Chinese Food by Mychelle Favreau

• Many Chinese begin their day with a warm bowl of congee, a watery rice gruel that bears a marked resemblance to porridge.

•  Just as a morning cup of cafe au lait and a croissant are de rigueur for the French, crullers are the food of choice to serve with congee.

•Also known as "deep-fried devils," crullers are twisted strips of dough that have been deep-fried in oil.

•They are dipped in warm congee, the same way you would dip a doughnut into a cup of coffee.

•In northern China, where wheat is the staple crop, crullers are dipped into a thin soymilk, which can be either sweet or salty. 

• The most popular lunch fare in many areas of China is typically a noodle soup.

• This is served everywhere, even on the streets at small stands.

• They will often have different toppings, or small round pork balls.

• There's also the traditional dim sum, these come in a wide variety of small plates of incalculable variety

• They also eat vegetables, rice, fish, meat, and soup.

• Dinner is reasonably similar to breakfast.

• Guangzhou (Canton) is viewed by many as the highest level of cuisine.

• Shanghai cuisine has lots of fresh vegetables and fresh seafood, not typically masked by sauces.

• Typical dishes for dinner will be stir fried or steamed with a combination of meat or fish/seafood and vegetables.

INGREDIENTS 1 (3 ounce) package chicken flavored ramen noodles 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds 1 large head napa cabbage, shredded 6 green onions, chopped 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS• Crush noodles, place them in a

medium skillet and brown in butter over medium heat. Add almonds and sesame seeds. Stir often to prevent burning. Add seasoning mix from noodles and cool. Toss in a large bowl with cabbage and onions.

• Prepare the dressing by whisking together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar. Pour over salad, toss and serve.

INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame oil 2 tablespoons brown sugar 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 large red onion, chopped ground black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 2 leeks, chopped 1 small carrot, chopped 1 pound beef round steak, sliced paper thin

DIRECTIONS• In a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and red onion. Stir in the black pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, leeks and carrot. Mix in the meat by hand to ensure even coating. Cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

• Brush the bottom half of a wok with cooking oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Put in all of the meat and marinade at once, and cook stirring constantly. The meat will be cooked after just a few minutes. Remove from heat and serve with rice or noodles. For Korean style fire meat, roll the meat mixture up in a leaf of red lettuce.

INGREDIENTS 1 slice bacon 1 egg, beaten 1 (6 inch) corn tortilla 1/4 cup sweet corn kernels 1 tablespoon smooth salsa

DIRECTIONS

• Fry the slice of bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Pour the egg into the skillet, and sprinkle with corn. Cook for less than 10 seconds.

• Lay the tortilla over the whole egg. After the egg is firm and attached to the tortilla, flip over, and lay the bacon on top. Put salsa over the bacon, and wrap. Remove from the skillet, cut into small pieces and serve hot.

Ingredients3 tangerines 5 tsp cornstarch (corn flour) dissolved in 5 tsp water 7 tsp (100 g) sugar 2 oz (50 g) haw jelly, diced

Directions• Peel the tangerines and divide into sections. Remove the strings and seeds and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) dice. Set aside.

• Pour 5 cups (1,250 ml) of water into a saucepan. Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam. Add the cornstarch and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened. Stir in the tangerines. Pour into individual bowls and sprinkle with the diced haw jelly.

Ingredients14 oz (400 g) fresh lotus roots 7 tbsp (100 g) granulated sugar 1/4 tsp green preserved plum, shredded (substitute candied green cherry) 1/4 tsp red preserved plum, shredded (substitute candied red cherry)

Directions• Wash and peel the lotus roots. Remove the joints and cut into 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) slices.

• Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, rinse under cold water and drain well. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with the sugar and the preserved plums or cherries. Note:This easily-prepared dish of crunchy lotus roots is a popular summer refreshment.

I think that China is a very interesting country and it would be a very cool place to visit.