黄豆酱 | huángdòu jiàng

Soybean paste

This is one of my favorite Chinese base condiment, and in my opinion, it’s really underrated compared to Sichuan chili bean paste and other louder, spicier sauces. The rich, salty fermented taste of a good basic yellow soybean paste will deepen the flavors of any braised dish or soup without overwhelming the dish or changing its color. Because the paste is mild in flavor, it’s a versatile condiment for vegetable stir-fries, tofu dishes, and braised dishes where you want extra umami but don’t want the dark color of soy sauce or the heat of bean paste with chiles.

What brand should I buy?

Look for jars containing a liquidy yellow-brown paste with floating whole and broken piece of soybeans. It should smell and taste like a good soy sauce. The ingredients will often contain soybeans, water, salt, sugar, and sodium nucleotide (a flavor-enhancing salt). My current favorite is this red-labeled jar called Super Brand labeled “Soya Bean Sauce,” but any other similar product should work. It’s sometimes sold as “salted soybeans.” Fermented soybean paste originates from Chaozhou, a city in Guangdong province. 

How to store

Store unopened jars indefinitely in the pantry, and once opened, keep tightly capped in the refrigerator.

Chili oil (辣椒油 làjiāoyóu) is an essential Chinese flavoring oil and condiment, made by combining hot oil and finely ground chiles. You can also pre-infuse the oil with star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, garlic, shallots, or sesame seeds. The finished oil is a gorgeous ruby red color, with a sediment of roasty scorched chiles at the bottom, and just a dribble or dab of it adds intoxicating savoriness.

A jar of this stuff always lives in my refrigerator, and I spoon it onto rice and noodles, eat it with dumplings and savory buns, use it to dress cold dishes and Chinese salads, stir it into sauces, and use it as a finishing oil for dishes like mapo tofu or soup.

Why make chili oil at home?

Making chili oil is easy and tastes infinitely better than store-bought. It’s highly customizable and every restaurant and home cook has a different formula, so feel free to test out this basic recipe and tweak it according to your preference!

Essential Ingredients

• Neutral-flavored oil (like vegetable oil, canola, grapeseed, rice bran, or avocado oil)
• Coarsely ground or fine-ground dried Sichuan chiles (Korean gochugaru is a good substitute)

My family’s favorite recipe includes three common Chinese spices and sesame seeds:

• Star anise (八角 bajiao)
• Chinese cinnamon (cassia) stick (桂皮 guipi)
• Bay leaves (香叶 xiangye)
• Raw or toasted sesame seeds

Optional add-ins (for extra aroma)

• Fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• Garlic cloves, peeled
• Scallions, both green and white parts, thinly sliced
• Chinese black cardamom pod (草果 caoguo)
• Fennel seeds (小茴香 xiaohuixiang)
• Dried tangerine peel (陈皮 chenpi)

Instructions

1. Combine the oil, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and other optional spices in a small saucepan. Heat the oil over medium heat until tiny bubbles rise slowly from the spices (about 230°F/110°C), and keep it at that temperature for about 10 minutes to infuse the oil with flavor. Reduce the heat if the spices appear to be darkening too quickly. When the oil has a gentle fragrance, remove it from the heat and strain out and discard all the spices.

2. Place the ground dried chiles and sesame seeds in a separate heatproof bowl and set aside.

What kind of ground chiles should I use?

I recommend using Sichuan chiles for the most authentic flavor. They usually come coarsely ground with seeds, and provide more aroma than heat— you can find them at your local Asian grocery or online (this is my favorite brand, from Mala Market!). Korean ground chiles (called gochugaru) are your next best choice. Avoid using Western crushed chili flakes, which have very little aroma.

3. Return the saucepan to medium heat and heat the oil to 320-340°F (160-170°C). (At this temperature, a slice of ginger dropped in will slowly rise to the surface with small bubbles.) Pour about ¼ cup of the oil into the bowl of ground chiles and sesame seeds— the chiles will fizz and release a rich aroma. If the chiles bubble up too energetically, the oil may be too hot and could burn the chiles. Let it cool for 30 seconds, then pour again. Continue adding all the oil, stirring to the bottom, until the oil is rich red and has a toasty aroma. If the flavor is not as fragrant as you like, return the oil to the saucepan and heat over low heat for a few more minutes to continue to infuse it.

