Chinese sauces guide: 12 pantry essentials explained

The Chinese pantry essentials are light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, toasted sesame oil and Chinkiang black vinegar. Add hoisin, doubanjiang, chilli oil, fermented black beans, rice vinegar and sesame paste and you can cook most of a Chinese takeaway menu at home, plus plenty of regional dishes you will not find on one.

None of these is expensive and most keep for months, but a Chinese supermarket's sauce aisle can be overwhelming. Here is what each one tastes like, what to cook with it, how to store it and what to swap, plus the first five to buy and a batch stir-fry sauce that lives in the fridge.

Chinese sauces at a glance

The 12 Chinese sauces and condiments explained

Light soy sauce (生抽)

The everyday seasoning: thin, salty and savoury. If a recipe just says soy sauce, it means this. Use it by the tablespoon in sauces and marinades and splash it into dressings and dips.

Dark soy sauce (老抽)

Thicker, darker and less sharply salty, used a teaspoon at a time to give noodles, fried rice and braises their deep brown colour. Our light vs dark soy sauce guide covers both in detail, along with tamari, Japanese shoyu and kecap manis.

Oyster sauce (蚝油)

What is oyster sauce? A thick, glossy brown sauce made from oyster extract, sugar and salt, thickened with starch. It does not taste fishy: think savoury, gently sweet and rich, with a silky texture that coats food. It is the backbone of beef and broccoli and of Cantonese blanched greens. Add it towards the end of a stir-fry, about 1–2 tbsp for two people. Vegetarian versions made from mushrooms are widely available. Refrigerate after opening.

Hoisin sauce (海鲜酱)

A thick, dark, sweet sauce made from fermented soybeans, sugar, garlic, vinegar and spices. The Chinese name means seafood sauce, but it contains no seafood. It is the sauce spread on pancakes with crispy duck, a key part of char siu marinade, and a quick glaze for ribs, chicken wings or salmon. It is sweet and burns easily, so add it in the last few minutes of cooking or loosen it with water. Refrigerate after opening.

Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)

An amber rice wine from Shaoxing in Zhejiang province, with a nutty, slightly sweet flavour similar to medium-dry sherry. A tablespoon in a marinade, or a splash around the hot edge of the wok (affiliate link, opens in a new tab), gives that restaurant aroma. Bottles sold for cooking usually have salt added, so they are not for drinking. It keeps for a long time in the cupboard.

Chinkiang black vinegar (镇江香醋)

A dark, aged vinegar from Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province, made from glutinous rice and malted grain. It is far mellower than malt or wine vinegar: tart, malty, slightly sweet and a little smoky. Mix it with fine shreds of ginger for a classic dumpling dip, or add a spoonful to hot and sour soup or smacked cucumber salad. It is one of the condiments in our dumpling night pantry.

Rice vinegar (米醋)

Clear or pale gold, clean and sharp. Chinese white rice vinegar is usually more acidic than Japanese rice vinegar, so taste before you pour. Use it for quick pickles, sweet and sour sauce and dressings.

Toasted sesame oil (麻油)

Pressed from toasted sesame seeds, it is dark amber and intensely nutty. Treat it as a seasoning, not a cooking oil: add a few drops to 1 tsp at the end of cooking or into dressings. Keep it cool and dark, as it turns rancid faster than most oils.

Doubanjiang (豆瓣酱)

What is doubanjiang? A Sichuan chilli bean paste made from fermented broad beans, chillies and salt, aged until deep reddish-brown. Versions from Pixian (郫县) are the most prized. It is salty, savoury and spicy rather than fiercely hot, and must be fried first: stir 1–2 tbsp into hot oil over a medium-low heat until the oil turns red. It is essential in mapo tofu and twice-cooked pork. Cut back on soy sauce when you use it, and keep it in the fridge once opened.

Chilli oil and chilli crisp (辣椒油)

Chilli oil is neutral oil poured hot over chilli flakes and spices, giving fragrant red oil with a sediment of flakes at the bottom. Chilli crisp adds crunchy fried bits such as garlic, shallots and soybeans, so it is more of a topping. Spoon either over noodles, dumplings, eggs or rice. Check the label for storage: many are fine in the cupboard, but those with fresh garlic or onion should be refrigerated.

Fermented black beans (豆豉)

Black soybeans that have been salted and fermented until soft, wrinkled and intensely savoury. Rinse a tablespoon briefly, then roughly chop or crush with garlic before frying to make your own black bean sauce for beef and peppers, steamed spare ribs or clams. They keep for months in an airtight jar. Jarred black bean sauce is sweeter and less punchy.

Chinese sesame paste (芝麻酱)

Made from well-toasted sesame seeds, it is darker, thicker and much nuttier than tahini. Stir in the separated oil, then loosen with warm water, soy and vinegar for dan dan noodles, cold noodles or a hotpot dip. In a pinch, use tahini with a few drops of toasted sesame oil. Keep it in the cupboard, or the fridge if it takes you a while to finish.

Shaoxing wine substitutes and other swaps

Chinese pantry essentials: the first 5 to buy

Next, add dark soy for colour and doubanjiang or chilli oil for heat, then the rest as recipes call for them. Keep cornflour, ground white pepper and jasmine rice alongside (our rice guide explains how to cook it).

How to store Chinese sauces

Recipe: all-purpose Chinese stir-fry sauce

This jar turns the pantry into weeknight dinners: five of the sauces above in a balanced mix of salty, sweet, savoury and sour, ready to shake and pour. Our stir-fry guide explains how to get the wok hot enough to make the most of it.

Where to buy Chinese sauces in the UK

Most supermarkets carry soy, oyster and hoisin sauce, but for Chinkiang vinegar, doubanjiang, fermented black beans, sesame paste and the bigger, cheaper bottles you need a Chinese grocer. Our directory lists 259 stores that stock Chinese groceries, 185 of them Chinese specialists, with the most in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester.

For the widest range of regional sauces, try the large Chinese supermarkets: SeeWoo and Loon Fung Chinatown in London's Chinatown, Wing Yip Superstore Birmingham, W.H. Lung Supermarket in Manchester and Sida Chinese Supermarket in Liverpool. Our London guide groups every London shop by area.