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Block 31–34 Shopping List — Chinese Cuisine

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Specialty shopping note: Chinese pantry staples (doubanjiang, Shaoxing wine, Chinkiang vinegar, wheat starch, ya cai, etc.) will not be found at a mainstream grocery store. Shop at your nearest Asian supermarket (99 Ranch, H Mart, Mitsuwa, or any Chinese/Pan-Asian grocery) at least one week ahead. Once purchased, most of these items last months.

🫙 Pantry Staples to Stock Ahead

These are permanent pantry additions — not single-use items. Buy once, use throughout the remaining weeks.

  • [ ] Light soy sauce — 1 bottle (Pearl River Bridge or Lee Kum Kee recommended)
  • [ ] Dark soy sauce — 1 bottle (smaller; used in small amounts for color)
  • [ ] Shaoxing rice wine — 1 bottle (not "cooking wine" with salt added; find the real thing)
  • [ ] Chinkiang black vinegar (镇江香醋) — 1 bottle
  • [ ] Doubanjiang — 1 jar (Pixian brand if possible; found in Asian grocery stores)
  • [ ] Oyster sauce — 1 bottle (Lee Kum Kee panda label or similar)
  • [ ] Toasted sesame oil — 1 small bottle (finishing only; not cooking)
  • [ ] Fermented black beans (douchi) — 1 small bag or jar
  • [ ] Sichuan peppercorns — 1 small bag (buy fresh; they lose numbness over time)
  • [ ] Chinese sesame paste (芹麻酱) — 1 small jar (dan dan noodles; not the same as tahini but tahini works as a substitute)
  • [ ] Dried tianjin chillies or facing heaven chillies — 1 bag
  • [ ] Five-spice powder — 1 small jar
  • [ ] Rock sugar (冰糖) — 1 small package (for hong shao rou — can sub with brown sugar if needed)
  • [ ] Star anise — 6 whole pods (hong shao rou braising — whole pods required; five-spice is not a substitute)
  • [ ] Cinnamon sticks — 2 sticks (hong shao rou braising)
  • [ ] Cornstarch — 1 box (if you don't have it already)
  • [ ] Chilli oil — 1 jar (Lao Gan Ma or your homemade from Block 1–2 chilli oil)
  • [ ] Ya cai (Yibin preserved vegetables) — 1 small packet (for dan dan; optional but authentic)

🥩 Proteins

  • [ ] Skin-on pork belly — 2 lbs (hong shao rou, Block 35; buy extra — it's better the next day)
  • [ ] Ground pork — 1 lb (dan dan noodles + mapo tofu + hot and sour soup)
  • [ ] Chicken breast or thigh — 2 lbs (stir-fry + kung pao; thigh preferred for flavor)
  • [ ] Whole branzino or sea bass — 1 fish, 1–1.5 lbs (steamed fish, Block 35; pick the freshest one)
  • [ ] Shrimp — 1 lb, peeled and deveined (har gow, Block 36)
  • [ ] Pork loin, thin-sliced — ½ lb (hot and sour soup strips)

🥬 Produce

  • [ ] Broccoli — 1 large head (stir-fry Block 35)
  • [ ] Baby bok choy — 2 bunches (steamed fish side + banquet satay)
  • [ ] Soft or silken tofu — 2 packages (mapo tofu + hot and sour soup)
  • [ ] Ginger — 1 large hand (used in everything; buy more than you think)
  • [ ] Garlic — 2 heads
  • [ ] Scallions — 3 bunches (used daily)
  • [ ] Chinese broccoli (gai lan) — 1 bunch (Block 33 side or banquet)
  • [ ] Celery — 2 stalks (hot and sour soup)
  • [ ] Long hot green peppers or Anaheim peppers — 4 (kung pao)
  • [ ] Cucumbers — 3 (smashed cucumber salad; side dishes)
  • [ ] Morning glory or Chinese water spinach — 1 bunch (if available; use regular spinach if not)
  • [ ] Green beans — 1 lb (Sichuan dry-fried green beans; a classic of the Sichuan dinner night)

🍄 Dried Goods / Mushrooms

  • [ ] Dried wood ear mushrooms — 1 small bag (hot and sour soup)
  • [ ] Dried shiitake mushrooms — 1 bag (hot and sour soup + congee toppings)
  • [ ] Fresh oyster or king oyster mushrooms — ½ lb (banquet side optional)

🍜 Noodles & Rice

  • [ ] Jasmine rice — 5 lbs (used every day; cook extra night before for fried rice)
  • [ ] Fresh wheat noodles or lo mein — 1 lb (dan dan noodles; dried thin noodles work too)
  • [ ] Wheat starch (澄粉, NOT wheat flour) — 200g (har gow wrappers; found at Asian grocery only)
  • [ ] Scallion pancakes — 1 package frozen (if making them from scratch, flour + water + scallions)

🥚 Dairy & Eggs

  • [ ] Eggs — 1 dozen (egg fried rice + har gow + hot and sour soup egg ribbons; velveting)
  • [ ] Note: no dairy in this block besides eggs

🍖 For Char Siu (BBQ Pork for Bao)

Two options: 1. Buy char siu ready-made from a Chinese BBQ shop (the simplest and most authentic option) 2. Make your own: Pork shoulder or pork butt (1 lb) + hoisin + soy + honey + five-spice → recipe on index.md

  • [ ] Pre-made char siu OR 1 lb pork shoulder + hoisin + honey (store-bought bao shells are also acceptable)
  • [ ] Bamboo steamer — essential for dim sum and Cantonese steaming

🛒 Congee Toppings (Block 36)

  • [ ] Century eggs (皮蛋) — 2 (from Asian grocery; look for the dark preserved eggs; an experience)
  • [ ] Shallots — 3–4 (for crispy shallots)
  • [ ] Pickled ginger — 1 small jar (store-bought)
  • [ ] White pepper (ground) — 1 jar (essential for congee and hot and sour soup; different from black pepper)
  • [ ] Peanuts (roasted, unsalted) — ½ cup (dan dan noodle garnish + kung pao)

🧊 Equipment Notes for This Block

  • Wok — carbon steel, 14-inch, flat-bottomed for home ranges (not round-bottomed without a wok ring)
  • Wok spatula (chan) — the flat-edged wok ladle; essential for proper stir-fry motion
  • Bamboo steamer — 1 or 2 tiers; fits over a wok with boiling water below
  • Rice cooker — strongly recommended; frees up attention for wok work
  • Spider strainer or slotted spoon — for blanching and straining
  • Heavy cleaver (optional) — for breaking down pork belly; a chef's knife works too