35 Chinese words describing different cooking

[Tepee]

Chee Fai, when I clicked on that link I got a load of jargon. Should I activate some software? Very excited about it.

[CFT]

Tepee do you see seemingly random squiggles and symbols? This is probably because you have "Western" character encoding switched on as your browser default. You need to switch the encoding to Chinese (Traditional).

In Internet Explorer, you can click on:

View --> Encoding --> More --> Chinese Traditional (Big5)

or Right-Click mouse --> Encoding --> More --> Chinese Traditional (Big5)

In Mozilla Firefox you can click on:

View --> Character Encoding --> Auto-Detect --> Chinese (or Traditional Chinese)

or View --> Character Encoding --> More --> East Asian --> Chinese Traditional (Big5 or Big5-HKSCS)

[Tepee]

Yay! That worked! Mng Goy! Now, I can get to work on perfecting my tone according to Ah Leung Gaw's.

Edited March 31, 2006 by Tepee (log)

[CFT]

There may be a problem getting the sound files to play if browsing the site using MS Internet Explorer. Here is my reply to a PM I was sent regarding the problem:

I'm using Mozilla Firefox. Clicking on the loudspeaker icons kicks off a Javascript pop-up box which then prompts for whether you want to play the .wav file using a default application (e.g. Windows Media Player) or save to disk.

I've just tried this in IE 6.0 SP1. I don't think it works correctly. Rolling the mouse pointer over the icons and looking at the link details in the status bar - the links don't contain references to the .wav files, just the query which returned the page in the first place.

It may be that I don't have my Javascript settings set-up right in IE, or the site designers haven't tested compatibility with IE though this would seem unlikely. The think the former is more likely, but don't have time to look into it right now.

Give Firefox a try in the short term.

[CFT]

Yay! That worked! Mng Goy! Now, I can get to work on perfecting my tone according to Ah Leung Gaw's.

Ng sai ng goi. We might also start to see more standardized Cantonese pingyum so there might be less confusion with terms.

[hzrt8w]

1- 煮  Zhu - Indicates cooking in water by boiling, in a well-controlled, well-timed process. Not too long so as to lose juices, nor too short to be undercooked.

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How about naming one dish a day? Like "learning one alphabet a day".

1- 水煮牛肉

Literal translation: Beef boiled in water

Sichuan specialty. Slices of beef braised in salt water.

Here is a page that contains a picture:

http://scnews.newssc.org/system/2005/12/06/000016950.shtml

[Tepee]

Since we're starting on the rudiments, I was thinking the easiest thing to 'jyu' is to jyu faan/cook rice. That just goes to show who's the junior cook in the forum and who's the master. Ah Leung Gaw, you're way ahead!

[jo-mel]

That explanation of 煮-Zhu, by Ken Lo, that I gave, was just part of 3 paragraphs. I'm a two-finger typer, so I was trying to just give the gist.

Here is the whole thing:

"Chu" is the usual Chinese verb to indicate the general process of cooking; more specifically, it indicates cooking in water by boiling. As a culinary method, it has to be a well-controlled and well-timed process. The boiling must not be too long or most of the flavor and juice of the ingredient cooked will go into the water (soup), nor must it be too short, resulting in undercooking. In the accepted Chinese practice, the boiling is controlled by bringing the water initially to a full-boil, and then either by introducing small amounts of cold water at intervals or by lowering the heat to such a point that the boiling will continue only at a simmer.

Meat and poultry are often cooked whole in this manner. Once cooked the meat is sliced or chopped into pieces of suitable size and eaten after being dipped into various dips at the table. These dips are made by mixin various sauces and ingredients, such as chopped ginger, chives, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, chili, sherry, mustard, plum sauce, and purees (tomato, apple, etc.). Alternatively the pieces of meat may be dipped intomixes, which usually consist of mixtures of dry condiments, such as salt, pepper, chili powder, and five-spice powder (equal quantities of anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and star anise).

