The Stuff to Buy if you're traveling to China

A non-comprehensive (and possibly randomly updated) list.

Ok, so zero-COVID time is (thankfully) well in our review mirror, and China is now accepting tourists once again. So we’ve gotten a number of requests now from people wondering what ingredients they should take advantage of picking up once they’re in the country.

It’s one of those questions that’re a little bit difficult to answer, because different cities are… different. While there’s there’s a ton of awesome products that’re available for purchase from artisanal producers on Taobao, the stuff that’s market or supermarket available in Chengdu is definitely going to be different than the stuff that’s around in Shanghai (or Beijing, or Guangzhou, or Kunming…) We’re also less familiar with some cities than others - like, are erjingtiao chilis around in Fuxing Road Market in Shanghai? Your guess is as good as ours is!

Further, the stuff that you’d want to pick up will also really depend on your “home” Chinese or Asian supermarket. Like, if you live in Vancouver, there are some freakishly fantastic Chinese supermarkets (there’s a place called “Big Crazy” that always shocks me when people on the Discord report the extent of the stuff they have)

Perhaps in a future post we’ll link some of those aforementioned artisanal products on Taobao, but to simplify things I’m going to assume the following:

1. You will be going to the Futian Wholesale Market in Shenzhen. This used to be our local market when we lived in Shenzhen, and man, the place is a treasure. There’s stuff from all across the country, but there’s some particularly fantastic specialty stores for Sichuan and Dongbei cuisines. In case you do want to go to specifically this market, a detailed description for how to get there will be at the end of this post. While I generally don’t recommend Shenzhen as a travel destination (more of a place to live than tour), it’s still worth a pitstop I think if you’re going to the mainland via Hong Kong. Would be a good spot to load up on supplies before leaving.

2. Your “home” Chinese supermarket has broadly the same stuff in stock as the Asianfresh Food Market in Philadelphia. The Asianfresh Food Market is a Chinese supermarket in Philadelphia’s Chinatown that we go ‘take inventory’ (so to speak) in whenever I swing back to the USA to visit. The selection is very solid, but not… crazy… like Big Crazy in Vancouver. We’ll assume that you’ve got your Yacai. You’ve got your Suancai. Obviously, if you’ve cooked from our recipes and found stuff that you can’t get at home, you’ll want to pick those up.

3. You are completely fine with transporting meat products across international borders. Everyone has their own risk tolerance and moral compass when it comes to this. For what it’s worth, at the time of writing at least… I have never ever been stopped cruising through the “Do Not Declare” line in either EWR or JFK. On the other hand, I’ve heard that LAX is quite strict. And how I personally square the knot ethically’s outside of the scope of this post (for now, let’s just file it under what James C Scott lovingly refers to as “anarchist calisthenics”…)

What I would look at picking up

Sichuan Peppercorns

(花椒, huājiāo)

Sichuan peppercorn quality in the United States appears to be improving. Even outside of the increasing ubiquity of fancy online importers (e.g. Mala Market, 50Hertz, Fly By Jing), with each visit the bagged stuff at the Chinese Supermarket in Philly seems to be getting less… sad. Five years ago, some of the stuff that was there was pretty dour - these days, I’d probably be reasonably content with what’s around for most (non-Mala) applications.

Still, the stuff you get from the Futian Wholesale Market at the Sichuan shops is going to be the same high quality that you’d get from a place like Mala Market, only at a small fraction of the cost. Plus, it’s very transportable.

Erjingtiao and/or Zidantou chilis

(二荆条, èrjīngtiáo and/or 子弹头 zǐdàntóu)

I’m becoming increasingly convince of Guajillo being a convince substitute for Sichuan Erjingtiao chilis, but if you’ve got space in your luggage - why not try the original thing? The Futian wholesale market has some fantastically fresh-from-Sichuan erjingtiao chilis.

Note that because they’re quite fresh, sometimes upon transporting them to Shunde or Bangkok I’ve found that they can get a little… buggy… if stored over time. So I’d suggest turning them into chili oil ASAP when you get back home.

Shajing Oyster Sauce

(沙井蚝油, shājǐng háoyóu)

This one is likely not applicable unless you are specifically in Shenzhen.

