Red cooking, also called Chinese stewing, red stewing, red

braising Braising (from the French word ''braiser'') is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first browned at a high temperature, then simmered in a covered pot in cooking liquid (such as wine, broth, coco ...

, or flavor potting, is a slow braising Chinese cooking technique that imparts a reddish-brown coloration to the prepared food. There are two types of red cooking: *Hongshao (): can be done in less than 20 minutes and usually does not require much water *Lu (): 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 coloration of the cooked items and its sauce.

Types

Soy sauce Soy sauce (also called simply soy in American English and soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or '' As ...

(usually a mix of light and dark soy sauce),

fermented bean paste Fermented bean paste is a category of fermented foods typically made from ground soybeans, which are indigenous to the cuisines of East, South and Southeast Asia. In some cases, such as the production of ''miso'', other varieties of beans, such a ...

, red fermented tofu or

rock sugar Rock candy or sugar candy, also called rock sugar, or crystal sugar, is a type of confection composed of relatively large sugar crystals. This candy is formed by allowing a supersaturated solution of sugar and water to crystallize onto a su ...

is commonly used to both flavor and impart a reddish brown hue to the items being cooked. Food coloring is sometimes added for a more intense red coloration. Both ''lu'' and ''hongshao'' are forms of stewing or

characterized by usage of soy sauce, Chinese

rice wine Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented and distilled from rice, traditionally consumed in East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. Rice wine is made by the fermentation of rice starch that has been converted to sugars. Microbes are the s ...

( Shaoxing wine,

huangjiu ''Huangjiu'' (), meaning yellow wine, is a Chinese alcoholic beverage, and is most popular in the Jiangnan area. ''Huangjiu'' is brewed by mixing boiled grains including rice, glutinous rice or millet with qū as starter culture, followed by ...

etc.) and rock sugar. Whole spices (

star anise ''Illicium verum'' is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to northeast Vietnam and southwest China. A spice commonly called star anise, staranise, star anise seed, star aniseed, star of anise, Chinese star anise, or badian that closely resemb ...

black cardamom ''Amomum subulatum'', also known as Black cardamom, hill cardamom, Bengal cardamom, greater cardamom, Indian cardamom, Nepal cardamom, winged cardamom, big cardamon, or brown cardamom, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Zingiberaceae. ...

(''caoguo''), cassia, and/or

fennel Fennel (''Foeniculum vulgare'') is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized ...

seeds) or

five-spice powder Five-spice powder () is a spice mixture of five or more spices used predominantly in almost all branches of Chinese cuisine. It is also used in Hawaiian cuisine and Vietnamese cuisine. The five flavors of the spices (sweet, bitter, sour, sa ...

are crucial elements in these dishes but are used in moderation so that their flavors do not overwhelm the main ingredients. Red-cooked stews may be heavy in meat content or contain a variety of meats, vegetables, and hard-boiled eggs. Such dishes may be served hot or cold, and the

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi-solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a compan ...

is often reused as master stock.

References

* ''Charmaine Solomon's Encyclopedia of Asian Food'', Charmaine Solomon, 1998, Tuttle, * ''Chinese Cooking for Dummies'', Martin Yan, 2000, For Dummies, * ''Martin Yan's Invitation to Chinese Cooking'', Martin Yan, 2000, Bay Books, * ''Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (Modern Chinese Dictionary)'', Shang Wu Press, Beijing, 1996,

External links

Article describing red cooking
{{DEFAULTSORT:Red Cooking Chinese cooking techniques Chinese soups and stews

Types

See also

References

External links