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Chinese Foods

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For those who love Chinese food but do not know where to begin, the thought of preparing meals with Chinese ingredients can be an arduous task especially if one is new to the various ingredients used in healthy Chinese foods. A number of Chinese cooking ingredients may sound strange and foreign to a novice but that does not make them weird or unhealthy. Chinese cooking has a history of over 5000 years and has developed with many varieties in cooking methods as well as in the choice of ingredients. Common Chinese ingredients such as lettuce, eggplant, fish, pork and beef are commonly found in other cuisines but relatively unknown ingredients that are not usually seen in western households could include edible dried fungus, garlic stems and tofu. Preparing a healthy Chinese meal is very different from the ones that are available in fast-food counters and takeaway joints. The food available in the latter are usually filled with high-fat content, harmful flavorings such as monosodium glutamate and artificial additives. Recent research has confirmed that a traditional Chinese diet helps in reducing a woman's risk of breast cancer by almost 90 percent. Two healthy ingredients commonly eaten as part of a Chinese diet include mushrooms and green tea. Researchers discovered that dried mushrooms commonly used in Chinese meals are far more effective than fresh mushrooms in reducing the risk of breast cancer. The combined benefits of mushrooms and green tea are highly significant and hence researchers have seen that breast cancer rates are approximately three to five times lower in China than in other countries, a fact widely attributed to their cooking methods and traditional lifestyle. A variety of Chinese vegetables that are often unused in the western households include Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage, Bok Choy, Yu Choy and many others. Chinese broccoli is a well-known Chinese vegetable, but has no resemblance whatsoever to regular broccoli. Chinese broccoli is usually served with oyster sauce after it has been boiled, and then stir fried with garlic before consuming. Chinese cabbage also does not resemble regular cabbage and is usually used in Chinese cooking for preparing soups and stir frying. Yu Choy on the other hand is a relatively unknown vegetable and unused in western cooking. This particular vegetable is best stir fried with dry chilies and makes for a tasty vegetable preparation. Bok Choy is well known throughout the world and is commonly used to prepare soups, stir fries and stews. There are many varieties of Bok Choy including baby Bok Choy and Shanghai Bok Choy. Chinese cooking also uses a variety of Chinese spices and famous among them is the five-spice that is essential in most forms of cooking. The famous five spice powder is a thorough blend of five kinds of spices that is ground to a powder. It produces a very strong flavor and taste and is hence used sparingly in cooking. Other Chinese spices include peppercorns, cumin seeds, star anise, fresh garlic and fresh ginger.

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