Healthy Chinese Cooking - Some Tips in Learning the Chinese Way of Healthy Cooking

Healthy Chinese Cooking - Some Tips in Learning the Chinese Way of Healthy Cooking
By Carolyn Anderson

Chinese cooking is beginning to gain popularity in other countries primarily because the traditional Chinese cooking is healthier, especially that it is centered more on vegetables and less meat.

Aside from the appeal of healthy Chinese cooking, its popularity has also grown because Chinese foods are easy to cook and may require less time cooking which preserves the nutrients of the foods along with the texture and the colors of the vegetables and the traditional Chinese cooking is much focused on a vegetarian diet.

Although you may notice that you also get lots of meat and fried foods in Chinese restaurants you go to, you can however learn Chinese cooking at home to help you stick to the more traditional Chinese recipes. Of course, the traditional recipes are healthier than those in restaurants that may have been influenced by American diet that is much centered on meat.

When you learn cooking Chinese recipes at home, you can make your cooking healthier, your ingredients more vegetarian and of course, a much healthier food. You will also find the Chinese way of cooking easy as their food only requires little cooking.

Here are some tips to help you learn some healthy Chinese cooking at home.

- Cooking food the Chinese way most often involves stir-frying. Although stir-frying is a healthy way to avoid adding fat on the food because it also involves quick cooking, you can still make your dishes healthier by choosing olive oil or water. You can forget about adding those oils and many sauces that can be unhealthy.

- Make sure not to overcook the vegetables. One beauty of cooking the Chinese way is that, the texture and color of the vegetables are preserved because the way of cooking is quick and does preserve the nutrients of the vegetables as well. The low flame in cooking also helps you preserve the bright-colored appearance of vegetables.

- You can also choose to put less salt on your recipes and substitute it instead with more herbs and spices that enhance the flavor and smell of your recipes. Among the good Chinese herbs that you may add to your cooking are ginger, Chinese hot mustard, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns. In getting the best flavor from Sichuan peppercorns, you can toast them in low heat in a dry frying pan before adding them to your dishes.

- Chinese way of cooking also involves a variety of meat and vegetables in one dish. This is a great way to get balance and harmony even in your food, and a great way to have a variety of nutrients in one dish as well.

-Tofu or bean curd is also a good meat substitute in a healthy Chinese cooking and to be able to make it absorb the flavors of your spices, drain it before adding it to your dish. It is also an important part of healthy Chinese cooking as it has low calories, little fat and is rich in iron.

Indeed, if you want to switch to a healthier way of cooking and enjoying a more vegetarian diet, Chinese cooking can be a great way to learn at home. You just have to have a good cooking guide and you and your family can start enjoying delicious and vegetable-rich meals.

Carolyn Anderson loves to cook healthy and vegetable-rich foods at home. For hundreds of Chinese recipes you can cook at home, check out this guide to healthy Chinese cooking. Also check out Healthy Urban Kitchen, another good guide to preparing and cooking healthy foods at home.

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