Name: Cloves
From: Native to Indonesia
Type: Dry spice
Taste: Subtle spicy, aromatic and sweet
Smell: Spicy, warm, rich and woody. Smells like Christmas
What is it?: Small dried flower buds of the evergreen clove tree
Use: Curries, marinades, pickling, drinks (cocktails, mulled wine etc) and desserts. It is also used to make five spice powder and garam masala. Used ground or whole for dishes but never eaten raw.
Name: Sichuan Peppercorn
From: Native to China and Taiwan. Also found in other parts of Asia
Type: Dried spice
Taste: Spicy, slightly citrusy, fragrant, tingling numbness
Smell: Aromatic, peppery, herbal and citrusy
What is it?: Dried berries of a evergreen prickly ash shrub – part of the citrus family
Use: Hot pot, stir-fries, stews, dips, marinades and dressings. It is also one of the ingredients used to make five spice powder. Used ground or whole for dishes.
ASAM KEPING
Name: Asam Keping or asam gelugar. Also known as dried tamarind.
From: Native to Malasia
Type: Dried spice
Taste: Super sour and slightly citrusy
Smell: Slightly like a dried salted plum
What is it?: Sliced sundried fruit of the asam gelugar tree – large rainforest tree found in Malaysia.
Use: Add to stews, curries and soup to give your dish a sour kick.
Substitute with tamarind.
Name: Star Anis
From: Native of China and Vietnam
Type: Dried spice
Taste: Warm, spicy, sweet and mild liquorice flavour
Smell: Aromatic and liquorice like similar to aniseed
What is it?: Sun-dried fruit of the evergreen tree illicium verum.
Use: Stews, braised dishes, stir-fries and soups. It is also one of the ingredients used to make five spice powder. Used ground or whole for dishes but never eaten raw.
LIQUORICE ROOT SLICES
Name: Liquorice Root Slices
From: Native to Asia and Europe
Type: Dried herb
Taste: Slightly bitter, sweet and liquorice flavour
Smell: Mildly sweet, woody and liquorice
What is it?: Root of the liquorice plant. Sliced then dried.
Use: Medicine, tea, sweets, cakes, stews and soups. Possible use to ease digestive discomfort.
DRIED WHOLE SICHUAN CHILLI
Name: Dried Whole Sichuan Chilli Peppers
From: China
Type: Dried spice
Taste: Toasty flavour and warm heat
Smell: Sweet and slightly smoky
What is it?: A dried medium-hot, fragrant chilli pepper with a thin skin and citrus notes.
Use: Hot pot, curries, stir fries, stews, dips, marinades and dressings. Used ground or whole for dishes.
CORIANDER SEEDS
Name: Coriander Seeds
From: Native to regions spanning from southern Europe and North Africa to Southwestern Asia. One of the oldest herb/spices in the world
Type: Dried spice
Taste: Earthy, tart, sweet and also has a lemony citrus flavour when crushed
Smell: Light lemony sweet smell until it is toasted – which releases a stronger floral aroma
What is it?: Small, light brown see of the coriander plant.
Use: Curries, rice dishes, soups, pickling, marinades and bread.
GINGER
Name: Ginger (root ginger)
From: South East Asia
Type: Root vegetable
Taste: Fiery, warm, juicy, spicy and sharp
Smell: Fiery, warm and sharp
What is it?: Root of a ginger plant. The root has a thin skin that can be scraped off. The inside is juicy & fibrous.
Use: Usually peeled then either thinly sliced, diced, julienne, grated or crushed. Perfect with seafood as it cuts out the fishy smell. Used in tea, stir fry, soups, stew, dips/sauces, steamed dishes, desserts and sweets.
DRIED CURRY LEAVES
Name: Dried Curry Leaves
From: Native to India and Asia
Type: Dried herb
Taste: Slightly bitter, sweet and zesty taste
Smell: When dried the leaves don’t have much of a smell
What is it?: Leaves from curry leaf plant/tree.
Use: Add to curries, stir-fries and rice dishes.
PRESERVED BLACK BEANS
Name: Preserved Black Beans
From: China
Type: Dry spice
Taste: Salty like soy sauce
Smell: Salty, savoury and like soy sauce
What is it?: Dried yellow soy bean soaked in water, steamed and left to ferment in salted container for several months. Salt, rice wine and ginger are added resulting in a dry, dark and oily consistency.
