Chinese cooking techniques (Chinese: 中餐烹調法) are a set of methods and techniques traditionally used in Chinese cuisine.[1] The cooking techniques can either be grouped into ones that use a single cooking method or a combination of wet and dry cooking methods.
Many cooking techniques involve a singular type of heated cooking or action.
WetEdit
Wet-heat, immersion-based cooking methods are the predominant class of cooking techniques in Chinese cuisine and are usually referred to as zhǔ (煮). In fact, this class of techniques is so common and important that the term zhǔ is commonly used to denote cooking in general.[2]
Quick immersionEdit
Quick wet-heat based immersion cooking methods include:
Braising ingredients over medium heat in a small amount of sauce or broth and simmering for a short period of time until completion. Known as hóngshāo (红燒, lit. red cooking) when the sauce or broth is soy sauce based.
Quick Boiling
汆 or 煠
Cuān or Zhá
Adding ingredients and seasonings to boiling water or broth and immediately serving the dish with the cooking liquid when everything has come back to a boil.
Par cooking through quick immersion of raw ingredients in boiling water or broth sometimes followed by immersion in cold water.
Prolonged immersionEdit
Prolonged wet-heat based immersion cooking methods include:
English Equivalent
Chinese
Pinyin
Description
Bake stewing
煨
Wēi
Slowly cooking a ceramic vessel of broth and other ingredients by placing it in or close to hot embers.
Steam stewing
焖
Mèn
Cooking with liquid (water or soup), covering in a tight-fitting lid until absorbed
Gradual simmering
炖
Dùn
Adding ingredients to cold water along with seasonings and allowing the contents to slowly come to a prolonged simmering boil. This is known in English as double steaming due to the vessels commonly used for this cooking method. The term is also used in Chinese for the Western cooking technique of stewing and brewing herbal remedies of Traditional Chinese medicine.
Cooking over prolonged and constant heat with the ingredients completely immersed in a strongly flavoured soy sauce based broth. This technique is different from, but in English synonymous with, Hóng shāo (红燒).
Cooking slowly to extract nutrients into the simmering liquid, used to describe the brewing process in Chinese herbology with the intention of using only the decocted brew.
SteamingEdit
Steaming food is a wet cooking technique that has a long history in Chinese cuisine dating back to neolithic times, where additional food was cooked by steaming over a vessel of food being cooked by other wet cooking techniques.[2]
A cooking technique requiring the using of a unique lidded vessel, known as the steam-pot (Chinese: 汽鍋) with a chimney rising from inside the bowl that is covered also by lid. Food ingredients are placed without cooking liquid in the vessel and the entire lidded vessel is seated on top of a pot of boiling water. Steam rising from the pot distills as hot water in the lidded vessel and cooks the ingredients while immersing it in soup. Used to prepare "pure" restorative foods such as steam-pot chicken.
DryEdit
Air-basedEdit
Food preparation in hot dry vessels such as an oven or a heated empty wok include:
Cooking ingredients at hot oil and stirring quickly to completion. This technique, as well as bào chǎo and yóu bào (爆炒 and 油爆), is known in English as stir frying. This technique uses higher heat than that of Sautéing.
Cooking with large amounts hot oil, sauces (酱爆; jiàng bào), or broth (汤爆; tāng bào) at very high heat and tossing the ingredients in the wok to completion.
Stir fryingEdit
Kian Lam Kho identifies five distinct techniques of stir frying:[3]
English Equivalent
Chinese
Pinyin
Description
Plain stir-fry or Simple stir-fry
清炒
qīngchǎo
To stir-fry a single ingredient (with aromatics and sauces). A plain stir-fry using garlic is known as 蒜炒, suànchǎo.[4]
Dry stir-fry or Dry wok stir-fry
煸炒
biānchǎo
To stir-fry a combination of protein and vegetable ingredients (with a small amount of liquid)[5]
Moist stir-fry
滑炒
huáchǎo
To stir-fry a combination of protein and vegetable ingredients (with a gravy-like sauce)[6]
Dry-fry or Extreme-heat stir-fry
干煸
gānbiān
To scorch in oil before stir-frying (with no addition of water)[5]
Scramble stir-fry
软炒
ruǎnchǎo
A technique for making egg custard.
Without heatEdit
Food preparation techniques not involving the heating of ingredients include:
Raw methods
English Equivalent
Chinese
Pinyin
Description
Dressing
拌
Bàn
Mixing raw or unflavoured cooked ingredients with seasonings and served immediately. Similar to tossing a dressing into salad.
