Ingredients That Remind Tiffy Chen OF HOME

FIVE-SPICE POWDER

“This is an essential spice in Taiwanese pantries, and it’s found in so many popular dishes, like braised pork belly rice and cauliflower chicken. I love it because it has so much depth. It’s usually made with star anise, fennel seeds, clove and cinnamon stick, and then the fifth ingredient can vary depending on what your household prefers or what you have on hand—i usually use Sichuan peppercorn because of the nice numbing kick. When I smell it, I think of my childhood right away.”

SOY SAUCE

“This is a classic—i had a comment [on a video] that was like, ‘You always use soy sauce. Do all these dishes taste the same?’ and it’s like, ‘No.’ Soy sauce is one of the things I can’t live without, and I think it’s one of the best condiments to use to flavour things. You can use it as a dipping sauce or for stir-frying, seasoning or braising, and it can change the flavour of a dish so much. If there’s no soy sauce in our kitchen, we don’t know what to do.”

TAPIOCA STARCH

“Tapioca starch is the main ingredient in so many desserts and deep-fried dishes as well as boba pearls. (And I love bubble tea.) I use it when I make deep-fried chicken and in my gluten-free dishes. It’s also known as ‘sweet potato starch’ in Taiwan. It’s a game-changer—you can do everything with it.”

RICE

“I grew up eating a lot of rice. My nickname growing up was ‘fàn tong,’ which kind of translates to ‘rice bucket’ but also means someone who is obsessed with rice. I can eat rice with anything—even Goldfish crackers. I think the first time I was ever called ‘fàn tong’ was when my grandma had made stir-fry noodles and I asked for rice. She was like, ‘You have noodles already,’ and I was like, ‘I want to eat rice with them.’ Then my family was like, ‘Okay, she’s a rice queen.’”