China.

Chinese food and cooking has influenced the cuisines of so many cultures around the world today. It should be no surprise therefore that Chinese food can be found in almost any country on earth. In Canada, for example, this influence can be seen in any city's Yellow Pages- listing more restaurants advertising Chinese food than food from any other region of the world (including pizza!). In North America, Chinese food has also recently spawned a new brand of cooking called "Asian Fusion", combining cooking styles of the Far East with ingredients and flavours of the West.

The Chinese philosophy of food emphasizes three things: freshness, flavour, and texture. If the ingredients to begin with are of poor quality, so too will be the final product. Much flavour is achieved by using a variety of regional spices, blended and cooked at very high temperatures. The central provinces of Sichuan and Hunan (where I was born) have the spiciest food in all of China. Garlic, chilies, and ginger are staples to most dishes in the region. Of course, there are many other regional variations in Chinese cuisine. Cantonese cuisine, of the south, is heavy on fish and seafood; while  northern Peking cuisine includes more meat. Pork is most common meat in all Chinese dishes. Different texture layers are given to each dish by purposely selecting ingredients that are unlike one another in consistency, but complement each other in flavor. Also, dishes can be topped with raw foods such as peanuts, to achieve crunchiness, or vegetables for moisture and freshness.

Chinese cooking is not complicated in comparison to many European nations. Much less depends on temperatures of ingredients and exact cooking times. Chinese dishes are most often just cooked in water or oil. Chinese meals are always accompanied with tea (a major national export) and meals are capped off with fruit (usually cool orange slices) or, on special occasions, specialty desserts like moon cakes.

• 3 to 4 tablespoons oil
• 1 green onion, scallion
• 2 to 3 small hot chili peppers
• 1 tablespoon shredded ginger
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 pounds frying chicken
• 1/2 cup Chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 To 2 teaspoons anise pepper
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, marinate 15-20 minutes in ginger, sherry, soy sauce mixture.
2. Cut scallion and hot peppers diagonally into 1-inch pieces.
3. Grind anise pepper to powder.
4. Mix chicken broth, soy sauce, wine vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
   Heat oil. Add scallion, and stir fry several times.
5. Add ginger, sherry, soy mixture and chicken to scallions and hot pepper, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes more.
6. Add chicken broth mixture, mix well. Cook over low heat until chicken pieces are tender.
7. Add cornstarch to thicken.
8. Serve with rice.

Ratings. (out of five)