10 must-have sauces and spices for your Chinese food feast

Think you need a pantry full of hard-to-find seasonings and sauces to make authentic Chinese food? Think again. Just have these 10 simple staples on hand and you'll be ready to make flavourful, authentic Chinese food with minimal effort.

Chinese food staple: Soy Sauce
Invented in China by Buddhist monks as an inexpensive veggie substitute for a meat-based sauce, soy sauce is made by fermenting a mixture of boiled soybeans, grains, and salt. Light soy sauce is thinner and saltier than dark soy sauce, which has added caramel flavours and is used mostly for its colour. Equivalent to the Japanese word "Umami" and known as the fifth flavour, "Xian wei" is the Chinese term that describes savoury and meaty flavour, and soy sauce enhances those flavours.
What to look for: A good soy sauce is bright and sharp in flavour. If shaken, there should be bubbles in the bottle.  
How to use: Use it to marinate, season, or dip to add saltiness and depth to savoury dishes. Avoid adding soy sauce into a dry hot pan, as the sugars in soy sauce can scorch the pan.

Chinese food staple: Szechuan peppercorn
Berries of a deciduous prickly ash shrub, and not actually a peppercorn, only the husks are used. These pellets are capable of sending your taste buds into a state of complete confusion. Used sparingly, the husks add a muted and woody, lemony and floral aroma. However, if the whole peppercorn is bitten into, it numbs your tongue better than Novocain, and then overpowers your palate with extreme mouth-watering saltiness.
What to look for: Red husks that are bright in colour.
How to use: Szechuan peppercorn warmth and fragrance is traditionally used to take out bloody- or fishy-tasting in meats or seafood. It is most commonly used in soup bases and chicken stir-fries.

Chinese food staple: Five Spice Seasoning
Five Spice Seasoning is a popular blend of Szechuan peppercorn, cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, and one of or a combination of citrus peel, nutmeg, or cloves.
What to look for: Every manufacturer has a different ratio of spices for Five Spice Seasoning. It is dependent upon your own preference as to which offers the best flavour.
How to use: This is a very common spice for seasoning poultry, in braised beef dishes, and in soup base.

Chinese food staple: Star Anise
Dark brown with eight prongs, each with a black shiny seed, the star anise is a dried flower of a variety of magnolia tree that is widely used in Chinese cuisine. It has a stronger flavour than fennel, so only a few are needed.
What to look for: Unbroken star anise pieces that can be removed from sauces easily.
How to use: Except when used in Five Spice Seasoning, it is used whole to season stocks and sauces, and removed before serving.

Page 1 of 2