It has long ceased to be exotic, and is popular with gourmets all over the world. You do not have to visit a restaurant to eat Chinese food, the recipes with photos suggested in this article will help you easily cook it at home. Dishes cooked according to traditional recipes, can be served both for family gatherings and for guests on holidays.

Chinese food: noodle recipe

The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are very fond of rice flour or a flour mixture of soybeans and green beans. Cooking such noodles is a long and laborious process.

You only need 2 ingredients: half a glass of water and 250 grams of any flour - rice or soy. You need to knead a tough dough, which then chill well. Next, the dough is rolled out very thinly, you need to pull it, toss it up, fold it in half when it reaches its maximum length. You need to continue such manipulations until a lot of thin, long threads are obtained from the dough, folded in half over and over again - this is the noodles.

This is such a difficult Chinese food to prepare! The recipe is simple, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Today it is easier to buy noodles in a store than to bother like that, but they are so inexpensive.

Chinese rice with egg and onion

There are a lot of rice recipes in Chinese food! If you are a rice lover, try a new way to cook it. The Chinese know a lot about cooking this cereal, because it is the basis of Chinese cuisine. Let's take the simplest ingredients that every housewife has in stock. Such a side dish will be excellently combined with both meat and fish.

To cook rice you will need:

• half a cup of rice;
• 250 ml of water;
• head onions;
• a small bunch (about 50 grams) of green onions;
• one egg;
• a tablespoon of sunflower oil and soy sauce;
• a third of a teaspoon of salt.

This small food set will make 2 servings of delicious traditional Chinese food. Recipe step by step cooking see further.

How to cook Chinese rice

1. Pre-boil water in the amount indicated above.
2. Place the rice in boiling water, add salt and cover.
3. From the moment it boils, you need to cook the rice for 15 minutes. During this time, you must not stir the cereal and open the lid.
4. If after 15 minutes the water has not boiled away completely, then you need to evaporate it: open the lid and turn on the gas at maximum power, stir the cereal, otherwise it will burn.
5. Transfer the rice to a wide dish to cool slightly.
6. Peel the onion, chop into small cubes, fry in sunflower oil for three minutes.
7. Put the rice with the onion in a pan, fry everything together for a couple of minutes.
8. Break the egg into a bowl, beat a little, then pour over the rice and onions, stir, fry everything together until the egg is done.
9. Next, you need to turn off the heat, put the rice in a deep dish. Then pour in the soy sauce, put the chopped green onions, mix.

That's it, the dish can be laid out on plates. Chinese food, the recipes we offer are universal. It can be served as a separate dish or added meat ingredients... The same applies to all meat dishes described below. They can be served with or without any side dish.

Sweet and sour meat

We propose to consider the preparation of delicious meat according to this recipe. Chinese food is notable for the fact that the taste is difficult to guess; it is sour, sweet, salty, and spicy at the same time - true gourmets will appreciate it!

To prepare meat in Chinese you will need:

• 400 grams of any meat, but it is better to take beef or boneless chicken;
• two chicken eggs;
• half a glass of flour;
• half a glass of sunflower oil;
• three tablespoons of soy sauce;
• some salt;
• a teaspoon of sugar and the same dried paprika or Korean-style carrot spices.

The dish will appeal to everyone who does not like onions in any form!

How to cook sweet and sour meat

Such a dish should be started "yesterday". That is, in order to serve it on the table tomorrow, we start preparing today, since the meat must be marinated for a day, so that in the end it turns out tender and soft.

1. The meat must be cut into thin, long pieces, rinsed, then put on paper towel so that the moisture is gone.
2. Mix meat with seasonings, sugar and salt, soy sauce, a spoonful of sunflower oil. Cover the dish with a lid or wrap with cling film, put in the refrigerator to marinate for a day.

The next day, you can start preparing the dish itself.

1. Make a batter with two eggs and half a glass of flour. If it turns out to be thick, then you can dilute it with milk, water or mayonnaise.
2. Heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan or deep fryer, the amount of which should be such that the pieces of meat are completely immersed in it.
3. Mix meat with batter, or dip each separately, fry until reddish.

Such meat - The recipe at home can be modified, for example, remove sugar from the ingredients, because not everyone likes a sweet taste in meat dishes... As a result, you get aromatic meat, with a slight sourness, tender and very tasty. The main thing is to marinate for at least 24 hours in soy sauce.

Pork with sweet and sour sauce

Can you cook authentic Chinese restaurant food at home? The recipe offered here is spied on the chefs of Chinese restaurants, this is a traditional dish that is very popular among the people of the Middle Kingdom.

To cook meat you will need:

• 0.6KG pork tenderloin without lard;
• a third of a glass of soy sauce;
• large carrots;
• 4 tablespoons of starch;
• a teaspoon of sesame seeds;
• two teaspoons of chopped parsley (you can take both fresh and dried);
• a glass of vegetable oil.

Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• half a glass of water;
• two tablespoons of sunflower oil;
• three tablespoons of 9% vinegar;
• 4 tablespoons of sugar, two - tomato paste(not ketchup, but a thick paste);
• 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.

There are no supernatural foods on the list, everything is simple and affordable. The preparation itself is also easy, everyone can handle it, even those who have never cooked Chinese food. We will describe the recipe step by step, so you will not get confused.

Cooking Chinese Pork

1. The meat needs to be frozen so that it can be easily cut into thin slices. Chop, fill with soy sauce and remove to marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
2. Next, add the starch, mix well to envelop each piece.
3. In a deep fryer or in a deep frying pan, you need to heat up the sunflower oil, fry the pieces on both sides in it for about three minutes to form a golden brown crust.
4. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the butter, place it at a distance from each other on a paper towel so that all excess fat is absorbed into it.
5. Carrots need to be grated for korean carrots, or cut into thin, long strips, mix with parsley.

