Haiyan's Homemade Chinese Food

Braised Bean Sprouts(炒芽菜）

I love bean sprouts because they contain more nutrients. Studies have shown that during the sprouting process, the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially and the calories and carbohydrate contents decrease.

According to the naturopath and herbalist Isabell Shipard (Shipard, 2005) - “Sprouts are a tremendous source of (plant) digestive enzymes. Enzymes act as biological catalysts needed for the complete digestion of protein, carbohydrates & fats. The physiology of vitamins, minerals and trace elements is also dependent on enzyme activity.”

Bean sprouts is one of the very useful ingredients in Chinese cooking, and you will find lots of recipes with bean sprouts as an auxiliary ingredient. The recipe I am showing here is the simplest one that makes a great side dish any time any days and the main ingredient is bean sprouts.

Nutritional Information: per serving

Calories:           105.25

Fat:                   7g

- saturated:       1g

Protein:            3.25g

Carbohydrates:  9.25g

Sugars:              0g

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 300g/10oz bean sprouts;

2. 3 spring onions, shredded;

3. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil;

4. 1-2 tablespoon(s) light soy sauce;

5. 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry;

6. half teaspoon chicken powder.

Direction:

1. Heat the oil in a preheated wok, add the bean sprouts to stir fry for 2-5 minutes or until it's tender.

2. Add the spring onions and stir fry further 30 seconds to a minute.

3. Pour the soy sauce and Chinese rice wine into the wok, stir it well with the vegetables.

4. Sprinkle some chicken powder and serve hot.

Almond Duck

Orange Chicken - Real & Easy Chinese Version

There are so many healthy and tasty Chinese dishes you can cook for your family, such as Chinese Chicken Soup ...But if you’re looking for a simple and quick Chinese dish for dinner, this Orange Chicken is great at anytime.

You can find orange chicken recipe almost anywhere you want in the internet these days. But this real & easy Chinese version Orange Chicken is so much better than anything you will find there.

What really makes this recipe stand out is it made with chile paste and orange juice, without involoved in deep fry which makes this recipe really healthy. Also the peanut oil will give you the most flavorful chicken.

Nutritional Information:(per serving)
Calories:          290.58
Protein:           39.45g
Carbohydrate:  3g
Fat:                 12.5g
Saturated:        2.2g
Sugars:            2.5g


Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes;

2. 1 tablespoon dry sherry

3. 1 tablespoon cornstarch;

4. 1/3 cup orange juice;

5. 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce;

6. 1 teaspoon sesame oil;

7. 1 teaspoon brown sugar;

8. 1/4 teaspoon chile paste;

9. 2 garlic cloves, minced;

10. 1 inch ginger, minced;

11. 2 tablespoos peanut Oil for stir-frying.

Directions:
1. Place the cubed chicken in a bowl, add the dry sherry and cornstarch to marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

2. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce by mixing the orange juice, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and chile paste together.

3. Heat the wok and add peanut oil. When oil is ready, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for few seconds until aromatic.

4. Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color.

5. Add the sauce into the wok and stir the sauce into the chicken well. Stir-fry for another 3 minutes or until the chicken are cooked.

6. Garnish with some shredded small chills and spring onions, serve hot.

Recipe Cabbage - Braised Chinese White Cabbage With Mushrooms

Chinese white cabbage is a Chinese leaf vegetable often used in Chinese cuisine, it is particularly popular in northern China around Beijing (Peking).

In this recipe we used peanut oil, which is a monounsaturated fat. As such it may be substituted into a diet to reduce the negative health effects of eating trans fat and saturated fat.


Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Calories:           110
Carbohydrates:      1.98 g
- Dietary fiber:    2.0 g 
Fat:                0.37 g
Protein:            2.36 g
Sugars              3.39 g

Ingredients:

1. 1lb / 500g Chinese white cabbage, washed and shredded;

2. 1 green pepper, cut into strips;

3. 4 oz / 125g mushrooms, sliced;

4. 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce;

5. 1 teaspoon sugar(brown preferable);

6. 2 tablespoons groundnut oil(peanut oil);

7. salt and ground black pepper;

8. half teaspoon of chicken powder(optional).

Direction:

1. Heat the wok up and add two tablespoons groundnut oil(peanut oil). Swirling the oil around the base of the wok until it is really hot. 

2. Then add the Chinese white cabbage into the wok, stir fry it for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring contantly.

3. Add the green pepper strips and the mushrooms into wok along with the dark soy sauce, sugar, salt and black pepper.

4. Pour over about 4 tablesoons of water, stir it well with the vegetables, cover the wok and cook for 4 - 5 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Add half teaspoon of chicken powder and serve with boiled rice or fried rice.