4. Let cool, then transfer the oil and sediment to an airtight glass jar. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 4 months, or in the refrigerator indefinitely.

📖 Recipe

Homemade Chili Oil 辣椒油

How to make chili oil, an essential Chinese condiment. Drizzle on dishes as a finishing touch or stir into dressings for cold dishes and sauces— the infused oil adds a gorgeous ruby color and deep aroma, with a roasted back note of scorched chiles and nutty sesame seeds. 

• Author: Hannah

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (360 mL) vegetable oil or other neutral-flavored oil
• 2 tablespoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
• 1–2 star anise 
• 1 small Chinese cinnamon (cassia) stick 
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup (40 grams) coarsely ground dried Sichuan chiles, with seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Additional add-ins (optional):

• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2–3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1–2 Chinese black cardamom pods (草果 caoguo)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (小茴香 xiaohuixiang)
• 1 dried tangerine peel (陈皮 chenpi)

Instructions

1. Combine the oil, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves in a small saucepan. Place the dried chiles and sesame seeds in a separate heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat until tiny bubbles rise slowly from the spices (about 230°F/110°C), and keep it at that temperature for about 10 minutes to infuse the oil with flavor. Reduce the heat if the spices appear to be darkening too quickly. When the oil has a gentle fragrance, remove it from the heat and strain out and discard all the spices.
3. Return the saucepan to medium heat and heat the oil to 320-340°F (160-170°C). Pour about ¼ cup of the oil into the bowl of ground chiles and sesame seeds— the chiles will fizz and release a rich aroma. If the chiles bubble up too energetically, the oil may be too hot and could burn the chiles. Let it cool for 30 seconds, then pour again. Continue adding all the oil, stirring to the bottom, until the oil is rich red and has a toasty aroma. If the flavor is not as fragrant as you like, return the oil to the saucepan and heat over low heat for a few more minutes to continue to infuse it. Let cool, then transfer the oil and sediment to an airtight glass jar.
4. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 4 months, or in the refrigerator indefinitely.

Try this recipe:

Simple Stir-Fried Bok Choy with Scallion Oil

📖 Recipe

Homemade Scallion Oil 葱油

Use this oniony, nutty, enticing scallion oil to stir-fry vegetables in place of regular cooking oil, to dress noodles and fried rice, or drizzle it on steamed dishes and soups. 

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Makes 1 cup
• Category: Pantry
• Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

• 1 bunch scallions (12 small, or 6–7 large), cleaned and trimmed
• 1 cup vegetable oil or other neutral-tasting oil

Instructions

1. Pat the scallions as dry as possible. Thinly slice the whites into circles or ovals, and cut the green parts into 1-inch segments. Keep them separate.
2. Heat a wok with the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. Add the white part of the scallions and stir them gently—the oil should be just hot enough so that the scallions bubble gently along their edges. Continue to cook the scallions over a steady and low flame as they release their water and infuse the oil with their flavor. 
3. After 10 minutes, add the scallion greens. When the whites are starting to darken and you can smell a toasted aroma, about 5 to 10 minutes more, stir constantly to help them develop an even, beautiful golden color. Once they start turning brown and looking crispy, immediately remove from the heat—overcooking will result in a burnt flavor. 
4. Pour out everything into a mesh sieve set over a heat-proof bowl and press the scallions with a spoon to squeeze out the remaining oil.  The oil should be clear, with a slight greenish tinge. Discard the fried scallions— they should look pretty hammered if they’ve done their job properly— or reserve the crispy bits for one final use as a garnish over noodles.
5. Pour the strained scallion oil into an airtight container or glass jar and store in the top shelf of your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Keywords: scallion oil, chinese scallion oil, chinese pantry

Pale rice vinegar

米醋，白醋 | mǐcù, báicù 

Made from fermented rice wine, this unseasoned vinegar has a clean, fruity acidity, and it’s used for pickling, sweet-and-sour sauces, and for dressing cold dishes or salads. Although it’s less aromatic than black vinegar, it’s sharper and more intense in acidity, and ideal for uses where you don’t want the vinegar to affect the color of the finished dish.

There are many varieties available in Asian supermarkets. Japanese seasoned rice vinegars have a different taste profile so I recommend looking for a Chinese rice vinegar. My current favorite brand is Wan Ja Shan.

