Chinese Ingredient Substitutions
by Amy Hunt

Meat

            Before you start cooking trim all possible fat off the meat. A trick to simplifying this task is to partially freeze the meat and then go to work. This technique also eases the task of cutting thin slices of meat that are often used in stir-fry. Also, reduce the amount of meat in a dish. Substitute in more veggies. A true Chinese diet consists of rice, noodles and other grains, vegetables, nuts, and fruit.

Oil

            Avoid deep fried dishes. Although they are tastey, they won’t help your waistline. There are other methods of cooking Chinese food besides frying. Try steamed or baked dishes. When stir-frying you can drastically reduce the amount of oil used, or eliminate it all together and stir-fry vegetables in stock appropriate for the recipe. This is not only a healthier choice, but will add flavor.

Grains

Make the low fat choice. According to the USDA a cup of chow mein noodles has a whopping 13.8 grams of fat. The same amount of rice noodles has 0.3 grams.As my brother would say, “It’s a no brainer.” Also try using brown rice instead of white. Brown rice isn't milled as much as white, so it retains the bran and germ. That makes brown rice more fiber-rich, nutritious, and chewy. Unfortunately, it doesn't perform as well as white rice in many recipes, so try to substitute it in to dishes that are served over rice—like stir-fry. 

Spice it Up!

Author Stephen Wong notes that fat does serve the useful purpose of dispersing flavor. To make a low-fat dish more flavorful, he suggests increased use of healthy seasonings such as ginger, garlic, and cilantro.

* DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *