Kitchen basics

Velveting is a Chinese technique of coating raw meat in a light cornflour and egg white marinade before cooking, keeping

Wok hei is the smoky, slightly charred flavour that comes from cooking over very high heat in a well-seasoned wok,

Lap cheong is a firm, sweet-savoury Chinese sausage, usually made from pork and pork fat, cured and lightly dried. It

A century egg is a duck, chicken or quail egg preserved for several weeks in a mixture of clay, ash,

Fried garlic and shallots are a simple, crunchy topping made by slowly frying thin, even slices in oil until golden,

Fresh ginger keeps longest in the freezer, while garlic keeps best in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot rather than the

Yuzu kosho is a Japanese paste made from yuzu peel, chilli and salt, punchy, citrusy and hot even in small

Tonkatsu sauce is a thick, tangy-sweet Japanese sauce similar to a fruity Worcestershire sauce, the classic partner for katsu dishes.

Sichuan peppercorn is not a true pepper, and its heat is not spicy in the chilli sense. It creates a

Kombu is a dried edible kelp, used to make dashi and other Japanese stocks. It is savoury and rich in