Shajing is a small town in the Northwest corner of Shenzhen that was particularly renowned for its dried oysters and oyster sauce. At certain shops in the Futian wholesale market, they’ll sell these big brackish jugs of oyster sauce that - unlike something like LKK - actually tastes like oyster brine. It’s a bit thinner and may be difficult to transport.

In recent years, Shajing oyster sauce has become increasingly popular online - and in response certain artisanal vendors from Shajing have been making bottles meant for the consumer market (they’re thicker than the stuff in the jug, but still quite oyster-y). I’m not sure if you’d be able to find any at the Futian Wholesale Market these days… maybe? I know that they do sell it up in Shajing, but it’s likely not worth the trip unless you’re doing a grand tour of the Pearl River Delta.

Smoked bamboo shoots

(烟笋, yānsǔn)

Whoever figures out how to export smoked bamboo shoots from China and market it to the vegetarian community in the United States is set to make a pretty penny.

I adore this ingredient - it’s fantastic stir fried with some cured meat. But it’s also a phenomenal answer to the question of “how can I make this dish more smokey without adding meat”? If you’re a vegetarian that enjoys smokey foods, smoked bamboo shoots are a must-buy in my opinion.

There will be two ways that you can see them: (1) packaged or (2) dried and sold loose. The former is much more common than the latter. Still worthwhile to pick up, but the dried sort has a very intense smokey flavor - it has the potential to make a dish taste like a campfire and I love it.

Penghui, if you hate yourself

(蓬灰, pénghuī a.k.a. 拉面剂, lāmiànjì)

We still have flashbacks from the whole Lamian project. For the vast, vast majority of people, I just plain don’t think it’s worth it to make restaurant-style Lamian at home. Chenmian? Sure, totally. But Lamian drove us to the edge of our sanity.

That said, if you do want to undertake the project, getting a bag of Penghui is an almost non-negotiable starting point. It’s cheap and will last many, many batches.

Similarly, if you’re starting on a Lamian project, it might be worth picking up a bag of …

Saibeixue Flour, maybe

(塞北雪, sāiběixuě)

I probably wouldn’t personally pick this up from a China trip, as I do feel that Caputo 00 pizza flour is a good substitute. That said, sometimes our go-to shop for picking up ingredients in Bangkok carries it… and when they do we’re quick to snap it up.

It’s a very good flour for noodles and dumplings.

Smoked Larou

(烟熏腊肉, yānxūn làròu)

While certain American or Western smoked pork products (e.g. country ham, country bacon) can make a valiant sub, I’d find it worthwhile to pick up a smoked Larou if you’re in the market.

Would probably just be called “Larou” if you’re in a Sichuan or Hunan shop.

Cantonese Lapcheong

(广式腊肠, guǎngshì làcháng)

Yes, there’s a company up in Canada that also makes Cantonese Lap Cheong, and exports throughout North America. If you’re happy with their product, perhaps this isn’t mandatory.

Probably by virtue of us always being able to have really good Lap Cheong at our fingertips, we’re borderline Lap Cheong snobs. We find that the stuff that’s produced in Canada is ground too finely and is overly light on fat. Put simply, the famous brands from Guangzhou and Hong Kong are just… better.

Jinhua Ham

(金华火腿, jīnhuá huǒtuǐ)

Similar sort of situation with Jinhua ham as Cantonese Lap Cheong, though Jinhua ham also has the benefit of being is much more sub-able (really most dry-cured raw hams can hit a similar place).

But given how the real deal is completely unavailable in the west, could certainly be worth a purchase.

Dried seafood, maybe

This is one of those things that really depends on you and your cooking habits.

From what I’ve found, you can generally get Cantonese dried seafood product pretty much the world over. The problem is that sometimes you pay out the nose for it - especially if it’s something reasonably high quality.

One of my all time favorite ingredients is dried scallop (干贝, gānbèi). I often find myself adding it to dishes to give things a hit of umami that’s less ‘fishy’ than dried shrimp or fish saucy, and less one-note than MSG. If I was living in North America or Europe, I likely wouldn’t be able to support that habit.

If you cook a lot of Cantonese food… loading up on some comparatively cheaper, comparatively high quality dried seafood might be worth looking into.

