Yuan Xiao – Traditional Chinese Lantern Festival Food

The Lantern Festival (or Yuan Xiao Festival in Chinese) is an important traditional Chinese festival, which is on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of celebrations of the New Year.

The biggest attraction on Lantern Festival is the sea of lanterns in every conceivable size and shape. Chinese started to celebrate the Lantern Festival since the Han Dynasty (206BC-221AD), and then it became popular during the Tang and Song Dynasties. This is a festival for people to have fun. On the night, people go to streets with a variety of lanterns under the full moon, watching Lion or Dragon Dance, playing Chinese riddles and games, enjoying the typical food called Yuan Xiao and setting off firecrackers. There is really a lot of fun for the young and the old.

Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival or Yuan Xiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuan Xiao or Tang Yuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. Made of sticky rice flour filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape, it symbolizes family unity, completeness and happiness.

The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuan Xiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame, osmanthus flowers, rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste. A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling. The salty variety is filled with minced meat, vegetables or a mixture.

The way to make Yuan Xiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or non-meat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.

Chinese Dumpling

Chinese Dumpling is a traditional Chinese Food served during holidays in Northern China (some parts of south China). It is now becomes one of the most widely loved foods in China.

Chinese dumpling is one of the most important foods in Chinese New Year. Because its shape is similar to ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots, they symbolize wealth. Traditionally, the family members will get together to make dumplings during the New Year's Eve. In some cities, people may hide a coin in one of the dumplings. The person who finds the coin will likely have a good fortune in the New Year.

Meanwhile, Chinese dumpling is a delicious food. You can make a variety of Chinese dumplings using different fillings based on your taste. Usually when you have Chinese dumpling for dinner, you will not have to cook anything else. The dumpling itself is good enough for dinner. This is one of the advantages of Chinese dumpling over other foods, though it may take longer to make them.

There is another reason why the Chinese dumpling is popular: Chinese dumpling is often the food for sending off friends or family members away.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

I remember as a kid going with my folks for Chinese food. My favorite part of the meal was dipping something in the sweet and sour sauce.

The sauce I make is not smooth like what you get in a Chinese restaurant. My sauce is called Mandarin Sauce and is chunky. It does take a while to prepare, but I never have leftovers.

1 cup whole tomatoes (about 1 can)
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup chopped white onion
1 ½ cups sugar
1 slice fresh ginger 1/8" thick
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup bell peppers cut up (I use green)
salt to taste
½ cup crushed pineapple.

Combine everything but the green peppers.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer 20 minutes over a low flame.
Add cornstarch to thicken.
Add bell peppers and serve

Chinese Beef in a Rice Cooker

My name is Jon C, and I am the office chef at dawjee.com. Due to health and safety regulations, the only cooking utensils we're permitted are a rice cooker, egg steamer and combination microwave oven (it can do grills and roasts). I try to use these tools to provide our staff with cheap healthy meals. Local dining establishments serve low quality, expensive food, that can have a noticeably negative impact on the afternoon performance of my staff.

In this article I shall describe a Chinese beef recipe that I cooked a couple of weeks ago. The seasoned strips of beef provide a tasty source of protein. While the rice and vegetables complete the meal to make it healthy and balanced. It cost under £5 to feed 3 hungry workers. And one of them ate enough for two. I shall not list quantities in the ingredients list as I just take a guess and chuck things into the pot. Just use a sensible estimate and experiment until you have the balance of flavors that you require.

Ingredients

For beef:

rump steak
ginger
garlic
sesame oil
light soya sauce
ground black pepper
Chinese 5 spice

For the rest:

rice
water
bean sprouts
mushrooms
bell pepper
Bouillon vegetable stock
chopped coriander

Instructions

Beef Marinade

Slice the beef into thin strips about 1 inch with.
Chop the ginger and garlic finely, and mix with the garlic, sesame oil, light soya sauce and ground black pepper to form a delicious marinade.
Mix the sliced beef with the marinade and set aside in a fridge for a few hours. If I'm planning on serving lunch at 12pm, I'll normally prepare the beef at 9am.

