| These days many of us are out of our home for over | | | | 4. Use leftover food for your meals. If you could a |
| ten hours in a day, and there is little time to prepare a | | | | Chinese vegetable dish for the previous night, you can |
| good and rather healthy meal. I'm going to review | | | | easily as some noodles or rice to make it meal one |
| some tips that will save you time in preparation your | | | | day or two later. Or, you may a few pieces of steak |
| Chinese meals. Here are some great quick ways to | | | | with some spices to give your new meal a bit more |
| cook your Chinese food fast: | | | | flavor. I would advise using food as meal if it's been |
| 1. Use common ingredients as substitute for | | | | there for several weeks since you may get ill from |
| hard-to-find ingredients. Some Asian foods may not be | | | | eating it. |
| available in your local grocery store. You may | | | | 5. Make some quick bites if you're really pressed for |
| substitute other foods when cooking your meals. If you | | | | time. Buy some frozen steam buns from the store. It |
| need Asparagus in your dish, you can substitute | | | | comes in a variety of flavors from red bean paste, |
| broccoli, string beans, and other green vegetables. | | | | black bean paste, and chicken or meat filling. Steam a |
| Another example would be substitution for black | | | | few extra buns for breakfast and leave a few |
| mushrooms. You can use fresh American mushrooms. | | | | cooked one in the refrigerator. Microwave the steam |
| 2. Buy food ingredients in larger quantity. A) Buy a | | | | buns for an afternoon or evening snack. |
| whole chicken. Remove the bones or debone the | | | | 6. Save energy and fuel by using your equipment |
| chicken and use the bones for soup stock. Use the | | | | efficiently. When you're steaming those buns, you can |
| chicken meat for your Chinese dishes to be stir fried | | | | use the other layers of the steamer to steam other |
| with vegetables for your refrigerator. B) Another | | | | food items too. Most good steamers have two or |
| technique is to buy a fresh fish like walleye or tilapia. | | | | three levels to steam food. Buy a three level steamer |
| Remove the bones from the fish known as filleting the | | | | if plan buy one. You can steam a variety of food for |
| fish. Save the bones for soup stock and use the fillet | | | | your meals like meats, vegetables, and even cooked |
| part of the fish for stir frying. As you can see there | | | | rice. |
| are numerous ways, use food when buying in bulk. | | | | 7. Prepare sauces in advance. Put your favorite |
| 3. Make several meals from bulk purchase. For the | | | | sauces together in a jar, and store them for later use. |
| chicken that is not used in your large quantity purchase, | | | | We have a 12 oz. jar of black bean sauce, but put it |
| keep it in an aluminum foil, and place in the freezer for | | | | away in the refrigerator to store away for up to 3 |
| your next meal. For a fast and easily thawing | | | | weeks. When we need that right flavor in our meals, |
| technique, place the aluminum foil with fish between | | | | we take a few teaspoons and put in right into our |
| two pieces of meat. | | | | wok. We're ready with our meals within minutes. |