By : Liz Canham
These lists are not exhaustive as the number of Chinese ingredients, in particular, are just too numerous to mention. However, I have listed the most common which are readily available in the Western world.
Ingredients
Bamboo Shoots, as the name suggests are the crisp shoots of tropical bamboo. They are usually sold canned and give a lovely crunch to sir-fried dishes. Once opened, any shoots that you don’t need immediately can be kept in water in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. They keep better if you change the water daily.
Beancurd, also known as tofu is made from the liquid extracted from soya beans. It is sold in blocks and looks rather like curd cheese. It is fairly tasteless on its own but absorbs other tastes and is popular as a meat substitute.
Beansprouts are the young sprouts of germinating mung beans. The are available fresh or in cans. The fresh ones are much tastier and crisper and will keep for up to three days refrigerated in a plastic bag. Beansprouts are used extensively in Chinese cooking, particularly stir-fries and in spring rolls. They can also be used raw in salads.
Bean thread noodles or Cellophane noodles are very thin, transparent threads made from mung beans. They have little taste of their own but absorb the flavor of other foods in stir-fries and soups. They can also be deep fried and used as a garnish.
Black beans are soy beans, strongly flavored and preserved in spices. They need to be reconstituted in water before use. Black bean sauce is available in jars and will keep indefinitely once opened. It is made from fermented black beans and spices and is used as a marinade in Chinese cooking.
Chicken stock is frequently used in Chinese sauces and soups and can be made from bouillon powder, stock cubes or home-made from a chicken carcass and/or giblets simmered for at least two hours with a leek, a carrot and an onion, all quartered plus salt, pepper and bay leaves.
Chillis can be used fresh, dried or in powder form depending on your recipe. The smaller and redder a fresh chilli, generally the hotter it is. Reduce the heat by removing the seeds but use extreme caution as chilli seeds on your hands when you rub your eye or touch your face can be extremely painful. I recommend the use of disposable plastic or latex gloves or hold the chilli with a piece of kitchen paper while you cut it. Chillis can be dried on a very low heat in the oven or left in the sun. Once dried they will crumble easily and are often used to flavour oil. Chilli powder is readily available in supermarkets.
Chilli bean sauce is made from fermented soy beans, red chillis and garlic. You can add it to almost any dish if you like a spicy flavour.
Chinese egg noodles are about the most popular type of noodle for Chinese cooking and are also known as egg flour noodles. They can be used in soups and stir-fry dishes as well as being boiled then fried until they�re crisp.
Chinese mushrooms are Shiitake mushrooms. They have meaty caps and tough stalks which can be used for flavouring but should be thrown away before the dish is presented. They are often sold dried and should be reconstituted in hot water for 30 minutes. The soaking water can be kept and added to stocks, soups and sauces for extra flavour.
Cinnamon sticks are the inner bark of a tropical tree which, when dried curl into the shape in which they are sold. The outer bark is also full of flavour. I would not recommend using cinnamon powder in Chinese cookery - it can give a gritty texture and tastes nothing like the bark or the sticks.
Citrus peel (usually orange or tangerine) is often used as a flavoring. It can be bought dried or you can dry your own. Try not to leave too much of the pith attached and dry in a very low oven, in the airing cupboard or in the sun. Soak in water to reconstitute.
Coriander is also known as Chinese parsley although it is used extensively in Indian and Mexican cookery as well. It is very aromatic and isn’t to everyone’s taste so it may be best just to use it as a garnish.
Cornflour or cornstarch is used to give a creamy texture and to thicken sauces. It should be mixed with a small amount of liquid and stirred until smooth before adding to a dish. Beware - a little goes a long way.
Five spice powder is a mixture of ground star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel seeds and Szechuan peppercorns. Personally, I find the flavour of aniseed from both the star anise and the fennel to be overpowering and I never use it.
Garlic is a pungent bulb readily available. Fresh garlic is best for flavour (make sure it doesn’t have any green sprouts or it will be very bitter) but it can be bought powdered (not recommended) in a paste or crushed in oil in a jar.
Ginger is a root which is widely used in Chinese cookery. Sometimes whole slices are added to a dish as flavouring and later removed but more commonly, it is peeled and chopped or shredded very finely. Do not use ginger powder - it just doesn’t have the same taste.
Hoisin sauce is made from soya beans, garlic and other spices and is frequently served with Crispy Duck or barbecued pork. It is sold in cans and jars and will keep in the refrigerator for up to six months once opened. (If you buy canned, transfer any leftovers to a screw top jar for storage.
Oyster Sauce is a dark sauce made from oysters and soy sauce and is used as a seasoning. It goes well with green vegetables.
Rice wine is strong flavoured and often used in Chinese marinades and sauces. If you can’t find it, a very dry sherry will do instead.
