Chinese Drinking Culture # 2/20

Article by Nanyang Cuisine

email: nanyangcuisine@live.com




Chinese Drinking Culture
If a Chinese offers you a drink, it means that he respects you. People drink together and bond. It is a part of the Chinese culture. The host offers a drink and the guest responds to the gesture. In the Chinese business world is it important to master one's drinking habits. After a few drinks the mood is warmer and less tense, and this of course helps when one is trying to establish new business relations.



Chinese "white" wine

Chinese Cooking Wine
Chinese cooking wine is a basic ingredient for sauces and marinades. It is common to Chinese cooking but it is also excellent for other cuisines.Chinese cooking wine is made from alcohol, water and salt. The alcohol burns off in the cooking. Except for the salt, it has almost no flavour on its own. This makes it a perfect mediator. It enhances other flavours. Chinese cooking wines have at least 17% alcohol.






RECIPE - " CHINESE-STYLE BAKED TUNA "

• 4 to 6 tuna steaks (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick)


• 2 green onions (green and white part)


• 4 to 6 cloves garlic (slice into thin cross-sections)


• 1 tablespoon ginger, sliced into thin strips


• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon


• 2 tablespoons Chinese white wine


• 3 tablespoons soy sauce


• 2 teaspoons brown sugar


• Couple drops of hot sauce (Chinese red pepper sauce, Tabasco, etc.)

Cooking Methods:

• Sprinkle fish steaks with salt to taste the day before baking.


• The next day, about an hour before baking, drizzle fish with wine and lemon juice.


• Next, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


• While oven is heating, slice garlic, ginger and green onions.


• Green onions can be sliced into 2 in. segments.


• Next, prepare soy sauce mixture by mixing it with brown sugar and hot sauce.


• When ready to bake, line a Pyrex baking dish with foil and line it with about 1/4 of your ginger, green onions and ginger. Place fish steaks on top and place remaining ingredients on top of fish. Pour soy sauce over top and make a sealed pouch using foil.Bake fish in sealed pouch for about 15 minutes. Open pouch and bake uncovered for about 10 more minutes or until done.