Marinating or pickling
腌 or 醬
Yān or Jiàng
To pickle or marinade ingredients in salt, soy sauce or soy pastes. Use for making pickles or preparing ingredients for addition cooking.
^傅, 培梅 (2008), Péi Méi Shípǔ 培梅食譜 [Pei Mei Recipes], vol. 1, 旗林文化, ISBN978-986-6655-25-8
^ abHuang, H. T. Needham, Joseph (ed.). SCIENCE AND CIVILISATION IN CHINA. Vol. 6: BIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
^Kho, Kian Lam. Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking.
^Kho, Kian Lam (2008-03-12). "Stir-fry Fortnight III – Plain Veggie Stir-fry". Red Cook. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
^ abKho, Kian Lam (2008-03-21). "Stir-fry Fortnight V – Dry Wok Stir-fry". Red Cook. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
^Kho, Kian Lam (2008-03-18). "Stir-fry Fortnight IV – Moist Stir-fry". Red Cook. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
October 22, 2023
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Chinese cooking techniques Chinese 中餐烹調法 are a set of methods and techniques traditionally used in Chinese cuisine 1 The cooking techniques can either be grouped into ones that use a single cooking method or a combination of wet and dry cooking methods Chinese stir frying cooking technique at a street food joint in Kerala India Contents 1 Single 1 1 Wet 1 2 Quick immersion 1 3 Prolonged immersion 1 4 Steaming 1 5 Dry 1 5 1 Air based 1 5 2 Oil based 1 5 2 1 Stir frying 1 6 Without heat 2 Combination 3 See also 4 ReferencesSingle EditMany cooking techniques involve a singular type of heated cooking or action Wet Edit nbsp Steamed sea bass in the Cantonese styleWet heat immersion based cooking methods are the predominant class of cooking techniques in Chinese cuisine and are usually referred to as zhǔ 煮 In fact this class of techniques is so common and important that the term zhǔ is commonly used to denote cooking in general 2 Quick immersion Edit Quick wet heat based immersion cooking methods include English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionBraising 烧 Shao Braising ingredients over medium heat in a small amount of sauce or broth and simmering for a short period of time until completion Known as hongshao 红燒 lit red cooking when the sauce or broth is soy sauce based Quick Boiling 汆 or 煠 Cuan or Zha Adding ingredients and seasonings to boiling water or broth and immediately serving the dish with the cooking liquid when everything has come back to a boil Blanching 焯 or 烫 Chao or Tang Par cooking through quick immersion of raw ingredients in boiling water or broth sometimes followed by immersion in cold water Prolonged immersion Edit Prolonged wet heat based immersion cooking methods include English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionBake stewing 煨 Wei Slowly cooking a ceramic vessel of broth and other ingredients by placing it in or close to hot embers Steam stewing 焖 Men Cooking with liquid water or soup covering in a tight fitting lid until absorbedGradual simmering 炖 Dun Adding ingredients to cold water along with seasonings and allowing the contents to slowly come to a prolonged simmering boil This is known in English as double steaming due to the vessels commonly used for this cooking method The term is also used in Chinese for the Western cooking technique of stewing and brewing herbal remedies of Traditional Chinese medicine Slow red cooking 卤 Lǔ Cooking over prolonged and constant heat with the ingredients completely immersed in a strongly flavoured soy sauce based broth This technique is different from but in English synonymous with Hong shao 红燒 Decoction 熬 Ao Cooking slowly to extract nutrients into the simmering liquid used to describe the brewing process in Chinese herbology with the intention of using only the decocted brew Steaming Edit nbsp Silkie cooked by steaming using a specialized steam pot Steaming food is a wet cooking technique that has a long history in Chinese cuisine dating back to neolithic times where additional food was cooked by steaming over a vessel of food being cooked by other wet cooking techniques 2 English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionSteaming 蒸 or 燖 Zheng or Xun Steaming food to completion over boiling water and its rising water vapour Distillation simmering 醇 Chun A cooking technique requiring the using of a unique lidded vessel known as the steam pot Chinese 汽鍋 with a chimney rising from inside the bowl that is covered also by lid Food ingredients are placed without cooking liquid in the vessel and the entire lidded vessel is seated on top of a pot of boiling water Steam rising from the pot distills as hot water in the lidded vessel and cooks the ingredients while immersing it in soup Used to prepare pure restorative foods such as steam pot chicken