Authentic Chinese cooking."BRING CONDIMENTS," EVERYONE TOLD US WHEN they heard about our upcoming trip. "Northern Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine (Chinese: 中國菜) originated from different regions of China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world — from East Asia to North America, Australasia and Western Europe. is bland and boring." A friend of mine went on a tour of Chinese medical colleges as part of a lecture series, and I decided to tag along tag along Verb to accompany someone, esp. when uninvited: I tagged along behind the gang Verb 1. for two weeks. Luckily, we found these naysayers to be quite mistaken as we embarked on our cultural and culinary journey through this ancient region. We stopped at vegetarian noodle shops, 'snack' stands, and food kiosks in railway stations The following is a list of railway stations (also called train stations) that is indexed by country. :Further information: List of IATA-indexed train stations Africa Morocco
Since we were guests of the colleges, we had many chances to speak with professors, students, and their relatives, who introduced us to 'authentic' Chinese cuisine. When we visited in their homes, we found the food ingredients were generally purchased for the meal. Because lunch was usually eaten at work or school, breakfast and dinner offerings were quick and simple preparations of fresh vegetables and noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. or rice with the most common condiments, salt and dried hot peppers; common seasonings were minced celery, onions, and carrots. Cooking oils were 'vegetable oil,' a blend of regional vegetable oils <onlyinclude> This list of vegetable oils includes all vegetable oils that are extracted from plants by placing the relevant part of the plant under pressure to extract the oil. , for everyday dishes and sesame seed oil for special dishes. When asked what a typical day's menu was, the university students in Beijing and Shanghai listed leftover rice, flied or microwaved with pickled pick·led adj. 1. Preserved in or treated with pickle. 2. Slang Intoxicated; drunk. pickled Adjective 1. (of food) preserved in a pickling liquid 2. vegetables, and coffee for breakfast. They may also have a glass of juice or a flesh orange or tangerine tangerine: see orange. tangerine Small, thin-skinned variety of the mandarin orange species (Citrus reticulata deliciosa) of the rue family (citrus family). . For lunch, they grabbed hot noodles in broth broth liquid media for culturing microorganisms. cooked meat broth a medium useful for culturing anaerobic bacteria. enrichment broth one modified to permit growth by selected bacteria. , which contains steaming water with some onions and celery for variety, or brought cold noodles or steamed rice cakes from home. If they lived at home, they ate a hot dinner, such as sweet-and-sour tofu tofu Soft, bland, custardlike food product made from soybeans. Believed to date from China's Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), tofu is today an important source of protein in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. with hot pepper cabbage or fried rice with onions, garlic, and minced vegetables. They also ate stir-fried rice with peas, corn, and tofu skin, which is made by skimming Skimming An electronic method of capturing a victim's personal information used by identity thieves. The skimmer is a small device that scans a credit card and stores the information contained in the magnetic strip. the top layer formed when cooking soybean milk Noun 1. soybean milk - a milk substitute containing soybean flour and water; used in some infant formulas and in making tofu soya milk, soymilk soy flour, soybean flour, soybean meal - meal made from soybeans . Available in fresh, frozen, or dried sheets, tofu skin is very chewy chew·y adj. chew·i·er, chew·i·est Needing much chewing: chewy candy. chew  i·ness n. in texture and concentrates soy flavor.