Sesame oil is made from roasted sesame seeds has a delightful distinctive flavour and is often added at the end of cooking very sparingly.
Soy sauce is the most commonly used ingredient in Chinese cookery and is brewed from fermented soya beans and salt. It is very dark coloured and very strongly flavoured. There are Light and Dark varieties. The light one should be used with delicately flavoured foods such as fish.
Spring onions, salad onions or scallions are long and thin with a white root and green foliage often used as a garnish. They are extensively used in Chinese cooking both for flavour and texture.
Spring roll wrappers are made from rice flour and water and can be bought frozen or vacu-packed in a variety of shapes and sizes. They need to be kept damp and handled carefully because they can be very brittle and break up.
Star anise is a very strongly aniseed or liquorice flavoured spice which can be used whole or broken into bits but should be removed before storing or serving food.
Szechuan peppercorns are very aromatic and are lovely roasted, crushed, mixed with sea salt and used as a condiment, especially with prawns.
Vinegar, distilled from fermented rice there are three types - while, black and red. White is very mild and is mostly used in sweet and sour dishes. Black is milder than malt vinegar and is usually used as a condiment.
Waterchestnuts can be obtained fresh but are found more commonly in cans. They are white with a lovely crunchy texture and are often used finely shredded in stir-fry dishes. Leftovers can be kept in water in a jar in the �fridge for a couple of weeks.
Wontun skins can be bought fresh or frozen and wrapped around the filling of your choice then simmered in soup or deep fried for a tasty snack or starter.
Yellow bean sauce or soy bean sauce can be used to thicken sauces but it is quite salty so don’t use soy sauce as well. It can be bought in cans or jars and will keep in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for months.
Cooking Equipment
A Wok is pretty much essential for Chinese cooking as its depth makes it easier to move food around quickly without spilling it all over the stove and the greater surface area means that food can be cooked quicker and as a result, vegetables in particular retain some crunch to their texture.
These days you can buy non-stick and electric woks but the traditional sort produce better food and come in two types. The Cantonese wok has a gripping handle on either side and the pau wok has one long handle (sometimes with a short handle on the other side for ease of lifting). The former is more stable and is useful for deep frying and steaming while the latter is better for stir-frying. Traditionally, woks have a rounded bottom but nowadays you can buy them with flat bottoms which are safer for use on ceramic and other electric hobs while the rounded-bottomed ones can really only be used on gas hobs.
When selecting your wok, be sure that it has a diameter of at least 14 inches and a good depth. If possible it should be made of carbon steel which conducts the heat better.
A carbon steel wok will need to be seasoned - scrub it with a cream cleaner to remove any residues of machine oil and dry it carefully. Put the wok on the hob over a low heat. Rub the inside of the wok with two tablespoons of cooking oil using kitchen towel. Let the wok heat slowly for 10 to 15 minutes then wipe the inside with more kitchen towel. The paper will come away black. Carry on coating, heating and cleaning off until the kitchen towel comes away clean. Your wok is now ready to use. After use, wash only in water without detergent and dry thoroughly over a low heat. You may also apply a little oil if you wish. This should prevent the wok from rusting but if it does develop rust, just scrub and season again.
As well as the wok itself, if you want to use the wok for braising, steaming or deep-frying, you will need a stand which come in two styles, one being a solid metal ring with holes in it for use on electric hobs and the other, for use on gas hobs, a circular metal framework. You will also need a lid which is large and domed and will completely cover the wok when you’re steaming food on a plate.
A deep fat fryer is safer and easier to use than a wok for deep-frying but will require more oil. Electric ones usually come with filters in their lids, so smell less than the traditional pan with a basket in it.
Cleavers are very important to a Chinese cook who would normally have at least three types of different weights for different purposes, not only cutting, shredding and chopping bones but for crushing and scooping as well. Of course cleavers are not essential as long as you have good sharp knives.
Steamer may be of bamboo in various sizes which come with a lid and can be stacked one on top of the other in your wok (as long as they are the same size) or you can use a normal metal steamer.
Rice cookers are by no means essential unless you have problems getting rice to cook correctly. Electric ones are useful because you can set and forget and free up a burner on the hob, but they are rather expensive and space-consuming if you don’t eat rice a great deal.
Chopsticks are used by Chinese cooks for whipping, stirring and beating but of course Western utensils will do just as well. Table chopsticks come in plastic and wood these days although they used to be available in ivory. They add a certain authenticity to a Chinese meal, together with chopstick rests, Chinese bowls and spoons.
About Liz Canham :
As well as a love of Asian cooking and travel as you can see in her Asian Food and Cookery and Travellers Tales websites, Liz seeks to help newcomers to the world of internet marketing with tools, tips and training from her Liz-e-Biz.com website.
