Three Chinese Meals

ONE—a standard family-style meal, which of course is also beautifully suited to entertaining. You are going to combine dishes of different techniques so that they can be synchronized for serving all at once. For instance, any clear-simmered or red-cooked meat can be done ahead of time and then reheated. A deep-fried dish, such as the Five-fragrance Deep-fried Chicken, can be prefried and then refried momentarily just before serving. A steamed dish such as a Steamed Whole Fish can be cooking while you stir-fry a vegetable. The rice can always be cooked at least 30 minutes ahead of time. The soup could be a simmered one, needing only last-minute reheating, or a quick soup, such as the Hot and Sour Soup, Egg Drop, or Purple Seaweed. The vegetable can be anything you like, as long as it provides contrast in taste, texture, and color.