Food

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-BAMBOO SHOOTS These pale yellow spears are the young beginnings of bamboo trees. In the past, fresh bamboo shoots were unavailable outside of Asia. Nowadays they are sold in many Chinese groceries, though they are often tough and fibrous and must be boiled for...

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,...

Chinese food pantry-BEAN CURD, FRESH BEAN CURD, FRESH. This is the most common form of bean curd and is typically sold in 21⁄2- to 3-inch square cakes, in packages and sometimes loose. The slightly firm, custardlike cakes, known as doufu, are made from ground soybeans cooked...

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....