**Creating Authentic Chinese Dishes: A Guide to Cooking Techniques and Ingredients**

In the world of Chinese cooking, there are many techniques and ingredients to explore, each with its own unique flavor profile and texture. In this article, we will delve into the world of Chinese cuisine, exploring various cooking methods and ingredients that can be used to create authentic dishes.

**Deep-Fried Tofu Dipping Sauce**

One of the key components of Chinese cooking is the use of dipping sauces. A good dipping sauce can make all the difference in elevating a dish from ordinary to extraordinary. In this section, we will explore how to create a deep-fried tofu dipping sauce using a combination of ingredients such as salt, fish sauce, and chili peppers.

To start, begin by chopping off the tough ends of a block of firm tofu. Give it a mince and toss it in a bowl, then add in a half teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of fish sauce, which is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking, and a half cup of water. If you're looking for a substitute for Chinese chives, try using sliced chili or two of Thai Birdseye peppers instead. Also, add a 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, a tablespoon and a half of fish sauce, and three tablespoons of water to create a flavorful dipping sauce.

**Stir-Fry: A Technique for Cooking Chinese Dishes**

Another essential technique in Chinese cooking is the stir-fry method. Stir-frying involves quickly cooking ingredients in a wok or large skillet over high heat, typically with the addition of oil. In this section, we will explore how to create a classic stir-fry dish using a combination of ingredients such as PC and Obon citron chili bean paste.

To start, begin by frying one tablespoon of PC and Obon citron chili bean paste with some aromatics such as two cloves, a slice of garlic, and an inch of sliced ginger. This will add depth to the dish and create a flavorful base. Next, add in a quarter teaspoon of stock concentrate if using water, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and eight-tenths teaspoon white pepper powder. Add two sprigs of green garlic cut into two-inch sections to the wok, which is classic with this flavor profile but feel free to swap for scallion or Anaheim peppers.

**Stir-Frying Soft Tofu: A Guide to Cooking Techniques**

Soft tofu can be a great addition to many Chinese dishes, and stir-frying it quickly over high heat can bring out its unique texture and flavor. In this section, we will explore how to cook soft tofu using the stir-fry method.

To start, begin by deep-frying or pan-frying a block of soft tofu until it's golden brown and crispy on the outside. If you're looking for a substitute for firm tofu, try using a block of soft tofu instead. Once fried, remove excess oil from the tofu and set aside. Next, add two tablespoons of lard to a hot wok or large skillet over medium heat, which will be used to render out some fat from 30 grams of sliced pork belly (optional). Fry for about 3 minutes until you see a couple of tablespoons of lard.

**Frying Out the Red Oil: A Key Technique in Chinese Cooking**

One of the most important techniques in Chinese cooking is the use of red oil, which refers to the oil that has been cooked with chili bean paste or other ingredients. In this section, we will explore how to create a flavorful red oil using a combination of ingredients.

To start, add one tablespoon of chili bean paste to a hot wok or large skillet over medium heat and stir until fragrant. Next, add in some aromatics such as two cloves, a slice of garlic, and an inch of sliced ginger. Stir-fry for about 3-4 minutes until the oil is vibrant red. This step is called frying out the red oil and it's essential for creating a flavorful base for many Chinese dishes.

**Assembling the Dish: A Guide to Adding Vegetables and Seasonings**

Once you have created your stir-fry sauce and cooked your ingredients, it's time to assemble the dish. In this section, we will explore how to add vegetables and seasonings to create a well-balanced and flavorful dish.

To start, add the cooked tofu, sauce, and aromatics to a hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds until everything is combined. Next, add in your chosen vegetables such as Chinese broccoli, carrots, or bell peppers, which should cook quickly under high heat. If you're looking for a way to thicken the sauce, try adding a slurry of one tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with three tablespoons of water.

**Conclusion: A Guide to Cooking Techniques and Ingredients in Chinese Cuisine**

In conclusion, Chinese cuisine is a vast and diverse culinary tradition that relies heavily on techniques such as stir-frying and deep-frying. By understanding the basics of cooking techniques and ingredients, you can create authentic and flavorful dishes that showcase the rich diversity of Chinese cuisine.

