Ingredients
Know the name. Understand the ingredient. Find your next step in the kitchen.
Chi xiao dou & adzuki: reading the names
Why chi xiao dou, rice bean and adzuki should not be treated as one unquestioned name.
Black sesame
The PolyU entry identifies the dried ripe seed of Sesamum indicum.
Chenpi · Dried mature citrus peel
Definition, plant source and processing require separate checks.
Chinese yam · Shan yao
A practical starting point for understanding fresh yam, dried soup ingredients and traditional language.
Food-grade chrysanthemum
A labelled beverage ingredient, not an invitation to use ornamental flowers.
Ginger
A kitchen seasoning also discussed in traditional food therapy.
Goji berries
Distinguish the food fruit from root bark and concentrated products.
Jujube · Red dates
Red dates are not the same retail name as date-palm dates.
Edible lily bulbs
Food-grade bulbs must not be confused with ornamental plants.
Lotus seeds
A soup ingredient that needs its own identity and preparation checks.
Mung beans
Identify whole green mung beans, cook them until soft, and keep traditional “cold” nature separate from food safety.
Snow fungus · White fungus
Dried fungus preparation and storage need food-safety verification.
Start with the actual packet
Search by English or Chinese name, alias or pinyin. Simplified ingredient-name input can find the Traditional Chinese entity. Then check the identity and form before using the kitchen guidance: fresh, dried, peeled, roasted and concentrated products are not interchangeable descriptions.
Filter by ordinary use or form to narrow the reference, not to select a treatment. A result is a route to a sourced article, not an individual recommendation. If there is no match, try a shorter name or another printed term; a missing entry is not evidence that the ingredient is safe or unsafe.