A pictorial guide to Chinese cooking ingredients

[liuzhou]

Further to the roe / fish egg post a bit above, I just came across these on the local food delivery app.

 

 

Grilled soy sauce marinated beef skewers with unidentified fish roe. 5元 / 70 cents US per stick (minimum order 8). 

 

I'm tempted.

 

 

[liuzhou]

Of mysterious etymology is Shacha Sauce.

 

S: 沙茶酱; T: 沙茶醬 (shā chá jiàng). this literally means 'sand tea sauce'. It contains no tea and hopefully no sand.

 

To add to the confusion, 沙茶 (shā chá) also means 'satay', the Indonesian / Malaysian dish with peanut sauce. There are no peanuts in Shacha sauce, either.

 

Instead, it is made from fish, shrimp, aromatics, and spices. It is a feature of Chaoshan cuisine aka Teochew cuisine. As with most fish-based sauces, it adds umami and saltiness to dishes.

 

At least one website confuses shacha sauce and satay sauce and gives a bizarre recipe for a hybrid sauce containing both shrimp and peanuts.

 

Shacha sauce is used a dipping sauce and is added to stir-fries and braised dishes. A very versatile ingredient.

 

In the west, it is sometimes labelled 'Barbecue Sauce' and though it can be happily used as such, it's almost certainly nowhere like any BBQ sauce you're used to.

 

If you really do want satay, look for S: 花生酱; T: 花生醬 (huā shēng jiàng), which is peanut butter. China has many brands but also Hormel's Skippy brand is widely available. In fact, many local brands come in Skippy look-alike jars.

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

If you really do want satay, look for S: 花生酱; T: 花生醬 (huā shēng jiàng), which is peanut butter. China many brands but also Hormel's Skippy brand is widely available. In fact, many local brands come in Skippy look-alike jars.

 

 

 

 

Do my eyes deceive me? Peanut Butter for Malay/Indo/Sing satay?  Oh no.... just use real peanuts.  Peanut butter has no business being anywhere near there.

[liuzhou]

... but people here do use peanut butter that way.

 

I'm not fond of peanut butter or satay so I let them get on with it.

 

🥜

 

 

[liuzhou]

S: 柱侯酱; T: 柱侯醬 (zhù hóu jiàng), in the West often rendered in pseudo - Cantonese as Chee Hou or Chu Hou Sauce is mostly used in Cantonese cuisine and is similar to the better known S: 海鲜酱; T: 海鮮醬 (hǎi xiān jiàng), hoisin sauce.

 

 

Although both are made from fermented soy beans, this one has different extra ingredients. These vary by producer - there is no standard recipe. Some ingredients in addition to the soy beans include salted lemons, plums, tofu, garlic and sesame.

 

Used in stir-fries and braised dishes.

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Here's one I buy.

 

 

S; 青花椒酱; T: 青花椒醬 (qīng huā jiāo jiàng) is 'green Sichuan peppercorn sauce' aka 'rattan pepper sauce'.

 

 

It is made by pounding said peppercorns with oil. You could do this yourself in a mortar and pestle if you can source the green peppercorns, but buying this is the easier way.

 

I've never seen this done with the more easily sourceable red Sichuan peppercorns. No idea why.

 

This is added to noodles, mixed into stir fries or used as a dipping sauce to add that 'ma' numbness.
 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

 

Known to have been used in China since the 5th century, pure sesame paste or sauce - S: 纯芝麻酱; T: 純芝麻醬 (chūn zhī ma jiàng) is made from dark toasted white sesame seeds and sesame oil. 

 

Tahini and Chinese sesame paste are NOT interchangeable as tahina has a much lighter toast, if any. Chinese paste is thicker and much more strongly flavoured. One unwitting friend used it to make inedible, disgusting hummus.

 

Instead, it is added to noodle dishes, used as a dipping sauce for hotpots and incorporated into stir fries. 

