Check out these dishes images:

Chinese Plate with Chopsticks (a)


Image by TheBusyBrain
You can find me on Twitter!

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103/365


Image by coschda
13.04.2010

this is the shot i was working on yesterday! a quick portrait outside with the diy beautydish!
my days at work are super long again and somehow i´m really out of ideas. i need some creative input.. just don´t know where to get it from..

hope you´re all ok!!

cheers mates

strobist info: speedlite 430ex camera left from above with diy beautydish @ full power!

White Tailed Kite


Image by Jill Clardy
Loved the light shining thru the tail feathers, and the way the raptor flaps and hovers while searching for his next meal is a sight to behold.

Some cool food images:

Sugar Cookies Chinese Restaurant 12-6-08 10


Image by stevendepolo
Chinese food from the Golden Gate Chinese Restaurant in Wymoning, MI.

blogcmt.com/2009/09/08/galletitas-de-la-fortuna-confidenc…

Some cool food images:

Chinese Food


Image by HeyThereSpaceman.
Polaroid SX-70 Model 2 + 600 film.

Overexposed.
Thus, glowing styrofoam.

Fast Food


Image by KJGarbutt

by Silvio Tanaka

Food


Image by Laurel_Kate
I could eat Indian food for ever and always.

Annual 10%-20% Growth in Chinese Fast Food Market

www.cri-report.com – Modern fast food industry in China started relatively late along with the implementation of China’s reform and opening up. In 1987, KFC established China’s first fast food restaurant in Beijing, ushering in China’s fast food market. In the 19Ȱs and 1990s, other Western fast food enterprises began to enter the Chinese market, and acquired favorable achievements. Chinese fast food began to appear soon.

According to characteristics of the Chinese fast food market, fast food is divided into such two major categories as Western and Chinese fast food. Standardization of Western fast food is easy to be realized since in Western fast food, which is generally roasted and fried, a small quantity of major ingredients, minor ingredients and condiments are adopted. The main varieties of Western fast food are hamburger, chicken nuggets, French fries, etc. which are generally accompanied by soft drinks. Standardization of Chinese fast food is difficult to be realized since in Chinese fast food, there are a large variety of major ingredients, minor ingredients and condiments. The cooking methods are multiple, and the varieties including rice, noodles, dumplings, fried dishes, steamed dishes, etc. are accompanied by Chinese soup or soft drinks.

Currently, the major Western fast food brands in Chinese market are KFC, McDonald’s, Burger King, etc.; the major Chinese fast food brands are Kungfu, Yonghe King, Da Niang Dumpling, etc.

In recent ten years, with the quickening pace of social life, China’s fast food industry has maintained annual growth rate of 10%-20%. In 2010, the market scale of China’s fast food industry exceeded CNY 260 billion.

KFC and McDonald’s, the two fast-food giants, are always leaving Chinese fast food enterprises far behind. But it cannot be ignored that it’s still the Chinese fast food that occupies nearly 70% market share of the fast food industry in China. According to incomplete statistics, at least over 60% of Chinese fast food is rice-based. Chinese fast food enterprises are large in number, but the single enterprises are weak in strength. For instance, by the end of 2010, KFC has possessed over 3,000 restaurants in China, while Kungfu, a leading enterprise of Chinese fast food has possessed less than 400 restaurants in China.

Standardization has always been the biggest obstacle to chain development of Chinese fast food industry. Compared with KFC, McDonald’s and other Western fast food, it is fairly difficult for Chinese fast food industry to achieve standardization, especially in taste, weight, and specification, which is also one of the major reasons for the relatively slow chain development of Chinese fast food industry.

China’s fast food market has been heating up. Such world-renowned Western fast food as McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, and such Chinese restaurant chain enterprises as Kungfu, Yonghe King, Da Niang Dumpling flourish on a large scale. However, the fast-food giants seem to have no intention to slow down the pace of expansion.

At the end of 2010, McDonald’s announced that in the next 3 years, it would increase 1,000 new restaurants in China.

By the end of 2010, Burger King has opened over 30 restaurants in China. In September, 2010, 3G Capital in Brazil purchased Burger King, the second-largest fast food chain stores in the U.S.A. with USD 3.30 billion. The industry insiders believe that this acquisition will promote the Burger King’s pace of expansion in China.

In the field of Chinese restaurant chain, Kungfu possessed nearly ᐼ regular stores nationwide in 2010, growing into the NO.1 of Chinese fast food industry. Kungfu plans to own 800-1,000 storefronts in the next 5 years. In addition, Yonghe King possesses 200 chain stores in China’s major cities which are planned to be further expanded to 700 restaurants in the next 5 years nationwide.

