Helen Fan
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| Helen Fan grew up in a family that has owned various Asian restaurants all over North America, from Vancouver (Canada), Houston (Texas), Decatur (Illinois), to Chicago (Illinois). She, and the rest of the Fan family are now sharing their decades of knowledge on the art of Chinese cuisine at http://www.ChineseHomeCooking.Com
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Articles by Helen Fan
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The Regional Cuisines of Chinese Cooking - Part 1 of 4
| With China covering the immense land within its boundaries, it is no surprise that there are many regional variations in Chinese cuisine. Traditionally, Chinese cooking is divided into five styles of regional cuisines. It is headed by the 3 great schools of Peking to the north, Szechuan to the west, and Chekiang-Kiangsu to the east. Fukien and Canton, of lesser importance cover the southern region.
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| Woks have been synonymous with Chinese cooking since the emergence of Chinese cuisine. They have been used for some 3000 years in China for a variety of cooking methods, including stir frying, boiling, and steaming.
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| Szechuan, the largest province in China, lies in a vast, densely populated, and fertile basin surrounded by mountains. Its principal connection eastwards is through the spectacular deep, narrow gorges cut by the Yangtze River. For centuries, due to its geography, the Yangtze River was the province's only means of communication with the outside world.
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| As you follow the Yangtse River eastward out of the Szechuan region, you will arrive into eastern China, which lies on a great plain formed by the Yangtze River and ends with its river delta. The river delta encompasses some of the most fertile land in China, and flows into the sea just north of the famous city of Shanghai. The Yangtse River region in eastern China experiences a temperate climate with warm springs, hot summers, cool autumns, and relatively cold winters. It is the greatest rice-producing region in China, and you will find a plethora of creative ways that the regional cuisines use to incorporate rice into the dishes.
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| There are usually 2 ways of deep frying in Chinese cooking: 1. Deep frying the ingredients directly. 2. Deep frying the ingredients with batter. The latter is the most commonly used method. Here are some pointer in how to deep fry Chinese food most effectively.
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The provinces of Fukien and Canton make up the southern coast of China, and are the 2 major constituents of the southern Chinese cuisine. As expected, seafood plays an important role due to the geography. The southern Chinese cuisine takes full advantage of the plentiful supply of lobsters, crabs, prawns, shrimps, etc. They are usually stir fried or steamed with ginger, and onion to eliminate the fishy smell.
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