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"The more you understand the ingredients, the better cook you will become."
-Martin Yan

These are common ingredients found in local cuisine. You can find these ingredients readily available in your local supermarket.

DRIED SHRIMP

Tiny shrimp are preserved in brine, dried, to create slightly chewy morsels with a pungent taste. Their unique flavor will enhance any vegetable dish, soup, or dim sum filling.

Add dried shrimp directly from the package to simmering soups or stir-fry alone and eat them by the handful as a snack. Soak dried shrimp until softened and add to braised meat and stir-fried vegetable dishes. Usually no more than a few tablespoons are used for a recipe that serves four.

Choose packages that have bright, orange-colored shrimp of uniform size. Avoid packages that contain shrimp that are flaky, spotted, gray, or pale colored, as these are often signs of age and poor flavor. Store dried shrimp in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dry place for up to several months.

Adapted from Martin Yan's Chinese Ingredient Guide.
Copyright © 2006 Yan Can Cook Group.