Other students purchased roasted white potatoes or steamed bread buns
from a food stall rather than having to cook them at home.Desserts were not very common but could include fresh or canned fruit and perhaps some walnuts or sunflower sunflower, any plant of the genus Helianthus of the family Asteraceae (aster family), annual or perennial herbs native to the New World and common throughout the United States. seeds. We were in Northern China during the Spring Festival, and farmers' markets  It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. and food
stalls were crammed cram v. crammed, cram·ming, crams v.tr. 1. To force, press, or squeeze into an insufficient space; stuff. 2. To fill too tightly. 3. a. To gorge with food. with hothouse hothouse: see greenhouse. strawberries, lychees, kumquats, and many varieties of persimmon persimmon: see ebony. persimmon Either of two trees of the genus Diospyros in the ebony family, and their globular, edible fruits. The native American persimmon (D. , including an ultra-sweet version no bigger than a cherry tomato. Snacks or treats included sunflower seeds, taro taro: see arum. taro Herbaceous plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family, probably native to Southeast Asia and taken to the Pacific islands. , or potato chips--lots of salt, not a lot of sweet. Dairy, formerly not much of an issue in China, was becoming one. Baskin Robbins and American fast food chains were introducing nontraditional dairy items, such as ice cream sundaes and milk shakes milk shake a solution of sodium bicarbonate administered to racehorses by stomach tube 4 to 6 hours before racing to produce a metabolic acidosis. Promoted as a means of producing relief from tying-up and delaying the onset of fatigue by producing additional buffering to counteract . Nevertheless, the Starbucks and Baskin Robbins stores we visited did have soy or rice milk alternatives to dairy ice cream and coffee whiteners. Many of the students who were trying to adhere to adhere to verb 1. follow, keep, maintain, respect, observe, be true, fulfil, obey, heed, keep to, abide by, be loyal, mind, be constant, be faithful 2. a vegan diet vegan diet (vē´g  n),n the strictest form of vegetarian diet, which prohibits the consumption of all animal products, including felt they could not rely on restaurants to be truthful about their vegan vegan /veg·an/ (ve´gan) (vej´an) a vegetarian whose diet excludes all food of animal origin. ve·gan n. offerings. This was also the feeling of several members of Beijing and Shanghai Chabad, an international Orthodox Jewish organization. They said that many restaurants interpreted 'vegetarian' as allowing animal fats such as lard, broths made with meat, or minced meat Minced meat may refer to:
On the other hand, a monk who spoke at the Jade Pagoda in Shanghai said the Chinese are mainly vegetable eaters. He said that the average Chinese who continues to eat traditional foods lives on beans and soy, seasonal vegetables, and fruit. He said the quick cooking style helps to preserve nutrients and flavor, and cutting the food into bite-sized pieces prior to cooking saves fuel and is more artistic. We found this to be the case as we proceeded on our journey. When we were in Xian, the breakfast offerings included congee with corn, baked tofu with rice syrup, vegetable flied rice, and a wide assortment of regional teas. One unique tea tasted and looked just like spinach. On the way to see an archeological dig, we joined 10 tour buses of Chinese school In Western countries, a Chinese school is a school established explicitly for the purpose of teaching the Chinese language (of the various Chinese dialects, nowadays Mandarin Chinese or Cantonese Chinese are almost always the ones taught) to American-born Chinese (ABC), children at a 'luncheon lodge' and were served toffee potatoes (sweet potatoes served with caramelized rice sugar), red pepper red pepper: see pepper. flied cabbage, rice bundles, braised braise tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es To cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container. gluten gluten, mixture of proteins present in the cereal grains. The long molecules of gluten, insoluble in water, are strong and flexible and form many cross linkages. with straw mushrooms, and quickly-braised greens with garlic. Also, we attended a "T'ang Dynasty Feast." T'ang, a vegan cuisine, was developed by Buddhist monks to make sure that the royalty and rich business people could both practice Buddhism and eat in the gourmet style to which they were accustomed. T'ang-era monks took taro and lotus root, wheat, yams and white potatoes, tofu and beans, and exotic fruit and magically transformed them into 'vegetable' roast pork, duck and goose, tangy fish, and minced shrimp. At the feast we attended, the menu included apple and pineapple salad, warm rice wine (with stewed stewed adj. 1. Cooked by stewing: stewed prunes. 