Home and Kitchen

Mother’s Day Brunch Tips

The best gift for mother’s day is a homemade brunch. No matter what you are going to cook for, you know that she will love it. Breakfast is the most important meal of a day and our moms are always the most important people in our lives.

There are some tips for a mother’s day brunch.

1. Do some basic planning before you actually start.
2. Avoid dietary restrictions and food allergies before design the menu.
3. Prepare some brunch cocktails to share with your mom.
4. Don’t forget get some flowers for your dear mom.

It is still not too late to get your mom surprised, here are some best selected recipes for a quick and easy mother’s day brunch.

Strawberry Crisp

This gluten-free strawberry crisp has a mix of walnuts, almonds, pecans. The flavors and texture of the taste really stand out with only nuts on top of it. You could add some honey to make it sweeter or a tablespoon of frozen yogurt on top to get a smooth taste. It is a good choice for a mother’s day brunch.

If you ever have the chance to travel through China, you will likely experience one or more of its major cuisines. There are eight different major cuisines types in China, their unique attributes are formed by a combination of geographical differences, cultural shifts, and availability of produce and resources through out the different regions. As a general rule of thumb, rice is main staple food in southern China, as the warmer and wetter south makes it more ideal for its growth. On the other hand, dumplings and noodles are more commonly consumed in the drier, colder north.

Many of these cuisines may be unfamiliar with the Western palate. Today, we describe each of the cuisines in detail, so you can see which ones you have already checked off your list, and which ones you still have to try.

Short Summary of Eight Chinese Cuisines

• Sichuan and Hunan cuisines: hot spice.
• Anhui and Fujian cuisines: inclusion of wild foods from their mountains.
• Guangdong (Cantonese), Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu: great seafood, and generally sweet and light flavors.
• Shandong Cuisine: fresh and salty with a lot of seafood dishes.

Introduction of Eight Chinese Cuisines

1. SICHUAN CUISINE

The most widely-adapted Chinese cuisine into Western society (and often referred to as “Szechuan” or “Szechuanese,”) Sichuan cuisine is known for big, bold flavors and an undeniable spicy taste. Common flavor enhancers include peppers, garlic, ginger, and peanuts. Sichuan cuisine is unique in its abundant use of peppercorns, which cause a tingly and numbing sensation in the mouth. You might want to keep cold water handy to rinse away the fire.

Representative dish: MaPo Tofu, Hot pot, Kung Pao Chicken

2. SHANDONG CUISINE

Salty and flavorful, Shandong Cuisine favors slow braising as a technique and adds in a ton of shallots, scallions and garlic. Shandong cuisine has the longest history of all the eight cuisine types, and was once the favored cuisine of the royal court. Due to Shandong’s proximity to the ocean, many of its most famous dishes have seafood as the central ingredient.

Representative dish: Sweet and Sour Carp

3. JIANGSU CUISINE

Originating from the temperature zone in China from cities such as SuZhou, Nanjing, and and Yang Zhou, Jiangsu cuisine features a balanced approach to flavor. Its tastes are sweet and salty, mild and soothing to the stomach. The term “red braised” is a cooking method that is dominant in this region. It results in a sweet and salty, caramelized flavor.

Representative dish: Red-braised meatballs

4. ZHEJIANG CUISINE

A vast and diverse cuisine that makes heavy use of oil and condiments for strong flavor, Zhejiang Cuisine is unique in its use of techniques such as quick-frying, stir-frying,braising, and smoking. The region produces freshwater fish and shrimps, which are usually cooked to be crispy yet tender.

Representative dish: West lake vinegar fish

5. ANHUI CUISINE

Developed in the Huangshan Mountains, Anhui cuisine makes use of plenty of wild plants and animals. Ham is often added to dishes as a flavor enhancer, and rock candy added for additional sweetness. Steaming and braising is a common technique, so Anhui cuisine is typically lighter in flavor compared to some of the other cuisine types.

Representative dish: Steamed Frog and Mushroom, Crispy Rice

6. GUANGDONG CUISINE

Have you ever had dim sum which originated from Guangdong cuisine? Most commonly known as Cantonese cuisine, Guangdong chefs focus on using the freshest ingredients to create a light, clean dish that showcase natural flavors. Guangdong cuisine tends to be sweeter, favoring techniques such as braising and stewing.

Representative dish: Dim Sum

7. FUJIAN CUISINE

Thanks to its proximity to the sea, Fujian Cuisine became known for fresh seafood and seafood based soups. Fujianese chefs tend to use wine in their cooking, leading to a “pickled” taste for many dishes. A famous Fujianese dish is called Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, which includes abalone, shark fin, sea cucumber, scallops, bamboo shoots, and Shaoxing wine. However, with the controversy in shark-finning, more chefs are choosing to omit that particular ingredient.

Representative dish: Buddha Jumping Over the Wall

8. HUNAN CUISINE

Similar to Sichuan cuisine, Hunan cuisine is hot, hot, hot. Dried chilies provide much of the spicy flavor, and often lead to bright red colored dishes. Many American favorites such as Orange Beef and Crispy Duck all originate from Hunan.

