The Art of Mixing is an expert’s roadmap through the fascinating world of Chinese food mixes. For the connoisseur, when combining various foods, the purpose is to enhance the taste, shape and appearance of the main ingredient and the finished dish. In this article, the cook is encouraged to creatively substitute when following a recipe, to come up with her own combinations. However, it is clear that not all mixes are ideal; and that certain principles, declared or installed, are at work when the Chinese cook decides precisely which vegetable to use and in what quantity to transform, say, a handful of shrimp into a masterpiece.
Roast beef, grilled steak, fried chicken are “self-contained” dishes that require little or no mixing; goal has
The Chinese menu covers the entire gamut of cooking methods, and a single dish can bring together four to seven different foods. Variations lead to the constant creation of new dishes, which explains the many cooking schools in China.
Westerners are always surprised to find that lobster and chicken livers make an excellent combination. Or that
poultry, pork, and seafood go well together. Chicken and ham complement each other miraculously. How are these decisions made? The scientific mind can deduce some underlying rules that cover most cases.
The plant kingdom
The heart of the mixing problem is deciding what will mix well with the meat. No Chinese would think of mixing
Two types of “red” meats, such as veal with lamb or lamb with pork. They just don’t seem to mix, perhaps because they all belong to the family of land animals, unlike birds and fish. Better weddings are made by going beyond a field. The plant kingdom is the richest source of culinary partners.
The basic vegetables in Chinese cuisine are:
Bamboo shoots
green beans
Snow peas
Green peas or peas
Mushrooms, dried or fresh
Green peppers
Bean sprouts
Broccoli stalks
Chinese broccoli (gai laan choy), whose leaves can also be used
Asparagus tips
Swede
Cabbage
Onions
Water chestnuts
Eggplant (aubergine)
Turnips
Almonds
Bean curd
Chinese Pickled Mustard Plant (called Gay Choy Pickled or Salted)
Notice the omission of carrots, cucumbers, and cauliflower. The Chinese eat them, but generally as separate dishes rather than in mixes. A carrot is too sweet to mix with Chinese food, except when using a “sweet and sour” sauce. Cucumbers have a high water content that would make the mixture too thick. Cauliflower cannot be easily cut into slices, strips, or cubes needed for quick cooking and to match the size and shape of other ingredients.
The two queens among the mixers are the bamboo shoots and the water chestnuts. They act as catalysts, uniting the flavors of whatever they are combined with, without having too much of their own flavor. Its texture is perfect. Bamboo shoots work especially well in stir-fry mixes (ch ao) or in stews (mun). Sliced water chestnut is a desirable ingredient in chop suey that makes the difference, indeed, between a mediocre vegetable dish and a very fine one. Chopped water chestnut is great in meatballs and even better paired with chopped shrimp.