Food

Chinese food pantry-BOK CHOY, SHANGHAI BOK CHOY, SHANGHAI. Generally smaller than bok choy, and with pronounced bulbous stalks, Shanghai bok choy is called the “greenish- white vegetable” by the Chinese. The description is apt, for its stalks are not as white as those of bok choy...

Chinese food pantry-BOK CHOY BOK CHOY. The best-known Chinese vegetable, bok choy, literally “white vegetable” because of its white bulbous stalk, is grown throughout China and other parts of Asia. Its crispness and inher- ent sweetness make it particularly versatile. Although often referred to as Chinese...

Chinese food pantry-BLACK BEANS, FERMENTED BLACK BEANS, FERMENTED. These fragrant black beans, preserved in salt, usually come packed in cardboard containers or plastic sacks. Although typically labeled “fermented,” some cardboard packages are labeled “preserved beans,” or, inexplicably, “dried black beans,” which they are not. Look for...

Chinese food pantry-BEAN THREAD NOODLES BEAN THREAD NOODLES. These needle-like threads, also called vermicelli bean threads, cellophane noodles, or simply bean threads, are made by moistening, mashing, and draining mung beans and then forming them into thin, white strands. They come dried, in 1-pound packages, divided...

Chinese food pantry-BEAN SPROUTS BEAN SPROUTS. There are two varieties. The more common, mung bean sprouts, are white and plump and have a decided crunch. The second, soy bean sprouts, are also white, but they are longer and have a yellow soy bean at the tip....

Chinese food pantry-BEAN SAUCE BEAN SAUCE. A Cantonese staple, this thick puree is made from the soybeans that remain after soy sauce is made. The fermented beans are mixed with wheat flour, salt, and sugar, result- ing in sauce that also contains bits of beans. The...

Chinese food pantry-BEAN CURD JUICE BEAN CURD JUICE. A relatively new ingredi- ent, this bottled “juice” is a boon to Chinese cooking. It is a mixture of fermented red wet bean curd liquid, rice wine, red rice, salt, and sugar—ingredients traditionally used separately to flavor and...

Chinese food pantry-BEAN CURD, RED WET PRESERVED BEAN CURD, RED WET PRESERVED. Theseare cubes of reddish bean curd, fermented with salt, wine, and red rice. They are packed in jars or crocks and are labeled either “wet bean curd” or “red wet bean curd.” The cakes,...