A dish may be Chinese because there are Chinese ingredients in the recipe, or because it is cooked in Chinese. If you use typically Chinese ingredients in your recipes, such as soy sauce, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts or bean curd, it will of course make your dishes more interesting and more different.
Here we offer a brief description of the ingredients used in Chinese recipes. This is a way to promote Chinese cooking and we hope it will be helpful when you try our Chinese recipes.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Abalone - A large marine snail and a delicacy in Chinese food called
"Pao Yu" in Chinese, known as "awabi" in Japanese cuisine, as "loco" in South American, as "ormer" in the English Channel, as "muttonfish" in Australia and as "paua" in New Zealand . Abalone can be purchased fresh, canned, dried or salted. If purchased fresh, it should be alive and not fishy-smelling. Refrigerate fresh abalone as soon as possible and cook within a day of purchase. Read more...
Adzuki beans - A small reddish-brown bush bean cultivated in China
and Japan . Extremely versatile, adzukis can be eaten fresh or dried, or ground into flour and used to make cakes. As the skin of the adzuki bean is quite thick, it requires long soaking and cooking time. Recipe : Red Bean Soup
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Agaricus mushroom Plump, dome-shaped mushrooms, ranging in size from small (button mushrooms) to big. The most widely cultivated and consumed mushroom, these common mushrooms have a mild and earthy flavor. Their color can range from white to pale brown, and their caps should be firm and evenly colored. Learn more about other mushrooms used in Chinese cooking. |
All purpose flour - Finely ground white wheat flour containing a moderate amount of protein; used for a wide variety of general baking and cooking.
Allspice - Named because it tastes like a blend of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. It is also known as Jamaican Pepper. Allspice is available whole or ground.
Almonds - Its varieties are classified as either sweet or bitter. Sweet varieties are edible and used in some Chinese stir fried dishes, though not very common. The bitter variety contains traces of toxic acid when raw and cannot be sold in the United States unless processed. Store them unopened in a cool, dry place. Raw unshelled almonds have a shelf life of six to 12 months, and shelled nuts will keep for three months. Once opened, put them in an airtight container and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. Recipe : Almond Chicken and Duck with Almonds
Asparagus - Asparagus's succulent, thin stalks are popular throughout
the world. Look for firm, bright-green (or pale-ivory) stalks with tight tips. Since asparagus starts losing flavor from the time it is cut, it's best cooked the same day it is purchased. Wash thoroughly and cut off all hard ends. Asparagus will keep, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag, up to four days in the refrigerator, or stored standing upright in a container with about an inch of water covered with a plastic bag. Asparagus is also available canned and frozen.
Aubergine - see Eggplant
Learn About Chinese Cooking Ingredients Video
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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