicago Tribune and also covers Travel and Health stories for the paper. During 17 years as an award-winning writer, Eddy has worked for the Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, covering everything from news and health stories to restaurant reviews and the 1996 Olympic Games. As the daughter of a diplomat, Eddy was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and lived in Aleppo and Damascus, Syria; Istanbul, London, and Paris. She has traveled widely on assignment for the Tribune, reporting food stories from around the U.S. as well as Istanbul, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Jamaica. Eddy has had 14 years of experience in writing about food, developing, testing, and editing recipes for various newspapers.

    Sample Chapters

    chinese cooking for dummies

    CHEAT SHEET

    If you're in the mood for Chinese food, don't go out — try cooking it yourself! Cooking Chinese food at home can be quick, easy, and fun. To get started, you need to know the basic ingredients, tools, and techniques to make your Chinese cooking the best it can be.Basic Tools for Chinese CookingIn Chinese cooking (or any other cuisine), you can usually use the kitchen tools you already have.

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    Articles from
    the book

    By using vegetable shortening instead of the traditional lard in these almond cookies, this recipe creates almond cookies that are a little bit crispier — and with a lot less cholesterol. Credit: Michael Lamotte/Cole Group/PhotoDisc Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour for the dough to rest Cooking time: About 15 minutes per batch Yield: About 32 cookies 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup solid vegetable shortening 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 cup chopped blanched almonds 32 almond halves Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into a bowl.
    The salty-sweet sauce in beef chow fun provides the perfect foil for the chewy, richly textured rice noodles. To jump-start the beef chow fun’s flavor even more, stir a little crushed red pepper into the dish near the end of the cooking time. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1/2 pound dried wide rice noodles* 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine 1 teaspoon cornstarch 6 ounces flank steak 1/2 cup chicken broth 3 tablespoons cooking oil 2 medium onions 3 green onions Soak the noodles in warm water until softened, about 30 minutes; drain.
    This simple stir-fry combines classic Chinese vegetables to create a distinctive dish that sings with the flavors of the bamboo shoots and bok choy. Braising the bamboo shoots and bok choy allows the flavors to permeate the whole dish. Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1/2 cup chicken broth 1/4 teaspoon sugar 3 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 clove garlic 3 slices ginger 8 to 12 medium fresh shiitake mushrooms 2 whole bamboo shoots 3 baby bok choy 1 teaspoon cornstarch Combine the chicken broth, sugar, and oyster-flavored sauce in a bowl.
    Even the most committed broccoli-phobe will have a hard time resisting this broccoli beef dish. And because broccoli beef is so easy to prepare, it makes a great quick and nutritious lunch when served over plain steamed rice. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine 2 teaspoons cornstarch 3/4 pound tri-tip or flank steak 2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 cloves garlic 8 ounces broccoli florets 3/4 cup chicken broth Combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch in a bowl.
