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.
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.
