- Flavor base
- Garlic, ginger and scallion
- Staple starches
- Rice; wheat noodles and buns
- Cooking fats
- Neutral oil, sesame oil to finish
The flavor base
A great deal of Chinese cooking starts with garlic, ginger and scallion sizzled briefly in hot oil. The seasoning that follows is often soy sauce, rice wine and a little sugar, with vinegar or chile depending on the region. Japanese cooking leans instead on dashi, a light broth usually made from kombu seaweed and dried bonito flakes, which gives soups and simmered dishes a clean, savory taste. Korean cooking uses garlic generously and builds on fermented pastes and chile.
Spices to know
Spices play a smaller part here than in South Asia, but a few matter a lot. Sichuan pepper gives Sichuan food its tingle, and the region's cooks describe the pairing of that tingle with chile heat as "mala," numbing and hot. Star anise and cinnamon go into slow braises and the Chinese five-spice blend. Korean gochugaru colors kimchi and many stews.
Signature dishes
| Dish | Where | What it is, in general terms |
|---|---|---|
| Mapo tofu | Sichuan, China | Soft tofu in a red, oily sauce of chile bean paste and a little minced meat, finished with ground Sichuan pepper for a tingling edge. |
| Jiaozi | Northern China | Wheat-wrapper dumplings that are boiled, steamed or pan-fried, often folded in big batches for family meals and the Lunar New Year. |
| Dim sum | Guangdong and Hong Kong | Small steamed, fried and baked dishes served with tea, from shrimp dumplings to rolled rice noodles. |
| Miso soup | Japan | Dashi broth with miso paste stirred in at the end, holding tofu, seaweed or vegetables. |
| Sushi | Japan | Seasoned vinegared rice paired with fish, seafood, egg or vegetables. Plenty of sushi uses no raw fish at all. |
| Kimchi | Korea | Vegetables, most often napa cabbage or radish, salted and fermented with chile, garlic and ginger, and served with most meals. |
| Bibimbap | Korea | A bowl of rice topped with seasoned vegetables, often an egg and some meat, with chile paste to stir through. |
Regions within the region
Chinese food writers often speak of several great regional cuisines. Cantonese cooking from the south prizes freshness and light seasoning, with steaming and quick stir-frying. Sichuan and Hunan cooking are bold with chile. Shandong cooking in the north favors wheat, seafood and clear soups, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang cooking around Shanghai is known for slightly sweet, slow-braised dishes. As a rule of thumb, wheat noodles, buns and dumplings are more common in the north and rice in the south.
In Japan, regional differences show up in broths, noodles and how sweet or salty the seasoning runs. Korean meals put rice, soup and a spread of small side dishes called banchan on the table together.
Fermentation at the center
Soy sauce, miso, Korean doenjang and gochujang, Chinese black vinegar and fermented black beans all add a deep, savory flavor. Kimchi is made by salting vegetables and letting them ferment with seasonings. If you want to try fermenting at home, follow tested instructions from a reliable source and keep everything clean.
Cooking East Asian food at home
- Prepare everything before you heat the pan. Stir-frying is fast, and there is no time to chop once it starts.
- Cut ingredients to similar sizes so they cook at the same rate.
- A wok is useful but not required. A large, heavy skillet works on most home stoves.
- Use toasted sesame oil to finish a dish. It burns easily as a cooking fat.
- Rinse short- or medium-grain rice before cooking for a cleaner texture, and cool leftover rice quickly before refrigerating it, as food safety agencies advise.
Our spices and pantry page lists a starter shopping list, and cooking at home covers swaps for hard-to-find ingredients.
Five things to buy first
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Toasted sesame oil
- Fresh ginger and scallions
- A fermented paste such as miso or doenjang
More on storing and using these on the spices and pantry page.
East Asia questions
Is sushi always raw fish?
No. Sushi means the seasoned vinegared rice. Toppings and fillings can be cooked seafood, egg, vegetables or raw fish. Raw fish needs careful sourcing and handling; follow your national food safety agency's advice and ask your fish seller what is suitable.
What is umami?
It is the savory taste found in foods such as soy sauce, dashi, aged cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms. Japanese scientists identified it in the early 1900s, and it is now widely accepted as one of the basic tastes.