Boiling is a very popular ans well-favored method of food preparation, due primarily to the purity of flavor resulting from the plain cooking of the ingredients, which tend to retain more of their original tastes and flavors. The usae of highly-seasoned dips allows the individual diners to flavor the food according to personal use.

hzrt -- I like the idea of 'one dish a day'!!

[hzrt8w]

Tepee Mui: Such a nice compliment... did you set your eyes on some pretty shoes that you want as presents?

The term 煮-Zhu indeed commonly means to "cook" (implied with water). And that goes for many things. In fact, it's so common that in Chinese we just say "to cook rice" as 煮飯. Or this has a generalized meaning of "to cook a meal" and not necessarily refers to cooking "rice". Of course, to Chinese there has to be rice in every meal. To some, even breakfast.

In Cantonese, we say 煮送 (with the "eat" radical to the left of 送) to mean "to cook an entree".

jo-mel: I really like this arrangement. I name an example and (hopefully) find some pictures, you give us more explanations on the term. It's like jointly giving a seminar on Chinese cooking terminologies.

Edited April 14, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

hzrt -- That's a good idea! You lead and I will follow up.

I don't understand this "煮送 (with the "eat" radical to the left of 送) to mean "to cook an entree" Where is 'eat'? - 饣

Edited April 15, 2006 by jo-mel (log)

[hzrt8w]

I don't understand this "煮送 (with the "eat" radical to the left of 送) to mean "to cook an entree" Where is 'eat'? - 饣

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I could not find the word that means "entree" (in Cantonese it is "sung", but this is probably not standard Mandarin-based Chinese). You are right. 饣 is the radical "eat" (it is in simplified Chinese).

[hzrt8w]

2- 湯爆 Tang Bao -  Steeping or quick boiling. Thin slices are cooked in the liquid, or the hot liquid is poured over the thin slices. Food is then eated by dipping in dips or mixes.

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2- 湯爆 Tang Bao -

What the book said here are 2 words. 湯, which is a noun and it means "soup" and 爆 which means "explode". From the description "quick boiling", it is very close to the word I found: 灼

An example would be the Cantonese dish:

白灼蝦 (White Boiled Shrimp)

A picture? How about a recipe? I have one of my own pictorial on it!

White Boiled Shrimp (白灼蝦)

There could also be:

白灼牛肉 (White Boiled Beef Slices). That can probably be rewritten as 湯爆牛肉

I also found: 湯爆雙脆 (White Boiled Two Crispies) - they used squid and what looks like duck gizzard - I can't tell.

The page is here (but it is a LONG page). The picture is buried in the middle of the page.

http://www.gati.org.tw/chat/history/200510.../1129276582.htm

Here is the quick link to the picture itself through Google:

(Click for Google page, click on the image to enlarge)

Edited April 16, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

2- 湯爆 Tang Bao -  Steeping or quick boiling. Thin slices are cooked in the liquid, or the hot liquid is poured over the thin slices. Food is then eated by dipping in dips or mixes.

←

2- 湯爆 Tang Bao -

What the book said here are 2 words. 湯, with is a noun and it means "soup" and 爆 which means "explode". From the description "quick boiling", it is very close to the word I found: 灼

An example would be the Cantonese dish:

白灼蝦 (White Boiled Shrimp)

A picture? How about a recipe? I have one of my own pictorial on it

White Boiled Shrimp (白灼蝦)

There could also be:

白灼牛肉 (White Boiled Beef Slices). That can probably be rewritten as 湯爆牛肉

I also found: 湯爆雙脆 (White Boiled Two Crispies) - they used squid and what looks like duck gizzard - I can't tell.

The page is here (but it is a LONG page). The picture is buried in the middle of the page.

http://www.gati.org.tw/chat/history/200510.../1129276582.htm

Here is the quick link to the picture itself through Google:

(Click for Google page, click on the image to enlarge)

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Kenneth Lo:

#2 - 湯爆 --Tang Bao / tong baau

This process can perhaps be described as 'steeping' or 'quick-boiling'. It is really a variation of the previous process of plain boiling. The method used here is to bring the soup, stock, or water to a high pitch of boiling; then the ingredients to be cooked are dipped into the hot liquid. The food is usually sliced or cut into suitable thin pieces and dipped into the hot liquid for the momentary process of quick boiling. Alternatively, the hot liquid can be poured onto the food arranged in a serving bowl. The heat of the liquid seals and cooks the food quicky. Again, food cooked in this way is eaten by dipping into dips and mixes . The method is sometimes also called "He".