2. Informal Intoxicated; drunk. stewed Adjective 1. rice in the bottom of each glass), rice cakes wrapped in lotus leaves, fried taro paste cakes, and sweet rice with red beans. When dining in Dining in is a formal military function for members of a company or other unit. The practice is thought to have begun in 16th Century England, in the monasteries and early universities. homes in Xian and later Beijing, we ate all available seasonal vegetables either stir-fried or braised; we had spinach, green cabbage, greens, turnips, or celery, either lightly seasoned with a very small amount of dark soy sauce or 'hot!,' seasoned with dried red chilies. Both the stir-frying and the braising braising: see cooking. were done as quickly as possible, so the vegetables maintained a great texture and color, had a light taste, and were very filling. We took a plane from Xian to Shanghai, and we were served the economy class meal of a 'veggie burger' (done Chinese-style with four types of mushrooms) on a delicious cornbread bun, congee with 'seafood' (made from soy), and canned lychees. This was not a 'special' request but the typical meal served that day. Once we arrived in Shanghai, one of our choices was a Japanese breakfast, including miso soup Miso soup (味噌汁 miso shiru , two varieties of steamed rice, pickled vegetables, pickled plums, and flesh kumquats and pineapple. For lunch and dinner, the city offered lots of touristy 'T'ang Dynasty' banquets to show off this interesting cuisine. Although the restaurants that specialize in this cuisine are usually more expensive, we found several flourishing T'ang cuisine areas. We tried vegetarian 'duck' with almonds, vegetarian 'chicken' with dried lotus buds, and vegetarian 'meatballs' braised in pineapple sauce. We'll have to go back to the lab to figure out the exact combination of ingredients, although we were told that gluten played a big part. Our next stop was Beijing, on our way to the Great Wall. Our first breakfast there, at a three-star Holiday Inn, included a choice of vegan dim sum dim sum n. A traditional Chinese cuisine in which small portions of a variety of foods, including an assortment of steamed or fried dumplings, are served in succession. and plain rice congee Rice congee is a type of rice porridge that is eaten in many Asian countries. The word congee is possibly derived from the Dravidian word kanji.[1] In some cultures, congee is eaten primarily as a breakfast food or late supper, while in others, it is eaten as a , with pickled vegetable condiments; flesh, stewed, and dried fruit; and hot soymilk soy·milk n. A milk substitute made from soybeans, often supplemented with vitamins. Noun 1. soymilk - a milk substitute containing soybean flour and water; used in some infant formulas and in making tofu , along with 'European' corn flakes corn flakes pl.n. A crisp, flaky, commercially prepared cold cereal made from coarse cornmeal. , tinned vegetarian baked beans baked beans Noun, pl haricot beans, baked and tinned in tomato sauce baked beans npl → judías fpl en salsa de tomate baked beans bake npl , and toast. In addition, we were hosted at a business luncheon restaurant. All the items were simultaneously served on a turntable A playback machine for vinyl phonograph records, which were a major music distribution medium throughout the 20th century. The turntable contains a rotating platter to hold and spin the disc and an arm that holds a cartridge and needle (stylus). , with a selection of stir-flied spicy (chili (language) CHILI - D.L. Abt. A language for systems programming, based on ALGOL 60 with extensions for structures and type declarations. ["CHILI, An Algorithmic Language for Systems Programming", CHI-1014, Chi Corp, Sep 1975] ) cabbage, spicy (ginger) steamed tofu skin, corn and peas, steamed rice, sweet-and-sour tofu, flied lotus root, and flesh watermelon watermelon, plant (Citrullus vulgaris) of the family Curcurbitaceae (gourd family) native to Africa and introduced to America by Africans transported as slaves. Watermelons are now extensively cultivated in the United States and are popular also in S Russia. . Eating vegan in Northern China is not a difficult task, as long as you encounter welcoming homes and follow the guidance of reliable monks! BOILED RICE AND MUSHROOM CONGEE (Serves 6) Similar to rice porridge, this dish will warm your winter mornings. 1/2 pound long grain white rice (approximately 2 cups) Vegetable oil spray 2 cups sliced, soaked, and drained mushrooms 1 whole scallion (white and green parts), chopped 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic Rinse rice under cold running water and allow to drain. Place rice in a heavy-sided pot and add water to cover an inch over the rice. Cover and bring to a fast boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Lower heat and allow to slowly simmer, approximately 20 minutes, until just soupy. Do not allow all of the water to be absorbed. Heat a small frying pan and spray with oil. Quickly saute mushrooms, scallions, and garlic until just soft, approximately 2 minutes. Add vegetables to rice, mix, and allow to heat for 1 minute. Serve hot. Season with soy sauce, pickled vegetables, or another spicy or vinegary condiment to offset the congee's mildness. Total calories per serving: 236 Fat: 2 grams Carbohydrates: 49 grams Protein: 6 grams Sodium: 6 milligrams Fiber: 3 grams T'ANG DYNASTY COLD FRUIT SOUP (Serves 4) The fruit in this recipe adds an authentic texture. 