Chinkiang black vinegar

香醋 | xiāngcù

Black vinegar, also called “fragrant vinegar” (香醋 xiāngcù), is a dark brown vinegar made by fermenting glutinous rice with the addition of grains and herbs, and aged for months and sometimes years, similar to balsamic vinegar. This aromatic vinegar develops a deeper and more complex flavor than pale rice vinegar.

Black vinegar is usually used added to dipping sauces, used in vinaigrette-style dressings for cold dishes, or cooked in soups or braised dishes. The brightening acidity of black vinegar is a wonderful way to balance rich, fattier meets or panfried foods like dumplings/potstickers.

Why is it called Chinkiang vinegar?

The vinegar is famously produced in the city of Zhenjiang (Chinkiang) in Jiangsu province, from where it gets its name. You’ll see the iconic yellow label with 镇江香醋 (zhènjiāng xiangcù) on the bottle.

Other varieties of black vinegar

Black vinegar

乌醋 | wūcù

Wu cu (烏醋), “black vinegar,” is another variety of black vinegar that’s brewed using pale rice vinegar as the base, with the addition of vegetables and fruits (carrots, tomatoes, onion puree, etc.), juice concentrates, mushrooms, spices (such as cloves, cassia bark, star anise, garlic powder, etc.), sugar, and caramel coloring. The color becomes darker over the fermentation process.

Compared with white vinegar, wu cu is less acidic but more flavorful, and it’s often added to soups— the sharp sourness cooks off and leaves a wonderful fragrance behind.

豆豉 | dòuchǐ

What are Chinese fermented black beans?

Chinese fermented black beans are wizened little black nuggets of umami flavor. They’re made of soybeans that are boiled and then allowed to mold, fermented with just salt, or a combination of salt, rice wine, and aromatics.

The result is an intensely concentrated savoriness. A whiff of these beans and you’ll either be hooked or repulsed: their strong, funky smell is reminiscent of soy sauce. They’re used most famously to make black bean sauces, but a tablespoon or two of the beans added to a wok will enhance the flavor of dishes like mapo tofu and vegetable stir-fries.

By the way, the name “black beans” can be confusing: these are NOT regular black beans/ black turtle beans, but soybeans that have turned black as a process of the dry fermentation.

Tips for purchasing

Fermented black beans are available in any Asian supermarket. Look for dry and plump little beans speckled with salt, sold in little baggies, and not the kind marinated in jars. They’re also labeled “dried black beans,” “preserved black beans,” and “salted black beans.”

Using in a recipe

• If there is a lot of surface salt still visible on the beans, rinse under the tap to wash it off. Otherwise use them straight from the bag. Lightly mash or coarsely chop the black beans with the blade of a knife before cooking— this will release more of their flavor. 
• Add the chopped beans to the hot oil and sizzle briefly along with the chopped, ginger, garlic, or other aromatics. After you can smell them, add the rest of the stir-fry ingredients.

Storage

Keep in a covered container either in the side door of your refrigerator, or in a dark, dry place. They will keep almost indefinitely.

What are the ingredients in soy sauce?

Soy sauce is a dark-colored, concentrated liquid made by fermenting soybeans and wheat. Good soy sauce has an intense, mouth-filling saltiness and a wonderful aroma that’s toasty and slightly fruity.

Soy sauce was initially the liquid residue of fermenting soybeans for soybean paste (豆酱 dòujiàng), which has been produced in China since 200 CE. The byproduct was called 酱油 jiàng yóu (“soybean paste’s oil”). By 1000 CE, this liquid condiment was more popular than soybean paste, and produced and enjoyed for its versatile use in cooking.

To make soy sauce, the craftsmen soak yellow soybeans until plump, then steam them for a few hours until soft. They crush the beans coarsely and leave them to ferment in a warm place for 3 days until a yellow-green Aspergillus mold develops. At this point, roasted and crushed wheat is usually added to the mixture. The craftsmen then place the hot, ripe-smelling soybeans and wheat into crocks or barrels, alternating the layers with a brine of salt and water. They cover and leave the mixture to ferment for several months.

In their crocks, the enzymes break down the soy proteins into amino acids and the soybean oil into fatty acids, producing sugars, alcohol, roasty and fruity-smelling pyrazines and esters, and meaty sulfuric compounds. Sometimes, a sugar syrup is added during the final fermentation to develop more flavors. The final liquid is salty, sweet, tart, and savory, loaded with umami-tasting glutamic acids.

