Crushed red chile flakes 干辣椒碎 (gān là jiāo suì)

These are made from finely chopped dried red chiles, including their seeds. These are the same flakes often sprinkled on pizza in the West.

Coconut milk 椰子汁 (yē zi zhī)

Not to be confused with the water drained from the inside of a coconut, coconut milk is a sweet, milky white liquid made from blending the white flesh of a coconut with water in a blender and then straining the liquid. You can buy it canned at any Indian or Asian grocery store and at larger supermarkets.

Cinnamon 肉桂 (ròu guì)

This brown spice comes from the bark of a type of evergreen tree.Chinese cooks usually use a type of cinnamon known as cassia. Cassia has a thicker bark and less delicate flavor than Ceylon cinnamon. Cinnamon is sold whole as quills of bark or in powdered form. You may use either variety in these recipes.

Clear rice vinegar 白米醋 (bái mǐ cù)

Clear rice vinegar is made from fermented white rice and has a milder flavor than Western white vinegar. Find it bottled at any Asian grocery store or most supermarkets. You may substitute cider vinegar.

Lily buds 金针菜 (jīn zhēn cài) or 黄花菜 (huáng huā cài)

The long, thin green stalks of the lemongrass plant are used to flavor Yunnanese and Southeast Asian cuisine. True to its name, it has a lemony fresh flavor. Most of the stalk is rough and woody, so only the tender lower 4 inches are used in cooking. Lemongrass stalks can be found fresh at most specialty grocery stores next to other fresh herbs.