Two Low Carb Chinese Recipes

lemon Chicken - Poto: Pxhere

Chinese cooking can be very healthy as it contains low carb as well as low-fat dishes.  Today, I am sharing with you two low carb Chinese recipes for Chinese green beans and Chinese lemon chicken, a classic in Chinese cooking.

Low Carb Recipe of Chinese Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 pkg frozen green beans -- (16 ounces) 500g

1 pkg chicken broth -- dry crystals

1 bunch scallion

2 lg garlic bulb

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp Splenda

1 tbsp peanut butter -- creamy

1/8 tsp sesame oil -- Chinese

Directions:

In a 2-quart 2 liter microwave-safe casserole dish, combine green beans and broth granules. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, slice white bulbs of scallion into rings and mine garlic. In a small bowl, combine ginger, soy sauce, and SPLENDA. Add scallion rings and garlic. Set aside. Remove green beans from microwave and uncover. Pour sauce over beans and stir. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and sesame oil until sauce coats the beans and serves immediately. Make 6 servings

Nutritional information, per serving (excluding unknown items): 

52 Calories; 2g Fat (29.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 143mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

Low Carb Recipe of Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Dry sherry 

4 green (Spring) onions, chopped

1 Piece of root ginger, shredded

500g (1 pound) boned chicken, cut into 1 inch strips

2 Celery sticks, sliced

125g (4oz) button mushrooms, quartered

1 Green pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced

2 tablespoons Light soy sauce

Shredded rind of 2 lemons

A few lemon slices to garnish

2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions:

Put the sherry, spring onions and ginger in a bowl. Add the chicken, toss well to coat, then leave to marinate in the bowl for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan.  Add the celery, mushrooms, and the green pepper and stir-fry for one minute. Add the chicken and marinade, then cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and lemon rind then cook for a further minute.  

To serve, pile into a warmed serving dish and garnish with lemon slices. Makes 4 to 6 servings.  Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Nutritional information, per serving 

294 Calories; 6g Fat (20.0% calories from fat); 53g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 144mg Cholesterol; 346mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat.

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The History of Chinese Cuisine

Chinese Meal - Photo: Wikimedia

In China, food and its preparation have been developed so highly that it has reached the status of an art form.  Rich and poor, the Chinese people consider that delicious and nutritious food is a basic necessity.  There is an old Chinese saying “Food is the first necessity of the people”.  

This art has been cultivated and refined over hundreds of years.  Legend has it that the culture of Chinese cuisine originated in the 15th century BC during the Shang dynasty and was originally introduced by Yi Yin, it’s first Prime Minister.  

The two dominant philosophies of Chinese culture both had extreme influences on the political and economic history of the country but it is less well known that they also influenced the development of the culinary arts.

Confucius emphasized the artistic and social aspects of cookery and eating.   The Chinese don’t gather together without involving food - it is considered to be poor etiquette to invite friends to your home without providing appropriate food.

Confucius established standards of cooking and table etiquette, most of which remain to this day.  The most obvious example of this is the cutting of bite-sized pieces of meat and vegetables during the course of the food preparation in the kitchen, rather than using a knife at the table which is not considered to be good manners.

Confucius also encouraged the blending of ingredients and flavourings to become a cohesive dish, rather than tasting the individual components.  Harmony was his priority.  He believed and taught that without harmony of ingredients there could be no taste.  He also emphasized the importance of presentation and the use of colour, texture and decoration of a dish.  Most importantly, cooking became an art rather than a task to be endured and certainly, he was instrumental in promulgating the philosophy of “live to eat” rather than “eat to live”.

On the other hand, Tao encouraged research into the nourishment aspects of food and cookery.  Rather than concentrating on taste and appearance, Taoists were more interested in the life-giving properties of food.

Centuries on, the Chinese have discovered the health-giving properties of all sorts of roots, herbs, fungus and plants.  They have taught the world that the nutritional value of vegetables is destroyed by over-cooking (particularly boiling) and in addition have found that things with a great flavour also have medicinal value.

Home cooked Chinese food is extremely healthy, even though much of it is fried.  This is due to the use of polyunsaturated oils (used only once and discarded) and the exclusion of dairy products.  In addition, the inclusion of animal fat is minimal because portions of meat are small.

