Chinese Ingredient Substitutions

I have found myself-- on more than one occasion-- stumped on an ingredient list of a Chinese dish. But there is no reason to despair. Of all the international cuisines, Chinese is probably the most open to creative solutions. Here are some food substitution suggestions for ingredients commonly used in Chinese cooking.

Ingredient	Substitute
Agar-agar (An Asian gelatin substitute that doesn't require refrigeration)	Gelatin
Bamboo Shoots	White cabbage
Bok choy	celery or Swiss chard
Chili Sauce	1 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp. vinegar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, dash of ground cloves and allspice**
Chinese five-spice powder	Equal amounts cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel, and Szechuan Peppercorn. If Szechuan peppercorns aren't available, use freshly ground black peppercorns
Cilantro or Coriander (Chinese parsley)	Parsley (for decoration only, not taste) Can add dash lemon juice
Coconut Milk	whole milk in equal amounts, if possible with coconut extract. For coconut cream, substitute half and half or whipping cream (with coconut extract if possible).
Galangal (used in Thai Cooking)	Fresh ginger
Fresh Ginger	Candied ginger
Garlic Cloves	1/8 tsp. garlic powder
Hoisin Sauce	Equal amounts ketchup and molasses Also, sweet bean sauce
Hot Red Chili	Crushed red pepper
Lemon Grass (Used in Thai Cooking)	Zest of a lemon
Lotus Root flour	Cornstarch (Cornflour)
Mushrooms ( Straw, Clouds Ear)	Fresh mushrooms (the taste will be different)
Oyster Sauce	Soy sauce
Rice Wine Vinegar (also called Rice Vinegar)	Dry sherry, white wine vinegar, malt vinegar
Sesame Oil	1 Tbs. Sesame seeds fried in 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Soy Sauce	Japanese tamari or Worchester sauce.
Water Chestnut	Jicama (commonly found in the Southern United States)

**From the Kansas State University site

* DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *