Learn to Cook Chinese Food: Vegetables

Author: Editorial Committee of "How to Cook Chinese Dishes"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: If you're not aiming to become a professional chef but simply learning to cook Chinese dishes for home consumption and entertaining guests, there's no need to seek a master. The culinary skills of Chinese housewives are mostly acquired through osmosis from their grandmothers and mothers. After becoming wives and mothers, some of them with a keen interest in cooking further refine their skills by studying recipes or exchanging techniques with neighbors. Sometimes, the dishes they create can even rival those of renowned restaurants and chefs. Of course, in Chinese households, there are also many men skilled in cooking, and male chefs dominate the ranks of famous restaurants and eateries. The compilers of this "How to Cook Chinese Dishes" series are all culinary masters. To make it easy for beginners to get started, they provide clear and concise explanations of the ingredients, knife techniques, and cooking steps for each dish. By following the instructions step by step, readers will quickly become proficient and be able to apply their knowledge to other dishes, greatly improving their culinary skills. The entire book is covered in a wipe-clean film, making it convenient to clean off grease and stains! The "How to Cook Chinese Dishes" series consists of nine volumes, covering aquatic products, meat dishes, vegetable dishes, bean products, soup dishes, cold dishes, pastry dishes, poultry and egg dishes, and home banquet dishes. This volume focuses on vegetable dishes, introducing the cooking methods for 40 commonly used vegetables. The main cooking techniques for vegetables are frying and boiling, with the temperature of the oil and water controlled by the heat. Therefore, it's essential to master the heat control. Only by adjusting the speed of the heat and the duration of cooking appropriately can the dishes maintain the unique freshness of the ingredients while achieving a harmonious balance of the five flavors—sweet, sour, bitter, pungent, and salty—and presenting an excellent combination of color, aroma, taste, and presentation.