Serves: 5

MEATS
Pork is the staple and supreme Chinese meat. When cooked the Chinese way, it's more succulent than either beef or lamb. It also has a finer grain than beef, a more delicate flavor, and can be used in a greater variety of dishes. Pork, already roasted or barbecued, is sold by the pound in Chinese food stores. Ham is used more as a garnish than for its substance. The high-quality two-year-old Smithfield variety is preferred, both for color and texture, since it most closely resembles Chinese ham.

Beef originally was not eaten much in China because cattle were more valued as beasts of burden. (The buffalo was so useful in the field that both the Taoists and followers of Confucius considered it cruel and sacrilegious to eat its meat.) Contact with the West, however, made beef more popular. Lamb is used only in the North, mainly in Manchuria, where many of the people are Moslems and do not eat pork. Veal is almost never eaten.

POULTRY
Poultry is second to pork as a Chinese favorite. Duck leads, followed by chicken, squab, pheasant and occasionally turkey and goose. Poultry, like pork, can be purchased already cooked in Chinese food stores and eaten as is, or reheated.

FISH
Since China has more than three thousand miles of coast line, several mighty rivers, thousands of tributaries, streams, lakes and ponds, it's not surprising that the Chinese are great fish and seafood enthusiasts. Both fresh· and salt· water varieties are used, with the fresh-water most favored.

VEGETABLES
The Chinese use nearly every vegetable known to Americans, as well as a number of others, such as bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, which are uniquely Chinese.

GRAINS
Rice grows predominantly in southern China, which has a warm climate and plenty of rain. It is usually eaten as a staple food. Among the poor, rice forms the bulk of each meal (being accompanied, at best, by soup, vegetables and a few bits of meat or fish). Among the wealthy, rice serves as a buffer to offset and neutralize rich foods.

In the North, wheat, not rice, predominates. The northerners eat wheat flour noodles much as the southerners eat rice. (The southerners also eat noodles, but as a snack or luncheon dish rather than as a staple.) Because of their length, noodles literally symbolize longevity and are also served at birthday celebrations. Other northern grains include barley, maize and millet. These, as well as wheat, are ground into flour and made into steamed breads, buns, pastries, and pancakes similar to tortillas. In both North and South, rice, which has an almost sacred character to the Chinese, is always served on special occasions, at feasts and banquets. It is the symbol of all food and a good omen that there will always be something to eat.

FRUITS AND NUTS
Fruits are taken as between-meal snacks and sometimes at the end of a meal. They're eaten fresh, cooked and preserved. (The latter, prepared with sugar and honey, are flavored with ginger, clove, licorice, etc.) Some uniquely Chinese fruits, such as loquats and lichees, are used also to flavor meat and poultry dishes. Canned pineapple turns up in sweet-and-pungent sauces. Nuts are eaten between meals as sweetmeats and used also as flavorings and garnishes. Walnuts and chestnuts are cooked in both sweet and salt dishes nut-like lotus seeds are used in sweet dishes and soups. Walnuts, cashews, almonds and peanuts, when blanched and toasted, become garnishes for meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables. (Other characteristic Chinese garnishes include: mushrooms scallion tops dried shrimp bamboo shoots Chinese parsley sesame seeds deep-fried rice-flour noodles and ham, lettuce or fried eggs, cut in narrow strips.)

SEASONINGS AND CONDIMENTS
The basic ingredients that give Chinese cooking its characteristically subtle taste are soy sauce, peanut oil, sherry, garlic, ginger root and scallions, salt, pepper and sugar. (Chili sauce and catsup, now used frequently, were not introduced to Chinese cooking until this century.) In addition, there are a number of special spices, sauces and seasonings available through Chinese food stores.

DRIED INGREDIENTS
Chinese dried ingredients include fish, poultry, fruit and vegetables. They are preserved either by salting or by drying in the sun and wind. These processes not only preserve the ingredients but make them more savory and flavorful. Most dried ingredients must be soaked before cooking: this reconstitutes them by restoring their moisture and also helps "develop" or bring out their flavor.

Many dried, as well as canned, Chinese ingredients may seem expensive at first. However, since they're used sparingly, they go a very long way. Because they also transform ordinary ingredients into dishes of great interest, they prove quite reasonable in the long run.

INGREDIENTS USED IN CHINESE COOKING
*See 20- Glossary of Chinese Ingredients: A-K, L-S or T-Z

MEAT AND POULTRY
Bacon
Beef
Chicken
Duck
Duck Feet *
Duck Liver *
Duck, Preserved *
Duck, Roast *
Duck, Salted *
Ham *
Lamb
Pig, Roast *
Pork
Pork, Roast *
Sausage, Chinese *
Sausage, Liver *
Squab
Turkey

