Top10PopularChineseDishesonForeigners’Tables
Chinesefood,consideredtobethebiggestculturalexchangebetweenChinaandothercountries,isfamousforitscolors,aromaticflavorsandthevarietyofitsregionalcuisinesandingredients.Thefollowingtendishesareeachuniqueintheirownwayyettheyallhaveexquisiteflavors,wonderfulpresentationsanddeepculturalmeanings.中国菜色、香、味俱全,菜系发达,食材丰富,被誉为最好的中外文化交流大使。以下十道菜取材烹饪各有其道,却都口感上乘、外观精致、文化寓意深远。
FriedShrimpswithCashews腰果虾仁
ComparedwiththeheavytastesofSpicyTofu,thisdishisrelativelylight.Knownforbeingnutritious,good-lookingandtasty.FriedShrimpandCashewsissaidtoprotectthecardio-cerebral-vascularsystemandpreventcardiovasculardisease.Theshrimpisusuallysoftandeasilydigestibleandaccentedbythecashews.相比口味较重的麻辣豆腐,本品口感清淡,向以营养丰富、色泽诱人、美味可口著称。据说腰果虾仁能有效保护心脑血管系统,预防心脑血管疾病。虾仁肉质鲜嫩,易于消化,与酥脆的腰果同炒相得益彰。
Thedishiseasytocookathome.Therearetwoveryimportanttipsthatyoushouldfollow.First,iftheshrimpisabittoohard,onecanputflourinsideofthemtosoftenthemup.Second,oneknowswhenthecashewshavebeeninlongenoughoncetheystarttosinkinthehotwater.Theyshouldthenbefrieduntilgoldenyellow.腰果虾仁是道家常菜。烹饪时注意以下两点:第一,如果虾仁较老,可放些面粉,使之软嫩;第二,将腰果浸泡在热水中,一俟下沉,即可捞出炸至金黄。
MainIngredients:shrimp,cashewsandcelery.主要食材:虾仁、腰果、芹菜。
ChowMein炒面
ChowMeinisarichsourceofnutritionandhasmanyhealthbenefitsincludingimprovingdigestion,anemiaandimmunity.ExtremelypopularinChinaandallovertheworld,thisstir-friednoodledishcomesinmanyvarieties.CantoneseChowMeinisthemostfamousinWesterncountries.炒面营养丰富,有益健康,有促进消化、改善贫血、增强免疫力等功效。本品在全球都颇受欢迎,在中国尤为风靡。本品做法多样,在西方最为知名的是粤式炒面。
InAmericanChinesecuisine,ChowMeinconsistsofnoodles,meat,onionsandcelery.ItisservedasaspecificdishatwesternizedChineserestaurants.TheEastandWestCoastsoftheUnitedStatesdohavesomedifferencesinpreparationofthisdish.OntheEastCoast,ChowMeinisalmostalwayspreparedinthe“HongKong”styleandcrispy.OntheWestCoast,ChowMeinisalmostalwayssteamedandsoft.在美式中餐中,炒面用料有面条、肉、洋葱和芹菜等。这道菜被奉为西方中餐馆的特色菜。美国的东西海岸做法存在差异,东海岸的炒面类似港式,口感筋道,而西海岸大多采用蒸制,口感糯软。
MostrestaurantsinChinacookthisdishbydeepfryingthenoodles;thefastestwaytoobtainthebeautifulgoldenyellownoodlesassociatedwiththisaromaticdish.中国大多数餐馆会先将面条油炸,以最快方式使之呈现金黄色。
MainIngredients:noodlesandoil.主要食材:面条和食用油。
PekingDuck北京烤鸭
NowconsideredtobeoneofChina’sNationalFoods,thePekingDuckisprizedforitseloquenttasteandstunningpresentation.ThisfamousdishcanbefoundatrestaurantsallaroundBeijing.UpscalerestaurantstakethisdishsoseriouslythatsomeevenhavetheirownduckfarmsanduseonlyaspecialkindofduckfortheirspecificPekingDuckdish.北京烤鸭味道醇厚、色泽鲜亮,被誉为国菜,北京各大饭店均有供应。高档餐馆更是考究,甚至有自己的养鸭场,以特定品种的鸭子作为原材料,制作独具特色的北京烤鸭。