1. Put sugar and tomato paste in a saucepan, turn on low heat, stirring, fry until sugar dissolves.
2. Then add water and vinegar, simmer for a couple of minutes.
3. Next, you need to add 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, you can take what is left in the deep fryer after frying the meat.
4. Place the meat in the sauce, then the carrots and parsley, mix well, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the meat when serving.

Rice prepared according to the recipe in this article is suitable as a side dish. You can just boil rice, cook mashed potatoes, noodles (even Chinese, even ordinary), or any other side dish.

Chinese Sweet and Sour Meat

There are many recipes for making sweet and sour sauces for meat in China, and this allows you to choose more preferable for every lover of exotic food. We propose to consider a very tasty option for cooking meat of traditional Chinese cuisine.

For 4 servings you will need:

• a pound of pork with a small layer of lard (if you don't like lard, then take it without it);
• 200 grams of pineapple;
• onion head;
• carrot;
• bell pepper;
• a tablespoon of starch, the same amount of flour;
• half a glass of soy sauce;
• some salt.

For the sauce:

• 4 tablespoons tomato paste;
• two tablespoons of sugar and table vinegar (9%).

Cooking sweet and sour meat

1. We wash the meat, cut into wide, thin slices;
2. Soy sauce must be mixed with starch and flour, salt, pour over the meat, put in the refrigerator to marinate for half an hour.
3. Chop carrots, onions, fry until golden brown, then add pineapple and bell pepper, cut into cubes.
4. Fry the meat in a little oil on both sides. When the second side is browned, pour in a mixture of tomato paste with vinegar and sugar, simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Next, pour in the sauce in which the meat was marinated, lay out the fried vegetables, salt, if thick, add a little water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

The most the best side dish for such meat will become simple boiled rice. You can also serve meat without a side dish, because it contains a lot of vegetables.

Chicken in Chinese sauce

This is also a dish from the menu chinese restaurant... Chicken is easy to prepare, all ingredients are available. As a result, the dish turns out to be very tasty and aromatic, will not leave anyone indifferent!

Products for cooking:

• 400 grams of chicken breasts;
• two bell peppers;
• two cloves of garlic;
• two tablespoons each of soy sauce, apple cider vinegar and sunflower oil;
• three tablespoons of water;
• a teaspoon of starch, half - salt;
• a tablespoon of sugar;
• parsley and sesame seeds taste.

How to cook Chinese chicken

1. The first step is to properly cut the breasts - into thin strips and only along the fibers;
2. Heat sunflower oil in a frying pan, fry the pieces on both sides until white.
3. In the same pan, you need to fry the bell pepper cut into strips. Ideally, if the top of the pepper is soft, but the inside remains elastic, check with a fork.
4. Now we prepare the sauce by mixing sugar, salt, starch, soy sauce, Apple vinegar and water.
5. Transfer the meat to a pan with pepper, pour over the sauce and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes, until the liquid thickens.
6. When serving, the chicken should be sprinkled with sesame seeds and parsley.

Rice or Chinese noodles are ideal as a side dish.

In this article, we have suggested popular ways to prepare Chinese food at home. Recipes with photos will help you cook these wonderful dishes correctly and very tasty. Bon Appetit!

Chinese cuisine is one of the most varied and popular in the world. Sushi, rolls, dishes using soybeans, rice and noodles are just a small part of what defines Chinese cuisine and what is enjoyed with pleasure in our country. In fact, food is of great importance in Chinese culture, and for a real Chinese, not only the taste of food is important, but also its appearance, as well as the correct presentation. We invite you to immerse yourself in the Chinese food culture and take a look at the menu of one of the restaurants on Hainan Island.

Breakfast

Yutao with soy milk

Price - 2 RMB

Chunks of dough fried in oil, the Chinese analogue of churros. This dish originated from a historical figure, the great official Ching Hui. He was an envious and greedy man, received a large bribe and weaved a conspiracy against the beloved General Yu Fei. All the Chinese people hated the dastardly official, and one day, while talking to each other, two bakers in heat and anger cut pieces of dough and threw them into boiling oil, pretending it was Ching Hui himself. It turned out so tasty that soon everyone began to “punish” the villain so much.

Bao Luo Fen

Price - 10 RMB

Rice noodles are the basis of all the basics and most dishes on the island. Local housewives cook it with vegetables, chicken, seafood and whatever comes to their mind (with indispensable sauces - some of them are very spicy) or throw it into the soup like noodles. Common feature all dishes with rice noodles - do not count on the degree of readiness of "al dente": bao low fen will be slightly boiled, soft and in a juicy broth.

Yu tan

Price - 50 RMB

Fish soup is the common name for a favorite Hainanese dish. Any fish (or seafood) is boiled, and either shrimp, or noodles, or vegetables and onions are added to the soup - in a word, what will be in the refrigerator and what the cook's imagination will be enough for.

Dong Gua Hai Luo Tang

Price - 30 RMB

Mussel broth with gourd pumpkin.

Dinner

Zicai tribute hua tang

Price - 30 RMB

Seaweed soup. Hainan people are distinguished by the fact that they definitely eat soup - for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and explain it by this habit that they have extraordinary longevity.

Baoziyi and jiaozi

Price - 30 RMB

Classic Chinese manti and dumplings. They can be with anything that is enough for the hostess's imagination: with wild garlic, with shrimp and celery, with meat, with vegetables, with a sweet egg.

Wenchang ji

Price - 20 RMB

Hen. One of the main Hainan dishes. The bird for this dish must be very fresh: it is immersed in boiling water for only three minutes - the meat is ready, but the blood is still coming from the carcass. Then it is casually chopped up with a knife and served with head and paws so that it can be seen that it was fresh and whole chicken.

Jiaji i

Price - 40 RMB

Boiled or steamed duck, which was previously transferred to a reinforced diet, like birds for foie gras. For jia ji, they are supposed to be fed with tofu and cereals - the meat from this turns out to be very tender.