FISH AND SEAFOOD
Abalone *
Abalone, Dried *
Bass, Sea
Bass, Striped
Bêche de Mer *
Bluefish
Bluegill
Bream
Butterfish
Carp
Catfish
Clams
Clams, Dried *
Cod
Crab
Cuttlefish, Dried *
Dogfish
Eel
Fish, Dried *
Fish's Maw *
Flounder
Haddock
Halibut
Herring
Jellyfish, Dried *
Lobster
Mackerel
Mullet
Oysters
Oysters, Dried *
Perch
Pike
Prawn
Red Snapper
Rock Cod
Salmon
Sand Dab
Sardines
Scallops
Scallops, Dried *
Shad
Shark's Fins *
Shrimp
Shrimp Chips *
Shrimp, Dried *
Shrimp, Miniature *
Sole
Squid
Squid, Dried *
Sturgeon
Trout
Tuna
Turbot
Whitebait
Whitefish

VEGETABLES
Asparagus
Bamboo Shoots *
Bean Curd *
Bean Curd Sticks *
Beans, Black *
Beans, Red *
Bean Sprouts (Mung) *
Bean Sprouts (Soy) *
Bitter Melon *
Broccoli
Broccoli, Chinese *
Cabbage
Cabbage, Chinese *
Cabbage, Mustard *
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Chives, Chinese *
Corn
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Eggplant, Chinese *
Fuzzy Melon *
Green Peas
Green Peppers
Leeks
Lettuce, Boston
Lettuce, Chinese *
Lettuce, Romaine
Lily Buds *
Lima Beans
Long Beans *
Lotus Root *
Matrimony Vine *
Mushrooms,Black Dried *
Mushrooms, Button *
Mushrooms, Cloud Ear *
Mushrooms, Grass *
Mushrooms, Snow *
Okra, Chinese *
Onions *
Parsley, Chinese *
Potatoes
Radishes
Rutabagas
Snow Peas *
Spinach
Squash, Bottle *
Squash, Chinese *
String Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Taro *
Tomatoes
Turnips
Turnips, Chinese *
Turnips, Dried *
Water Chestnuts *
Water Cress
Winter Melon *

SAUCES
Brown Bean Sauce *
Chili Sauce, Chinese *
Hoisin Sauce *
Oyster Sauce *
Plum Sauce *
Red Bean Sauce *
Shrimp Sauce *
Soy Sauce *

SPICES AND SEASONINGS
Anise, Star *
Bamboo Shoots, Pickled *
Bean Paste, Red *
Bean Paste, Yellow *
Beans, Black Fermented *
Cabbage, Dried
Chinese *
Cabbage, Pickled *
Cabbage, Salt-Cured *
Cabbage, Salted *
Catsup
Cheese, Chinese Red *
Cheese, Chinese White *
Cinnamon Bark *
Curry *
Five Spices *
Garlic *
Ginger, Red *
Ginger Root *
Ginger Root, Preserved *
Ginger, Subgum *
Lotus Root, Dried *
Monosodium Glutamate *
Mustard *
Olives, Dried *
Pepper, Anise *
Pepper, Black *
Pepper, Chinese Red *
Pepper, Szechwan *
Peppers, Chili *
Red Dates *
Salt
Sesame Paste *
Soy Jam *
Sugar
Sugar, Brown
Sugar, Rock *
Tabasco
Tangerine Peel *
Tea Melon *
Turnips, Preserved *
Vinegar *
Wine *

FATS AND OILS
Chicken Fat
Lard *
Oil, Peanut *
Oil, Sesame *

RICE AND NOODLES
Rice, Glutinous *
Rice, Long-Grain *
Rice, Oval-Grain *
Noodles, Egg *
Noodles, Peastarch *
Noodles, Rice-Flour *
N oodles, Seaweed *
Noodles, Wheat-Flour *

FRUIT
Apples
Apricots Bananas
Crab Apples
Dragon's Eyes *
Grapes Kumquats *
Lichees *
Loquats *
Mangoes
Melons
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Persimmons
Pineapple
Plums Pamela *
Strawberries
Tangerines

NUTS
Almonds *
Cashews
Chestnuts
Chestnuts, Dried *
Coconuts
Ginkgo Nuts *
Lotus Seeds *
Melon Seeds *
Peanuts *
Walnuts *

MISCELLANEOUS
Agar-Agar *
Almond Paste *
Bird's Nest *
Cornstarch *
Egg Roll Skins *
Eggs
Eggs, Preserved *
Eggs, Salted *
Flour, Glutinous-Rice *
Flour, Rice *
Flour, Water-Chestnut *
Flour, Wheat
Ginseng Root *
Honey
Lotus Leaves *
Mung Peas *
Pickles, Chinese *
Red Berries *
Scallions, Pickled *
Seaweed, Dried *
Seaweed, Hair *
Sweet Root *
Tea
Wanton Skins *

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
01- The Chinese Diet
02- Food as Art: A Venerable Tradition
03- Chinese Cooking: The Spirit and the Essence
04- Regional Variations: The Schools of Cooking
05- The Ingredients
06- Techniques of Chinese Cooking
07- Cutting
08- Kitchen Equipment
09- The Basics: Stock
10- The Basics: Rice
11- The Basics: Tea
12- A Note on Quantities