Further reading
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Friday, September 19, 2008
Chicken lollipop
Chicken lollipop is an hors doeuvre that is made from the middle segments of chicken wings. The middle segment has one of the two bones removed, and the flesh on the segments is pushed to one end of the bone. These are then coated in a spicy red and . It is also a popular item in Indian Chinese cuisine, served with Sichuan sauce.
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Chicken balls
Chicken balls are a food consisting of small, spherical or nearly-spherical pieces of . They are prepared and eaten in several different cuisines.
Chicken balls are a type of non-traditional Chinese food served in and the United Kingdom as a staple of take-out. The dish consists of small chunks of fried chicken breast meat covered in a crispy coating. They are often served with sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce. These are largely unheard of in the United States, and apparently even China, depending on the recipe and referred name.
Another kind of chicken balls, which are similar to southern Chinese fish balls, may be found in countries in East and Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines and Japan .
Chicken balls are also a part of several other culinary traditions, including cuisine and Muslim cuisine.
In Canadian and British Chinese cuisine
Chicken balls are a type of non-traditional Chinese food served in and the United Kingdom as a staple of take-out. The dish consists of small chunks of fried chicken breast meat covered in a crispy coating. They are often served with sweet and sour sauce or plum sauce. These are largely unheard of in the United States, and apparently even China, depending on the recipe and referred name.
In East and Southeast Asian cuisines
Another kind of chicken balls, which are similar to southern Chinese fish balls, may be found in countries in East and Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines and Japan .
In other cuisines
Chicken balls are also a part of several other culinary traditions, including cuisine and Muslim cuisine.
Chatang
Chatang or seasoned flour mush is a traditional gruel common to both Beijing cuisine and Tianjin cuisine, and often sold as a snack on the street. It is made from sorghum flour and/or broomcorn millet and/or proso millet flour and glutinous millet flour. The literal translation of the Chinese name is misleading, because there is neither any tea nor any soup in this dish.
The dish is prepared in two steps. First, flours of sorghum and/or millet are cooked in advance, often stir fried, and after the completion, the flour is ready to be served. When a customer orders the dish, hot water is poured into the bowl containing the flour to create a paste-like mush, and it is served with white and/or brown sugar, and Sweet Osmanthus sauce . Interestingly, the Sweet Osmanthus plant is not native to northern China.
Traditionally, the skill of the server judged on several factors and one of them is the requirement is regarding the resulting mush: the most skillful server would be able to create the mush that is so thick that when a chopstick is inserted into the mush, it remains vertical, while at the same time the mush remains fluid. Other criteria for the servers' skills included the ability not splash any hot water outside the bowl and spill out any flours, because traditionally all ingredients are placed in a bowl, into which is poured boiling water from a special copper kettle with a long, dragon-shaped spout called . and special skills were needed to handle this equipment. The ingredients are then stirred together and the ''chatang'' is eaten with a spoon.
Traditionally, ''chatang'' vendors were easily distinguished by the kettle they used. The kettle was extremely large, up to four feet tall with a diameter in excess of a foot, and was often made of copper. There are two kinds of kettles: those used by street vendors, and those found in restaurants and tea houses. The two differ in internal structure.
The kettles used by street vendors have a more complex internal structure. They are double layered, with fuel in the inner layer in the center, and water in the outside layer. The advantage of such a structure is that it reduces the need to carry a stove to heat the water in the kettle, and it improves fuel efficiency since most heat is utilized, in contrast to the use of a separate kettle and stove. Furthermore, in the windy weather conditions of northern China, such a structure prevents the flame from being blown out by the wind if there are separate ordinary stovetop kettle and stove.
Despite the two varieties of kettles' identical external appearance, the complex structure of the kettles used by street vendors is not present for those used in restaurants and tea houses, for obvious reasons: since the stove is located inside, it is immune to the windy weather outside and stoves are necessary to cook other dishes, so there is no need to pay extra for a more expensive kettle with such a complex structure.
The different ways of serving seasoned flour mush have some cultural significance in distinguishing that of Beijing cuisine from Tianjin cuisine, since the same kind of seasoned flour mush tastes identical. Traditionally, the styles of serving were clearly different when the hot water is poured from the kettle:
The way hot water was poured in Beijing cuisine was that the server stood straight up, with legs apart at distance greater than the width of his shoulder, while the upper body leaned toward the bowl. In contrast, the way hot water was poured in Tianjin cuisine was that the server was in a semi-squatting down position with body straight. Obviously, such a feat is rather dangerous, especially without any specialized training, and thus the special kettle is phased out when modern technology enables the dish to be served like coffee, and the use of kettle only survives in extremely rare occasions as a cultural heritage demonstration.
Seasoned proso millet mush, or mian cha in Chinese, is a special kind of seasoned flour mush . Like the ''seasoned flour mush'', , the Chinese literal translation of the name of this dish is also misleading, because it means noodle tea, but there is neither noodles nor tea in this dish.
The ''seasoned proso millet mush'' is unique in two ways. First, it only uses proso millet flour instead of sorghum and millet flour. Second, instead of using Sweet Osmanthus sauce in regular ''seasoned flour mush'', , sesame tahini was used, while the sugar in the regular ''seasoned flour mush'', is replaced by a mix of ground Sichuan peppercorns and salt.
Seasoned oily flour mush, or you cha in Chinese, is the non-vegetarian variety of the ''seasoned flour mush'' . Like the ''seasoned flour mush'', , the Chinese literal translation of the name of this dish is also misleading, because ''you cha'' is also the Chinese name for the Tea-oil Camellia, the plant that is the source for . Obviously, the dish is not a plant and there is not any product from the plant in this dish. In fact, when is taken uncooked, it is toxic.
The flour used to make ''seasoned oily flour mush'' is the same as that used for ''seasoned flour mush'' ; that is, it can be any of the sorghum, millet, or proso millet. The flour is often stir fried together with beef fat, and sometimes with beef bone marrow added. After the preparation of the flour is completed, the dish is served the same way as other seasoned flour / proso millet mush .
The dish is prepared in two steps. First, flours of sorghum and/or millet are cooked in advance, often stir fried, and after the completion, the flour is ready to be served. When a customer orders the dish, hot water is poured into the bowl containing the flour to create a paste-like mush, and it is served with white and/or brown sugar, and Sweet Osmanthus sauce . Interestingly, the Sweet Osmanthus plant is not native to northern China.
Traditionally, the skill of the server judged on several factors and one of them is the requirement is regarding the resulting mush: the most skillful server would be able to create the mush that is so thick that when a chopstick is inserted into the mush, it remains vertical, while at the same time the mush remains fluid. Other criteria for the servers' skills included the ability not splash any hot water outside the bowl and spill out any flours, because traditionally all ingredients are placed in a bowl, into which is poured boiling water from a special copper kettle with a long, dragon-shaped spout called . and special skills were needed to handle this equipment. The ingredients are then stirred together and the ''chatang'' is eaten with a spoon.
Kettle
Traditionally, ''chatang'' vendors were easily distinguished by the kettle they used. The kettle was extremely large, up to four feet tall with a diameter in excess of a foot, and was often made of copper. There are two kinds of kettles: those used by street vendors, and those found in restaurants and tea houses. The two differ in internal structure.
The kettles used by street vendors have a more complex internal structure. They are double layered, with fuel in the inner layer in the center, and water in the outside layer. The advantage of such a structure is that it reduces the need to carry a stove to heat the water in the kettle, and it improves fuel efficiency since most heat is utilized, in contrast to the use of a separate kettle and stove. Furthermore, in the windy weather conditions of northern China, such a structure prevents the flame from being blown out by the wind if there are separate ordinary stovetop kettle and stove.
Despite the two varieties of kettles' identical external appearance, the complex structure of the kettles used by street vendors is not present for those used in restaurants and tea houses, for obvious reasons: since the stove is located inside, it is immune to the windy weather outside and stoves are necessary to cook other dishes, so there is no need to pay extra for a more expensive kettle with such a complex structure.
