In this week's food article, we're not going to focus on a specific food recipe. Instead our aim is to take a look on some general difficulties people have when trying to cook Chinese cuisine. Our guide into the fascinating world of gastronomical misunderstandings (and corrections) is Mads Schmidt, whose hunger is as limitless as his knowledge of Chinese culinary treasures. He has traveled throughout China, cooked almost everything that can be cooked and tasted everything that should and some things that shouldn't be tasted. We're going back to basics, with some of the simple things that can make all the difference. So pay attention!

Rice well done and vegetables al dente, please!

Rice is one of the essential ingredients in the Chinese kitchen, but the little grains of goodness can be a bit tricky to cook correctly. Don't, under any circumstances, use boil-in-the-bag rice. True China rice should be sticky when served, and this is extremely hard to achieve when boiling rice in little bags. Jasmin rice has good “sticky potential”, and is usually used in Chinese cuisine. Rice is not like pasta, which means that it should never be cooked al dente. Let it boil on a low heat and don't stir it too often.

Vegetables are one of the most fundamental ingredients in Chinese gastronomy. Do not buy frozen vegetables! Why? First of all they don't taste as good as fresh ones, and secondly the frozen “Asian vegetable mixes” usually contain up to six or seven different vegetables. In China there is usually only one or two different vegetables in each course. Less is more!

Stir frying is a popular way of cooking meat and vegetables in China. You shouldn't cut the vegetables and meat into too large pieces. The smaller the pieces are, the faster they can be fried. The vegetables should be crunchy, a pleasing contrast to the optimal texture of soft boiled rice. Fry the vegetables al dente! Cooking with gas is recommended, since it provides higher temperatures. This is vital especially when using a wok.

Seasoning dictatorship

Simplicity is essential when seasoning Chinese food. Don't overdo it by adding too many flavors to one dish. Usually there are one or two different seasonings that should play the main role in one course. If you are cooking vegetables in ginger sauce it should taste of ginger, not as vegetables in some kind of sauce that has every flavour imaginable, including ginger. There's no need for democracy in seasoning politics.

Most of us are familiar with the miracle seasoning ingredient called sweet chili sauce. The fact that sweet chili sauce is delicious does not mean that it is Chinese! In China it is more common to use either fresh chili or dried chillies, instead of the sweet chili, that has its origins Thailand.

Remember that most of the food they serve in most western Chinese restaurants does not taste as it would in China. The dishes are usually western-Chinese hybrids that are prepared for western palates. Fortunately you don't have to travel to China in order to get to know the deepest secrets of Chinese cooking. One good option is to go to youtube and look for Chinese recipes. Not all of the video clips that can be found are genuine, but a few of them actually are.

Last but not least, feel free to experiment. This information should be interpreted as rough guidelines. Your fantasy is the limit to what your Chinese food can, will and should taste like.