Use: Small amount used in stir-fries, stews, braising and steamed dishes.
DRIED BEANCURD KNOT
Name: Dried Beancurd Knot
From: China
Type: Dried Soy
Taste: Slightly salty, sweet, chewy and cheesy
Smell: Slightly salty and cheesy
What is it?: The skin found from simmered soy milk made from soya bean, removed to be dried in sheets.
Use: Soak in warm water for 20 minutes and drain before use. Add to stir-fries, soups, stews and hotpots. The beancurd knot absorbs all the flavors in your sauce/soup.
A great meat substitute.
FIVE SPICE POWDER
Name: Five Spice Powder
From: China
Type: Dried Spice
Taste: Earthy and spicy
Smell: Spicy
What is it?: A mixture of grounded spices – cinnamon, star anis, cloves, fennel seeds and sichuan peppercorn.
Use: Marinade meat and spice up stir fries. Also used in stews and salt & chilli dishes.
DRIED SHIITAKE MUSHROOM
Name: Dried Shiitake Mushroom
From: Origin China
Type: Dried Fungus
Taste: Woody, subtly sweet and pungent. Hard texture when dry. Spongy, juicy and fleshy texture after soaking – flavours will soak into the mushroom.
Smell: Woody, musty and sweet
What is it?: Mushroom grown naturally on decaying hardwood trees.
Use: Soak in boiling water for at least 20 minutes and rinse before use. Add to stir-fries, stews, soups and steamed dishes.
DRIED WOOD EAR
Name: Dried Wood Ear
From: Native to China
Type: Dried Fungus
Taste: Light earthy flavour
Smell: Earthy, musky
What is it?: Dried flat edible fungus with shiny skin on one side and fuzzy skin on the other side. When cooked, texture is crunchy and slightly chewy.
Use: Soak in warm water for 30 minutes before use in stir-fries, salads, soups and stews.
DRIED LILY FLOWER
Name: Dried Lily Flower (dried lily buds or golden needles)
From: Origin China & East Asia
Type: Dried Herb
Taste: Sweet, musky and earthy. Hard whilst dry. Soft after soaking.
Smell: Sweet and earthy
What is it?: Dried unopened flowers of the day lily plant.
Use: Soak in boiling water for 2 hours, snip off hard stem and rinse before use. Usually used in stews and soups (eg hot and sour soup). Also used for medicinal purposes.
BONITO FLAKES
Name: Bonito Flakes or Katsuobushi
From: Japan
Type: Dried Fish
Taste: Subtle smoky, savoury and fishy aroma
Smell: Lightly sweet, smoky and fishy
What is it?: Filleted skipper jack tuna simmered, smoked, fermented, sun-dried for several months resulting in a dry hard slabs then shaved into wafer thin flakes.
Use: To make stock like miso soup and used to garnish/toppings for noodles, fish, meat or just plain bowl of steamed rice.
FERMENTED BEANCURD
Name: Fermented Beancurd
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Pungent, sweet, savoury, creamy and sometimes spicy (if chillies included)
Smell: Pungent, savour soy bean aroma
What is it?: Small cubes of tofu preserved in various ingredients like rice wine, salt, vinegar, sesame oil and chillies.
Use: Add to dishes like stews and stir fries. Also can be used as part of marinade. Often eaten as is with congee – chinese porridge.
CHINESE WHITE LUMP SUGAR
Name: Chinese White Lump Sugar
From: China
Type: Dry Ingredients
Taste: Light sweet
Smell: No adour
What is it?: Crystallized lumps of refined sugar made from sugar cane which has been crystallised.
Use: Used in replacement of granulated sugar in drinks and dishes as it is less sweet.
CHINESE BROWN SUGAR
Name: Chinese Brown Sugar
From: China
Type: Dry Ingredients
Taste: Sweet and caramel flavour, similar to muscovado sugar
Smell: Caramelie, malty
What is it?: Made from unrefined sugar cane without removing the molasses. It’s made into a dense dark slab of sugar. The texture is slightly grainy. A bit like Scottish tablet.
Use: Add to desert and various recipes.
