Chinese cuisine comprises cuisines originating from China,as well as from Chinese people from other parts of the world. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country,Chinese cuisine has profoundly influenced many other cuisines in Asia and beyond,with modifications made to cater to local palates. Chinese food staples such as rice,soy sauce,noodles,tea,chili oil,and tofu,and utensils such as chopsticks and the wok,can now be found worldwide.
Shanghai cuisine,also known as Hu cuisine,is a popular style of Chinese food. In a narrow sense,Shanghai cuisine refers only to what is traditionally called Benbang cuisine which originated in Shanghai. In a broader sense,it refers to complex styles of cooking developed under the influence of neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
Taiwanese cuisine is a popular style of food with several variations,including Chinese and that of Taiwanese indigenous peoples,with the earliest cuisines known of being the indigenous ones. With over a hundred years of historical development,mainstream Taiwanese cuisine has been influenced by Hakka cuisine,the cuisines of the waishengren,Japanese cuisine,and American cuisine,with southern Fujian cuisine having had the most profound impact.
Glutinous rice is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia,and the northeastern regions of South Asia,which has opaque grains,very low amylose content,and is especially sticky when cooked. It is widely consumed across Asia.
Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia,residing in modern-day Malaysia,Indonesia,Singapore,Brunei,Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands,Christmas Island,Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Rice wine is a generic term for an alcoholic beverage fermented and possibly distilled from rice,traditionally consumed in East Asia,Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the source of the enzymes that convert the starches to sugar. Sake in Japan,Mijiu in China,and Cheongju and Makgeolli in Korea are some of the most notable types of rice wine.
Drunken chicken is a way of preparing chicken using alcoholic beverages. Different varieties of the dish exist in Chinese,Taiwanese,Malaysian,Singaporean,Greek and Latin American cuisine.
Gochujang or red chili paste is a savory,sweet,and spicy fermented condiment popular in Korean cooking. It is made from gochu-garu,glutinous rice,meju powder,yeotgireum,and salt. The sweetness comes from the starch of cooked glutinous rice,cultured with saccharifying enzymes during the fermentation process. Traditionally,it would be naturally fermented over years in jangdok (earthenware) on an elevated stone platform called jangdokdae in the backyard.
Makgeolli,sometimes anglicized to makkoli,is a Korean alcoholic drink. It is a milky,off-white,and lightly sparkling rice wine that has a slight viscosity,and tastes slightly sweet,tangy,bitter,and astringent. Chalky sediment gives it a cloudy appearance. As a low proof drink of six to nine percent alcohol by volume,it is often considered a "communal beverage" rather than hard liquor.
Fujian cuisine or Fujianese cuisine,also known as Min cuisine,is one of the native Chinese cuisines derived from the cooking style of China's Fujian Province,most notably from the provincial capital,Fuzhou. "Fujian cuisine" in this article refers to the cuisines of Min Chinese speaking people within Fujian. Other cuisines in Fujian include Hakka cuisine,and the ethnic minority cuisines of the She and Tanka people. Fujian cuisine is known to be light but flavourful,soft,and tender,with particular emphasis on umami taste,known in Chinese cooking as xianwei,as well as retaining the original flavour of the main ingredients instead of masking them.
Chinese Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians,mostly descendant of Han ethnic Hokkien and Hakka speakers,brought their legacy of Chinese cuisine,and modified some of the dishes with the addition of Indonesian ingredients,such as kecap manis,palm sugar,peanut sauce,chili,santan and local spices to form a hybrid Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. Some of the dishes and cakes share the same style as in Malaysia and Singapore,known as Nyonya cuisine by the Peranakan.
Tapai is a traditional fermented preparation of rice or other starchy foods,and is found throughout much of Southeast Asia,especially in Austronesian cultures,and parts of East Asia. It refers to both the alcoholic paste and the alcoholic beverage derived from it. It has a sweet or sour taste and can be eaten as is,as ingredients for traditional recipes,or fermented further to make rice wine. Tapai is traditionally made with white rice or glutinous rice,but can also be made from a variety of carbohydrate sources,including cassava and potatoes. Fermentation is performed by a variety of moulds including Aspergillus oryzae,Rhizopus oryzae,Amylomyces rouxii or Mucor species,and yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae,and Saccharomycopsis fibuliger,Endomycopsis burtonii and others,along with bacteria.