Remember to always experiment with new ingredients and flavors, and don't be afraid to try new techniques and recipes. With practice and patience, you'll become a master of Chinese cooking in no time!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: entoday we wanted to take a step back and teach you a bit of tofu frying technique will cover three different ways that you can fry tofu pan frying with Chia bondo foa's street food classic deep frying with punning dough Fuu and awesome simple chill gel dish and finally stir frying with citron ease ja Chiang or homestyle tofu now obviously all around the world every much beloved dish will have its own peculiarities but hopefully we can at least give a bit of a foundation so that you can whip up whatever sort of tofu dish you want to make so right first let's talk tofu varieties one of the things that really confused me when I first came to China is that there's not really the same soft medium firm categorization that's used in the West not to mention the most popular types depend on where in China you live see if you go to a market in China you'll see a crazy variety of tofu products fried tofu puffs smoked tofu nature tofu pudding it's obviously way too much to cover so at least here in Shenzhen the workhorse tofu are sure Gaudio Phu Yen trade tofu and Lao tofu which is pretty indicative of China large Shergill tofu is made using gypsum as the coagulant it's basically the default tofu in Cantonese cuisine and it's called firm silken tofu in the West in Guangdong you'll usually see it in soups or stews the entry tofu meanwhile uses nagari as a coagulant you might see it called Hakka style tofu and in the West it would be sold as soft or medium soft tofu it's a bit less delicate it's what's in your Mapo tofu and today we'll be deep-frying it and stir frying it and lastly there's Lao to foo or firm tofu this stuff starts out as Yin che tofu but the tofu maker will use a press to expel a lot of the moisture now I know that in the West people seem to love to press this stuff even further at home but we'd heavily suggest against that see it's already pretty dry and pressing it further let you a rubbery texture if fried if you're aiming to mimic the texture of meat just don't use tofu use seitan instead so right let's get started with a pan fried tofu when pan frying tofu it's usually a good idea to choose firm tofu so that things don't break on you for this specific dish we need pretty thickly cut tofu so cut your tofu in half turn and cut into four or two centimeter thick pieces now note that that's from the only way to cut what you'd usually see for more general Chinese style pan-fried tofu's something cut in half and then cut into thinner 1 centimeter pieces or alternatively cut in half on a bias then flipped and cut into 1 centimetre triangles so just know that this street food sort is a little special it's not only thicker but it's also smothered with a classic kind of Chinese barbecue spice mix now to make that mix grab a coffee or spice grinder and add in 1 star anise 1/2 TSP whole sich one pop or corns and a 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds grind that up and then we'll need 1/2 tablespoon of perilla seeds there's no real sub for these but you could alternatively just up the cumin and together with that toss in a quarter teaspoon of white pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder and a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder then for some chili powder try to find one that isn't overly fiery so cayenne pepper would definitely fit the bill two tablespoons of powder and grind that together again then toss in some seasoning here we had a tablespoon of salt 1/2 tablespoon of MSG and a teaspoon of sugar grande that together toss it all in a shaker and we can pan fry so in the largest flattest skillet you have brush on a good bit of peanut oil then toss the flame to medium and Nestle on your tofu blocks then brush the top of your tofu with oil and start to sprinkle on the spice mixture now I know that it's really common in the West to see people coat their tofu in cornstarch but a cornstarch coating will just fall off real easy just trust us tofu doesn't need cornstarch tofu needs patience fry that for five minutes and then rearrange a tofu on the edges to fry on the hot center at this point if you were doing a more general pan fried tofu you'd flip but with this particular dish you just let that go for another 5 minutes then with about a minute to go sprinkle on some sliced scallions then just scoop out your tofu and your street food style t-bond tofu is done now for the deep fried tofu traditionally the specific dish punning no fool would be made using a certain tofu product also called punning tofu punning tofu is in the gari tofu that mixes in a bit of sweet potato starch into the soy milk unless you're asia based i doubt you can buy these so we'll also cut up one block of that soft tofu and fry them together both are good and sometimes here in Shenzhen you'll actually see restaurants make this sub if sourcing punning tofu is too expensive now to fry get a pot of oil up to 180 centigrade if possible I'd really recommend deep frying and a round bottom wok we only needed 2 cups of oil in here weigh less than you'd need in a