Representative dish: General Tso’s Chicken

China is rich in tourist attractions. Delicious foods are an attraction indispensable in a good tour. With a long history, unique features, numerous recipes and exquisite cooking, Chinese cuisine is one important constituent part of Chinese culture.

Cold winters and dry summers make for a short growing season in northern part of China. Wheat is the staple grain and root vegetables such as garlic, green onion and potatoes frequently appeared in northern Chinese dishes. Beijing, the capital city of China as well as the acient seat of the Imperial Court – has a long history of incorporated the best of regional cuisines throughout China into the dishes. Here are the 10 most common recipes representing Beijing cuisine:

Mu Shu Pork Recipe

One of the most popular stir-fried recipes in nothern China, Mu Shu Pork is thought to resemble a wooded forest scene, with earthy vegetables such as green onions, and scrambled egg representing yellow flowers, all rolled into small, thin pancakes instead of being served over rice.

Peking Duck Recipe

Peking duck is an iconic Beijing dish, consisting of thin pieces of tender, roasted duck meat and crispy skin wrapped in a thin crepe, along with sliced spring onions, cucumbers, and hoisin sauce or sweet bean sauce, each containing an equal portion of skin and fat.

Mandarin Pancakes (Spring Roll Wrappers) Recipe

Mandarin pancakes are enjoyed in Chinese dishes, such as Peking duck and moo shu pork. They can be made at home with a hot water dough, but are also available in the frozen section of Asian markets.

Mongolian Lamb Recipe

Stir-fry is a Chinese cooking skill in which food are fried in a small amount of hot oil while being stirred in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West countries. Many claim that this fast, hot cooking seals in the taste of the foods, as well as preserving their color. Here are some tips of how to do it currectly at home:

1. Make sure you have prepared all the ingredients and seasonings you need.
2. Before you start, make sure all the ingredients are cut according to the directions . Never try to do things while you stir-frying because stir-frying is a very quick and focusing cooking method. The whole process uses the highest heat on your wok and that’s why you shouldn’t try to prepare or cut food while you’re stir-frying.
3. Cut all the ingredients the same size. Because stir-fry is a speedy cooking method the whole time while you stir-frying you have to use the strongest heat to quickly cook the food. So it’s important to keep the food size around equal. For instance, if you stir-fry pork with vegetable, try to cut them in equal size, like julienned, slice or cubes.
4. Cut all the food into bite-sized pieces generally for instance cooking.
5. Pre-heat the wok for about 30 seconds before adding oil.
6. Add the oil (up to 2 to 3 tablespoons depending on the dish; you can use peanut, vegetable, sunflower or olive oil), drizzling it so that it covers both the sides and the bottom of the wok. The oil heats faster this way.
7. You can stir fry the garlic, spring onion, chili and ginger and these kinds of ingredient first to season and help the fragrance comes out first.
   But be careful not to burn any of these ingredients as it will make your food taste bitter.
8. In some of the recipes, you need to stir-fry the meat first and set it aside. This procedure is a bit like in western cooking where you seal the meat in a hot pan to lock the juices of the meat inside the meat.
   Add the meat back when the vegetable is nearly cooked and cook it all the way through. This procedure can lock the juice in the meat and also make sure you have not overcooked the vegetables.
9. Meat is normally stir-fried at a high heat to seal in the juices (depends on different recipes).
10. Never add more than a cup of meat at a time to the wok. Lay the meat out flat to cook. Never over crowd the ingredients when you stir-fry.
11. Remove the meat from the wok when it changes colour. For example when the redness in the beef is gone. At this point the meat is approximately 80 percent cooked.
12. Stir-fry vegetables according to density, with the densest vegetables being stir-fried first and for the longest time. Denser vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and eggplant require more cooking time than green leafy vegetables like bok choy.
13. If you’re uncertain about the order in which to stir-fry vegetables, the simplest solution is to stir-fry them together.
14. If possible, wash the vegetable ahead of time to ensure that they have drained and are not too wet.
15. Alternately, if the vegetables are too dry, try adding a few drops of water while stir-frying (personally not recommand this method if you are a beginner).
16. When you cook vegetables that need a longer time to cook, for example Frech beans, stir-fry them first for about 10 minutes then add ½ to 1 cup of vegetable stock, chicken stock or water into the wok to cook the vegetables.

    Use a medium high heat to cook the vegetables until the stock is nearly dry.

17. When stir-frying meat, wait a few seconds before stirring so that it has a chance to brown; when stir-frying vegetables, begin stirring them immediately.
18. Once the dish is cooked, taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
19. Serve the stir-fried dish immediately.

Finally, a few words about cooking temperatures. Some recipes give instructions on whether to cook a dish at high, medium-high, or medium heat, but others don’t. In Chinese cooking, stir-fry should remain high heat and you should adjust it with your own stove.

Chinese Recipes Are Actually Extremely Simple

Most of the Chinese recipes are quick and easy to cook. You can find main ingredients at local markets, while others may need to visit an Asian markets. You don’t have to be worry if an ingredient is not available because they are versatile.

