Moo goo gai pan
Encyclopedia
Moo goo gai pan is an Americanized version of the Cantonese
dish .
with white button mushrooms and other vegetables. Popular vegetable additions include snow peas, bamboo shoots
, water chestnuts and Chinese cabbage
. Moo goo gai pan is different from other Chinese take-out
chicken dishes in that it eschews the traditional soy sauce-based "brown sauce
" in favor of a light chicken broth–based sauce.
It is more commonly found in the eastern parts of North America than along the West Coast.
Cantonese cuisine
Cantonese cuisine comes from Guangdong Province in southern China and is one of 8 superdivisions of Chinese cuisine. Its prominence outside China is due to the great numbers of early emigrants from Guangdong. Cantonese chefs are highly sought after throughout the country...
dish .
Etymology
The name comes from the Cantonese names of the ingredients:- moo goo (蘑菇): button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus)
- gai (雞): chicken
- pan (片): slices
Description
Moo goo gai pan is usually a simple stir-fried dish consisting of sliced or cubed chickenChicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
with white button mushrooms and other vegetables. Popular vegetable additions include snow peas, bamboo shoots
Bamboo Shoots
Bamboo Shoots is an American four-piece musical group based out of Brooklyn, New York and suburban New Jersey. They are known for their dueling, two-person rhythm section and their South Asian identity and influence...
, water chestnuts and Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage can refer to two distinct varieties of Chinese leaf vegetables used often in Chinese cuisine. These vegetables are both related to the Western cabbage, and are of the same species as the common turnip...
. Moo goo gai pan is different from other Chinese take-out
Take-out
Take-out or takeout , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a...
chicken dishes in that it eschews the traditional soy sauce-based "brown sauce
Brown sauce
Brown sauce may refer to:* Brown sauce , in French and Scandinavian cuisines* Steak sauce, a spiced condiment containing fruits and vinegar** A1 Steak Sauce, an American brand of steak sauce** HP Sauce, a British brand of sauce...
" in favor of a light chicken broth–based sauce.
It is more commonly found in the eastern parts of North America than along the West Coast.