Dutch oven now carefully drop in your 1 centimeter thick tofu triangles and step back this will lower the temperature which is fine because we're aiming to fry this at 140 the tofu will probably slightly stick together here don't panic it's normal just wait until they form to start breaking them apart then once those are floating after about 3 minutes dial your flame back to medium-low and fry for 8 minutes more now the reason we're opting for soft tofu is because a crispy crust will form on the outside and the evaporating moisture inside will cause it to puff right up the reason sweet potato starch is added to the punning tofu is so that it can better hold that structure because these do have a nasty tendency to collapse they'll still be tasty just less impressive looking so now take those out and toss on a paper towel lined plate now we'll serve those with a classic sauce made from a base of jilted Chinese chives grab 25 grams worth chop off the tough ends give it a mince and toss in a bowl then add in a half teaspoon of salt give that a mix a teaspoon of fish sauce which is a thing in charge of cooking I swear and a half cup of water now there's no real sub for those Chinese chives so for a different quick totally not Chinese sauce try instead a sliced chili or two of Thai Birdseye about 1/2 a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar a tablespoon and a half of fish sauce and three tablespoons of water this is vaguely Vietnamese inspired but we can't guarantee its authenticity to anything so just take at face value and with your dipping sauce done you've got yourself some deep-fried tofu lastly the cetanas Jaejoong tofu is stir-fry now here's the thing with tofu stir fries you have to either pan fry or deep-fry your tofu first if pan frying one block of firm tofu is a good choice and if deep-frying opting for a block a soft tofu would end up giving a nicer texture so right this dish is this JA Chang or homestyle flavor profile in C twenties cooking which centers around PC and Obon citron chili bean paste will use one tablespoon and fry that with some aromatics two cloves a slice garlic and an inch of sliced ginger and a round out that flavor profile we've got our pre-made sauce which was one cup of water or stock together with a quarter teaspoon stock concentrate if using water 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar and the eighth teaspoon white pepper powder will also fry that together with two sprigs of green garlic cut in two inch sections which is classic with this flavor but feel free to swap for scallion one mild chili cut into diamonds and something like an Anaheim would work great and finally 5 grams of more wood ear mushrooms reconstituted in cool water for 30 minutes and just skip those if you can't find them now he chose to go for deep frying soft tofu here but again feel free to pan fry firm tofu instead if deep-frying just like before start at 180 but keep this at max flame we're basically trying to form the shape of the tofu here so just give those three minutes or so until they're floating gently pulling apart any that are stuck together then once floating flip them around a bit and give another 30 seconds or so and take them out now finally to stir-fry as always first long Yao get your wok piping hot shut off the heat add in your oil here about 1/2 tablespoon and give this world to get a nice nonstick surface we only used a touch of oil here because will be first rendering out a bit of lard from 30 grams of sliced pork belly so over medium heat fry those for about 3 minutes and if you're a vegetarian just skip the pork belly it's totally optional after that time you should be looking at 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil so just use that much if you're skipping the pork then shut off the heat and add in the chili bean paste make sure it's not burning then swap the flame to medium low what we're doing here is called frying out the red oils what's you Hong yellow what you're looking for is the oil to combine with the chili bean paste and then re separate to get a nice vibrant red color it should take about 3 or 4 minutes so then toss in the aromatics and swap the flame to medium hi quick 30 second fry then swirl in a tablespoon of now Joey ka hushing wine around the sides of the wok tofu in quick mix more in quick mix and add in the sauce swap the flame to high and then bring that all to a boil then once the liquid is reduced by about a quarter around five minutes add in the vegetables quick mix and let those cook for about 30 seconds then go in with a slurry of a tablespoon of cornstarch combined with three tablespoons of water mix and let it thicken and optionally hit it with a sprinkle of msg heat off drizzle in a half teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and out cha-chang tofu done so in this video we discussed a little bit about oil based cooking methods but for tofu you can also steam it planchette put it in soups so if you're curious we'll explore the water based cooking method in the future so rate will be off next week we'll be going to shout seeing and film some shouting vine videos so you can follow us on Instagram and Chinese cooking to mystify and check out some travel pictures so of course check out the rudder link in the description