Cultural representations
The different ways of serving seasoned flour mush have some cultural significance in distinguishing that of Beijing cuisine from Tianjin cuisine, since the same kind of seasoned flour mush tastes identical. Traditionally, the styles of serving were clearly different when the hot water is poured from the kettle:
The way hot water was poured in Beijing cuisine was that the server stood straight up, with legs apart at distance greater than the width of his shoulder, while the upper body leaned toward the bowl. In contrast, the way hot water was poured in Tianjin cuisine was that the server was in a semi-squatting down position with body straight. Obviously, such a feat is rather dangerous, especially without any specialized training, and thus the special kettle is phased out when modern technology enables the dish to be served like coffee, and the use of kettle only survives in extremely rare occasions as a cultural heritage demonstration.
Seasoned proso millet mush
Seasoned proso millet mush, or mian cha in Chinese, is a special kind of seasoned flour mush . Like the ''seasoned flour mush'', , the Chinese literal translation of the name of this dish is also misleading, because it means noodle tea, but there is neither noodles nor tea in this dish.
The ''seasoned proso millet mush'' is unique in two ways. First, it only uses proso millet flour instead of sorghum and millet flour. Second, instead of using Sweet Osmanthus sauce in regular ''seasoned flour mush'', , sesame tahini was used, while the sugar in the regular ''seasoned flour mush'', is replaced by a mix of ground Sichuan peppercorns and salt.
Seasoned oily flour mush
Seasoned oily flour mush, or you cha in Chinese, is the non-vegetarian variety of the ''seasoned flour mush'' . Like the ''seasoned flour mush'', , the Chinese literal translation of the name of this dish is also misleading, because ''you cha'' is also the Chinese name for the Tea-oil Camellia, the plant that is the source for . Obviously, the dish is not a plant and there is not any product from the plant in this dish. In fact, when is taken uncooked, it is toxic.
The flour used to make ''seasoned oily flour mush'' is the same as that used for ''seasoned flour mush'' ; that is, it can be any of the sorghum, millet, or proso millet. The flour is often stir fried together with beef fat, and sometimes with beef bone marrow added. After the preparation of the flour is completed, the dish is served the same way as other seasoned flour / proso millet mush .
Caribbean Chinese cuisine
Caribbean Chinese cuisine is a popular style of food resulting from a fusion of and . The Chinese influence is predominantly , the main source of Chinese immigrants to the West Indies. West Indian food is itself a mixture of , , , , and cooking styles.
Although a long-favoured cuisine in West-Indian eateries and Chinese-Caribbean households, it is only recently that an explosion in Caribbean-Chinese restaurants has occurred in Canada and the United States. These are more often than not owing to that country’s particular historical connection to Chinese immigration, although signs may also disclaim “Caribbean Chinese food,” “West Indian & Chinese Cuisine” or variations thereof.
In 1834 the black British working in the Caribbean colonies were freed, creating a labour vacuum that was filled by indentured labourers from Madeira, India and China. A sizeable portion of these immigrants were destined for , Jamaica, and Guyana.
The first groups of Chinese immigrants were forcibly kidnapped or deceived into making the journey, although this practice was curbed somewhat by an agreement between British and Chinese authorities to formally supervise recruitment processes. From then on families were encouraged to emigrate, although often without being completely informed of the working and living conditions, or their contractual obligations. Chinese women began arriving in 1860, but in small numbers. The period from 1860 to 1866 saw a relatively large influx of immigrants, bringing the local Chinese population in British Guyana to a peak of 10 022 in 1866. There would be only two ships to supplement this population following 1866, and afterwards Chinese immigrants came of their own free will and at their own expense.
It could be said that Cantonese and Caribbean cuisines fit well together, as the former is known for its heavy starches and sauces while the latter, for its pungent meats and spices. The fusion of the two cooking styles and ingredients has resulted in an emerging cuisine that grows more and more popular every day.
The menus of Caribbean Chinese restaurants are greatly affected by whether or not the restaurant identifies with a specific Caribbean nation or not. Dishes from nation-specific restaurants are often variations on local specialities, in addition to more widely-known food items:
* Cha Chee Kai — Crispy Chicken with Skin in sauce.
* Chicken-in-the-Rough Fried Rice — Fried rice tossed with batter-fried chicken parts.
* Jerk Chow Mein — Jerk Pork or fried with mixed vegetables, soft egg noodles, and sauce.
* Curried Duck Roti — Potatoes and Duck in a curry sauce, rolled in a flakey flatbread.
* Bangamary Ding — Fried '''' tossed with cashews and mixed vegetables.
* Char Siu Pork Dhalpouri — Chinese pork, peas, onions and geerah rolled in a Roti.
Caribbean Chinese restaurants enjoy considerable popularity in Toronto and . Both cities have large Chinese and Caribbean populations.
Although a long-favoured cuisine in West-Indian eateries and Chinese-Caribbean households, it is only recently that an explosion in Caribbean-Chinese restaurants has occurred in Canada and the United States. These are more often than not owing to that country’s particular historical connection to Chinese immigration, although signs may also disclaim “Caribbean Chinese food,” “West Indian & Chinese Cuisine” or variations thereof.
History
In 1834 the black British working in the Caribbean colonies were freed, creating a labour vacuum that was filled by indentured labourers from Madeira, India and China. A sizeable portion of these immigrants were destined for , Jamaica, and Guyana.
The first groups of Chinese immigrants were forcibly kidnapped or deceived into making the journey, although this practice was curbed somewhat by an agreement between British and Chinese authorities to formally supervise recruitment processes. From then on families were encouraged to emigrate, although often without being completely informed of the working and living conditions, or their contractual obligations. Chinese women began arriving in 1860, but in small numbers. The period from 1860 to 1866 saw a relatively large influx of immigrants, bringing the local Chinese population in British Guyana to a peak of 10 022 in 1866. There would be only two ships to supplement this population following 1866, and afterwards Chinese immigrants came of their own free will and at their own expense.
Character
It could be said that Cantonese and Caribbean cuisines fit well together, as the former is known for its heavy starches and sauces while the latter, for its pungent meats and spices. The fusion of the two cooking styles and ingredients has resulted in an emerging cuisine that grows more and more popular every day.
Staples
The menus of Caribbean Chinese restaurants are greatly affected by whether or not the restaurant identifies with a specific Caribbean nation or not. Dishes from nation-specific restaurants are often variations on local specialities, in addition to more widely-known food items:
* Cha Chee Kai — Crispy Chicken with Skin in sauce.
* Chicken-in-the-Rough Fried Rice — Fried rice tossed with batter-fried chicken parts.
* Jerk Chow Mein — Jerk Pork or fried with mixed vegetables, soft egg noodles, and sauce.
* Curried Duck Roti — Potatoes and Duck in a curry sauce, rolled in a flakey flatbread.
* Bangamary Ding — Fried '''' tossed with cashews and mixed vegetables.
* Char Siu Pork Dhalpouri — Chinese pork, peas, onions and geerah rolled in a Roti.
Culture
Caribbean Chinese restaurants enjoy considerable popularity in Toronto and . Both cities have large Chinese and Caribbean populations.
Canadian Chinese cuisine
Canadian Chinese cuisine or Can/Chinese is a popular style of cooking exclusive to take-out and dine-in eateries found across Canada. It was the first form of commercially-available Chinese food available in Canada. This cooking style was invented by early immigrants who adapted traditional to Western tastes. This usually required altering cooking times, ingredients, and preparation methods so that the dishes were more agreeable to the Canadian palate. This cuisine developed alongside a similar version in the .
Chinese workers were employed in the 1800s by Chinese labour contractors during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway linking with Vancouver. Many of those workers who stayed once the railway was completed resorted to opening small inexpensive restaurants or working as cooks in mining and logging camps, , and in the houses of the upper classes in cities and towns. They prepared variations on traditional Cantonese food that were well-received by local patrons and they were prized as cooks in wealthier households. This occurred despite the fact that few if any of them were trained chefs.