    Caramelized bananas are a classic Chinese restaurant dessert. With this banana recipe you end up with a crackly, cooled candy glaze surrounding soft, piping-hot bananas at the center — the best of both worlds. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 egg 4 firm bananas Cooking oil for deep-frying 7 tablespoons sugar 2 1/2 tablespoons water Ice cubes in cold water Place the sesame seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently until the seeds are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
    Egg rolls, spring rolls, and wontons consist of thin wrappers containing bits of deliciousness. You can find premade Chinese wrappers with the right shape and size to accommodate any Chinese appetizer you want to wrap. Make sure that you have the right wrapper for your appetizer. Egg roll wrappers: These classic wrappers are made from wheat flour, eggs, and water.
    If you're in the mood for Chinese food, don't go out — try cooking it yourself! Cooking Chinese food at home can be quick, easy, and fun. To get started, you need to know the basic ingredients, tools, and techniques to make your Chinese cooking the best it can be.Basic Tools for Chinese CookingIn Chinese cooking (or any other cuisine), you can usually use the kitchen tools you already have.
    The Chinese have a long tradition of using herbs and spices to boost a dish’s flavor (and provide nutritional benefits). You can now find many Chinese herbs and spices at supermarkets and specialty food stores. For Chinese culinary creations, you can’t go wrong with these Chinese herbs and spices: Chinese five-spice powder: The Chinese have long believed that the number five has special curative and healing powers, which is why this light cocoa-colored powder originally contained five specific spices.
    Potstickers are Chinese dumplings that are steamed and then fried. The combination of steaming and pan-frying the potstickers gives the dumpling wrappers an irresistible balance between smooth and noodlelike on top, and crispy and caramelized on the bottom. Potstickers, despite the name, shouldn’t actually stick to your wok, though.
    Chinese cooking encompasses thousands of sauces and condiments, and thanks to your supermarket’s Asian food aisle, many classic Chinese sauces and condiments are readily available. Some of these flavors are strong, some are subtle. Either way, it’s fun to experiment with these intriguing ingredients. Black bean sauce: Made of salted black beans and rice wine; has a savory, slightly salty flavor that sometimes gets a little kick from garlic and hot chiles.
    This drunken chicken recipe doesn’t call for chickens who’ve had one too many martinis. It actually gets its name from the step of marinating moist, cooked chicken pieces overnight in Chinese rice wine mixed with sugar, ginger, and other flavorings. Credit: PhotoDisc, Inc. Preparation time: 25 minutesCooking time: 50 minutesYield: 4 servings 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds) 3/4 cup chicken broth 1 cup Chinese rice wine 3 tablespoons brandy 3 tablespoons soy sauce 6 pieces ginger 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar 1/8 teaspoon white pepper Discard any lumps of fat from the chicken.
    Sometimes called egg drop soup, this version of egg flower soup is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Egg flower soup is a great dish when your cupboards are almost bare and you just can’t summon the energy to fix anything more complicated. The name “egg flower soup” often confounds Western diners: For one thing, the soup contains no flowers.