Sauce Fish Recipe - Braised Fish With Black Bean Sauce

Fish has alway been a big part of Chinese cuisine. Most of the fish dishes serves well with fried rice. The National Geographic Society found that there are high concentrations of un-saturated fatty acids in the large amount of fish. This sauce fish recipe - braised fish with black bean sauce is one of my favourite recipes with fish.

Nutritional Information(per portion):
Calories:              260
Protein:               285g
Carbohydrate:    14.8g
Fat:                    40.9g
Saturated:          5.6g
Sugars:              0g

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 3 tablespoons black beans, (must soak in warm water for 10 minutes);
2. 3 tablespoons olive oil;
3. 2-3 spring onions(green onions), chopped;
4. 2 inch root ginger, chopped;
5. 1 small red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped;
6. 2 celery sticks, chopped;
7. 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce;
8. 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry;
9. 600g / 21oz cod or haddock fillets, cut into big chunk or 4 fish cutlets, 150g /5oz each;
10.1-2 red chills, chopped(optional).

Direction:

1. Drain the soaked black beans after 10 minutes and set aside for use.

2. Heat the olive oil in a wok, add chopped ginger, red pepper, red chills(optional) and celery to stir fry for 1 minute.

3. Then stir in the dark soy sauce and Chinese rice wine or dry sherry.

4. Place the fish on the top of the vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fish are almost tender.

5. Add the black beans into the wok and very gently stir into the fish and cook for further 2 minutes.

6. Add the spring onions(green onions) and transfer the fish to a warm dish. Spoon the sauce over, serve hot.

Fried Rice Chinese Recipe

In rice cooking, the most important things to remember is to wash the rice thoroughly before cooking, this helps to prevent the grains of rice from sticking together during cooking.

Fried rice is not served in restaurants in China, and rarely in the home, but it is very popular in the west as an accompaniment to many dishes. My husband had it with Beef And Snow Peas With Oyster Sauce, he loved it.

In this fried rice Chinese recipe the ingredients you need:

1. 2 cups(350g) of long grain rice,

2. 4 eggs(beaten),

3. 2 minced garlic cloves(optional),

4. 2 spring onions(optional),

5. 2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce,

6. 3 tablespoons oil,

7. 4 cups of water,

8. pepper.

Serves 4

Nutritional Information:(per 100g)

Calories:          210

Fat:                 2.3g

Saturates:        0g         

Cholesterol:      32mg

Carbohydrate:   75g

Protein:           16g

Sugars:            1g

Directions:

First you need to wash the rice thoroughly under cold running water, then soak in cold water for about 30 minutes.

Place the rice in a pan with 4 cups of water, bring the rice to the boil, wait the liquid almost absorbed, cover and simmer in very gently heat for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, turn off the heat, remove the lid to let the steam out and set the rice aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok, pour the eggs into the wok, stir gently until the eggs is set, transfer it to a bowl and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon oil back to the wok, then add the spring onions(green onions) and minced garlic to fry for a few second if using.

Add the rice, cooked eggs into the wok, and pour 2-3 tablespoons dark soy sauce over the rice, mix well and heat through over a medium heat. Season with some black pepper and serve hot.

Beef Chinese Recipes - Beef and Snow Peas in Oyster Sauce

In this Chinese food recipe, snow peas lights the whole dish up, and added a brilliant crispy taste to the beef. Snow peas are also well used in other Fry Vegetable Recipes.

Nutritional Information
Calories:            369
Protein:             29g
Carbohydrate:   12g
Sugar:                 4g
Fat:                   23g
Saturates:           8g

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1. 1 pound rump or sirloin steak, sliced thinly
2. 1 tablespoon cornflour(cornstarch)
3. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
4. 5 1/2 oz-6 oz(150g-200g) fresh snow peas
5. 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
6. 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
7. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
8. 2 teaspoons oil(olive oil)
9. 2 clove garlic, minced
10.1 teaspoon minced ginger
11.5 oz(150g)baby corn(optional)
12.1-2 red pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced(optional)

Directions:

1. Mix beef with cornflour and soy sauce.

2. Trim snow peas and blanch in boiling salted
water 1 minute until they turn bright green; drain and run under cold water.

3. Combine oyster sauce, sherry, and sugar in a bowl.

4. Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry a few seconds until fragrant.

5. Add beef and stir-fry until browned. Add oyster sauce mixture and restir until the beef all coated.

6. When it begins to boil. Add snow peas, baby corn(optional) and thinly sliced red pepper(optional) and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Vegetable Chinese Recipes - One Of The Most Wanted Fry Vegetable Recipes

In Chinese eating culture, vegetable are an important part of a meal, it's usually cooked with meat or poultry dishes, like in Chinese Chicken Dishes ect...or cooked on its own.  And the main characteristic of Chinese cooked vegetables is their crispness. 

