The Chinese culture has had a tremendous impact on society in fields like ceramics, music, literature, martial arts, and cuisine. Its vast audience is waiting to discover an incredible variety of flavors, techniques, and culinary history.
Greenville offers various Asian restaurants offering traditional and modern-fusion fare, such as Yellow Ginger, Oriental House, and Mei Mei House – some of the highest-rated being Yellow Ginger, Oriental House, and Mei Mei House.
1. Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao chicken is one of the most beloved Chinese takeout dishes. Originating in Sichuan cuisine, this classic Sichuan recipe involves marinating chicken in an exciting sauce containing spicy chili peppers to give it that special kick of heat. Plus, it’s super simple to make at home and pairs beautifully with steamed rice!
This dish features succulent chunks of chicken stir-fried with various vegetables such as zucchini and red bell pepper. Finally, crunchy peanuts provide the final finishing touch for added crunchiness and texture.
For optimal results, combine fresh vegetables with boneless, skinless chicken breast. You can prepare this meal by marinating the chicken before stir-frying when ready to serve.
2. Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork has long been a favorite on Chinese restaurant menus, boasting crispy golden pieces of pork doused in an irresistibly tasty sauce that provides the ideal balance of sweet and sour flavors.
Combine brown sugar, vinegar, and ketchup in a large resealable plastic bag; then combine pork. Seal the bag tightly and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before refining.
Drain and discard the marinade. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; saute onion, bell pepper, and pineapple until all the vegetables are tender; add pineapple.
Stir in the reserved marinade before stirring in cooked pork chops. Enjoy your dinner immediately or store for up to 4-5 days in your refrigerator covered.
3. Chow Mein
Chow mein is an easy and delicious Chinese takeout dish with classic umami flavors, served over noodles and vegetables. Feel free to customize the recipe according to your favorite proteins and aromatics for optimal results!
This recipe requires either dried chow mein noodles or fresh egg noodles from the refrigerated section of a grocery store, along with low-sodium soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
To create the sauce for chow mein, combine all the ingredients until well mixed and toss with cooked noodles and vegetables.
4. Mapo Tofu
Sichuan cuisine is famed for its vibrant combination of flavors. At Grand Majestic Sichuan, Mora uses two types of tofu — soft for that classic mouth feel and one honeycomb variety to soak up all that spicy sauce.
She uses a particular brand of toban djan, a salty fermented mix of broad beans (sometimes soybeans ) and red chili peppers essential for Map’s trademark spicy heat, combined with Sichuan peppercorns to give that signature tingling, numbing sensation.
Make this dish yourself! It requires specialty ingredients–doubanjang and steamed tofu are both musts–and a few hours to prepare the meal! Once these components have been procured, this should be an easy dish to create!
5. Hot Pot
Hot pot is an engaging communal meal consisting of a simmering soup base containing various meats, seafood, tofu, and vegetables cooked at the table with Chinese Bai Jiu or Beer for an unforgettable dining experience. Hot Pot makes a unique party out of dinner time!
Thinly sliced beef is one of the most sought-after ingredients. Other popular meats include lamb and chicken; lamb cooks quickly, while chicken may take longer and disappoint impatient diners. Tofu balls, daikon radish or turnips (cut into large chunks), and taro root are often served alongside hand-pulled noodles and dumplings (either homemade or store-bought). Before adding new ingredients, the broth must boil back up before adding new items to it.
6. Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are an appetizer staple in East and Southeast Asian cultures, popularly eaten at gatherings or snacks as an afternoon treat. Their filling typically contains vegetables that add crunch while wrapped to create an irresistibly delicious bite-sized snack. Their appearance, fillers, cooking techniques, and wrappers may vary according to region.
To create them, fill a large plate or shallow bowl with warm water and soak a rice paper for approximately one second before placing it on top. Allow it to soften while you prepare the fillings.
Create fresh rolls by layering lettuce, noodles, carrots, cucumber, and herbs on the bottom third of a wrapper.
7. Char Siu
This classic Chinese restaurant dish showcases an irresistibly delicious blend of pantry ingredients and is easy to create at home, perfect for serving over rice, noodles, or adding it to soups – or as fillings for steamed buns!
Char Siu translates to “fork roast” in Chinese. This term refers to an old method of making this traditional Chinese dish: strips of seasoned pork were suspended on forks before roasting. Char Siu typically features pork shoulder or belly; leaner cuts like loin or tenderloin may also be used.
8. Shrimp in Garlic Sauce
A delicious dish made with fresh shrimp, spicy red pepper flakes, and sweet-salty garlic sauce! It’s super simple to make, too!
Garlic Butter Shrimp makes an exquisite appetizer or main course dish for any meal at home and is one of the top Chinese cuisine dishes you can prepare in your kitchen.
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet to high and add garlic and ginger; stir-fry for 30 seconds before adding water chestnuts, snow peas, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, and red pepper flakes for another 30 seconds of stirring before mixing in the seasoned flour and salt for another minute or so of stir-frying until vegetables are crisp-tender.
9. Steamed Vegetables
Steaming vegetables is an excellent way to maintain both their nutrition and texture, as it prevents harmful cooking methods like sauteing and roasting from breaking down tissues, thus depriving them of many essential vitamins and minerals.
Combine an inch of water in a saucepan with a steamer basket or heat-safe colander in the pot, cover, and bring the contents to a boil.
Use a steamer to safely prepare a vegetable medley until tender, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy! For extra flavor, top your steamed vegetables off with miso sesame sauce for added umami goodness!