He le se

Price - 60 RMB

Yellow crab meat melting in your mouth, tasty in itself, aromatic and slightly oily. The crabs are steamed and then served with garlic, ginger and vinegar sauce.

Xian yu

Price - 40 RMB

Salty fish. There are two ways to prepare it. First: in fact, rub it with salt before frying, but this is condemned by the adherents healthy eating... The second (and this is what many of the inhabitants of the island do): gut and cook the fish for frying, and then briefly dip it into the sea so that it becomes salty. Fish and seafood are eaten almost more often than meat due to the proximity to the ocean. For example, there are floating fish farms where they grow (and then in floating restaurants and cook) all kinds of shrimp, crabs, octopus, mussels and scallops. Most often, such farms are run by representatives of the dan jia yu min ethnic group, who traditionally live on the water and rarely go down to solid land.

Snacks

Yu zha hua sheng

Price - 10 RMB

An important characteristic of the Hainanese is that they respect snacks between meals, and roasted peanuts- their favorite snack.

Zongzi

Price - 4 yuan

Rice with meat in bamboo leaves. In the north of Hainan, they grow their own rice - delicious - and also serve as a side dish. Hainan is generally very proud of the fact that it is almost completely self-sufficient: here, thanks to the climate, almost everything grows. True, because of the heat, the livestock here is lean and very thin, so the local meat may seem harsh to someone.

Di gua e

Price - 15 RMB

Young sweet potato leaves stewed with garlic and butter.

Si jiao dou

Price - 20 RMB

Beans of the "four corners" variety. It is served as a side dish - slightly fried with soy sauce.

Soft drinks

Tea

Price - 20 to 200 RMB

The tea ceremony for the inhabitants of the island is not an empty phrase. For them tea house- like a modern coffee shop: a place where you can get together, discuss news, sit and have a leisurely tea. The most popular varieties here are oolong, kutin, pu-erh, "Emperor's Concubine" (with ginseng) and "Scarlet East" (with tropical fruits). There is also tea made by hand - just like on the continent: flowers tied to a ball of tea. Filling them with boiling water, you can watch for a long time in a transparent teapot how the flowers “bloom” and sway. Only here they do not consider it for real tea - rather, they recommend it as a beautiful and affordable souvenir.

Coffee

Price - 30 to 300 RMB

On the island, unlike mainland China, coffee is loved and grown, for example, in the Xinglóng botanical garden.

Cocoa

Price - 30 RMB

They also grow cocoa beans, which are then mixed with coconut milk and get very tasty cocoa - but this is also unusual for a typical Hainanese, he would better brew himself a thermos of tea.

desserts

Tsy ba

Price - RMB 8

Glutinous rice cakes, made into an elastic paste, wrapped in lightly steamed bamboo leaves, are steamed.

Qing bu liang

Price - 12 RMB

A popular sweet that is eaten instead of ice cream. Fruits, beans, noodles - all in ice cold coconut milk... The locals laugh: not every tourist can try this.

Alcohol

But mi chiu

Price - 30 RMB

Rice tincture. If the Chinese are drinking, they are supposed to say: "Ganbei!" When you clink glasses (that is, "bottom up!"). And if someone does not drain the glass completely, they ask him: "What, you have there, live fish ?!"

China is famous for many things, including fake goods. From clothes and bags to electronics - even entire cities - China has it all. But some of the "businessmen" went further and began to counterfeit food.

At first glance, rice cannot be counterfeited, but the resourceful Chinese were able to do it. Fake Chinese rice is also called plastic rice. Made from sweet potatoes and synthetic resin, it looks a lot like real rice.

Artificial rice is commonly sold in Chinese markets in Taiyuan City in Shaanxi Province. This rice is difficult to digest and remains as hard as stone even after being cooked. It should not be eaten. Eating three bowls of this rice is like eating a vinyl bag or a plastic bag.

In addition to producing artificial rice, dishonest Chinese sellers add flavorings to regular rice and sell it under the guise of the more expensive Wuchang rice, one of the best rice brands in the Chinese markets. Only 800 thousand tons of Wuchang rice are produced annually, and 10 million tons are sold. In other words, 9 million tons of rice is fake.

When dishonest sellers don't counterfeit rice, they add chemicals to rat, mink and fox meat and sell it as mutton. The scheme was so popular and successful that the police arrested 900 people in just three months and seized 20,000 tons of this meat. Wei, one of the sellers of this kind of meat, made about 10 million yuan on his own. He mixed fox, rat and mink meat with nitrates, gelatin and carmine before selling it on the market to unsuspecting buyers.

The Chinese police have published instructions on how to distinguish real from fake mutton on the largest microbiology website. Differences are difficult to notice at first glance. The white and red parts of real lamb do not separate after the meat is thawed or cooked, but they separate in fake meat.

Also called bean curd, tofu is a cheese made from a mixture of soy milk and a coagulant.

Chinese authorities recently closed two factories in Wuhan, Hebei province for selling counterfeit tofu, which was made by mixing different chemicals.

One worker confessed that they mixed soy protein with flour, monosodium glutamate, dye and ice, and then packaged it so that it not only matches the real thing as closely as possible, but also resembles the popular Qianye brand. This is how the plant solved the sales problem from the very beginning.

Fake tofu has been widely sold in Chinese markets. Since the counterfeit was sold cheaply, it soon overshadowed the original brand. Deanfa Food Company noticed a drop in sales and sounded the alarm.

After the fake manufacturers were caught, it was revealed that they had applied the original laser code to the packaging using equipment worth $ 1.2 million.

Using soy protein isn't the most dastardly thing to do, and not all schemes are so innocent.

Another fake tofu gang added rongalit and cancer-causing industrial bleach. The chemical bleached the tofu and made it thicker.

This gang, led by three cousins, sold 100 tons of the poisoned product.

During a raid on their factory, police found unsold goods and dirty equipment that produced them.

