Some Cutting Techniques

In Chinese cooking in particular, ingredients are not simply chopped into small pieces but are cut up with great care. The natural flavor of food should arrive on the table unimpaired, everything should be evenly cooked and dishes should also be a pleasure to the eye.

• Slices: cut vegetables, meat (always across the grain) and fish into slices (usually thin slices). Vegetables are commonly sliced at an angle into bite-sized pieces.

• Strips: cut firm vegetables firstly into thick slices and then into matchstick-sized pieces. Leafy vegetables are often cut at an angle into strips 1-2 cm/1/2-1 in wide.

• Cubes: cut ingredients into thick slices, then into thick stick and finally into very small cubes.

• Chopping: chop ingredients finely with a cleaver or a large, heavy knife. Minces are virtually unknown in Asian kitchens, and meat is cut into very small cubes with a cleaver. First cut the meat into thin slices, then into thin sticks and finely into very small cubes.

• Decorative shapes: for quarters, cut vegetables lengthways in four and then cut into slices. For rectangles, cut vegetables into 4-5 cm/11/2-2 in pieces, then place the pieces on their end and cut lengthways into thin slices. For half-moons, round vegetables are cut in half  lengthways and then cut into thick slices. Even triangles and irregular, wedge-shaped pieces are popular. For chrysanthemums, cut vegetables into 4-5 cm/11/2-2 in pieces and then cut a chequered pattern into one end of each piece. Soak in cold water - each piece will open up like a flower. To cut vegetables into flower shapes, cut out four or six wedges lengthways and then cut the stems into slices. Vegetables such as carrots, radishes and cucumbers are often "sharpened to a point", like a pencil.