Chinese made easy

Whipping up a Chinese meal at home is not rocket science as Kylie Kwong will have you know. Here's a simple, invaluable advice to achieving success in the kitchen every time!

According to Kylie...
"There are no tricks to Chinese food. You need to use the freshest ingredients and only take on recipes that you feel confident with" she says. Follow her advice and you'll soon be able to impress with Chinese cuisine!

1. Follow the recipe instructions carefully and find yourself a wok that suits your stove
2. If you don't have a gas cooker, I recommend an electric wok. They're rather powerful when it comes to stir-frying and work well with a steamer basket too
3. Bear in mind that dishes generally take some time to prepare but little time to cook. So it's important to have all ingredients prepared - washed, trimmed, sliced and diced - before you start cooking, because when you crank up that wok, or put that fish into the boiling steamer, or lower that prawn into the deep-frying oil, it all happens very, very quickly!

Stock up on these:
Make sure your pantry is well-stocked with these utensils and ingredients which Kylie swears will give your cooking the greatest chance of being a delicious success!

1. A good wok
2. Bamboo or aluminium steamer
3. Good-quality soya sauce
4. Chinese black vinegar
5. Peanut oil
6. Chicken stock (home-made) in the freezer
7. Spring onions
8. Ginger
9. Chillies
10. Coriander
11. Sesame oil

Taken from Astrolife July 2010