The Principles of Chinese Cooking
3 min readINTRODUCTION
A certain ‘uniqueness’ distinguishes Chinese cooking from all other food cultures – perhaps with the exception of South-East Asia – not only in the preparation and cooking, but also in the serving and eating of the food, so I urge you to read this short Introduction very carefully and to study the following two sections on equipment and preparation thoroughly before trying out any recipes. I’ve deliberately left Menu Planning to the end, so that you can try out just one or two dishes first, before going for a full-scale meal.
The Principles of Chinese Cooking
The main distinctive feature of Chinese cooking is the emphasis on the harmonious blending of colour, aroma, flavour and shape, both in a single dish and in a course of dishes.
The principle of blending complementary or contrasting colours and flavours is a fundamental one: the different ingredients must not be mixed indiscriminately; the blending of different flavours is controlled and should follow a set pattern. The cutting of ingredients is another important element in Chinese cooking: in order to achieve the proper effect, slices are matched with slices, shreds with shreds, cubes with cubes, chunks with chunks, and so on. This is not only for the sake of appearance, but also because ingredients of the same size and shape require about the same amount of time in cooking. This complexity of inter-related elements of colours, aromas, flavours and shapes is reinforced by another feature: texture. A dish may have just one, or several contrasting textures – such as tenderness, crispiness, crunchiness, smoothness and softness. The textures to be avoided are: sogginess, stringiness and hardness. The selection of different textures in one single dish is an integral part of the blending of different flavours and colours.
The desired texture or textures in any dish can only be achieved by the right cooking methods. The size and shape of the cut ingredient must, first of all, be suitable for the particular method of cooking. For instance, ingredients for quick stir-frying should be cut into small, thin slices or shreds, never large, thick chunks.
In all the different methods of cooking, the correct cooking time and degree of heat are of vital importance. Learn and understand the character of the ingredients (their textures and their colour changes) – an important factor that determines the appropriate cutting and cooking methods.
A Chinese dish is usually made up of more than one ingredient, because when a single item is served on its own it lacks contrast and therefore harmony. For centuries, Chinese cooks have understood the importance of the harmonious balance in blending different flavours.
Without going too deeply into the realm of Chinese philosophy, I would just like to mention the ancient school of thought known as yin-yang, which practically governs all aspects of the Chinese way of life, and has been the guiding principle for all Chinese cooks.
Consciously or unconsciously, every Chinese cook from the housewife to the professional chef, works to the yin-yang principles – i.e. the harmonious balance and contrast in conspicuous juxtaposition of different colours, aromas, flavours and textures by varying the ingredients, cutting techniques, seasonings and cooking methods.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the yin-yang principle in Chinese cooking is in the way we blend different seasonings in complementary pairs: sugar (yin) with vinegar (yang); salt (yin) with pepper (yang); spring onion (yin) with ginger (yang); soy sauce (yin) with wine (yang) and so on.