CHINESE ROCK SUGAR
Name: Chinese Rock Sugar
From: China
Type: Dry Ingredients
Taste: Subtle caramel taste
Smell: Slight caramel
What is it?: Crystallized white sugar.
Use: Add to desserts, soup and various dishes. Sometimes a little bit of Chinese rock sugar is used to replace MSG in certain dishes like the stock for pho.
LIGHT SOY SAUCE
Name: Light Soy Sauce
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Salty but not as salty as regular soy sauce
Smell: Salty
What is it?: Thin opaque reddish brown liquid. Sauce is made from fermented soy beans and wheat. Add to dishes to enhance the flavours in the dish.
Use: Dips, marinades, stir fries and various dishes.
DARK SOY SAUCE
Name: Dark Soy Sauce
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Salty and slightly sweet
Smell: Salty and caramel
What is it?: Slightly thicker and darker consistency than light soy sauce and aged a little longer for a richer flavour.
Use: Add a little to dishes to give it a little colour and enhance the flavour to the dish. This is one of the main ingredients for soy chicken and red cooked pork shoulder. Don’t use too much as the flavours are quite strong and punchy.
SESAME OIL
Name: Sesame Oil (Asian)
From: East Asia
Type: Condiment
Taste: Rich nutty flavour
Smell: Lovely toasted sesame seed aroma
What is it?: Dark oil made from toasted sesame oil. Asian sesame oil is different to other types of sesame oil which is lighter in colour and taste.
Use: Add to dips, marinades, soups, stir fries and various dishes. You can simply add a few splashes to miso soup or cold cooked noodles.
OYSTER SAUCE
Name: Oyster Sauce
From: Origin China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Savoury, slightly sweet, fishy and tangy flavour
Smell: Savoury and slightly salty
What is it?: Rich, thick dark brown gravy like sauce made from oyster extract, sugar, salt, corn flour and sometimes a little MSG (monosodium glutamate).
Use: Add to dips, marinades, stir fries and various dishes.
MUSHROOM VEGETARIAN SAUCE
Name: Mushroom Vegetarian Sauce (Vegan oyster sauce)
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Savoury, malty and slightly sweet
Smell: Savoury and malty
What is it?: Thick dark brown sauce made from dried shiitake mushroom, soy sauce, salt, corn flour and wheat.
Use: Add to dips, marinades, stir fries and various dishes. Vegan substitute for oyster sauce, only slighty sweeter.
SHAOXING WINE
Name: Shaoxing Wine
From: Shaoxing, China
Type: Rice wine
Taste: Strong and slightly sweet spirit
Smell: Spicy and sweet. Some people even mention vinegary
What is it?: Chinese cooking rice wine – clear brownish liquid made from fermented wheat and brown glutinous rice. Shaoxing, China have been producing this rice wine for over 2000 years.
Use: Add to dips, marinades, soups, stir-fries and various dishes. Great on seafood dishes to reduce the fishiness to the dish or add a splash or two to fillings for dumplings and spring rolls.
Substitute with dry sherry.
FISH SAUCE
Name: Fish Sauce
From: Southeast Asia and East Asia
Type: Condiment
Taste: Pungent, rich salty, fishy and hint of caramel
Smell: Pungent, salty, fishy and slightly smoky
What is it?: Light red/brown liquid made from fish or krill which would have been covered in salt, packed in large containers to ferment for up to two years and then pressed for the liquid.
Use: Dips, salads, stir-fries, stews and various dishes. Used often in Vietnamese and Thai recipes especially green papaya salad, pad thai and curries.
VEGETARIAN FISH SAUCE
Name: Vegetarian Fish Sauce (Vegan)
From: Southeast Asia and East Asia
Type: Condement
Taste: Salty, sweet with a hint of vinegary tang. Not as salty as the non vegetarian fish sauce
Smell: Salty
What is it?: Light tanned liquid made from salt, sugar, vinegar and seaweed extract or soybean sauce.
Use: Add to dips, marinades, stir fries, salads and various dishes. The flavours are not as strong as the regular fish sauce so add more salt, vinegar or lime to lift up the flavours.
