There’s something that’s just comforting about Chinese takeout. Maybe it’s the unique and flavorful dishes, fused with delicious sauces that can be both sweet and savory. Or perhaps, it’s the simple carbs like rice and noodles! Whatever it is, Chinese food keeps us coming back for more of its saucy, salty goodness. However, the cost of takeout can add up pretty quickly.
It’s time to cancel that next order and get in the kitchen because our bloggers have some tips and tricks for you to make your homemade Chinese food taste like takeout! All of these recipes can also be found on the Food Monster App. Let’s dig in.
1. Roll It Up With Spring Roll Wrappers
Spring roll wrappers are essential when it comes to Chinese Takeout. The combination of crisp veggies, stuffed inside a thin but crispy wrapper, is simply the best. Debbie Adler starts off with something that everyone loves:Egg Rolls!These crispy bites are made using spring roll wrappers and are filled with wood ear mushrooms, baby bok choy, Napa cabbage, carrots, and water chestnuts. These rolls are great when dipped in thehomemade duck sauce. That’s right, she shows you how to even make the duck sauce. You can also use wrappers in these Veggie Wontons! These are wontons are stuffed with mushrooms and baked to crispy perfection.
2. Use Tender Meat Substitutes
A lot of on the Chinese Takeout menu includes meaty dishes such as Beef and Broccoli, Sweet and Sour Chicken, and more. To capture that flavor and texture at home, you can use seitan or meaty vegetables.Kristen Genton shows you how to make a quick, easy version of the classic Chinese dish;Beef andBroccoli. The slightly spicy, sweet sauce coats the tender broccoli and the sautéed seitan and the whole thing is topped with fresh green onions and sesame seeds. You can even make Sweet and Sour Chickenwith chicken-less strips! You’ll never have to order delivery again. In fact, people will be coming over to your place, eagerly asking if they can have some.
3. Using Tofu To Create Eggy Dishes!
You know those eggy pieces that it’s in the usual Chinese takeout rice? It’s easily recreated at home with tofu!Christina Bedettareplaces those with crumbled firm tofu in her Simple Veggie Fried Rice recipe, and the result is perfect! The peas and carrots makethis rice fresh and hearty. The bottom line is that vegan fried rice is just as (or even more!) delicious as its non-vegan counterparts. Tofu is also great in noodle dishes, like this Tofu Scramble and Broccoli Noodles recipe.
4. Make Your Own Tso Sauce at Home
The sauce that is used in Tso dishes is incredibly popular in takeout! Typically, it’s made by combining soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, and chili paste. You can also use cornstarch or arrowroot powder to thicken it up. Served with crunchy broccoli and rice, Rhea Parson‘sGeneral Tso’s Tofu is made to order. No delivery needed.The tofu is crispy and flavorful, the sauce is not too sweet and not too spicy, just thick and rich. Speaking of sauce…
5. Make Spicy Sweet Hoisin Sauce
When it comes to Chinese food, hoisin sauce plays a big role in a lot of dishes. It’s made of peanut butter, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame seed oil, and spices. It’s sticky, spicy, and sweet, and in this recipe by Celeste Meredith, pairs well with some tofu!Sautéed to perfection, this Super Easy Hoisin Tofu is delicious, and yes– super easy to make!
What are you waiting for? Grab your wok and start cooking! For some more inspiration, be sure to check out our Chinese Food archive, as well as more info about Making Chinese Food At Home. Crispy fried tofu is possible at home, and we’re here to help you through it. While you’re on your quest for food, you should check out our Food Monster App.With over 10,000 recipes right in the palm of your hand, you’ll always have something delicious and new to try. It’s available for both Android and iPhone, and can also be found on Instagram and Facebook. Full of allergy-friendly recipes, subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!
Lead Image Source: 10-Minute Seitan ‘Beef’ and Broccoli
FAQs
Temperature plays an important role in the taste of a dish. “There is a way to prepare Chinese food at home. Get all the ingredients ready, let the pan get super hot and then add one ingredient after the other quickly in the pan. The food prepare this way, I guarantee, will have a restaurant-like taste,” said the chef.
How to get Chinese takeaway flavour? ›
Temperature plays an important role in the taste of a dish. “There is a way to prepare Chinese food at home. Get all the ingredients ready, let the pan get super hot and then add one ingredient after the other quickly in the pan. The food prepare this way, I guarantee, will have a restaurant-like taste,” said the chef.
