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Discovering Chinese Food

A “meat and potatoes” man. That’s what I had always been. In a restaurant, I had always ordered dishes familiar to me from my childhood. One day, however, I was coaxed into eating some food prepared the Chinese way and, to my surprise, found it enjoyable.

The dish I had selected was pepper steak. Since its main ingredients are beef, green peppers and onions—foods that are not particularly exotic—you may wonder what made this dish Chinese. I put the same question to the friendly cook who prepared the scores of Cantonese dishes listed on the menu.

A Lesson in Chinese Cookery

“In Chinese cooking,” he explained, “meat is often combined with vegetables. The meat flavors them, and the vegetables embellish the meat. Since Chinese cooking is not to be approached with knife and fork, but with chopsticks, the morsels are bite-sized.

“Characteristic also is the flavorful seasoning. In cooking pepper steak, the beef (preferably flank steak) is slivered and marinated in some wine, soy sauce and sugar. This is stir-fried till barely cooked and then is removed from the pan. Next, the onions and peppers are stir-fried with some freshly chopped garlic. A few dashes of wine are added, along with a little soup stock or water. Then this is covered and simmered for a few minutes. Sugar and soy sauce are added according to taste, and the stock is thickened to form a gravy by adding cornstarch dissolved in cold water. Finally, the cooked beef is returned to the vegetable mixture, and is stirred in.

“Actually, many different meat and vegetable dishes may be cooked by following the same procedure. Other Chinese dishes may call for ginger root, sesame oil or oyster sauce as a seasoning.”

Our host explained that often in preparing vegetables and meat for Chinese dishes, the approximate size and shape of the main ingredients are kept uniform. For gai pan, which means “chicken slices,” the vegetables also would be sliced. There are Chinese dishes in which everything is diced. For instance, this is true in sub gum chow mein. Another dish, yuk soong, calls for everything to be finely minced. In chow har kew, a shrimp dish, the vegetables are chunky.

Let’s Make Fried Rice

I enjoyed the fried rice, and the cook seemed not at all reluctant to divulge his secrets, though shying away from being specific about proportions.

“You must begin with rice that has been cooked and cooled, and is preferably a day old,” he said. “First, scramble some eggs and put them aside. Then, in a little oil, stir-fry some minced onions until they are slightly brown. Add some pieces of meat, which can be beef, ham, pork, chicken or shrimp. If bean sprouts are available, these can be added and tossed around at this stage. Now the cooked rice is put into this savory combination and stir-fried until well mixed and heated through. Soy sauce is added according to taste. This seasons the rice and gives it the brown color. A little sugar is added—not as sweetening, but to balance the saltiness of the soy sauce. To darken the fried rice further, most Chinese restaurants use molasses, but this is not a necessary ingredient. Now the scrambled egg is put into the rice mixture and, finally, some chopped scallions.”

“Is this something a Chinese housewife would cook?” I asked.

“Yes,” replied our host, “but actually this would never be served to guests, because it originated in an attempt to combine leftover rice with other leftovers. For guests, freshly cooked rice was considered the only proper accompaniment to a Chinese meal. Nevertheless, today fried rice has become perfectly respectable and is offered in Chinese restaurants all over the world.”

Now for Those Tasty Eggrolls

“If we wanted to make eggrolls at home, what would we need?” I asked, since I had noticed that many of the diners were enjoying these appetizers.

“You might want to obtain the eggroll wrappers from an Oriental grocery store or noodle factory,” our expert said. “Having these commercially prepared eggroll ‘skins’ considerably reduces the work of making eggrolls. Otherwise, you can make a wrapper the way a crepe or thin pancake is made. The filling can be a combination of crispy vegetables and precooked meat or shrimp, seasoned with sesame oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder and pepper. The dough is folded around the filling and the edges are thoroughly sealed by brushing on raw egg. This is then browned in deep fat.”

We “Inspect” the Kitchen

“Would you like to see our main utensil for cooking?” our obliging informant asked.

When we eagerly accepted his offer, we were led into the kitchen where he showed us a wok. This proved to be a large round frying pan. The bottom was spherical, instead of flat. Behind this utensil was a swinging faucet that dispensed water for use in cleaning the wok. Under the wok were large burners that could make it red-hot in just a few seconds. Observing the array of seasonings and colanders of vegetables within the chef’s reach, I could see how he was able to combine many dishes for a meal in less than five minutes.

“Woks, like Chinese cooking, have gained so much interest in this internationally minded generation that one may be purchased in the housewares department of almost any large store. But an iron skillet for home use is just as good for cooking the Chinese way,” said our expert.

All of this made me glad that I have broadened out in my taste for food. What culinary delights I had been missing! There were yet many other dishes that I intended to try. Though not a gourmet, perhaps I would never again be indifferent to unfamiliar foods. I even thought about having my wife obtain a Chinese cookbook!

“How nice for you and your family that you can eat this way every day,” I remarked when about to leave.

Our cook smiled broadly as he replied: “We eat this way often, but not every day. Tonight we are having baked lasagna, tossed salad and garlic bread. You see, we like a little change sometimes.”