Bao bun: dim sum item; small, steamed buns,
white in color, stuffed with a variety of minced fillings (often
chicken, shrimp, pork or lotus beans)
Bird’s nest soup: soup that has been
thickened and flavored with the gelatinous product derived from
soaking and cooking the nests of cliff-dwelling birds
Bok choy: Chinese white cabbage
Chop suey: strictly a Chinese American dish;
meat or shrimp and vegetables (mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo
shoots, bean sprouts) stir-fried together and served over rice
Chow mein: strictly a Chinese American dish;
meat or shrimp and vegetables (mushrooms, water chestnuts, bamboo
shoots, bean sprouts) stir-fried and served over crispy egg
noodles
Dim sum: figuratively, ‘heart’s
delight’; a traditional meal featuring a variety of small
dumplings, buns, rolls, balls, pastries and finger food, served
with tea in the late morning or afternoon
Egg roll: phyllolike wrapper stuffed with pork,
cabbage or other vegetables, rolled up and deep-fried or steamed
Fried rice: cooked, dried rice quickly fried
in a wok with hot oil, various meats or vegetables and often
an egg
Hoisin: a sweet, rich, dark brown sauce made
from fermented soy beans; used as a base for other sauces
Lo mein: steamed wheat-flour noodles stir-fried
with bean sprouts and scallions and either shrimp, pork, beef
or vegetables
Lychee: small, round, fleshy fruit; used fresh,
canned, preserved and dried
Mu shu: a delicate dish of stir-fried shredded
pork and eggs rolled up in thin pancakes
Oyster sauce: a thick, dark sauce of oysters,
soy and brine
Peking duck: an elaborate dish featuring duck
that has been specially prepared, coated with honey and cooked
until the skin is crisp and golden; served in pieces with thin
pancakes or steamed buns and hoisin
Pot sticker: dim sum item; dumpling stuffed
with meat, seafood or vegetables, fried and then steamed
Shark’s fin soup: soup thickened and
flavored with the cartilage of shark’s fins, which provides
a protein-rich gelatin
Shu mai: dim sum item; delicate dumpling often
filled with minced pork and vegetables
Spring roll: a lighter version of the egg roll,
with fillings such as shrimp or black mushrooms
Szechuan: cuisine in the style of the Szechuan
province, often hot and spicy
Szechuan peppercorn: the peppercorn-like berry of the prickly ash tree used in Szechuan
cuisine to make spicy, tongue-numbing dishes
Thousand-year-old eggs: chicken, duck or goose
eggs preserved for 100 days in ashes, lime and salt (also, 100-year-old
eggs)
Wonton: paper-thin, glutinous dough wrapper;
also refers to the dumpling made with this wrapper, stuffed
with minced meat, seafood or vegetables
Wonton soup: a clear broth in which wontons
are cooked and served