box for detail recipe a big thank you for everyone that's supporting us on patreon and of course subscribe for more Chinese cooking videostoday we wanted to take a step back and teach you a bit of tofu frying technique will cover three different ways that you can fry tofu pan frying with Chia bondo foa's street food classic deep frying with punning dough Fuu and awesome simple chill gel dish and finally stir frying with citron ease ja Chiang or homestyle tofu now obviously all around the world every much beloved dish will have its own peculiarities but hopefully we can at least give a bit of a foundation so that you can whip up whatever sort of tofu dish you want to make so right first let's talk tofu varieties one of the things that really confused me when I first came to China is that there's not really the same soft medium firm categorization that's used in the West not to mention the most popular types depend on where in China you live see if you go to a market in China you'll see a crazy variety of tofu products fried tofu puffs smoked tofu nature tofu pudding it's obviously way too much to cover so at least here in Shenzhen the workhorse tofu are sure Gaudio Phu Yen trade tofu and Lao tofu which is pretty indicative of China large Shergill tofu is made using gypsum as the coagulant it's basically the default tofu in Cantonese cuisine and it's called firm silken tofu in the West in Guangdong you'll usually see it in soups or stews the entry tofu meanwhile uses nagari as a coagulant you might see it called Hakka style tofu and in the West it would be sold as soft or medium soft tofu it's a bit less delicate it's what's in your Mapo tofu and today we'll be deep-frying it and stir frying it and lastly there's Lao to foo or firm tofu this stuff starts out as Yin che tofu but the tofu maker will use a press to expel a lot of the moisture now I know that in the West people seem to love to press this stuff even further at home but we'd heavily suggest against that see it's already pretty dry and pressing it further let you a rubbery texture if fried if you're aiming to mimic the texture of meat just don't use tofu use seitan instead so right let's get started with a pan fried tofu when pan frying tofu it's usually a good idea to choose firm tofu so that things don't break on you for this specific dish we need pretty thickly cut tofu so cut your tofu in half turn and cut into four or two centimeter thick pieces now note that that's from the only way to cut what you'd usually see for more general Chinese style pan-fried tofu's something cut in half and then cut into thinner 1 centimeter pieces or alternatively cut in half on a bias then flipped and cut into 1 centimetre triangles so just know that this street food sort is a little special it's not only thicker but it's also smothered with a classic kind of Chinese barbecue spice mix now to make that mix grab a coffee or spice grinder and add in 1 star anise 1/2 TSP whole sich one pop or corns and a 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds grind that up and then we'll need 1/2 tablespoon of perilla seeds there's no real sub for these but you could alternatively just up the cumin and together with that toss in a quarter teaspoon of white pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon of ginger powder and a quarter teaspoon of garlic powder then for some chili powder try to find one that isn't overly fiery so cayenne pepper would definitely fit the bill two tablespoons of powder and grind that together again then toss in some seasoning here we had a tablespoon of salt 1/2 tablespoon of MSG and a teaspoon of sugar grande that together toss it all in a shaker and we can pan fry so in the largest flattest skillet you have brush on a good bit of peanut oil then toss the flame to medium and Nestle on your tofu blocks then brush the top of your tofu with oil and start to sprinkle on the spice mixture now I know that it's really common in the West to see people coat their tofu in cornstarch but a cornstarch coating will just fall off real easy just trust us tofu doesn't need cornstarch tofu needs patience fry that for five minutes and then rearrange a tofu on the edges to fry on the hot center at this point if you were doing a more general pan fried tofu you'd flip but with this particular dish you just let that go for another 5 minutes then with about a minute to go sprinkle on some sliced scallions then just scoop out your tofu and your street food style t-bond tofu is done now for the deep fried tofu traditionally the specific dish punning no fool would be made using a certain tofu product also called punning tofu punning tofu is in the gari tofu that mixes in a bit of sweet potato starch into the soy milk unless you're asia based i doubt you can buy these so we'll also cut up one block of that soft tofu and fry them together both are good and sometimes here in Shenzhen you'll actually see restaurants make this sub if sourcing punning tofu is too expensive now to fry get a pot of oil up to 180 centigrade if possible I'd really recommend deep frying and a round bottom wok we only needed 2 cups of oil in here weigh less than you'd need in a Dutch oven now carefully drop in your 1 centimeter thick tofu triangles and step back this will lower the temperature which