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.