8 Real Chinese Dishes You Should Order Instead Of The American Knockoffs

Most Chinese people have never even heard of a General Tsao, and are completely befuddled by the overly sauced fried chicken dish that Americans know as General Tsao’s chicken.

In fact, authentic Chinese food almost looks nothing like American Chinese food. It varies tremendously by region: Sichuan cuisine is spicy, Shangdong cuisine is generally salty and crispy, and Cantonese cuisine is sweet, for example.

Here are 8 real Chinese dishes you should order instead of the American knock-offs.

Instead of crab rangoon, order Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings):

Xiao Long Bao

Chinese people would not understand the appeal of crab rangoon, deep fried wontons filled with fake crab meat and cream cheese. If you’re hankering for a dumpling, order Xiao Long Bao instead. These Shanghai dumplings are filled with meat—usually pork or crab—and a rich savory broth that oozes out at the first bite. There’s a trick to successfully eating one of these dumplings: bite the corner of the dumpling and let the broth seep out onto the spoon. Then eat the dumpling and slurp up the broth. 

Steamed Egg with Shrimps and Shiitake

Ingredients: 2 eggs, 2 shrimps, 1 Shiitake Mushroom, Scallion

Mushroom - remove the stem, blanch in hot water for 10 minutes

Scallions - chop

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Add a pinch of salt.

Add 1.5 to 2 times of water into the egg. 

Tip 1: Use warm water! (Feel a little hot when water touch your finger)

Give the egg mixture a good stir/beat.

Tip 2: Beat the egg slowly and gently. 

Tip 3: Filter (Most importantly!)

Pass the egg mixture through a sieve, twice.

This can remove all the impurities and bubbles in the mixture.

As you can see the bubbles are minimal after sieved twice.

Then, cover with plastic wrap, put into the steamer ~ 

Steam the egg for 5 minutes until the mixture becomes a little set.

Open the lid, open the plastic wrap, gently put in the shrimps and mushrooms.

The shrimps and mushroom should not sink into the mixture.

Re-cover with plastic wrap, steam for another 7 minutes .

Add some soy sauce on the steam egg, then sprinkle with chopped scallions.

Perfect. 

Steam egg is more suitable to add in seafood such as shrimps or clams.

You can also try to cook with some minced meat!

Cantonese Style Steam Fish

Ingredient:

Fish (of your choice)(Here I'm using a grouper)

Scallions

Ginger

Cooking Oil (Heated)

Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood (Soy sauce for steam fish)

 Steps:

Lay a few scallions under the plate. (for fragrance and also holding the fish up for fully steaming) 

Lay the fish on the plate.

Put sliced ginger on top of the fish. (You can also stuff some scallions and ginger in the fish's stomach.)

Boiling water, steam the fish for about 10 minutes.

Take out the fish when time's up.

Remove the ginger and scallion, and also the liquid. (some people do not remove the liquid)

Lay some sliced scallions on top of the fish.

Put some seasoned soy sauce on the fish.

(Pre-)Heat a very hot cooking oil, pour on the fish go give the last touch. (the fragrance will come out)

Done.

Sizzling Hot Plate Kuey Teow

Kuey Teow

Put in room temperature for at least 1 hour before cooking it.

Separate the kuey teow into strips.

Sauce 

Sauté ginger slices, dried chillies (remove seeds, soak with water until soft), minced garlic 

Add: 

     Chicken broth, water 

     Light soy sauce

     Dark soy sauce 

     Oyster sauce

     Sesame oil 

     Salt, sugar, white pepper (to taste) 

- Filter out those ginger garlic and dried chilli. 

- Add slurry and water 

Reduce to slow fire, stir and adjust the thickness until the sauce coats a thin layer on the spoon.

Set aside.

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Chicken 

Chicken, I used almost the same seasonings to make the chicken's marinade. 

    - Light soy sauce 

    - Salt 

    - Oyster 

    - Sesame oil 

    - Corn flour 

    - White pepper 

Then sauté ginger and garlic, pan fry chicken until cooked.

Set aside.

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Steps:

1. Heat up hot plate until very hot.

2. Add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, then add kuey teow (fill the hot plate), fry until it shows a little colour.

3. Add in the sauce (covers the kuey teow) and let it reduce.

4. Add the cooked chicken.

5. Add any blanched vegetables as you like.

6. Crack an egg on top of the kuey teow.

7. Serve!

Crispy Roasted Pork Belly

Ingredients: 
Pork belly
Chinese rice wine
White pepper
Five spice powder
Coarse salt
Sugar

Step:

Old Cucumber Soup

Old cucumber soup is a sweet savoury soup with a hint of fragrance of dried squid.

It is very good for remove body heat during hot weather.

