Chinese Cuisine

• Yin food


  Considered "cool," larger, have less salt, have potassium, and/or grow above soil
• Yang food


  "Warm" or "hot," smaller, have more sodium, and/or grow below the soil
• Chinese cuisine


  • Rich and colorful, with diversified color, aromatic flavor, and excellent taste
  • Not only tasty but also a work of art for people to appreciate

  
• Chinese food is easily found in every corner of the world, and it has become an impressive and influential symbol of Chinese culture

  
• Chinese food, in general, is healthy and nutritious
• Rice


  • The major staple food for people from rice farming areas in southern China
  • Steamed rice, usually white rice, is the most eaten form
  • Rice is also used to produce beers, wine, and vinegars
  • One of the most popular foods in China and is used in many dishes
• Glutinous Rice ("sticky rice")


  A variety of rice used in many specialty dishes
• Noodles


  • An essential ingredient and staple in Chinese Cuisine
  • Come dry or fresh in various soups or fried as toppings

  
• Shou Mian (literally noodles of longevity)


  Symbolic of long life and good health according to Chinese tradition
• Tofu


  Made of soybeans and is another popular food product that supplies protein
• Other soy products


  • Soy milk
  • Soy paste
  • Soy oil
  • Fermented soy sauce
• Herbs and Seasonings


  • Fresh ginger root
  • Garlic
  • Scallion
  • White Pepper
  • Sesame Oil
  • Dried Chinese Mushrooms
  • Dried Baby Shrimps
  • Dried Tangerine Peel
  • Dried Sichuan Chillies
  • Oyster Sauce
  • Clear Rice Vinegar
  • Chili
  • Chinkiang Black Rice Vinegar
  • Fish Sauce
  • Fermented Tofu (furu)
  • Hoisin Sauce
  • Ground Bean Sauce
  • Yellow Bean Sauce

  
• Chinese Cooking Methods


  • Cook/Boil (Zhu)
  • Fry or Shallow Fry (JianPan)
  • Stir-fry (Chao)
  • Steam (Zheng)
  • Deep fry (Zha)
  • Tossing Salad in its dressing (Ban/Lao)
  • Roasting (Kao)
  • Baking usually in foil or paper (Ju)
  • Normal baking or toasting process (Hong)
  • Braising (Shao)
  • Double-boil (Dun)
  • Marinate (Yan)
• There are eight recognized culinary styles of China

  
• Anhui or Hui Cuisine


  • Less emphasis on seafood, more on wide variety of locally grown herbs and vegetables from the land and the sea

  
• Anhui or Hui Cuisine

  • Ham and Turtle soup
  • Hairy tofu
• Cantonese or Yu Cuisine


  • Incorporates almost all edible meats, stir-frying and steaming, spices are used moderately, fresh herbs are seldom added to the food
  • Oyster Sauce and Hoisin Sauce are started here

  
• Cantonese or Yu Cuisine


  • Dim sum
  • Char siu
• Fujian or Min Cuisine


  • Lighter with a sweet and sour taste; using ingredients from the sea or mountains
• Fujian or Min Cuisine

  • Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
  • Lychee pork or lizhi rou

  
• Hunan or Xiang Cuisine


  • Characterized by richness, creaminess and moistness combined with delicate use of chili

  
• Sichuan Cuisine


  • Famous for their hot and spicy flavor
• Sichuan Cuisine


  • Kung Pao chicken
  • Mapo tofu

  
• Jiangsu or Su Cuisine


  • Fresh, salty and sweet; favoring soups and precise cooking techniques
• Jiangsu or Su Cuisine

  • Squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish
  • Lion's Head Meatballs
• Shandong or Lu Cuisine


  • Salty and crispy; favoring braising and seafood
• Shandong or Lu Cuisine


  • Sweet and sour fish
  • Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallion
• Zhejiang or Zhe Cuisine


  • Uses fish, seafood and bamboo shoots

  
• Zhejiang or Zhe Cuisine

  • Dongpo pork
  • Hairy tofu

  
• Baijiu


  Distilled from a variety of grains, categorized by its aroma
• Huangjiu


  Brewed by mixing boiled grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by saccharification and fermentation
• Fish


  An increase in prosperity, as "fish" (鱼 Yú /yoo/) sounds like 'surplus'
• Dumplings


  Symbolize wealth, as they can be made to look like Chinese silver ingots
• Whole Chicken


  Symbolize luck and wholeness, as "chicken" is a homophone for ji (吉, meaning 'good luck' and 'prosperity')
• Chinese New Year Cake

  Symbolize a higher income or position, as glutinous rice cake (年糕 Niángāo /nyen-gaoww/) sounds like it means "getting higher year-on-year"
• Spring Rolls


  Symbolize wealth
• Auspicious Chinese New Year foods

  • Dumplings
  • Whole chicken
  • Chinese New Year cake
  • Spring rolls
  • Sweet rice balls
  • Longevity noodles
  • Steamed pork belly with taro
  • Shrimp
  • Vegetables
  • Fruits

  
• Dumplings


  The more you eat during the New Year celebrations, the more money you can make in the New Year
• Whole chicken


  • Represents luck and wholeness
  • Chicken is a homophone for 'good luck' and 'prosperity'
  • Served whole - head and feet included - to symbolize 'unity' and 'wholeness', and 'a good beginning and end' to the year
• Chinese New Year cake

  • Signifies a higher income or position
  • In Chinese, the name sounds like 'getting higher year-on-year', meaning more prosperous business and general improvement in life