Chinese cooking uses three methods of sauteing, which is also called "shallow-cooking." Sauteing uses much less oil than deep-frying and is done at lower temperatures than stir-frying. Ingredients are usually cut into slices or flat pieces. Seasonings are added after the food is browned.
Sauteing on both sides (jian)
In sauteing on both sides (jian), foods are browned slowly on both sides in oil but do not have a coating.
Sauteing on one side (tie)
Sauteing on one side (tie) means browning batter-coated foods on one side only.
sauteing followed by cooking in sauce (ta)
In sauteing followed by cooking in sauce (ta), foods are coated in a batter and sauteed on both sides. Then a sauce is added and the dish is simmered until the sauce thickens. The food will be soft inside, but with some crispness outside, and the thickened sauce will be slippery.
Braising, Stewing, Boiling and Simmering
Chinese cooking has many methods of cooking foods in liquids.
Stewing one kind of meat (ao)
Stewing one kind of meat (ao) means slow-cooking chunks, slices, cubes, or shreds of meat after first stir-frying them briefly until the surfaces have lost their raw look but before the insides are cooked. Seasonings and broth are added and the liquid is brought to a boil. Then the heat is turned down and the meat simmers slowly until done. The sauce is not thickened.
precooking before stewing (hui)
In precooking before stewing (hui), several ingredients are parboiled or precooked before being placed in one pot for slow simmering. Unlike ao, the final step involves thickening the sauce.
Stewing over low heat (men)
Stewing over low heat (men) resembles braising. The meat is stir-fried briefly to brown. Then seasonings and a sauce are added and the dish simmers over low heat until the sauce is almost all reduced.
Stewing over medium, then high, heat (shoo)
Stewing over medium, then high, heat (shoo) means braising foods over medium heat until tender, then turning the heat to high to reduce the sauce.
Both of the above methods can be applied to "red-cooking," or braising in soy sauce. The soy sauce imparts the reddish look that gives this technique its name.
Stewing meats with bones (ju)
Stewing meats with bones (ju) is similar to the above methods, but the meat or poultry is first marinated in rice-wine and soy sauce. Then it is deep-fried before being simmered in sauce and water. The meat is not boned.
Stewing and adding thickening (pa)
Stewing and adding thickening (pa) is similar to stewing meats with bones, but the sauce is thickened with cornstarch instead of being reduced and thickened by simmering.
In quick-boiling in broth (cuan), thinly-sliced ingredients are cooked quickly in a boiling clear broth, or in water.
Dip-boiling (shuan)
In dip-boiling (shuan), as with the "hot pot" dishes referred to earlier, diners pick up morsels of meat, seafood and vegetables and cook them by dipping them into boiling water or stock in a fire-pot.
Boiling (zhu)
Boiling (zhu) simply refers to cooking ingredients in a large amount of water over high heat. The sauce is reduced and the food comes out tender. No cornstarch is used. The gravy or sauce is rich but light and fresh.
Simmering (one of several forms of dun)
In simmering (one of several forms of dun), foods are put into cold water and brought to boil. Then seasonings are added and the heat is reduced for long, slow cooking.
Simmering over high heat (wei)
Simmering over high heat (wei) also starts with cold water, as in dun, but the food is cooked at high heat over a long period. This method tenderizes tougher meats and poultry and yields a thick, heavy sauce.
Simmering over charcoal (wo)
In simmering over charcoal (wo), the food is cooked over very low heat from a charcoal burner for three or four hours. This gives it a delicate flavor and a soft, tender texture.
