Chinese Food

Last weekend I went to a favourite store of mine Wing Yip. I am a big fan of Chinese cooking, and went there to get the Chinese groceries I needed for my Chinese cooking. I picked up some strange things (well they would be strange when used with British cooking), including 2 jars of chili Oil, some Fine chili Sauce, Hot chili Sauce and Thai chili Sauce. It seems that the Chinese are really into different ways of cooking with chili depending on how you want the food, either hot, sweet or normal etc.

I really enjoy cooking Chinese food, and am really into the idea of using different flavours to enhance food. I have just joined the "Kumunity" at Lee Kum Kee my favourite manufacturer of Chinese and oriental food products, and found loads of interesting recipes. I have now discovered that Chinese food can be cooked with pasta, and found an interesting variant on Spaghetti Carbonara - instead of using Egg and Cream to make the Carbonara sauce, Black Bean and Garlic sauce is used instead, along with the ham and spaghetti.

One of the things I love to do have what I call a Chinese Night, where I invite my friends around for Chinese food. This meal usually consists of a pre-dinner appetiser of Prawn Crackers and various dipping sauces, usually Hot chili, Thai Sweet chili and chili Ketchup. Then Dim Sum is served with chili Oil for dipping, next comes a Peking Duck with pancakes, Hoi Sin Sauce and sometimes Spring Onions and Cucumber. Finally the main course arrives, which is normally 4 dishes served with rice and sometimes noodles. To drink during the meal Chinese Tea is offered, either Po Nee or Jasmine, and in the future I will also be offering OoLong tea, also known as Iron Buddha in English, as I have just been introduced to this tea by some Chinese friends of mine.