Tina Gu - Chinese Takeout Cookbook -Top 75 Homemade Chinese Takeout Recipes to Enjoy

Chinese Takeout Cookbook Top 75 Homemade Chinese Takeout Recipes To Enjoy Tina Gu Copyright 2017 by Tina Gu All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

INTRODUCTION

Over the years, many Chinese dishes have become westernized. This is why we have authentic Chinese food and the Americanized Chinese food, which is alien to the Chinese. These include crab wanton, sweet and sour pork and fortune cookie. Authentic Chinese foods arent really glamorous, they are simple comfort food, constituting lots of veggies, a sprinkle of meat and some fruit. Desserts are not common.

A Little Background

A Little Background

Chinese restaurants began to spring up in the US to cater for mostly immigrantsthe French, African Americans and native Indians inclusive. Americans viewed the Chinese with contempt; they were seen as mere rat eaters and nothing more, the thought of eating Chinese food was revolting! The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which barred further immigration into the United States, added to the challenges of the growing number of Chinese restaurants. Nevertheless, the innovative Chinese restaurateurs rose against the prejudice, by revising their recipes to suit American taste. Consequently they included recipes like Fine Cut Chicken Chop Suey and Grilled Dinner Steak Hollandaise into their menus. While these menus were not considered entirely authentic, marginalized East European Jews as well as few Americans began to appreciate their innovative style. However, after the Second World War and The 1965 liberalization of immigration laws, new arrivals and new food from Sichuan, Shanghai and Hunan entered into the country.

By the 70s, the popularity of fusion soared, so much that even Chinese restaurants in Asia began to modify their recipes to feature non-traditional ingredients. Today, what began as chow chow in the 1800s has metamorphosed into a huge takeout industry with Chinese restaurants in America thrice outnumbering McDonalds outlets!

Basic Ingredients

It is made from fermented soy beans. Dark soy sauce has a rich caramel color. It is less salty and slightly sweet. Light soy sauce is popularly used in China. It has a lighter color than regular soy sauce but stronger in terms of saltiness. It may be paired with dark soy sauce to make a dish more colorful.

Regular soy sauce, though lighter in color, helps to create very authentic tasting Chinese food. It is important to get the right type of soy sauce, so make sure you always read the label before you buy one. The main ingredients should be soybeans, wheat, water and salt. 2. Shaoxing wine , also called rice wine is used in braising and marinating. To cook with Shaoxing wine, pour it around the wok when stir-frying to enable the alcohol disperse fast and to make the dish more flavorful.

Another cooking wine closer to Shaoxing wine is dry sherry , although with a slight hint of sweetness. Dry sherry is great in pungent dishes, especially spicy ones. Japanese sake is another great substitute. It is delicate and mild, with s a sweet flavor. It is great for cooking delicate dishes like soup and dumpling filling. 3.

Oyster sauce enhances the taste of any dish. For instance, a drop of oyster sauce added to noodle soup or simple fried noodles will intensify the flavor and make the dish taste better instantly. For vegetarian dishes, mushroom oyster sauce is a great alternative. However, there isnt substitute for oyster sauce. 4. Five-spice Powder .

A tiny amount of this very powerful spice goes a long way for depth of flavor. It is made up of peppercorns, fennel, star anise, cloves and cinnamon.

Toasted Sesame Oil, with its transparent reddish brown or amber color is usually drizzled at the end of a stir-fry before serving. Walnut oil is used by pregnant women due to its nourishing properties. 6. Rice Vinegar. This is what is traditionally used in Chinese recipes. It can be either white or black.