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Tempura in few minute

2014-10-24T03:11:00.001-07:00

Tempura in few minute

Tempura consists of vegetables or seafood that are covered in a light batter and then deep fried. Tempura was originally brought to Japan by the people of Portugal. Now, tempura is one of the most popular foods in Japan and also one it's best-known exports. Tempura-ya (tempura restaurants) can be anything from low-priced chain fast food joints to classy fine dining establishments. Tempura is usually part of a bento (lunch box) or set meal. It is especially popular in convenience or take-out bentos. There is a huge variety in the ways that tempura is served and cooked and even in what ingredients are used, although it is widely-accepted that dishes should utilize seasonal ingredients that are as fresh as possible. A high-quality tempura should need little else other than a sprinkle of salt.

This is the Chinese drink of drinks. Tea is a symbol of earthly purity

2012-05-13T01:44:00.002-07:00

This is the Chinese drink of drinks. Tea is a symbol of earthly purity. It's preparation calls for the most fastidious cleanliness from the time of picking and drying of the leaves to the final infusion and drinking. Tea is easily spoilt by the slightest contamination of oily hand or cups, or scent. It must therefore be kept away from scent of any kind. It has been pointed out that tea resembles the recluse and is for quit company. It can only be enjoyed in an atmosphere where there is no ostentation or suggestion of luxury. it is said that wine can be enjoyed with sing-song girls, but not tea.

For more than a thousand years tea drinking has given the greatest pleasure in Chinese life. it is for more than just quenching of thirst. It is for relaxation in quiet company. With children or babies crying or people quarreling it would be impossible to enjoy the tea. The atmosphere for drinking should be such that it leads to quiet contemplation and to the realms of the immortals. this is exactly what a scholar of the seventh century A.D. said. He wrote about his tea drinking pleasure:

The first cup moistens my lips and throat

The second cup breaks my loneliness,

The third cup searches my barren entrails,

The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration,

The fifth cup purifies me,

The sixth cup calls me to the realms of the immortals,

The seventh cup - Ah, but I can take no more.

Chinese tea cups are small, unlike the huge teacups or tumbles of the West. Drinking from huge cups in large quantities is vulgar and loses the whole essence of tea drinking. Some call it buffalo's drink.

In the West people also enjoy drinking tea, but they drink it differently from the Chinese, from large cups and in large quantities. It is not for us to criticize. Our cultures are different and our objectives are different. Samuel Johnson wrote this:

I am a hardened and shameless tea drinker,

who has for many years diluted his meal with only infusion

of this fascinating plant; whose kettle has scarcely time to cool;

who with tea amuses the evening,

with tea solaces the midnight and

with tea welcomes the morning.

art of eating you must know the philosophy of food

2012-05-13T01:43:00.002-07:00

To understand the art of eating you must know the philosophy of food. food must be fresh, have flavor and possess proper texture. If the food itself is bad, even the greatest chef will not be able to cook a flavor into it. As in other things in life, we must avoid excesses in food. We should not aim at eating too much if we want to eat for good health. We should also be sparing in our tastes and eat only when hungry, and not just eat for the sake of eating. The same applies to drinking. If we eat too much at a time, it hurts our lungs, and if we eat too little we become hungry and that hurts our vital energy. A Chinese cookery book in full of these rules.

Anyone who claims to have written a Chinese cookery book without these rules has not written a cookery book. Also, anyone who aims at extraordinary or peculiar dishes just to astonish himself or his guests may end up with extraordinary diseases. Simple food properly cooked will ensure good eating and good health. Everything in cooking must match and there is an order in eating food of different flavors. Clear mush go with clear, thick with thick and soft with soft. Usually, we should eat food of a salty flavor first and then food of a more negative flavor. Heavy should precede the light and dry precedes gravy. We must have noticed that in a Chinese dinner, soup is never served first as it is in the west. Salty flavor is relieved by bitter or hot tasty food. Too much wine dulls the stomach, which can only be aroused to vigor again by sweet or sour food. Mustard is for a warm day and pepper for a cool day. For a formal dinner, the four heroes of the dining table are the chicken, duck, fish and pig. Without these four a formal dinner loses its elegance and formality.