Edited April 15, 2006 by jo-mel (log)

[hzrt8w]

3- 涮 Shuan -  Steeping or quick boiling when carried out in a charcoal, or spirit-heated hot pot or fondue pot.

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An example would be:

涮羊肉 (Quick-boiled lamb slices)

A Beijing specialty. Lamb meat is cut into very thin slices. It is then dip into a hot pot for a quick boil at the table.

For some sample pictures, click on the images through the Google search pages:

(Sample 1)

(Sample 2)

Edited April 16, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

3- 涮 Shuan -  Steeping or quick boiling when carried out in a charcoal, or spirit-heated hot pot or fondue pot.

←

An example would be:

涮羊肉 (Quick-boiled lamb slices)

A Beijing specialty. Lamb meat is cut into very thin slices. It is then dip into a hot pot for a quick boil at the table.

For some sample pictures, click on the images through the Google search pages:

(Sample 1)

(Sample 2)

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#3 - 涮 shuan / saan

When the previous method of cooking is carried out in a charcoal-burning, or methylated spirit-heated hot pot or fondue pot placed on the dining room table itself ( a sight particularly warming on a winter's evening), it is called 'Shuan'. The ingredients cooked are usually thin-sliced meats, such as beef, lamb, kidney, liver, and chicken. The best known of them all is Peking Mongolian Sliced Lamb Hot Pot. This dish has a Chinese Moslem background, originating from the Central Asian grasslands and prairies. (Kenneth Lo)

[hzrt8w]

4-  浸 Jin - Boiling (water, stock, or oil) for a very short time, then allowed to sit in the liquid  -- off the source of heat

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4- 浸 Jin

There are plenty of dishes that can be called 油浸XX, where XX can be the name of the fish being deep-fried.

For example:

油浸鲈鱼 (Deep-Fried Flonder(?))

The sample photo: (Click on the photo through Google's search page)

Sample 1

Example 2:

清水浸走地鸡 (Chicken Boiled in Water)

The sample photo: (Click on the photo through Google's search page)

Sample 2

Edited April 18, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

4-  浸 Jin - Boiling (water, stock, or oil) for a very short time, then allowed to sit in the liquid  -- off the source of heat

←

4- 浸 Jin

There are plenty of dishes that can be called 油浸XX, where XX can be the name of the fish being deep-fried.

For example:

油浸鲈鱼 (Deep-Fried Flonder(?))

The sample photo: (Click on the photo through Google's search page)

Sample 1

Example 2:

清水浸走地鸡 (Chicken Boiled in Water)

The sample photo: (Click on the photo through Google's search page)

Sample 2

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#4 - 浸 Jin /jam

Jin is the process of cooking in water by gradual reduction in temperature ----- that is, controlled heating achieved through natural reduction in temperature by removing the heated container from the source of heat.

The usual procedure followed in this process is first of all to bring the heating liquid (usually water) to the boil, immerse the food to be cooked, and after a very short period of boiling, remove the pan from the heat, allowing the rest of the cooking to be done by the remaining heat in the liquid.

In this case the length of the boiling can of course be varied to suit the ingredient to be cooked, but it must be short (not more than one minute).

In China, this process is often used in conjunction with other processes of heating to complete the cooking of a given dish. When used alone, it generally applies only to young and tender food. A good example is Crystal Chicken, in which a pullet is immersed in boiling water for one minute and then allowed to cool in the liquid. When cold, the water is discarded, and the chcken is chopped into suitable size for eating along with various dips on the table. Alternately, the chicken could be marinated with wine, liquor, salt, chopped chives, ginger, and garlic, and served without further cooking as Drunken Chicken (an excellent item for hors d'oeuvres.

