Sauteing
Chinese cooking uses three methods of sauteing, which is also called "shallow-cooking." Sauteing uses much less oil than deep-frying and is done at lower temperatures than stir-frying. Ingredients are usually cut into slices or flat pieces. Seasonings are added after the food is browned.
sauteing on both sides (jian)
In sauteing on both sides (jian),
foods are browned slowly on both sides
in oil but do not have a coating.
Sauteing on one side (tie)
Sauteing on one side (tie) means browning
batter-coated foods on one side only.
sauteing followed by cooking in sauce
(ta)
In sauteing followed by cooking in
sauce (ta), foods are coated in a
batter and sauteed on both sides.
Then a sauce is added and the dish
is simmered until the sauce thickens.
The food will be soft inside, but
with some crispness outside, and the
thickened sauce will be slippery.
Braising, Stewing, Boiling and Simmering
Chinese cooking has many methods of cooking foods in liquids.
Stewing one kind of meat (ao)
Stewing one kind of meat (ao) means
slow-cooking chunks, slices, cubes,
or shreds of meat after first stir-frying
them briefly until the surfaces have
lost their raw look but before the
insides are cooked. Seasonings and
broth are added and the liquid is
brought to a boil. Then the heat is
turned down and the meat simmers slowly
until done. The sauce is not thickened.
precooking before stewing (hui)
In precooking before stewing (hui),
several ingredients are parboiled
or precooked before being placed in
one pot for slow simmering. Unlike
ao, the final step involves thickening
the sauce.
Stewing over low heat (men)
Stewing over low heat (men) resembles
braising. The meat is stir-fried briefly
to brown. Then seasonings and a sauce
are added and the dish simmers over
low heat until the sauce is almost
all reduced.
Stewing over medium, then high, heat
(shoo)
Stewing over medium, then high, heat
(shoo) means braising foods over medium
heat until tender, then turning the
heat to high to reduce the sauce.
Both of the above methods can be applied to "red-cooking," or braising in soy sauce. The soy sauce imparts the reddish look that gives this technique its name.
Stewing meats with bones (ju)
Stewing meats with bones (ju) is similar
to the above methods, but the meat
or poultry is first marinated in rice-wine
and soy sauce. Then it is deep-fried
before being simmered in sauce and
water. The meat is not boned.
Stewing and adding thickening (pa)
Stewing and adding thickening (pa)
is similar to stewing meats with bones,
but the sauce is thickened with cornstarch
instead of being reduced and thickened
by simmering.
In quick-boiling in broth (cuan),
thinly-sliced ingredients are cooked
quickly in a boiling clear broth,
or in water.
Dip-boiling (shuan)
In dip-boiling (shuan), as with the
"hot pot" dishes referred
to earlier, diners pick up morsels
of meat, seafood and vegetables and
cook them by dipping them into boiling
water or stock in a fire-pot.
Boiling (zhu)
Boiling (zhu) simply refers to cooking
ingredients in a large amount of water
over high heat. The sauce is reduced
and the food comes out tender. No
cornstarch is used. The gravy or sauce
is rich but light and fresh.
Simmering (one of several forms of
dun)
In simmering (one of several forms
of dun), foods are put into cold water
and brought to boil. Then seasonings
are added and the heat is reduced
for long, slow cooking.
Simmering over high heat (wei)
Simmering over high heat (wei) also
starts with cold water, as in dun,
but the food is cooked at high heat
over a long period. This method tenderizes
tougher meats and poultry and yields
a thick, heavy sauce.
Simmering over charcoal (wo)
In simmering over charcoal (wo), the
food is cooked over very low heat
from a charcoal burner for three or
four hours. This gives it a delicate
flavor and a soft, tender texture.