| When a new cook wants to attempt Chinese | | | | quite long. |
| cooking, more often then not, he or she may be | | | | 5. White Pepper |
| stunted with the wide variety of ingredients | | | | White pepper is black peppercorn with the skin |
| required. For starters, here are the basic | | | | removed. Some say that white pepper tastes |
| ingredients for a Chinese pantry startup. | | | | milder than black pepper. |
| 1. Vegetable Oil | | | | White pepper is mainly used for aesthetic |
| Vegetable oil (such as corn oil, soybean oil or | | | | reasons, example when you do not want to see |
| peanut oil) is the most basic ingredient in Chinese | | | | black flecks on your chicken, fish dish, rice congee |
| cooking and often used because of it's higher | | | | or if you are making a light sauce. |
| smoking point (441° to 450°F) as | | | | 6. Salt |
| compared to olive oil (about 375°F). | | | | Used as a flavor enhancer and in all types of |
| The higher the smoke point, the better suited the | | | | cooking, Chinese cooking included. |
| oil is for frying, reason being, if the oil is heated to | | | | 7. Cornstarch (also known as corn flour) |
| the point that its smoke point is exceeded, it | | | | Cornstarch does not add much flavor to a dish. |
| starts to emit smoke and acrid odors and this | | | | Instead, they are used to seal in juices, coat |
| may transfer an unpleasant flavor to the food. | | | | meat with a shiny glaze, and thicken sauces and |
| For stir-frying, olive oil can still be used, but | | | | soups. |
| definitely not virgin olive oil or extra virgin olive oil. | | | | You will typically use equal amounts of cold water |
| However, for deep-frying, you should only use | | | | to mix with cornstarch to form a paste. Cold |
| vegetable oil. | | | | water (as opposed to hot water) is used so as to |
| 2. Light Soy Sauce | | | | avoid lumps. When the paste forms, whisk it into |
| There are two basic types of soy sauce used in | | | | the liquid you are trying to thicken. Cook briefly |
| Chinese cooking. As the name suggests, soy | | | | only, to remove the starchy flavor, else if |
| sauce is made from soy beans. | | | | overcooked, liquids thickened with some starches |
| Light soy sauce is a thin, dark brown sauce. It is | | | | will thin again if cooked too long or at too high a |
| used mainly for seasoning and is saltier than dark | | | | temperature. |
| soy sauce. | | | | 8. Garlic |
| 3. Dark Soy Sauce | | | | Used as a flavor enhancer usually in Chinese |
| Dark soy sauce is darker and slightly thicker | | | | stir-fry. |
| because it has been aged longer. It has a richer | | | | 9. Ginger Root (or fresh ginger) |
| taste, is slightly sweeter and less salty than light | | | | Mature ginger has a light golden brown thin skin. |
| soy sauce. | | | | Fibrous and nearly dry, mature ginger roots are |
| Dark soy sauce can be used to flavor a dish and | | | | commonly used as a spice in Chinese cooking, to |
| also to add color. However, be careful not to add | | | | neutralize strong fishy flavors and to add its own |
| too much dark soy sauce at once as its dark | | | | aroma to dishes such as seafood and mutton. |
| color can ruin the appearance of the dish. | | | | Young ginger roots have a pinkish soft skin with a |
| 4. Oyster Sauce | | | | very mild taste. Juicy and fleshy, young ginger |
| A dark brown rich sauce, oyster sauce is made | | | | roots are most commonly pickled in a vinegar |
| from boiling oysters and seasonings and is used to | | | | mixture and served with century eggs (preserved |
| enhance the flavor of many savory foods such | | | | eggs). |
| as meat and vegetable dishes. An ingredient often | | | | Start with these nine basic ingredients and as you |
| used as a topping for steamed vegetables such | | | | experiment with more and more Chinese cooking |
| as kailan and in stir fries, a small bottle of oyster | | | | recipes, you gradually add more ingredients to |
| sauce can be expensive, but because only a little | | | | your Chinese pantry list. |
| is required each time, a bottle can actually last | | | | |