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Two Low Carb Chinese Recipes

Chinese Green Beans - Photo: Pxhere

Chinese cooking can be very healthy as it contains low carb as well as low-fat dishes.  Today, I am sharing with you two low carb Chinese recipes for Chinese green beans and Chinese lemon chicken, a classic in Chinese cooking.

Low Carb Recipe for Chinese Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg frozen green beans -- (16 ounces) 500g
• 1 pkt chicken broth -- dry crystals
• 1 bunch scallion
• 2 lg garlic bulb
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp Splenda
• 1 tbsp peanut butter -- creamy
• 1/8 tsp sesame oil -- Chinese

Directions:

In a 2-quart 2 litre microwave-safe casserole dish, combine green beans and broth granules. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, slice white bulbs of scallion into rings and mine garlic. In a small bowl, combine ginger, soy sauce and SPLENDA. Add scallion rings and garlic. Set aside. Remove green beans from microwave and uncover. Pour sauce over beans and stir. Cover and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and sesame oil until sauce coats the beans and serves immediately. Make 6 servings

Nutritional information, per serving (excluding unknown items): 

52 Calories; 2g Fat (29.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 143mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat.

Low Carb Recipe for Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Dry sherry 
• 4 green (Spring) onions, chopped
• 1 A piece of root ginger, shredded
• 500g (1 pound) boned chicken, cut into 1 inch strips
• 2 Celery sticks, sliced
• 125g (4oz) button mushrooms, quartered
• 1 Green pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
• 2 tablespoons Light soy sauce
• Shredded rind of 2 lemons
• A few lemon slices to garnish
• 2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying

Directions:

Put the sherry, spring onions and ginger in a bowl. Add the chicken, toss well to coat, then leave to marinate in the bowl for 15 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan.  Add the celery, mushrooms, and the green pepper and stir-fry for one minute. Add the chicken and marinade, then cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and lemon rind then cook for a further minute.  

To serve, pile into a warmed serving dish and garnish with lemon slices. Makes 4 to 6 servings.  Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Nutritional information, per serving 

294 Calories; 6g Fat (20.0% calories from fat); 53g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 144mg Cholesterol; 346mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 7 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 0 Fat.

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6 Steps for a Perfect Wok

Wok - Photo: Pixabay

A wok can last a lifetime with the proper care.  This includes occasionally seasoning it, as well as properly storing it.  Luckily, both are very easy to do and can be done in just a few minutes.  Follow this step-by-step guide that will teach you one of the steps of proper wok care - seasoning it.

It’s important that you do NOT follow these instructions for a wok with a non-stick coating.  

Following these instructions will damage the non-stick coating.

Seasoning a Wok

1. Rinse the wok in hot water and some heavy duty soap (e.g. kitchen cleaner or comet).
2. Place the wok on the stove over a high heat.
3. Heat the wok until the bottom of the wok becomes a dark bluish color (about twenty minutes).  Rotate the wok on its side and burn similarly until entire wok is dark bluish.
4. Cooldown wok until room temperature.
5. Fold a paper towel, and soak it with cooking oil (such as peanut or corn oil).
6. Spread the oil all over the inside of the wok.  Make sure to completely cover the interior of the wok with oil.  The wok will now be ready to use.

In the beginning, you will need to season the wok very frequently, after every use is best.  When the food begins to stick to the surface of the wok, it may be time to re-season your wok.  Eventually, a thin layer of oil will begin to permanently set into the wok.  After this happens, you will not really have to worry too much about seasoning it again.  From time to time the seasonings on the surface of the wok will be depleted, and it will be necessary to re-season the wok.

Both seasoning and storing your wok are important in keeping your wok in excellent shape.  If you happen to get a little rust on it, don’t worry about it too much.  Try to lightly brush it away, but, otherwise, just re-season the wok and continue using it.  Other than that, use your wok often to develop a tasty seasoning on it to enhance your flavors.

