Holy Crap - CHINESE FOOD BAD???

[RunDiggity]

Ok so I googled PF CHANGS and looked up their nutritional content of their food and it BOGGLED MY MIND! How can chinese food be so horribly fattening!!! I just was blown away by the fat content in it?? and how do the chinese people stay so little then????


Does anyone know how to ask for better alternatives in their cooking method when you go there or is there anything such as "light" chinese???

Anyone make it at home healthier????

 

[TeTe]

Well, Chinese people don't eat at PF Changs, and they probably eat smaller portions of the real stuff than Americans do.

 

[allwildgirl]

Chinese food that we get in North American is NOT the same as the food that Asian people eat. Just as what you get in an Italian or French restaurant here is not indicative of what those nationalities eat at home.

Your best bet is to order things that aren't deep fried, have no rich sauces. Dishes with lots of veggies and some noodles are probably wiser choices than sweet and sour breaded anything.

And yes, it's very easy to make at home and it's much healthier that way. Invest in a good Oriental cookbook and a wok and off you go!

 

[Beavs]

I agree with Shelley. I've found some nice cookbooks for Chinese and Indian/Pakistani cuisine that allow me to enjoy the food and drastically reduce the calories and fat in it!

 

[RunDiggity]

I bought a cookbook and have had success in making Kung Pai Chicken and Mongolian Beef, but I have NO CLUE what the calories add up to - - I am sure its alot less than PF CHANGS, but hard to measure when you throw in a TBS of white wine or vinegar.....

Can anyone recommend a certain cookbook for chinese??

 

[allwildgirl]

I believe if you use a website like CalorieKing, you can plug in all your ingredients and it will give you a total for the whole dish, which you can then divide into number of servings to give you an idea.

 

[punka274]

>I bought a cookbook and have had success in making Kung Pai
>Chicken and Mongolian Beef, but I have NO CLUE what the
>calories add up to - - I am sure its alot less than PF CHANGS,
>but hard to measure when you throw in a TBS of white wine or
>vinegar.....
>
>Can anyone recommend a certain cookbook for chinese??

Could I please get your recipes for the kung pai chicken and mongonlian beef(my FAVORITE:9 ) Pretty please;-)

I would aslo like to know a good chinese cookbook!

 

[Beavs]

I like this cookbook
"Low-Fat No-Fat Chinese Cooking: Over 150 Low-Fat and No-Fat Chinese and Far Eastern Recipes for Tempting Tasty and Healthy Eating" by Pannell, Maggie.; Fleetwood, Jenni.
Be aware that this is more authentic Chinese cooking, not your crappy Americanized take out pseudo "chinese" food.

 

[SRP]

I don't have any cookbook recommendations but... I visited China several years back and was there for 3 weeks. We really got to sample real Chinese cuisine. The stuff we ate was extremely low-fat. Lots of broth-based soups and veggie-based dishes. You would NOT get fat on the foods we ate.

 

[trunyon]

I just picked up chinese food for lunch today. I got the steamed shrimp and veggies, no sauce, no rice....really isn't bad at all!:9

 

[Stephanie0523]

I discovered Ponzu sauce last year and LOVE it. I buy some lean pork and cut it into cubes and stir fry it with the package of stir fry veggies that you can buy in the salad section of the grocery store. You first cook your meat through and then cook your veggies and add your ponzu sauce (it's a citrus soy sauce) -Only about two Tbsp (because it does have sodium). Serve over brown rice and YUM!!! I think I'll cook that this week. The leftovers are excellent too.

 

[Boybert]

>Chinese food that we get in North American is NOT the same as
>the food that Asian people eat. Just as what you get in an
>Italian or French restaurant here is not indicative of what
>those nationalities eat at home.
>
>Your best bet is to order things that aren't deep fried, have
>no rich sauces. Dishes with lots of veggies and some noodles
>are probably wiser choices than sweet and sour breaded
>anything.
>
>And yes, it's very easy to make at home and it's much
>healthier that way. Invest in a good Oriental cookbook and a
>wok and off you go!
>

Yeah, that.


Debbie


Google THIS.

 

[delfin]

"typical" chinese restaurant food here is not authentic chinese. I spent about 3 weeks in china in college... and lost weight... because we were eating ordinary food (not high-style restaurant stuff), mostly baked chicken, hacked up with the heads still on, steamed bok choy, and plain rice. Believe it or not, I even chipped my tooth on a pebble in the rice.

 

[banslug]

When we order Chinese take-out, my usual dish is Broccoli with Garlic Sauce. I ask for the broccoli steamed, sauce ON THE SIDE, extra spicy and made with no sugar, and steamed brown rice.

But those cookbooks sound like something I'll have to check out!

Gayle

 

[RunDiggity]

Here are the two recipes I love making - I tripple the sauce on the Kung Pao Chicken otherwise it barely serves 1-2....

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks
( I just use 3-4 chicken breasts cut up into small chunks)
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 ounce hot chile paste
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
4 ounces chopped peanuts


DIRECTIONS
To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

MONGOLIAN Beef

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds boneless sirloin tip roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
5 whole dried red chile peppers
3/8 cup vegetable oil, divided
4 bunches green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces


DIRECTIONS
Partially freeze the roast for easier slicing. Slice the roast into 3x1/2 inch strips, and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine well the soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, cornstarch, brown sugar, crushed red pepper and whole chile peppers. Place beef in the mixture and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Place green onions in the hot oil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 6 minutes, or until tender. Remove green onions and set aside.
In the same skillet or wok, heat remaining 1/4 cup of oil over medium high heat. Add beef mixture and saute for 5 minutes, or until the beef is thoroughly cooked. Return green onions to the pan and saute for 30 seconds more, or until heated through.

I checked out cooking light's website and there are a few recipes on there I might try.....

and PS

GO FIGURE AMERICA would figure out how to turn Chinese cooking into something totally fattening! Shame on PF CHANGS!

ok maybe now and then as a treat...