Blending Seasoning
A well-prepared dish should have a distinctive flavor. But it is not enough just to select the right blend of foods and the correct cooking temperature-a good cook also needs to master the art of blending the right seasonings with the right combinations of ingredients. Without the correct seasoning, even delicious ingredients can taste bland and uninteresting. Seasonings are also important in Chinese cooking because they create the special flavors that characterize different regional styles.
The condiments used in Chinese cooking come in two ways, singly or blended. They lend single flavors (salty, sour, sweet, etc.) or blended flavors (sweet and sour, sweet and salty, hot and spicy, etc.) to foods. Some examples of these flavors and the condiments used to create them are:
Salty flavor
Salty flavor is basic to most dishes, with other flavors usually added. Salt and soy sauce, are the main seasonings used to impart a salty taste.
Sweet flavors
Sweet flavors counteract fishy odors, cut the greasiness of rich dishes, and enhance delicate flavors. The main seasonings use to give a sweet flavor to foods are confectioner's sugar, brown sugar, rock sugar, granulated sugar, honey, and saccharin.
Sour flavors
Sour flavors help the digestion and increase the absorption of inorganic salts. They also lighten heavy or rich dishes. Red and white rice vinegar are the main seasonings used to add sourness to a dish.
Hot flavors
Hot flavors are appetizing because of their sharpness. Hot seasonings include fresh and dried red chili (chilli) peppers, pepper, ginger, scallion, and garlic.
Bitter flavors
Bitter flavors have a special aftertaste that can be palatable and refreshing. Ingredients such as bitter melon, Chinese yam, tangerine peel, and-Chinese wolf-berry give a bitter flavor to dishes.
Spicy flavors
Spicy flavors help mask off-odors or fishy smells, cut greasiness, and whet the appetite. In Chinese cooking, the main spicy condiments are cassia bark, which resembles cinnamon, star anise, fennel, clove, Sichuan red peppercorns, sesame, sesame oil, sesame paste, wine, red wine mash and flavoring essence.
The first five spices are often ground and mixed together into a combination called "five-spice powder."
Delicate flavors
Delicate flavors are natural food essences, generally the principal amino acid of the ingredient. Shrimp eggs, crab meat, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and meat stock impart delicate flavors.
Sweet and sour flavor
Sweet and sour flavor comes from sweet and sour sauce, a mixture of sugar and vinegar, jam, and ketchup (catsup).
Sweet and salty flavor
Sweet and salty flavor comes from a combination of shrimp eggs, soy sauce, and shrimp paste.
Peppery and salty flavor
Peppery and salty flavor comes from mixtures like the combination of roasted ground Sichuan peppercorns and salt known as "spiced pepper-salt."
Spiced pepper-salt is sometimes referred
to as "prickly ash." One
basic recipe for making it is:
4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
Heat a dry wok over moderate heat
and pour in the peppercorns.
Cook, stirring constantly, about 1
minute, or until they release their
fragrance. Grind to a fine powder
in a mortar or blender, strain out
any large husks, and set aside. Reheat
the wok and pour in the salt. Cook,
stirring constantly, about 5 minutes,
or until it just begins to turn golden
brown. Pour into a bowl and let cool
slightly before mixing with the ground
peppercorns. Store in a tightly-closed
jar. Makes about 1/4 cup and will
keep indefinitely.
Sharp and salty flavor
Sharp and salty flavor is obtained from chili (chilli) peppers or Sichuan peppercorns and salt.
Hot and spicy flavor
Hot and spicy flavor comes from seasonings like curry and mustard.
Hot and salty flavor
Hot and salty flavor is found in
condiments like chili (chilli) sauce
and Worcestershire sauce.
Seasonings can be added to foods before,
during, and after cooking. Because
the success of Chinese dishes depends
so much on how they are seasoned,
the following guidelines may be helpful.
Fish, shrimp, beef, lamb, and mutton sometimes have off-odors. Adding wine, vinegar, scallions, ginger, or sugar before or during cooking helps counteract unpleasant odors.
Do not over-season dishes that feature delicate foods like fish, shrimp, chicken, duck, or mushrooms, or you will kill their flavor.
Bean threads (also known as "cellophane noodles"), shark's fin, and sea cucumbers are so bland that they should always be cooked with a highly-flavored sauce or stock.
The amount of seasoning used should be correct. When a dish has several flavors, the principal and complementary flavors must be balanced to enhance the principal flavors.
The predominant flavors of Chinese
dishes change with the seasons. Fresh,
crunchy foods and sweet-and-sour cold
dishes are best for hot weather, while
winter is the time for heavier, fattier
dishes, or those that call for long,
slow cooking techniques like stewing
or braising. Hot pot, in which a variety
of fresh ingredients and meat is cooked
in a boiling broth in a special cooking
pot, is also a special cold-weather
dish.