In dishes, soy sauce adds saltiness but also intense flavor.

Difference between Japanese and Chinese soy sauce

In a typical Asian supermarket you’ll find two main kinds of soy sauce: Japanese and Chinese.

Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) is made with a nearly equal blend of soybeans and wheat— the starch in the wheat adds a characteristic sweetness and rounder flavor, and a higher alcohol content and alcohol-derived aromas.

Chinese soy sauce (jiangyou) is primarily made of soybeans, and it’s darker in color and saltier in flavor than Japanese soy sauce and not as sweet. Most Western grocery stores only carry Japanese soy sauce, like Kikkoman’s, but for Chinese cooking, I recommend seeking out a Chinese soy sauce, as it has a different flavor profile.

How do I identify naturally brewed soy sauce?

To see if the soy sauce is naturally brewed from soybeans, look at the label: the ingedients should be water, soybeans, wheat, sugar, and alcohol— hydrolyzed protein or caramel color is a dead giveaway of non-fermented, “fake” soy sauce. It’s made with chemically modified soy protein, and colored and flavored with corn syrup and caramel to approximate the look and taste of real soy sauce.

Good soy sauces can range widely in flavor, like any good wine or vinegar, with different notes of earthy, fruity, or nutty aromas.

I always look for an organic soy sauce. The enduring favorite in my kitchen is Wan Ja Shan (萬家香) organic soy sauce. Kimlan (金蘭) soy sauce is also a good one. As with any Chinese condiment, I usually go with the Taiwanese brands, which are better in quality.

Avoid low-sodium soy sauce. They’re usually inferior in flavor and aroma, and you can easily control the amount of sodium in a dish yourself by using smaller amounts of soy sauce or by using less salt.

You can buy soy sauce online, but it’s much cheaper to purchase in your local Asian supermarket.

Difference between light and dark soy sauce

Light and dark soy sauce are Cantonese soy sauces. Because these two kinds of soy sauce were popularized by Cantonese cooking in China and America, they are now considered standard.

Light/regular soy sauce (生抽, shēngchōu) is all-purpose: it’s light in color, thin, and salty. Light refers to the color— it’s not lighter in sodium, and actually saltier than dark soy sauce.

Dark soy sauce (老抽, lǎochōu) has sweet, caramel tones, and it’s thicker and richer in flavor, but less salty. It’s used sparingly to add color to dishes, particularly braises.

Most Cantonese brands like Pearl River Bridge (珠江桥牌) will come in light and dark soy sauces, but other brands just offer one general “soy sauce,” which is equivalent to light soy sauce. Outside of southern cooking, other regions in China don’t really call for these two distinct types of soy sauce and you’ll be good with just a bottle of regular soy sauce in most recipes.

Is soy sauce gluten-free?

Most brands of soy sauce contain wheat. For a gluten-free soy sauce, look for tamari. This is a kind of Japanese soy sauce closest to the Chinese original, made from fermented cooked soy beans without the addition of wheat. It has a bolder, richer flavor because of the higher concentration of soybean amino acids, and can be used in place of regular light soy sauce.

How to store soy sauce

Soy sauce lasts almost indefinitely, but the flavors can dissipate after a few months. Store the bottle tightly capped on the counter away from the stove, or in a cool, dark cupboard. Some chefs refrigerate their best soy sauces to preserve their flavor and freshness.

麻酱， 芝麻酱 | má jiàng, zhī má jiàng

What is Chinese sesame paste?

Used frequently in Chinese cooking, sesame paste is ground from roasted white sesame seeds* and not quite the same as tahini. Chinese sesame paste is thicker and darker in color, with a rich, earthy flavor and nutty aroma. It resembles peanut butter in appearance and consistency. It’s rarely used as a spread, and usually mixed with other seasonings for creamy sauces and dressings for noodles or cold dishes.

• For a basic sesame sauce, combine the sesame paste with a pinch of salt (or dash of soy sauce), pale rice vinegar, finely minced garlic, and a bit of warm water. Whisk vigorously— the paste will grow lighter and creamier. Stir in some chili oil for extra flavor, and enjoy atop noodles.

Tips for purchasing

There’s usually a pretty large selection of sesame pastes at Asian supermarkets. The best contain just roasted sesame seeds; avoid ones with added sugar or oils. 

Before using sesame paste, stir the jar well, as the oil will rise to the top, leaving a drier paste at the bottom.

