Kansui (lye water, alkaline solution, 枧水)
Kansui (枧水, jian shui), also called lye water or alkaline salt, is an alkaline solution that regulates acidity in the…
Pantry
Chinese Sesame Paste (芝麻酱)
Chinese Sesame Paste (芝麻酱, zhi ma jiang) is a thick paste made from roasted sesame seeds. It has a similar…
Osmanthus Syrup (糖桂花)
Osmanthus Syrup (糖桂花, tang gui hua) is is made from fresh osmanthus flowers and white sugar. It’s a runny, jelly-like…
Rock Sugar (冰糖)
Rock sugar (冰糖, bing tang) or rock candy is crystallized sugar. It has a transparent color and tastes milder than…
Miso Paste (味噌)
Miso (味噌) is a fermented soybean paste used primarily in Japanese cooking, although it can be wildly popular in other…
Chicken Bouillon Powder (鸡精)
Chicken Bouillon Powder (鸡精, ji jing) is a pale yellow powdery seasoning that is salty and has a concentrated chicken…
Sesame Oil (香油)
Sesame oil (香油, xiang you, 胡麻油, hu ma you) is a cooking oil made from roasted sesame seeds. It has…
Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood
Seasoned soy sauce for seafood (蒸鱼豉油, zheng yu chi you), is known as seasoned soy sauce for steamed fish. It is…
Fermented Tofu (酱豆腐, 腐乳)
Fermented Tofu (酱豆腐, 腐乳, jiang dou fu, fu ru) is also known as fermented bean curd or preserved tofu. It…
Sweet Bean Sauce (甜面酱)
Sweet bean sauce (甜面酱, tian mian jiang) is also known as sweet flour sauce. It is a thick, opaque, reddish dark…
Oyster Sauce (蚝油)
Oyster Sauce (蚝油, hao you) is a thick, dark brown liquid condiment and is very commonly used in Chinese cooking….
Star Anise
Star Anise (大料, Da Liao) is sweet with a strong licorice-like aroma and flavor, and has warming properties. It is…
Five Spice Powder
Five spice powder (五香粉, wu xiang fen) is a common ingredient in Chinese cuisine. As its name would suggest, the…
Pao Jiao (泡椒)
Pao Jiao (泡椒, pao jiao), known as Sichuan pickled chili pepper, is a small, sour, and spicy pickled pepper used…
Cooking Oil
In traditional Chinese cooking, lard, beef fat and chicken fat are commonly used in stir fries, hot pots and other…
Starch (淀粉)
Starch (淀粉, dian fen), such as corn starch, bean starch, potato starch and wheat starch, is one of the most…