Beans and Bean Products Chinese Ingredients

Beans and bean products play a prominent role in Chinese cooking, where they are used in much the same way as dairy products are in the West. The soybean, one of the most ancient staples grown in China, is richer in protein than an equivalent weight of any other food. However, because soybeans are hard to digest as beans, they are usually processed into sauces or, more important, into bean curd. Many imitation meat dishes, the backbone of Buddhist vegetarian food, are based on the numerous forms of bean curd. Fermented bean products are very important seasonings in savory cooking, while the red azuki bean, whole or in paste form, is used in many sweet dishes.

Bean Curd, Fresh

Bean curd, fresh Made from a mixture of finely ground soybeans and water, bean curd is used extensively in Chinese cookery.

Bean curd, puffed

Deep-fried pieces of fresh bean curd, used to absorb tastes and juices.

Bean curd sheet

Bean curd sheet Thin, dried sheet of bean curd; has to be moistened before use.

Black beans, fermented

Black beans, fermented Whole soybeans preserved in salt and ginger.

Red beans

Red beans Highly proteinaceous azuki beans, most commonly used for puddings in Chinese cookery.

Red bean paste

Red bean paste Thick paste made from puréed, sweetened red beans, frequently used as a sweet filling.

Bean curd “cheese,” red fermented

Bean curd “cheese,” red fermented Fresh bean curd, fermented with salt, and rice wine.

Bean curd “cheese,” white fermented

Bean curd “cheese,” white fermented Fresh bean curd, fermented with or without chili.

Crushed yellow bean sauce

Crushed yellow bean sauce Purée of fermented yellow soybeans, wheat flour, salt and water.

Szechwan chili paste

Szechwan chili paste Spicy hot paste of dried chili and crushed yellow bean sauce.

Soybean paste

Soybean paste Paste of crushed soybeans combined with chili, sugar and salt.

Yellow beans in salted sauce

Yellow beans in salted sauce Whole yellow soy beans fermented with salt, wheat flour and sugar.

This Ingredient Information was published in 'Yan-kit’s Chinese Cookbook by "Yan-Kit So (Foreword by Claudia Roden)" - p24 to p25'

Dried Products Chinese Ingredients

One cannot get very far with Chinese cooking without dried fungi. They are used, according to variety, to provide texture or taste, and very often make a simple dish outstanding. Black mushrooms, used whole or sliced into small pieces, provide their own taste but also absorb that of others. Both cloud ears and golden needles absorb tastes and are often used to give texture to stir-fried pork or beef dishes; wood ears, which need to be cooked longer, are best in soups.

Wood ears

Large, edible mushrooms cultivated in large quantities in Western China.

Chinese mushrooms, dried and reconstituted

These edible tree fungi vary in both quality and price, the most expensive being the floral mushroom. Medium-sized mushrooms are most frequently used in this book.

Floral mushrooms


Straw mushrooms, canned

Straw mushrooms, dried Cultivated on rice straw in paddy fields, they are used more for their texture than their taste.

Straw mushrooms, dried


Cloud ears

Like wood ears, these mushrooms are grown in Western China, but they are more delicate in taste.

Golden needles

Golden needles The dried buds of the tigerlily flower, generally used for their texture.

Tangerine peel

Dried peel, often used with star anise and Szechwan peppercorns.

Dried red dates

Sweet, prunelike fruit of the jujube tree.

Creamed coconut

Concentrated coconut milk in solid form.

Cornstarch, Potato flour, Water chestnut flour and Rock sugar

1. Cornstarch Fine, white starch extracted from corn, used as a thickener.
2. Potato flour Made from cooked potatoes, this flour produces a more gelatinous sauce than cornstarch.
3. Water chestnut flour Made from ground water chestnuts, and used when a lighter sauce is required.
4. Rock sugar Crystallized cane sugar.

Agar

Agar Gelatinous thickener derived from seaweed.

This Ingredient Information was published in 'Yan-kit’s Chinese Cookbook by "Yan-Kit So (Foreword by Claudia Roden)" - p20 and p21'