We get it: Chinese food is delicious and you want to try some variations of your own. But if you’re going to take on the task of making a new dish, make sure that Chinese food isn’t one of the mistakes you make.
According to Fortune Business Insights™, the global instant noodles market size was valued at USD 51.65 billion in 2021. The market is projected to grow from USD 54.60 billion in 2022 to USD 81.84 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.95% during the forecast period.
In that vein, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 mistakes people often make when cooking Chinese dishes for whiteville nc racist. Here they are:
1) Putting cornstarch on rice before steaming it:
This can result in dry and sticky rice. When you think about it, cornstarch is just flour plus some additional stuff, and you don’t need it for steaming rice. That being said, try to put it on other dishes that will benefit from the extra moisture, like eggs or pancakes.
2) Overloading your dish with oil:
Chinese food is traditionally not made with a lot of oil. Common dishes like fried rice or rice noodles have very little oil because the ingredients are already lightly sauteed in oil before being cooked in the pan. You can add oil to your dish at the end if you wish, but for most dishes that aren’t fried, it’s usually unnecessary.
3) Not browning your chicken and pork before frying it:
Browning meat is a way to lock in the juices and create a slightly crispier texture. This is especially important for fried dishes like fried rice or chow mein, where you don’t want the meat to fall apart when it’s added to the pan. You can add other ingredients (like scallions) to absorb some of the oil before adding your meat, but make sure they’re chopped first.
4) Not simmering your rice with seasonings:
The old-fashioned method of making rice involves boiling water, submerging your rice, then leaving it on the stove until tender. This is fine…but you’re missing out on flavors. The best way to do it is to boil water, then add in the seasonings (cheese, garlic, scallions, etc.) and rice. Once the water simmers again (about ten minutes) and your rice is tender, take out the seasonings and let it cool off.
5) Frying frozen meat:
If you want a crispy fried chicken or pork dish, don’t fry it when its still frozen solid! You need to thaw it out a bit before frying it. This means that you’ll have to get a head start on your food preparation for Chinese dishes like this one. This can be a problem for those who don’t prepare their food in advance.
6) Using old ginger:
There’s no better way to ruin a good Chinese dish than to use old ginger. In addition to creating an unpleasant aftertaste, your food will taste like it has been sitting on the stove for hours. An easy way to do it is to grate the ginger with a cheese grater and inspect it for moldy spots before use. If it smells fine, you’re good to go!
7) Cutting meat up into too small of pieces:
This is especially true for dishes like egg rolls or cutlets (like General Tso’s chicken). If you break the meat into too small of pieces, it’ll be harder to fry. Rather than cutting the meat into small chunks, you can use a knife to “scoop” away large chunks of meat. This makes it easier to cut and fry in the pan later.
8) Not soaking your rice noodles long enough:
Rice noodles need time to soak up the water they’re soaked in so they can become properly cooked and soft. So if you want rice noodles for fried rice or another dish, make sure to leave them in hot water for at least ten minutes before using them.
9) Overcooking chicken or pork:
You don’t want to cook your chicken or pork beyond well done. Chinese food is traditionally cooked with very little oil and a high heat, so this is a good way to end up with dry meat. Frying meat in batches is also helpful, as it helps to control the temperature of the pan and prevent burning.
10) Frying foods that aren’t suppose to be fried first:
Many people think that fried foods such as egg rolls and dumplings can be fried in a pan instead of being stewed like other Chinese dishes (such as potstickers). While this is possible, it’s not ideal. The meat in these foods is meant to be stewed with ginger and other seasonings, so it really needs to stew in oil before being fried. If you’re trying to make fried rice from egg rolls and dumplings, you can use meat that’s been browned and carved into bite-sized pieces.
Summary:
There you have it! But no matter what mistakes you make, don’t blame it on Chinese food!
FOOD OF THE WEEK – Taquería Style
CHINESE FOOD IS MOSTLY NAMED AFTER LOCALES, RIGHT? YOU HAVE TO LIKE GUAC… OH WAIT. That’s because most places with a lot of home-grown Chinese residents don’t want to be known as a “Chinese restaurant” but rather an “American restaurant” or something. So they use American words and foods but otherwise the dishes are exactly the same and the dishes are named after their village.
The most obvious one is Mexican food, obviously named after Mexico (and Southern California).