The advantage of this process is that by immersing the food in a liquid which is boiling, the shock of the immersion locks in all the flavorsome juices (provided, of course, the food is fresh and tender); and since the material is already tender, it requires no further cooking than that which the heat already present in the cooking liquid will do during the next 10 - 20 minutes, as the temperature recedes gradually from the boiling point. Good fresh food is invariably found to be richer in flavor and fresher-tasting than if it had been boiled in the ordinary way (say for more than 20 - 30 minutes).

Jin is not applicable to only heating in water, but also in stock and oil. Hence the terms 'cooking in stock-receding-heat and 'cooking in -oil-receding-heat'. (Kenneth Lo)

[hzrt8w]

5-  川 Chuan - Allied to 'Jin'. But a second or third re-boil is used, as for a large cut of meat. . Similar to parboiling, but more refined in that it has precise timing and can be an independent form of cooking.

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5- 川

Examples:

竹笙川鸡片 (Chicken slices with bamboo pith)

Sample picture (click through Google image search):

(Sample 1)

火腿川鸡片 (Chicken slices with Yunan ham)

Sample picture (click through Google image search):

(Sample 2)

蜜川鸡 (Honey Glazed Deep-Fried Chicken Legs)

This is a Yunan specialty dish. Sorry, couldn't find a picture for this.

Edited April 19, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

5-  川 Chuan - Allied to 'Jin'. But a second or third re-boil is used, as for a large cut of meat. . Similar to parboiling, but more refined in that it has precise timing and can be an independent form of cooking.

←

5- 川

Examples:

竹笙川鸡片 (Chicken slices with bamboo pith)

Sample picture (click through Google image search):

(Sample 1)

火腿川鸡片 (Chicken slices with Yunan ham)

Sample picture (click through Google image search):

(Sample 2)

蜜川鸡 (Honey Glazed Deep-Fried Chicken Legs)

This is a Yunan specialty dish. Sorry, couldn't find a picture for this.

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#5 - 川 Chuan / Chyun

Chuan is another process of water-heating or stock-heating which is allied to 'Jin'. Here the technique is to use re-boiling as the measure of the length or extent of the heating. Stock or water is brought to a rolling boil, and the foor to be cooked is then introduced.

At the next re-boil, or the following re-boil (after a short perid when the container is removed from the heat), or else at the third re-boil, the food will be cooked and ready. Again, only young and tender fresh food can be cooked in this manner. For thicker or larger cuts of meat, two or three, or even four re-boils might be necessary before the food is well-cooked.

Again, this form of cooking is frequently used in conjunction with other forms of heating. In China both meat and vegetables are often cooked in this manner first before being subjected to other forms of heating, such as quick-frying, deep-frying, or deep-frying-and-steaming. In Western cooking this process, when used in conjunction with other forms of heating, is sometimes loosely called parboiling. Chuan is, however, a much more refined process, in that it has perfect timing and, unlike parboiling, can be used as an independent form of cooking. (Kenneth Lo)

Edited April 19, 2006 by jo-mel (log)

[hzrt8w]

5-  川

Examples:

竹笙川鸡片  (Chicken slices with bamboo pith)

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No question or comment from the audience? I hope they are still awake! This looks more like a hzrt8w and jo-mel dog and pony show...

One note here: the word 川 sometimes means Sichuan. Sichuan = "Four Rivers" in Chinese and the word 川 Chuan is widely used as an abbreviated name for Sichuan.

The famous dish:

川椒鸡 (Chicken stir-fried and laid on top of a bed of deep-fried spniach)

Sample picture (click through Google image search):

川椒鸡 (Chicken stir-fried and laid on top of a bed of deep-fried spniach)

The word Chuan here is not a verb, but a noun (referring to Sichuan).

[jo-mel]

(My computer is playing games on me. I hope this isn't a double post)

I love that particular dish, but I always wondered about the use of the word Chuan in a Chiu Chow dish. So I did a little research and found this from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo:

"This traditional Chiu Chow dish uses 2 ingredients that these southern people dote on: "chinjieu", their term for Sichuan peppercorns, and green leaves, shaped quite like small maple leaves, which the Chiu Chow call 'jun jiu choi'. or 'pearl vegetable'. These grow wild and are fried as garnishes, with many of their dishes. These are simply unavailable outside of their region, so large leaf basil is usually used in their stead".

