Serves: 5

Many Chinese-American restaurants serve barbecued spareribs and egg rolls as appetizers. These dishes, when eaten at home, are not usually served as appetizers. At a family meal the appetizers are more likely to include cold chicken or duck, pork strips, ham or sausage, meatballs, fish balls, smoked fish, preserved eggs, shrimp toast, various cold vegetables, and other tidbits. At more formal meals, small dishes of melon seeds, pine nuts and salted peanuts are also set out at this time. These dishes, placed in the center of the table before the meal begins, are sampled while the cook puts the finishing touches to the dinner.

Since these various dishes are the first view of the meal, each is designed to stimulate both the eye and the appetite. Meats and vegetables are set out handsomely and decoratively-sometimes sliced thin and arranged like flower petals in layered circles. Even the plainest of ingredients are brightened with a bit of parsley or a few pink slivers of ham.

The cold vegetable dishes, while similar to salads, are never eaten raw. (Uncooked vegetables in China were not safe to eat: they had to be blanched, parboiled, salted or pickled.) Chinese vegetable dishes are characterized by light, pretty colors and crisp, crunchy textures. They are seasoned simply, with dressings that are delicious but never overpowering. They are chilled, but only briefly: they are never served so cold as to numb the taste buds.

NOTE: This section does not include the full range of dishes which can be served as appetizers. See...


PORK
Barbecued Pork Strips
Barbecued Spareribs
Basic Braised Pork
Basic Deep-Fried Porkballs
Drunken Pork
Red-Simmered Pork Strips
Roast Pork
Stir-Fried Pork and Dried Oysters with Lettuce
Stir-Fried Pork with Lettuce
White-Cooked Pressed Pork
White-Cooked Whole Pork

BEEF
Beef Velveteen
Red-Simmered Spiced Beef with Turnips
Smoked Beef Balls

DUCK
Aromatic Roast Duck
Basic Red-Simmered Duck
Cold Roast Duck with Fresh Pineapple
Cold Roast Duck with Pickled Vegetable
Cold Roast Duck with Pineapple Sauce
Drunken Duck I and II
Nanking Salt Duck
Red-Cooked with Five Spices
White-Simmered Duck II

CHICKEN
Basic Steamed Spring Chicken
Deep-Fried Chicken Livers
Drunken Chicken I, II and III
Jellied Chicken
Marinated and Deep-Fried Chicken Livers
Salt-Roasted Chicken I
Simmered and Deep-Fried Chicken Livers
Simmered Chicken Livers
Smoked Chicken
White Cut Chicken Breast
White Cut Chicken, Pullet
White Cut Chicken, Stewing Fowl
White Cut Chicken, Young Bird

FISH
Basic Braised Soy Fish
Deep-Fried Marinated Fish Fillets with Sesame Seeds
Deep-Fried Marinated Fish, Pieces
Deep-Fried Small Marinated Fish

OTHER SEAFOOD
Barbecued Shrimp
Basic Deep-Fried Lobster
Basic Deep-Fried Shrimp Balls
Basic Steamed Clams
Deep-Fried Bacon Wrapped Oysters
Deep-Fried Coated Butterfly Shrimp
Deep-Fried Oyster
Deep-Fried Shrimp Balls in Batter
Deep-Fried Shrimp in Shells without Batter
Deep-Fried Shrimp Stuffed with Bacon and Almonds
Deep-Fried Shrimp Stuffed with Ham
Deep-Fried Shrimp with Bacon I and II
Drunken Shrimp
Fluffy Deep-Fried Shrimp Balls
Poached Shrimp
Steamed and Deep-Fried Dried Oyster Balls
Stir-Fried Marinated Shrimp in Shells
Stir-Fried Shrimp in Shells I
Stuffed and Deep-Fried Dried Oysters

EGG DISHES
Deep-Fried Coated Eggs
Egg Pouch Omelets
Soy Eggs
Tea Eggs

VEGETABLE DISHES
Basic Deep-Fried Bean Curd

EGGROLLS and WONTONS
Eggrolls

NOODLE and RICE DISHES
Sizzling Rice (see 10- The Basics: Rice "BASIC BOILED RICE")

The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

More Recipes from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook:
*Appetizers and Cold Dishes
Asparagus Salad
Basic Cold Bean Curd
Bean Sprout Salad
Braised Bamboo Shoots
Braised Mushrooms
Celery And Carrot Salad
Chinese Pickles
Chinese Sausages
Cold Chicken And Cucumber
Cold Chicken Sesame
Cold Sherry Chicken
Cold Shrimp And Cauliflower
Crabmeat And Cucumbers
Dried Jellyfish And Turnips
Eggplant Salad
Marinated Abalone
Marinated Mushrooms I
Marinated Mushrooms II
Oyster Sauce Mushrooms
Pickled Cabbage
Pickled Celery
Pickled Chinese Cabbage
Pickled Chinese Lettuce
Pickled Mustard Cabbage
Pickled Turnips
Preserved Eggs
Preserved Eggs with Ham and Vegetables
Pseudo Smoked Fish
Red-Simmered Chicken Wings
Sesame Ham Sticks
Shredded Cucumbers
Shrimp Toast
Slivered Bean Curd And Shrimp
Smashed Cucumbers
Smashed Radishes
Smoked Fish
Spinach Salad With Shrimp
Stir-Fried Mixed Vegetables
Stuffed Mushrooms -Braised
Stuffed Mushrooms -Simmered
Stuffed Mushrooms -Steamed
Stuffed Mushrooms -Steamed and Poached
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Chicken and Shrimp
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Fish
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Ham
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Pork
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Pork and Crabmeat
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Pork and Shrimp
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Shrimp
Stuffed Mushrooms Mixture: Water Chestnuts
Sweet-and-Pungent Lettuce Rolls
Sweet-and-Pungent Lotus Root
White-Cut Chicken