 

Black seed sesame paste is used in tang yuan, a CNY treat of glutinous rice balls filled with the paste and served in a syrupy soup.

 

White seed sesame paste (left) and black sesame seed paste (right).

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[Katie Meadow]

For those of you who wish to order Chinese sesame paste I find the one from Mala Market is great. Can't make Dan Dan noodles without it! Although pricier, I like it better than the one available in nearby Oakland Chinatown.

https://themalamarket.com/collections/regional-chinese-sauces-pickles/products/organic-sesame-paste-zhi-ma-jiang

 

Not that it is relevant to Chinese cooking, but since it has been pointed out, tahini is a different animal. For any middle eastern  dishes I love the brand Soom, which I order from Amazon. It doesn't separate the way some other products do and it tastes fresh and pure.

[liuzhou]

Chinese style sesame paste is also easy to make at home. I haven't bought any for years. 

 

I make my own tahini, too.

[liuzhou]

Way back in 2008, (16 years already?), I posted this.

 

 

 

At that time, to  get your hands on the Zhuang lemons you had to make them yourself or befriend a passing Zhuang, my preferred method.

 

Since then, spurred on by the success of the restaurant chain I visited for lemon duck, some of the commercial sauce makers have started offering S: 咸柠檬; T: 鹹檸檬 (xián níng méng), salted lemons alongside their other sauces and condiments etc.

 

 

Also, I have discovered that the people of Chaoshan, mentioned above and in the Fish Sauce topic, also use salted lemons.

 

 

They even suggest adding slices to 7-Up and Lilt. I'm sure the Zhuang don't go there.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

To earn your badge of honour here in Liuzhou you'll need this.

 

 

S: 螺蛳香料: T:螺螄香料 (luó sī xiāng liào), river snail spice. This is a mixture of spices considered essential for the cooking of the aforesaid gasteropods. That said, the precise necessity varies depending on the brand.

 

It should be a selection from black cardamom, fennel seed, dried tangerine peel, cassia bark, cloves, pepper, bay leaf, licorice root, sand ginger, and star anise. 

 

Of course you'll need some snails, too. These are the local snails, now a major Chinese tourist attraction.

 

 

The snails are stewed then eaten in a spicy dressing with the pack contents or, if you have 16 hours and some pig bones, you could make luosifen - no one ever does so at home.

 

 

Here are the appropriate noodles.

 

They are dried rice noodles made using 'old rice'; aged rice which makes firmer noodles with more bite.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

This I buy but am out of it at the moment. I must remedy that.

 

S: 上海葱油; T: 上海蔥油 (shàng hǎI cōng yóu), scallion oil is very traditional in that city but also popular across China.

 

Used in a simple noodle dish available everywhere - a Chinese answer to the Italian pasta 'aglio e olio'? Also used in pancakes and as a dip.

 

 

Me likes.

 

Images from their advertising on Meituan food delivery app.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

I think I've mentioned before that the local markets will sell you one egg or a tomato if that's all you want or need.

 

The local delivery people are now offering the ingredients for one serving of various dishes. For example, you may fancy an avocado baked egg for lunch.

 

 

For 13.9元 / $1.79 USD (including 1元 / 14 cents delivery charge), they'll deliver you one avo and two eggs to the door. Recipe is included.

 

;

 

The only problem is there's a 20元 /  $2.78 minimum charge so you have to order two or add something else. Maybe another dish for tomorrow breakfast.

 

 

Most of them have bottles of drinking water I'm sure they only stock to make up charges. 

 

I'll mention some of the more interesting dishes and ingredients over the next few days.

 

There is the assumption that you'll have some staple pantry items - oil, soy sauce etc.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

The second ingredients for specific dish combo is one I find to be strangely popular. I'm told it originated in Hong Kong before travelling to the mainland.

 

 

Coca-Cola Chicken Wings. 

 

For 22.90元 / $3.19 including delivery, you get 300 grams of wings and a standard 330 ml can of Coke plus 100 grams of mixed chopped scallions, garlic and ginger.