CHINKIANG VINEGAR
Name: Chinkiang Vinegar
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Rich, slightly sweet, malty and pungent vinegary tang – similar to balsamic vinegar
Smell: Punchy malty vinegar aroma
What is it?: Chinese black rice vinegar. Dark liquid made from glutinous rice, salt, sugar, water and wheat bran.
Use: Add to dips, stews, stir-fries and noodle dishes. Used to make fantastic dishes like fish-fragrant aubergine and one of the main ingredients for the sauce to go with the popular Sichuan dish, “saliva chicken” or also known as “mouthwatering chicken”.
Substitute with balsamic vinegar.
KECAP MANIS
Name: Kecap Manis – Sweet Soy Sauce
From: Indonesia
Type: Condiment
Taste: Sweet, salty, toffee like, thick and sticky
Smell: Malty and sweet
What is it?: Sweet soy sauce. Very dark brown treacly sauce made from soy sauce and palm sugar molasses.
Use: Add to make dips, marinades, stir-fries, soups, glaze and various dishes. Used to make the popular Indonesian dish – Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice).
RICE VINEGAR
Name: Rice Vinegar
From: East Asia
Type: Condiment
Taste: Subtle sweetness and slightly vinegary
Smell: Sweet and vinegary
What is it?: Slightly tanned liquid made from fermented rice.
Use: Add to make dips, marinades, salad dressing. One of the main ingredients for making the vinegary seasoning for sushi rice.
HOISIN SAUCE
Name: Hoisin Sauce
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Savoury, pungent, beany and sweet
Smell: Pungent, sweet and spicy from all the spices
What is it?: Thick smooth sauce made from fermented bean paste, water, sugar, salt, garlic, dried chilli peppers, wheat, corn flour, sesame paste and various spice.
Use: Dips, marinades and stir-fries. Used to make char siu and roast meats. Also used as a dip for Vietnamese summer rolls and add additional flavour to steaming bowl of pho.
TOBAN DJAN
Name: Toban Djan – Chilli Bean Paste
From: China
Type: Sauce
Taste: Rich hot spicy, savoury and beany taste
Smell: Strong pungent salty, sour and bitter beany
What is it?: Thick sauce made from fermented broad beans, soy beans, wheat flour, salt, sugar, soy sauce & salted chillies.
Use: Add to make dips, marinades, stews, stir-fries (like Mapo tofu & fish-fragrant aubergine) and chinese hotpot.
SICHUAN TOBAN DJAN CHILLI SAUCE
Name: Sichuan Toban Chilli Sauce
From: China
Type: China
Taste: Rich salty, hot spicy
Smell: Strong pungent, salty, bitter slightly mushroom
What is it?: Similar to Toban Djan but slightly spicier due to the additional chillies added to the sauce. It is also extra oily
Use: Similar to Toban Djan – Add to make dips, marinades, stews, stir-fries (like Mapo tofu & fish-fragrant aubergine) and chinese hotpot.
CHIU CHOW CHILLI OIL
Name: Chiu Chow Chilli Oil
From: Origin Chiu Chow (or Chaozhou), China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Spicy, garlicky, salty, savoury, slightly sweet with bits of chillies
Smell: Slightly savoury
What is it?: Thick sauce made from slowly frying garlic, preserved chillies in salt, chilli flakes and seasoned in soy sauce and sometimes sesame oil.
Use: Dips, marinade, stir-fries or just drizzle over noodles, any cooked dishes or salads to give it a spicy kick.
SRIRACHA SAUCE
Name: Sriracha
From: Thailand
Type: Condiment
Taste: Garlic, tangy, spicy garlic and slightly sweet
Smell: Pungent, garlic and spicy
What is it?: Hot chilli sauce made from chillies, sugar, distilled vinegar, salt and garlic.
Use: Mainly used as a dip or sauce. Can see it added onto Thai dishes and also Vietnamese dishes like pho and summer rolls.
CHINESE BARBEQUE SAUCE
Name: Chinese Barbeque Sauce (more specifically the Bullhead brand)
From: China
Type: Condiment
Taste: Savoury, slightly sweet, spicy and smoky seafood flavour
Smell: Pundgent, salty and fishy
What is it?: Thick grainy sauce with a layer of oil – made from oil, soybeans, garlic, shallots, dried fish, dried shrimps, coconut powder, ginger and chillies.
