The Chinese do not compromise with their taste when it comes to food. Prepared with care and precision, authentic Chinese food is delicately flavored with just the right balance of spices and sauces in it.

Since Chinese food is so popular but few can really put together an authentic Chinese menu for a meal, here is a menu for both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Chinese food that you and your guests will truly savor.

You can begin the course with an appetizer of Chinese tofu and broccoli rolls. Fried roll wrappers with a filling of tofu and broccoli along with green onions and water chestnuts, these are a perfect starter to the meal.

You may also want to start off with a soup, in which case I recommend you try the red bean soup prepared with red adzuki beans, lotus nuts and dried tangerine peels.

Move on to the main course with a dish of tofu with mushrooms and dates with a side of tomato and bean curd stew.

You may also want to try the szechuan string beans or crisp fried bamboo shoots. You may have a hard time deciding as they are equally savory and delicious. The crisp fried bamboo shoots are quite heavy as they are made along with rice with mushrooms and bell peppers.

Round up this savory meal with a dessert of honey apples or honeyed apples sweetned with honey and sugar with the tang of lemon juice or a refreshing Chinese green Longjing tea. As the Chinese say - "Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one."

The non-vegetarian Chinese menu has a variety of seafood, fish, pork, beef and chicken recipes to choose from. So here I’m going to present indulgent dishes along with an healthy option along with it.

Start the meal with an appetizer of hoisin beef scallion rolls. This is a very meaty option. A lighter and equally savory starter would be five spice shrimp puffs, which is my personal favorite. The shrimp puffs are flavored with a medley of spices along with gingerroot and red bell peppers.

In the main course I recommend the hakka yong tao foo which are tofu pockets filled with shrimp ,pork and fish, fried and served in a soy bean soup; a must try recipe.

No one prepares squid, seafood and crab better than the Chinese. Try the stir fried squid with leeks flavored with shaoxing wine or the abalone with oyster sauce. The delicately flavored mushu shrimp served with Chinese pancakes is a personal favorite of mine and also a good and filling addition.

For a more indulgent and meaty option you may try the kung pao beef, or Mongolian beef. They are both full bodied and richly flavored beef items and very filling when served with rice or noodles.

If you want a lighter option then a poultry dish like drunken chicken or Cantonese roast duck are excellent with both rice and noodles.

    cantonese roast duck

For dessert try the sweet Chinese snow fungi soup that is both refreshing and light. Made with snow fungi, sugar and cherries, this is the prefect soup to end the meal with.

If soup is not really your preference you can try Chinese green tea which is an eternal favorite of mine or sago and pineapple sweets made with pineapples, sugar and sago amd decorated with cherries.

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http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/kung_pao_beef

http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/how_to_make_mongolian_beef