| Chinese cooking can be as complicated or as easy as you want to make it, simple stir-frying is a quick and easy way to prepare food. However some complicated dishes might involve a combination of smoking, steaming and deep-frying. Here are some basic cooking methods to try out. Stir Frying Stir-frying can be a healthy and nutritious way of cooking, very little oil is used and vegetables are half or just cooked thus retaining many vitamins. Mosy of us live busy lives and this is a quick way to rustle up a delicious meal. 
Step by Step Stir Fry A good wok is the first step to successful stir-frying, an indication of a good wok is its weight, the heavier it is the more heat it will retain and the quicker it will cook the food. - Assemble your ingredients before stir-frying, meat should be cut into strips roughly 3cm by 1 cm whilst vegetables should be cut into bite size pieces.
- Heat your wok gently before adding the oil, add onions, garlic and ginger then immediately add the meat. Spread the meat over as much of the surface area of the wok as possible to seal in the juices.
- If using a Wing Yip stir-fry sauce now is the time to add it to the wok. However some sauces such as Black bean and Szechuan should be added to the raw meat for a more flavoursome dish.
- When the meat is cooked, add the vegetables starting with the ones that take longer to cook and work your way down to the softer vegetables, beansprouts should be added at the very end.
- Keep moving the food around the wok to ensure even cooking by sliding the spatula down the side of the wok and turning the food over.
- After about 4-5 minutes the food should be cooked, meat and vegetables should now be fully cooked with the sauce, if more sauce is required a little water or stock may be added.
- Serve immediately with rice or noodles.
Deep Frying 
Deep frying can be done in a deep fat fryer or in a wok, do take care when deep frying in a wok and ensure the wok is sitting securely on a metal ring. Remember to have a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper ready to transfer cooked items to Pour enough oil in the wok or pan to cover the food to be cooked. Test that the oil is hot enough for cooking by dropping in a cube of bread, this should turn brown in just under one minute if correct temperature. Gently lower food to be cooked into the hot oil, move food in the wok around to prevent it from sticking, cook food in small batches. To remove food from the oil use a pair of tongs, a perforated spoon or a metal strainer and drain onto absorbent paper before serving. Velveting This is a cooking technique used in stir-frying in order to keep the meat succulent, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture when it is mixed with vegetables and sauce. Here is a step by step method for velveting. - Cut meat into bite size pieces and season with salt and a little Chinese cooking wine.
- Mix the pieces of meat in beaten egg white and cornstarch (1 egg white to 1 heaped teaspoon of cornstarch) and place in the refrigerator to marinate for approximately 20 minutes.
- Heat 450ml of vegetable oil and drop meat pieces in batches into the hot oil. The meat should float to the surface immediately (chicken will turn white). Do not allow meat pieces to clump together or turn brown.
- Remove meat with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
- In another wok, stir fry onions, garlic and vegetables together with a Wing Yip sauce.
- Finally, add meat pieces to the wok and mix well with vegetables and sauce. Ensure meat, especially chicken, is cooked thoroughly before serving.
Steaming This is a subtle, moist and healthy way to cook food, especially fresh fish. Seasoned food is placed in a dish and then into an aluminium steamer or wok, this is partially filled with hot water. Sometimes additional ingredients such as a drizzle of sesame oil or soy is added to the finished dish to complete it. Bamboo and aluminium steamers are available from our online store. Aluminium Steamer 
Half Fill the bottom section of an aluminium steamer with water and bring to the boil, place the perforated section over the water with the food to be steamed inside it. It is important that the food is contained within a heatproof container prior to entering it into the steamer. Some steamers come with 2 perforated compartments, which allows 2 dishes to be cooked at the same time. Cooked rice is best re-heated in a steamer. Steaming food in a Wok Place a metal trivet on the cooker and place a steaming basket or another trivet into the wok to support the food, an upturned bowl or saucer might do the job. Fill with hot water to within 3cm of the steaming basket/trivet. Place food in a heat proof dish and then on the steaming basket/trivet. Cover with a wok cover and cook for the required time, a large saucepan with a tight fitted lid is a suitable alternative to the wok. After using a metal wok for steaming, remember to season well before using it to stir-fry food. |
