Traditional Chinese cooking focuses more on having more vegetables than meat and because of this, it is considered a healthy way of eating. It also fosters a variety of crisp and colorful vegetables that can be a part of a healthy recipe. The following are some of the popular Chinese cooking herbs, spices, and ingredients that can assist you in choosing the right flavors to your Chinese meals, if you are interested in learning how to cook Chinese recipes at home
1. Mushroom
As one of the more highly popular Chinese cooking ingredients that can add more taste to your recipes, mushrooms are very easy to find that you can buy in markets. Some of them can actually be bought right after they’re harvested from their natural environment. You can also use dried mushrooms for your stir fried recipes and for soups and stew.
2. Tofu
Bean curd or tofu is also a very commonly used ingredient in Chinese cooking and is widely used in vegetarian recipes. This type of food originated in China and is now a very popular recipe ingredient in a lot of Asian diets. This food possesses little smell or flavor and prior to use one should drain it to allow it to absorb the spices and flavors of the other ingredients in the dish. For vegans and vegetarians, it is usually a replacement for meat since it is considered to be a good source of iron and protein but low in fat and calories. Because tofu is soft and tender, it can be easily digested.
3. Bok Choy
Another commonly used vegetable in Chinese cooking and a very popular food throughout the world. Bok Choy is a vegetable commonly used in stir-fried dishes, soups, and stews
4. Dried fungus
This is one dried ingredient commonly used in Chinese cooking. Dried fungus is commonly used in stir-fry cooking and is often cooked with onions, celery, chicken, and tofu. Its size is small when you buy it in the market, but it expands after you soak them in hot water for about 15 minutes. After they are soaked, you can cook them along with the other ingredients.
5. Ginger
Ginger is one of the most popular spices used not only in Chinese cooking but in other dishes throughout the world. Because of its biting, pungent, and aromatic flavor, it is one of the most basic flavorings in Chinese cooking. At times, instead of fennel, ginger is included in the five-spice powder. Besides enhancing flavor to your food, ginger also provides certain benefits to health such as its ability to prevent nausea and motion sickness, and in fostering good digestion.
6. The five-spice powder
One of the very popular ingredients in Chinese cooking, five-spice powder is usually utilized as food seasoning which you can include to your dish like pepper. Five-spice powder, as its name indicates, is comprised of five spices that typically include cloves, cinnamon, fennel, start anise, and Szechuan peppercorn. This powder is typically used as seasoning for fatty meats as well as in vegetarian recipes.
Christina Prieto is an Orlando acupuncturist, a certified Yoga instructor and the founder of Harmony Wellness Center in Central Florida.