The absorption of good points from other cultures has enriched a Chinese dinner today. Tenderloin steak, cucumbers, lettuce, and tomatoes have kept good company in dinners which the Chinese quite unashamedly call Chinese. Sometimes a Chinese dinner is topped off with Sunkist oranges, ice-cream and coffee instead of the traditional Chinese tea

Learning to cook Chinese food is fast and easy

2012-05-13T01:42:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow Chinese food enthusiasts! Learning to cook Chinese food is fast and easy with these great recipes. My name is Li Hua, and I am a MASTER Chef in China (which is rare, because I am a women). I own several Chinese restaurants in the coastal tourist city of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, and my family has a tradition that spans eight generations, of producing top quality Chinese food

My father was one of the 16 personal Chefs for Chairman Mao Zidong from 1966-1971. He also is credited with having trained several of the chefs for North Korea's former leader Kim Il-Song, at his invitation, after having eaten at a banquet in his honor given by the Chairman himself. To this day, there is still a small picture of my father and the "Dear Leader" Kim Il-Sung hanging in the Great Hall of the People in Pyongyang, Korea, taken at one of the official banquets. Working for Chairman Mao, my father was allowed to continue his trade and prepare delicious Chinese delicacies.

Chinese food has many varieties, from many different regions of China. The type of food often varies based on the ingredients available in the region. China is such a large country, with major differences in the cuisine of the different regions. There have been poems written describing these differences. In general, Sichuan is spicy, Hunan is spiciest. Guangdong is sweet, northern food is salty, etc. If you are like me though, you love to eat them all. Chinese food is very special in that way, and it has been enjoyed by the entire world since the era of Marco Polo's visit to our great land.

Here at my web site I invite you to lean how to cook Chinese food from all over China. I have included many, many recipes, and I will add more as I build my web site. Everything is free and I hope you enjoy learning to cook Chinese food. Follow the directions carefully and try to get all the correct ingredients. They are usually availble at any Chinese or Asian supermarket. As you learn to cook Chinese food and become efficient at it, you will be able to experiment with various ingredients and create your own dishes, as you learn what each ingredient will do to enhance the flavour the recipe.

Please visit my sponsors, as they are helping me to fund this free site. I hope to be able to interest you some interesting cooking products from China in the future. Life is good, enjoy my Chinese recipes!!

English food has been influenced by foreign invaders.

2012-05-13T01:40:00.002-07:00

Since ancient times English food has been influenced by foreign invaders. First the Vikings, then the Romans and even the French brought to the English table a melting pot of ingredients and foods.

The invasion of the Franco-Normans brought spices of saffron, mace, nutmeg, pepper, ginger and sugar. Medieval English cookery abounds with recipes containing the exotic fare. The route of these ingredients can be traced to the modern day in traditional recipes such as Plum Pudding (Christmas Pudding), Christmas Cake and Hot Cross Buns.

For centuries the English aristocracy ate only French food as a source of distinction from the peasants

The British Empire’s colony in East Asia brought tea back to England, and in return the English took it to India another colonial outpost. From India came the English obsession with curry, spicy sauces and condiments which now are an intrinsic part of English cuisine.

War Years

Much damage was inflicted on English cookery throughout two world wars; the war effort used up all available goods and services, leaving little for private consumption. During the Second World War food rationing of the most basic ingredients - meat, sugar, butter and eggs - continued until early into the 1950’s. It is from these years that England gained a reputation for poor cooking and became a gastronomic joke worldwide.

Food Today

Though it has taken many years, that joke is now forgotten as England has regained its reputation for some of the finest foods, best chefs, and renowned restaurants.

Throughout England today there is a massive resurgence of traditional foods, recipes and cooking, using wherever possible locally produced, seasonal foods.

Food Traditions

English food traditions are many and varied. Who has not heard of its National Dishes, Afternoon Tea, The Full English Breakfast, Sunday Lunch and the tradition of the great British Pub; the inclination to drink ones beer in the evening in the company of others.

Favorite Dishes

England boasts no less than three national dishes. Roast Beef and Yorkshire Puddings and Fish and Chips, but argument rages within its shores over the third, Chicken Tikka Masala. Some say this is the new national dish; one that has evolved from the extensive ethic migration into the country from India and Pakistan. It is most certainly an English favorite.

British puddings are renowned, often steamed or baked as in Spotted Dick and served with custard, they are the perfect dish on a wet, winters' day. But, puddings are not always sweet. Steak and Kidney Pudding and Yorkshire Pudding are most certainly savory.

Pies and Pasties are another English favorite, again sweet and savory. Pork Pies, Steak Pies, Cornish pasties were all created for ease of carrying and eating when farm workers were in the field. No pasty, however, is complete without a dollop of English pickled onions or chutney.

More about English Food

Regional English Recipes

British Food is Bad - Myth or Reality?

British and Irish Beer - Food Matching

English Meals

Afternoon Tea

Full English Breakfast

Sunday Lunch

English Recipes

Cooking Tutorials - British and Irish Favorite Foods and Dishes

Cheap Meal Ideas - Cheap Recipes, Cheap cooking, cheap meals

Classic British & Classic Irish Recipes

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