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Ethnic Recipes are cultural or regional ways of cooking authentic cuisine. Cooking Chinese foods are considered healthy and a balanced way of having ancient Chinese culture.

Ethnic recipes originated from different cultural diversities of each country. It is a way of learning traditional meals in terms of food preparation, dietary habits, food symbolism and rituals.

Most Chinese dishes combine a mixture of ingredients and a balance of elements in its flavors, colors, aroma, textures and food preparations. It is a noted and regarded great combination of dishes.

The usual meal that comprises Chinese ethnic dishes would include a cup of steamed rice, mixed vegetables, fried, steamed dish or soup. It even has four major Chinese cooking styles like Beijing Cuisine, Cantonese, Szechwan and Hunan also incorporate mixing of dishes.

A good Chinese cooking practice can be distinguished by their seasoning blends, temperature control and meticulous cutting of ingredients. For best results, parboiling and partial frying are the techniques used by Chinese for centuries already.

In a family meal, eating rice two to three times a day is basic. Two cups of long grain white rice is cooked with 3 cups water for just 20 minutes, done usually in four servings.

For rice porridge or congee, combining 8 cups of water and 1 cup of short grain rice will make out a commonly eaten breakfast. You can bring it to a boil, cover it in low fire and allow it to simmer for 1 ½ hours. Stirring is important every now and then in order to keep it from sticking in the pan. Veggies, dried fruits, meat, scallions, gingers and nuts can be added on top in order to spice up the recipe.

A combination of tea in every meal is a must. It is the most-loved beverage of Chinese individuals. Social gatherings would not be complete without a cup of hot tea. Oolong, black and green tea are the 3 popular varieties in China. Oolong is brown pale tea as compared to fresh peaches. Black tea has a more strong taste. Green tea has a light and fresh flavor. It comes in loose form and it is often drank without sugar or milk. Drinking tea lowers the risk of cholesterol, prevents cancer and heart diseases.

Some Chinese ethnic recipes are as follows:

Soups and Appetizers

A clear soup serves as a drink during meals; it is a way to warm up people during the winter time. Their soup is usually served in large bowls, for dinner or banquet. On the other hand, dimsum as an appetizer is served during the mid-mornings or afternoon and can be as a late night snack. Dimsum samples include wonton, egg rolls, dumplings, shrimp balls and pastries. To enjoy delicious soups and dims sum samples, you can try these recipes:

Wonton Recipe – Ingredients:

o Minced pound pork ½ lb.
o Minced fresh mushrooms ¼ lb.
o ¼ tsp. salt
o 1 tbsp. minced scallion
o 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
o 1 pc. egg yolk
o Peanut oil
o Wanton squares

Method:

o Using a bowl, mix pork, mushrooms, salt, scallions, pepper and egg yolk.
o Put a 1/2 tsp mixture at the center of won ton square and fold a corner to make triangles.
o Pull the corner bottom and overlap the tips pinching together.
o Fry in hot oil and drain.
o Serve with ketchup or mustard with a horseradish. It can make 120 pieces.

Main Dish

A main dish usually consists of meats or fish and vegetables. Fresh vegetables are important. It should be cooked quickly in order to retain its color and crispness. The dish below is good for 4 persons.

Almond Chicken Recipe
Ingredients:

o 1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts
o 1 tsp. honey
o 1 tbsp. cornstarch
o 12 ounces pea pods
o 3 tbsp. soy sauce
o ¼ cup vegetable oil
o 3 to 4 tbsp. Water
o 1 tsp. ginger
o 1 cup natural whole almonds
o 1/3 cup sherry

Method:

o Cut chicken breasts in ½ inch cube.
o Mix ginger, cornstarch, and honey. Blend soy sauce and sherry in water.
o Heat oil in a wok on medium heat.
o Add almonds and chicken. Cook for 3 minutes.
o Pour sherry mixture until sauce thickens and add pea pods. Stir fry and glazed.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• family cooking night recipes

Sure, Chinese takeout has its allure, but why not keep it healthy and indulge with some home cooked Chinese food?

Chinese food is popular all around the world, and that with good reason â?? it is extremely versatile, healthy and easy to whip up in your kitchen.

