Double steaming

Double steaming, also called double boiling, is a cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as , shark fins, etc. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar and the jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss of liquid or moisture from the food being cooked, hence it is often used with expensive ingredients like Chinese herbal medicines.

In , double steaming is called ''dan'' . Note that the Cantonese usage of this Chinese character deviates from its original meaning which is simmer or stew in Mandarin. This technique is also common in the neighboring province of Fujian.

Famous examples

Cantonese cuisine is famous for its slow cooked soup.
One famous dish of this kind is called the ''Winter melon urn'' .
It is prepared by emptying the inside of a winter melon to make an urn. The outside of the winter melon is often carved with artistic patterns. The inside is then filled with soup ingredients such as Chinese cured ham, and several Chinese herbs. The whole urn completed with its original melon lid is double steamed for at least four hours. The flavor of the soup is soaked into the "flesh" of the melon. The whole melon and its content is brought to the dinner table. The soup is served by scooping out the liquid and the inside wall of the melon. In this case, the edible melon takes the place of the double steaming jar. This application is possible because winter melon has a waxy, and thus waterproof, rind. Winter melon is believed to be and it is seldom cooked with ingredients that are believed to be too '''' or too ''''.

There is another dessert dish called ''double steamed frog ovaries in a coconut'' , which is recommended for women. The Chinese medicinal ingredients , spices, and rock sugar are placed inside a young coconut to soak in the original coconut juice. The filled coconut is then double steamed for several hours. The whole coconut is served whole at the table after dinner. The contents and the inside wall of the coconut are scooped out to be consumed.

See also:

*Steaming
*Double boiler.

Stir frying

Stir frying is an umbrella term used to describe two fast techniques: chǎo and bào . The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book ''How to Cook and Eat in Chinese'', to describe the chǎo technique. The two techniques differ in their speed of execution, the amount of heat used, and the amount of tossing done to cook the food in the wok. restaurant patrons judge a chef's ability to perform stir frying by the "wok hei" produced in the food. This in turn is believed to display their ability to bring out the qi of the wok.

Chao technique

The ''chao'' technique is similar to the Western concept of braising. A traditional round-bottom iron pan called a wok is heated to a high temperature. A small amount of cooking oil is then poured down the side of the wok , followed by dry seasonings , then at the first moment the seasonings can be smelled, meats are added and agitated. Once the meat is , vegetables along with liquid ingredients are added. The wok then may be covered for a moment so the water in the liquid ingredients can warm up the new ingredients as it steams off. To keep the meat juicy, usually a cook would take the seared meat out before vegetables are added, and put the meat back right before vegetables are done. In some dishes, or if the cooking conditions are inadequate, different components may be stir fried separately before being combined in the final dish .

The food is stirred and tossed out very quickly using wooden or metal cooking utensils. Some chefs will lift the wok to the side to let the flame light the oil or add a dash of spirit to give the food extra flavor.Using this method, many dishes can be cooked extremely quickly .

Some dishes that require more time are cooked by adding a few dashes of water after the stirring. Then the wok is covered with a lid. As soon as steam starts to come out from under the lid, the dish is ready. In this case, the food is stir fried on high heat for flavor and then steamed to ensure that it is fully cooked.

Bao technique

The wok is heated to a dull red glow. With the wok hot, the oil, seasonings and meats are added in rapid succession with no pause in between. The food is continually tossed, stopping for several seconds only to add other ingredients such as various seasonings, broths or vegetables. When the food is deemed to be cooked it is poured and ladled out of the wok. The wok must then be quickly rinsed to prevent food residues from charring and burning to the wok bottom because of residual heat.

The main ingredients are usually cut to smaller pieces to aid in cooking. As well, a larger amount of cooking oil with a high smoke point, such as lard and/or peanut oil, is often used in bao.

Red cooking

Red cooking is an umbrella term used to describe two slow braising techniques: ''hóng shāo'' or ''lǔ'' . While the former can be done in less than 20 minutes and usually does not require much water, the latter usually requires prolonged cooking upwards to several hours and the items must be more or less submerged in the cooking liquid. These two cooking techniques are popular and common throughout most of northern, eastern, and southeastern China. The name is derived from the dark red-brown colour of the cooked items and its sauce.

Red cooking can also be referred to as ''Chinese stewing'', ''red stewing'' or ''red braising'', and sometimes also described with the term ''flavour potting''.

Types

Soy sauce , fermented bean pastes, or caramelized sugar is commonly used to give an appetizing reddish brown tone and flavours to the items being cooked. Both lu and hong-shao red cooking are forms of stewing or braising and are characterized by the use of soy sauce, Chinese wine, and caramelized sugar. Whole spices or five-spice powder are crucial elements in these dishes but are used in moderation such that their flavours do not overwhelm the items undergoing red cooking.

Red-cooked stews may be meat-heavy or contain a variety of meat, vegetables, and s. Such dishes may be served hot or cold and the sauce or is often re-used.

A caramelized sugar flavor is popular in red-cooked dishes. To create a caramelized sugar sauce, oil is heated to a very high temperature , then combined with sugar. The heat is then reduced and the mixture is allowed to cook for a short time. The sugar dissolves, and the oil becomes sticky. After the sugar and oil solution begins bubbling thoroughly and takes on a bright brown colour, it is mixed with hot water.

Finally, spices and other flavorings, such as huangjiu and soy sauce, are added.