 

 

This is one of the most expensive of these dish ingredient selections. I've never eaten it, so won't judge.

 

Comes with a recipe leaflet. There are recipes all over the internet in English so I wont bother translating this. Like most Chinese recipes, it is of the 'add the appropriate amount and cook until cooked' type. 

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Every Chinese kid over the age of two knows how to make scrambled eggs with tomato, or so it appears.

 

The combo ingredients people are on to this but with a twist.

 

They are selling the ingredients for 番茄鸡蛋面 (fān qié jī dàn miàn), egg and tomato noodles.

 

 

One tomato, two eggs, two scallions and 150g of dried noodles - 6.90元 / $0.96. Just add water!

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

The locals call this S: 排骨冬瓜汤; T: 排骨冬瓜湯 (pái gǔ dōng guā tāng). I call this 'hospital soup'. During my four hospital stays last year, it was the only soup served. No doubt for its seasoning-free restorative attributes. 

 

I am talking about pork rib (排骨) and winter melon (冬瓜) soup (汤). In summer months the used pumpkin (南瓜 - nán guā).

 

 

 

Now, if I take leave of my senses and start missing hospital food, I can replicate the experience in the comfort of my own home for a mere 21.90元 / $3.50.

 

 

300 grams of ribs, 500 g melon and the usual 100g of scallion, ginger garlic wings its way.

 

Ain't gonna happen.

 

Edited September 16 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Looking on my grocery delivery app for something else, I spotted this which I've never seen before. The sparse description answered none of my questions, so I bought it. 11元 / $1.53. Worth a gamble.

 

 

白灼汁 (bái zhuó zhī) translates as 'white burning hot juice' whatever that means.

 

Fortunately, food labelling laws force them to tell me it contains in order: cooking wine, msg, chicken bouillon powder, water, soy sauce, maltose, granulated sugar, salt and potassium sorbate. So, a premixed cooking sauce.

 

Odd.

 

I'll have a taste later and decide whether to use it or donate it to the drainage system.

 

It certainly sounds even worse than the salt adulterated Shaoxing the Americans among you have to suffer, but we have unadulterated Shaoxing to compensate.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[KennethT]

5 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

It certainly sounds even worse than the salt adulterated Shaoxing the Americans among you have to suffer, but we have unadulterated Shaoxing to compensate.

 

 

To be fair, not all Americans have to suffer with the salted Shaoxing - it depends on the state.  New York State does not allow sales of alcohol in grocery stores other than beer.  It's not the type of alcohol prohibited but the ABV.  So anything with a higher ABV needs to be made in a way that it's undrinkable - hence the salting.  We can, however, purchase unsalted Shaoxing in a wine/liquor shop - it's just not as convenient as picking it up in the grocery store like all  other ingredients. Other states, like Louisiana, have no such restrictions - you can (and often do) buy hard alcohol in the pharmacy or grocery store or anywhere else for that matter.

[blue_dolphin]

54 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Other states, like Louisiana, have no such restrictions - you can (and often do) buy hard alcohol in the pharmacy or grocery store or anywhere else for that matter.

California also allows sales of wine and hard liquor pretty much anywhere so I haven't run into salted Shaoxing wine but it could well be available. 

Now, when it comes to the serving of those products, and carrying them about, I believe California is more restrictive than Louisiana! 

US liquor laws are something else!

[liuzhou]

12 hours ago, KennethT said:

To be fair, not all Americans have to suffer with the salted Shaoxing - it depends on the state. 

 

 

Thanks for the clarification. The issue was on my mind as I have my beautiful Hunan Tujia ethnic minority friend staying for a few days. She lives in the US now but came back for CNY. She happened to mention the salt issue while perusing my extensive collection of Shaoxing wines.

