Red cooking
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In Chinese cooking, Red cooking (also Chinese stewing, red stewing red braising and flavour potting) is a slow braising cooking technique that imparts a red color to the prepared food.
There are two types of red cooking: hóng shāo (Traditional Chinese: 紅燒; Simplified Chinese: 红烧) which can be done in less than 20 minutes and usually does not require much water. And lǔ (Traditional Chinese: 滷; Simplified Chinese: 卤; pinyin: lǔ) which usually requires prolonged cooking of up to several hours and the items must be submerged in the cooking liquid.
Red cooking is popular throughout most of northern, eastern, and southeastern China. The name is derived from the dark red-brown colour of the cooked items and its sauce.
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[edit] Types
Soy sauce (either combination of light and dark soy sauce), fermented bean paste, or caramelized sugar is commonly used to give an appetizing reddish brown hue and flavour to the items being cooked. Adding coloring is unnecessary. Both lu and hong shao red cooking are forms of stewing or braising and are characterized by the use of soy sauce, Chinese rice wine e.g. Shaoxing wine, huangjiu and caramelized sugar. Whole spices (star anise, black cardamom (caoguo), cassia, and/or fennel seeds) or five-spice powder are crucial elements in these dishes but are used in moderation so that their flavours do not overwhelm the main ingredients.
Red-cooked stews may be meat-heavy or contain a variety of meat, vegetables, and hard-boiled eggs. Such dishes may be served hot or cold, and the sauce or stock is often re-used.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food, Charmaine Solomon, 1998, Tuttle, ISBN 9625934170
- Chinese Cooking for Dummies, Martin Yan, 2000, For Dummies, ISBN 0764552473
- Martin Yan's Invitation to Chinese Cooking, Martin Yan, 2000, Bay Books, ISBN 1579595049
- Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (Modern Chinese Dictionary), Shang Wu Press, Beijing, 1996, ISBN 7100017777
