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Continuing from previous part Chinese
cooking ingredients, this section is on Chinese vegetables
and Chinese spices. Of course, like before, there's no way
to list every single ingredient, so we cover some of the
most common and popular Chinese vegetables and Chinese spices.
Chinese Vegetables
There are many varieties of Chinese vegetables,
which aren't used often in the western kitchen; however
you've probably had them in Chinese restaurants or seen
them in the super markets.
Chinese broccoli - This is probably
the most well know Chinese vegetable. By the name of it,
you'd think it's similar to a regular broccoli, but not
even close. It looks different, and tastes different. Chinese
broccoli has long leafs and a thick stem. Best way to cook
them is to boil them and serve with oyster sauce, or stir-fry
with garlic.
Chinese cabbage - Also called sui choy,
this vegetable isn't like the regular cabbage either. It
has light green leafs and thick, white stems. It's good
for making soups, and stir-frying.
Yu Choy - This Chinese vegetable is
relatively unknown and unused in the west. It has large
green leaves and long green stems. Best for stir-frying
with dry chilies.
Bok Choy - Bok Choy is well known around
the world, and there are many types including baby bok choy,
and Shanghai bok choy. Baby and Shanghai bok choy are relatively
small - only about 4 to 5 inches long. They're best used
for making soups, stir-fry, and stewing.
Click
here to learn a variety of ways to cook Chinese vegetables
and use Chinese spices
Chinese Spices
Chinese cooking uses many different types
of spices. Some are borrowed from other cuisine, and some
are native Chinese spices.
Some of the most common Chinese spices include
Szechuan peppercorns, 5-spices powder, cumin, star aniseed,
garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper etc..
Szechuan peppercorns are 'numbing'
- what they do is they bring a numbing sensation to your
tongue. They're used extensively in Szechuan cooking.
5 spices powder - as the name says,
it's a combination of 5 types of spices grinded up. It has
a very strong aroma and taste, so use sparingly in cooking.
Ginger and Garlic are common in all
types of cooking. They not only make your food taste better,
but they also are very beneficial to your health. (Garlic
fights cancer, lowers blood fats, ginger improves digestive
health, among other functions) Back
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