The Savoury Wonder of Soy Sauce in Chinese Cuisine
Come learn more about the versatile culinary uses and unique qualities that make soy sauce indispensable in Chinese cuisine.
Chinese food has a golden reputation across the world. People have tried to emulate the methods used by the Chinese when it comes to making the thinnest noodles, the juiciest dumplings, and the tastiest fried rice.
But the Chinese have plenty of tricks up their creative sleeves when it comes to culinary techniques. However, cooking Chinese food isn’t always simple; it requires a considerable amount of expertise and dexterity. The following tips and techniques will help you convert your kitchen into a Beijing restaurant.
Stir Frying
The Chinese method of stir-frying is one that has captivated chefs and home cookes everywhere. This super common method in Chinese cuisine involves cooking ingredients in a wok, in a small amount of very hot oil for a short period of time. Stir-frying is believed to enable foods to soak in the flavours faster and preserve the tastes, textures and colours of the ingredients. Plus, it's a super quick midweek dinner you can whip up in minutes with whatever's in the fridge!
Try out our Chinese recipe for Stir Fried Clams with Ginger.
Deep Frying
While stir-frying uses very little oil, deep frying goes the other way. Ingredients are submerged in the oil, producing crisp, crunchy food. It does not suffice to simply drop the ingredients in a pan containing oil. A successful method of getting the perfect crispiness is to cut up your ingredients into medium-sized chunks, soak them in seasoning (usually ginger sauces or garlic pastes), coat them with cornflour or potato starch, and finally fry them in small batches in hot oil over medium heat. And how doesn't love deep-fried Chinese food?
Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Ribs are super delicious, so we know you'll love this recipe!
Red Stewing
Also called red cooking or red braising, this technique is uniquely Chinese. Red stewing takes time, because the food is cooked over low heat or a small fire. Meats are the first to be browned, followed by large quantities of soy sauce, sugar, wine, ginger, spice and coriander. Other seasonings are added later to make a soup or broth. If a considerable amount of tenderness is desired, the meat might take at least an hour or two to be cooked. Sauce cooked in this way is usually dark red or brown, giving the technique its name.
Give the Chinese recipe for this succulent Shanghai Red Braised Pork Belly a go.
Braising
With braising, the trick is to add all your ingredients and seasonings in a wok or saucepan, pour some water, and let the mixture simmer. Corn flour is often used to thicken the sauce being cooked this way, but only after all the ingredients are cooked to perfection.
Cook up some braised Chinese Honey Soy Chicken Wings with our simple Chinese recipe!
Steaming
The Chinese invented an efficient method for cooking delicate food like steamed buns and dumplings using hot water vapour. The world soon adopted it to cook food in a healthier way. With very little or no oil, the ingredients will continue to cook in steam until they are soft, and ready to be served. Dumplings, vegetables, seafood and even chicken are delicious when cooked in this method. Not all delicious Chinese food has to be unhealthy!
Looking for a challenge in the kitchen? Try making these Chinese Steamed Pork Buns!