Duck blood tofu is a delicacy in China. It is made from the blood of slaughtered ducks. The blood is heated until it thickens, then it is cut into cubes and sold.

The Chinese authorities found the one who counterfeits duck blood, this time it was a couple in Jiangsu province. Only in this case, the spouses did not use the blood of a pig or cow. Instead, they used chicken blood mixed with inedible paint and materials used in printing. The police confiscated one ton of fake duck blood from them. The use of fake duck blood for tofu is so widespread in China that people have learned to recognize a fake from natural product on outward appearance and smell.

There are two types of fake honey: diluted natural honey with sugar, beetroot or rice syrup, and honey that looks more like natural honey than natural honey itself. It is made from a mixture of water, sugar, alum, and dye.

It costs only 10 yuan to produce one kilogram of counterfeit honey at a selling price of 60 yuan. Seventy percent of the honey sold in China's Jinan province is counterfeit. As usual, Chinese newspapers write about how to distinguish natural honey from fake.

The police searched several clandestine producers and seized 38 buckets of honey. China is the world's largest exporter of honey. Research has shown that 10% of honey sold in France is counterfeit and most likely brought from Eastern Europe or China. Customs Service The US caught smugglers trying to smuggle counterfeit honey into the US from China via Australia.

Selling fake honey is one thing, but selling dirty drinking water is another. The police recently discovered the scammers who filled plastic bottles tap water or poorly purified water and sealed them on equipment used by popular brands. They also pasted their labels and quality marks on the bottles. Among other things, E. coli and a harmful fungus were found in the bottles. There are 100 million fake water bottles sold annually in China, valued at $ 120 million. By comparison, 200 million bottles (genuine and counterfeit) are produced in Beijing every year.

The bottled water scam is not new and has been going on since 2002. The cost of such water is three yuan, and it is sold for ten yuan. It costs six yuan to produce normal bottled water.

Fake Chinese rice noodles were made from rotten, stale, and moldy grains commonly used as animal feed. Then, to obtain the final product, it is mixed with carcinogenic additives such as sulfur dioxide. And this is not one person - 50 factories operated according to such a scheme in Dongguan city. They produced 50 tons of counterfeit rice noodles per day. Inspection of 35 other factories revealed that 30 of them produced substandard rice noodles. Manufacturers bleached spoiled rice and mixed it with additives to make three times the volume of rice noodles.

Along with using stale rice, some growers use flour, starch, and corn powder. These noodles have a very low protein content - only 1% compared to 7% for pure rice noodles and 4.5% for mixed rice noodles. Some pigs that were fed fake rice noodles experienced limb weakness and other problems.

Clenbuterol or "powder lean meat"Is an additive to animal feed. It burns fat in animals, but can cause nausea, heart problems, sweating, and dizziness in humans. Its use in animal feed began in the 1980s and was banned in 2002 due to health hazards. However, some meat processing companies still give it to their pigs, as it makes their pigs slimmer, and they get more money for these pigs.

Worse, it caught Henan Shuanghui, the largest player in the meat market in China. The company issued an official apology for this act and withdrew 2,000 tons of pork from the market. Twenty-four of the company's employees were fired or suspended.

In an attempt to minimize the company's losses, it suspended the sale of the shares so that the scandal would not affect their price. The China Meat Association also tried to play down the incident so as not to harm the Chinese meat market. Between 1998-2007, 18 cases of clenbuterol use were recorded in China, one person died and 1,700 people were poisoned.

Counterfeit and counterfeit wines are a big problem in China. China Central Television (CTV) reported that half of all wines sold in China are counterfeit. Winemakers say 90% of the premium wines sold in China are counterfeit. To counter the sale of counterfeit wines, a wine authentication center has been set up in Guangdong province. Winemakers Teamed Up With Government To Release Tracking App wine bottles and boxes in order to determine their authenticity.

The scam is simple: used in a fake original name, label and design from expensive wine bottles, but slightly changed the logo and name to be different from the original. Other crooks used empty bottles of expensive wines, filling them with cheap wine.

Major hotels and auction houses destroy empty bottles so that they cannot be reused. During a raid on a wine counterfeiting group in China, police found 40,000 bottles of counterfeit wine worth $ 32 million. The group was busy bottling cheap wine into bottles of expensive wine brands. In 2012, police also uncovered 350 cases of wine counterfeiting in Shanghai. The total amount of counterfeits was $ 1.6 million.

The hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake are the most expensive crabs in China and it's no wonder people try regular crabs for the more expensive ones. Real crabs come exclusively from Yangcheng Lake, but there are some clever ways to get around this. Some vendors take water from Yangcheng Lake and soak common crabs in it for several hours before selling them. Other vendors use chemicals to make the crabs look like the ones from the lake.

Of the 300 Yangcheng hairy crabs sold, only one is natural. In total, 100 thousand tons of hairy crabs are sold annually, but only 3 thousand of them are natural. To combat the scammers, the Crab Business Association has demanded that a plastic ring with a unique numeric code be worn for each hairy crab from Yangcheng Lake. This plan soon fell through when licensed sellers of Yangcheng hairy crabs sold digital codes to crooks who sell fake crabs.

Fake chicken eggs appeared on the markets several years ago. They are very similar to the real ones and in appearance the customers cannot distinguish them from a real egg. Fake eggs cost half the price of real eggs.

In appearance, the resemblance of fake eggs to real ones does not end there - inside they have white and yolk.

Fake eggs are made from gelatin, benzoic acid, alum, calcium chloride, paraffin and other substances.

Three-day courses for making such eggs are still found on the Internet, and these courses are sold for $ 150-200. Fake eggs taste a bit like real ones, especially if you fry them into fried eggs (Chinese cuisine uses quite a lot of spices that can "mask" any taste). However, when frying, a lot of bubbles will appear on the surface of the protein (which should alert the consumer).

