Cooking Chinese or Asian

30 + years ago when I was in college and rooming with college buddies we shared cooking duties and each week one of us would be responsible for 3 or 4 meals that week.

I had been to Hong Kong a couple of years earlier, and even though I wasn't into cooking yet, I found a paper back cook book on Chinese Cooking written in English while I was there.

Several times while in the apt when it was my turn to cook, I would do a Chinese menu for the entire week or 3 or 4 days.  Back then you couldn't find the asian sauces on the grocery store shelf like today.  So to do a Chinese menu I would have to plan on cooking Chinese for all the meals. I would make the sauces, make enough stocks, and sauces for all the meals  from scratch on the first day.  It really was the cheapest way to do these dishes.  I had a cheap wok, and would make  3 or 4 coarse chinese meals.  I even did a couple of chinese dinner parties and invite 8 to 10 girls. Usually for teh parties I would make 8 or more dishes.  Man what an easy way to meet new girls, then never turned down a dinner party invite.

I only make an occasional Asian dish but would like to do more.

What 5 to 7 asian sauces and pantry items would you recommend having on hand always to crank out a variety of dishes?

excellent question! i am by no means an expert, but i will give this a try:

We will be making Chinese tonight,will take a few pics

Mirin is also a rice wine...a little lower alcohol content than saki, and is often used in cooking.

Great Falls has a asian market behind Dr Sixx office on 10th beside Taco Bell. across from the Townhouse inn Taz might want to look there. If memory serves correctly there is also one just out side the main gat at the base on 2nd north also.

Hoser wrote: Mirin is also a rice wine...a little lower alcohol content than saki, and is often used in cooking.

I use mirin and sake for Japanese cuisine, but find http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaoxing_wine better for Chinese and other Asian food.  It is more powerful/robust and more suited for less delicate flavours.  I don't think I could develop a taste for drinking it though (but that is just a personal opinion)