is fine because we're aiming to fry this at 140 the tofu will probably slightly stick together here don't panic it's normal just wait until they form to start breaking them apart then once those are floating after about 3 minutes dial your flame back to medium-low and fry for 8 minutes more now the reason we're opting for soft tofu is because a crispy crust will form on the outside and the evaporating moisture inside will cause it to puff right up the reason sweet potato starch is added to the punning tofu is so that it can better hold that structure because these do have a nasty tendency to collapse they'll still be tasty just less impressive looking so now take those out and toss on a paper towel lined plate now we'll serve those with a classic sauce made from a base of jilted Chinese chives grab 25 grams worth chop off the tough ends give it a mince and toss in a bowl then add in a half teaspoon of salt give that a mix a teaspoon of fish sauce which is a thing in charge of cooking I swear and a half cup of water now there's no real sub for those Chinese chives so for a different quick totally not Chinese sauce try instead a sliced chili or two of Thai Birdseye about 1/2 a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar a tablespoon and a half of fish sauce and three tablespoons of water this is vaguely Vietnamese inspired but we can't guarantee its authenticity to anything so just take at face value and with your dipping sauce done you've got yourself some deep-fried tofu lastly the cetanas Jaejoong tofu is stir-fry now here's the thing with tofu stir fries you have to either pan fry or deep-fry your tofu first if pan frying one block of firm tofu is a good choice and if deep-frying opting for a block a soft tofu would end up giving a nicer texture so right this dish is this JA Chang or homestyle flavor profile in C twenties cooking which centers around PC and Obon citron chili bean paste will use one tablespoon and fry that with some aromatics two cloves a slice garlic and an inch of sliced ginger and a round out that flavor profile we've got our pre-made sauce which was one cup of water or stock together with a quarter teaspoon stock concentrate if using water 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar and the eighth teaspoon white pepper powder will also fry that together with two sprigs of green garlic cut in two inch sections which is classic with this flavor but feel free to swap for scallion one mild chili cut into diamonds and something like an Anaheim would work great and finally 5 grams of more wood ear mushrooms reconstituted in cool water for 30 minutes and just skip those if you can't find them now he chose to go for deep frying soft tofu here but again feel free to pan fry firm tofu instead if deep-frying just like before start at 180 but keep this at max flame we're basically trying to form the shape of the tofu here so just give those three minutes or so until they're floating gently pulling apart any that are stuck together then once floating flip them around a bit and give another 30 seconds or so and take them out now finally to stir-fry as always first long Yao get your wok piping hot shut off the heat add in your oil here about 1/2 tablespoon and give this world to get a nice nonstick surface we only used a touch of oil here because will be first rendering out a bit of lard from 30 grams of sliced pork belly so over medium heat fry those for about 3 minutes and if you're a vegetarian just skip the pork belly it's totally optional after that time you should be looking at 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil so just use that much if you're skipping the pork then shut off the heat and add in the chili bean paste make sure it's not burning then swap the flame to medium low what we're doing here is called frying out the red oils what's you Hong yellow what you're looking for is the oil to combine with the chili bean paste and then re separate to get a nice vibrant red color it should take about 3 or 4 minutes so then toss in the aromatics and swap the flame to medium hi quick 30 second fry then swirl in a tablespoon of now Joey ka hushing wine around the sides of the wok tofu in quick mix more in quick mix and add in the sauce swap the flame to high and then bring that all to a boil then once the liquid is reduced by about a quarter around five minutes add in the vegetables quick mix and let those cook for about 30 seconds then go in with a slurry of a tablespoon of cornstarch combined with three tablespoons of water mix and let it thicken and optionally hit it with a sprinkle of msg heat off drizzle in a half teaspoon of toasted sesame oil and out cha-chang tofu done so in this video we discussed a little bit about oil based cooking methods but for tofu you can also steam it planchette put it in soups so if you're curious we'll explore the water based cooking method in the future so rate will be off next week we'll be going to shout seeing and film some shouting vine videos so you can follow us on Instagram and Chinese cooking to mystify and check out some travel pictures so of course check out the rudder link in the description box for detail recipe a big thank you for everyone that's supporting us on patreon and of course subscribe for more Chinese cooking videos\n"