Chinese black bean sauce 豆豉酱 (dòu chǐ jiàng)

A lumpy brown sauce made from fermented soybeans, it has a savory flavor and can be found in jars at most Asian grocery stores. When cooking with it, it is usually wise to omit salt from the recipe, because the sauce can taste very salty. It is sometimes referred to as black bean paste. You may substitute Chinese whole fermented black beans or chili bean sauce.

Cardamom 小豆蔻籽 (xiǎo dòu kòu zǐ)

A spice native to Asia that is related to ginger, it has a warm, pungent taste. The spice is sold as pods as well as ground. The pods can range in color from light green to dark brown and are the size of raisins. Each pod contains about 20 small seeds that hold the spice’s flavor. When cooking with cardamom pods, lightly crush the pods and then throw them whole into what you are cooking, or remove the seeds and grind them into a powder using a mortar and pestle.

Black rice vinegar 黑米醋 (hēi mǐ cù)

A dark-colored vinegar made from fermented black glutinous rice, it has a sweet-smoky flavor and is often used as a dipping sauce for dumplings. Find it at Asian grocery stores. If you can’t locate it, substitute balsamic vinegar.

Black pickled rutabaga 玫瑰大头菜 (méi guì dà tóu cài)

A pickled root similar to a turnip, it is usually finely chopped in dishes and used as a flavoring agent instead
of a main ingredient. It is extremely salty, so rinse it well before cooking with it. It can be bought fresh or vacuum packed at Asian grocery stores. You may substitute Chinese pickled mustard greens.

Bean thread noodles 粉丝 (fěn sī)

These are not really noodles but are long, clear strands of starch, usually made from mung beans or sweet potatoes. They are sometimes referred to as cellophane noodles and can be found dried at any Asian grocery store.