Instructions: Chinese cooking would not.be Chinese without the use of a number of specialist ingredients which give Chinese foods their distinctive flavours. All the ingredients used in the recipes in this book can be obtained in this country if not from your local supermarket then certainly from a Chinese grocer. There are now many Chinese grocers throughout the UK and a list has been given at the back of this book (page 262) of those who offer a mailorder service. It is well worth the effort to find your nearest Chinese grocer and to build up a stock of the most frequently used ingredients. Many particularly soy sauce vary enormously in quality but most Chinese grocers stock good authentic brands at reasonable prices.

The following is a list of the special ingredients which I have used in this book. There are also some notes on vegetables in the introduction to the vegetable chapter on page 185 and information on rice noodles and flour in the introduction to Rice Noodles and Doughs on page 215. One ingredient commonly used in China which you will not find mentioned here is monosodium glutamate (also known as MSG Ve Tsin Accent seasoning or taste powder). This is a white crystalline extract of grains and vegetables widely used to tenderise and enhance the natural flavour of certain foods particularly meat in Japan and China and in Western food processing. Some people have an adverse reaction to it experiencing symptoms such as headaches excessive thirst and palpitations. This allergic response is sometimes known as Chinese restaurant syndrome. I believe that the freshest and finest ingredients need no enhancing and I therefore never use it.

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