Cooking

Rinse the rice in the rice cooker a few times, and fill with water until there's about a finger nail's breadth of water above the top of the rice.
Add about half a teaspoon of vegetable stock to the rice,
Chop the mushrooms and bell pepper. I normally chop them into lumps between 0.5cm and 1.0cm in diameter.
Add all the chopped mushrooms, bell pepper and unchopped bean sprouts to the rice.
Add the marinaded beef to the rice.
Mix everything up.
Turn on the rice cooker start cooking.
When the food is cooked (this normally takes about 30 minutes), turn off the rice cooker, add the chopped coriander, and give it all another good mix.
Serve!

Chinese Style Chilli Prawns and Rice in a Rice Cooker

Owing to health and safety regulations, the only cooking utensils we're permitted are a rice cooker, egg steamer and combination microwave oven (it can do grills and roasts). I try to use these tools to provide our staff with cheap healthy meals. Local dining establishments serve low quality, expensive food, that can have a noticeably negative impact on the afternoon performance of my staff.

This dish involves a delicious combination of chilli prawns and rice. Either raw or pre-cooked prawns can be used. Though raw prawns are better for absorbing flavour from the marinade. The end result is very similar to fried rice, though a wok is not required.

I shall not list quantities in the ingredients list as I just take a guess and chuck things into the pot. Just use a sensible estimate and experiment until you have the balance of flavours that you require.

Ingredients

Prawn Marinade:
ginger
garlic
chilli (powder, flakes or fresh)
sesame oil
light soya sauce

For the rest:

rice
water
onion
mushrooms
sweetcorn
peas
Bouillon vegetable stock
spring onion

Instructions

Prawn Marinade

Chop the ginger, garlic and chilli (if fresh) finely. Mix this with the sesame oil, light soya sauce and ground black pepper. Mix the prawns in the marinade and set aside in a fridge for a few hours. If I'm planning on serving lunch at 12pm, I'll normally prepare the beef at 9am.

Cooking

Rinse the rice in the rice cooker a few times, and fill with water until there's about a finger nail's breadth of water above the top of the rice. Add about half a teaspoon of vegetable stock to the rice,Chop the onion and mushrooms into small pieces.
Add all the vegetables (apart from the spring onion) to the rice.Add the marinaded prawns to the rice. Mix everything up. Turn on the rice cooker start cooking.
Chop up the spring onion.When the food is cooked (this normally takes about 30 minutes), turn off the rice cooker, add the chopped spring onion, and give it all another good stir.

Char Siu – the Charm of Chinese Barbecue

Char siu, the other name for Chinese Barbecued pork is in fact Cantonese-style barbecued pork. The primary requirement for cooking up this delicacy is a long stretch of boneless pork mainly taken from the shoulder. Char siu is characteristic in its own type due to its coating of seasonings which makes the meat look dark red. The seasoning ingredients of this red devil include red food coloring, sugar or honey, sherry or rice wine and five-spice powder.

How the dish is prepared and served ?

This BBQ variety involves a conventional cooking process. Forks are used to hold the meat within covered oven or barely over the fire. This Chinese barbecued pork is never eaten alone. It is in fact a form of accompaniment to other food preparations like Cha Siu Baau. Here the barbecued pork is stuffed in buns with Char Siu rice and is deliciously served. However, its list of accompaniments does not end over here. Char siew can be eaten with other cookeries like salted duck egg, chicken with Soy sauce and sliced steamed chicken, roasted duck and roasted pork. Not only rice, noodles such as Lai fun, Shahe fen, and Wonton noodles too seem great with Char Siu. In Singapore, Char Siew looks brilliant with Hainanese chicken rice.

Cantonese-speaking people including Southern China, Malaysia and Singapore enjoy this dish full-flegedly and whole-heartedly. This BBQ specialty also makes its appearance in Chinese restaurants and several notable food markets of the world. Japan has however specialized in this art of barbecuing, which is known as Chashu without the red sugar and five-spice preparation but obviously with sweet honey and soy sauce coating.

