fresh Of all ingredients, this is the most fun to play with. There are so many different chillies from all over the world and each has different levels of heat. In the U.S. you’ll find finger-length chillies (medium spicy) to Thai bird’s-eye chilli, which are tiny but will have you screamin’ for your mama. Here’s my tip. Use what you like and what you can find fresh in your markets. Generally (and I really do mean generally) the larger the chilli is, the less spice it packs. I try to find larger chillies because while I totally enjoy the flavor of fresh chillies, my spice tolerance really isn’t that high. Jalapenos, while not Asian, are super-fresh and plentiful in my markets and I also grow them in my backyard. If you prefer even less heat, go for the big, fat banana peppers, which are incredibly mild but still have wonderful flavors.
Chilli Powder or Flakes Asian chilli powder is dried chillies ground into powder or flakes. It’s very popular in fiery Korean dishes, like Spicy Korean Tofu Stew (page 112) and it’s the heat that makes kimchi hot! Use sparingly at first, taste and then add more chilli powder if you need to into a dish. A little goes a long way, trust me. Oh, and one more thing. After you taste, wait 30 seconds before you add more chilli powder. Some chilli powder sneaks up on you, and its effect won’t be apparent until a few seconds after you swallow! The powdered seasoning mixture, sometimes labeled as “chilli powder”, is used to make chilli con carne should not be substituted for Asian chilli powder.
Curry paste, Chinese five spice powder, cinnamon sticks, shallots, ground and whole coriander, star anise and dried red chilli pepper.
Chinese Black Vinegar This is one of my secret ingredients in my pantry. Anytime that I think a Chinese stir-fry needs a little somethin’—a splash of Chinese black vinegar always does the trick. It’s made with sweet rice that has been fermented, like fine aged vinegars. You can substitute with balsamic vinegar. You’ll find that Chinese black vinegar is that indescribably secret ingredient in Chinese Beef Broccoli (page 94).
Chinese Rice Wine (or Sherry) Shaoxing wine is the most popular Chinese rice wine, and it’s made from rice and yeast. While you can drink good quality Chinese rice wine, it’s not my cup of spirit. However, I can’t imagine cooking Chinese dishes without it! I use Chinese rice wine in everything from marinating meats to a splash in my stir-fry to an entire cup in braises. You can substitute with dry sherry.
Chinese Sausage or “Lap Cheung” is found in the refrigerated section or in the dry goods section. Chinese sausage is sold in plastic shrink-wrapped packages in Asian markets. It is cured, so it lasts for a long time like Italian sausage. Keeps for about six months, sealed in its original packaging at room temp. Once you open, seal in plastic bag and refrigerate for up to another 6 months. Unopened, they keep in your pantry for 1 year, as they have already been cured. This is another of my secret ingredients, especially in Chinese Sausage Fried Rice (page 131). Everyone who’s tried this sausage becomes addicted. I mean like loves it so much they’ll sneak in your fridge and swipe the rest of the package home. It’s salty-sweet and has little tiny pockets of fat that melt when cooked and flavor your entire dish. This is a must-try! There are few types of Chinese sausage, including duck liver. My favorite is just the regular ‘ole pork. My kids think I’m the world’s best mom when I throw a few links into my steaming rice—Chinese Sausage With Rice and Sweet Soy Sauce (page 129). There is no substitution—just buy the real thing!
Chives—Chinese. Chinese chives look like thick blades of grass—they are flat and dark green. They are stronger in flavor (and sweeter too) that the regular thin chives used in Western cooking, and you can add Chinese chives to any stir-fry, dumpling or egg roll filling. The flowering Chinese chives are stiffer, taller than Chinese chives, and are one of my favs to add to noodle dishes, like the Quick Noodle Stir-Fry (page 136). You can substitute with regular Western chives.
Cilantro. See Herbs.
Coconut milk is made by squeezing the grated pulp from a coconut, it’s not the same as coconut water (which is the water found when you open a fresh coconut) You’ll find coconut milk canned at any Asian market and mostly likely in the “Ethnic” section of your grocer (which, I hope one day will be obsolete and global ingredients will be found throughout the store). Coconut milk is unsweetened (not to be confused with sweet creme of coconut used for cocktails). There are many differences in each brand. The first pressing of the grated coconut results in very rich and creamy coconut milk (I loooove) and then the coconut pulp is soaked in warm water and pressed again. The subsequent is more watery, less flavorful. The best way to tell the quality of a coconut milk is to pick up a can and shake it. If it feels/sounds thick “schlonk-schlonk” (yeah, um, schlonking is a word) it’s good. If it’s watery “squish-squish” it’s not as good. Personally, I go for schlonk. My fav brands are Mae Ploy and Chaokoh. There aren’t really substitutions, unless you want to grab a coconut, grate and squeeze yourself. Don’t even try to sub with milk and coconut extract—I’d rather have you skip the dish entirely than go that route.
Dried rice noodles, egg roll wrappers, square wonton wrappers, round potsticker wrappers, jasmine rice tipped in the bowl, short-grained rice (popular in Japan and Korea) and dried rice paper wrappers for Summer Rolls.
Coriander, fresh. See Herbs.
Coriander, ground and whole Coriander is the seed from the coriander herb (better known as cilantro in the United States) and it can be found whole or ground. It’s got a sweet, citrusy aroma and tastes nothing like the fresh cilantro/coriander! The spice is used in lots of Indian and Southeast Asian cooking and I love using it my Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho (page 58). If you want to make your kitchen smell amazing, toast a tablespoon of the seeds in a dry frying pan!
Curry paste, Thai Thai curry paste is sold in little cans, pouches or tubs. I recommend the little 4-ounce (125-g) cans or pouches as they are easy to store and use. If you do buy the larger tubs, curry paste does keep well in the refrigerator for several months if you store it properly and keep it covered. There are many different types of curry paste: red, green, yellow and masaman. Each is made from a different combination of herbs and spices such as garlic, ginger, kaffir lime leaf, lemongrass, galangal, and of course chillies. If you’re new to working with curry paste, it’s best to add just a bit first into the dish, taste and then adjust. With coconut milk and curry paste in my pantry, I can make a fabulous seafood dish, like Mussels in Coconut Curry Broth (page 70), or the spicylicious Thai Coconut Chicken Curry (page 103), both ready in just 15 minutes.
Dashi / Instant Dashi (Hon Dashi) is like the backbone of Japanese cuisine, flavoring everything from miso soup to braised chicken. It’s a stock made of seaweed and dried bonito flakes. Instant dashi or Hon Dashi, is used in a lot of quick home cooking in Japan, and making it so convenient to whip up a bowl of miso soup in minutes! There are vegetarian versions of dashi made from dried shitake mushrooms—though I haven’t found a vegetarian instant dashi. Also, instead of boiling frozen edamame pods in plain water, I add a couple spoons of instant dashi granules in the pot. You’ll notice the difference in the taste tremendously!
Fish sauce is an essential ingredient in my pantry. It has a nice salty-sweet flavor to it, and you use it very sparingly, like Anchovy paste. A little goes a long way! There are several brands of fish sauce, the best one I’ve found so far is called “Three Crabs”. Good fish sauce should be the color of brewed tea. Anything darker (like the color of soy sauce) is a lower quality brand. If you think that “fish sauce” sounds like a weird ingredient, guess what? A big chuck of the most popular Thai and Vietnamese dishes call for fish sauce! After opening, you can store fish sauce in your pantry or refrigerator.
Five Spice Powder Chinese five spice powder is a mixture of fennel, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and Sichuan pepper-corns. But there are different
