Basic ingredients+utensils for cooking chinese food

Basic ingredients & utensils for cooking chinese food

INGREDIENTS

Celery- Regular celery works well in stir fries.

Chinese Rice Wine - It adds flavor and is good for removing
strong odors, such as fish.

Chinese Dried Black Mushrooms - Found in bins in Asian
markets. Cheaper brands work fine in soups and stir-fries

Cornstarch - Used in stews, marinades, and as a thickener
Can substitute for tapioca starch in recipes.

Garlic - Along with ginger, it is often used to season
cooking oil.

Gingerroot - Always use fresh ginger unless the recipe
states otherwise.

Green Onion (Also known as spring onions) - Often used as a
garnish. If, like me, you don't care for the taste of raw
green onions, combine them with the other ingredients in
the wok just before serving.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) - Optional. If a recipe calls
for MSG and you don't want to use it, try a bit of sugar as
a substitute. If you're out of MSG, substitute Accent.

Oyster Sauce - The cheaper brands are fine for use in
stir-fries; stick to the more expensive brands for dips.

Rice - Long grain for meals; short grain or "sticky" rice
for desserts or snacks. For something different, try a
scented rice, such as jasmine

Sesame Oil - Used as a flavoring in stir-fries and soups.

Soy Sauce - both light and dark. The bottles are not always
clearly labeled, but you can tell by holding it up to the
light - dark soy sauce is thicker and darker.

Vegetable Oil for frying - It's healthier and has a higher
smoking point than peanut oil. Also, peanut oil goes rancid
sooner, which can be a problem if you don't cook Chinese
food often.

COOKING UTENSILS

Chopsticks - Use in the kitchen for stir-frying and mixing
ingredients

Cutting Board - Wood or acrylic are best

Knife - for cutting and chopping

Wide blade Spatula - for stir-frying

Wok - Carbon Steel is best**

**For electric ranges, it is better to have a flat-bottomed
wok, as a round-bottomed wok may reflect back and damage
the heating element.