Chinese+Food

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 China 

How it all started...
 Rice was the first grain that was in China- 5000BC and they cooked it in boiling water or they made wine out of it. Rice doesn't grow in northern China. In 4500 BC people in northern China gathered wild millet instead of rice. Millet is a grain that grows about fifteen feet tall and looks like corn when its growing. Millet grows fast, and doesn’t need very much rain, so it is good for dry or cold climates. Tea grows wild in China. In 3000 BC people in China began to drink tea. Wheat was not native to China and people brought it to China from West Asia. People in northern China first began to eat wheat in the Shang Dynasty which was in about 1500 BC. In southern China people ate mostly rice. Soybeans, oranges, lemons, peaches, apricots, and cucumbers are native to China. The native flavorings are ginger and anise (Americans use anise to make licorice). On special occasions, people put little pieces of meat on their rice. In 5500 BC the Chinese were eating domesticated chicken, which came from Thailand. By 4000 or 3000 BC, they were eating pork, which was native to China. Sheep and cattle, reached China from West Asia also around 4000 BC. In 1000 AD people also put tofu, or bean curd, in their food as a source of protein. In 100 AD Chinese people began to make their wheat and rice into long noodles.

Meals
I have made Vegetable Dumplings, Pineapple Stir-fry, and a Rasberry Almond Float.

Vegetable Dumplings:
First, add the carrots, green onion, snap peas, and cabbage and mix it together. Add about a teaspoon of the mixture to each wonton wrapper. Add a little bit of water to the edges of the wrapper and then fold it in half Press the edges of the wrapper down to secure it. Place the dumplings in a frying pan with hot oil, cook for about 1 minute and flip them over. Take the dumplings out of the pan and place them in a dish.

Pineapple Stir - fry:
Cut chicken into pieces. Add salt, pepper, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into a bowl with the chicken. In a pan cook the chicken for 3 minutes and then add pineapple and green onion. Cook for at least 2 more minutes. Add chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and cornstarch to the pan. Cook for 3 more minutes. Mix and continue cooking until chicken is done. After the chicken is done place everything in a serving dish.

Raspberry Almond Float:
Mix milk, unflavored Jell-O, and sugar in a saucepan, bring the mix to a very warm temperature but not a boil. Add in almond extract. Pour the mix into a 9 inch glass pan, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Place raspberries and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place the mixture in a colander to remove the seeds. Place the seedless raspberry mixture on a plate, put a square of the Jell-O on top, garnish with a mint leaf.

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