Invite your family and friends and enjoy delicious homemade Chinese food.

KUNG PAO CHI (CHICKEN WITH CHILES AND NUTS)

Ingredients

1 lb. Chicken breast, boned

4 Tbs. Soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbs. Cold water

Cornstarch

1/4 Tsp. Garlic salt

4 Dried red chiles or more

1 Tbs. White wine or sherry

1 Tbs. Sugar

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Sesame oil

Oil for deep frying

1 Tsp. Chopped peeled gingerroot

1/2 c. Peanuts

*Note: Chicken should be cut in 1-in. cubes.

**More chiles may be used, to taste.

Directions

For this recipe with chicken, combine chicken, 2 Tbs. soy sauce, cold water, 1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch and garlic salt in bowl. Stir evenly in one direction and let marinate 30 minutes. Remove tips and seeds from chiles, then cut in 1-inch pieces. Combine remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce, wine, sugar, 1 Tsp. cornstarch, salt and sesame oil in small bowl. Heat 2 to 3 inches oil in wok to 400F. Add chicken and fry 30 seconds. Remove chicken and drain off all but 2 Tbs. oil. Heat oil and fry chiles until black. Add gingerroot and chicken, stirring and tossing together. Add soy-wine mixture and cook, stirring, just until thickened. Remove from heat and sprinkle with nuts.

CHINESE EGG ROLLS

Ingredients

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

10 each napa cabbage leaves, chopped and ends removed

2 each stalks bok choi, chopped

4 cup bean sprouts, fresh

1/2 md onion, chopped

4 each garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup bamboo shoots, chopped

1 cup water chestnuts, chopped

1 pound pork, cooked, ground

1 pound small shrimp, cooked

1/2 pound beef, cooked, ground

1/4 cup cooking wine

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoon sesame oil

1 pk egg roll skins, or wrappers

1 oil for frying

1 each egg, beaten

Directions

Mix filling ingredients together. Put mixture in the freezer awhile to cool. Warm meat tends to soften the wrappers and make things messy, as in similar food recipes. Heat vegetable oil in fryer to 325 degrees.

To roll, place about 3 tb filling mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold 1 corner over mixture and fold in ends. Continue rolling. Brush egg mixture on exposed corner of wrapper to help seal egg roll.

Put egg rolls in hot oil, a few at a time, and fry a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove to drain on paper towels. Serve warm with soy sauce, hot mustard, or sauce of your choice.

Makes 18 egg rolls.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Total cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients for Chinese food beef:

400g (13 oz.) rump steak, finely sliced (see Hint)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
oil, for cooking
200g (6 1/2 oz.) snow peas, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons cornflour
1/2 cup (125ml/4 fl oz.) beef stock
1 teaspoon soy sauce, extra
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions for Chinese food beef:

1. First start by putting the meat in a ceramic bowl. Mix the soy and the ginger and then add to the meat and stir well. Then heat the wok until it become hot, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl it around to coat the side. Then add the beef and the snow peas and stir-fry over high heat for about 2 minutes or so, or until the meat changes colour.

2. Dissolve the cornflour in a little of the stock. Add to the wok with the remaining stock, extra soy and oil.

3. Stir until the sauce boils and serve immediately.

Nutritional Value for Chinese food beef:

Protein 27 g;
Fat 13 g;
Carbohydrate 9 g;
Dietary Fibre 3 g;
Cholesterol 67mg;
Energy 1088kJ (260cal)

Hints for Chinese food beef:

1. To make the beef easier to slice, freeze it until it is just firm and thinly slice while it is still frozen.
2. Stir-fry the beef and snow peas over high heat until the meat browns
3. Dissolve the cornflour in a little of the stock and add to the wok with the rest of the stock.
4. Stir the beef and snow peas until the sauce comes to the boil and thickens.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• chinese cuisine recipe(beef)
• Chinese Food beef and snow peas recipes

Chinese food is a great way to expand your personal recipe book, especially if you love to use simple, fresh ingredients with quick cooking time. These top ten dishes are famous all over the world, and are must-haves in your collection of Chinese food recipes.