Zhuang Yuan (Master) brand is my favorite brand, as it has just one ingredient— sesame seeds.

How to make homemade sesame paste

In case you can’t find it, sesame paste is easy to make at home. This recipe makes about 1 cup.

• 1 ½ cup raw white sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 

Pour the sesame seeds into a dry wok or skillet and place over low heat. Stir continuously for about 5 to 6 minutes until the seeds start to pop and you can smell their fragrance. Continue to stir for 1 to 2 more minutes, until the popping sounds decrease and the sesame seeds are faintly golden. Pour onto a plate and let them cool just slightly— you want them to be warm, but not hot.

Add the sesame seeds to a food processor. Blend on low speed until a coarse crumb forms, then continue to blend until the seeds start to break down into a thick, oily paste. (If using a high-speed blender, use a tamper to move the seeds down into the blades.) Add the sesame oil, a drizzle at a time, and continue blending until the paste is smooth. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. 

*Black sesame paste has a richer, more intense sesame flavor and a slight bitterness, so it’s generally paired with sugar and used for sweet bun fillings or pastries rather than in savory dishes. You can often find black sesame paste in specialty stores— Chinese people tend to spread on buns or toast or stir it with hot water for a drink.

香菇 | xiānggū

Dried shiitake mushroom

Also called Chinese black mushrooms or “winter mushrooms” (冬菇 dōnggū), dried shiitake mushrooms are an important flavoring ingredient in the Chinese pantry, treasured for their deep, earthy fragrance and rich savoriness. When rehydrated, the dried mushrooms are more intense in flavor and have a meatier, chewier texture than their fresh counterparts. They’re one of the most common dried ingredients in Chinese cooking and used in nearly every regional cuisine, typically added to stir-fries, braised dishes, or simmered in soups or stocks.

Varieties

Dried shiitake mushrooms are sold in Asian supermarkets in two varieties: the small, thick ones with a cracked pattern on their caps that resemble tortoise shells are highly prized for their flavor and called “flower mushrooms” (花菇 huāgū),  while the thinner, darker and smooth-capped mushrooms are called “fragrant mushroom” (香菇 xiānggū) and more affordable.

I’ve found that Japanese-grown and harvested shiitake mushroom brands are usually better in quality than Chinese. When you open the bag, give the mushrooms a deep whiff— the aroma should be powerful, almost overwhelming in their fragrance. If the dried mushrooms don’t smell like much, they’re probably really old or of poor quality.

How to rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms

• Fastest method: place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Set a plate on top so the mushrooms stay submerged. This will take about 30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the mushrooms.
• Best method: If you’re not in a hurry, it’s best to use cool or warm water. Place in a bowl as above and cover with water, and soak for at least 3 hours. This gentler soaking process won’t leech out too much of their flavor. After soaking, the caps should be completely softened and easy to slice, without any hard, dried white bits in the center.

A trick I learned at culinary school in Guangzhou: add a pinch of salt to the soaking water! The salted water draws out moisture and allows the mushrooms to absorb and rehydrate faster. 

• After soaking: drain and squeeze the mushrooms dry. Flip the mushroom on its back and use kitchen scissors to snip off the tough stem, close to the base. Discard the stems, or collect them in a little bag in the freezer and use them for stock. 
• To cut: smack the cap with the blade of your knife to flatten it out, and cut it as designated in the recipe, into shreds, slices, or halves. If I want thin shreds, I will usually cut the thick cap into thinner halves (with the knife parallel to the cutting board) before slicing vertically.
• Don’t discard the soaking water! Strain it through a sieve to remove any grit, and use the fragrant, amber-colored liquid as a stock.

Storage

Store purchased dried mushrooms in a covered container in a dark, dry and cool place.  Dried shiitake mushrooms will keep indefinitely in the pantry.

Sichuan peppercorns

花椒 | huā jiāo

The quintessential Sichuan peppercorn or “flower pepper” (huājiāo) isn’t actually a peppercorn but the reddish, cracked dried husk of the berry from the prickly ash tree, a shrub native to eastern China.

Intensely aromatic, Sichuan peppercorns have a piney scent with a citrusy note. They don’t provide any heat, unlike the typical burn associated with peppers, and cause a numbing and tingling sensation on the tongue instead. There are two kinds of Sichuan peppercorns, red and green. The unripe green peppercorns are lemony in flavor and more numbing, but harder to find.