The art of cooking Char Siu

The preparation of this barbeque is a unique combination of mixing, marinating and roasting. After the mixing has been properly done, sliced pork of about 2 inches in width and 5 inches in length are applied to the marinade and kept in the condition from two hours till overnight. The oven should gain a heat of 425 degree and the rack should be added to the roasting pan before it is filled with water in order to make the rack lower down. The excess marinate from the pork should be wiped off and made to stand in a line in the roasting pan. The roasting should go on for ten minutes. Now the next step would be to reduce the heat to 325 degree and allow the pork to be roasted for another thirty to forty minutes. As you turn the meat from side to side with sesame oil, peanut oil and marinade, the finishing is provided with a dash of honey for ten minutes. Then it is time for you to cut the pork into bite size pieces to make others enjoy each munch with fun and contentment.

Though the seed of Char Siu was sowed in China but the flavor of its harvest has spread to various parts of Asia. In fact, this dish of Chinese barbecued pork is tastefully striking enough to gain universal appreciation.

Chris McCarthy manages InsaneChicken's BBQ Sauce and Hot Sauce Catalog. Chris' InsaneChicken Hot Sauce Store has also been featured on the Food Network.

Guizhou Cuisine

The cuisine of Guizhou, known as Qian Cuisine is one of China's eight famous cuisines. It is called Qian Cuisine because Qian is the Chinese short name for Guizhou Province. Guizhou Cuisine is spicy like Sichuan Cuisine, but that is where the similarities end. The cuisine in Guizhou is sour and spicy, making it unique amongst China's cuisine styles. The locals love their Guizhou Cuisine and cannot bear to go even a day without eating it. There is an ancient local saying which states "Without eating a sour dish for three days, people will stagger with weak legs". This gives a fairly good idea of their love for their local cuisine. For visitors to Guizhou, great places to pick up local snacks and food are the Hequen Road near River Park, and the Shaanxi Road near the spray pond.

Fish in Sour Soup:
Fish in Sour Soup is a staple of the local Guizhou people's diet. It can be found at almost every meal. It is a dish very popular with visitors. The more you eat, the more you will want it. The Fish in Sour Soup comes from Kaili, a minority area in Guizhou's southeast. The soup broth is the most important part of the broth and it is made with sticky rice, wild tomatoes, peppers, shallots, ginger, and other vegetables.

Crackling Fish with Zao Pepper:
Another famous dish and one that should not be missed is Crackling Fish with Zao Pepper. Zao Pepper is a condiment only found in Guizhou. The dish is made with fresh carp breaded in a mix made from flour, eggs and salt. The fish is then fried. Ginger, Zao Pepper, and water is added to the pan to make a sauce. The fish is crispy on the outside, and tender and moist on the inside, and the aroma is irresistible.

Gongbao Chicken (KongPao Chicken):
Gongbao Chicken, commonly found in Chinese restaurants under the name KongPao Chicken, has a history of more than 100 years. First created by an official in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) named Ding Shaobao, the dish was originally created to entertain his guests and once the recipe got out, its popularity took off. The main ingredient in the dish is obviously diced chicken. The chicken is fried with peppers, sauces, salt, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. It is a spicy stir-fried dish.

Huaxi Beef Rice Noodles:
The Huaxi Beef Rice Noodles are named after the area of Huaxi where it originated. The dish is very unique and quite complicated to create. The dish is basically rice noodles in a broth, but it is much more than just that. It is spicy, and sour in taste. It is made from diced beef, handmade rice noodles, coriander, Chinese prickly ash, hot peppers, pickled cabbage and ginger. The pickled cabbage adds the sour taste to the dish and many locals like to add sesame oil or spicy oil to the broth before eating it.

Want to take a Guizhou tour to enjony Guizhou cuisine? Contact Chinaodysseytours.com!

Guilin Food

Besides being one of the most picturesque cities in China, Guilin's local food is quite special. Being located on the beautiful Li River, fish is a large part of people's diets. The rice noodles are famous throughout China. A visit to Guilin just isn't complete without sampling some of the local food.

Guilin Rice Noodles:
The noodles of Guilin are famous throughout China and can be found in places such as Shanghai and Hong Kong. Of course, for the most authentic Guilin Rice Noodles, visitors must eat them in their home town, Guilin. The rice noodles are made from oil and rice flower. The noodles are cooked in broth and served in a bowl of soup made from pork, beef, garlic, peanuts, peppers, and radishes. The peppers are added by the diner, so visitors who do not like spicy food can simply not add it. It is a staple of Guilin people's diet and is a wonderful and cheap dish. During meal times the many small rice noodle restaurants are always packed with diners.

