Red cooking is a Chinese technique where meats are simmered in a red-colored broth made from dark soy sauce, rock sugar, rice wine, star anise, and cardamom. Leftover sauce can be stored and reused. The slow cooking method makes the meat tender, and variations can be created using different ingredients. Similar techniques include kho and char siu.
Red cooking is a Chinese cooking technique in which meats are simmered in a rich red-colored broth. This broth is made from dark soy sauce, rock sugar, rice wine, star anise and cardamom. In Mandarin, red cuisine is called hong shao. It is more popular in Zhejiang, Shanghai and Jiangsu cuisine. Variations of the red cuisine are also common throughout the Chinese country.
Dark soy sauce is the main ingredient in red cooking. It is thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce and helps give this type of Chinese cuisine its usual texture and flavor. Stir-fried vegetables are often used as a side dish to complement this rich and filling dish.
Other common names for red cooking are red stew and red stew. Foods prepared this way have a red to reddish brown color from the ingredients used in the braised sauce. Red color means luck and good fortune in China. Shallots, five-spice powder, garlic, and cinnamon are sometimes added to the traditional recipe. Some form of protein is almost always used and can range from pork and poultry to gluten-based proteins from tofu and wheat.
Leftover red cooking sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and kept for future use. The sauce can become thick and viscous during storage. It can be reconstituted by adding additional dark soy sauce, chicken broth, rice wine, or other liquids while reheating. Leftover meat can be eaten cold or reheated and retains its flavor well for up to two weeks when stored properly.
One benefit of red cooking is that the slow cooking method over low heat makes the cuts of meat more tender. In this method, the sauce can be simmered until reduced to the desired consistency or thickened by slowly adding small amounts of cornstarch as needed. By varying ingredients and other toppings, an almost infinite number of variations and flavors can be created.
Other Asian cooking techniques include kho and char siu. Kho is a braised Vietnamese dish that closely resembles Chinese red cuisine in color and flavor. It relies on caramelized sugar and fish sauce as a base instead of dark soy sauce. Char siu is commonly used in Cantonese cuisine and usually contains barbecued pork or other meats. The dark red color of char siu sometimes comes from red food coloring, although food coloring is not a traditional ingredient.
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