How to cook Chinese Roast Pork

Recipe for Chinese Roast Pork!!

Oyster Sauce Marinade

4 tablespoons fresh ginger

1 shallot, chopped

6 cloves garlic

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

DIRECTIONS

For the marinade: Put the ginger, shallots, and garlic into a blender, and puree.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and tomato paste, and stir to incorporate.

For the pork: Put the trimmed tenderloins into a baking dish, and pour over half of the marinade, turning to coat. Cover the dish withplastic wrap, then place the pork in the refrigerator, and let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, ovenproof saute pan over medium-high heat. Remove the pork tenderloins from the marinade and searon all sides in the hot pan. Baste the pork with the remaining marinade throughout the cooking process.

Slide the pan into the preheated oven, and cook until the pork is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Per serving: Calories 313; Total Fat 10.5 grams; Saturated Fat 3 grams; Protein 47 grams; Total Carbohydrate 4 grams; Sugar: 1 gram; Fiber 0 grams; Cholesterol 148 milligrams; Sodium 430 milligrams;

Chinese Food Information!

Chinese food is one of the most popular types of cuisine in the world. What is your favourite dish? Sweet and sour chicken, Hoisin Duck, Kung Pow Chicken or Dim Sung?


Here we detail the most popular and lesser known dishes from China. From recipes to restaurant recommendations, the history of their creation and their cultural significance. Each region of China have their own style of cuisine, some of which are well known in other parts of the world, some of which are not as yet.

The act of eating Chinese food is also different from that of other cultures i.e. eating with chopsticks,  and this is what many people around the world enjoy about the experience of eating Chinese food, coupled with the many alluring, unique aromas of the food, along with its distinctive, exotic tastes.

The unique ambience of a Chinese restaurant also plays a massive part in many people's experience with Chinese food. Classical Chinese music and traditional decor all contribute. Lighting is important, bringing out the vibrancy of the food, with its vivid palette of colours.

Chinese food is popular for a reason, here we detail why!

Chinese Main Courses

Part 2 of Main Courses:

Ginger Beef

Slivers of beef are marinated in ginger juice, battered and fried.  Sometimes it is deep fried twice to make it more crispy. The authentic chinese version of the meal is drier and not as sweet as the one served in many restaurants in the west.

Kung Pao Chicken 

This famous dish is made from dicing chicken breast and deep frying it, with roasted peanuts.  A ginger and chilli sauce accompanies it. 

Lemon Chicken 

This dish is made from diced, deep-fried battered chicken, in a lemon sauce.

Lo Mein. This dish is made from tossed noodles in sauce.  Unlike Chow Mein , these noodles are tossed and cooked together with the stir fry mix.

Crispy Skin Duck (Xang Su Ya)

Steamed duck with a deep-fried skin.

Dou Ban Yu

This is fish in a spicy sauce with ginger and garlic.  Trout, carp, and sea bass can be used.

Dry Garlic Spareribs

These are pork ribs that are simmered twice.  The second simmering takes place in a sauce of garlic, mustard and brown sugar.

Fried Rice

There are many variants of fried rice, served with the different meats available on the menu.  The rice, now cold (having been previously cooked) is fried with scrambled eggs and vegetables.

General Tsao's Chicken 

According to wikipedia, this dish is "named after General Tso Tsung-tang, or Zuo Zongtang, a Qing dynasty general and statesman, although there is no recorded connection to him. The real roots of the dish lie in the post-1949 exodus of chefs to the United States."

Chicken breast is diced and covered in cornstarch before it is deep fried in a sauce combining hoisin, soy and chilli pepper.

Chinese Food Menu - Chicken and Beef Dishes

Today in our series on the Chinese Food Menu, we take you to the main dishes usually on offer in Chinese restaurants!  We will do this in two parts as there are many dishes available and we want to keep this easily digestable for our readers!

Beggar's Chicken

Inline image 1Stuffed chicken is wrapped in dough and baked.
Cheng Du Chicken (Chili Chicken Cubes)

Diced chicken breasts are marinated and deep-fried; the sauce is made from hot bean sauce, freshly ground Szechuan pepper, vinegar and sugar. 



