Chinese Sauces and Seasonings, part 1

I like Chinese food, but to cook Chinese food we need some authentic sauces and seasoning. Some of my favorite seasonings are garlic, chives, leeks, star anise, ginger, peppercorns, chiles, mushrooms, rice wine and sweet bean sauces.

Chinese cooking style is known for flavorings and condiments that blend to create hot, sweet, sour, and salty in one mouthful.

There are certain food items that need to be stocked in the pantry in order to create Chinese cooking. These items are :

♥ Soy Sauce

Use it to marinate, season, or dip to add saltiness and depth to savoury dishes. Avoid adding soy sauce into a dry hot pan, as the sugars in soy sauce can scorch the pan.

♥ Szechuan peppercorn

Szechuan peppercorn warmth and fragrance is traditionally used to take out bloody- or fishy-tasting in meats or seafood. It is most commonly used in soup bases and chicken stir-fried.

♥ Five Spice Seasoning

Five Spice Seasoning is a popular blend of Szechuan peppercorn, cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, and one of or a combination of citrus peel, nutmeg, or cloves.

This is a very common spice for seasoning poultry, in braised beef dishes, and in soup base.

♥ Star Anise

Except when used in Five Spice Seasoning, it is used whole to season stocks and sauces, and removed before serving.

♥ Oyster Sauce

Like soy sauce, oyster sauce is quite the multi-tasker in the Chinese kitchen - it can be used to dress steamed veggies, added to noodle and meat stir-fries, and used with a cornstarch slurry to make a pan sauce.

♥ Black Bean and Garlic Sauce

This is very salty and is blended in stir-fry dishes, not as a dip or condiment on its own. Add a dollop of this to hot oil when stir-frying noodles or meats.

♥ Soybean Paste

It is never used as a soup base. Add to heated oil for stir-fries or in braising liquids for rich winter dishes.

♥ Hoisin Sauce

Some manufacturers add colouring to this sauce. Choose one that is brown without red food colouring. Use as a dipping sauce, on noodles, or as a basting sauce for barbecued meats.

♥ Chili Sauce

Chinese Chili Sauce is commonly made by steeping chopped, dried chilis in heated oil to allow the heat and colour of the chili to penetrate the oil. Because the chilis are dried, the heat is concentrated and smoky, and is usually very spicy. Use it for dipping dumplings or to add to fried noodles.

♥ Sesame Oil



Look for clarity and fragrance. Use sesame oil in salad dressing, drizzle it over noodles, or to marinate meats.

These ingredients can be found in well stocked supermarkets, in any Asian market.

by :