China’s fast food market enjoys huge market opportunities, in which exists a lot of mistaken ideas in terms of investment and concept.

In China, the development of the fast food industry is constrained by consumption level and consumption capacity. Economic development is uneven throughout China, the coastal cities are more economically developed than inland, central and western regions, and large cities are more economically developed than small and medium-sized cities. Even in a city, incomes of different groups differ largely. A portion of fast food in Chinese market is usually sold at CNY5-CNY30. The fast food industry in China faces such problems as imperfect relevant laws, inadequate distribution systems, food safety, etc. Investors need to consider various angles of policies, site selection, incomes of local consumers, cultural factors, etc. before investing in China’s fast food industry.

China’s pace of urbanization is accelerating, a large number of rural populations are pouring into the cities, and the consumption capacity of original urban population is gradually increasing. Due to a large population and the continuing and rapid development of China’s economy, China will gradually become the world’s largest fast food market.

Source: http://www.cri-report.com/240-research-report-on-china-fast-food-industry-2011-2012.html

More following information can be acquired from “Research Report on China Fast Food Industry, 2011-2012″:
-Development Environment of China’s Fast Food Industry
-Development Status of Western Fast Food in Chinese Market
-Development Status of Chinese Fast Food in Chinese Market
-Key Enterprises in China’s Fast Food Industry and Their Operations
-Competition in China’s Fast Food Industry
-Competition and Market Strategy of China’s Fast Food Industry
-Prediction on Development Trend of China’s Fast Food Industry
-Existing Investment Opportunities in China’s Fast Food Industry

Following people are suggested to buy this report:
-Fast Food Enterprises
-Food Raw Material and Condiment Suppliers
-Investors Focusing on China’s Fast Food Industry
-Research Institutions Focusing on China’s Fast Food Industry

Chinese Braised Soy Sauce Eggs (�»·è��)

January 28th, 20ǫ | Chinese, Chinese Recipes | 1 Comment

I promised you my Chinese braised soy sauce eggs Recipe (滷蛋) in the Taiwanese scallion oil noodles (葱油拌面) post, so here you go. This is a super easy recipe, and the best thing is that you can save the braising soy sauce stock (滷æ°´汁) in the fridge and re-use it again to make the eggs or even tofu (bean curd). I usually use the stock for 2-3 times before I discard it. As many Chinese cooks or chefs would tell you, the  flavor of the braising stock develops as time goes by…some restaurants  just keep using their stock for as long as they stay in the business (I kid you not!)…

One ingredient that I like to add to my braising stock is a spice tea bag used for braising a variety of foods—chicken, pork, beef, peanuts, seaweed, tofu, etc. (You can check out the product picture here). It’s available at Asian stores and they are cheap and handy. It’s optional but a tea bag of the spice adds to the aroma and overall flavor. I did overcook my hard-boiled eggs because I forgot about the time and hence the greenish ring around the egg yolk; to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, please refer to this kitchen tip by Good Life Eats.

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October 12th, 2010 | Chinese, Culture Guide | 6 Comments

Confinement Drink: Longan and Red Date Tea

Apologies that I have neglected my blogs and my dear readers, but it’s not without a good reason. As many of you have known, I recently gave birth to my son baby G, and have since been “sentenced��� to a month-long Chinese birth confinement. As I am writing this post, I am eagerly counting down to the end of the confinement period, which is next Tuesday, Oct 19.

So, what is confinement, or 坐�ˆ?

According to the Chinese, a woman’s body is the weakest and most vulnerable to future ailments after childbirth, and thus a confinement period of at least 30-40 days will ensure great recovery and long term health. During confinement, the confining mother will have to observe, follow, and endure a series of taboos, traditional rituals, and consumed a strict confinement cuisine…

Confinement cuisine basically consists of heating ingredients: old ginger, sesame oil, wine, black vinegar, etc., which are used excessively in almost every confinement meal. Chinese herbs such as ginseng and dong qui (当归) are also vital tonics to help the body heal. Water is a no-no as it will cause water retention, hence hot drinks such as ginger & date tea and longan & date tea are prescribed. Wine such as DOM is indispensable even though there are debates that nursing mothers shouldn’t have wine as the wine passes to the milk.

Other than the above, certain dishes are must-have���s during the confinement period. The most common ones are ginger and black vinegar pig trotters (猪脚醋), sesame oil chicken (麻油鸡), pork liver and kidneys cooked with ginger and sesame oil, pig stomach soup, etc. The dishes also have to be consumed while hot/warm. Suffice it to say, confinement meals are not your regular day-to-day cooking, but a series of concoctions prepared the traditional way to nourish the body.

