Chinese Special Ingredients

• bamboo shoots—Tender, fleshy yellow sprouts from bamboo canes.
• bean sprouts—Sprouts from the mung bean. Be sure not to confuse bean sprouts with alfalfa sprouts, which are smaller and finer.
• brown candy—A hard form of dark sugar available in packages or sometimes
  sold in bulk at specialty markets.
• chard—A vegetable with dark green, yellow, or bright red leaves. Its stalks and leaves can be cooked or eaten raw.
• Chinese black vinegar—A dark vinegar with a deeper, smokier flavor than light rice vinegar. It is available at most supermarkets or specialty stores.
• Chinese (celery) cabbage—A pale green vegetable with broad, tightly packed leaves, often used in soups and stir-fries. Other leafy green vegetables, such as fresh spinach or chard, can be substituted for Chinese cabbage.
• cornstarch—A fine, white starch made from corn and used to thicken sauces. When using cornstarch, put the required amount of dry cornstarch
  in a cup and add just enough cold water to form a smooth, thin paste. Then add this mixture to the other ingredients. This method keeps the cornstarch from forming lumps when cooked.
• duck or plum sauce—A thick sauce often used as a dip. Made from plums, chilies, sugar, and spices, it is available at most grocery stores.
• garlic—A bulb-forming herb with a strong, distinctive flavor. Each bulb can be broken up into several small sections called cloves. Before you chop up a clove of garlic, remove the brittle, papery covering that surrounds it.
• gelatin—A clear, powdered protein used as a thickening agent.
• ginger root—A knobby, light brown root used to flavor food. To use fresh ginger root, slice off the amount called for, peel off the skin with the side of a spoon, and grate the flesh. Freeze the rest of the root for future use. Do not substitute dried ground ginger for fresh ginger, as the taste is very different.
• glutinous rice flour—A powder made from sweet or glutinous rice, available at most specialty stores. Also called sticky rice flour or sweet rice flour, this is different from regular rice flour and the two cannot be substituted for each other.
• hoisin sauce—A dark, sweet, thick sauce made from soybeans, sugar, and spices. It can be used in cooking or as a dip. Hoisin sauce is available at most supermarkets.
• oyster sauce—A sauce made from oysters, sugar, and soy sauce, used in cooking and as a dip. Oyster sauce is available at grocery stores or specialty markets.
• rice—There are three main varieties of rice. Long-grain rice, the kind used in most Chinese recipes, is fluffy and absorbs more water than other types of rice. Short-grain rice has shorter, thicker grains that tend to stick together when cooked. Sweet or glutinous rice is used in Chinese pastries and special festival dishes.
• scallion—A variety of green onion.
• sesame oil—A strongly flavored oil made from sesame seeds.
• soy sauce—A salty-tasting sauce made from soybeans.
• sugar (snow) peas—Tender, green pea pods.
• wonton skins—Small, thin squares of soft dough made from flour, water, and eggs. Dumpling wrappers are similar to wonton skins, but they are always round.