In most small towns in Western Canada, the Chinese “café” was the first restaurant established, and often the only one. People did not buy the food of their own ethnic group, since they could prepare those themselves, whereas Chinese food was a novelty. Furthermore, the Chinese community was not heavily involved in agriculture, so this presented an opportunity for an alternative source of income. Consequently the Chinese community specialized in the restaurant business, and were able to undercut and out compete later rivals. Even today in many towns and hamlets across the and in northern British Columbia, there can usually be found a Chinese café regardless of the community's size, serving "Canadian and Chinese cuisine" or, once more common, "Chinese and Western Food". In Glendon, Alberta, for example, next to a of the world's largest perogy , sits the Perogy Café, which serves "Ukrainian and Chinese Perogies" . This establishment is actually owned by a Vietnamese family and is the only restaurant in town.
In British Columbia, a form of buffet known as the Chinese smorgasbord developed in pre- Gastown when Scandinavian loggers and millworkers encouraged their Chinese cooks to turn a sideboard into a steamtable instead of bringing plates of single dishes to the dining table. Following the introduction of the automobile and the invention of the drive-in restaurant , Chinese take-out service was augmented by Chinese drive-ins, including the now-vanished Dragon Inn chain, which was also known for its smorgasbord.
In Vancouver and , the more authentic Chinese restaurants were largely found in those cities' Chinatowns, but Chinese food became a staple of city as well as small-town life and became a normal part of the local culture. Many British Columbians for example, grew up using chopsticks as well as knives and forks. Certain Chinese-Canadian recipes became current in non-Chinese households by the mid-20th Century .
Further Cantonese immigration to Canada began anew in the 1960s, and was ignited in the 1980s in anticipation of of Hong Kong. This resulted in many Hong Kong families relocating to Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and above-all Canada. This preference for Canada was due to its immigration policy, a high-standard of living, established Chinese community, and its membership in the . Today Chinese Canadian citizens are the largest visible minority group in Canada, and Chinatowns are in every major Canadian city, with those in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and being the largest.
This new wave of Chinese immigration has also brought a demand for more authentic Chinese food. The newer Chinese restaurants, particularly in areas of high Asian immigration, tend to serve authentic Chinese cuisine that evolved in Chinese communities outside of Canada, which cater to immigrants. These range from Dim Sum restaurants to Hakka cuisine restaurants with an flair.
Chinese restaurants are usually small "mom & pop" businesses. Consequently the menus are highly variable, although the following dishes are generally universal:
* Cantonese style chow mein — 廣東炒麵 Fried egg noodles, green peppers, pea pods, bok choy, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, shrimp, Chinese pork , chicken, and beef served in a thick sauce; typically marquee dish in a Canadian Chinese meal .
* Almond Chicken Soo Guy — Sliced breaded chicken breast with almonds and gravy. Usually known to anglophones as "almond chicken".
* Chop suey — Very similar to ''''.
* Chow mein — Very similar to '''', but with more beansprouts. "Hong Kong style chow mein" omits the beansprouts and is served on a bed of crunchy fried noodles.
* Won ton soup and wor won ton - pork and shrimp dumplings in a chicken broth, sometimes with sliced meats like .
* Hot and sour soup
* Jar doo chicken wings — Lightly breaded seasoned deep-fried chicken wings.
* Lo mein — 撈麵 Fried egg noodles and vegetables, sometimes served in a thick sauce.
* Shanghai noodles — Fried thick noodles
* Moo goo guy pan — Sliced chicken with mushrooms and mixed vegetables.
* Singapore noodles — Rice noodles, beef, and vegetables served in a curry sauce.
* Dry ribs — Deep-fried seasoned pork ribs.
* Sweet and sour pork — Deep-fried pork chunks in sauce, often breaded into balls . May have a slice of orange.
* Sweet and sour chicken balls — Deep-fried breaded chicken in sweet and sour sauce. In some Atlantic Canadian restaurants, the menus list this item only as "sweet and sour chicken," thus removing any reference to either the shape or the breaded coating.
* Ginger Beef — 生姜牛肉 Tender beef cut in chunks, mixed with ginger and Chinese mixed vegetables.
* Ginger Fried Beef — 乾炒牛肉絲 Tender beef cut in strings, battered, deep dried, then re-fried in wok mixed with a sweet sauce, a variation of a popular Northern Chinese dish.
* Dai dop voy — Fried sliced young chicken meat, fresh shrimps, barbecued pork with mixed Chinese vegetables.
* Diced pork ding — Cubed Chinese pork, almonds, and vegetables in a thick sauce .
* Kung Pao chicken
* Egg foo yung
* Egg rolls
* Potstickers/Fried Pork Dumplings — Generally filled with diced pork and vegetables in a doughy wrapper served pan-fried with a vinegar , sesame oil and ginger sauce. Often called "wor tips" in southern Alberta, especially at Chinese restaurants in Lethbridge. Also called Chinese perogies.
* Lemon chicken — Chicken breast, battered and deep-fried, then sliced and served with lemon sauce.
* Fried rice
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Josephine Smart, a professor from the University of Calgary, has written on the evolution of Canadian Chinese cuisine. Her papers have examined the dynamics of localization and "authenticization" of Chinese food in Canada, and its implications for ethnic relations and the culture of .
Chinese restaurants generally use either one of the romanization systems for Cantonese or an ad hoc romanization rather than the Pinyin romanization of Mandarin Chinese with which non-Chinese people are now most familiar. This has the effect, intended or not, of lending a sense of exotic nostalgia to the dining experience.
Even very small towns in most of Canada have at least one Canadian Chinese restaurant, and many can have two or more proprietors seeking out business, often right next to each other on the main street. Many towns that cannot support a single restaurant still have a thriving Chinese food restaurant. However, many independent restaurants in larger cities have found their business shrinking as delivery chains and buffets squeeze out traditional sit-down restaurants.
In larger cities like Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, Canadian Chinese restaurants can be clustered in the thriving Chinatowns. However, they are now most likely mixed with those featuring the more traditional cuisines. Canadian Chinese restaurants are not limited to these areas and can often be found even at the farthest outskirts of the metropolitan areas. Restaurants in the newer Chinatowns, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, tend to cater to newer immigrants and offer more varied fare; , , , , and even Buddhist cuisine restaurants can be found there. Because of the popularity of Canadian Chinese food, even some of the older authentic Chinese restaurants may offer Canadian Chinese dishes.
History
Chinese workers were employed in the 1800s by Chinese labour contractors during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway linking with Vancouver. Many of those workers who stayed once the railway was completed resorted to opening small inexpensive restaurants or working as cooks in mining and logging camps, , and in the houses of the upper classes in cities and towns. They prepared variations on traditional Cantonese food that were well-received by local patrons and they were prized as cooks in wealthier households. This occurred despite the fact that few if any of them were trained chefs.
In most small towns in Western Canada, the Chinese “café” was the first restaurant established, and often the only one. People did not buy the food of their own ethnic group, since they could prepare those themselves, whereas Chinese food was a novelty. Furthermore, the Chinese community was not heavily involved in agriculture, so this presented an opportunity for an alternative source of income. Consequently the Chinese community specialized in the restaurant business, and were able to undercut and out compete later rivals. Even today in many towns and hamlets across the and in northern British Columbia, there can usually be found a Chinese café regardless of the community's size, serving "Canadian and Chinese cuisine" or, once more common, "Chinese and Western Food". In Glendon, Alberta, for example, next to a of the world's largest perogy , sits the Perogy Café, which serves "Ukrainian and Chinese Perogies" . This establishment is actually owned by a Vietnamese family and is the only restaurant in town.
In British Columbia, a form of buffet known as the Chinese smorgasbord developed in pre- Gastown when Scandinavian loggers and millworkers encouraged their Chinese cooks to turn a sideboard into a steamtable instead of bringing plates of single dishes to the dining table. Following the introduction of the automobile and the invention of the drive-in restaurant , Chinese take-out service was augmented by Chinese drive-ins, including the now-vanished Dragon Inn chain, which was also known for its smorgasbord.
In Vancouver and , the more authentic Chinese restaurants were largely found in those cities' Chinatowns, but Chinese food became a staple of city as well as small-town life and became a normal part of the local culture. Many British Columbians for example, grew up using chopsticks as well as knives and forks. Certain Chinese-Canadian recipes became current in non-Chinese households by the mid-20th Century .
