Frequently Asked Questions

A wok helps for high-heat stir-frying, but a large heavy skillet works for most home recipes on this site.

Asian grocery stores carry essentials like light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and doubanjiang; many are also available online.

Light soy sauce is saltier and used for seasoning; dark soy sauce is thicker, less salty, and mainly adds color.

No, but balsamic is the best Western substitute for Zhenjiang — both are dark, malty, and slightly sweet. Use a little less than the recipe calls for.

Zhenjiang. It's milder and slightly sweet, so it balances soy sauce and chili oil instead of fighting them.

No. Vinegar keeps at room temperature essentially indefinitely. Just keep it out of direct sun and capped.

Yes, but the dish loses its soul. Use gochujang + miso as a backup, but know you're getting 80% of the flavor, not 100%.

Dry sherry. It's grape-based like Shaoxing, has similar warmth, and is available at any liquor store.

Yes, they are the same rice. Glutinous rice, sweet rice and sticky rice all refer to 糯米. Despite the name, it contains no gluten — the word 'glutinous' describes its glue-like stickiness when cooked, which comes from its very high amylopectin starch content. It is safe for anyone avoiding gluten.

Only for everyday steamed table rice. Brown rice works as a side bowl but needs more water and a longer cooking time, and soaking it for 30 minutes first helps. Do not use it for fried rice — the bran layer keeps the grains too firm and they will not absorb seasoning properly — and never for sticky dishes like congee, zongzi or dim sum, which depend on white rice starch.

Yes, but how much depends on the type. Short-grain rice should be washed 2 to 3 times, swirling gently and draining, until the water runs mostly clear — this removes surface starch so the grains stay distinct rather than gummy. Long-grain rice only needs a quick rinse; overwashing strips flavour. Glutinous rice is rinsed once and then soaked 2 to 4 hours before cooking.

Mildly. It brings warmth and depth more than heat. If you want it hotter, add fresh chili or chili oil alongside it; the paste alone is usually gentle enough for most palates.

Not really. Gochujang is sweet and sticky, miso is mild and barley-based. Both miss the fermented bean-and-chili funk that defines the dish. In a pinch, a mix of soy sauce plus a little chili paste gets you closer, but it's still not the same.

The closest shelf swap is a fermented chili bean paste like gochujang thinned with a little soy sauce and rice vinegar, or a spoon of chili crisp plus soy sauce for the salty-umami base. None perfectly replicate pixian doubanjiang's fermented funk, but a mix of soy sauce, a mild chili paste, and a pinch of sugar gets 80% of the way there for mapo tofu and stir-fries.

Always fry it in oil over medium heat — never a dry pan — and keep stirring for about 30-60 seconds until the oil turns red and smells toasty. If the oil smokes or the paste darkens too fast, pull the pan off the heat and start that step over with fresh oil.