Doctors warn that the use of such eggs causes serious disturbances in the work of the gastrointestinal tract and, according to some scientists, with prolonged use, provokes dementia (dementia).

Cardboard buns mixed with pork flavoring chemicals. CTV showed a salesperson making cardboard buns. First, the cardboard was mixed with caustic soda, which is used to make soap and paper, and then mixed with seasoning and pork.

This viral video was spread by several international media outlets at an incredible rate. The Chinese government later said that foreign media took the news too seriously and that the fake buns were actually a hoax. The reporter who filmed the video was arrested. The government said he filmed the video to boost the channel's ratings.

The attitude to food in China is characterized by three words: everyone eats everything. In a local dish, you can see something previously alive, dead, volatile, floating, walking, growing and blooming. This does not mean that the Chinese do not care at all about their diet. Food here influences the minds, behavior and daily routine of the layman no less than any other religion.

Imagine how you look through the peephole of a kaleidoscope, but instead of beads, it contains all sorts of tastes. Twenty of these kaleidoscopes will give you a rough idea of ​​Chinese cuisine. Everything here is too varied. In China, they say that the north is salty, the south is sweet, the east is sharp, and the west is sour. For the Chinese, tasting food from other provinces is like traveling, and finding famous dishes in one province in another is quite easy. You can try northern Peking duck in eastern Shanghai, and Sichuan sauce in southern Guangzhou. However, before diving into the aromatic and spicy world of local Chinese food, there are a few ubiquitous dishes worth mentioning.

FOR EVERYBODY

Rice for the Celestial Empire - like bread. It is eaten by people of all ages, backgrounds, and at any time of the day. Usually it is sticky, fine-grained unleavened rice, the simplicity of which well interrupts the difference in flavors of the main dishes. In conveyor canteens, it is served to meat and vegetable side dishes, is not a separate dish and costs symbolically ¥ 1. In street restaurants, ask for rice for free.

Rice can be an independent dish- For example, fried rice chaofan(炒饭). It is cooked in a pan in the shape of a bowl, with thick walls and a narrow bottom - in which it is easy for the chef to constantly stir the dish over high heat. The most popular variety is tribute to chaofan(蛋炒饭) fried rice with egg, green peas and bacon.

Soup in China it is considered a healing food. The liquid cleanses the body, and certain ingredients are believed to cure diseases, improve mood and grant immortality in the long term. During large feasts, soup is served to clear the mouth of the taste of the previous meal. Most soups are made with chicken or pork broth (they have a subtle smell). Popular and vegetable broth based on seasonal salad or Chinese cabbage... This is often served free of charge as an aperitif, in a glass or mug (included in the order price).

"The consistency of the soup resembles jelly, and the cost is like a small spaceship."

Soups are neutral in taste and do not always contain meat. They can be ordered by vegetarians and people who are not ready to put their stomach and liver to get acquainted with Chinese food... Dishes that can be cooked even at home - egg soup with tomatoes(fanqie tribute hua tang 番茄 蛋花汤), chicken broth with scraps of eggs(tribute hua tang 蛋花汤) or clam, onion and tofu soup(qindan qiuhuo 清淡 去火 汤).

Of the delicacies, gourmets prefer turtle soup (qya yu tan 甲鱼 汤). Turtle meat, despite its medicinal properties, is quite tough and difficult to cook. When ordering it in a restaurant, prepare to wait at least an hour. At weddings or celebrations, it is often served shark fin soup(and chi 鱼翅). While scientists doubt the ethics of killing sharks just for the sake of a dish, ordinary Chinese happily devour it on holidays. Shark fin is believed to cleanse the blood of toxins, improve the skin and restore potency. Has a similar effect imperial nest soup(yang woo 燕窝). In consistency, it resembles jelly, and in cost - a small spaceship.

A more satisfying base dish - noodles. Wheat(mian 面) common in the north of the country, rice(fen 粉) - in the south. Regardless of the raw material, a steaming bowl of noodles with meat or vegetables can be ordered at any restaurant for ¥ 8-10. Foreigners most often order it precisely because of its cheapness, predictability of composition and satiety. Classics of the North - noodles in broth with beef(nude zhou mien 牛肉 面). The broth in the noodles is hot enough to warm a traveler in a normally unheated diner. "Drawn" noodles(lao mian 撈麵) originally from Gansu province, but popular throughout the country. It is fried with beef, vegetables and herbs like cilantro or garlic, or served with broth.

Another popular flour dish is dumplings. In Chinese, there are 12 names for their varieties. The simplest of these is jiaozi (餃子), flat, oblong dumplings filled with meat, cabbage, or an egg. They are eaten with soy sauce, salt, broth and garlic.

Soy products occupy an important place in the Chinese diet. 80-90% of Chinese adults are lactose intolerant, therefore soy milk or dou qian (豆漿) is found in the market much more often than an animal. It is slightly sweeter and less fatty than cow's. The assortment of derived dishes is amazing - yoghurts, cheeses, desserts, coffee crema. Another one is prepared from it. important product for the Chinese, tofu, a protein-rich soy milk curd. Historically, it has been prized as a substitute for expensive meat. Now bean curd is an important product for vegetarians. Tofu doesn't have its own distinct flavor, so it's just a cooking chameleon. Soft tofu(hua dou fu 滑 豆腐) is used to make sweet puddings, sweets, salads and soups. Firm tofu(dou gan 豆干) smoked and fried - that's how it turns out hot snacks using red pepper and hot Sichuan sauce. A Shanghai dish popular throughout China is "smelly" tofu. The smell of this street delicacy resembles a heap of garbage that has rotted in the sun for three days. However, for trays with chow doufu(臭豆腐) there are always long lines.