Further Cantonese immigration to Canada began anew in the 1960s, and was ignited in the 1980s in anticipation of of Hong Kong. This resulted in many Hong Kong families relocating to Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and above-all Canada. This preference for Canada was due to its immigration policy, a high-standard of living, established Chinese community, and its membership in the . Today Chinese Canadian citizens are the largest visible minority group in Canada, and Chinatowns are in every major Canadian city, with those in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and being the largest.
This new wave of Chinese immigration has also brought a demand for more authentic Chinese food. The newer Chinese restaurants, particularly in areas of high Asian immigration, tend to serve authentic Chinese cuisine that evolved in Chinese communities outside of Canada, which cater to immigrants. These range from Dim Sum restaurants to Hakka cuisine restaurants with an flair.
Staples
Chinese restaurants are usually small "mom & pop" businesses. Consequently the menus are highly variable, although the following dishes are generally universal:
* Cantonese style chow mein — 廣東炒麵 Fried egg noodles, green peppers, pea pods, bok choy, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, shrimp, Chinese pork , chicken, and beef served in a thick sauce; typically marquee dish in a Canadian Chinese meal .
* Almond Chicken Soo Guy — Sliced breaded chicken breast with almonds and gravy. Usually known to anglophones as "almond chicken".
* Chop suey — Very similar to ''''.
* Chow mein — Very similar to '''', but with more beansprouts. "Hong Kong style chow mein" omits the beansprouts and is served on a bed of crunchy fried noodles.
* Won ton soup and wor won ton - pork and shrimp dumplings in a chicken broth, sometimes with sliced meats like .
* Hot and sour soup
* Jar doo chicken wings — Lightly breaded seasoned deep-fried chicken wings.
* Lo mein — 撈麵 Fried egg noodles and vegetables, sometimes served in a thick sauce.
* Shanghai noodles — Fried thick noodles
* Moo goo guy pan — Sliced chicken with mushrooms and mixed vegetables.
* Singapore noodles — Rice noodles, beef, and vegetables served in a curry sauce.
* Dry ribs — Deep-fried seasoned pork ribs.
* Sweet and sour pork — Deep-fried pork chunks in sauce, often breaded into balls . May have a slice of orange.
* Sweet and sour chicken balls — Deep-fried breaded chicken in sweet and sour sauce. In some Atlantic Canadian restaurants, the menus list this item only as "sweet and sour chicken," thus removing any reference to either the shape or the breaded coating.
* Ginger Beef — 生姜牛肉 Tender beef cut in chunks, mixed with ginger and Chinese mixed vegetables.
* Ginger Fried Beef — 乾炒牛肉絲 Tender beef cut in strings, battered, deep dried, then re-fried in wok mixed with a sweet sauce, a variation of a popular Northern Chinese dish.
* Dai dop voy — Fried sliced young chicken meat, fresh shrimps, barbecued pork with mixed Chinese vegetables.
* Diced pork ding — Cubed Chinese pork, almonds, and vegetables in a thick sauce .
* Kung Pao chicken
* Egg foo yung
* Egg rolls
* Potstickers/Fried Pork Dumplings — Generally filled with diced pork and vegetables in a doughy wrapper served pan-fried with a vinegar , sesame oil and ginger sauce. Often called "wor tips" in southern Alberta, especially at Chinese restaurants in Lethbridge. Also called Chinese perogies.
* Lemon chicken — Chicken breast, battered and deep-fried, then sliced and served with lemon sauce.
* Fried rice
*
Culture
Josephine Smart, a professor from the University of Calgary, has written on the evolution of Canadian Chinese cuisine. Her papers have examined the dynamics of localization and "authenticization" of Chinese food in Canada, and its implications for ethnic relations and the culture of .
Chinese restaurants generally use either one of the romanization systems for Cantonese or an ad hoc romanization rather than the Pinyin romanization of Mandarin Chinese with which non-Chinese people are now most familiar. This has the effect, intended or not, of lending a sense of exotic nostalgia to the dining experience.
Canadian Chinese restaurants
Even very small towns in most of Canada have at least one Canadian Chinese restaurant, and many can have two or more proprietors seeking out business, often right next to each other on the main street. Many towns that cannot support a single restaurant still have a thriving Chinese food restaurant. However, many independent restaurants in larger cities have found their business shrinking as delivery chains and buffets squeeze out traditional sit-down restaurants.
In larger cities like Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, Canadian Chinese restaurants can be clustered in the thriving Chinatowns. However, they are now most likely mixed with those featuring the more traditional cuisines. Canadian Chinese restaurants are not limited to these areas and can often be found even at the farthest outskirts of the metropolitan areas. Restaurants in the newer Chinatowns, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver, tend to cater to newer immigrants and offer more varied fare; , , , , and even Buddhist cuisine restaurants can be found there. Because of the popularity of Canadian Chinese food, even some of the older authentic Chinese restaurants may offer Canadian Chinese dishes.
Buddhist cuisine
Buddhist cuisine is a kind of East Asian cuisine which is followed by some believers of Buddhism. It is a type of vegetarian cuisine.
Vegetarian cuisine is known as ''zhāicài'' in China, ''shōjin ryōri'' in Japan, ''sachal eumsik'' in Korea and by many other names in other countries.
Buddhism, along with Jainism, recognizes that even eating vegetables could contribute to the indirect killing of living beings as animal life is destroyed as farmers plough land. Jainism consequently considers death by starvation as the ultimate practice of non violence, while Buddhism considers extreme self-mortification to be for attaining enlightenment.
Both Mahayana and Theravada thinking is that meat eating in and of itself does not constitute a violation of the Five Precepts which prohibit one from directly harming life. Pali/Sanskrit term for monks and nuns means one who seek alms.
However, when monks and nuns who follow the Theravada feed themselves by alms, they must eat whatever leftover foods which are given to them including meat. Exception to this alms rule is when monks and nuns have seen, heard or known that animal have been specifically killed to feed the alm seeker or guest, in which case, consumption of such meat would be karmically negative. This is also followed by lay Buddhists; and is known as the consumption of the 'triply-clean meat' . On the other hand, when lay communities specifically purchase meat for consumption of monks and nuns, permissibility of meat eating differ among different Buddhist sects. Theravada Pali Canon records instances of Buddha eating meat which were specifically purchased for Buddha. This act was deliberately performed by the Buddha to demonstrate that if need be, a Buddhist can bend the rules in times of emergency or inconvenience. Obstinately observing vegetarianism or Buddhist rules in times when you cannot, conflicts with Mahayana philosophy because obstinacy or attachment for anything, is considered to be 'stubbornness' which will become an obstacle to nirvana or enlightenment. However even then, if one undertakes a vow to be a , one is expected to follow this vow until it is humanly impossible to continue one's vegetarian diet.
Acceptance of authenticity of the Pali Sutras differ within Mahayana sects and Mahayana sutras do not record Buddha eating meat. While no Mahayana sects consider Pali sutras to be inauthentic, sects tend to consider this particular part of writing in Pali suttas to be false. sects generally accept that Buddha ate meat.
Still, both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists consider that one may practice vegetarianism as part of cultivating paramita. Since Mahayana Buddhists recognise the consumption of meat to be cruel and devoid of compassion, some Mahayana Buddhists are vegetarians. Numbers of Mahayana sutra record Buddha praising the virtue of avoiding meat. However, Tibetan Buddhism believes that makes vegetarianism unnecessary. All Japanese Kamakura sects of Buddhism have relaxed Mahayana vinaya, and as a consequence, do not practice vegetarianism but rather pescetarianism. Chinese Buddhism and part of Korean Buddhism strictly adhere to vegetarianism.
East Asian "Buddhist" cuisine differ from Western vegetarian cuisine in one aspect, that is avoidance of killing plant life. Buddhist vinaya for monks and nuns prohibit harming of plant. Therefore, strictly speaking, no root vegetables are to be used as this will result in death of vegetables. Instead, vegetables such as beans or fruits are used. However, this stricter version of diet is often practiced only on special occasion. Some Mahayana Buddhists in China and Vietnam specifically avoid eating strong-smelling plants, traditionally garlic, ''Allium chinense'', asafoetida, shallot, and ''Allium victorialis'' , and refer to these as 'Five Acrid And Strong Smelling Vegetables' or 'Five Spices' as they tend to excite senses. This is based on teachings found in the , the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra . In modern times this rule is often interpreted to include other vegetables of the genus, as well as coriander.
