Chinese recipes

Most people who are put off by the strong smell of boiled cabbage will be pleasantly surprised to find that if prepared and cooked in the Chinese way,

One of the simple dishes Emperor Ch'ien Lung discovered among the common people was bean curd (tofu). Made from puréed and pressed soya beans, it is exceptionally high in protein and is known in China as 'poor man's meat'.

Chinese soups are mostly a clear broth to which vegetables or meats or both are added just before serving.

This is a very colourful dish, which makes an excellent starter. It is very simple to make, and most of the preparations can be done long before so that it only requires a minimum cooking time.

In the West, tripe is always sold thoroughly cleaned and treated, i. e. 'dressed': which means a lot of time saving both in preparation and cooking for you at home.

In China, noodles are served in soup (the name for it is tang mein) far more commonly than fried. Why this should be so is hard to explain.

This dish can be prepared the day before and eaten cold, but it is nicer served on the same day it is cooked.

After chop suey, chow mein (which means 'fried noodles') must be the next most popular Chinese dish among Westerners apart, perhaps, from sweet and sour pork.