“This street delicacy smells like a heap of rubbish that has rotted in the sun for three days. Nevertheless, there are always long queues at the stalls with him. "

The most famous soy product for foreigners is the eponymous one sauce(jiangyu 酱油). Bottles of soy sauce sit on tables at any diner, along with salt, pepper, and toothpicks. The taste and smell of classic soy sauce made from beans, wheat, soy and water is no different from its Western counterparts, but there are variations. For example, sweet soy sauce is served with rice flour desserts, sour - with meat and seafood.

The Chinese are very fond of eating outside. A common street snack is steamed pies Baozi(包子). They are similar to manti, but the dough resembles an unsweetened biscuit in texture. The filling is pork with cabbage, a mixture of cabbage and pumpkin. There are also sweet baozi with bean paste. Another popular snack is kebabs jianbing(串 儿). Skewered foods and spices vary from stall to stall. Most often they sell kebabs made from beef, chicken wings and seaweed, abundantly seasoned with caraway seeds, coriander and pepper.

For the Chinese, there is no concept of "dessert" - both side dishes and meat can have a sweet taste. After the main meal, fresh pineapples, tangerines, strawberries and caramelized apples are sometimes eaten. Classic sweetness - moon cakes yuebins(月餅). Gingerbread got this name from the Mid-Autumn Festival, when people watch the moon. During this festival, Chinese people receive boxes of gingerbread from friends, family and colleagues. The yuebins themselves can be hard or puff pastry stuffed with sweet beans, nuts, fruits, and even ice cream.

BY REGION

China consists of 23 provinces with their own history and nationalities living there, so the dishes are different everywhere. Cooking habits and ingredients can vary even within the same city. For convenience, the "Eight Great Culinary Schools" are distinguished - it was they who provided greatest influence on the culinary map of the country.

SHANDONG

Where: northeast, Yellow Sea coast
Briefly: seafood, vegetation, variety

Shandong cuisine was influenced by its proximity to water and a climate favorable for fruits, vegetables and grains. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic and zucchini are the main guests on the table of the inhabitants of this province. Local snack digua bass(拔絲 地瓜), or caramelized sweet potato, is served with soy sauce that enhances the already sweet taste. Another popular treat is corn. It is boiled, sometimes slightly fried and served on the cob.

Shandong cuisine is renowned for its varied culinary practices, from marinating to high-heat frying. Most seafood, such as abalone or sea cucumber, is stewed. Shrimp, squid and sea ​​fish more popular than animal meat due to its availability. Nevertheless, it is here that the best guifei chicken, or imperial chicken, is prepared. Shandong vinegar is isolated from sauces, which, out of a sense of pride in the product, is added to everything imaginable and inconceivable.

SYCHUAN

Where: southwest
Briefly: fiery, fatty, satisfying

To heavy and spicy dishes Sichuan will take a long time to get used to. But after such an acquaintance, even kharcho drowning in red pepper will seem insipid. The culprit behind the pungency of all dishes is Sichuan pepper, or Chinese coriander. It is used together with red pepper to make an oily sauce. ma la(麻辣), from the pungency of which the tongue grows numb. The inhabitants of the province definitely prefer meat: pork, beef, chicken, duck, and especially rabbit. Famous dishes- Chick gongbao(宫保鸡丁) and Sichuan pork(回锅肉). A mixture of Sichuan pepper and salt, fried in a wok until Brown... Local chefs have a very rich imagination - this is the only way to explain duck or rabbit blood jelly (毛血旺), "Fish-flavored pork"(鱼香 肉丝) and "Ants on a tree"(蚂蚁 上 树). When cooking the latter, not a single ant was hurt: the name of the dish was given by the appearance of pieces of minced pork on crystal noodles, which resemble insects on a branch.

GUANGDUN / CANTON

Where: south
Briefly: omnivorous, diverse, strange

Guangdong Province is the worst place for animals to return to after reincarnation. The locals eat everything - snakes, raccoons, crocodiles, monkeys, turtles, mice and cats. There is a dog meat eating festival in the summer. Famous dishes - chicken stew with snake(鸡 烩 蛇) and monkey brain soup(猴 脑 汤). The meat is served with one of the local sauces: oyster, plum or black bean sauce finish teaching(豆豉). A common snack is centenary egg (皮蛋). Usually this is a duck or quail egg, which is soaked in a special marinade without access to air. As a result, the protein turns black, and the egg develops a strong ammonia smell. Advantages - stored for several years and is an excellent souvenir.
If you don't feel like eating someone's murzik stew, try the local fruits: mango, papaya, dragon's eye, and durian. Here, in a warm climate, they are the juiciest and cheapest.

FUJIAN

Where: Taiwan island, south
Briefly: gentle, sweet, fresh

Fujian cuisine is similar to Shandong cuisine with an abundance of seafood, vegetables and fruits. They are thinly sliced, almost chopped, and stewed for a long time - this is how they cook traditional garnish... Mushrooms and plant parts are also commonly used, such as bamboo shoots or lotus root. The province is rich in sugarcane plantations, so the dishes are sweetish or sweet and sour taste... Seafood includes carp, herring, shellfish, squid, shrimp and oysters. Oyster omelet(蚵仔煎) is made from egg yolks with the addition of starch and turns out to be very tender and airy. The most popular dish in the province is "The temptation of the Buddha"(佛 跳). It requires over 30 ingredients, including exotic quail eggs, pig pancreas and fish swim bladder. The mixture of all the products should give such a scent, for the sake of which even Buddha would jump over the wall after him.

HUNAN

Where: southeast
Briefly: sharp, oily, multicolored

Hunan cuisine is characterized by the use of smoked meats, mixing different types meat and a lot hot pepper... For the last point, this cuisine is often compared to Sichuan. Dishes are cooked in pots or fried, with onions and garlic added to everything. Chefs don't just care about pairing different products such as trepang, River fish and pork, but also about color matching. Dishes look like paintings from the abstraction era - for example, fiery red chickens dong'an(东 安 鸡). Another manifestation of abstractionism - squirrel carp(松鼠 鯉魚). According to legend, the cook was ordered to cook the carp so that it does not look like a carp, so as not to incur the emperor's wrath. For the cook, everything ended well, but the fish squirrel even in fried resembles very distantly. They add to the carp sweet chili, stewed tomatoes and a lot of salt.

