Principles and Varieties of Chinese Cooking

 

The basis of Chinese cooking is to provide nutrition, energy and good health. Great attention is paid to colour, aroma and flavour and to the optimum combinations of ingredients.

In Britain, most people’s experience of Chinese food is usually in its Cantonese variety. However, there are 8 favours varieties (See map of areas) :

• Cantonese: sweet and sour, mild and simple with short cooking time.
• Shangdong: salty, crisp, tender, various forms of frying.
• Sichuan: spicy and flavourful (e.g. Ma Po Beancurd).
• Hunan: similar to Sichuan but more ingredients, spicier, uses oil, sauce, smoked foods (e.g. spicy chicken).
• Fujian: seafood, famed for visual presentation.
• Zhejiang:various styles using poultry, fish, bamboo shoots.
• Jiangsu: various soft styles, using meats, soups, fish, porridges.
• Anhui: wild game & herbs.
  Sample menus of the range of dishes from which Hannah will be preparing meals during her demonstrations are listed below. She will be happy to comply with any requests for a particular dish if given advance notice.

Sample menus of the range of dishes from which Hannah will be preparing meals during her demonstrations are listed below. She will be happy to comply with any requests for a particular dish if given advance notice.