Unsalted Shaoxing Wine, maybe

(绍酒 shàojiǔ, e.g. 会稽山 kuaìjīshān or 古越龙山 gǔyuèlóngshān)

I’ve heard that this stuff is actually available from some liquor stores, at least in Canada. I’m not sure what exactly the situation is, but I’d gather that it’s likely not worth the price premium as a cooking wine.

In China (and in Bangkok too), we’re pretty lucky that we can waltz into our local Chinese grocer and simply grab a bottle of 古越龙山 (gǔyuèlóngshān) three year. It’s at that quality level where it’s cheap enough to cook with, but also tasty enough to drink.

I’ve never felt that Unsalted Shaoxing was something worth obsessing over for cooking - many of these large Shaoxing wine producers simply add salt to the same stuff for the export market, and it works fine to make Chinese food with. And hell, even a cheap Liaojiu cooking wine is completely ok for the vast, vast majority of applications.

My Unsalted Shaoxing Wine recommendation would be to buy one for drinking - specifically, either the 会稽山 or 古越龙山 five year. No need for the stuff in the really fancy looking bottles - those two brands are great (often in Shaoxing, people will start with a 3 year or 5 year and just age it themselves).

That said, I’ve found that for a lot of westerners, Huangjiu (the type of liquor that Shaoxing wine belongs to) can be a bit of an acquired taste. While Chinese cuisine isn’t exactly obsessive about ‘wine pairing’ like western cuisines are, I strongly feel that Shaoxing wine together with Zhejiang food has a sort of… magical synergy.

The internet isn’t exactly filled with tons of Zhejiang recipes in English, but there are still some around. Judy from Woks of Life is from that region (IIRC), and some of that blog’s best dishes are from around there. Caroline Phillips is also particularly strong in that area’s cuisine as well.

You could also check out our “How to Make and Use Zaolu Pickle Sauce” video for an easy snack to go along with some Shaoxing wine (Zaolu Pickle Sauce is usually available at many Chinese supermarkets). Some Zao edamame, a bit of nice Shaoxing wine… great snack.

Suantang, Guizhou Sour Soup Base

(酸汤, suāntāng)

God, I wish this stuff was readily available outside of China so that we could cover Suantang - probably both mine and Steph’s all-time favorite dish. The base is a mix of fermented tomatoes and chilis - the short story of the dish is to fry up aromatics with a bit of lard, add in the base, add in pork stock, and boil some rice noodles inside.

Hotpot bases, maybe

We’re still not completely sure what the situation is regarding hotpot bases in the West. Are they allowed to use meat? Tallow?

I do recall seeing a proper wall of hotpot bases at Chinese supermarkets in the USA, but I confess that I never actually ended up scribbling down what was available and what wasn’t. And off the top of my head, I’m also not 100% what bases were available in the Futian Wholesale Market.

So just take the following as a general ‘hotpot base’ recommendations. Perhaps some are available where you live already:

• Brand: Haorenjia (好人家, hǎorénjiā)

  • Mala Hotpot Base (麻辣火锅底料, málà huǒguō dǐliào).

  • Extra Spicy Hotpot Base (特辣火锅底料, tèlà huǒguō dǐliào). Will still be numbing, but the flavor will be skewed to the spicy side.

  • Suancaiyu Hotpot Base (酸菜鱼底料,). Suancai fish base - we have a recipe that we like on the channel, but working from a base can be a time saver.

  • Mala Sausage Hotpot Base (麻辣香肠底料, málà xiāngcháng dǐliào).

  • Sour Daikon Old Duck Soup Base (酸萝卜老鸭汤, suānluóbo lǎoyātāng). One of my all time favorite not-spicy hotpot bases.

• Brand: Mingyang (名扬, míngyáng)

  • Mala Hotpot Base (麻辣火锅底料, málà huǒguō dǐliào)

  • Extra Spicy Hotpot Base (特辣火锅底料, tèlà huǒguō dǐliào)

• Brand: Lao Gan Ma

  • Guizhou Douchi Hotpot Base (豆豉火锅底料, dòuchǐ huǒguō dǐliào). Super classic hotpot in Guiyang, eventually we’ll cover it on the channel. Lao Gan Ma makes a good version.

• Brand: Maoge (毛哥,)

  • Sour Daikon Old Duck Soup Base (酸萝卜老鸭汤, suānluóbo lǎoyātāng)

Anyway, perhaps in the future we can do a more complete “hotpot recommendation” post.