Mijiu is a Chinese rice wine made from glutinous rice. It is generally clear in appearance with balanced sweetness and acidity,similar to its Japanese counterpart sake and Korean counterpart cheongju. The alcohol content ranges between 15% and 20%. Rice wine was made around or before 1000 BC in ancient China,and then the practice spread to Japan and other East Asian countries. Since then,it has played an important role in Chinese life. In most Chinese supermarkets there are various kinds of rice wines. It is a traditional beverage to the Chinese and some of the families still follow the custom of making rice wine by themselves. The rice wine is made using glutinous rice,Chinese yeast and water. It is also served as an aperitif and is believed to be beneficial in improving metabolism and skin.
Drunken shrimp,also known as drunken prawns,is a popular dish in parts of China based on freshwater shrimp that are sometimes eaten cooked or raw. The shrimp are immersed in liquor to make consumption easier,thus the name "drunken". Different parts of China have different recipes for the dish. For example,the shrimp are sometimes soaked in alcohol and then cooked in boiling water rather than served live,and in other recipes cooked shrimp are marinated in alcohol after they are boiled. Another version is based on shrimp that are submerged in a bowl of rice wine. The rice wine forces the shrimp to expel their wastes;the shrimp are then eaten,generally after their movement has ceased.
Lychee wine is a full-bodied Chinese dessert wine made of 100% lychee fruit. This wine has a golden colour and rich,sweet taste. It is usually served ice cold,either straight up or on the rocks with food. Lychee wine is believed to pair better with shellfish and Asian cuisine than with heavier meat dishes. This refreshing beverage can also be used as a cocktail mixer paired with other spirits.
Cooked rice refers to rice that has been cooked either by steaming or boiling. The terms steamed rice or boiled rice are also commonly used. Any variant of Asian rice,African rice or wild rice,glutinous or non-glutinous,long-,medium-,or short-grain,of any colour,can be used. Rice for cooking can be whole grain or milled.
Chinese regional cuisines are amongst the many different cuisines found in different provinces and prefectures of China as well as from larger overseas Chinese communities.
Huangjiu is a type of Chinese alcoholic beverage most popular in the Jiangnan area. Huangjiu is brewed by mixing boiled grains including rice,glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture,followed by saccharification and fermentation at around 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) for fortnights. Its alcohol content is typically 8% to 20%.
Sarawakian cuisine is a regional cuisine of Malaysia. Like the rest of Malaysian cuisine,Sarawak food is based on staples such as rice. There is also a great variety of other ingredients and food preparations due to the influence of the state's varied geography and indigenous cultures quite distinct from the regional cuisines of the Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is famous for its multi-ethnic population. As the homeland of many unique communities,Sarawak has a variety of cuisines rarely found elsewhere in Malaysia. The uniqueness of Sarawak well depends on its ethnic groups. Every native group in Sarawak has their own lifestyle,traditions,cultures and also foods. Sarawak cuisine is less spicy and has a subtle in taste. It uses fresh seafood and natural herbs like turmeric,lemongrass,ginger,lime and tapioca leaves. These ingredients are not only easily available,but also add a hint of aroma,texture and freshness to the delicacies. Food is one of the most cultural identities for native groups in Sarawak with each ethnic group having their own delicacies. Among the Iban,popular foods include tubu (stems),tuak and pansuh. The Malay have bubur pedas (porridge) and kek lapis Sarawak;the Bidayuh have asam siok and sup ponas Bidayuh. The Melanau make tebaloi,sagu and umai and the Orang Ulu are known for garam barrio,kikid (broth),tengayen,and urum giruq (pudding).
Eight treasure duck,also known as eight treasures duck,is a duck dish in Shanghai and Cantonese cuisine. Its name derives from the fact that it is stuffed with eight other ingredients,including rice,mushrooms and shrimp.