Yangshuo Beer Fish:
Yangshuo Beer Fish is Yangshuo's most famous dish. It is made from fresh caught Li River carp. The fresh fish is fried in a wok along with beer, hot and green peppers, garlic, onions, celery, tomatoes, soy, and sugar. Visitors are amazed at how delicious the fish's skin is and how fresh and tender the meat is. Eating Yangshuo's beer fish will be an unforgettable culinary experience. Yangshuo's famous West Street has many restaurants serving this delicious dish. The Tao's Authentic Beer Fish, and The Older Sister of Peng's Beer Fish come highly recommended.

Griddle Cooked Beef Steak:
Girdle Cooked Beef Steak (Niupai ganguo) is one of the most well known local dishes in guilin. This kind of beef steak is cooked with different seasonings, such as chili, cassia bark, and fennel. It is similar to eating hot pot, except no broth is used in the wok. Diners can control the heat to cook the meat to their specifications. The griddle cooked beef steak tastes spicy, and its flavor is unique. It is very different from that of a Western steak. If desired, diners can add some beer to the wok to make the steak even tastier. After the steak is finished, vegetables, bean curd, pickled cabbage, noodles and a bowl of broth can be added to the wok and cooked in the steak's juices. This delicious dish can be found at most hot pot restaurants in Guilin and Yangshuo.

Zongzi:
A dumpling made of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, Zongzi has a history of ove 2,000 years. It is most famous for its connection to China's Dragon Boat Festival. This festival honors the great poet Qu Yuan who lived in the Warring States Period (403-221 BC), who being unhappy with the political situation committed suicide by drowning himself. The local people fearing that Qu Yuan's body would be consumed by fish threw Zongzi into the river to feed the fish. Zongzi, can be filled with a variety of fillings. There are bean Zongzi, chestnut Zongzi, pork Zongzi, and lotus seed paste Zongzi, just to name a few. In China different areas have different styled fillings. Guilin, for example, has traditionally made Zongzi stuffed with taro, pork, preserved pork, and chestnuts. The best part about this traditional Chinese food is that it can be refrigerated and when wanted, just heated in a microwave

Luohanguo:
Fructus momordicae, called Luohanguo in Chinese, is primarily grown in southern China's Guangxi Province, with the majority coming from the mountains of Guilin. In China, traditional Chinese doctors have used Luohanguo as an expectorant, to fight heat stroke, acute or chronic throat inflammation, aphonia, and chronic cough for centuries. The sweet compounds from Luohanguo is about 250 times sweeter than cane sugar and is extremely low in calories, so that it is a good natural sweetener for patients who suffer from diseases that forbidden ingesting sugar, such as diabetes, adiposity, high blood pressure, and cardiopathy. It has been reported that the residents who live near in Yongfu and Lingui Counties (of Guilin), are recognized as having an unusually high number of residents living to an age 100 years or more. Some people attribute this to the consumption of Luohanguo. The dried fruit may be bought in almost all the Guilin markets. The outer surface of the dried fruit is round and smooth, dusty yellow-brown or dusty green-brown. It is covered with fine, soft hair. The fruit is covered by a hard but thin skin. The entire fruit, including the seeds, have a nice sweet flavor. Luohanguo is best steeped in tea.

Lipu Taro Looped Meat:
Lipu Taro Looped Meat is a famous traditional dish served in the traditional Guilin banquets. It is always found during festivals or important events. This dish is made of taro from Lipu County (104 km south of Guilin) combined with streaky pork, red pepper, garlic spread, Guilin fermented bean curd, wine, honey and many other seasonings. Before the streaky pork and taro are steamed in bamboo steamers, they must be deep-fried in vegetable oil. The finished dish is golden in color and aromatic. The taro's flavor and the pork's freshness blend perfectly to create a wonderful dish. In addition, this dish has certain health benefits, such as eliminating heat and purging fire, as well as softening the complexion. This famous dish is available at almost every restaurant in Guilin.