Why doesn't my Chinese food taste like takeout? ›
Chinese takeouts use a key ingredient you might not be using at home. Soy sauce alone isn't complex enough to add flavor to most dishes. The majority of Chinese takeouts also use oyster sauce, either as an ingredient in stir-fry sauce or added to dishes during cooking.
What do they put in Chinese food to make it taste better? ›
MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a flavor-enhancing food additive used in Asian cooking, fast foods, and commercially packaged food products.
What makes Chinese food taste like Chinese food? ›
When it comes to taste, Chinese cuisine incorporates sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and bitter elements. Many ingredients help to achieve this. For instance, vinegar can add to the dish's sourness, while soy sauce can be used to add a hint of sweetness and more saltiness.
What spice gives Chinese food its flavor? ›
Popular herbs like ginger, garlic, scallions, star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan peppercorns are frequently used in Chinese cooking because of their therapeutic properties, in addition to their ability to improve the flavour, aroma, and texture of food.
What sauce gives Chinese food its flavor? ›
Soy Sauce (Light and Dark)
Although most Western supermarkets carry the condiment labeled "soy sauce," there are actually many types of soy sauce used in China and Japan, generally divided into light and dark varieties. Light soy sauce is thinner and saltier than dark.
What makes Chinese takeaway so good? ›
Chinese chefs often use three types of cardamom: black, green, and white. Curry powder features in some dishes. And, in addition to ginger and turmeric, Chinese restaurants sometimes use ginger and turmeric's relative, galangal (via The Woks of Life). And don't forget the MSG to add deeper, umami flavors to your food.
Why does Chinese food taste better at a restaurant? ›
There are a few reasons for this disparity. First of all, according to The Takeout, Chinese restaurants tend to utilize high-powered gas burners that are 10 times hotter than your stove at home, making it much easier for restaurant cooks to achieve wok hei, that smoky flavor we love in Chinese food.
Why is Chinese food so hard to make? ›
Cooking Chinese food requires a special understanding of Chinese seasoning, spices and how to add them. Beyond this, there is also the importance and use of the Chinese Wok.
Method. Grind the cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and Sichuan pepper in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until you have a fine powder. Add the ginger powder and mix thoroughly. The spice powder can be stored in an air tight jar for 3 months or so.
What is the Flavour enhancer used in Chinese cooking? ›
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer often added to restaurant foods, canned vegetables, soups, deli meats and other foods.
What is the Chinese flavor additive? ›
Monosodium Glutamate is the colorless and odorless crystal. With a good water-solubility, 74 grams of Monosodium Glutamate can be dissolved in 100 ml water. Its main role is to increase the flavor of food, especially for Chinese dishes.
What are the 5 key Flavours in Chinese food? ›
The Chinese categorise the taste of food into five flavours: sweet, bitter, sour, spicy and salty. Chinese medicine regards that eating certain flavours can help the function of the five organs to balance your health, as well as treat disease and recover from illness.
What ingredients do Chinese restaurants use? ›
5 Essential Ingredients for Chinese Food
- Soy Sauce(Jiangyou) usage in Chinese Food. Soy Sauce is the king of all sauces for Chinese. ...
- Green Onion, Ginger, Garlic for Chinese Food. ...
- Fermented Bean Pastes in Chinese Cooking. ...
- Cooking Wine for Chinese Food. ...
- Chinese Peppercorn and Star Anise.
Chinese cooks normally use soybean oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, all of which have a high smoke point. Peanut oil usually has a pleasant nutty flavor and is suitable not only for stir-frying but also for deep-frying. Canola oil, which has a high smoke point but a neutral flavor, is also a good choice.
What is Chinese food often Flavoured with? ›
In Chinese food, we usually use following ingredients for seasoning. Oil:cole oil, sunflower seed oil, peanut oil, lard, sesame oil, chilly oil, Sichuan pepper oil. Common: salt, sugar, Shaoxing wine, monosodium glutamate, vinegar, starch.
How to add flavor to bland Chinese food? ›
Sauté garlic and ginger in oil before adding the sauce ingredients. This will infuse the oil with aromatic flavors, which will in turn enhance the overall taste of the dish. Add more sauce ingredients: Increase the quantities of the sauce ingredients, such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, or sesame oil.
Why does Chinese takeaway taste so good? ›
Chinese chefs often use three types of cardamom: black, green, and white. Curry powder features in some dishes. And, in addition to ginger and turmeric, Chinese restaurants sometimes use ginger and turmeric's relative, galangal (via The Woks of Life). And don't forget the MSG to add deeper, umami flavors to your food.
