Sauces, vinegars, oils

Used in cooking, as a condiment and as a marinade, this sauce is sweet, thick and savory. Try dipping roasted duck in it or brushing it over salmon before grilling.

Also known as Zhenjiang vinegar, this ricebased black vinegar is used in cooking and as a dipping sauce. Its sour, slightly sweet, earthy and pungent flavor is great for dumplings and as a base for other sauces.

It’s often used as a topping for steamed vegetables, like gai lan (see below). Just drizzle the sauce on top after steaming. Done. The savory sauce is slightly seafood-y with a caramellike taste and texture.

A little goes a long way for this fragrant, nutty oil. Great for stir-fries and braising. Use a tiny amount, and add more if you dig it. Don’t forget to refrigerate it, so it doesn’t go rancid.

rice

wine

Another heavy lifter, can be used in pretty much everything. Try mixing it into dumpling filling, making a sauce with soy sauce or flavoring cooked noodles for chow mein. bag you put it in.

Momma Wong typically goes for the tilapia, which is thwacked, gutted and scaled in the store. At home, she rubs it down with some salt and then steams the entire fish in ginger, green onion, garlic and soy sauce. If the prospect of dealing with a whole live fish is challenging, you can also find packaged versions.

This is a cut used in many cuisines around the world, but my favorite two styles are braised or in a soup. The oxtail cooks down nice and tender when braised. In soup, the fat creates a silky broth that is comforting and satisfying. Try making oxtail soup with a simple preparation of carrots, celery, potatoes and tomatoes. them. If you’re just looking for the crunch factor, the canned version will save you some work. Try them in fried rice or dumpling filling.

I’ll admit that this item isn’t essential, but it’s a big part of congee culture. Pickled cucumbers and wheat gluten are bright, sweet toppings for hearty, comforting congee.

This chili oil has a cult following for a good reason: It tastes great on everything. Fried rice, noodles, sauces, scrambled eggs, whatever. Mix in a little or a lot: this tingly, crunchy, salty, umami chili oil with preserved black soy beans is the real deal.

This powder is made of ground cumin, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and cloves, and is used heavily in meat dishes as a dry rub or part of a marinade. In the Western Hemisphere, it’s used in drinks and baked goods, as well. others need a little more work because the filling is raw.

When you’re feeling ambitious and want to make your own dumplings, save a lot of time by buying wonton wrappers. They come thinly sliced and ready to fill with your own creation.

Dried rice noodles, vermicelli, egg noodles and flour noodles are staples that are easy to rehydrate and cook. Try putting rice noodles in soup or stir-frying egg noodles with vegetables and sesame oil.

Rehydrate by putting them in some water for 10 minutes. Then, slice and toss them into a stir-fry, fried rice or a filling. They’re also great in breakfast frittatas with some goat cheese.

The choices are endless. Try honey crisp bars (which are crunchy and sweet), crackers (try something with a seaweed dust) or White Rabbit candy, which was my favorite candy that had the flavor of a vanilla milkshake and the texture of a Starburst. Pick a bag, go nuts.