Fried Rice – A must have dish in Chinese restaurants, fried rice is the ultimate Chinese food, and can be one of the most flexible in your cookbook because you can use leftover rice and ingredients to make it.  Of course, you can use fresh ingredients but it’s best to use rice that has been kept in the fridge overnight for best results. Ingredients usually involved in making fried rice are eggs, scallions, diced meat of either beef, chicken or pork, ham, shrimps and vegetables such as celery, peas, carrots, bean sprouts and corn. There are many varieties of fried rice but the more popular ones are the Yangchow and Fujian fried rice.

Kung Pao Chicken – Kung Pao chicken or Kung Po chicken is a Chinese dish from Szechuan cuisine and is considered to be a delicacy. The recipe for this mouth watering dish commonly calls for diced chicken that is pre-seasoned and quickly stir-fried with unsalted roasted peanuts, red bell peppers, rice wine or sherry, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and chili peppers. Alternatively, you can use prawn, scallops, beef or pork in place of the chicken.

Moo Shu Pork – This is a dish of northern Chinese origin and a favorite of many. Ingredients in a Mu Xu pork recipe often include green cabbage, wood ear mushrooms, scrambled eggs, carrots, bean sprouts, day lily buds and scallions. Celery, onions, bell peppers, snow pea pods, bok choy and Shiitake mushrooms are occasionally used. The vegetables are cut into long and thin strips before cooking, with the exception for bean sprouts and day lily buds. Fried Mu Xu pork is then wrapped in moo shu pancakes that is brushed with hoisin sauce and eaten by hand. Moo shu pancakes are thin wrappers made of flour that is easily available in supermarkets and steamed just before eating.

General Tso’s Chicken – General Tso’s chicken is a Hunan dish that tastes spicy and sweet and very popular in Chinese restaurants in America and Canada where it’s often marked as a “chef’s specialty”. General Tso’s Chicken recipe commonly involves battered chicken deep-fried and marinated with hot chili peppers, scallions, sugar, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger.

Egg Rolls – Egg rolls are one of the most popular Chinese foods, and for good reason. This savory roll is made by wrapping a combination of chopped cabbage and meats and sometimes noodles in a sheet of dough. It is then dipped in egg and deep fried to perfection. Egg rolls are generally bigger in size  than its cousin spring roll, its skin is thicker and crunchier; and have more filling.

Fortune Cookies – Chinese cooking would simply not be complete without the addition of a recipe for fortune cookies. The ingrediesnts you need to make these treats are some sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla extract, making them a simple way to add some fun to your home cooked Chinese food.

Orange Chicken – This appetizing  Chinese dish is made of chicken chopped into bite size pieces and battered, and then fried with thick sweet and spicy chili sauce flavored with orange. The traditionally Chinese recipe for orange peel chicken as it’s sometimes called, is to deep fry the chicken first and then stir fry it in a lightly sweet soy-based sauce flavored with dried orange peels. Vegetables like baby carrots and bok choy are used as the garnishing. However, cooks in Western restaurants do not use dried orange peel but rather orange juice or fresh orange peel and a substantial amount of sugar to make the sauce. Chili peppers and steamed broccoli are used as garnishing instead.

Sweet and Sour Pork – This savory-sweet famous Chinese dish is of Cantonese origin. It is a good dish to prepare when you are planning on having guests, who will be wildly impressed with your cooking skill. As with other Chinese food recipes, the key to making a great Sweet and Sour Pork dish is in the sauce made of sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, and soy sauce. Its ingredients include pork, onion, bell pepper and pineapple chopped into bite size pieces.

Mapo Dofu – Mapo doufu or Mapo tofu is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan province. Ingredients used for this recipe include tofu or beancurd, and minced beef or pork cooked in a bright red spicy sauce based on chili.

Chop Suey – Chop suey or “za sui” or “shap sui” literally means ‘mixed pieces’ is an American-Chinese dish usually employs leftover vegetables and meats stir fried quickly in a sauce thickened with starch. It is a great dish when you need to use up the last of yesterday’s chicken or pork roast and can incorporate meats of any kind such as pork, shrimp, beef, fish or chicken and various vegetables from bean sprouts to cabbage and celery. Chop Suey is often eaten with rice.