Why Chinese recipes is easy to make? It takes only minutes to make a stir-fries receipe. The rest like soups and stews, take longer time to cook. However it includes just a few simple steps. This gives you much free time while the food is simmering.

No matter you’re a biginner with some interests in Chinese recipes or just want to save time in kitchen, you will find some good ideas.

Egg Fried Rice

One of the first Chinese recipes that anyone want to learn of  should be egg fried rice. It is the foundation for many recipes and will give you a clue of quick cooking in the frying pan.

Fried rice is very simple and it takes only a few minutes if you have cooked rice. This recipe requires eggs, green onions, salt and pepper, and soy or oyster sauce. If you like you can add meat and other vegetables and turn this side dish into a quick meal.

Oyster Sauce Chicken

As you explore Chinese recipes, you will notice that oyster sauce is a general ingredient. You can find it at almost any local market that dedicates in Asian foods and a bottle of it can be used for a very long time.

This Oyster Sauce Chicken is a wonderful introduction to the oyster sauce. It’s a quick recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables in a wok. These are simmered in oyster sauce and soy sauces, wine, and broth and everything is served over rice. It takes just about 30 minutes and one pan, so it’s perfect for a busy night.

Pepper Steak with Gravy

Chicken appears in a number of Chinese recipes and so do steak. For a specialized steak recipe which is super easy, such as Pepper Steak.

For this dish, you will cook the meat for around 30 minutes in a soy broth before putting in tomatoes and bell peppers. Also a little cornstarch, some garlic, and baby corn, then let this simmer down to a gravy-like consistency. It’s amazing and impressive, and you only need to put little effort into it.

Beef Stir-Fry

Stir-fry is a fundamental skill used in many Chinese recipes. It’s very simple and, virtually , it is frying food quickly in oil. There are, of course, a few stir-fry tips you should know, but it will soon become common sense.

Before you worry about doing a beef stir-fry recipe with many ingredients, you might want to try an incredibly easy one. If you start with a stir-fry sauce like Kikkoman and a frozen vegetable mix, you just need to do half of the work. It let you concentrate on skill rather than ingredients. It’s just as tasty and just a little faster.​

Orange Pork Chop Stir-Fry

You can swap the meat out in almost any Chinese stir-fry recipe and it works well. If you don’t have chicken for a recipe like the Orange Chicken Stir-Fry, feel free to use beef, pork, shrimp, or even tofu.

When it comes to pork, chops are a great cut to use. They are easily cut into bite-sized cubes and they taste great in an orange sauce. For this orange pork chop stir-fry recipe, you need to marinade the pork and make a soy and orange juice sauce. Add a few vegetables and a little oil and starch, and you’re ready to create an amazing stir-fry dish.

Kung Pao Chicken

You might have probably ordered Kung Pao Chicken for times from the Chinese take-away restaurant and it is a delicious dish with a spicy flavour. Did you know that it’s actually really easy to make at home?

If you have a few basic ingredients found in many Chinese recipes stock in your kitchen, you will save time and money by avoiding take-out. The key to a quick meal is to prep all your ingredients before turning on the wok.

The other advantage to this particular Kung Pao recipe is that the chicken is not deep-fried. Instead it is stir-fried and that makes the food a little bit healthier.

Cantonese Steamed Chicken

Steam is another popular method for preparing Chinese food and it creates a healthy, clean dish. This is where those round bamboo steamers can really come in handy. If you don’t have one yet, this recipe is a good reason to add one to your kitchen.

This flavorful Cantonese Steamed Chicken recipe is easy to make. You will simply marinade chicken in a mix of soy, wine, and sesame oil, then place it on the steamer tray with mushrooms. Add a little ginger and green onion and let it steam for about 18 minutes.

Vegetable Chow Mein

It is quite easy to change Chinese dishes into a vegetarian’s joy. You simply ignore the meat, add more vegetables, or even toss in some tofu (stir-fry’s one of the best ways to prepare it).

When you’re ready to try a veggie noodle dish using your new stir-fry technique, this Vegetable Chow Mein is a delight. It uses bell pepper, onion, zucchini, shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and garlic with a sauce of oyster and soy sauces, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. It fries up fast and the taste will impress everyone.

Beef Chow Fun

“Ho fun” is a broad rice noodle that is frequently used in Cantonese food and you might see it before from take-out menus. It adds a depth to the dish that thinner noodles or rice just can’t bring.

This basic Beef Chow Fun recipe may not be as reliable as others, but all the flavors are there and it is a perfect introduction to the recipe, which includes mung bean sprouts.

Mongolian Chicken

Mongolian chicken and beef recipes are like other recipes with the mainly difference being adding the ingredients of hoisin sauce. This is also called Chinese barbecue sauce though it tastes completely different from the American one. Hoisin is a spiced sauce of soybean paste and it’s an fantasitic addition to your Chinese recipes as it can be used for both dipping and stirfry.

This Mongolian Chicken recipe is a speedy stir-fry that includes hoisin sauce, soy, and red wine vinegar with chicken stock. It’s just simple as other Chinese recipes, only a little different and pleasure to make. You’ll find it is amazing when served with soy-fried noodles.