Chinese Food, American Kitchen
Does Chinese Food in America Taste Like Chinese Food Cooked in China
Feb 26, 2007
The stuff one gets from the local Chinese take-out is not the same as what is eaten on the mainland. But, this is not news. Everyone knows the guys commanding those woks behind the counter must stir fry something that is acceptable to the American palette. If not, no one will buy it every Tuesday night.
Four main differences
But to get more to the bone, of course there is a difference between cooking Chinese food in China and cooking it here in North America. For starters, the people on the mainland don’t use frozen food. There’s more flavor in fresh food. Fresh is chewier and feels better in your mouth. Of course some things frozen aren’t too bad, but they are few and far between. Everything is fresh, probably picked that day. We could go into a long account about the absence of refrigeration, but it’s not necessary. Fresh is the only thing they know.
What about ingredients and seasoning. Unless shopping regularly in Chinatown, where can the commodities for authentic Chinese cooking be purchased? Your local retailer can’t even pronounce or spell some of the stuff that is found in a common Cantonese kitchen. Thousands of years of experience in cultivating produce definitely fills a very long spice rack. Is an answer to the question on sight?
No deep frying. One will never find a deep fryer in a Chinese kitchen. Besides the health factor, deep frying saturates the food with oil, strips it of its individuality. Stir fried, boiled or steamed, that’s what goes on in Chinese culinary. Mainland Chinese food has a tendency to be a little more rigid, not softened-up from a lot of sauce.
The most important component of Chinese cooking is the wok. In Guangdong, it’s called a guo. And it has to be made of iron. The guo disperses the heat evenly. Every angle and side of the food is blanched as it’s tossed and stirred. And as everyone knows, nothing beats an iron pan.
All of these factors combined make for a distinctive style and taste in food. However, there’s no need to be concerned that what is picked-up every Tuesday night is not the real thing. It’s American style. It's been dined on for years. If ever in China, one can taste the real thing. Who knows, returning home and picking up some take-out may be worth the trip.
