International Cuisines

Chinese

Every time I pass by the huge queue outside of a <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/mission-possible-making-chinese-noodles-at-home">hand-pulled noodle</a> restaurant in Berlin, I’m blown away by the city&#x27;s enthusiasm for eating Chinese food. Nowadays, you find soy sauce and more Asian ingredients popping up on the shelves of local German grocery stores. And <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/i-ve-always-known-that-chili-crisp-was-pantry-magic">chili crisp</a>, black vinegar, and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-spice-i-cant-live-without-sichuan-pepper">Sichuan pepper</a> have become new norms in cooking glossaries, even in non-Chinese recipes.  More people are bringing this passion from their favorite eateries to their own kitchens. Just like grabbing a dictionary for a new language, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-home-cooks-guide-to-cooking-from-the-pantry">stocking your pantry</a> with new ingredients is the best way to learn a new cuisine. Even when the cuisine itself is as diverse and complicated as Chinese, it provides a solid ground on which to start from.  So what is the difference between light and dark soy sauce? Is there a substitute for Shaoxing wine and Chinkiang vinegar? Here’s a beginner’s guide to your questions on common Chinese pantry staples.

If you are a complete beginner to cooking Chinese at home who wants to shop for your first pantry items, here’s your starter pack with these 5 : light soy sauce, black rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, and chili oil (or chili crisp). You can start cooking with these first and add more to your collection. But first, let me dive deep with each one and guide you through similarities and differences between ingredients.

Soy sauce is the cornerstone of Chinese and East Asian cuisines. It is a brown liquid made from the fermentation process of soybeans. If you ever tap into the fascinating world of soy sauce, there’s a vast selection from mass production to individually crafted soy sauce. In Chinese cooking, the two common varieties are light and dark soy sauce, the former of which is more all-purpose and accessible. Read more about <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-3-most-important-soy-sauce-styles-to-know-and-how-to-use-them">different soy sauce types in Asian cuisines by Ruby</a>.  Light soy sauce  When a Chinese recipe says “soy sauce” with no specification, it most likely refers to light soy sauce (生抽, sheng chou). As the quintessential and most versatile seasoning in Chinese cooking, light soy sauce lends salty and umami flavors to stir-fries, soups, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/scallion-oil-noodles">noodles</a>, and marinades. It can be used raw in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/chinese-jiaozi-pork-and-cabbage-dumplings">dipping sauces</a> or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sichuan-style-cold-chicken-in-chili-oil">dressing for cold dishes</a>. Though seen as “salt” in Chinese cooking, I prefer to use both soy sauce and salt to add depth as they provide different saltiness.

Chinese light soy sauce is thicker and saltier than regular Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), so I only use them interchangeably in some cases. Since the salt level varies from brands, start with less and taste to adjust during cooking. For beginners, your first bottle should be light soy sauce. My go-to brands are Lee Kum Kee, Pearl River, and Haitian. I often choose those labeled as premium or naturally brewed, with minor price differences but better quality. Regular soy sauce contains wheat, so look for gluten-free soy sauces or tamari (Japanese gluten-free soy sauce) if you’re intolerant.

Dark soy sauce Compared to light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (老抽, lao chou) contains molasses, and thus is darker and more syrupy, while having a sweeter and less salty taste.

Mainly used in<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/braised-large-shrimp"> braised dishes</a> and stir-fries, it adds a touch of appealing caramel color and taste, for example, in the iconic <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/braised-pork-belly">braised pork belly</a>, <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/beef-chow-fun">beef chow fun</a>, and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/vegetable-chow-mein">chow mein</a>. Dark soy sauce is something to step up your game with, and a small bottle lasts a long time. However, if a recipe calls for a little dark soy sauce, you can skip it or replace it with light soy sauce (adjust the amount to taste). <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/scallion-oil-noodles">Scallion oil noodles</a> and our latest recipe for <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/braised-beef-noodle-soup-en">braised beef noodle soup</a> is a perfect demonstration of using both types of soy sauce.

Braised beef noodle soup

Like many other cuisines, vinegar accounts for the sourness in sauce combinations in Chinese cooking, such as in the <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sweet-and-sour-chicken">sweet and sour sauce</a> in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/kung-pao-chicken">Kung Pao chicken</a>, and hot and sour soup. The acidity also penetrates the dish, cuts through fat, and rounds up other flavors. For example, when <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-chili-crisp">making chili oil</a>, adding a splash of vinegar will make the spicy taste more pronounced.

