Certain flavors such as ginger and garlic feature prominently in Chinese cooking. While on occasion you may find yourself scouring Chinatown for a seldom-used ingredient such as shark's fin, keeping the pantry stocked with the items below will allow you to whip up a stir-fry any night of the week, using whatever combination of meat and vegetables you have on hand.

In southern China the day begins and ends with a bowl of steaming rice. While noodles are the grain of choice in China's colder northern regions, rice is consumed there as well. Long grain rice is favored for main dishes, but medium grain rice is an acceptable substitute. Short grain rice is used primarily in desserts.

Chinese noodles are not much different from Italian pasta. Most types of noodles are very user-friendly, often requiring only a quick soaking to soften before use. A chart of Chinese noodles and cooking times is included below.

Cooking Chinese Noodles

Fresh Is Best

Always use the freshest ingredients possible; nothing can replace the bite of freshly ground white pepper, or ginger that has gone straight from garden to kitchen, bypassing the market.

• Ginger: Used for everything from seasoning oil to masking fishy odors in seafood dishes. Be sure to use fresh instead of powdered.

• Garlic: The mainstay of northern Chinese dishes, where cooks rely on hardy vegetables that can tolerate cold winters and a short growing season. Like ginger, it is also used to flavor hot oil before stir-frying.

• Green onions: Also called spring onions and scallions, these are used in cooked dishes and as a garnish.

• Celery: Celery's crisp texture makes a nice contrast with other vegetables in stir-fries.

• White pepper: Freshly ground white pepper lends a sharp bite to soups and stir-fries. Use sparingly at first or according to taste.

Sauces and Oils

A good sauce is a key component in Chinese cooking. Savory sauces like oyster and hoisin sauce add their own intriguing blend of flavors to a sauce or marinade, while soy sauce is used both to flavor and color the food. Here are some of the sauces most commonly used in Chinese cooking:

• Dark soy sauce: This sauce is used primarily to lend a darker color to marinades, sauces, and heavier dishes. The recipe will state if dark soy sauce is required.

• Light soy sauce: Saltier and aged for a shorter period of time, light soy sauce makes a frequent appearance in soups, stir-fries, and deep-fries. When a recipe calls for soy or soya sauce, use light soy sauce.

• Oyster sauce: This rich sauce adds a savory flavor to dishes such as Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (page 242).

• Hoisin sauce: Made from seasoned soybean paste, the sweet and savory flavor of hoisin sauce is an indispensable tool of northern Chinese cooks.

• Chili paste and chili sauce: Fiery Szechuan cuisine wouldn't be the same without hot chilies. Just remember that a little goes a long way!

Both stir-frying and deep-frying require oils with a high smoking point. While Chinese cooks favor peanut oil, it can go rancid if there is too long a period between stir-fries. Vegetable oils such as canola and corn oil are an acceptable substitute. Sesame oil is used to add a unique nutty flavor to soups and fried dishes — just drizzle a few drops into the dish in the final stages of cooking.

You will also need to get Chinese rice wine, which is valued for its sweet flavor and ability to mask strong odors in marinades and stir-fries. (Generally, pale dry sherry is an acceptable substitute.) In marinades and special sauces where the flavor of each ingredient counts more, stick with Chinese rice wine or make sure to use a higher quality pale dry sherry.