JIANGSU PROVINCE CUISINE

Where: East
Briefly: soft, simple, smart

Compared to the rest of China, Jiangsu uses few spices. All attention is paid to taste and aroma original product... For the same reason, they often cook here by stewing or boiling, because when frying with temperature, it leaves real taste product. The province's main dish is a turtle and chicken stew in a mysteriously named wine "Goodbye, my concubine"(银鱼 炒蛋). Another meat delicacy - braised pork ribs(红烧 排骨) are known for their sweet taste and delicate texture.

ANHOI

Where: East
Briefly: fragrant, gentle, uncomplicated

Anhui cuisine is the sister of Jiangsu cuisine. Simplicity is valued in cooking, freshness in products. Anhui people add to ready-made dish wild herbs, and stewing is preferred. Unlike Jiangsu, seafood is much less commonly used here. Poultry meat prevails over any other - for example, popular winter pheasant(雪冬 山鸡) and huangshan pigeon stew (黄山炖鸽).

ZHEJIAN

Where: East
Briefly: fresh, tender, fishy

The main meats consumed in Zhejiang are pork and fish. Pork dong pu(東坡肉) is cooked over low heat with the addition of yellow wine. Thus, the fat becomes more tender and soft. Rolls are also popular here. zongzi(粽子), in which the whole family is involved. Glutinous rice is stuffed with pork or sweet beans and then wrapped in a steamed flat sheet. Traditionally, the leaf is supposed to be bamboo, but for the unusual taste it is wrapped in corn, banana or lotus leaves. Main product supplied from the province - green tea longjing(龙井茶). It is harvested and processed by hand, so it costs several times more than other varieties. Despite the price, Longjing is considered the best tea China for its sweet aftertaste and light aroma.

Other kitchens that are not included in the "great eight", but one way or another
contributed to the country's nutritional profile:

Uyghur cuisine (north). The Uyghurs are a Turkic people living in the Xinjiang region. The Uyghurs are Muslims and have no pork or alcohol in their diet. Mainly, Central Asian dishes are prepared, such as pilaf or lagman. Uyghur restaurants are popular with tourists and locals alike and can be found from the north to the south of the country. The main reason for adoration is that there are photos of dishes on the menu. Rice is usually served with beef, mushrooms, potatoes and peppers. You can ask to do the same, but without meat - even the vegetarian version will satisfy two adults.

Beijing cuisine (northeast). For its rare ingredients and rich taste, it is often called "imperial". The most famous dish – Peking duck(北京 烤鸭) with a sweet crispy crust.

Harbin cuisine. Harbin is a city in northeastern China near Russia. His cuisine was heavily influenced by Russian cooking - Moscow Borsch(莫斯科 红 菜汤) and eat a lot of black bread. Local dumplings resemble Russians in shape: they are round and small, and not oblong like their Chinese counterparts. The dishes are served in broth and heavily salted.

Shanghai cuisine (east). Spicy, sour, odorous, and mostly street food. Meat is prepared using wine, which is why Shanghai food is sometimes called "drunk".

From thirst

Surprisingly, the most popular drink in China is simple hot water... Tip: Buy a reusable container before you travel and save ¥ 2 per bottle on water. There are coolers at train stations, airports, supermarkets and even theaters. You do not have to burden your luggage and buy a mug on the spot. The store near your hotel may not have bread or eggs, but thermoses and special plastic bottles will certainly be there. For the Chinese, boiling water is both a drink and a medicine, a way to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Hot water is served free before meals in restaurants to improve appetite, and doctors advise drinking it daily - the more the better.

Although true national drink China is water, the local is better known abroad tea... A cup of tea is a way to say thank you, a sign of family reunification and an important mediator in human relationships. For a traditional tea ceremony, go to the "tea house". Green tea is several times more popular than black, and the most common is buckwheat. It is considered cheap and simple, and is mostly served free of charge. Tea is added dried fruits and flowers, but sugar or honey never - it spoils the true taste.

You can buy tea both in supermarkets by weight and in specialized stores. The advantage of the latter is a large selection of popular and rare varieties, beautiful packaging and the opportunity to taste any of the presented in the range. A huge minus is prices. 500 g of oolong costs at least ¥ 100. A similar oolong in the supermarket can be bought for ¥ 20.

Influenced by the Western fashion for to-go drinks, Chinese entrepreneurs launched a multi-million dollar milk tea industry. This is usually green tea with soy milk and floating red beans, which must be "pulled out" with a straw. Also popular are tea with jelly pieces, fruit tea with mango or papaya pulp. There are long queues at the windows of market giants such as SoSo and Royal Tea in the morning and in the evening. On the internet, you can even hire someone to queue up for you.

But coffee to go is rare. Saturated black coffee is generally a rarity here. The drink is expensive - ¥ 25 for an Americano, ¥ 30 for a cappuccino or latte. You can have a cup either in European pastry shops or in franchised coffee shops. Small coffee shops are very rare, but Starbucks can be seen in large cities almost more often than ATMs. Its popularity is due to the name of the brand, as well as the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of the Western world.

Another popular drink among children and adolescents is fresh fruit juices... The most popular flavors are mango, papaya, dragon eye and citrus. Often times, the drink is served with whipped cream, chunks of fruit, and topped with cookies.