Author: Ala Luke

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Cantonese Regional Cuisine

Cantonese cuisine little bowl rice (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Easily the most well-known of the Chinese regional cuisines, Cantonese cuisine comes from the region around Canton in Southern China. Simple spices and a wide variety of foods used in cooking characterize Cantonese cuisine. Of all the Chinese regions, Canton (Guangdong province) has the most available food resources. Its proximity to the sea offers a veritable marine cornucopia to be added to its dishes, making possible such delicate matings as Seven Happiness, a dish that includes shrimp, scallops, fish and lobster along with chicken, beef and pork. The light, delicate sauce, quick cooking and subtle spicing allows the natural flavours to shine through rather than being overwhelmed and blending together.

The spices used in Cantonese cooking tend to be light and simple: ginger, salt, soy sauce, white pepper, spring onion and rice wine. For many who are used to the more rich, spicy and complex flavours of Hunan and Szechwan cooking, Cantonese cooking may seem bland – but the subtle blends of flavour and aroma are created by the hand of a master chef.

All Chinese cuisine takes far more into account than the flavour of a dish. Chinese cooking is a presentation of texture, colour, shape and aroma with even the name of the dish contributing to its overall presentation. In true Oriental fashion, a meal is a poetry, with every part of it contributing to the overall effect. Chinese courtesy demands that a guest is treated with honour, and to present a guest with anything less than perfection is the height of rudeness.

As an honour to guests, freshness is one of the ultimate ‘ingredients’ in Cantonese regional cooking. In many restaurants, guests can choose their meal from a seafood tank in the dining room. It’s not unusual for a patron to be brought a live fish or crab at the table as proof of the freshness of the meal about to be prepared. Vegetables are likewise fresh, crisp and sweet, and the quick cooking methods preserve each flavour separately to play against the others.

Light sauces with subtle seasonings bring out the natural sweetness of seafood – but the Cantonese chef will only use the very freshest seafood in those dishes. For ‘stale’ seafood, Cantonese cuisine offers thick, spicy sauces meant to mask the characteristic odour of fish. Pungent/sweet dishes like sweet and sour butterfly shrimp might be served this way.

There are few Cantonese desserts that are indigenous to the region, though many restaurants serve a mango based pudding or tapioca. Most meals are served with plain boiled rice and accompanied by either tea or rice wine.

Wherever in the world you are, you’re likely to find restaurants that serve Cantonese cuisine. It has been carried across the world by emigrants from the Guangdong province, and its light, delicate flavours are easy on the Western palate. To truly appreciate it though, takes more than the taste buds. Cantonese cuisine is a treat for the eyes and the nose as much as for the mouth. Appreciate it.

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CHINESE RECIPE of Beef With Broccoli

Beef With Broccoli is a classic when it comes to chinese cooking.  It makes a perfect plate for almost all occasions.

Beef with broccoli (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb (375 g) lean beef, sliced thinly into bite-sized pieces

Marinade for Beef:

1 egg

1/3 tsp (1.5 mL) salt

1 Tbsp (15 mL) cooking wine

1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch (corn flour)

2 Tbsp water

1 1/2 Tbsp (20 mL) oil

1 1/2 lb (750 g) broccoli, flowerets removed, slice on the diagonal into thin slices

1 cup (250 mL) cooking oil

2 1/2 Tbsp (30 mL) oyster sauce

2 Tbsp (25 mL) light soy sauce

3/4 Tbsp (10 mL) dark soy sauce

1 Tbsp (15 mL) sugar

a few drops of sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth

2 Tbsp cornstarch (if desired)

Directions:

Slice beef and mix together marinade ingredients. Add marinade to beef and marinate for thirty minutes. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil to beef, mix in thoroughly, and marinate beef for another thirty minutes. While beef is marinating, prepare the vegetables.

Heat wok and add 1 cup of oil. When oil is ready, add beef and stir-fry until it is nearly cooked. Remove beef and set aside on a plate. Drain the wok and wipe clean with a paper towel.

Add 1/2 cup water to wok. Bring the water to a boil and add the broccoli. Cover and cook until broccoli is cooked through. Drain the wok.

