Chinese Cooking with Ginger Chocolate Pumpkin Fish

Yesterday was our day to taste the authentic foods of China, courtesy of Shelagh Klein's Ginger Chocolate Pumpkin Fish cooking class for the American Women of Surrey.

On the menu was a broad range of tastes to tease the palate. Shelagh shared with us the classic Sichuan flavours of sweet, sour, salty, fragrant, bitter and nutty. As she demonstrated, each flavor can be enjoyed singly, or coupled together to create complex flavor notes.

Chinese dining custom dictates the enjoyment of one dish at a time. Unlike those cultures that combine foods on a plate, the Chinese approach to dining is geared toward savoring individual flavors.

The lessons to be learned:
--take small portions of each offered dish to save room for the ones yet to be served
--never smack chopsticks together (it's rude!)
--never stab or pierce food with a chopstick (definitely not polite!)
--fine Chinese egg noodles do not have to be boiled - simply pour boiling water over the noodles and allow to soften for several minutes

On the menu:
Chinese mixed vegetables
Pan-fried baby bok choy
Steamed Fish Chinese style
Steamed Chicken Chinese style
Chili prawns
Ma Pos bean curd
Singapore fried noodles
Angel food cake with homemade fudge sauce

At home last night, I tackled the Ma Pos Bean Curd with great success, and adapted the Singapore Fried Noodles to include pork mince. The family loved it!

Another great timesaver tip about cooking Chinese - shake the sauce ingredients in a jar as far in advance as is convenient for you. The flavors will blend and intensify.