Stir-Fried Sticky Rice Cakes (Nian Gao)

White Pepper (Ground)

White pepper is rarely used in Western cooking, but when it comes to Asian cooking, it’s used instead of black pepper. Freshly ground white pepper is always more fragrant than pre-ground white pepper, but pre-ground white pepper will do just fine in almost all cases. In certain applications, its powdery texture is preferred!

Shaoxing Wine

Shaoxing wine is a type of rice wine from the Shaoxing region of China. In China and especially the Shaoxing region, this wine is sometimes consumed as a table wine. However, Shaoxing wine sold outside of China is usually brewed for cooking applications rather than consumed as a beverage.

Thai Oyster sauce, Maekrua brand, 11.8 oz bottle

Soy Sauce (Light)

While soy sauce is very commonly used as a table condiment by both Asians and Westerners, you might be surprised to learn there are differences in taste, saltiness and color among soy sauce brands and soy sauces from different countries including Thailand, Japan, and China. Like anything else, everyone has their favorite brands. The key to identifying a good soy sauce is making sure it is naturally brewed. Otherwise, it may be a cheaper artificially-flavored or chemically formulated version. If you see a long list of chemicals and/or corn syrup and sweeteners as ingredients on the bottle, I recommend avoiding it! Pearl River Bridge brand soy sauce is a highly recommended brand of soy sauce by many cooks and Asian cookbooks.

Soy Sauce (Dark)

While you can get by with just regular or “light” soy sauce in some dishes, to get the right depth of flavor, color, and consistency for other dishes, dark soy sauce is critical! Pearl River Bridge brand soy sauce is a highly recommended brand of soy sauce by many cooks and Asian cookbooks.

Sesame Oil

Sesame oil is one of the more recognizable flavors of Chinese and Asian cooking. Most of the sesame oils you see in markets are toasted, so they have a dark amber color and rich aroma. If you see a clear or yellow bottle of sesame oil, it is almost certainly not toasted and likely will not have as rich a fragrance and taste. Adding a little to stir-fry dishes helps give your dish that familiar Asian flavor. But remember you can really kill a dish by adding too much sesame oil. It can quickly become overpowering, so use sesame oil sparingly––just enough to complement your other ingredients and spices and sauces.