The food that a strict Buddhist takes, even if he/she is not a vegetarian is also specific. For many Chinese Buddhists, beef and the consumption of large animals and exotic species is avoided. Then there would be the aforementioned sanjingrou rule. One restriction on food that is not known to many is the abstinence from eating animal innards and organs. This is known as , and is a Chinese term and is not to be confused with the Japanese term ''gesui'' .
Alcohol and/or other drugs are also avoided by many Buddhists because of their effects on the mind and "mindfulness". It is part of the Five Precepts which dictate that one is not to consume "addictive materials". The definition of "addictive" depends on each individual but most Buddhists consider alcohol and contraband drugs to be addictive. Stricter Buddhists consider tobacco to be addictive as well.
Buddhist vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared , also known as "seitan" or "wheat meat", soy , agar, and other plant products. Some of their recipes are the oldest and most-refined meat analogues in the world. Soy and wheat gluten are very versatile materials, because they can be manufactured into various shapes and textures, and they absorb flavourings , whilst having very little flavour of their own. With the proper seasonings, they can mimic various kinds of meat quite closely.
Some of these Buddhist vegetarian chefs are in the many which serve ''wu hun'' and mock-meat dishes to the monks and visitors . Many Buddhist restaurants also serve vegetarian, vegan, non-alcoholic, and/or ''wu hun'' dishes. Some Buddhists eat vegetarian only once per week or month, or on special occasions such as annual visits to an ancestor's grave. To cater to this type of customer, as well as full-time vegetarians, the menu of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant usually shows no difference from a typical Chinese or far-Eastern restaurant, except that in recipes originally made to contain meat, a chicken flavoured soy or wheat gluten might be served instead .
Vegetarian cuisine is known as ''zhāicài'' in China, ''shōjin ryōri'' in Japan, ''sachal eumsik'' in Korea and by many other names in other countries.
Buddhism and vegetarianism
Buddhism, along with Jainism, recognizes that even eating vegetables could contribute to the indirect killing of living beings as animal life is destroyed as farmers plough land. Jainism consequently considers death by starvation as the ultimate practice of non violence, while Buddhism considers extreme self-mortification to be for attaining enlightenment.
Both Mahayana and Theravada thinking is that meat eating in and of itself does not constitute a violation of the Five Precepts which prohibit one from directly harming life. Pali/Sanskrit term for monks and nuns means one who seek alms.
However, when monks and nuns who follow the Theravada feed themselves by alms, they must eat whatever leftover foods which are given to them including meat. Exception to this alms rule is when monks and nuns have seen, heard or known that animal have been specifically killed to feed the alm seeker or guest, in which case, consumption of such meat would be karmically negative. This is also followed by lay Buddhists; and is known as the consumption of the 'triply-clean meat' . On the other hand, when lay communities specifically purchase meat for consumption of monks and nuns, permissibility of meat eating differ among different Buddhist sects. Theravada Pali Canon records instances of Buddha eating meat which were specifically purchased for Buddha. This act was deliberately performed by the Buddha to demonstrate that if need be, a Buddhist can bend the rules in times of emergency or inconvenience. Obstinately observing vegetarianism or Buddhist rules in times when you cannot, conflicts with Mahayana philosophy because obstinacy or attachment for anything, is considered to be 'stubbornness' which will become an obstacle to nirvana or enlightenment. However even then, if one undertakes a vow to be a , one is expected to follow this vow until it is humanly impossible to continue one's vegetarian diet.
Acceptance of authenticity of the Pali Sutras differ within Mahayana sects and Mahayana sutras do not record Buddha eating meat. While no Mahayana sects consider Pali sutras to be inauthentic, sects tend to consider this particular part of writing in Pali suttas to be false. sects generally accept that Buddha ate meat.
Still, both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists consider that one may practice vegetarianism as part of cultivating paramita. Since Mahayana Buddhists recognise the consumption of meat to be cruel and devoid of compassion, some Mahayana Buddhists are vegetarians. Numbers of Mahayana sutra record Buddha praising the virtue of avoiding meat. However, Tibetan Buddhism believes that makes vegetarianism unnecessary. All Japanese Kamakura sects of Buddhism have relaxed Mahayana vinaya, and as a consequence, do not practice vegetarianism but rather pescetarianism. Chinese Buddhism and part of Korean Buddhism strictly adhere to vegetarianism.
Buddhism and other food considerations
East Asian "Buddhist" cuisine differ from Western vegetarian cuisine in one aspect, that is avoidance of killing plant life. Buddhist vinaya for monks and nuns prohibit harming of plant. Therefore, strictly speaking, no root vegetables are to be used as this will result in death of vegetables. Instead, vegetables such as beans or fruits are used. However, this stricter version of diet is often practiced only on special occasion. Some Mahayana Buddhists in China and Vietnam specifically avoid eating strong-smelling plants, traditionally garlic, ''Allium chinense'', asafoetida, shallot, and ''Allium victorialis'' , and refer to these as 'Five Acrid And Strong Smelling Vegetables' or 'Five Spices' as they tend to excite senses. This is based on teachings found in the , the Surangama Sutra and the Lankavatara Sutra . In modern times this rule is often interpreted to include other vegetables of the genus, as well as coriander.
The food that a strict Buddhist takes, even if he/she is not a vegetarian is also specific. For many Chinese Buddhists, beef and the consumption of large animals and exotic species is avoided. Then there would be the aforementioned sanjingrou rule. One restriction on food that is not known to many is the abstinence from eating animal innards and organs. This is known as , and is a Chinese term and is not to be confused with the Japanese term ''gesui'' .
Alcohol and/or other drugs are also avoided by many Buddhists because of their effects on the mind and "mindfulness". It is part of the Five Precepts which dictate that one is not to consume "addictive materials". The definition of "addictive" depends on each individual but most Buddhists consider alcohol and contraband drugs to be addictive. Stricter Buddhists consider tobacco to be addictive as well.
Common sources for Buddhist foods
Buddhist vegetarian chefs have become extremely creative in imitating meat using prepared , also known as "seitan" or "wheat meat", soy , agar, and other plant products. Some of their recipes are the oldest and most-refined meat analogues in the world. Soy and wheat gluten are very versatile materials, because they can be manufactured into various shapes and textures, and they absorb flavourings , whilst having very little flavour of their own. With the proper seasonings, they can mimic various kinds of meat quite closely.
Some of these Buddhist vegetarian chefs are in the many which serve ''wu hun'' and mock-meat dishes to the monks and visitors . Many Buddhist restaurants also serve vegetarian, vegan, non-alcoholic, and/or ''wu hun'' dishes. Some Buddhists eat vegetarian only once per week or month, or on special occasions such as annual visits to an ancestor's grave. To cater to this type of customer, as well as full-time vegetarians, the menu of a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant usually shows no difference from a typical Chinese or far-Eastern restaurant, except that in recipes originally made to contain meat, a chicken flavoured soy or wheat gluten might be served instead .
American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by certain restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to tastes, and differs significantly from the .
In the 19th century, Chinese restaurateurs developed American Chinese cuisine when they modified their food for American tastes. First catering to railroad workers, they opened restaurants in towns where Chinese food was completely unknown. These restaurant workers adapted to using local ingredients and catered to their customer's tastes. Dishes on the menu were often given numbers, and often a roll and butter was offered on the side.
In the process, chefs would invent numerous dishes such as chop suey and General Tso's Chicken. As a result, they developed a style of Chinese food not found in China. Restaurants provided an ethnic niche for small businesses at a time when Chinese were often excluded from most jobs in the wage economy by discrimination or lack of language fluency.
For most of those who run such restaurants, wages tend to be low, and hours long as much of the labor is provided by immigrants or family members, but part of the attraction of Chinese restaurants is the quality and low cost of the food. In modern times, some Asian professionals invest their savings into running restaurants.
American Chinese restaurants may be divided into three primary categories:
*: These restaurants cater to customers who sit down in a dining room and order from a menu. They tend to provide more authentic Chinese food than fast-food restaurants or places of informal dining.