Black rice vinegar (Chinkiang vinegar) Also known as dark rice vinegar or Chinkiang vinegar, black rice vinegar is made from glutinous rice, and/or with sorghum and other grains. It has an inky black color, a malty, mild sour taste followed by a slightly sweet aftertaste. Chinkiang vinegar is what we refer as “fragrant vinegar” (香醋, xiang cu) and gets its name from the city Zhenjiang/Chinkiang where it’s produced in. This has become the prevalent type of black vinegar outside of China. It is a pantry mainstay that I always have on hand, to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sichuan-style-cold-chicken-in-chili-oil">make dressings for cold dishes</a>, or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/chinese-jiaozi-pork-and-cabbage-dumplings">dipping sauce for dumplings</a>.  Chen cu (陈醋), (translates as “aged vinegar”) produced in Shanxi province with sorghum, is common in northwestern Chinese regions. It has a longer aging time, which gives a sharper and more sour note, making it great for flavorful noodle dishes like hand-pulled You Po Mian or <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/biang-biang-mian-chinese-spicy-noodles">Biang Biang Mian</a>.  Black rice vinegar can be substituted by white rice vinegar, or as some suggest, balsamic vinegar. However, I highly recommend getting one bottle and appreciate the complexity of this condiment.

White rice vinegar  When a recipe says “rice vinegar”, it normally refers to white rice vinegar, which has a light yellow color and milder taste. Common in Japanese and Korean cooking, rice vinegar in Chinese cooking is for <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/spicy-and-sour-potato-sticks">stir-fries</a> and cold dishes or pickled vegetables to give them acidity but without coloring them.  Check out <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/a-complete-guide-to-vinegars-and-how-to-use-them">our detailed guide on different types of vinegars</a>, plus our recipe for making a perfect dressing with rice vinegar to serve with this easy steamed eggplant!

Easy Chinese steamed eggplant with spicy garlic sauce

Now almost synonymous with Chinese cooking wine in the English context, Shaoxing wine, is a type of huang jiu (黄酒) a liquor made from fermented glutinous rice. Produced in Zhejiang province, Shaoxing wine has a high alcohol content and can be consumed directly as booze. Sometimes you will also see another type: liao jiu (料酒), which is the former seasoned with salt and spices (some even with ginger and garlic flavors). It has less alcohol content and a lower price point, thus prevailing in Chinese households. Both can be used interchangeably.  Widely used in recipes, it dispels the unpleasant smell of meat or fish and adds an underlying aroma to meat dishes, similar to cooking with wine in many other cuisines. I use it to marinate meat (such as <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/sliced-pork-and-carrot-stir-fry">this pork stir-fry</a>), season fish and seafood, and cook <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/braised-pork-belly">braised dishes</a>. A common and proven substitute is dry sherry wine, which was already mentioned in a cookbook published in 1945: How to Cook and Eat Chinese by Buwei Yang.

Oyster sauce is a thick, red-brown colored sauce, and popular in the Cantonese region as well as in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/pad-kra-pao-thai-holy-basil-and-pork-stir-fry">Thai cuisine</a>. Made from oyster extracts, it actually doesn’t have a strong fishy smell.  With a flavor combined of savory, sweet, and umami, it is an all-rounder in my kitchen. Oyster sauce adds umami to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/crispy-tofu-and-broccoli-stir-fry">stir-fries</a> or braised dishes, especially <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/blanched-bok-choy-with-shiitake-mushrooms">vegetables</a>, and gives them a glossy finish. I also add it to<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/xueci-makes-sichuan-chili-wontons"> dumpling fillings</a> for the same reason and even eat it raw mixed in my Sichuan-style hot pot dipping sauce.

Sharing the same Cantonese root, hoisin sauce (海鲜酱, hai xian jiang) has a similar texture but its flavor profile is sweeter and closer to barbecue sauce. It is traditionally used to cook seafood, though the sauce itself is vegan. You can use it to glaze meat or vegetables, for example to glaze<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/5-ingredient-sticky-hoisin-roasted-broccoli-wedges"> broccoli steaks</a>. Read <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/thanks-to-hoisin-sauce-here-s-a-broccoli-recipe-everyone-will-love">more about hoisin sauce and how to make it at home</a>.

Called “aromatic oil” (香油, xiang you) in Chinese, this nutty and rich oil is made from toasted sesame seeds. Instead of using it as a cooking fat, toasted sesame is mostly mixed in dressings, and used as a finishing touch for noodles or added to dumpling fillings. It has the same transformative magic as chili crisp - a few drops will take your dish to the next level!

Chili oil and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/i-ve-always-known-that-chili-crisp-was-pantry-magic">chili crisp</a> (chili oil with crunchy sediments) are having a moment. Originally used for cold dishes, noodles, and dumpling dipping sauce, it has been enshrined by social media and many new exciting ways of usage have spawned. Here’s a guide to <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-chili-crisp">how to make your own chili crisp</a> and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/my-favorite-chili-crisps-that-you-should-be-obsessed-with">3 brands I recommend</a>. I’d go with chili crisp over chili oil because it just has more to offer.