    Chinese Recipes

    Fried rice is the perfect use for leftover rice. The fluffy, slightly dry texture of fried rice practically depends on your using day-old — or at least not-straight-from-the-stove-or-steamer — rice. When you stir-fry freshly cooked rice, you end up with a wet, clumpy dish. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes Yield: 4 servings 3 tablespoons cooking oil 2 eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon white pepper 3 cups cold, cooked long-grain rice, fluffed 3/4 cup char siu, diced (or substitute with cooked chicken or shrimp) 3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 4 green onions Crack and lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl.
    You can find green onion breads and pancakes throughout northern China and in North America, too. These green onion batter-based pancakes are quick and convenient to make. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes Yield: About 8 pancakes 1 egg 1 1/2 cups water 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 teaspoon sesame oil 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 bunch green onions In a bowl, combine the egg, water, 2 tablespoons cooking oil, sesame oil, salt, and five-spice powder.
    Removing shells from shrimp is pretty easy, whether they’re cooked or raw. To shell shrimp, you need just your hands. If you want, put on a pair of vinyl gloves to prevent shrimp-scented hands. If you have a fresh lemon, though, you can use some of the juice to wash away the “fragrance.”Hold the shrimp by the tail with one hand, and then use the thumb and forefinger of the other hand to grasp the shrimp’s legs and edge of the shell.
    Hunan-Style Braised Fish is cooked with a spicy sauce that goes well with rice or noodles. You can make your own spicy, braised fish in the Hunan style with this recipe. Freshwater fish are perfect for pairing with zesty sauce. Any type of firm, moist white fish works in this dish. Choose one with a slightly fatty texture to provide a counterpoint to the sauce’s piquancy, such as sea bass, cod, or halibut.
    In northern China, people enjoy this flavorful noodle dish hot or at room temperature. Enjoy ja jiang mein at whatever temperature you like. (And any time is noodle time in northern China.) In case you’re wondering, ja jiang mein translates to fried sauce noodles. It’s not the noodles that are fried, it’s how you cook up the sauce.
    The secret to making the perfect spring roll is having the oil hot enough, but not too hot. Make sure you heat it to 360 degrees rapidly. Serve the spring rolls hot with a dipping sauce. You can make your own spring roll dipping sauce, but any bottled sauce works, too. Credit: Ed Carey/Cole Group/PhotoDisc Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 18 minutes Yield: 12 spring rolls 6 dried black mushrooms 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1/2 pound boneless pork 1 cabbage 2 green onions 2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce 1/8 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 cup chicken broth 1 cup bean sprouts 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch 12 spring roll wrappers Cooking oil for deep-frying Soak the mushrooms in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes.
    People usually have strong feelings about tapioca — and if you grew up on the gooey tapioca pudding cups served in school cafeterias, those feelings may be strongly negative. Get ready to redress your childhood tapioca issues with this delicious combination of starchy tapioca pearls and nutty-sweet taro root. Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Yield: 4 to 6 servings 6 cups water 2 cups (10 ounces) taro 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls 1 cup sugar 1 cup coconut milk 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 ripe melon In a large pot, bring 5 cups of the water to a boil.
    Sweet and sour sauce, a favorite at restaurants, has finally come to your own kitchen. And when you make the sweet and sour sauce yourself, you can control the sweet and sour flavors to the proportion that’s just right for your palate. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Yield: 2 cups 3/4 cup water 1/2 cup ketchup 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup orange juice 1/3 cup rice vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed dried red chiles 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 piece fresh ginger 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup water, ketchup, brown sugar, orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and dried chiles.
    Welcome to the wonderful world of mushrooms! This simple dish — the name says it all — introduces you to three different mushrooms, each with its own distinct texture and flavor. Really, it’s all about those different textures and flavors that intermingle in your mouth when you combine mushrooms in this way. Preparation time: 12 minutes Cooking time: 6 minutes Yield: 4 servings 8 to 10 fresh shiitake mushrooms 1 can (15 ounces) straw mushrooms 1 cup small button mushrooms 2 tablespoons cooking oil 8 basil leaves 1/3 cup chicken broth 1 tablespoon oyster-flavored sauce 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch Halve the shiitake mushrooms.
    The tantalizing textures in this tofu dish run the gamut: It has light, airy pieces of fried tofu; chewy, tender button mushrooms; and crunchy roasted cashews. Combine all that with the bright green of the asparagus spears and the sweet-savory flavors of the stir-fry sauce, and you have a recipe that’s a feast for all the senses.
    This twice-cooked pork recipe first simmers the pork in a fragrant mixture of rice wine, ginger, and green onions tenderizes it and keeps it moist, then finishes the dish by stir-frying the sliced, simmered pork with garlic and a chile-laced sauce to give it a final flavorful punch. Preparation time: 12 minutes Cooking time: About 40 minutes Yield: 4 servings 1 pound boneless pork butt 3 cups water 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine 3 to 4 pieces ginger 2 green onions 1⁄3 cup chicken broth 3 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon chile garlic sauce 3 tablespoons cooking oil 6 dried or fresh red chiles 2 garlic cloves 1/2 small head of napa cabbage 1 teaspoon cornstarch Thinly slice the ginger.
    The Chinese love their noodles and have for centuries. The shapes of Chinese noodles may not vary as much as do those of Italian pasta, but the different ingredients used to make Chinese noodles do set one variety apart from the next: Egg noodles: Of all the Chinese noodles, egg noodles bear the strongest resemblance to Western pasta.
    Demand for Chinese vegetables has risen dramatically, as Asian-American communities grow and diners seek new taste experiences. Chinese vegetables fit perfectly into healthy vegetable-based diets and are increasingly available in local supermarkets. Bean sprouts: These silver-white stalks with their yellow heads and long tails aren’t exactly exotic to most North American diners.
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