3 1/2 quarts water, divided 3/4 cup pearl tapioca * 1/2 cup rice syrup 4 cups canned chopped fruit, chilled and drained 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger Put 3 quarts water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add tapioca to boiling water. Cover and cook over high heat for 30-45 minutes or until tapioca look like pearls that are slightly soft but not mushy. Remove pot from heat and keep covered. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside. Put remaining water into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Stir in rice syrup and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in tapioca, and refrigerate. To serve, combine fruit with extracts and ginger in a large serving bowl. Add tapioca-syrup mixture, stir, and serve cold. * Note: Whole pearl tapioca are sold in Asian markets. Buy the quick-cooking variety, if possible, so you won't have to soak and cook for a long time. Total calories per serving: 326 Fat: <1 gram Carbohydrates: 83 grams Protein: 1 gram Sodium: 72 milligrams Fiber: 3 grams CABBAGE SALAD (Serves 4) This salad combines many Chinese staples in one dish. 2 cups shredded green cabbage 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup minced green peppers 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon sugar (Use your favorite vegan variety.) 1 teaspoon soy sauce 3 teaspoons rice vinegar 2 teaspoons sesame oil In a large mixing bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, green peppers, and ginger. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and oil to create the dressing. Place the vegetables in a large, non-metal serving bowl, toss with dressing, and serve. Total calories per serving: 51 Fat: 2 grams Carbohydrates: 7 grams Protein: 1 gram Sodium: 101 milligrams Fiber: 2 grams CITRUS SNOW PEAS (Makes 20 pieces) 20 fresh snow peas, blanched *, or 20 defrosted snow peas 20 sections of fresh tangerines or canned mandarin oranges, drained 1 Tablespoon orange juice concentrate 1 teaspoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 teaspoon rice vinegar 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes Wrap one snow pea around each citrus section and secure with toothpicks or skewers. Combine the remaining ingredients to make the marinade. Allow the snow pea-citrus sections to soak in the marinade for at least 1 hour. Drain marinade and arrange snow peas on a serving platter. Serve cold or at room temperature. * Note: Snow peas need to be bendable. If using fresh snow peas, drop them into boiling water for several seconds, then rinse under cold water and drain. Leave the snow peas in the boiling water for the shortest amount of time necessary for them to become flexible. Total calories per piece: 15 Fat: 1 gram Carbohydrates: 3 grams Protein: <1 gram Sodium: 17 milligrams Fiber: 1 gram STREET SIDE TOFU AND MUSHROOMS (Serves 4) A truly authentic entree! Vegetable oil spray 1 pound (approximately 2 cups) extra firm tofu, drained and cubed 1/2 cup dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced 3 whole scallions (white and green parts), finely chopped 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water Preheat a wok or deep pot and spray with oil. Slowly add a quarter each of the tofu, mushrooms, and scallions, stirring constantly over high heat, until the scallions are slightly soft, approximately I minute. Continue to add ingredients in this manner; this should not take more than 3-4 minutes. When all of the tofu, mushrooms, and scallions have been added, mix soy sauce and cornstarch together and quickly stir into the wok to coat. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Serve immediately. Total calories per serving: 130 Fat: 3 grams Carbohydrates: 13 grams Protein: 14 grams Sodium: 172 milligrams Fiber: 3 grams STIR-FRIED NOODLES (Serves 4) Cook the noodles until they are al dente, firm but tender. 2 quarts water 1 pound (approximately 2 cups) uncooked noodles, such as vermicelli or rice noodles Vegetable oil spray 1/2 cup finely shredded green cabbage 1/2 cup fresh bean spouts 1/2 cup minced celery 1/4 cup minced onions 1/4 cup conned bamboo shoots, drained and chopped 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh button mushrooms 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce Vegetable broth, as needed (not more than 1/2 cup) Put water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook until just soft, approximately 3-4 minutes. Drain. Preheat a wok or deep pot and spray with oil. Add vegetables and quickly stir-fry, stirring constantly over high heat until just soft, approximately 3-4 minutes. Combine noodles with soy sauce and add to the vegetables. Briskly stir-fry. If mixture is too dry for your taste, add vegetable broth by the Tablespoonful, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Serve immediately. Total calories per serving: 430 Fat: 1 gram Carbohydrates: 98 grams Protein: S grams Sodium: 488 milligrams Fiber: 3 grams SWEET WALNUTS (Makes twelve 1/4-cup servings) This recipe works for whole almonds as well. Vegetable oil spray 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon dried orange zest or peel 1/4 cup sugar (Use your favorite vegan variety.) 