Yangshuo Specialities - Guilin Mifen Rice Noodles

A bright day today, we get up early and haven’t decided to where to visit yet. So we went to have breakfast first. They have said that it is a great pity that if someone who comes to Guilin doesn’t eat the Guilin "Mifen". Thus why not have a try?

This quite popular local dish, "Mifen" means rice noodles.
It only took a few minutes to boil the noodles, it was ready after adding a few slivers of cooked pork and soup or stock. But some restaurants may not add the soup. However, the staff told us that we can also add different flavors and a basic "soup" or stock according to our own tastes. There were usually fried peanuts or soya beans, spring onion, pickled vegetables and chilli sauce to choose.

Local people often eat the noodles for breakfast, and they regard it as a fantastic and delicious start of the new day.

The deal basement price of 2.5 yuan for a bowl makes it an even better choice. Noodles are usually measured in "liang" which equals to 50 grams – "er liang (100 grams)" This is usually the minimum amount, meaning you will eat 100 grams of rice noodle.

Mifen is more popular in the southern areas in China than in the northern parts, for every year large quantities of rice are grown and harvested in South of China. Mifen differs slightly in flavor from various regions. But actually there is one thing in common. They are typically made of the rice. Only the ingredients and manner in which it is served may be quite different. You may also find yourself in a position to choose the type of rice noodle when eating the noodles– whether this be flat and similar to linguine or fettuccine; or round and similar to vermicelli or spaghetti. Every type of the noodles has its own flavor.

If I have a chance to sample some fantastic local dish in Yangshuo, appetizing mifen is definitely on my list, which provides great convenience and best flavors.

Beijing Roast Duck, the Most Famous Dish in Beijing, China

Beijing Roast Duck is widely acknowledged as the most famous, popular dish in Beijing, China. The mainly ingredient of Beijing Roast Duck is the rare-breed duck. The recipe for cooking the world-famous dish was first developed during the Ming Dynasty. It is a must-try dish if you take a tour to Beijing, China.

How Beijing Roast Duck is Cooked

First, ducks are spilt open, dressed, scalded and then dried. When roasting ducks, it's better to use fruit tree branches (jujube tree branches particularly) as firewood to lend more unique flavor to the ducks.

Second, a steady temperature should be always kept in the oven. Ducks must be rotated in order to be evenly roasted. It takes roughly 50 minutes to roast them. When the duck skin turns crisp and golden brown, the duck is done.

Third, the duck is sliced into approximately 120 thin pieces, each of which is with both skin and meat.

How to savor Beijing Roast Duck

First, dip each piece of duck meat into the sweet sauce and/or mashed garlic according to your preference.

Then, wrap the meat together with stalks of shallots, cucumber or turnip in the thin pancake and eat it with your hands.

The Top Three Roast Duck Restaurants in Beijing, China

Beijing offers numerous restaurants where you can feast on authentic Beijing Roast Duck, but the top three restaurants to try the world-renowned dish include Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, the time-honored Bianyifang Restaurant, and DaDong Roast Duck Restaurant.

Beijing Roast Duck looks golden brown and tastes crispy, fatty but never greasy. It's no wonder that Beijing Roast Duck is often acclaimed as the World's Top Delicacy. Don't miss Beijing Roast Duck if you take tours to Beijing China.

Beijing is China's political, cultural and transportation hub and second largest city. It is also a world-renowned tourist city which is home to numerous world-famous tourist attractions, include the grand Great Wall of China, the enigmatic Forbidden City, the magnificent Temple of Heaven, and the gorgeous Summer Palace, etc. Beijing, with its unique personality, receives over thousands of millions of visitors from every part of the world. More information about Beijing China tour packages.

How to Make Fried Spring Rolls

- Ingredients:
350g pork shoulder
150g Sweet white turnips
2 new laid eggs
30 Rice paper sheets
20g Dried black mushrooms
150g Cellophane noodles
150g Soybean sprouts
150g Onions
50g Chives, Flour, lettuce leaves and fresh herbs

- Components of the sauce:
Garlic and chopped chilli, nuoc mam (fish sauce), white rice vinegar, a little sugar, ground pepper, green papaya and carrot(150g).