Cooking with Sichuan peppercorns

Heat the oil in your wok or pan until shimmering, then add the peppercorns and let them sizzle until you can smell their aroma. Use low heat— burning the peppercorns will make them bitter.

Don’t eat these in the dish! They flavor the food, but you don’t want to bite into one— they leave an unpleasant sour aftertaste.

Purchasing tips

I get my Sichuan peppercorns from my local Asian supermarket. For an online source I recommend Mala Market. Look for peppercorns with a vibrant red color, not brown, without too many visible seeds and stems in the bag.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. To preserve their aroma for even longer, store in the freezer. 

Homemade ground Sichuan peppercorn

花椒面 | huā jiāo miàn

I recommend grinding Sichuan peppercorns yourself, since their numbing, citrusy flavor fades quickly, and the store-bought ones always taste dusty and dull in comparison.  My grandma uses ground peppercorn in her cooking in place of whole peppercorns, to avoid the possibility of accidentally biting into one.

A dash of this adds a smoky, citrusy aroma and a buzz of flavor to dipping sauces, stir-fries, or braises, and it’s essential for classic Sichuan dishes like mapo tofu. 

Homemade Sichuan peppercorn powder

Ingredients: 2 tablespoon whole red Sichuan peppercorns

• Toast the peppercorns in a dry wok or saucepan over medium-low heat for 1 minute, stirring continuously. When they smell very fragrant and start to pop, remove from heat and pour them into a plate or bowl.  
• When the peppercorns are cooled, grind into a fine powder, either in a pestle or mortar, or in a spice grinder. Sift through a coarse mesh sieve to remove the bits of husk, as they are flavorless (optional). Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.  

干辣椒 | gānlàjiāo

How do I use dried chiles in Chinese cooking?

Dried chiles are used more for their aroma than for their heat. They lend deep, smoky fragrance and mild spiciness to chili oils, condiments, and braised or stir-fried dishes. For stir-frying, you typically snip the whole dried chiles into thumbnail-sized segments (with seeds shaken out), and add them to the shimmering hot oil in the wok along with the other aromatics like garlic, ginger, scallion, etc. In Sichuan regional cooking, dried chiles are often paired with Sichuan peppercorns.

What kind of chiles should I buy?

There are many varieties of Chinese chiles, mostly cultivated in Sichuan and Guizhou province. For general cooking, look for 1 to 2 inch long “facing heaven” Tianjin chilies (朝天椒 cháo tiān jiāo), or 4 to 5 inch long Erjingtiao Sichuan chilies (二荆条 èr jīng tiáo), which have a fruity, rich fragrance and mild heat.

The smaller the pepper the spicier, so avoid the tiny, light red dried Thai bird’s eye chilies (小米辣 xiǎo mǐ là): they’re far too hot for the amounts called for in these recipes. When you cut them up, you shouldn’t feel an immediate burning sensation on your fingers or stinging in your eyes— these will add considerable heat to the dish.

If you can’t find Chinese chilies, dried japones chiles or guajillo chiles sold in regular grocery stores and Latin American markets are the closest equivalent.  

Always buy dried chiles in small packs so you can test out their flavor and heat, and look for a deep red color, rich fragrance, and soft and pliable skin. Don’t buy the pre-cut segments— whole dried chiles have a lot more flavor and it’s easy to snip them yourselves with scissors. Avoid brittle, fading and discolored chiles, which may be several years old.

The cheapest place to buy dried chiles are in your local Asian supermarket like 99 Ranch or H-Mart. I recommend Mala Market for the best online source.

How to prepare dried chiles

• Using a sharp knife or pair of kitchen scissors, cut or snip the chiles into roughly 2-cm segments— you don’t need to remove the caps.
• Shake out the seeds onto the cutting board, as best as you can, and discard them.

Use in recipes

Most Chinese recipes use dried chiles as aromatics. Heat the specified amount of oil in the wok or pan until it is shimmering, and then add the dried chiles, stirring occasionally as they start to blister and pop in the hot oil and release their fragrance. When they smell deliciously toasty, and are starting to darken in color, immediately add the subsequent ingredients so the chiles don’t burn.

Always keep the kitchen well-ventilated by opening a window or turning on the overhead exhaust fan.

How to store dried chiles

Keep them in a closed container in a cool, dry place.