I have been in love with China since high school...the food, the culture, the history, including any fiction about their people. Perhaps it is cliche, but it all started with Amy Tan and when I read The Joy Luck Club. In college I even took a class on "modern Chinese history" ranging from the 1860s to 1950s.
So with that in mind, I was very eager to start cooking Chinese food.
We made soups and rice and spring rolls and dumplings and won tons. A group made scallion pancakes that surprised everyone with the flavor and texture; we all loved them. Peking duck with Mandarin pancakes was also a favorite. We didn't have time to roast a whole duck, so just breasts (skin on) were used. If I hadn't been so full, I would have positioned myself there the rest of the night. Have you ever had Peking duck? I would have said, "yes, " but apparently I had not. It was amazing. I could write a whole report just about it, but instead, please refer to the following websites:
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/dinning/duck.htm or
http://www.beijingservice.com/beijinghighlights/beijingroastduck.htm or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_Duck
And find a restaurant where it is properly roasted and consume as much as you possibly can.
Below is my report about China:
CHINA
Geography
Bordering Nations:
1.
Mongolia
2.
North Korea
3.
Russia
4.
Afghanistan
5.
Pakistan
6.
India
7.
Nepal
8.
Kazakhstan
9.
Kyrgyzstan
10. Bhuten
11. Burma
(Myanmar)
12. Laos
13. Vietnam
14. Tajikistan
Locations of coast and major bodies of water:
1.
East China Sea
2.
Korea Bay
3.
Yellow Sea
4.
South China Sea
5.
Huang He (Yellow River)
6.
Yang Zi river delta
7.
Chan Jiang (Yangtze River)
8.
Xi Jiang (West River)
Mountain Ranges:
1.
Tian Mts.
2.
Mt. Everest
Major Cities:
1.
Hong Kong
2.
Guangzhou (Canton)
3.
Xian (Changan) –start of the silk rd
4.
Shanghai
5.
Beijing (Capital)
Climate
Topographical changes:
1.
Rough country…65% mountains, hills, plateaus
2.
Mt. Everest (southwest on the border of China &
Nepal)
3.
From Everest, traveling north, terrain drops to between about 3,300 & 6,600 ft
above sea level.
4.
Grasslands of Mongolia
5.
Gobi Desert
6.
Taklamakan Desert
7.
Turfan Depression (Oasis of Fire)
8.
Yand Zi river delta (fertile ground)
History
Significant historical markers that have influenced
culture and food:
China has been a very influential in shaping the history of
the world. Because they have one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations
and the establishment of the Silk Road over 2,000 years ago, China shared its
many contributions in writing, the arts, math, science, philosophy, religion,
agriculture, and politics. Gunpowder, paper, printing, and the compass also
found its way east.
The Silk Road also influenced China. Beginning in Xian, it
stretched west for 4,340 miles, branching into two routes, but basically one
going to the Mediterranean Sea and the other to Constantinople (Turkey), where
it went on to Italy. Merchants brought their own religion, art and culture,
along with herbs, fruits, vegetables, and spices. Coriander, sesame seeds,
grapes, walnuts, peas, and GARLIC were all imported and became very much apart
of northern Chinese cooking.
China stayed very self-contained with dynasties waging war
upon each other for power instead of being conquered from the outside. This led
to the development of a strong national identity.
China has one-third of all the farmers of the world, and
within their population, 80% are peasants. This has had an influence on their
daily diet where rice makes up a large part of it.
The country is divided into four different regional cooking
styles: northern plains (Beijing); the east (fertile with the help of the
Yangtze River; the south (Cantonese); and west (Szechwan and Hunan). *N-salty, S-sweet, E-hot, W-sour
Major Food & Flavor Profiles
Proteins:
1.
Tufu
2.
Lamb
3.
Beef
(paper thin slices in north, dipped in broth)
4.
Jinhua (cured ham from Central)
5.
Yunnan ham (like Spanish Serrano…west)
Vegetables:
1.
Bok choy
2.
Salted & pickled veggies (turnips, white radish)
3.
Onions
4.
Garlic
5.
Leafy veg
6.
Bamboo shoots
7.
Gourds
8.
Beans
9.
Squashes
10. Edible
funi (muer-wood ears & silver-Sichuan mts)
11. TEA
Fruits:
1.
Melons
2.
Peaches
3.
Plums
4.
Grapes
5.
Citrus (tangerines)
6.
Szechuan peppers
Starches: (first 8 are N)
1.
Wheat
2.
Barley
3.
Millet
4.
Potatoes
5.
Soybeans
6.
Rice
7.
Noodles (cellophane-mung bean, rice)
8.
Breads, dumplings
9.
Corn
10. Sweet
potatoes
Dairy:
1.
Soymilk
2.
Yak’s milk
Spices & Seasonings:
1.
Garlic
2.
Onions
3.
Dark soy sauce
4.
Hoisin sauce
5.
Chiles
6.
Vinegar
7.
Sugar
8.
5-spice powder
9.
Ginger
Cooking techniques
Preparation styles and “unique” cooking styles:
1.
Mongolian (broth used to dip paper-thin slices of
lamb/beef. Then broth was served as soup.
2.
Mandarin cooking (royal haute cuisine…Peking duck,
jiaozi pork dumplings)
3.
Central is known as the “Land of Fish and Rice.” Use
light, fresh, sweet flavors in stir fries and steaming.
4.
Wuxi (red cooking) in soy sauce & red wine
5.
Basic cooking methods:
a.
Steaming
b.
Stir fry
c.
Braising
d.
Stewing
e.
Frying
f.
Deep frying
Major flavor profiles:
1.
Texture is important in western China with an emphasis
on chewy and crunchy.
2.
*N-salty, S-sweet, E-hot, W-sour
3.
Hot/Spicy
Unusual aspects of preparations:
1.
1,000 yr old egg
2.
Mongolian influence w/ broth
Classic menus and dishes:
1.
Peking Duck
2.
Drunken Chicken/Ribs/Prawns
3.
Beggar’s chicken
4.
Century Egg
5.
Kung Pao Chicken
No comments:
Post a Comment