- Preparation:
- Grind the pork meat. Chop the sweet turnips, onions and Soybean sprouts. Chop Chives.

- Soak the Cellophane noodles into tepid water for 10 minutes. Rinse, drain and cut with scissors into small pieces(1.5 to 2,5cm).

- Soak the mushrooms into tepid water for 15minutes and wash them thoroughly, remove the stems and chop finely.

- Mix all the minced ingredients with the eggs and little pepper to make stuffing.

- Mix the flour with little water to make a paste.

- Place one tablespoon of stuffing at the base of each rice paper sheet, roll it. Fold the sides toward the centre and roll all the way to enclose. Paste its edges with a little sticky flour.

- Fly the rolls in hot oil until they turn a golden brown color. Please keep your fire small.

- Finishing and serving:

- Peel and slice the papaya and carrot, pickle with a little salt and sugar. Leave for 15 minutes. Wash again. Squeeze slightly.

- Mix the Nuoc Mam (fish sauce) with a little water, vinegar and sugar. Add chopped garlic, chilli and ground pepper. Finally add the papaya and carrot.

- Serve hot with the dipping sauce and salad.

The World-Famous Dumpling Banquet in Xian China

Dumpling is one of the most popular traditional delicacies in China, especially in North China. The world-famous Dumpling Banquet is a must-try if you take the marvelous Tours to Xian China.

Chinese dumplings are also called as Jiaozi or boiled dumplings. Chinese dumpling was first cooked by boiling during the Western Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. As time goes on, now people cook dumplings in several ways, including steaming, boiling, simmering, frying, etc.

Xian Dumpling Banquet is characterized by its diverse dumpling stuffing, different flavors, and unique dumpling shape. Almost all kinds of vegetables and meat can be applied as dumpling stuffing, including cabbage, celery, carrot, mushroom, lettuce, fennel, leek, sea cucumber, pork, mutton, beef, chicken, duck, etc. The dumplings can be made in a fabulous range of shapes, like flowers, butterflies, sea snails, birds, etc. Xian Dumpling Banquet is truly a feast for senses.

According to the dumpling stuffings, shapes and flavors, Xian Dumpling Banquet can be divided to five grades, including the Royal Banquet, Dragon and Phoenix Banquet, Peony Banquet, Eight Treasures Banquet, and Flower Banquet. Every grade of Dumpling Banquet, with the unique flavors, will make your mouth water.

Other popular local delicacies in Xian include Fan's Cured Meat in Pancakes, Pita Bread Soaked in Mutton Soup, Pita Bread Soaked in Beef Soup, Cold Rice Noodles, Buckwheat Noodles, Crystal Pancakes, Hulutou, Huanggui Persimmon Pancakes, Biangbiang Noodles, Guokwei, Soup with Pepper, the Tong's Cured Mutton, and Zengziyan Cake, etc.

Xian is a world-renowned tourist city which boasts many a world-famous attractions, such as the Terracotta Army of Qin Mausoleum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Famen Temple, Bell Tower, and Mount Hua, Shaanxi History Museum and so on. Xian plays as a significant role in Chinese history. It was the cradle of Chinese civilization. Xian belongs to the warm temperate zone and enjoys a subhumid monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons. The best time to visit Xian should be from April to May and from September to October. Xian China Tour is bound to be an unforgettable experience. More information about Xian China Tour Packages.

Hot Pot, a Kind of Popular Food in China

Hot Pot, also known as Chafing Dish, is reputed as one of the most popular traditional foods in China. Chinese Hot Pot boasts a long history of roughly 1,900 years. You can find Hot Pot Restaurant throughout China. Hot Pot is a must-try if you visit China.