Dry Edit Air based Edit Food preparation in hot dry vessels such as an oven or a heated empty wok include English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionBaking or Roasting 烤 Kǎo Cooking by hot air through convection or broiling in an enclosed spaceGrilling 炙 烤 zhi kǎo Cooking by direct radiant heat typically on skewers over charcoal Smoking 熏 Xun Cooking in direct heat with Smoke The source of the smoke is typically sugar or tea Oil based Edit nbsp Stir frying 爆 bao is a Chinese cooking technique involving relatively large amounts of oil Oil based cooking methods are one of the most common in Chinese cuisine and include English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionDeep frying or Frying 炸 Zha Full or partial immersion cooking in hot oil or fatPan frying 煎 Jian Cooking in a pan with a light coating of oil or liquid and allowing the food to brown Stir frying or high heat Sauteing 炒 Chǎo Cooking ingredients at hot oil and stirring quickly to completion This technique as well as bao chǎo and you bao 爆炒 and 油爆 is known in English as stir frying This technique uses higher heat than that of Sauteing Flash frying or High heat Stir frying 油 爆 You Bao Cooking with large amounts hot oil sauces 酱爆 jiang bao or broth 汤爆 tang bao at very high heat and tossing the ingredients in the wok to completion Stir frying Edit Kian Lam Kho identifies five distinct techniques of stir frying 3 English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionPlain stir fry or Simple stir fry 清炒 qingchǎo To stir fry a single ingredient with aromatics and sauces A plain stir fry using garlic is known as 蒜炒 suanchǎo 4 Dry stir fry or Dry wok stir fry 煸炒 bianchǎo To stir fry a combination of protein and vegetable ingredients with a small amount of liquid 5 Moist stir fry 滑炒 huachǎo To stir fry a combination of protein and vegetable ingredients with a gravy like sauce 6 Dry fry or Extreme heat stir fry 干煸 ganbian To scorch in oil before stir frying with no addition of water 5 Scramble stir fry 软炒 ruǎnchǎo A technique for making egg custard Without heat Edit Food preparation techniques not involving the heating of ingredients include Raw methods English Equivalent Chinese Pinyin DescriptionDressing 拌 Ban Mixing raw or unflavoured cooked ingredients with seasonings and served immediately Similar to tossing a dressing into salad Marinating or pickling 腌 or 醬 Yan or Jiang To pickle or marinade ingredients in salt soy sauce or soy pastes Use for making pickles or preparing ingredients for addition cooking Jellifying 冻 Dong To quickly cool a gelatin or agarose containing broth to make aspic or agar jellyVelveting 上浆 Shang Jiang This technique involves marinating meat in corn starch and other ingredients before cooking This produces a velvety texture Combination Edit nbsp The chicken in General Tso s chicken has been fried and lightly braised in sauce 溜 liu Several techniques in Chinese involve more than one stage of cooking and have their own terms to describe the process They include Dong 凍 The technique is used for making aspic but also used to describe making of various gelatin desserts Simmering meat for a prolonged period in a broth 滷 Lǔ or 炖 dun Chilling the resulting meat and broth until the mixture gels Hui 燴 The dishes made using this technique are usually finished by thickening with starch 勾芡 gōuqian Quick precooking in hot water 燙 tang Finished by stir frying 爆 bao 炒 chǎo and 燒 shao Liu 溜 This technique is commonly used for meat and fish Pre fried tofu is made expressly for this purpose Deep frying 炸 zha the ingredients until partially cooked Finishing the ingredients by lightly braising 燒 shao them to acquire a soft skin Men 燜 Stir frying 爆 bao or 炒 chǎo the ingredients until partially cooked Cover and simmer 燒 shao with broth until broth is fully reduced and ingredients are fully cooked See also Edit nbsp China portal nbsp Taiwan portal nbsp Food portalChinese cuisine List of cooking techniques WokReferences Edit 傅 培梅 2008 Pei Mei Shipǔ 培梅食譜 Pei Mei Recipes vol 1 旗林文化 ISBN 978 986 6655 25 8 a b Huang H T Needham Joseph ed SCIENCE AND CIVILISATION IN CHINA Vol 6 BIOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGY Cambridge United Kingdom Cambridge University Press Kho Kian Lam Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking Kho Kian Lam 2008 03 12 Stir fry Fortnight III Plain Veggie Stir fry Red Cook Retrieved 31 December 2015 a b Kho Kian Lam 2008 03 21 Stir fry Fortnight V Dry Wok Stir fry Red Cook Retrieved 31 December 2015 Kho Kian Lam 2008 03 18 Stir fry Fortnight IV Moist Stir fry Red Cook Retrieved 31 December 2015 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chinese cooking techniques amp oldid 1174664792, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,