|
Abalone are a salt water
shellfish. The canned variety is usually used in Chinese cooking.
Agar Agar is the base of jellies. Substitute with gelatine.
Bamboo Shoots are crispy root vegetable. It is available
canned and usually sliced to cook with other vegetables and meat.
Bean Curds are firm custard-like cake from soy bean milk. It
has a smooth and fragile texture and a bland taste. It is very high
in protein and is a good substitute as meat for vegetarian food.
Bird’s Nest are transparent, gelatinous strands coating nests
made from saliva of swiftlets in South East Asia. Soak in cold clean
water for a hour and will be ready for use.
Chinese Parsley also known as coriander and is use fresh as a
garnish.
Cinnamon is a bark-like spice with strong flavor used in all
types of cooking. It may be obtain whole or ground, usually removed
before serving if used whole.
Cloud Ears are irregular-shaped, edible fungi. These are
spongy textured, almost tasteless and available in 2 varieties;
black and white. Soak before use.
Cooking Wine used in Chinese cooking is usually rice wine. It
may be substitute with ordinary cooking wine or sherry.
Dried Chinese Orange Peel is the dried skin of mandarin
oranges or tangerines. Use sparingly in flavoring.
Dried Mushrooms used in Chinese cooking are usually black
variety. They have to be soaked in water for about 30 minutes before
use and stem removed.
Dried Scallops are shellfish with delicate flavor. Used in
soup and vegetable dishes.
Ginger is the root of the ginger plant. Used for flavoring
meat and vegetables.
Lotus Bean Seeds are small, delicately flavored seeds of the
water-lily. Soak for 10 minutes and remove the bitter shoot from the
centre of the seeds before use.
Oyster Sauce is skimmed from fermented oysters preserved in
brine. Used for seasoning meat and vegetables dished.
Preserved Chinese Plums are picked plums used in fish
cookery.
Preserved Lemon is a dried and sweetened lemon use in
flavoring food.
Preserved Vegetables are vegetable stems pickled in brine and
hot pepper. Available in cans.
Red Bean Paste is a thick sweet paste of red beans. Make from
steamed red bean and sugar. Also available in cans.
Red Dates are dried date fruit used for cooking soup. Soak in
warm water for 30 minutes before use.
Rock Sugar is sugar in crystallized rock form. It is
available in Chinese provision store.
Sesame Oil is a potent, fragrant oil of sesame seed. Use
sparingly.
Shark’s Fins are the dried cartilage from the fins of sharks.
They are soaked in hot water for several hours to soften before
used.
Soy Bean Paste is a thick salty paste made from black or
yellow soy bean. Use in seasoning of meat or vegetable dishes.
Soy Sauce is a sauce made from fermented soy beans. It is a
salty sauce and is available in 2 varieties; dark and light. Light
soy sauce is used as a taste enhancer and dark soy sauce is more to
enhance color.
Spring Roll Wrappers are thin squares of pastry USED FOR
SPRING ROLLS. They are made of rice flour and available in the
freezer section of most supermarkets.
Star-Anise is a star-shaped spice used either crushed or
whole to flavor meat or poultry especially for spicy dishes.
Ve-Tsin is a derivation of monosodium glutamate and is used
to enhance the natural flavor of food. The equivalent in America and
Europe is “Accent”. Use very sparingly.
Water-Chestnuts are nut-sized bulb s with tough brown skins
and crispy white meat. Usually obtained in cans already prepared for
use.
|