Vegetables are usually shredded or cut into small pieces and cooked very quickly, with little or no liquid. Cooked in this way, each vegetable retains its own distinct flavour, colour and texture.

This vegetable dish includes a variety of vegetables and stir fried in small quantity of fat, yet preserving all the natural goodness and benefits of each fresh vegetables.

Nutritional Information
Calories:       137
Protein:        8g
Carbohydrate:   10g
Sugars:         7g
Fat:            7g
Saturates:      1g

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 1 onion, sliced
2. 2 heads of pak choy, cut into small pieces
3. 200g broccoli florets
4. 2 inch root ginger, cut into match sticks
5. 200g snow peas(mangetout)
6. 3 spring onions(green onions), quartered
7. 2 garlic colves, sliced
8. 2 tbsp vegetable oil
9. 1/2 cup(150ml) chicken stock or vegetable stock
10.2tbsp light soy sauce
11.2tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
12.2sp caster(superfine) sugar
13.1 tbsp hoisin sauce

Direction:

1.Heat the vegetable oil in a preheated wok until it is almost smoking.

2.Add the broccoli florets, ginger sticks, onions and pak choy to the wok and stir fry for 1 minute.

3.Add the snow peas, spring onions and garlic and stir fry for further 3-4 minutes.

4.Mix together the soy sauce, caster sugar, sherry, hoisin sauce and stock.

5.Pour the sauce mixture into the wok, stir well with the vegetables.

6.Cook the vegetables for another 1-2 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through, but still crisp. Serve immediately.

Chicken Chinese Recipes - Chicken In Oyster Sauce

Chicken has very high value of protein, in 1 lb chicken breast contains almost 128 grams protein. Chicken also has many important vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin B that gives us energy, zinc that is good for immune system and iron which carries oxygen through our blood.

Chicken has very little fat on its own, and contains no carbohydrates. Many diet plans that people use to lose the weight cut carbohydrates. Therefore, chicken works well in these diets, especially in these Chinese chicken dishes.

I have showed you cooking a Chinese Recipe With Vegetables, now I want to introduce one of the easiest and healthiest Chinese chicken dishes - Chicken in Oyster Sauce

Nutrition Information:
Protein:       128g
Fat:             8g
Cholesterol: 368mg
Calories:      640

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb chicken breast meat
2. 2 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1 tablespoon rice wine
4. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
5. 1 tablespoon cornflour
6. 4 Chinese dried mushrooms, softened and sliced
7. 1 can bamboo shoots or 1 can baby corn
8. 2 green onions, sliced on the diagonal into thirds
9. 1 inch root ginger, minced
10.1 garlic clove, minced

Sauce:
1. 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2. 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3. 1 tablespoon dry sherry
4. 1 teaspoon sugar
5. 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
6. 1/3 cup water
7. 1 teaspoon sesame oil
8. Vegetable Oil for stir-frying

Directions:

1. Mix 2tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs rice wine, 1 ts sesame oil and 1 tbs cornflour in a bowl. Combine the marinade ingredients and add to the chicken, mixing in with chopsticks. Marinate the chicken for 10 - 15 minutes.

2. Prepare the vegetables, Rinse the canned vegetables in boiling water and drain.

3. Mix together the sauce ingredients in a seperate bowl.

4. Heat wok and add oil. When oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, and green onion, and stir-fry on high heat for few seconds.

5. Add the chicken and stir-fry, stirring frequently until the chicken turn brown. Remove from the wok.

6. Add oil and stir-fry the mushrooms and bamboo shoots or baby corn 1 minute.

7. Return the chicken to the wok and add the sauce, giving it a quick re-stir before adding the sauce. Stir sauce to thicken and mix with meat and vegetables. Serve hot.

Vegetable Chinese Recipes - Sweet & Sour Oriental Vegetables

I'd never been a Sweet & Sour dishes fan until I got this recipe from Nicholas Zhou's cookbook Real & Healthy Chinese Cooking, and I enjoyed as much as that Calcium Rich Recipe. I tried this recipe for my family and they loved it, here I would like to share it with you. If you'd like to eat healthy and balanced food daily, Nicholas Zhou's cookbook Real & Healthy Chinese Cooking is certainly well worth to purchase. And I will introduce more his amazing recipes here, please come back frequently, enjoy and share our healthy Chinese recipes freely.

Ingredients:

1. 2 1/4 cups (approximately 750g) frozen Oriental vegetables

2. 1/4 cup pineapple chunks (reserve the juice)

3. 3 tablespoons brown sugar

4. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

5. 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt

6. 1/2 cup pineapple juice

7. 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:
Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Heat the wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the frozen vegetables. Stir-fry until tender but not overcooked. Add pineapple chunks and sauce, giving sauce a quick re-stir. Cook until thickened and serve hot.