China South of the Clouds

Thanks to Amazon and other online retailers, cooking Yunnan-style dishes has never been easier. Most of the ingredients needed for the recipes in my book Cooking South of the Clouds: Recipes and Stories from China’s Yunnan Province can be purchased at any good Chinese grocery store. And for cooks who don’t have access to these kinds of markets, you can get all of the ingredients you need sent right to your door.

(Note: Many of the ingredients below can be ordered through Amazon, so I’ve included those links where available, for convenience. 99 Ranch also lets you order some ingredients online, so I’ve included those links as well.)

We’ll also be announcing a special collaboration with Mala Market soon, so stay tuned!

If you’re setting out to cook Yunnan dishes, here are the ingredients you might need to stock your pantry. (And if you’re looking for cooking tools, see “Where to Buy Yunnan Cooking Tools.”)

Dry Goods

Dried Thai Chiles – available here
Chile Flakes – available here or here
Korean Ground Chile – available in large bags 
Sichuan Peppercorns – best when bought whole (also available here)
Green Sichuan Peppercorns – also available whole here
Black Cardamom – available in whole pods here
White Sticky Rice – also labeled Thai sweet rice, available here
Purple Sticky Rice – available in small bags here

Sauces

Chinese Light Soy Sauce – I often buy Pearl River Brand (also available here)
Chinese Dark Soy Sauce – also available from Pearl River Brand here and here
Zhenjiang Vinegar – often labeled Chinkiang Vinegar (also available here)
Shanxi Vinegar – available here and here
Chinese White Rice Vinegar – available here or here
Chinese Hot Chile Oil – available here or here
Southern Chinese-Style chile bean paste or douban jiang – also labeled “chile bean sauce” or touban djan
Sichuan Style Pixian Douban Jiang – now available in foil packets
Broad Bean Paste – sometimes labeled ground bean sauce
Fragrant Chile Sauce – available from Laoganma brand as spicy bean paste (also available here)
You can also order various kinds of Pickled Mustard Greens if you don’t have time to make your own – these are not exactly like Yunnan-style pickles, but they’ll do just fine in a pinch.

Misc

Some recipes from western Yunnan require Thai sour pickled bamboo shoots
To make the Ghost Chicken with Tea Leaves, you’ll need long green tea leaves like these

You can also mail-order banana flowers (though I’m not sure how fresh they’ll be when they arrive), galangal, lemongrass, Thai eggplant, and frozen banana leaves.