For Sichuan recipes, doubanjiang refers to a spicy bean paste that is produced in Pixian. It is made with fermented broad beans and Sichuan-grown chilis, and has a savory taste. This, together with Sichuan peppercorns, is essential for Sichuan cuisine. You can find this spicy and tingly flavor combination in classic Sichuan dishes like <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/mapo-tofu">mapo tofu</a> and <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/schuizu-fish">Shuizhu fish</a>. I recommend getting the brand Juan Cheng, which often comes in chubby red jars. If you’re cooking these dishes, make sure you get the spicy Sichuan bean paste.

Among a handful of soy-based condiments, there’s another non-spicy variant, often called sweet bean sauce (甜面酱, tian mian jiang) that often confuses first-time users. It is made with wheat flour with or without fermented bean paste. Closer to Korean black bean paste, it is milder, sweeter and is best for making Beijing fried sauce noodles (the Chinese version of <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/jjajangmyeon-korean-black-bean-noodles">Jjajangmyeon</a>).

Chinese cooking undeniably flourishes on sauces and pastes, but we use spices and aromatics no less. I always have ginger, garlic, scallion, whole dried chilis, and Sichuan peppercorns (<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/the-spice-i-cant-live-without-sichuan-pepper">here’s a guide on this magic spice</a>) for various dishes.  More whole spices are used in cooking soup and stew (for example, our newest beef noodle soup), namely star anise, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cloves, and black cardamom. However, readymade spice mixtures are common in Chinese households, such as <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/homemade-chinese-five-spice-powder">five-spice powder</a>, or even thirteen-spice powder.

A side note on MSG: even in China, MSG has been defamed for a long time and my family started to cook less with it in my childhood. I rarely cook with it at home, but I’ve had countless snacks and food outside where MSG was added. I embrace it and all the efforts to fight against the stereotype of this misunderstood condiment (for example David Chang’s docuseries Ugly Delicious).  Adding MSG should not be a way to label a recipe unhealthy, just as much as an unhealthy dish does not always have MSG in it. On the other hand, the inclusion of MSG does not guarantee the quality for a recipe: Chinese cooking has more layers than that. Of course, there’s more story and knowledge in each condiment itself, not to mention more condiments in regional Chinese cooking. We hope to bring them to you in the future! If you have questions about any Chinese ingredients, let me know in the comments!

Sauces and condiments you should know

An Essential Guide to 9 Chinese Pantry Staples

This article is part of “The Community Issue”, our celebration of what brings us together: Food. This issue is a collaboration with <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">Infarm</a>, the fastest growing vertical farming network from Berlin, that grows 100% local with zero pesticides. At Infarm the plants are harvested at their freshest point and with their roots on to keep the taste and nutrients in! This month, we’ll be giving you recipes that you asked for, highlighting some amazing recipes that you’ve shared, exploring what we’ve learned from each other here at KS, and so much more! Join us as we connect with each other through food this month and check out <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/from-local-to-global-introducing-our-community-issue">this link</a> for an overview of our latest stories and recipes from the issue. Don’t forget to follow us on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kitchenstories_official/" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a> for extra community content and more.

At the beginning of April last year, my very first social contact after a few weeks of hardcore lockdown was from a Chinese friend living nearby. She dropped me some dumplings made with wild garlic, which she found and picked while out walking her dog. The <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/three-savory-dumplings">dumpling</a> filling was made with the pungent herb, which sprouts up come European spring, some stir-fried eggs, and glass noodles. I might be exaggerating, but the taste was completely delightful; mixed in with the feeling of spring and of hope.

Until this first bite, I’d never paid much attention to wild garlic (or ramps). But, since then, I’ve learned that many Chinese people living in Germany use wild garlic as a handy, spring-time substitute for Chinese chives (or garlic chives, 韭菜), and gave it the name ye jiu cai (野韭菜, wild Chinese chives). A convincing culinary substitution, as they’re both alliums (belonging to the family of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaryllidaceae" rel="nofollow">Amaryllidaceae</a>) and taste astonishingly alike. Chinese chives are mostly used in dumpling fillings, or stir-fried with shrimp, which sometimes deliver a more distinct garlicky flavor.

If you’ve ever eavesdropped on conversation among Chinese diaspora, you’ll know that there’s a 90% chance they’re talking about food. How to find a taste of home locally is always the topic between friends, at gatherings, and on social media posts. Wisdom flows and tips are shared: How to use ready-made dough to make <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/bok-choy-bao-buns">bao buns</a>, puff pastry to make Shanghai-style mooncakes, and of course, when and where to find wild garlic. There’s nothing quite like the excitement among my friendship circle in Berlin, when crab (Chinese mitten crab) or crayfish season comes.

