Common Cooking Methods

China's most common methods are stir-frying, deep-frying, shallow-frying, braising, boiling, steaming and roasting.

• Stir-Frying: This is the most frequently used cooking method. This methods cooks processed ingredients at high heat for a short period of time.
• Deep-Frying: The common method of preparing these dishes is to cut the ingredients into medium-sized pieces, soak them in prepared seasoning for a while, coat with cornstarch, and fry in hot deep oil over medium heat.
• Shallow-Frying: These dishes are usually tender inside, appearing golden or slightly burnt outside. The ingredients for shallow-frying are usually cut into slices or flat pieces and rubbed with seasonings.
• Braising: This method requires to add ingredients and seasonings in a wok or a saucepan at the same time, add in some water, boil and then simmer for one hour or more. The ingredients are usually cut into cubes or diamonds.
• Boiling: This method could be considered the simplest among all cooking methods. It simply involves placing food in boiling water. It is mainly used for cooking small-sized and soft ingredients, especially for most of the vegetable soups like Tomato & Egg Soup and aslo Tofu Soup.
• Steaming: This method involves placing the ingredients in a steamer basket which is placed over water in a steamer pot. The steamed foods contain more nutrition than that of boiled. It is mainly used for steaming buns and dumplings.
• Roasting: This method is to cook the food over the open flame of charcoal or in an oven. Many ingredients can be roasted, including all kinds of meat as well as vegetables.