*Take-out: These restaurants, which cater primarily to call-in and take-out orders, serve as convenient outlets for traditional American Chinese dishes. Nearly all of them feature delivery to customers' homes, thus allowing the folded, waxed cardboard boxes that are commonly used to attain similar recognition as that of the pizza box.
*Buffets: Buffet-style American Chinese restaurants, which have recently seen an increase in popularity, tend to serve a wide variety of food in buffet style; the authenticity of the food varies from outlet to outlet.
American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as while cuisines of China emphasize vegetables. This can be seen in the use of carrots and tomatoes. Native Chinese cuisine makes frequent use of Asian leafy vegetables like bok choy and kai-lan and puts a greater emphasis on fresh meat and live seafood . As a result, American Chinese food is usually less pungent than authentic cuisine.
American Chinese food tends to be cooked very quickly with a great deal of oil and salt. Many dishes are quickly and easily prepared, and require inexpensive ingredients. Stir-frying, , and deep-frying tend to be the most common cooking techniques which are all easily done using a wok. The food also has a reputation for high levels of to enhance the flavor. The symptoms of MSG sensitivity have been dubbed "Chinese restaurant syndrome" or "Chinese food syndrome." Market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus, although some restaurateurs don't believe that people can be allergic to MSG.
Most American Chinese establishments cater to non-Chinese customers with menus written in English or containing pictures. If separate Chinese-language menus are available, they typically feature delicacies like liver, chicken feet or other exotic meat dishes that might deter Western customers. In New York's Chinatown, the restaurants are legendary for refusing to offer non-Chinese Americans the "secret" menu.
American Chinese cuisine often uses ingredients not native and very rarely used in China. The most famous of these is broccoli, which the majority of American Chinese cuisine meals contain.
Unlike certain establishments in China, American Chinese restaurants cannot serve dog or cat meat due to animal welfare regulations.
Dishes that often appear on American Chinese menus include:
* General Tso's Chicken— chunks of chicken that are deep-fried and seasoned with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, and hot chili peppers.
* Sesame Chicken— boned, battered, and deep-fried chicken which is then dressed with a translucent but dark red, sweet, slightly sour, mildly spicy, semi-thick, Chinese soy sauce made from corn starch, vinegar, chicken broth, and sugar, and often served with steamed broccoli.
* Chinese chicken salad — Salad, in the form of uncooked leafy greens, does not exist in traditional Chinese cuisine for sanitary reasons, since manure and human feces were China's primary fertilizer through most of its history. It usually contains crispy noodle and sesame dressing. Some restaurants serve the salad with mandarin oranges.
* Chop suey — connotes "leftovers" in Chinese. It is usually a mix of vegetables and meat in a brown sauce but can also be served in a white sauce.
* Chow mein — literally means 'stir-fried noodles.' Chow mein consists of fried noodles with bits of meat and vegetables. It can come with chicken, beef, pork or shrimp.
* Crab rangoon — Fried wonton skins stuffed with artificial crab meat and cream cheese. is the former capital of .
* Fortune cookie — Invented at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, fortune cookies have become sweetened and found their way to many American Chinese restaurants. Fortune cookies have become so popular that even some authentic Chinese restaurants serve them at the end of the meal as dessert and may feature Chinese translations of the English fortunes.
* Fried rice — Pan-fried rice, usually with chunks of meat, vegetables, and often egg.
Regional American Chinese dishes:
* Chow mein sandwich— Sandwich of chow mein and gravy .
* Chop suey sandwich — Sandwich of chicken chop suey on a hamburger bun .
* St. Paul sandwich — Egg foo young patty in plain white sandwich bread .
* Batter-fried meat — Meat that has been deep fried in bread or flour, such as sesame chicken, lemon chicken, orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, and General Tso's chicken, is often heavily emphasized in American-style Chinese dishes. Battered meat occasionally appears in dishes, but it generally uses lighter sauces with less sugar and corn syrup.
**Chicken ball — Uses a large amount of leavening and flour in its preparation and battering process which causes them to be more similar to doughy "" than actual batter-fried meat.
*Egg drop soup — A soup of chicken broth with scrambled egg ribbons. Often served with fried noodles.
* Egg foo young — A Chinese-style omelet with vegetables and meat, usually served with a brown sauce. Also known as egg foo yung or egg foo yong.
* Egg roll — While native Chinese spring rolls have a thin crispy skin with mushrooms, bamboo, and other vegetables inside, the Americanized version uses a thick, fried skin stuffed with cabbage and usually bits of meat or seafood . In other areas of the US outside of the Northeast, egg rolls tend to be of the spring roll/Panda Express variety.
* Fried rice — Fried rice dishes are popular offerings in American Chinese food due to the speed and ease of preparation and their appeal to American tastes. Fried rice is generally prepared with rice cooled overnight, allowing restaurants to put unserved leftover rice to good use. It typically uses more soy sauce than the authentic version.
* Kung Pao chicken — The authentic Sichuan dish is very spicy, and the American versions tend to be less so.
* Lo mein — The term means "stirred noodles"; these noodles are frequently made with eggs and flour, making them chewier than simply using water. Thick, spaghetti shaped noodles are pan fried with vegetables and meat. Sometimes this dish is referred to as "chow mein" .
* Mei Fun
* Moo shu pork — The native Chinese version uses more typically Chinese ingredients and thin flour pancakes while the American version uses vegetables more familiar to Americans and thicker pancakes. This dish is quite popular in Chinese restaurants in the U.S., but not so popular in China.
* Wonton soup — In most American Chinese restaurants, only wonton dumplings in broth are served, while native Chinese versions may come with noodles. Authentic Cantonese Wonton Soup is a full meal in itself consisting of thin egg noodles and several pork and prawn wontons in a pork or chicken soup broth or noodle broth. Americanized wontons, especially in takeout restaurants, are often made with thicker dough than the authentic version.
*Cashew chicken — see Regional variations.
*Meat "with" a vegetable — Examples of common variations on this dish are pork, chicken, beef or shrimp cooked with mushrooms, snow peas, or other assorted vegetables. This dish is sometimes served with oyster sauce or with garlic sauce. These dishes are primarily variations on Cantonese-style stir-fry.
*Broccoli beef — This dish exists in native Chinese form, but using ''gai-lan'' rather than Western broccoli. Occasionally western broccoli is also referred to as ''sai lan fa'' in order not to confuse the two styles of broccoli. Among Chinese speakers, however, it is typically understood that one is referring to the leafy vegetable unless otherwise specified. This is also the case with the words for carrot or and onion . ''Lo bac'', in Cantonese, refers to the daikon, a large, blandly flavored white radish. The orange western carrot is known in some areas of China as "foreign Daikon" . When the word for onion, ''chung'', is used, it is understood that one is referring to "green onions" . The many-layered onion common to Westerners is called ''yeung chung''. This translates as "western onion". These names make it evident that the Western broccoli, carrot, and onion are not indigenous to China and therefore are less common in the cuisines of China. Hence, if a dish contains significant amounts of any of these ingredients, it has most likely been Westernized.
*Tomatoes — Since tomatoes are New World plants, they are also fairly new to China and Chinese cuisine. Tomato-based sauces can be found in some American Chinese dishes such as the popular "beef and tomato."
Most American Chinese restaurants get their supplies from a few companies leading to a similarity in the menus of separate restaurants. While sit-down and buffet restaurants are more varied, most menus have the following sections:
*Appetizers— usually including Chinese spare ribs, Teriyaki chicken or beef skewers, Prawn crackers, , chicken fingers and egg rolls. Typically these are dishes that are not served with soup or rice rice.
*Soups— including egg drop and .
*Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Chop Suey, Lo Mein, Egg Foo Young and Mu Shu- These dishes are served with rice, typically by the pint or quart. They are normally divided into vegetable, roast pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, occasionally lobster, and 'house special' or "combination" usually the first four ingredients together.
*Roast or — Usually the smallest section , mostly "with" dishes
*Chicken — Moo Goo Gai Pan, Kung Po, and most of the "with" dishes
*Beef — Beef with Broccoli, Pepper Steak, and "with " dishes
*Seafood — Basically shrimp with the occasional scallop or lobster dish.
