The following ingredients are the foundation of common dishes:
- Sauces: Have on hand a bottle each of chili sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, yellow or black bean sauce and some sesame oil.
- Canned Vegetables: Plan to stock a can each of bamboo shoots, black beans, straw mushrooms and some water chestnuts.
- Seasonings: Keep a jar of five-spice powder, garlic (fresh or pureed), green ginger (fresh or pureed) and some sesame seeds.
- Noodles and Rice: Stock packets of egg noodles, rice noodles and rice vermicelli, plus bags of fragrant Thai or basmati rice, and perhaps a bag of glutinous or sticky short-grain rice as well.
