Basic Ingredients for Chinese Cooking

Chinese For Dummies

Stock your pantry with basic ingredients for Chinese cooking so that you can whip up an authentic Chinese meal on a moment’s notice. Just add whatever fresh meat, fish, and produce you feel like — and before you know it, you’ll have a balanced, quick, and easy-to-make dish on your table.

Sauces and Condiments	Spices and Seasonings
Prepared black bean sauce	Chinese five-spice powder
Chile oil	Chinese hot mustard
Chile paste or sauce	Whole and crushed dried red chiles
Hoisin sauce	Sichuan peppercorns
Oyster-flavored sauce	Star anise
Plum sauce	White pepper, ground
Rice vinegar	Canned and Dried Ingredients
Rice wine (or dry sherry)	Bamboo shoots
Sesame oil	Broth (canned or homemade)
Soy sauce	Cornstarch
Vegetable oil (peanut oil preferred)	Dried black mushrooms
Noodles	Long-grain rice
Cellophane or bean thread noodles	Sesame seeds
Dried egg noodles (store in freezer if fresh)	Straw mushrooms
Dried rice noodles	Water chestnuts

About This Article

About the book author:

Martin Yan, celebrated host of more than 1,500 cooking shows, highly respected food and restaurant consultant, and certified master chef, enjoys distinction as both teacher and author. His many talents are showcased in over two dozen best-selling cookbooks, including Martin Yan’s Feast: The Best of Yan Can Cook, Martin Yan’s Invitation to Chinese Cooking, and Chinese Cooking For Dummies. Yan is the founder of the Yan Can International Cooking School in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yan Can Cook has received national and international recognition, including a 1998 Daytime Emmy Award, a 1996 James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism, and a 1994 James Beard Award for Best TV Cooking Show.