If fried chicken and deep dish pizza are staples for your family, cooking light may sound very hard to do. However, the key to cooking light is not to make a big deal about it. Do not tell your family that they will never have fast food again or that they can only snack on [...]

The humble dumpling. In Western-style cuisine it is a simple staple, a source of carbohydrates and great comfort food. Done Chinese style, it is a work of culinary art. Jiao Zi (or Gow Gee, in the Mandarin dialect) is a concoction made of dough stuffed with meat and/or vegetables. It is often served as part [...]

Canton style cuisine is varied and cosmopolitan. Characterized by gentle spices, fresh ingredients and slow, careful preparation it may not seem to be the best choice for a restaurant. Yet, Cantonese retains its status as a favorite of millions. Originating from the Guangdong province in China, this style of cooking provides a menu that contains [...]

As anyone who has been to a Chinese restaurant knows, chopsticks are the traditional implements for eating Chinese dishes. But far from being difficult and inefficient, they’re actually very versatile. They require a moderate amount of technique and practice, but in short order anyone can learn to use them well.
Chopsticks have been in use for [...]

There’s nothing quite like spending time in the outdoors with family and friends when the weather gets nice. From picnics and camping to ballgames and back yard barbeque’s, whenever the sun shines, people want to be outside. One thing you can count on when enjoying these activities is that eventually, everyone is going to get [...]

Many people today are looking to improve their health. Obviously, this has to start with how we cook and eat. For most people, their daily diet consists of a large amount of fat, sugar and sodium. With more and more processed foods becoming available, this trend will only get worse. To stay healthy, people have [...]

Most times in the fall when pumpkins are harvested for pies, bread or for Halloween decorations, the seeds are routinely discarded. However, knowing the many different methods of cooking pumpkin seeds can provide a healthy snack. One of the simplest methods used for cooking pumpkin seeds is to place them on a baking sheet and [...]

Years ago most cooks used their memory when cooking and cooking measurements was something of a guess. A dash of this and a pinch of that usually described the amount of a dry ingredient used in a recipe. Depending on where you live and what you are cooking, measurements are typically given in teaspoons, tablespoons [...]

The first of each year often leaves us looking for ways to streamline overextended budgets and expanded waistlines, too. Fortunately, eggs can help us mend budget excesses and get back into the groove of healthful eating.
Despite the fact that eggs provide the highest quality protein of any food, they’re a real protein bargain. It’s easy [...]

Tea has been cultivated in China for many centuries. In Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries tea was largely limited to royal houses. But the liquid made from the camellia sinensis bush has always been consumed by everyone in China. Whether as a quick pick me up or as part of an elaborate ritual, [...]

Peking Duck is by far the most well-known recipe hailing from the royal courts of China. For hundreds of years prior to the 20th century the finest chefs in the land would train for years to prepare this delicacy. They knew their lives depended on doing it right. While the stakes may be lower today, [...]

Many Westerners think of dim sum as a small dumpling with meat in sweet sauce inside. Indeed, that is one popular type. But dim sum is not a particular recipe, but a way of serving that entails dozens of choices. Carts roll by the table that hold a dazzling array of taste treats.
Even in the [...]

Noodles are, to indulge an obvious pun, a staple of Chinese dishes. Whether Cantonese or Mandarin, Hunan or Szechuan, some type of noodle is almost always found in breakfast, lunch or dinner recipes. Rice grains are more commonly associated with Chinese dishes. But, in fact, noodles are nearly always present in some form. They have [...]

Among some, Chinese food is regarded as a magical key to health. They point to the lower incidence of heart disease and certain cancers among the Chinese. Others contend that the average Chinese meal is a nutritional disaster, citing high levels of sodium, fat and calories. Not surprisingly, both these extreme views overlook a number [...]

Fats and oils are a standard part of the food pyramid, and they are used in many delicious recipes.  They can add a lot of flavor and taste to simple meals.  There are many different kinds of oil that can be used in cooking, each of them with a different purpose and taste.  One of [...]

Mexican cooking is delicious and it is often the food of choice when you need a quick bite on the go as it is highly portable. However healthy eating is not always associated with Mexican cooking, the use of lard and bacon fat in a lot of Mexican dishes makes it unhealthy. If you would [...]

It used to be the pure passion for cooking was enough to get you started on the path to being a professional chef.  Not anymore!  The cooking field has become so competitive, meaning that now a degree is usually required in order to be successful.  This is just one of the many reasons why cooking [...]

Cooking Recipe #1: Chick Pea and Corn Salad
Ingredients:
1 can of ready to eat chick peas or garbanzo beans
1 small packet of frozen corn
½ a can of tamarind paste (available in the Indian or ethnic foods store or section of your grocery store)
Coarsely ground red chilies
Coarsely ground and roasted cumin seeds
Salt
Finely chopped tomatoes
Finely chopped onions
Finely chopped [...]

Chinese dining traditions go back thousands of years. The elaborate customs are an interesting mixture of practicality, superstition and social inertia. Westerners aren’t expected to know the details but, as with learning a bit of the local language, it always helps. Following them will make for an enjoyable new experience and bring pleasure to a [...]

In many cultures, eating is a means of providing sustenance for the body. That is true in Chinese cuisine as well, of course. But for the Chinese, dining is a much larger part of life. It is an art used as part of a celebration, even when attached to no special event.
Westerners today often spend [...]