TheQuanjudeRestaurant,oneofthelargestroastduckrestaurantsinBeijing,ifnottheworld,openeditsdoorin1979.Filledtocapacity,Quanjudecanserveasmanyas5,000mealsaday.PekingDuckisfamousforitsthin,crispyskin,anditsdelectableandaromaticmeat,whichishighlypopularamongallforeigners,includingforeigncelebritiesandleaders.全聚德(和平门店)建于1979年,系北京乃至全球最大的烤鸭店之一。全聚德每天最多可提供5000桌供顾客用餐,北京烤鸭外皮薄脆,肉质细嫩,口味鲜美,受到很多外国友人的大力推崇,其中不乏社会名流、国际政要。
MainIngredients:duck,pancakeandgreenonions.主要食材:鸭肉、薄饼、大葱。
WonTonSoup馄饨
WonTonSoup,called“HunDun”inMandarin,isahighlywelcomingdishinChina.SinceChinaisanationofdiverseethnicgroupsanddifferentcultures,eachregionhastheirownshapesforwontons.Wontonsareusuallyboiledandservedinsoup,buttheycanalsobedeep-fried.馄饨在中国备受钟爱。中国民族众多,文化各异,因此各地馄饨外形各异。馄饨一般是煮熟带汤食用,也可以油炸。
Themostversatileshapeforwontonsisasimplerighttriangle.Madebyfoldingthewontoninhalfandpullingtogethertotwooppositecorners,wonton’sflatprofileallowsittobepan-friedlikeapotstickerinadditiontoitbeingboiledordeep-fried.馄饨最常见的形状是简单的直角三角形。制作时先将馄饨皮对折,再将对角捏合。此种馄饨外形扁平,因而可以煮制或油炸,亦可采用锅贴式做法,以平底锅煎制。
Manypeoplemixupwontonsanddumplings,buttherearethreemajordifferences.First,theyhavedifferentstartingshapes;wontonsmakeuseofa6cmsquareorisoscelestrapezoidbasewhiledumplingsusea7cmdiametercircularbase.Second,the“skin”usedforwontonsismuchthinnerthanthe“skin”usedfordumplings.Finally,wontonsarealwaysfoundinsoupswhiledumplingsaredippedincondimentsandsauces.很多人容易混淆馄饨和水饺,事实上两者有三大区别。其一,饺子皮与馄饨皮外形不同。馄饨皮为边长约6厘米的正方形或是底边长6厘米的等腰梯形;水饺皮为直径约7厘米的圆形。其二,两者有薄厚之别,馄饨皮远薄于水饺皮。其三,馄饨一般与汤一起供应,而水饺则是配以蘸料。
MainIngredients:pork,shrimp,vegetablesandgreenonions.主要食材:猪肉、虾、蔬菜、大葱。
Dumplings饺子
DuringtheSpringFestival,Chinesefamilieswillgettogetherandhavedumplingparties.ItissaidthatthedishwasinventedbyZhangZhongjing,oneofthefinestChinesephysiciansinhistory.Dumplingshavea1,800yearlonghistorywhichiswhyitisoneofthemostpopulartraditionalfoodsinChinaandextremelypopularinWesterncountries.每逢春节,中国人会全家团聚,一起吃饺子。据说饺子由东汉名医张仲景首创,距今已有1800年的历史。饺子是中国最受欢迎的传统美食之一,同时也受到西方人的大力追捧。
Theymaybecookedbyboiling,steaming,simmering,fryingorbaking.饺子的烹调方法主要有煮、蒸、炖、炸、烤等。
Dumplingsfeaturethinskin,softstuffing,anduniqueshapes.Dumplingstuffingsarevarious,includingpork,beef,cabbage,carrots,and/oronionsamongothers.Deepculturalmeaningsareusuallyassociatedwiththisdish,forexampledumplingsstuffedwithceleryiscalled“qincaijiao”inChinese,whichisahomophoneforthephrasethatmeans“hardworkingandlotsofwealth.”饺子皮薄馅松,造型独特。饺子馅料丰富,猪肉、牛肉、卷心菜、萝卜、洋葱等均可。饺子常有深刻的文化寓意,如用芹菜作为馅料的饺子称为芹菜饺,因“芹”“菜”分别与“勤”“财”谐音,寓意“勤劳和财富”。
MainIngredients:meats,vegetablesandflour.主要食材:肉类、蔬菜、面粉。
SpicyTofu(Mapodoufu)麻辣豆腐(麻婆豆腐)