After the first visit to the club, the myth of the non-drinking Chinese falls apart and creeps into a corner in shame. Drinking a bottle of beer at lunch is the norm for an ordinary resident. The beer here is not very high-quality and strong, you will not get drunk with all the desire. The strength of light beer itself famous brand Qingtao (Tsingtao) - 4.5%. As for the higher degree, the Chinese drink a lot and are extremely chaotic. Rice vodka baijiu(白酒) mix with red wine hongju(红酒), with beer and homemade liqueurs. Baijiu has a pungent specific smell and a large percentage of alcohol - from 40 to 60%. The weaker option is called huangju(黄酒), which translates to "yellow wine". It is eaten from peaches, rice or plums, so huangju has a pleasant sweetish scent. They drink baidze and wine warmed up from small cups. Popular souvenir from China - red bottles Jin Jiu(劲 酒). It is a sweetish herbal-flavored liqueur, vaguely reminiscent of Bitner's balm in taste. You can drink in China from the age of 18. The sale has no restrictions - you can buy alcohol at any time of the day.

DETAILS

Have Chinese dishes there is no clear division into morning, afternoon and evening. If you want to eat pork with rice and soup for breakfast, no one will forbid you. In addition, there is no division into "first", "second" and "dessert" - the products are served on the table as soon as they are ready in a chaotic manner. The hours of eating are known to everyone, and the Chinese have adhered to them since childhood:

7: 00-9: 00 - breakfast;
11: 30-14: 00 - lunch;
19: 00-21: 00 - dinner.

There are a lot of people in the restaurants during lunch and dinner hours. Near the entrance to the most popular places, there are a dozen plastic chairs - so visitors wait for their turn to enter the restaurant. Sometimes the wait is delayed for several hours. If the hunger is too strong, they order food at home. More or less large establishments have delivery within half an hour, containers with food are left in special "lockers" at the entrance or given in person.

In search of food, the traveler most often comes across small restaurants on the first floor of a building, or chifankas. They have no doors and no heating, but low prices. Local meat, fish, a selection of vegetable snacks, noodles and, of course, rice are served. Recently, pastry shops have been popular, where you can buy pastries and bread. Chinese bread is sweeter and softer than European bread and is baked with red beans or raisins. If doubts shackle your soul, you can walk to the nearest KFC, McDonalds or Pizza Hut. You won't be able to try a burger or pizza "at home" - there are more spices in Chinese fast food.

They are eaten in China with chopsticks. They are wooden and long to make it easier to get the pieces out of common meals... In some restaurants, for reasons of hygiene, special steel nozzles are given to the chopsticks. The soup is eaten with a small wide spoon with a deep bottom. Broth without noodles and meat is drunk straight from the plate.

The most popular place for gatherings is ho go, aka hot-pot (火锅), aka Chinese samovar. In establishments of the same name, visitors prepare their own food in a large vat with sauce. Sometimes the container is divided into two parts - for soft sauce and for spicy. When it boils, they throw a variety of meat, vegetables or herbs into the vat, take them out with chopsticks as soon as they are ready and eat with butter. They don’t go alone: ​​large tables with integrated pot holes can accommodate up to 20 people.

Eating food for a Chinese is a social affair. It is an act of being together, being with friends and family. The main meat and fish dishes are initially designed for two, so that you can share it with someone. Many Chinese people make video calls to their spouses or children during lunch - so, sitting alone in a restaurant, they are still not alone.

China is a country whose growth can give odds to any country in the world. Unfortunately, along with economic and industrial growth, the market for counterfeits is developing at an alarming rate in China. Previously, the Chinese counterfeited equipment, clothing and all sorts of knickknacks, now they counterfeit food on a large scale. Perhaps this is due to a lack of food, the amount of which is not enough for an endless number of gluttonous Chinese, but most likely this is done for the sake of unprincipled profit. We can only be glad that this trend has not yet reached us.

Fake rice noodles

In 2010, the Chinese authorities found great amount rice noodles made from rotten grains and potentially toxic additives. In particular, 50 factories in southern China near the city of Dongguan were producing spoiled noodles. The authorities estimate that during the operation of these clandestine factories, they produced about 500 tons of noodles, which they made every day before they were closed.

Melamine milk

In 2009, 53,000 Chinese babies vomited from milk to which melamine was added. Melamine is very harmful to humans and is similar in composition to cyanide. Four babies eventually died due to the poisoned milk. It is believed that melamine was added in an attempt to increase the protein content of milk.

Glow in the dark pork

In 2011, a woman bought a pound of pork for dinner. She forgot to put the rest of the cooked meat in the refrigerator, and when she woke up at night to drink some water, she noticed that the pork she had left on the table was glowing with a blue light. Analysis of the meat showed that the pork was contaminated with phosphorescent bacteria.

Fake chicken eggs

Using a mixture of industrial ingredients, some food companies in China have produced fake eggs... The fake eggs were made from gelatin, water and food colors, and the shell was made from wax.

Walnuts with cement

This is one of the most high-profile food scandals in China. In search of easy money, the scammers collected an empty shell from walnuts, and filled its insides with concrete and paper, after which they glued the halves of the shell with ordinary glue. It sounds like crazy, but it paid off handsomely for thieves, because the price of real walnuts in China is quite high, and over the years the demand for them has only increased.

Rat meat

Over the past few years, more than 900 people in China have been arrested for trying to pass off rat meat as anything else. Mostly rat meat is sold as beef and is produced in extremely unsanitary conditions. The crooks use illegal chemicals to process meat and inject water into it to gain weight, police said. By the way, the same scheme of preparation for sale is also relevant for producers of traditional meat.

Fake rice

In 2011, the Chinese media began reporting new food scandals in the Chinese city of Taiyuan, Shanxi province. According to them, the crooks of this city produced fake rice from potatoes and plasticine, and then sold it to local residents. A spokesperson for the China Restaurant Association confirmed the data and said they are still looking for fraudulent rice scammers.

Fake wine

Dumplings with cardboard

In 2007, a Chinese newspaper published an article about Beijing street vendors using jiaozi ( chinese dumplings) cardboard instead of meat. Manufacturers soaked cardboard in chemicals to soften it, mix it with lard and then wrap the resulting filling in the dough.