Cooking Methods - Frying

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Frying - Cooking Methods

Chinese cooking uses many methods of frying, including several types of deep-frying, "slippery-frying," "quick-frying," and several types of stir-frying.

Deep-frying

In deep-frying(zha), ingredients are fried in four to six cups of vegetable or peanut oil over a high heat.

Dry deep-frying

In dry deep-frying(gan zha), foods are given a thick coating of cornstarch (corn flour) before being fried. They come out very crisp outside and tender inside.

Clear deep-frying

In clear deep-frying(qing zha), the foods are not coated with cornstarch before being cooked.

Flaky deep-frying

In flaky deep-frying(su zha), foods are parboiled or steamed until they are almost cooked through. Then they are dipped in a thick batter of cornstarch and water and cooked in boiling oil until the coating turns crisp and flaky.

Soft deep-frying

In soft deep-frying (ruan zha), the ingredients are not precooked, but are given a light coating of cornstarch before being fried. They come out tender but not crisp.

Chinese cooking also uses two techniques for deep-frying ingredients in wrappers.

Paper-wrapped deep-frying

In paper-wrapped deep-frying (zhibao zha), the food is wrapped in sheets made of glutinous rice flour.

Crisp deep-frying

In crisp deep-frying (cui zha), the wrappers are made of dry bean-curd sheets.

Both methods involve first deep-frying the packets of food in moderately warm oil over a high heat and crisping them by frying them briefly when the oil comes to a boil.

Slippery-frying

Slippery-frying (liu) involves two processes. The ingredients are deep-fried and then covered with a cornstarch-based sauce prepared in a separate pot during the frying or immediately afterward. When the sauce is poured over the food, it results in a texture as slippery as satin. Foods prepared this way are fragrant, crisp, and tender.

Deep-frying before stir-frying

In deep-frying before stir-frying (peng), foods are deep-fried in very hot oil until cooked. Then the excess oil is poured out and a sauce which unlike slippery-frying does not contain cornstarch is added. The dish is stir-fried for a few moments to blend the ingredients before being served. Dishes prepared this way are crisp outside and tender inside , with each morsel covered in a velvety sauce.

Quick-frying

In quick-frying (bao), foods are deep-fried in very hot oil over high heat and then the oil is poured out and seasonings are added to the food, which is left in the wok.

Chinese cooking distinguishes four types of stir-frying (chao). In all four types, ingredients are cut into small cubes, strips, shreds, or slices, and cooked over high heat in a few tablespoons of very hot oil in a wok. The technique of stir-frying involves using a flat scoop to toss and turn the ingredients so they cook evenly in the oil. Sometimes the wok is also shaken. Stir-frying usually takes only a few minutes. The food must be removed as soon as it is cooked to guarantee its fresh flavor and crunchy-tender texture.