SpicyTofu,knowninChineseas“mapodoufu”,isoneofthemostfamousdishesfromSichuancuisine.Thedishfeaturesthetrademark“hot”spicinessalongwiththecharacteristicallytongue-numbingnatureofSichuan’sflavorfulfood.麻辣豆腐,又称麻婆豆腐,是川菜中最有名的菜肴之一。食用后口舌俱麻,唇齿留辣,充分体现了川菜“麻辣”的特点。
SpicyTofucanbefoundinrestaurantsalloverChina,aswellasinSouthKoreaandJapan,wheretheflavorsareadaptedtolocaltastes.TheJapanesestylestillretainsthe“spiciness”,eventhoughspicyisnotthepreferredtasteinJapanesecuisine,andiscoupledwithJapaneserice.中国各地餐馆里均能见到麻婆豆腐。在韩国、日本也很常见,不过加入了当地风味。尽管日本料理不以“辣”见长,但日式做法仍然保留了这一特点,食用时通常搭配日本米饭。
MainIngredients:tofu(BeanCurd)andbeef.主要食材:豆腐、牛肉。
Egg-friedRice蛋炒饭
OriginallyfromChina’sancientwesternregions,egg-friedricehasnowbecomepartofChinesepeople’sdailycuisine.Famousforitsaromaticsmells,softtexturesandhandsomepresentation,onecaneasilyfindthispopulardishanywhereinChina,fromhighclasshotelstofamily-runrestaurantsonthestreet.蛋炒饭最早出现于中国西部地区,现今已经成为中国人的家常菜。本品香气扑鼻、质地松软、望之令人垂涎,在中国的高级酒店或街边小摊均能见到。
Whileitisfairlyeasytomake,therearesomepointsthatshouldbekeptinmind:useleft-overriceratherthannewly-cookedriceforbettertaste.Additionally,beforefrying,thericeshouldbechurnedup.本品烹饪方法虽然简单,仍有几点需要注意:为保证口感,用剩饭而不用新饭;炒前应充分搅拌。
MainIngredients:rice,eggsandoil.主要食材:大米、鸡蛋、食用油。
SpringRolls春卷
Springrollsareanappetizer,eateneitherfreshorfried.TheyareusuallyeatenduringtheSpringFestivalinChina,hencethename.Thedishbearsveryauspiciousmeaningsasitresemblesgoldbarsandpeopletendtolinkthemwithideasofwealth.Ofcourse,theyalsotastegood.春卷是道开胃点心,炸制或即食均可。本品通常在春节期间食用,因而得名春卷。春卷外观酷似金条,因而寓意财富。当然味道也很好。
MainIngredients:flour,pork,vegetablesandoil.主要食材:面粉、猪肉、蔬菜、食用油。
KungPao(GongBao)Chicken宫保鸡丁
KungPaoChickenisthemostfamousdishofGuizhoucuisine.ItispopularamongbothChineseandforeigners.AskaforeignertonamesomeofChinesedishes,KungPaoChickenwillbeoneofthem.宫保鸡丁是一道贵州名菜,颇受中外食客青睐。如果让外国人列举几道中国菜,宫保鸡丁一定包含在内。
ThedishisnamedafterDingBaozhen,alateQingDynastyofficial.BorninGuizhou,DingservedastheheadofShandongprovinceandlaterasthegovernorofSichuanprovince.Histitle,GongBao,orpalatialguardian,iswherethenameKungPaoChickenderives.这道菜以晚清名臣丁宝桢命名。丁宝桢原籍贵州,曾任山东巡抚,后任四川总督,逝世后被清廷追赠“太子太保”衔,世称“丁宫保”,本品也因此得名。
MainIngredients:chicken,dryredpeppersandpeanuts.主要食材:鸡肉、干辣椒、花生米。
SweetandSourPork咕咾肉/糖醋鸡
SweetandSourPorkisaChinesedishthatisparticularlypopularinCantonesecuisineandcanalsobefoundinZhejiangcuisine,Sichuancuisine,andShandongcuisine.Thedishisnowpopularallovertheworld.Withitsgreatlookandtaste,SweetandSourPorktakesthecakeamongforeigners’favoriteChinesedishes.咕咾肉是一道经典名菜,在浙菜、粤菜、川菜、鲁菜中都有一席之地,其中以粤菜做法最负盛名。现今这道菜闻名全球。本品酸甜可口、色泽诱人,是外国人最为青睐的中国菜肴之一。
MainIngredients:porktenderloin,soysauce,ketchup,salt,vinegar,bellpepperandonion.主要食材:猪里脊肉、酱油、番茄酱、食盐、醋、甜椒、洋葱。