Ingredients:
Old Cucumber - 1
Spare Rib - 200g
Red Date - 10
Wolfberry (Goji) - 1 tablespoon
Dried Squid - 10g
Water - 1L

Seasonings:
Salt - 1 teaspoon
White Pepper - a pinch

Steps:

1. Wash the old cucumber and cut into half.
2. Remove the seeds (will make the soup taste sour.
3. Cut into cubes.
4. Blanch the spare ribs in boiling water for 10 seconds.
5. Cook 1L water with the blanced spare ribs, simmer for 60 minutes.
6. Add in the old cucumber, red dates and goji, let simmer for another 30 minutes.
7. Add in the dried squid and simmer for last 30 minutes.
8. Season and serve.

Ginger and Scallion Pork

Ingredients:
Lean pork - 300g
Scallion - 1 (cut into sections)
Onion - 1 (sliced)
Ginger - 6 slices
Light soy sauce - 3 tablespoons
White pepper - to taste
Dark soy sauce 1 teaspoon
Water - 1/3 cup
Hua Diao wine (Chinese rice wine) - 1 teaspoon
Sugar - a pinch
Slurry (using tapioca/corn flour) - 3 tablespoons


Pork Marinade: 
Light soy sauce
White pepper
Tapioca/corn flour

Steps:
1. Slice the pork, marinate for more than 30 minutes.
2. Heat wok, stir fry ginger first, then put in onions, sauté until caramelize.
3. Put the marinated pork slices in, stir fry, then stir in the soy sauce and dark soy sauce.
4. Add in the Hua Diao wine and stir fry for one more minute.
5. Then, add the water, white pepper and sugar, stir well and cover the wok, let it simmer for about 3 minutes.
6. Open the lid, add in the scallions and the slurry, stir fry until thicken.

Tips: Stir fry with HOT wok and fire.

Char Kuey Teow

Char Kway Teow sauce: 
Light soy sauce - 2/3 cup
Dark soy sauce - 1 tablespoon
Oyster sauce - 2 tablespoons
Fish sauce - 2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1 teaspoon

Mix and set aside.


Ingredients:
Kway Teow
Ku chai
Bean sprouts
Prawns
Eggs (a one)
Chopped garlic
Chili paste
Chinese sausage (Lap Cheong) slices
Lala
Pre-mixed Char Kuey Teow sauce
White pepper

Steps: 
1. Very hot oil in a Chinese wok, saute chopped garlic, next, shrimp, next Lap Cheong.
2. Put in half of the bean sprouts.
3. Put in the kway teow, add 1 tablespoon to 1.5 tablespoons of sauce and chili paste, stir fried rapidly.
4. Push the kway teow aside of the wok, pour some oil, crack an egg in the middle, drizzle a little sauce and sprinkle with white pepper.
5. Cover the egg with kway teow, add in the other half of the bean sprouts and lala and also ku chai.
6. Stir-fry evenly, serve.

Note: 
1. Oil and wok must be HOT!

Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken breast - 1 [diced]
Fried cashew nuts - 1 tablespoon
Dried chilli - 10 [cut in half, soaked until soft]
Pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Onion - 1/2 [Slice]
Scallion - 2 [cut into 3cm length of each small root]
Ginger - 5 small pieces



Seasoning:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon black vinegar
120ml water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Sugar 1/2 tablespoon
Sichuan powder 1 tsp
[Pre-mix evenly]


Chicken Marinate:
Sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon
1 tablespoon rice wine
Pepper
Salt 1/3 tsp
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Sichuan powder 1/2 tablespoon
[Marinated 1 hour or more]

Steps:
1. Fry the marinated chicken dices in hot oil for about 40 seconds, take out and drain the oil.
2. Using 2 tablespoons of pepper oil, sauté the gingers, onions and scallions.
3. Put in the pre-mixed seasonings, simmer until thickened, put in the chicken dices and cashew nuts, stir-fry until the sauce coats.

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Source: http://ahteekitchen.blogspot.sg/2012/11/kong-pao-chicken.html

Salted Egg Squid

Ingredients:
Squid - 600g
Tapioca flour
Salted egg yolk - 3
Margarine - 2 tablespoons
Curry leaves - half handful
Red onion - half, chopped
Cili padi, shredded (optional)
Sugar - 1 table spoon
Frying oil - 2 cups


Steps: 
1. Wash and drain the squid. Coat it with tapioca flour. (You can put a tablespoon of salted egg white if you prefer it more salty).

2.Steam the 3 salted egg yolks, gently chop.

3. Fry the marinated squid until golden brown, set aside.

4. Leave about 1 tablespoon of the frying oil in the wok or pan, then put planta oil, chopped onion, cili padi, salted egg yolk and curry leaves, stirring constantly over medium heat until the salted egg yolk becomes golden sandy texture. (Do not use high heat to prevent burn)

5. Pour the squids, turn on the fire, quickly stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Flame out, sprinkle some sugar and mix well. Serve.