1 pound (approximately 2 cups) walnut halves or whole almonds 2 Tablespoons silken tofu thinned with 2 teaspoons water Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray baking sheet with oil. Combine spices, zest, and sugar in a bowl. Combine nuts with tofu mixture to coat. Toss coated nuts with spices. Place in single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring twice to avoid sticking or burning. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store in airtight container until ready to serve. Total calories per serving: 266 Fat: 25 grams Carbohydrates: 10 grams Protein: 6 grams Sodium: 3 milligrams Fiber: 3 grams RELATED ARTICLE: Soy sauce. Soy sauce is made from fermenting soybeans, water, salt, and sometimes wheat. Depending on fermentation time, soy sauce can be either light or dark. Light soy sauce is used for dipping sauces. When we were in China, we found very little light soy sauce in the neighborhood groceries we visited, but we did find a variety of 'gourmet' light soy sauces in several upscale department stores. Dark soy sauce ferments longer, is thicker, and tastes stronger than the light variety. It is primarily used for flavoring foods. Soy sauce seems to be a staple in Westernized versions of Chinese cuisine, but it was not readily available in the restaurants or the homes where we dined. If you asked, some was poured from a large container into a small side plate. We found our hosts ate most food as it was presented, without adding extra seasonings or condiments. One of the older 'aunties' who cooked for us in her home explained that soy sauce will destroy the flavor of food. She told us that if you use too much of it, people will suspect that some of the ingredients are of poor quality or that you are trying to cover up a burnt dish. Others explained that 'the cook knows what he or she is doing,' and they were generally satisfied with the dishes, They also felt that soy sauce should be cooked into the food to develop layers of flavor, rather than being used like "ketchup at McDonald's." Still, we did not find soy sauce to be indispensable in Northern Chinese cuisine. Cooks mostly reserve it for braising. Though they do not use soy sauce when stir-frying 'white' (giving food a light color), they employ it when stir-frying 'brown' (creating a browned texture). For example, they will coat ingredients with a cornstarch slurry first, then add some soy sauce to the dish. When shopping for soy sauce, there are a few things you may want to consider. Although we could not find any low-sodium soy sauce in China, you can purchase this product in the West, or you can use your favorite soy sauce, cut in half and replaced with rice vinegar, lemon juice, vegetable broth, or water. Shoyu sauce is soy sauce made from a blend of wheat and soybeans, while tamari is made only from soybeans. This can be important information for people who are trying to avoid wheat products. RELATED ARTICLE: Vegan eating in Beijing and Shanghai. We were warned that many Chinese restaurants labeled as "vegetarian" actually use meat broth or garnish with minced meat. Therefore, we went to a reliable source, Buddhist monks at a temple in Shanghai, for recommendations. They listed the following restaurants as reliably vegan, with long-standing traditions of having animal product-free kitchens: * Gong de Lin 58 Qianmen Nan Dajie Chongwen District Beijing 445 Nanjing Xi Lu Xu Jia District Shanghai Both restaurants are state-owned and --run; they claim to have been in business for 70-80 years, depending on who you talk to. Very simple menus of noodles, stir-fried rice dishes, rice bundles, and some steamed buns. * Green Tianshi Vegetarian Restaurant 57 Dengshikou Dongcheng District Beijing <www.greentianshi.com> This restaurant is famous for using vegan 'meat,' including Beijing 'duck,' which is tea-smoked gluten. Offerings varied daily, and it can get crowded at night for dinner. * Jade Buddha Temple 999 Jiangning Lu Putuo Distrid Shanghai The noodle shop, serving noodles in vegetable broth, is downstairs from the temple. The upstairs restaurant has lots of ambience, including carved Buddhas and tapestries, and offers the "Cuisine of the Emperor," with multi-course meals of vegan 'meat, fish, and poultry' and elaborate vegetable garnishings. Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, CCE CCE Cornell Cooperative Extension CCE Corporate and Continuing Education CCE Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. CCE Commission de Coopération Environnementale CCE Centre for Continuing Education CCE College of Continuing Education CCE Certified Computer Examiner , is VRG's Food Service Advisor and the author of Vegan Menu for People with Diabetes. |
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