Chow Mein (Fried noodles)


In this dish the noodles and vegetables are stir-fried separately, then mixed together at the end of the cooking procedure.  The noodles can be soft or crispy depending on how long they are fried in oil.  It can be made with either thick or thin noodles.  A gravy is either added to the noodles while they are being stir-fried or at the final stage of cooking. Chicken, shrimp or pork are used as the meat.  

Ants Climbing Trees (Ants Creeping on Trees, Ants Climbing a Hill, Ma Yi Shang Shu)

This is a spicy Szechuan dish: marinated pork is cooked in a spicy sauce and served on cellophane (bean thread) noodles.
Bang Bang Ji (Hot Chicken Salad) 


Chicken breasts with hot chili oil are cut into small pieces and served on a sheet of green bean paste. 

Beef in Oyster Sauce




Beef is thinly sliced and then marinated with several ingredients that usually include sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch and sometimes sugar. The beef is stir-fried or deep-fried and then oyster sauce is added. 

Beef with Broccoli

Marinated beef is stir-fried and mixed with stir-fried vegetables - then covered with a thick brown sauce that may also include oyster sauce.

Chinese Food Menu

Chinese Food Menu

Yesterday we told you about the starters on many menus in Chinese restaurants, in order to help the unitiated among you.  Today we are moving to the next section of a menu before people attempt to decide on their main course: Soup!

Hot and Sour Soup

There are many regional variations of this soup are found throughout China.  All of theses contain bean curd, Chinese black mushrooms and usually pork, but the remaining ingredients can vary. 

Wonton Soup

The word Wonton translates as "swallowing a cloud" and in this soup the floating Wontons do resemble tiny clouds.  They are filled with a mixture of meat (usually pork) and seasoning and are boiled, and then added to the stock. 

Egg Drop Soup

 

A Chinese classic: flavoured chicken broth or stock topped with threads of egg. It usually comes with a green onion garnish, and sometimes green peas are added to the stock.

Chinese Food Menu

Understanding the menu in a chinese restaurant / takeaway

Many people become confused in Chinese restaurants if they are not experienced with the cuisine on offer. They are slightly intimidated by the exotic names and mix of ingredients making up the dishes. So to help the inexperienced, we have decided to explain what is often on the menu!  Today we will start (excuse the pun) with Starters!

  

Deep Fried Wontons

  

Wonton wrappers are filled with ground pork and a variety of vegetables and seasonings before they are deep-fried.  

Crab Rangoon


This starter has become very popular in some parts of the USA, although it is not an authentic Chinese dish.  The wontons are stuffed with crab, cream cheese and scallions and deep-fried.      

 

These are very popular in the west even though they are not eaten in China. Egg rolls are a larger version of Spring rolls.  They are normally filled with barbecued pork or shrimp - vegetables can include cabbage, celery, suey choy, and/or bean sprouts.

Spring Roll

A lighter, more delicate version of egg rolls, made with a flour and water wrapping (no egg), deep-fried

The History of Chinese Food

The History of Chinese Food:

The history of Chinese cuisine is marked by both variety and change. The archaeologist and scholar K.C. Chang says “Chinese people are especially preoccupied with food” and “food is at the center of, or at least it accompanies or symbolizes, many social interactions.” Over the course of history, he says, "continuity vastly outweighs change." He explains basic organizing principles which go back to earliest times and give a continuity to the food tradition, principally that a normal meal is made up of fan（饭/飯） (grains and other starches) and cai（菜） (vegetable or meat dishes).

Chinese cuisine as we now know it evolved gradually over the centuries as new food sources and techniques were introduced, discovered, or invented. Although many of the characteristics we think of as the most important appeared very early, others did not appear or did not become important until relatively late. The first chopsticks, for instance, were probably used for cooking, stirring the fire, and serving bits of food and were not initially used as eating utensils. They began to take on this role during the Han dynasty, but it was not until the Ming that they became ubiquitous for both serving and eating. It was not until the Ming that they acquired their present name (筷子, kuaizi) and their present shape. The wok may also have been introduced during the Han, but again its initial use was limited (to drying grains) and its present use (to stir-fry, as well as boiling, steaming, roasting, and deep-frying) did not develop until the Ming.

The Ming also saw the adoption of new plants from the New World, such as corn, peanuts, and tobacco. Wilkinson remarks that to "somebody brought up on late twentieth century Chinese cuisine, Ming food would probably still seem familiar, but anything further back, especially pre-Tang would probably be difficult to recognize as 'Chinese'.