For millennia, traditional Chinese cuisine has revered eating seasonally, specifically sticking to the the 24 solar terms or seasonal periods in the Chinese calendar. My grandma always advises: “Eat <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/everything-you-need-to-know-about-preparing-and-storing-in-season-daikon-radish">daikon radish</a> in winter and ginger in summer to keep the doctor away!” When spring comes, foraging and consuming wild plants is both a tradition and a trend. Seasonal foods tied to spring, such as <a href="https://thewoksoflife.com/qingtuan-mugwort-mochi/" rel="nofollow">qingtuan</a> (a mochi-like dessert made with mugwort or wall barley), have become popular even among the younger generation. Foraging enthusiasm is equally popular here on the other side of the world, whether we’re chasing asparagus or wild garlic, or (back in my hometown) pea shoots or fish mint. Essentially it speaks the same spirit: an appreciation of seasonality and the abundance that nature has to offer.

This scallion-ish pancake lets wild garlic shine

Given that wild garlic works on<a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014682-ramp-focaccia" rel="nofollow"> focaccia</a>, I had the idea of trying it in the famous<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/scallion-pancakes"> scallion pancake</a>, one of my favorite Chinese pastries. Unlike <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/fluffy-buttermilk-pancakes">American-style pancakes</a>, Chinese scallion pancakes are savory, flaky on the outside, and chewy on the inside. You can eat them alone dipping in a simple sauce, or use them as a wrap-base for <a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/jianbing-chinese-savory-breakfast-crepe.html" rel="nofollow">jianbing</a>. Wild garlic is a perfect match for these, resulting in a more delicate version of the original but resulting in a nicely charred, herby aroma. You could also try onions, leeks, and other herbs.

To make the best scallion-ish pancake, here are two essential techniques:

The pancake dough uses both boiling water and room temperature or lukewarm water. The hot-water dough (tang mian 烫面) is a classic Chinese pastry technique to create a soft dough. But adding room-temperature water then helps to make it more elastic than a dough made entirely with boiling water: so both work to achieve the combined texture that is both soft and chewy. The dough needs to rest for at least half an hour until it becomes more smooth. I tried different batches and found resting in the fridge gave the best results.

A roux-like oil paste (you su 油酥) is made for the filling by pour hot oil on chopped herbs with flour and seasoning. This will help create the flakiness in the pancakes and release more aroma from the herbs. Alternatively, you could use coconut oil and pork lard (highly recommend!) without heating, just spread with the mixture first, then add chopped herbs and seasoning.

For many pancakes, the size doesn’t matter, but here it sort of does. If you want to achieve the classic layers, a smaller piece of dough won’t work as well. If you want the pancake to be more crispy, cook it without a lid and flip it over more frequently, or if you want them softer, cook them with a lid on so they won’t dry out.

Chinese wild garlic pancake

Beyond scallion-ish pancakes, there are more ways of using different herbs, use them in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/stories/6-pestos-you-should-always-have-on-hand">pesto</a>, in <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/tie-dye-dumplings">dumplings</a>, in dips, salad dressing and pancakes (like Korean Pajeon!). Here are some recipes to use the herbs more creatively!

— <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/zucchini-parmesan-pancakes-with-dip">Zucchini parmesan pancake</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/japanese-chicken-tarragon">Japanese chicken tarragon</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/scallion-oil-noodles">Scallion oil noodles</a> — <a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/romanesco-pancakes-with-herb-dip">Romanesco pancake with herby dip</a>

We’ve been loving the selection of herbs from our fellow Berlin-based farming revolutionaries at <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">Infarm</a>. Depending on where you&#x27;re located, you can access a variety of interesting herbs from Infarm, from <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/products/green-pea" rel="nofollow">pea shoots</a> to <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/products/mountain-coriander" rel="nofollow">mountain coriander</a> to <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/products/peruvianmint" rel="nofollow">Peruvian mint</a>. Since 2013 they’ve been on a mission to provide quality, fresh, and locally grown <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/products" rel="nofollow">herbs and lettuces</a> (including 5 different kinds of basil!) to communities around the world; they’re now found in <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/find-us" rel="nofollow">10 countries and 30 cities</a>. Using modular, modern vertical farms that automatically provide the plants with water, light, and essential nutrients, Infarm enables cities (like our hometown, Berlin) to grow locally all year round and save valuable resources. In addition, they don’t use any chemical pesticides! Check out <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en" rel="nofollow">their website</a> for more information about what they do and to check if their 100% locally grown produce is available in <a href="https://www.infarm.com/en/find-us" rel="nofollow">your community</a>.

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