Use: Dips, marinades and stir-fries. Fantastic on noodles, rice, meats, vegetables……basically anything, especially as a dipping sauce for Chinese hotpot.
Substitute with XO sauce.
SHRIMP PASTE
Name: Shrimp Paste
From: Origin Southern Thailand
Type: Condiment
Taste: Very pungent, very salty, shrimpy – packed full umami flavours
Smell: Very strong fermented shrimp and savoury
What is it?: Fermented fish dried in salt
Use: Dips, marinades, stir-fries, stews and curries. Used often in Thai and Vietnamese food.
Substitute with anchovy paste.
PICKLED CABBAGE
Name: Pickled Cabbage
From: China
Type: Preserved Vegetable
Taste: Salty and crunchy
Smell: Salty
What is it?: Preserved cabbage in salt.
Use: Rinse cabbage quickly before use to reduce the saltiness. Add to stir-fries and stews. When stir-frying add a few slices of ginger.to the dish.
VEGETARIAN MOCK ABALONE
Name: Vegetarian Mock Abalone
From: China
Type: Canned Vegetable
Taste: Slightly sweet and chew
Smell: Sweet and soy aroma
What is it?: Fried gluten cooked in soy sauce, sugar and salt.
Use: Stir-fries, stews, steamed dishes and soups. Can also be used as fillings for dumplings and various other dishes.
A great meat substitute.
JASMINE RICE
Name: Jasmine Rice or Thai Fragrance Rice
From: Thailand
Type: Rice
Taste: Slightly sweet and nutty
Smell: Subtle sweet and fresh cut grass aroma
What is it?: A type of white, long grain rice. Grains are slightly translucent. When cooked the grains become fluffy and fragrant.
Use: Steam rice and serve as is with other dishes. Can also be used to make fried rice, congee/jok (chinese porridge), added to soup or used as part of filling for certain buns.
SHORT GRAIN JAPANESE RICE
Name: Short Grain Japanese Rice or Uruchimai
From: Japan
Type: Rice
Taste: Slightly sweet
Smell: Slightly sweet and fragrant
What is it?: Short translucent grains of rice. Starts off as grains of brown rice, then polished to a white translucent When cooked it is fluffy, slightly chewy, moist and stickier than Jasmine rice or basmati rice.
Use: Steam rice and serve as is with other dishes or you can add seasoned vinegar to cooked rice to make sushi. Cooked rice also used to make nigiri (rice balls wrapped in nori). Can be used to make fried rice, porridge or cook with various ingredients in a pot. The grains are used to make sake, Japanese beers and rice vinegar.
GLUTINOUS RICE
Name: Glutinous Rice
From: Southeast and East Asia
Type: Rice
Taste: Slightly sweet
Smell: Slightly aromatic
What is it?: Sticky and chewy rice. Named glutinous rice due to it’s glue like consistency.
Use: Glutinous rice is not cooked the same way as other types of rice. It doesn’t need to be cooked with much water as the rice will turn soggy. So you need to soak the rice overnight in cold water so the grains absorb the rice evenly. Rinse the grains until water is clear, then wrap in cheese cloth, parchment paper or large lotus/bamboo leaves – steam in a bamboo steamer or metal steamer.
Steamed glutinous rice serve as is with other dishes. It can be steamed with various ingredients like peanuts, onions etc. Used to make a popular chinese dishes like “lo mai gai” (sticky rice chicken – parcels filled with glutinous rice, chicken, chinese sausage, dried shiitake mushroom, dried shrimps and spring onions) or the Chinese New Year sticky rice parcels “Bahn Chung” or “Joong” which are filled with yellow mung beans and belly pork. Also used to make desserts.
DRIED EGG NOODLES
Name: Dried Egg Noodles
From: Origin China
Type: Dried noodles
Taste: Similar to pasta
Smell: Similar to pasta but a bit more eggy.
What is it?: Thin long Chinese noodles made from eggs and wheat flour.
Use: Cook in boiling water with a little vegetable oil for a couple minutes, transfer to a colander or metal sieve and run cold water over the noodles to get rid of some of the starch so it does not stick together. Pour boiling water over the noodles to warm up before use. Can be add to soups, stir-fry with other ingredients or fry in frying pan with additional veg oil to make crispy noodles.