*Special Diet Plates and Vegetable and Tofu — Vegetarian and low-calorie dishes
*Combination platters — More expensive than the previous dishes, these come with fried rice and usually an egg roll. Usually you'll find General Tso's and Sesame Chicken here, along with the most popular of the other dishes.
*Chef's Specialties — the most expensive dishes that normally include multiple meats and vegetables.
The back of the menu often has Lunch Specials, which are normally a smaller version of the combination platters offered only at lunch for less money.
Since the early 1990s, many American Chinese restaurants influenced by the cuisine of California have opened in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The trademark dishes of American Chinese cuisine remain on the menu, but there is more emphasis on fresh vegetables, and the selection is vegetarian-friendly.
This new cuisine has exotic ingredients like mangos and portobello mushrooms. Brown rice is often offered as an optional alternative to white rice.
Some restaurants substitute grilled wheat flour tortillas for the rice pancakes in mu shu dishes. This occurs even in some restaurant that would not otherwise be identified as California Chinese, both the more Americanized places and the more authentic places. There is a Mexican bakery that sells some restaurants thinner tortillas made for use with mu shu. Mu shu purists do not always react positively to this trend.
In addition, many restaurants serving more native-style Chinese cuisines exist, due to the high numbers and proportion of ethnic Chinese in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Restaurants specializing in Cantonese, Szechuan, Hunan, Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong traditions are widely available, as are more specialized restaurants such as seafood restaurants, , dim sum teahouses, and hot pot restaurants. Many Chinatown areas also feature Chinese bakeries, boba milk tea shops, , , and specialized dessert shops. Chop suey is not widely available in San Francisco, and the city's chow mein is different from Midwestern chow mein.
Authentic restaurants with Chinese-language menus may offer 黃毛雞 , essentially a chicken, as opposed to typical American mass-farmed chicken. Yellow-hair chicken is valued for its flavor, but needs to be cooked properly to be tender due to its lower fat and higher muscle content. This dish usually does not appear on the English-language menu.
Dau Miu , or bean sprouts, is a Chinese vegetable that has become popular since the early 1990s, and now not only appears on English-language menus, usually as "pea shoots", but is often served by upscale non-Asian restaurants as well. Originally it was only available during a few months of the year, but it is now grown in greenhouses and is available year-round.
Hawaiian-Chinese food developed a bit differently from the continental United States. Owing to the diversity of ethnicities in Hawaii and the history of the , resident Chinese cuisine forms a component of the cuisine of Hawaii, which is a of different culinary traditions. Some Chinese dishes are typically served as part of plate lunches in Hawaii. The names of foods are different as well, such as ''Manapua'', from Hawaiian meaning "chewed up pork" for dim sum ''bao'', though the meat is not necessarily pork. Chinese food in Hawaii is also noted for its use of .
* China Coast — Now defunct, closed in 1995; owned by General Mills Corp., formerly 52 locations throughout the USA
* City Wok — Locations in California, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina
* Leeann Chin — Locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin; owned at one time by General Mills Corp.
* Manchu Wok — Nationwide in the USA and Canada, as well as Guam, Korea and Japan
* Panda Express — Nationwide in the USA
* Pei Wei Asian Diner — Locations in the western and southwestern USA; a subsidiary of P.F. Chang's
* P. F. Chang's China Bistro — Nationwide in the USA; features California-Chinese fusion cuisine
* Pick Up Stix — Locations in California, Arizona and Nevada
History
In the 19th century, Chinese restaurateurs developed American Chinese cuisine when they modified their food for American tastes. First catering to railroad workers, they opened restaurants in towns where Chinese food was completely unknown. These restaurant workers adapted to using local ingredients and catered to their customer's tastes. Dishes on the menu were often given numbers, and often a roll and butter was offered on the side.
In the process, chefs would invent numerous dishes such as chop suey and General Tso's Chicken. As a result, they developed a style of Chinese food not found in China. Restaurants provided an ethnic niche for small businesses at a time when Chinese were often excluded from most jobs in the wage economy by discrimination or lack of language fluency.
For most of those who run such restaurants, wages tend to be low, and hours long as much of the labor is provided by immigrants or family members, but part of the attraction of Chinese restaurants is the quality and low cost of the food. In modern times, some Asian professionals invest their savings into running restaurants.
Types of restaurants
American Chinese restaurants may be divided into three primary categories:
*: These restaurants cater to customers who sit down in a dining room and order from a menu. They tend to provide more authentic Chinese food than fast-food restaurants or places of informal dining.
*Take-out: These restaurants, which cater primarily to call-in and take-out orders, serve as convenient outlets for traditional American Chinese dishes. Nearly all of them feature delivery to customers' homes, thus allowing the folded, waxed cardboard boxes that are commonly used to attain similar recognition as that of the pizza box.
*Buffets: Buffet-style American Chinese restaurants, which have recently seen an increase in popularity, tend to serve a wide variety of food in buffet style; the authenticity of the food varies from outlet to outlet.
Differences from native Chinese cuisines
American Chinese food typically treats vegetables as while cuisines of China emphasize vegetables. This can be seen in the use of carrots and tomatoes. Native Chinese cuisine makes frequent use of Asian leafy vegetables like bok choy and kai-lan and puts a greater emphasis on fresh meat and live seafood . As a result, American Chinese food is usually less pungent than authentic cuisine.
American Chinese food tends to be cooked very quickly with a great deal of oil and salt. Many dishes are quickly and easily prepared, and require inexpensive ingredients. Stir-frying, , and deep-frying tend to be the most common cooking techniques which are all easily done using a wok. The food also has a reputation for high levels of to enhance the flavor. The symptoms of MSG sensitivity have been dubbed "Chinese restaurant syndrome" or "Chinese food syndrome." Market forces and customer demand have encouraged many restaurants to offer "MSG Free" or "No MSG" menus, although some restaurateurs don't believe that people can be allergic to MSG.
Most American Chinese establishments cater to non-Chinese customers with menus written in English or containing pictures. If separate Chinese-language menus are available, they typically feature delicacies like liver, chicken feet or other exotic meat dishes that might deter Western customers. In New York's Chinatown, the restaurants are legendary for refusing to offer non-Chinese Americans the "secret" menu.
American Chinese cuisine often uses ingredients not native and very rarely used in China. The most famous of these is broccoli, which the majority of American Chinese cuisine meals contain.
Unlike certain establishments in China, American Chinese restaurants cannot serve dog or cat meat due to animal welfare regulations.
American Chinese dishes
Dishes that often appear on American Chinese menus include:
* General Tso's Chicken— chunks of chicken that are deep-fried and seasoned with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, scallions, and hot chili peppers.
* Sesame Chicken— boned, battered, and deep-fried chicken which is then dressed with a translucent but dark red, sweet, slightly sour, mildly spicy, semi-thick, Chinese soy sauce made from corn starch, vinegar, chicken broth, and sugar, and often served with steamed broccoli.
* Chinese chicken salad — Salad, in the form of uncooked leafy greens, does not exist in traditional Chinese cuisine for sanitary reasons, since manure and human feces were China's primary fertilizer through most of its history. It usually contains crispy noodle and sesame dressing. Some restaurants serve the salad with mandarin oranges.
* Chop suey — connotes "leftovers" in Chinese. It is usually a mix of vegetables and meat in a brown sauce but can also be served in a white sauce.
* Chow mein — literally means 'stir-fried noodles.' Chow mein consists of fried noodles with bits of meat and vegetables. It can come with chicken, beef, pork or shrimp.
* Crab rangoon — Fried wonton skins stuffed with artificial crab meat and cream cheese. is the former capital of .
* Fortune cookie — Invented at the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, fortune cookies have become sweetened and found their way to many American Chinese restaurants. Fortune cookies have become so popular that even some authentic Chinese restaurants serve them at the end of the meal as dessert and may feature Chinese translations of the English fortunes.
* Fried rice — Pan-fried rice, usually with chunks of meat, vegetables, and often egg.
Regional American Chinese dishes:
* Chow mein sandwich— Sandwich of chow mein and gravy .
* Chop suey sandwich — Sandwich of chicken chop suey on a hamburger bun .
* St. Paul sandwich — Egg foo young patty in plain white sandwich bread .
