Americanized Chinese Food That Was Not Created in Asia

What most Americans are familiar with as "Chinese cuisine" may actually have some Chinese chefs scratching their heads in amazement with when ordered in the authentic restaurants on mainland China and Hong Kong. The foods served in the US were not created in Asia, but are Americanized Chinese foods that were developed to suit the tastes of Americans.

Lots of what would be considered in America as "classic" Chinese food actually isn't. The traditional Chinese chefs base their food on contrasting textures as well as contrasting taste. This goes a lot farther than the "classic" thick, sticky, gooey sweet-and-sour sauce that seems to drape over everything that is deep fried, especially chicken. Traditionally, there are actually five basic flavors that must be represented in Chinese cuisine to make the taste complete: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and pungent. It's definitely more complicated and not a taste that the typical Western palate is used to.

But like any adaptation, the origins come from the mother country but have been tweaked a bit in order to make them tastier to the natives and also to make use of the indigenous ingredients of the new country. This adaptation to the local tastes make both the food and the immigrants more palatable to the natives.

That's why food like chop suey (adapted from a traditional braised vegetable dish but using Western cabbage, carrots, onions, and broccoli), General Cho's Chicken (which is non-existent in China where the real-life general is only known for his war tactics), and the very famous fortune cookie (which has its origins in Japan, not China, and was first served in Los Angeles in 1916) have come to be known as comfort food and classics.

Fried rice in China isn't brown, it's white. Apart from the fact that it's got little bits of vegetables and meat in it, it in no way looks like the fried rice you get in those cardboard boxes. To this day, brown fried rice means that it's burned; a common mistake when mostly men were immigrating to the New World and were forced to work at jobs which didn't threaten the local men, which was washing clothes and cooking food.

Much of Chinese-American food was concocted by these thrifty Chinese cooks who had to make use of the leftover food. The most famous of these is a story about miners barging into a chow-chow, the old term for a Chinese restaurant and demanding to be fed after the restaurant was closed. Not wanting a riot or to lose money) the cook just mixed together all the leftovers he had, seasoned them with soy sauce, and served it. He named the dish "tsap seui," which actually means "mixed or chopped pieces."

Chow Mein, literally "fried noodles" are stir-fried crunchy or soft noodles usually topped with Chop Suey. Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Yung, and barbecued spareribs were also American Chinese concoctions. But, it doesn't really matter if the food is authentically Chinese or not - what most of these diners care about is that it's delicious.

A Guide to the Symbolism of Food at a Chinese Wedding

Forget the egg drop soup and the chicken chow mein. The food at a Chinese wedding is carefully chosen, because every morsel has a meaning. Even the number of courses is significant. The Chinese culture is one of the oldest and most complex on the planet. It seems that everything they do, and the way they do it, has depth and meaning. With almost 5,000 years of recorded history, the Chinese have had quite a while to learn what symbolism works and what doesn't, especially when it comes to couples starting their lives together. For example, a Chinese wedding feast always consists of eight courses. And we, as westerners, ask why? I found the answer through the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project.

The eight courses don't include dessert, and the reason for that particular number of courses? In Chinese, the word "eight" sounds like "good luck." Like most wedding receptions, the Chinese reception begins with appetizers, but they're somewhat different from what we're used to, like "dragon-phoenix" plates, which are cold platters serving sliced meats, jellyfish and a variety of nuts shaped like dragons and phoenixes. Lobster and chicken feet are served, too. Lobster in Chinese is literally "dragon shrimp" and they call chicken feet "phoenix feet." In a marriage, the male role is represented by the dragon and the female role by the phoenix, and together they represent yin and yang—the balance in a new relationship.

Here are a few (but not all) traditional Chinese wedding foods and their symbolism:

Shark's Fin Soup is usually served after the appetizers. Because shark's fin is a very expensive delicacy, the soup indicates wealth.

Next guests are treated to an assortment of entrees. Roasted pork, in the form of roast suckling pig, is a symbol of virginity. In fact, the groom gives a whole roasted pork to the bride's family at the engagement party.

A fowl dish like pigeon, squab or quail is also included. It is said the pigeon has tender meat, symbolizing peace. Most often, two pigeons are served to wish the newlyweds peace in their new life. Guest might be offered quail to express the hosts' wish for a peaceful life for everyone. Even fried chicken wishes the couple a "good life," because in Chinese, "red chicken" sounds like "good life."

Peking Duck and Lobster are meaningful favorites, also. To signify completeness, the duck and lobster are served whole (head, legs, etc.) Their red color is significant, because in Chinese culture, red is the color of happiness. That's why Chinese wedding dresses are red.

Because "fish" sounds like "plentiful" in Chinese, fish is often served to wish the couple a life of abundance. Crustaceans like crab, are served whole, again to assure completeness.

A variety of vegetables is served with sea cucumber - a sign of selflessness - because sea cucumber in Chinese sounds like "good heart," and the hope is that this dish will encourage the couple to avoid conflict by embodying a good heart.

It's believed that desserts, like sweet red bean soup and sweet buns wish the couple a sweet life. To wish the newlyweds a hundred years of togetherness, the hot bean soup should have lotus seeds and bak hop (a bark-like vegetable.) Lotus paste in sweetened steamed bread symbolizes fertility.

You'll usually find tea, alcohol, and believe it or not, 7-Up at a Chinese wedding banquet. Tea is a sign of respect, alcohol celebrates the occasion, and in Chinese, 7-Up sounds like "seven happiness." Clearly, all the symbols are not ancient, but like "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue," Chinese wedding symbols give the newly married couple a meaningful start in life.
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A Beginners Guide - Getting To Know Various Chinese Cooking Techniques

Stir-Frying

A popular Chinese cooking technique is stir-frying. Normally, meat and vegetables are cut in thin strips uniformly for even cooking. Some long thin vegetables such as carrots, asparagus and spring onions are sliced diagonally to expose more of their surface for quick cooking. Measure the ingredients accurately such as sauces and other liquids and if all of them are added at the same instance, you can mix them all in a small bowl.

Stir the corn flour properly before adding it if it is included in the ingredients. As you start cooking, make sure that you evenly spread the oil in the wok and it should be hot before putting the ingredients to prevent the food from getting oily. The key to this is to toss properly to ensure that no ingredients get burned. Always check on your recipe book for the series of ingredients to be added.

Deep Frying

In deep frying, you can use wok but less oil is needed in this case. Prevent the food from getting greasy by heating the oil adequately. You will know if it’s already hot enough because it bubbles when you drop some bits of ingredients. The food that you will deep fry should be first dried well enough on kitchen paper or drained before cooking to prevent it from splitting.

Shallow Frying

Using a normal frying pan, this is just like the Western technique. From one side, fry the food and then keep it drained from excess oil before adding in the sauce.

Steaming

Simmer 2 inches of water when you use a plate in wok or bamboo steamer. You don’t need to use a rack if the bamboo steamer is large enough to stay on the sides of wok without dipping in the water. But if the bamboo steamer is small, you can put a rack into the wok and put the steamer or plate evenly to balance. Put a lid to cover the steamer or wok and occasionally check if you still need to add water (hot water should be used).

Braising

Braising is all about subtle cooking of meat and vegetables in a flavored stock as with the Western style of cooking. The technique that involves braising food in dark-colored liquid like soy sauce giving it a brown or red color is termed as red-braising.

Lastly, serve your delicious Chinese cuisine on the Chinese dining table.