The document provides an overview of Chinese cuisine, including its diverse styles that vary by region. It notes that Chinese cuisine is one of the most diverse in the world, with rice as the staple food. Key regional cuisines include Peking style from the northern region, known for wheat and millet; Cantonese style from the south, featuring seafood and rice; Shanghai style along the eastern coast; and Szechuan style from the western region, characterized by its use of spices and chilies. Common ingredients include tofu, noodles, soy sauce, mushrooms, and five-spice powder. Popular dishes include dim sum, hot pot, Peking duck, and sweet and sour pork. Woks, clea

1. CHINESE CUISINE
• MOST DIVERSE CUISINES IN THE WORLD
• RICE IS THE STAPLE DIET
• FAMILY STYLES OF EATING

2. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
• LARGEST COUNTRIES IN ASIA
• EASTERN REGION- FERTILE LOWLANDS, FOOTHILLS AND
MOUNTAINS,DESERTS AND SUBTROPICAL AREAS – MOST DENSELY
POPULATED PART
• WESTERN REGION- SUNKEN BASINS,ROLLING PLATEAUS AND TOWERING
MOUNTAIN RANGE – INTERIOR AND THINLY POPULATED
• NORTH REGION- ARID CLIMATE AND LARGELY COMPRISES OF DESERTS
• SOUTH REGION- HUMID AND WET AND IS VERY PRONE TO FLOODS
• TWO RIVERS NAMELY YELLOW RIVER AND YANGTZE CUTS THE COUNTRY

3. NORTHERN REGION: PEKING STYLE
• BORDERS MONGOLIA
• COLD WEATHER INHIBITS THE RICE GROWTH
• YELLOW RIVER FLOW THROUGH THIS REGION
• CULTIVATION OF WHEAT, MILLET,BARLEY MAKES THE STAPLE FOOD
• AQUATIC FOOD FROM YELLOW RIVER
• NOT MUCH PORK AND RELATED PRODUCTS CONSUME DUE TO THE
MONGOLIA(BORDERING MUSLIM COUNTRY)
• COLD AND HARSH CLIMATE –PREFERENCE FOR INGREDIENTS-EG:
SESAME OIL THAT PROVIDE WARMTH TO THE BODY

4. SOUTHERN REGION: CANTONESE STYLE
• DISTINCTIVE TASTE AND FLAVOUR
• LARGE COASTLINE
• SECOND LARGEST PRODUCER OF RICE
• SEAFOOD,BEEF AND PORK DOMINATE THE CUISINE
• CANTON WAS PREFERED PLACE FOR TRAVELLERS AND TRADERS
• CAPACITY TO PAY – DEMANDED EXOTIC FOOD – RESULTED IN NEW EXOTIC
DISHES LIKE SHARL FIN SOUP AND BIRD’S NEST SOUP
• DIM SUM, CHOWMIN, MANCHURIAN AND CHILLI CHICKEN ARE ALL FROM
THIS REGION
• COOKING METHOD ARFE MORE OF STIR FRIED OR STEAMED TO RETAIN
THEIR FLAVOUR NUTRITIONAL VALUE

5. EASTERN REGION: SHANGHAI
• LARGE COASTLINE
• BORDERS YELLOW SEA AND YELLOW RIVER PASSES THROUGH
• MAKES THE LIFE OF PEOPLE PROSPEROUS
• CONSIDERED AS RICE BOWL OF THE COUNTRY
• FRUITS AND VEGETABLE GROW IN ABUNDANCE
• PORK MEAT IS POPULAR,IN SOME TOWNS YOU CAN FIND EXOTIC
FOOD TOO

6. WESTERN CHINA: SZECHWAN STYLE
• USE OF SPICES AND CHILLIES DOMINATES THE CUISINE
• YANGTZE RIVER FLOW THROUGH THIS REGION RENDERING GROWTH
OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
• IN INDIA SZECHWAN OVER CHINESE CUISINE BECAUSE OF PRESENCE
OF CHILLI AND SPICES

7. COMMONLY USED INGREDIENTS IN CHINESE
CUISINE
• BOK CHOY-Chinese cabbage
• TOFU- coagulated soy milk
• NOODLES- made from wheat and rice
• SOY SAUCE- made by fermenting soybeans along with water and salt
• SALTED BLACK BEANS- soybeans salted and fermented
• WHITE FUNGUS- served dried commonly used in soup
• SHITAKE MUSHROOM- wild mushroom
• AGAR-AGAR- vegetarian substitute of gelatine
• CONPOY- dried scallop
• XO SAUCE- spicy seafood sauce

8. • FIVE SPICE POWDER- cinnamon, cloves, star anise, Sichuan pepper,
fennel seed
• SHARK’S FIN- shark’s fin sold dried
• BIRD’S NEST-swifts bird make nest by using saliva
• SZECHWAN PEPPERCORN- outer pod of tiny fruit called tirphal
• ABALONE- molluscs that are eaten raw or cooked
• FROGS LEGS- exotic food
• CENTURY EGG- preserved egg
• CHINKIANG VINEGAR- rice vinegar
• SHAOXING- Chinese wine made by fermenting rice
• SESAME OIL- derived from sesame seed

10. • HOISIN SAUCE- proprietary sauce
• OYSTER SAUCE- made from sugar, salt and water that is thickened
with cornstarch and flavoured with essence from oysters
• MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE- ajinomotto in hindi
• WONTON SKINS- pieces of flattened dough
• POTATO STARCH- starch from potato

11. SPECIALITY DISHES
• DIM SUMS- stuffed dumpling
• HOT AND SOUR SOUP- Szechwan speciality
• WONTON SOUP- made from chicken stock and wontons are boiled in
• CONGEE- rice porridge
• SPRING ROLL- shredded vegetable rolled in thin sheets and deep fried
• KUNG PAO- chicken stir fried with chilli pepper, sichusn pepper, leeks,
peanut and flavoured with Shaoxing wine
• PEKING DUCK- dish eaten with its crisp duck skin
• DRUNKEN CHICKEN- chicken cooked and and marinated in Shaoxing wine

13. • BEGGER’S CHICKEN- chicken marinated in saoxing wine and wrapped
in clay and baked
• SWEET AND SOUR PORK- popular Cantonese dish
• CHAR SIU- barbecued pork
• DAN DAN NOODLES- spicy noodles from szechwan
• SHANTUNG CHICKEN- chicken marinated and deep fried
• HAKKA NOODLES- stir fried noodles with vegetables
• SHAOBING- baked layered bread with sweet bean paste
• DATE PANCAKES- batter spread in wok- stuffed with a mixture of of
date paste
• DAARSAAN- honey tossed fried flat noodles
• TOFFEE BANANA-batter fried banana coated in sesame flavoured
caramel sugar

14. TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT IN CHINESE COOKING
• WOK- VERSATILE CONCAVE UTENSIL MADE FROM LIGHT WEIGHT CAST
IRON
• CHINESE BROOM- USED TO CLEAN WOK WHILE COOKING
• CHINESE CLEAVER- HEAVY CHOPPER
• DIM SUM BASKET- BAMBOO BASKET
• EARTHENWARE COOKING POT- SAND POTS
• STEAMERS
• PEKING DUCK OVEN- CAN BE OF METAL,BRICKS OR CLAY. DUCK IS HUNGED
TILL ITS COOK
• METAL SPATULA- USED FOR STIR FRYING
• CHINESE SPOON- USED FOR COOKING SOUP OR EVEN STIR FRIES
• STRAINERS- EASY TO REMOVE THE FRIED FOOD

16. THANK YOU
COMPILED BY
CHEF MOHD ABDULLAH