Although it is a very popular type of cuisine, not everyone has tasted Chinese food before, so first timers may feel overwhelmed when going to a Chinese restaurant like Sun Wah Restaurant & Function Centre for the first time. If you fit the bill, then read on to find out what are the most common types of appetizers, so that you can order with confidence.
Foil-Wrapped Chicken—Foil-wrapped chicken always comes to your table piping hot, so be careful not to touch the aluminum foil for a few minutes once it's served to you. When you unwrap the foil, you will find a piece of chicken, usually a chicken breast that is moist and chewy and cooked with soy sauce and hoisin sauce, which is a sour-sweet sauce that is common in many Chinese dishes. Some Chinese restaurants also include cilantro and fresh ginger with the foil-wrapped chicken. The texture of the chicken is very soft, because it is grilled after being marinated for several hours.
Chinese Braised Spare Ribs—Chinese braised spare ribs are made from pork ribs that are marinated in soy sauce, white wine vinegar, sesame oil, honey, garlic and Chinese spice powder. The Chinese use short spare ribs in this dish, and the appetizer has a sweet and spicy taste that is also crunchy and crispy, as the ribs are roasted in an oven until they are a dark brown color.
Many Chinese restaurants will also offer you hot mustard or sweet chili sauce as a dip for you to enjoy, depending on if you like spicy or prefer sweet. If you prefer beef spare ribs, you can often make a substitution, but be aware that beef is tougher than pork, so beef spare ribs won't be as soft and chewy as pork spare ribs.
Spring Rolls—You've probably heard of spring rolls before, and though people think they're the same as egg rolls, they are not. Spring rolls do not have meat inside, and are typically stuffed with cabbage, julienne cut carrots and other chopped vegetables. Chinese restaurants typically cook the ingredients in a big wok and use oyster sauce to flavor the food. Oyster sauce is pungent and sweet, but despite its name, it doesn't have a fishy taste, so you won't taste fish in the sauce at all.
Spring rolls are deep fried and served extremely hot, as the Chinese believe that they should be eaten hot to fully taste the combination of crispy shell and soft, moist stuffing. If you prefer your rolls stuffed with meat, pork or shrimp, you can order eggrolls that have these ingredients.
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