Chin Chin CHINA! Chinese cuisine has influenced cuisines in Asia and beyond

HUNAN CHICKEN
Hunan Chicken is a very popular Chinese recipe. It is made by tossing chicken and veggies with a spicy and savoury sauce. This recipe comes from the Hunan region of China, where the use of spicy and tart flavours is very common in their cooking style. It is hotter in flavour 

Ingredients: Hunan Chicken

• 1 pound chicken breasts shaved thinly
• 1 tablespoon corn-starch
• 1/4 cup canola oil 
• 3 cloves garlic minced 
• 1 tablespoon ginger minced 
• 1 green zucchini cut into half-moon shapes 
• 4 ounces mushrooms sliced thinly 
• 3 cups broccoli florets 
• 1 can bamboo shoots drained

Hunan Sauce

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon corn-starch 
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce 
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek chili paste  

Instructions

• Add the chicken and corn-starch in a large zip lock bag with air in the bag, closed tightly.
• Shake the bag until the chicken is well coated. 
• Add the canola oil to the pan on mediumhigh heat and cook the chicken until cooked through on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
• In a small bowl mix the sauce ingredients together.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the garlic, ginger, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli and bamboo shoots.
• Stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the sauce and chicken and toss to coat, cooking 1-2 more minutes until the sauce has thickened.

SZECHUAN DAN DAN NOODLES
Dan Dan noodles are a typical spicy Szechuan dish.The classic recipe includes fresh noodles and a meat topping made with chicken and usually Szechuan preserved vegetables. But there are many variations of this South-western Chinese dish, including this one without any meat.
 
Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons Chinese sesame paste, tahini, or peanut butter
• 1.5 tablespoons sesame oil 
• 3 tablespoons black rice vinegar 
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 
• 1.5 tablespoons dark soy sauce 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground roasted Szechuan peppercorn, more to taste 
• 1 tablespoon hot chilli oil, or to taste 
• 1/4 cup chicken broth 
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, more to taste, optional for the Noodles 
• 12 ounces dried Chinese noodles
• 1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish 
• 3 small spring onions, finely chopped, for garnish

Method

• In a small mixing bowl, add the sesame paste, sesame oil, and black rice vinegar. Whisk to combine. 
• Continue whisking as you add the remaining sauce ingredients. Taste and add sugar if needed.
• Cook the dried noodles according to the package directions. Drain in a colander. (Do not rinse unless the package directions say to do so.
• Place the noodles in a large (preferably warm) bowl. Whisk the sauce again and then stir it into the noodles.
• Dish the noodles into individual bowls and garnish with the chopped peanuts and spring onions.
• It is ideal to use Chinese sesame paste in this recipe, but it can be difficult to find. You can substitute tahini, which is also a sesame paste, or use peanut butter which has a similar flavour.
• Szechuan peppercorn adds a sharp bite to the sauce. How much to use comes down to personal preference. If you’re unsure, start with 1/2 teaspoon and do a taste test. You can also leave it out of the sauce altogether and serve it on the side as a condiment, allowing everyone to help themselves.
• Although the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of hot chili oil, feel free to adjust the amount based on the level of spiciness preferred.

CHOPSTICKS

Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks of Chinese origin that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the dominant hand, secured by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the hand, to pick up food. First used by the Chinese, chopsticks later spread to other East Asian cultural sphere countries including Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. As ethnic Chinese emigrated, the use of chopsticks as eating utensils for certain ethnic foods took hold in South and Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. In India (mainly in