The "Silk Road" is the conventional term for the routes through Central Asia linking the Iranian plateau with western China; along this trade route passed exotic foodstuffs that greatly enlarged the potential for Chinese cuisines, only some of which preserve their foreign origin in the radical for "foreign" that remains in their name.

To be continued....

Chicken dinner ideas

Kung Pao Chicken recipe

Kung Pao Chicken (also known as Kung Pow Chicken) has been named as one of the most popular Chinese dishes in America!  One can see why as its alluring spice and sweet combination has turned out to be highly addictive to many a diner!  Therefore we thought it was appropriate to let you know how to make this recipe!

 

List of Ingredients:

Marinade

1 tablespoon soy sauce2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubesSauce1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil8 to 10 dried red chilies3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced2 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar1 teaspoon soy sauce1 teaspoon hoisin sauce1 teaspoon sesame oil2 teaspoons sugar1 teaspoon cornstarch1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanutsHow to prepare:

1. Marinate the chicken: In a medium sized bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and stir gently. Let it stand at room temperature for 11 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: In another bowl, combine the sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and Sichuan pepper. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and then put it aside.

3. You may need to turn on your hob's exhaust fan, because stir-frying dried chilies on high heat can get smoky. Heat a wok or large pan over high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and twirl it to coat the pan's base. Add the chilies and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until the chilies have just begun to blacken and the oil is slightly fragrant. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink, usually for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the other ingredients. Stir in the peanuts and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the scallion greens on top, and serve.

Chinese Food Recipes

How to make Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of the most known dishes from Chinese restaurants is Sweet and Sour Chicken! After much research we have obtained this healthier recipe for you to try!

You will need the following ingredients:

• 
  
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into 12 wedges
• 2 peppers, red, green, orange or yellow, deseeded and cut into chunks of about 3cm/1¼in
• 1 x 225g/8oz can water chestnuts
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 25g/1oz piece fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
• freshly ground black pepper
  
  1 x 425g/15oz can pineapple chunks in natural juice 
  
  
  
  2 tbsp cornflour
  • 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
    

1. To make sweet and sour sauce, drain a pineapple in a sieve over a bowl and keep all the juice – you should have about 150ml/5fl oz. Put cornflour in a big bowl and stir in three tablespoons of the pineapple juice and make a smooth paste. Add any remaining juice and 150ml/5fl oz of water, then stir in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup and chilli flakes until thoroughly mixed. This can now be set aside.
   
2. Cut each chicken breast into even diced pieces. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a big non-stick frying pan or wok and stir-fry the onion & peppers for two minutes on a high heat. Drain the water chestnuts and cut them in half horizontally.
3. Add the remaining oil and chicken to the pan and stir-fry for two minutes until it is coloured on all sides. Add the garlic, ginger, pineapple chunks and water chestnuts and stir-fry for a further 30–60 seconds.
4. Give the cornflour and pineapple mixture a stir and pour it in the pan with the chicken and vegetables. Stir well, then season with some ground black pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4–6 minutes until the sauce is thickened and glossy and the chicken is tender and cooked throughout, turning the chicken and vegetables a few times. Serve with a small portion of rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

   ENJOY!

   
   

   Let us know in the comment section what other dishes you would like recipes for!

Chinese Food Info

Chinese food is one of the most popular types of cuisine in the world. What is your favourite dish? Sweet and sour chicken, Hoisin Duck, Kung Pow Chicken or Dim Sung?


Here we detail the most popular and lesser known dishes from China. From recipes to restaurant recommendations, the history of their creation and their cultural significance. Each region of China have their own style of cuisine, some of which are well known in other parts of the world, some of which are not as yet.

The act of eating Chinese food is also different from that of other cultures i.e. eating with chopsticks,  and this is what many people around the world enjoy about the experience of eating Chinese food, coupled with the many alluring, unique aromas of the food, along with its distinctive, exotic tastes.

The unique ambience of a Chinese restaurant also plays a massive part in many people's experience with Chinese food. Classical Chinese music and traditional decor all contribute. Lighting is important, bringing out the vibrancy of the food, with its vivid palette of colours.

Chinese food is popular for a reason, here we detail why!