Heat wok and add oil (about 2 tablespoons). Add the garlic and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add vegetables and beef and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the wok and add the sauce ingredients. Add cornstarch, stirring to thicken. Mix sauce together with other ingredients. Serve hot. Serves 3 to 4

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CHINESE Noodle RECIPES

Chinese noodle recipes can be very fun to make and the entire family can get involved. Many Chinese noodle recipes call for fresh homemade noodles.

Misua Chinese noodles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These are very easy to make. They usually use wheat or rice flour mixed with water and maybe some egg or milk (depending on the recipe) and then they get rolled out and cut.

Of course, before you start on a recipe that calls for these types of noodles, you might want a recipe for the noodles themselves.

These are in most cookbooks and all over the Internet. You should be able to find the perfect one in just minutes.

In addition to rice, noodles are very important to Chinese culture and are a part of many different types of Chinese recipe.

From very easy dishes that are just noodles, meat, vegetables and sauce to complex dishes that use very specific types of noodles, they are usually delicious.

Noodles are typically boiled after they are made. Sometimes, a recipe might call for them to be fried in some kind of oil until they are crispy.

Chinese noodles cook a lot faster than Italian pasta because the ingredients are different and the shapes vary greatly.

The boiled noodles can be used in soups, stir fry, with a hearty sauce, or almost anything. Noodles can also be substituted for rice in many different dishes.

You can always buy noodles from the store or an Asian market for your cooking and this decreases the time you will spend in the kitchen and is a lot less mess.

For families with kids, making the noodles from scratch can be a fun bonding experience and might help get your kids interested in all types of cooking.

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CANTONESE Regional Cuisine

Easily the most well-known of the Chinese regional cuisines, Cantonese cuisine comes from the region around Canton in Southern China. Simple spices and a wide variety of foods used in cooking characterize Cantonese cuisine. Of all the Chinese regions, Canton (Guangdong province) has the most available food resources. Its proximity to the sea offers a veritable marine cornucopia to be added to its dishes, making possible such delicate matings as Seven Happiness, a dish that includes shrimp, scallops, fish and lobster along with chicken, beef and pork. The light, delicate sauce, quick cooking and subtle spicing allows the natural flavors to shine through rather than being overwhelmed and blending together.

Cantonese cuisine little bowl rice
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The spices used in Cantonese cooking tend to be light and simple: ginger, salt, soy sauce, white pepper, spring onion and rice wine. For many who are used to the more rich, spicy and complex flavors of Hunan and Szechwan cooking, Cantonese cooking may seem bland – but the subtle blends of flavor and aroma are created by the hand of a master chef.

All Chinese cuisine takes far more into account than the flavor of a dish. Chinese cooking is a presentation of texture, color, shape and aroma with even the name of the dish contributing to its overall presentation. In true Oriental fashion, a meal is poetry, with every part of it contributing to the overall effect. Chinese courtesy demands that a guest be treated with honor, and to present a guest with anything less than perfection is the height of rudeness.

As an honor to guests, freshness is one of the ultimate ‘ingredients’ in Cantonese regional cooking. In many restaurants, guests can choose their meal from a seafood tank in the dining room. It’s not unusual for a patron to be brought a live fish or crab at the table as proof of the freshness of the meal about to be prepared. Vegetables are likewise fresh, crisp and sweet, and the quick cooking methods preserve each flavor separately to play against the others.

Light sauces with subtle seasonings bring out the natural sweetness of seafood – but the Cantonese chef will only use the very freshest seafood in those dishes. For ‘stale’ seafood, Cantonese cuisine offers thick, spicy sauces meant to mask the characteristic odor of fish. Pungent/sweet dishes like sweet and sour butterfly shrimp might be served this way.

There are few Cantonese desserts that are indigenous to the region, though many restaurants serve a mango based pudding or tapioca. Most meals are served with plain boiled rice, and accompanied by either tea or rice wine.

Wherever in the world you are, you’re likely to find restaurants that serve Cantonese cuisine. It has been carried across the world by emigrants from the Quangdong province, and its light, delicate flavors are easy on the Western palate. To truly appreciate it though, takes more than the taste buds. Cantonese cuisine is a treat for the eyes and the nose as much as for the mouth. Appreciate it.

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