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Chinese food

feature

From a throw it all in the pan stir fry to a complicated dumpling soup Chinese food is a great British favourite. However, there’s much more to Chinese cuisine than chopsticks and spring rolls, food is an integral part of the culture and history of the country and each region has a very different way of cooking and eating.

Ancient Chinese cultures readily made use of imported ingredients but nonetheless basics have been passed from generation to generation, using the available resources of an area, which means that in the cold Northern region wheat is a substitute for rice meaning it’s noodles galore whilst hot, spicy foods are made using the chillies and peppers of the Western Szechuan region and our favourite in Britain, Cantonese food, is easily recognised thanks to those takeaway staples such as egg fried rice and dim sum. This Cantonese style of cooking arrived with the first immigrants to Britain and has spread ever since, incorporating other Chinese dishes and Western techniques and ingredients.

As courtesy and manners are integral to eating in any Far Eastern country you’ll find that there are many traditions observed at the table, from serving the best dish first to the senior members of a family to remembering not to point with your chopsticks. The tradition of chopsticks dates back 5,000 (compared to the tined fork which originates from the 15th century) with the earliest designs resembling tweezers made of bamboo – knives were at one time used at the Chinese table but when that wise old geezer Confucius pointed out that they may remind one of the slaughterhouse they were soon fazed out.

While those dishes such as Peking Duck, Chop Suey and Pork Char Siu are as familiar to us as steak and chips most of us in the UK have a rather warped view of what people really eat in China…dog is pretty much off the menu these days but in some areas snake is considered a delicacy. A typical day might begin with congee, a rice concoction closest to porridge, or a savoury soup and is usually picked up from a street vendor and eaten on the run, while lunch, eaten early – often at around 11:30am - might be a hot rice dish or dim sum. Most importantly, on special occasions such as birthdays or weddings or to celebrate a holiday such as new year food is central to the event and huge banquets will be shared with extended family.


Cantonese Fried Noodles

Traditionally Chow Mein is cooked as a way to use up leftovers from a banquet. The great thing is that you really can chuck anything in and substitute to suit a vegetarian or fussy eater.

1lb cooked egg noodles
200g lean steak, sliced finely
small can bamboo shoots
150g Chinese leaves, chopped
1 leek, very finely chopped
handful Chinese mushrooms, sliced
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2tbsp dark soy sauce
1tbsp cornflour
1tbsp rice wine (or use medium sherry)
1tsp sesame oil
1tsp caster sugar

Heat a third of the vegetable oil in a wok or large saucepan and fry the noodles, keeping them bound together in a cake, cook until the lower noodles begin to crisp, turn again and repeat. Leave on a warm plate.

Heat 2 tbsp of the remaining oil in the same wok, add the leek and beef and fry for a few seconds before sprinkling over half the soy and adding the bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Keep moving for a minute then place on a plate and keep warm.

Chuck the remaining oil in to the wok and sauté the leaves for a minute before returning the meat, shoots and mushrooms to the pan, cooking together for 30 seconds.

Mix the cornflour with 100ml cold water and stir in to the wok along with the wine, sugar, sesame oil and the rest of the soy, cook for a few seconds until thick.

Serve on top of the crispy noodles.
Laura Heaps, MyVillage 25th October




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