 

 

[liuzhou]

One of the highlights of Chinese New Year for many people is sitting with the entire family around a table making 饺子 (jiǎo zi), jiaozi or S: 馄饨; T: 餛飩 (hún tún), wontons* - a rebonding experience for families coming back together for the festivities. Of course, this also happens at other times.

 

Jiaozi skins

 

But a lot of families (most?) cheat. Although, they will make the filling and assemble the 'dumplings', many won't necessarily make the wrappers - 饺子皮 (jiǎo zi pí) or 馄饨皮 (hún tún pí).  皮 (pí) means 'skin'. 

 

Every market sells the 'skins' very cheaply. 7元 / $1 / 500g. That's a lot of skins.

 

Wonton skins

 

I didn't need to buy this set of dumpling instruments, after all!

 

* Alternative names for wontons include S: 云吞; T: 雲吞 (yún tūn) and 抄手 chāo shǒu).

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[Midlife]

18 hours ago, liuzhou said:

白灼汁 (bái zhuó zhī) translates as 'white burning hot juice' whatever 

cooking wine, msg, chicken bouillon powder, water, soy sauce, maltose, granulated sugar, salt and potassium sorbate. 
 

What, in that list if ingredients, woujd be “burning hot”?

[liuzhou]

7 minutes ago, Midlife said:

What, in that list if ingredients, woujd be “burning hot”?

 

'Hot' is often used in Chinese to mean 'popular', 'desirable', 'sexy', etc just as it is in English.

 

Hunan women are often described as 'hot', simultaneously referencing their attractiveness and their love of spicy food. Word play.

 

Here, I guess, they are not trying to be literal or meaning 'spicy hot'.

 

 

Edited March 10 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Certain websites claim that S: 叉烧酱; T: 叉燒醬 (chā shāo jiàng), char siu sauce and S: 烧烤酱; T: 燒烤醬 (shāo kǎo jiàng), Chinese barbecue sauce are the same. One well-known site claims  S: 海鲜酱; T: 海鮮醬 (hǎi xiān jiàng), hoisin sauce and char siu sauce are the same.

 

No, they aren't.

 

Although char siu sauce is a barbecue sauce, barbecue sauce isn't char siu sauce. Dog ≠ animal.

 

But it's more complicated than that. There is no standard recipe for any of the three. Different manufacturers differ. Many sauce manufacturers make all three to different recipes.

 

Are American BBQ sauces made to one standard recipe? Why would Chinese?

 

My advice (in all aspects of life) is look at the ingredients; find one you like the look of; try it; repeat until satisfied.

 

For the record, I only ever buy this one and that rarely.

 

 

It's barbecue sauce.

 

Incidentally, the Chinese name for hoisin sauce literally means 'seafood sauce'; it neither contains any seafood nor is it normally used with seafood. 

 

I never make cha siu. Seldom eat it.

 

Cha siu sauce

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

Beef and broccoli seems to be a standard 'Chinese' dish everywhere but China. In almost 30 years of eating in China, I have never seen it on a menu anywhere. Or in family kitchens.

 

S: 西兰花;  T: 西蘭花 (xī lán huā, literally western orchid), western broccoli is a relatively recent introduction, although now China is the top producer.

 

The people selling 'ingredients for dishes' have two sets involving broccoli. Neither are 🐮 牛肉 (niú ròu), beef.

 

1) 🐔 S: 鸡肉炒西兰花; T: 雞肉西蘭花 (jī ròu chǎo xī lán huā), stir fried chicken and broccoli.

 

 

For 10.90元 / $1.52, a 200 gram chicken breast and 250g broccoli will be delivered to the door.

 

 

2) S: 虾子炒西兰花; T: 蝦子炒西蘭花 (xiā zǐ chǎo xī lán huā), stir fried shrimp and broccoli.

 

 

13.90元 / $1.93 and you'll get 150g of shrimp and 200g broccoli.

 

 

 

I've never eaten these combinations. There are many green vegetables I'd rather eat than broccoli.

 

 

Edited March 27 by liuzhou (log)