Chinese confinement also comes with a laundry list of taboos but the most unbearable of all to a confining mother is not being able to shower and wash the hair during the confinement period, which means an average of 30-40 days!!! In present day, it’s hard to fathom that such belief still exists but the contact of cold water is said to cause the penetration of “wind” (风) into the body, and will lead  to severe body ache and future ailment. (Just between you and me, let’s just say that I didn’t exactly follow this practice.)  The concept of “wind” also extends to not leaving the house during the confinement, no air-condition, no fan, no sleeveless top, etc. Precisely, the confining mother has to be wrapped up with layers of clothing, socks, and not to expose the body to the “wind.”

So, here you have it, a quick snapshot of what I am going through. I have to say that it’s an exceedingly challenging time for me as I am not 100% sold on the concept. I do believe that eating well is very important but when you are fed with sesame oil + ginger + wine every single day, it’s a completely different story. I miss my favorite seafood and sambal-laden dishes. I miss being normal, I guess, but I know in no time, I will be back to my regular lifestyle and eating my favorite food.

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There’s something about Chinese food that just attracts people like magnets. Chinese cooking works like magic to turn a commonly bland vegetable or meat into a colourful, flavoursome dish. The sesame chicken is really a Chinese dish that’s well-known throughout the globe. It’s one with the most sought right after dishes from Chinese restaurant menus. Not just is sesame chicken tasty to eat; it is also effortless to get ready at property. When you are planning a party or family celebration at property, you could prepare this dish as main course. It doesn’t take much time to cook and will undoubtedly find loads of takers.

The sesame chicken is stated to have originated from the Hunan region of southern China. Sesame seeds have been a staple in Chinese food because time immemorial. The Chinese have a strong belief in the nutritional value of these seeds; they’re mentioned to be an excellent source of calcium, proteins and crucial minerals. Obviously, there’s also the taste! Sesame seeds enhance the flavour of any dish.

This might not be the perfect dish for weight watchers due to the fact it involves deep drying the chicken; however it certain can be a great fare to possess whenever you experience like indulging. The combination of crispy fried chicken with tangy sweet sauce and toasted sesame seeds can be a deal with for the taste buds. So whenever you sense like giving yourself a deal with, just try out this easy recipe with elements you’ll commonly have at home. Finish off the cooking part in much less than 30 minutes and relish the taste of restaurant-like fare at house.

You will will need -

* Chicken breasts (whole, deboned) – 3

* Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp

* Enough peanut oil for deep frying

Dice the chicken to generate one inch pieces. Toast the sesame seeds and continue to keep aside.

For making the marinade -

* Soy sauce – a couple of tbsp

* Cooking wine – one tbsp

* Sesame oil

* Flour – 2 tbsp

* Corn flour – two tbsp

* Water – two tbsp

* Baking powder – ¼ tsp

* Baking soda – ¼ tsp

* Cooking oil – 1 tsp

Mix all these ingredients and soak the chicken pieces in this marinade for aboutಔ minutes. While this can be marinating, you’ll be able to get ready the sauce.

You are going to need to have -

* Chicken broth – 1 cup

* Water – ½ cup

* Vinegar – 1/8 cup

* Cornflour – ¼ cup

* Sugar – one cup

* Soy sauce (dark) – 2 tablespoons

* Sesame oil – 2 tablespoons

* Chili paste – 1 teaspoon

* Crushed garlic – 1 clove

Combine all these in a pot and continue to keep stirring till the mixture start off boiling. Close and simmer to use soon after you finish deep frying the chicken.

Heat the peanut oil and deep fry chicken pieces, 1 batch at a time. Drain with paper tissues. When that is accomplished, heat the sauce again till it starts boiling.

Take a serving bowl and location the fried chicken. Cover with hot sauce and garnish with toasted sesame seeds. Traditionally, sesame chicken is served along with boiled jasmine rice and steamed broccoli.

Chinese foods is something that virtually all of us really like but only couple of of us would go ahead and come across a time to discover tips on how to make it. Chinese meals in minutes is an iPhone application form that will satisfy the urge of both who like to eat and also individuals who enjoy cooking. Using this iPhone software will allow you to in producing good Chinese meals within no time!

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Chinese foods in minutes — iPhone request can be a full-featured recipe request and one tap buying checklist that is offered in every single recipe. Be software has an attractive and user-friendly style and you have separate many suggestions from 1