Almost all kinds of vegetables and meat can be used as Hot Pot ingredients, such as white cabbage, cucumber, radish, corn, lettuce, taro, spinach, potato, carrot, fennel, celery, tarragon, bean sprouts, dried lily flower, broccoli, lettuce, pumpkin, needle mushroom, champignon, wheat gluten, chicken, beef, mutton, shrimp, pork, duck meat, goose meat, fish. You can also cook dumplings, wonton, and noodles in Hot Pot

The most famous Hot Pots in China include Spicy Hot Pot in Chongqing, Seafood Hot Pot in Guangdong Province, Dog Meat Hot Pot in Hunan Province, Mutton Hot Pot in Beijing, Three Shredded Ingredients Hot Pot in Hangzhou City, Pork Hot Pot in Northeast China, Beef Hot Pot in Hong Kong, Assorted Vegetable or Meat Hot Pot in Shanghai, etc. Every kind of Hot Pot, with the unique taste, is very popular among people.

Condiment or dipping sauce plays a great role in Hot Pot. According to your taste, you can choose your favorite condiment, such as hoisin sauce, white or black vinegar, coriander, garlic, scallion, sesame oil, whiter pepper, chive flower paste, pickled tofu (pickled bean curd), peanut butter sauce, etc.

It's bound to be a unique experience to enjoy the mouth-watering Hot Pot with several friends or family members, especially in cold winters. Some foreign visitors may find that Chinese people chat with others loudly when dining in a restaurant. It's may be because, in Chinese people's eyes, it's really a happy, relaxing moment to have dinner with their good friends and beloved family members.

Some useful tips about eating Hot Pot:
1. The vegetables and meat should be fresh and clean, in order to avoid food poisoning.
2. Keep proper duration and degree of heating. Some food may taste bad or lose nutritive constituents if over or lightly heated.
3. Don't eat the very hot vegetable or meat.

Hot Pot is not only a kind of popular food but also a symbol of Chinese food culture. Don’t forget to try the delicious food during China Tours. More information about Classic China Tours.

Americanized Chinese Food That Was Not Created in Asia

What most Americans are familiar with as "Chinese cuisine" may actually have some Chinese chefs scratching their heads in amazement with when ordered in the authentic restaurants on mainland China and Hong Kong. The foods served in the US were not created in Asia, but are Americanized Chinese foods that were developed to suit the tastes of Americans.

Lots of what would be considered in America as "classic" Chinese food actually isn't. The traditional Chinese chefs base their food on contrasting textures as well as contrasting taste. This goes a lot farther than the "classic" thick, sticky, gooey sweet-and-sour sauce that seems to drape over everything that is deep fried, especially chicken. Traditionally, there are actually five basic flavors that must be represented in Chinese cuisine to make the taste complete: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and pungent. It's definitely more complicated and not a taste that the typical Western palate is used to.

But like any adaptation, the origins come from the mother country but have been tweaked a bit in order to make them tastier to the natives and also to make use of the indigenous ingredients of the new country. This adaptation to the local tastes make both the food and the immigrants more palatable to the natives.

That's why food like chop suey (adapted from a traditional braised vegetable dish but using Western cabbage, carrots, onions, and broccoli), General Cho's Chicken (which is non-existent in China where the real-life general is only known for his war tactics), and the very famous fortune cookie (which has its origins in Japan, not China, and was first served in Los Angeles in 1916) have come to be known as comfort food and classics.

Fried rice in China isn't brown, it's white. Apart from the fact that it's got little bits of vegetables and meat in it, it in no way looks like the fried rice you get in those cardboard boxes. To this day, brown fried rice means that it's burned; a common mistake when mostly men were immigrating to the New World and were forced to work at jobs which didn't threaten the local men, which was washing clothes and cooking food.

Much of Chinese-American food was concocted by these thrifty Chinese cooks who had to make use of the leftover food. The most famous of these is a story about miners barging into a chow-chow, the old term for a Chinese restaurant and demanding to be fed after the restaurant was closed. Not wanting a riot or to lose money) the cook just mixed together all the leftovers he had, seasoned them with soy sauce, and served it. He named the dish "tsap seui," which actually means "mixed or chopped pieces."

Chow Mein, literally "fried noodles" are stir-fried crunchy or soft noodles usually topped with Chop Suey. Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Yung, and barbecued spareribs were also American Chinese concoctions. But, it doesn't really matter if the food is authentically Chinese or not - what most of these diners care about is that it's delicious.

