Being the novice in Chinese food cooking can be quite confusing and challenging. First of all, with just a quick look through Asian recipes a person could get the impression it is extremely expensive or impossible to prepare with some regular ingredients. The truth is, for the most Chinese meals there is no need for exotic ingredients such as winter melon or shark’s fin. However, there are some specific ingredients that are necessary and used over and over when cooking Chinese food.

As we are all aware, rice is almost an essential ingredient in Chinese cooking. For meals, it is good to use long grain rice, while the “sticky” short grain rice should be used for snacks and desserts. Jasmin scented rice is also recommended because it combines well with traditional spices and flavors.

White rice vinegar is a colorless liquid similar in flavor to regular vinegar with higher vinegar content. It generally works well for sweet and sour dishes, in stir-fries and for pickling vegetables. Rice wine also known as “yellow wine” is both used for cooking and drinking. It is good for adding flavor and removing strong odors.

When it comes to using oil, traditionally peanut oil is used for cooking Chinese food, but some vegetable oils like canola are healthier and do not go rancid quick. Peanut (or vegetable substitute) oil is used for stir-frying and deep frying, while the sesame seed oil is commonly added as a flavoring agent in the final stages of Chinese food cooking. Sesame oil is aromatic and amber colored with very intense flavor and it burns quite easily and therefore not suitable for cooking oil.

Both dark and light soy sauce is necessary ingredient in Chinese food recipes. Unless it is specified to use the dark one, it is recommended to use the light soy sauce in cooking.

Dried black mushrooms work fine in stir-fries and soups and can be found in Asian markets rather than in regular markets. Almost all other mentioned ingredients can be found in international or ethnic sections of many supermarkets.