One of the most
remarkable aspects of Chinese cooking is the
approach to vegetables. They are of the utmost
importance. This emphasis is due partly to the
influence of Buddhist monks, who established strict
vegetarian rules. Small wonder this resulted in the
development of extraordinary skill in preparing
vegetables.
The main difference
between the Chinese method of cooking vegetables are
cooked only long enough to bring out all their
qualities of crispness, tenderness and brightness of
color. The vegetables are served raw; even in
salads, the vegetables will usually be cooked
briefly.
Cutting is of the
utmost importance in the preparation of vegetables.
Vegetables are cut, blanched and parboiled in such a
way that the final cooking can be completed at one
time, even though the textures of the individual
vegetables differ greatly. the soft leafy vegetables
require less cooking than the tougher ones.
|