I'm aware that the dish is mostly made with spinach or basil leaves, but since the recipe I've used in the past called for coarse ground black pepper, the "Chuan" escaped me --- till now. Yin-Fei Lo's recipe uses SiCHUAN pepper. Ken Hom, whose recipe I used, used black pepper.

But the dish I make uses dark meat chicken -- the same used in a now-closed Chiu Chow restaurant in NYC. Yin-Fei Lo calls for chicken breast. I'd prefer the dark meat myself.

Maybe a dish for your pictorial Xiao hzrt? Deep fried spinach to help season your beautiful wok?

[hzrt8w]

I love that particular dish, but I always wondered about the use of the word Chuan in a Chiu Chow dish. So I did a little research and found this from Eileen Yin-Fei Lo:

[...]

Maybe a dish for your pictorial Xiao hzrt? Deep fried spinach to help season your beautiful wok?

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I did know the word Chuan is referring to the "Sichuan pepper leaves" in this Chiu Chow disk, that they deep-fry the leaves to make them crispy.

As for the first wok dish, that's an idea. Something to think about.

Edited April 21, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[hzrt8w]

6-  煲 Bao - Deep boiling  (equivalent of deep-frying)in water 3 to 4 times the amount of food used. The heat is low and long term.

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6- 煲 Bao - Deep boiling

There are many examples of this type of cooking. It is one of the most common cooking methods.

萝卜煲牛腩 (Beef Stew Boiled with Daikon)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 1)

鮑魚花膠煲雞 (Chicken Boiled with Abalone and Fish Maw)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 2)

古法雞煲翅 (Shark Fin and Chicken in Clay Pot)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 3)

The word 煲 is also a noun. When used as a dish name, typically it is referring to the clay pot used to make that dish. It is a Cantonese specialty.

梅菜北菇雞煲仔飯 (Chicken and Rice Clay Pot with Preserved Vegetables and Black Mushrooms)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 4)

Edited April 22, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[jo-mel]

6-  煲 Bao - Deep boiling  (equivalent of deep-frying)in water 3 to 4 times the amount of food used. The heat is low and long term.

←

6- 煲 Bao - Deep boiling

There are many examples of this type of cooking. It is one of the most common cooking method.

萝卜煲牛腩 (Beef Stew Boiled with Daikon)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 1)

鮑魚花膠煲雞 (Chicken Boiled with Abalone and Fish Maw)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 2)

古法雞煲翅 (Shark Fin and Chicken in Clay Pot)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 3)

The word 煲 is also a noun. When used as a dish name, typically it is referring to the clay pot used to make that dish. It is a Cantonese specialty.

梅菜北菇雞煲仔飯 (Chicken and Rice Clay Pot with Preserved Vegetables and Black Mushrooms)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 4)

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#6 煲- Bao / Bou

Bao is the process of deep-boiling, the equivalent of deep-frying. The quantity of water used should be at least three to four times greater than the amount of food cooked. As a rule, the heat applied is low, and the process is one of 'time-cooking' --- a long term affair. In this connection, it might be mentioned that although the Chinese are reknown for high-heat cooking, as in 'Chow' - 炒- (quick-stir-frying), 'Zha' -炸- (deep-frying), and 'Bao' - 爆 - (high-heat stir-frying), they also possess extensive methods of low-heat cooking. (Kenneth Lo)

[hzrt8w]

7-  燜  Men - Similar to stewing. A first fry in oil with seasonings. Stock or water is added, brought to a boil, lowered, and a long period of slow simmering follows.

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燜

This is a popular Cantonese cooking method too.

紅燜羊肉 (Simmered Mutton)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 1: Simmered Mutton)

焖牛腱 (Simmered Beef Shank)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 2: Simmered Beef Shank)

焖鸭 (Simmered Duck)

Click through the Google image search page to view the picture:

(Sample 3: Simmered Duck)

Edited April 23, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)