Jamie Highland writes about events like baby showers and food topics. To check out some asian baby shower favors, visit My Baby Shower Favors. If you want more articles, visit our site and click on the Contact Us link.

TOFU - Good Health Begins Here

We, the rest of the world is just realizing what the Chinese have known for centuries, that soybean is a gift from God. It is one of the healthiest substances known to man and can provide a complete food package. Just as cheese is derived from milk, tofu is derived from soybean milk... This milk is the best milk food in terms of nutrition, even if compared to a mother’s milk. Tofu was first made in China, almost 2500 years ago and legend has it that its discovery was an accident.

So how is tofu made from soymilk? Just as milk needs to be curdled to make cheese or cottage cheese, soymilk is also separated into whey and curds, by adding sea salts or calcium sulfate. In some areas of China and even Japan, it is separated by adding Nigari. Tofu is made from these soy curds. Even today, this delicately flavored food is a regular diet in many Asian countries, made fresh everyday and sold in big and small shops. Tofu is so natural to East Asian diet that most of the people eating it daily do not even realize the goodness of what they are eating.

Studies have shown that with the same water content, tofu boasts of the least calories (52, as compared to 59 in dairy milk), highest protein content, (4.4grams, as against 2.9 grams in dairy milk and actually only 1.4 in breast milk), least fat (only 2.5 grams as against 3.3grams in dairy milk). It also has the highest iron content, 1.5 grams, whereas dairy milk has 0.1 and breast milk has 0.2 grams. In this study, soymilk is even better than breast milk, which is supposed to be the healthiest food intake for a newborn.

As far as taste is concerned, tofu tastes like raw cottage cheese, a little better than a potato. In fact a perfect analogy for a Westerner is just that. Its taste is a rich, creamy cottage cheese flavor. Since it is used in a very wide range of dishes in South Eastern Asia, it comes in different textures. Traditional Chinese tofu can be used in soups or as a side dish too. The silken or softer, creamier variety, is difficult to fry or cook, so it is best used in soups and desserts only. The two types have different shelf life, at least in western countries because they are treated and packed differently. The silken Tofu available in the US usually comes from Japan, is pasteurized and treated, so it has a longer shelf life. It is best used in Eastern soups. Hard or firm tofu is usually not very long lasting, even under refrigeration, and tends to get destroyed like a dairy product. But this kind is easier to grill, stir-fry or cook into dishes. Firm tofu also is higher in protein, fat and calcium than other forms of tofu.

In reality, Tofu’s real magic lies in its ability to soak up flavors. It can be crumbled in a dish of chili sauce and it starts tasting the same. Blended with a sweetener and any dessert flavor, it makes an excellent filling for pies. Stir-fried with greens and oyster sauce it becomes a delectable side dish with a plateful of noodles or rice. Its nutrition levels add to the dish while preserving the fat, calorie and carbohydrate content to the lowest minimum according to the mass and weight of the dish.

In fact, with his high nutrition content, it is best for elderly people and as a first protein food for infants. It can be used as a part of many dishes or as a complete dish in itself. Cubed, tossed in a few drops of olive oil and sprinkled with curry powder it makes a great snack. It can be mashed and mixed with finely chopped garlic and onions to make a tasty and healthy sandwich spread. Silken tofu can be blended with dried onion powder or garlic flakes for a dip. It ca also be stirred with sour cream to prepare a great baked potato topping, low in fat and better in flavor than cream. In fact any dessert or dish that uses heavy cream can be made with silken tofu to better and much healthier results. So here is a magical way of reducing calories and fat and still indulge your sweet tooth.

Another very tasty dish is Tofu satays. The firm tofu cubes can be drizzled with oil and quickly sealed on a hot skillet. Sprinkled with some soy sauce, salt and sesame seeds they make an excellent accompaniment. Firm tofu can also be tossed with a whole lot of salad greens, garlic, lettuce, cubed tomatoes, bean sprout, diced cucumbers and julienne of carrots, to name a few. Your choice of salad dressing completes the picture.

The virtues of Tofu cannot be reiterated enough. Everyday research is being carried out to prove more and more of its nutritional properties. It is undoubtedly one of the best foods available to man, and does not hurt veggie sensibilities either!!!!!