Ingredient Glossary

A very mini glossary

Chilli Bean Sauce辣豆瓣酱– . One form of fermented bean paste mixed with chillies to create a very savoury,slightly spicy sauce for stir fries. It is used in a lot of Sichuanese cookery.

 I did use the Lee Kum Kee brand, however I've since found out the additives in the ingredients may come from animal ingredients, so I've swapped for a korean chilli bean paste (e.g. left).

Yellow Bean Sauce –黄豆酱Huáng Dòu Jiàng. Available in cans or jars in Chinese supermarkets, this is another form of fermented bean paste, this one is made from soy beans. It is very salty, only a spoonful is required in dishes, but is also slightly sweet in flavour. Another fermented bean paste can be used, even miso at a pinch, but add ½ a tsp of sugar.

Pickled Mustard Greens –酸菜Suān Cài.

 A pickled vegetable popular in south east Asian cuisine.

 It adds a sour, slightly sweet, crunchy element to dishes.

 It can be found in vacuum packs on the shelves of Chinese supermarkets. Choose ones without food colouring and  sweeteners. 
I use it in stir fries in a slightly sweet, spicy sauce with

 a mock meat or fried tofu.

Light /Dark Soy Sauce – light soy生抽 Shēng Chōu is the more commonly used all-purpose soy sauce that is used for cooking. Dark soy老抽Lǎo chōu is thicker, darker and more caramelised in flavour and is used also for colour in some instances, e.g. stir frying ho fun – thick rice noodles. The taste varies greatly according to brand. In some countries it can be very thick and sweet, e.g. kecap manis.  I use Pearl River Bridge light soy, and would use some form of kecap manis for dark soy. Unless specified, I am using light soy in recipes.

Sichuan peppercorns, 花椒Huājiāo

a citrusy pepper that is used for its “numbing” spicy qualities in Sichuan

cookery. It is available in the supermarket but cheaper in Asian grocers, look for a deep pinky red colour. If they are brown they are old. 

Dried Chinese mushrooms – 干香菇Gàn Xiānggū. Cantonese - "Dong Goo"

These dried shiitake mushrooms give a deep flavour to soups, or stirfries and have a very meaty texture which is great for dumplings.

Soak for at least 20 minutes or a few hours before use. If using in soup, I give them a good rinse then put them in, so the mushroom flavour goes straight into the soup rather than the soaking liquid.

The “flower” type is preferable; this is a light patterned look on the back of the mushroom as opposed to just a smooth uniform brown.

Choose mushrooms that look white at the gills and surface. If the mushrooms gills are yellow/ orangey brown the mushrooms are not as fresh. When I cook I chose the browner mushrooms in the pack and use them up first. 

A note on “Umami”

Umami means “deliciousness”. It is one of the basic tastes and one where vegan food can sometimes fall down if we aren’t aware of this. Meat, eggs, dairy naturally are high in glutamate, which produces that savoury “umami” flavour. There are non-animal foods that contain high levels of glutamate too, e.g.  tomatoes, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, seaweed, potatoes, yeast. Fermented products contain a high level of glutamates, e.g. soy sauce, the fermented bean pastes like chilli bean paste, black beans, miso, fermented bean curd, etc., and these are used a lot in Chinese food.

If you are experimenting with things, try using soy sauce instead of salt, this ups the savoury flavour of dishes. Or I will put in things I know have the umami taste, e.g. dried shitake mushrooms, tomato paste or miso, if I know they would fit well with the dish. Sometimes when something I am cooking, like a thai curry has all the elements, salty, sour, sweet, bitter, hot but still seems to lack something, I will add ¼ cup of nutritional yeast, just to give it that savoury flavour.