Foreword

I am determined to let people know just how incredibly good REAL chinese food is.  And even better, that is very healthy, very filling, and often very cheap to make.

As a rule the Chinese order several dishes in a sitting and pick at each dish.  One dish maybe a fatty pork, and another a healthy vegetable.  The end result in a smorgasbord of flavours, and making sure you're full with a bowl of rice.  Though meat is in nearly every dish, very little meat goes into the recipes, and so little meat is actually consumed in a meal.

Though there are many Chinese takeaways in the west, I wouldn't even bother to try and find something on the menu that actually resembles the real food I enjoyed so much in China.

Fair warning - A LOT of these recipes will include ingredients that will be difficult if not impossible to find.  Finding a good Chinese grocer will help you get a lot of things.  Online you might have better luck. Trust me, the bother will be worth it.  Some meats will require you to befriend a butcher.  Even if they don't I HIGHLY recommend acquiring these meats through a butcher.  The Chinese normally go to markets were the animals are freshly slaughtered, or in the case of poultry slaughtered on the spot.  Trust me.  Fresh, and non-mutated to create giant breasts is REALLY worth it.  They may be able to get you what you want as special order.  Do NOT attempt to substitute!

Why?  Chinese cuisine relies on the natural flavours of the ingredients to create the dish.  They almost never use spices aside from salt and pepper, and though sometime sauces are use, they are meant to complement, not overwhelm so you can forget about how tasteless that chicken breast was.

If indeed you can get authentic ingredients you'll find it well worth the effort.  Trust me!