Laoganma products that contain meat

This may or may not be ‘worth it’ depending on how much stuff you’re already buying, because… it’s Lao Gan Ma. Most of their products are variations off of a theme, and I’m getting visions of shattered glass and chili oil everywhere in your checked luggage…

That said, if you’ve got a Lao Gan Ma lover in your life, I think some of their product line that’s available abroad might make really fun gifts. Our all time favorite Lao Gan Ma with meat is “牛肉末豆豉油辣椒” (niúròumò dòuchǐ yóulàjiāo), but likely the one with chunks of chicken inside is the most common (note that some of those chicken chunks are boney, so depending on your tastes the minced beef or pork bottles might be a bit more up your alley)

Hunan Grandmother Vegetable

(外婆菜, wàipócài)

Still can’t really seem to get a handle on what the Grandmother Vegetable situation is abroad. I usually can’t find the stuff online (once in a blue moon Amazon has it for some sort of crazy price), but plenty of Hunan restaurants seem to have it on the menu, so it’s around?

In any event, great ingredient and a fantastic base for a homestyle stir fry… so if you can’t get it already I’d say it’s worth picking up.

Zaolajiao

(糟辣椒, zāolàjiāo)

Ok, so Lao Gan Ma has a product called “Pickled Chili” which is a solid enough Zaolajiao for most purposes. That said, in my personal opinion it’s really closer to a Hunan chopped chili (i.e. 剁椒) than a Guizhou Zaolajiao. The two are very similar ingredients however, so especially if you mince it up (and maybe toss in an extra splash of vinegar), it can work totally fine.

That said, I remember that in the Futian Wholesale Market, the Guizhou shop there had some solid Zaolajiao from Guizhou.

Quality Mijiu, maybe

(米酒, mǐjiǔ specifically a brand called 玉冰烧, yùbīngshāo)

This recommendation all hinges on if you can find a brand called “玉冰烧” (). It’s a unique Mijiu that’s fermented with pork fat, and might be my personal favorite Chinese liquor.

I think there was a drink shop in the wholesale market that carried the stuff, but I could be misremembering. If you find yourself in either Shunde or Nanhai for whatever reason, a majority of convenience stores or grocers would carry it.

Caiziyou

(菜籽油, càizǐyóu)

Recently, we’ve actually begun to see Caiziyou in Chinese supermarkets in the USA! Last year, we saw some at the Great Wall Supermarket (I think that was the name?) in Chinatown NYC, and this year it was also in Philly.

That said, if you still have never tried Caiziyou (and can’t get it where you live), it might be worth grabbing. As a general rule of thumb, the darker and more brackish the Caiziyou, the more pungent and quality it is.

Mujiangzi/Mujiangzi Oil

(木姜子油, mùjiāngzǐ yóu)

This is an ingredient that’s used in Yunnan and (especially) Guizhou cuisine. It’s got this fantastic sort of ‘freshness’ to it that’s a bit reminiscent of lemongrass. We often avoid using it in our recipes due to sourcing concerns, and we still haven’t fully tested lemongrass oil as a substitute.

It comes in two forms: the seeds themselves, and an oil that’s made from the seeds. I’d recommend the latter, as it’s a bit more versitile (off the top of my head, I only know of a handful of Guizhou dishes that use the seeds themselves). It’s quite strong (many dishes only needing a few drops), so a small bottle should last you quite a bit.

How to Get to the Futian Wholesale Market

The name of the spot is “福田农批市场” (fútián nóngpī shìchǎng). Location on Google Maps is here, and on Baidu Maps is here. It is within walking distance from the Meijing (梅景) subway stop on Line 9 (the grey line).

To get there from the Futian Border Checkpoint with Hong Kong, take Line 4 (the red line) up six stops to Shangmeilin (上梅林) station, and transfer to the aforementioned Line 9, towards Hongshuwan South (红树湾南). It will be three stops to Meijing.

If you’re taking a taxi, it will take 20-30 minutes between the Futian Border Checkpoint and the Futian Wholesale Market, depending on traffic.

The Futian wholesale market is massive. Much of what you’ll want will be on the first floor. Regarding where to purchase specific things, we’ll have to get back to Shenzhen and scribble down the actual shop numbers - unfortunately all we have right now is a mental map. Will try to remember to update this post once we get back there!