Americanized versions of native Chinese dishes
* Batter-fried meat — Meat that has been deep fried in bread or flour, such as sesame chicken, lemon chicken, orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, and General Tso's chicken, is often heavily emphasized in American-style Chinese dishes. Battered meat occasionally appears in dishes, but it generally uses lighter sauces with less sugar and corn syrup.
**Chicken ball — Uses a large amount of leavening and flour in its preparation and battering process which causes them to be more similar to doughy "" than actual batter-fried meat.
*Egg drop soup — A soup of chicken broth with scrambled egg ribbons. Often served with fried noodles.
* Egg foo young — A Chinese-style omelet with vegetables and meat, usually served with a brown sauce. Also known as egg foo yung or egg foo yong.
* Egg roll — While native Chinese spring rolls have a thin crispy skin with mushrooms, bamboo, and other vegetables inside, the Americanized version uses a thick, fried skin stuffed with cabbage and usually bits of meat or seafood . In other areas of the US outside of the Northeast, egg rolls tend to be of the spring roll/Panda Express variety.
* Fried rice — Fried rice dishes are popular offerings in American Chinese food due to the speed and ease of preparation and their appeal to American tastes. Fried rice is generally prepared with rice cooled overnight, allowing restaurants to put unserved leftover rice to good use. It typically uses more soy sauce than the authentic version.
* Kung Pao chicken — The authentic Sichuan dish is very spicy, and the American versions tend to be less so.
* Lo mein — The term means "stirred noodles"; these noodles are frequently made with eggs and flour, making them chewier than simply using water. Thick, spaghetti shaped noodles are pan fried with vegetables and meat. Sometimes this dish is referred to as "chow mein" .
* Mei Fun
* Moo shu pork — The native Chinese version uses more typically Chinese ingredients and thin flour pancakes while the American version uses vegetables more familiar to Americans and thicker pancakes. This dish is quite popular in Chinese restaurants in the U.S., but not so popular in China.
* Wonton soup — In most American Chinese restaurants, only wonton dumplings in broth are served, while native Chinese versions may come with noodles. Authentic Cantonese Wonton Soup is a full meal in itself consisting of thin egg noodles and several pork and prawn wontons in a pork or chicken soup broth or noodle broth. Americanized wontons, especially in takeout restaurants, are often made with thicker dough than the authentic version.
*Cashew chicken — see Regional variations.
*Meat "with" a vegetable — Examples of common variations on this dish are pork, chicken, beef or shrimp cooked with mushrooms, snow peas, or other assorted vegetables. This dish is sometimes served with oyster sauce or with garlic sauce. These dishes are primarily variations on Cantonese-style stir-fry.
*Broccoli beef — This dish exists in native Chinese form, but using ''gai-lan'' rather than Western broccoli. Occasionally western broccoli is also referred to as ''sai lan fa'' in order not to confuse the two styles of broccoli. Among Chinese speakers, however, it is typically understood that one is referring to the leafy vegetable unless otherwise specified. This is also the case with the words for carrot or and onion . ''Lo bac'', in Cantonese, refers to the daikon, a large, blandly flavored white radish. The orange western carrot is known in some areas of China as "foreign Daikon" . When the word for onion, ''chung'', is used, it is understood that one is referring to "green onions" . The many-layered onion common to Westerners is called ''yeung chung''. This translates as "western onion". These names make it evident that the Western broccoli, carrot, and onion are not indigenous to China and therefore are less common in the cuisines of China. Hence, if a dish contains significant amounts of any of these ingredients, it has most likely been Westernized.
*Tomatoes — Since tomatoes are New World plants, they are also fairly new to China and Chinese cuisine. Tomato-based sauces can be found in some American Chinese dishes such as the popular "beef and tomato."
Traditional take-out dishes
Most American Chinese restaurants get their supplies from a few companies leading to a similarity in the menus of separate restaurants. While sit-down and buffet restaurants are more varied, most menus have the following sections:
*Appetizers— usually including Chinese spare ribs, Teriyaki chicken or beef skewers, Prawn crackers, , chicken fingers and egg rolls. Typically these are dishes that are not served with soup or rice rice.
*Soups— including egg drop and .
*Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Chop Suey, Lo Mein, Egg Foo Young and Mu Shu- These dishes are served with rice, typically by the pint or quart. They are normally divided into vegetable, roast pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, occasionally lobster, and 'house special' or "combination" usually the first four ingredients together.
*Roast or — Usually the smallest section , mostly "with" dishes
*Chicken — Moo Goo Gai Pan, Kung Po, and most of the "with" dishes
*Beef — Beef with Broccoli, Pepper Steak, and "with " dishes
*Seafood — Basically shrimp with the occasional scallop or lobster dish.
*Special Diet Plates and Vegetable and Tofu — Vegetarian and low-calorie dishes
*Combination platters — More expensive than the previous dishes, these come with fried rice and usually an egg roll. Usually you'll find General Tso's and Sesame Chicken here, along with the most popular of the other dishes.
*Chef's Specialties — the most expensive dishes that normally include multiple meats and vegetables.
The back of the menu often has Lunch Specials, which are normally a smaller version of the combination platters offered only at lunch for less money.
Regional variations on American Chinese cuisine
San Francisco
Since the early 1990s, many American Chinese restaurants influenced by the cuisine of California have opened in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The trademark dishes of American Chinese cuisine remain on the menu, but there is more emphasis on fresh vegetables, and the selection is vegetarian-friendly.
This new cuisine has exotic ingredients like mangos and portobello mushrooms. Brown rice is often offered as an optional alternative to white rice.
Some restaurants substitute grilled wheat flour tortillas for the rice pancakes in mu shu dishes. This occurs even in some restaurant that would not otherwise be identified as California Chinese, both the more Americanized places and the more authentic places. There is a Mexican bakery that sells some restaurants thinner tortillas made for use with mu shu. Mu shu purists do not always react positively to this trend.
In addition, many restaurants serving more native-style Chinese cuisines exist, due to the high numbers and proportion of ethnic Chinese in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Restaurants specializing in Cantonese, Szechuan, Hunan, Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hong Kong traditions are widely available, as are more specialized restaurants such as seafood restaurants, , dim sum teahouses, and hot pot restaurants. Many Chinatown areas also feature Chinese bakeries, boba milk tea shops, , , and specialized dessert shops. Chop suey is not widely available in San Francisco, and the city's chow mein is different from Midwestern chow mein.
Authentic restaurants with Chinese-language menus may offer 黃毛雞 , essentially a chicken, as opposed to typical American mass-farmed chicken. Yellow-hair chicken is valued for its flavor, but needs to be cooked properly to be tender due to its lower fat and higher muscle content. This dish usually does not appear on the English-language menu.
Dau Miu , or bean sprouts, is a Chinese vegetable that has become popular since the early 1990s, and now not only appears on English-language menus, usually as "pea shoots", but is often served by upscale non-Asian restaurants as well. Originally it was only available during a few months of the year, but it is now grown in greenhouses and is available year-round.
Hawaii
Hawaiian-Chinese food developed a bit differently from the continental United States. Owing to the diversity of ethnicities in Hawaii and the history of the , resident Chinese cuisine forms a component of the cuisine of Hawaii, which is a of different culinary traditions. Some Chinese dishes are typically served as part of plate lunches in Hawaii. The names of foods are different as well, such as ''Manapua'', from Hawaiian meaning "chewed up pork" for dim sum ''bao'', though the meat is not necessarily pork. Chinese food in Hawaii is also noted for its use of .
American Chinese chain restaurants
* China Coast — Now defunct, closed in 1995; owned by General Mills Corp., formerly 52 locations throughout the USA
* City Wok — Locations in California, Colorado, Florida and North Carolina
* Leeann Chin — Locations in Minnesota and Wisconsin; owned at one time by General Mills Corp.
* Manchu Wok — Nationwide in the USA and Canada, as well as Guam, Korea and Japan
* Panda Express — Nationwide in the USA
* Pei Wei Asian Diner — Locations in the western and southwestern USA; a subsidiary of P.F. Chang's
* P. F. Chang's China Bistro — Nationwide in the USA; features California-Chinese fusion cuisine
* Pick Up Stix — Locations in California, Arizona and Nevada
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