5 pantry staples for fans of Chinese cooking

30 May 2015 - 02:00 By Hilary Biller
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Prawn and vegetable stir fry with rice noodles.
Prawn and vegetable stir fry with rice noodles.
Image: Thinkstock

Adore cooking up Chinese food? Here are 5 oriental ingredients that you should have in your store cupboard (plus some substitutes you can use in case you don’t)

1. HOI SIN SAUCE

Thick and mysterious, this dark brown sauce has a surprising sweetness. Hoi sin, oddly enough, means “seafood”, but the sauce contains no fish: it’s made with soy beans, vinegar, sugar, salt and chillies. It’s always served with Peking duck, but is also a good condiment for many other foods, particularly pork and spare ribs. There’s no real substitute for hoi sin sauce, but it can be found in many supermarkets.

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2. SZECHUAN PEPPERCORNS

This is not a true peppercorn, but rather a dried berry from the Chinese Szechuan (also spelt Sichuan) region, which is famous for its fiery food. Particularly good with calamari, it numbs the palate before imparting a pleasant burn. If you can’t find it, use a mix of whole black and white peppercorns — they won’t be as strong, but they’ll work.

3. BAMBOO SHOOTS

Almost tasteless, these cream-coloured strips of bamboo are eaten for the crunch and texture they add to all types of Asian dishes. Canned bamboo shoots are widely available. Rinse well before use and throw away the brine.

4. FIVE-SPICE POWDER

A fragrant combination of spices — star anise, aniseed, fennel, cloves and cinnamon – five-spice powder is particularly good with poultry, especially duck, and is a must if you’re making an Asian-style pork belly. It can also be used in baking and is often added to fruit cakes. A good substitute is allspice.

5. NOODLES

Egg noodles: Yellow in colour, these noodles are sold precooked, shaped into blocks and dried. To prepare, plump them up in boiling water for a couple of minutes, drain and serve as a side dish instead of rice, or with added ingredients as a meal on their own.

Rice noodles: Whiter than egg noodles, these distinctively long, fine strands are sold in bundles. Used in soups and stir-fries, they are soaked in boiling water until just soft.

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