Top 7 Chinese Herbs and Spices

Lee Kum Kee is a well-known and reputable Chinese food manufacturer, specializing in sauces and condiments. Founded in 1888 in Guangdong, China, the company has a long history of producing high-quality products that are widely used in Asian cooking. Lee Kum Kee is particularly famous for its oyster sauce, soy sauce, and various other cooking sauces, which are staples in both home kitchens and professional restaurants around the world. The company uses traditional recipes combined with modern production techniques to ensure consistency and authenticity in its products. With a strong focus on innovation and quality, Lee Kum Kee has expanded its product range to include seasonings, marinades, and ready-to-cook products, catering to a diverse global audience.Expand

Huājiāo, known in English as Sichuan pepper, is a spice that comes from the prickly ash tree, most famously associated with Sichuan province. It is not a chili pepper or black pepper but the dried husk of the seedpod from the Zanthoxylum plant, valued for the numbing and tingling sensation it produces on the tongue. The spice is central to Sichuan cuisine and defines many of its flavor profiles, particularly the well-known málà combination of numbing and spicy. Its use dates back more than a thousand years, with records from early Chinese texts describing how the husks were collected and prized both as a seasoning and for medicinal purposes. In ancient times, huājiāo was used in court cuisine as well as in folk cooking, valued for its ability to stimulate the palate and enhance appetite. Over centuries, cooks in Sichuan developed methods of pairing it with chili peppers, which arrived later from the Americas, creating the defining spicy-numbing flavor that has become globally associated with the region’s food. In preparation, the husks are dried after harvesting and sometimes roasted lightly before use to bring out their fragrance. They are rarely eaten whole; instead, they are ground into powders, infused into oils, or added directly to dishes during cooking. Huājiāo oil, made by heating the husks in hot oil, is drizzled over noodles, dumplings, and salads for a numbing finish. In braised dishes and hot pots, whole husks are simmered in broth to release their flavor gradually. Ground huājiāo is also used as a finishing spice in stir-fries and cold dishes. The most common is red Sichuan pepper, known for its warm aroma and slightly woody undertones, which is often used in hot pot and braised dishes. Green Sichuan pepper has a fresher, more floral quality with sharper citrus notes, making it popular in lighter broths, chicken dishes, and dipping sauces. In some areas, both are combined to create layered complexity, with red providing depth and green delivering brightness.Today, huājiāo is eaten widely across China but remains most closely tied to Sichuan, where it is a cornerstone of everyday cooking as well as banquet dishes. It appears in hot pot bases, dry stir-fries, braised meats, dipping sauces, and snacks. Its influence has spread beyond China, as chefs around the world use it to add depth and novelty to modern dishes. In Sichuan itself, it continues to be harvested, sold in markets, and used in homes and restaurants.Expand

Wu xiang fen or five-spice powder is a traditional spice blend originating from China. The spice blend consists of five spices: fennel seeds, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise. The number five refers to the five flavors that are represented in the blend – sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami. There are many ways to use the aromatic five-spice powder – in marinades, stir-fries, soups, stews, as a seasoning for the breading for fried foods, as a glaze, or a dry rub for meat and seafood. Interestingly, the spice blend has antiseptic properties and it's sometimes used to cure indigestion.Expand

Làjiāo fěn is a finely ground chili powder originating from China, most strongly associated with Sichuan and Hunan, where the love for heat and layered spice defines much of the local cuisine. It is not a dish on its own but a key seasoning that transforms the character of countless preparations, from simple stir-fries to complex braises. The use of dried and ground chili peppers in Chinese cooking developed after the arrival of the chili plant from the Americas in the 16th century, when it quickly became integral to inland provinces where bold, pungent flavors were valued for their ability to stimulate the appetite and balance rich or oily foods. Over centuries, techniques for drying, roasting, and grinding chilies evolved regionally, producing powders of distinct color, aroma, and intensity. The preparation of làjiāo fěn begins with carefully chosen ripe red chili peppers, which are sun-dried or lightly roasted to concentrate their heat and flavor. They are then ground into a fine or coarse powder, sometimes blended with toasted sesame seeds, salt, or Sichuan peppercorns for additional layers of taste. The balance of roasting time and grind size is crucial: too coarse, and the chili lacks intensity; too fine, and it can lose its fragrance. In many households and markets, the process remains artisanal, with small batches prepared to ensure maximum freshness and potency. Làjiāo fěn is most often sprinkled directly onto dishes as a finishing spice or incorporated into sauces and marinades to provide both heat and a subtle smoky depth. It is an essential finishing touch in classics like hotpot, grilled skewers, cold noodles, and stir-fried vegetables, and is often paired with oil to create a chili paste or infused condiment. Its presence is especially notable in street food culture, where it is dusted over fried snacks or noodles to intensify their flavor. Unique to this ingredient is its dual function as both a heat source and a carrier of aroma, with the type of chili and roasting method greatly influencing its final character. It is consumed daily across China and in many Chinese diaspora kitchens worldwide, pairing naturally with rice dishes, meats, tofu, and even simple steamed vegetables, where a pinch can transform a mild plate into a deeply flavorful meal.Expand

Andaliman (lat. Zanthoxylum acanthopodium), is a wild peppercorn-like spice native to parts of Southeast Asia and the Himalayan region, most notably found in North Sumatra, northern Laos, northern Myanmar, and parts of southwestern China. It belongs to the larger Zanthoxylum genus, which also includes better-known cousins like Sichuan pepper (Z. bungeanum) and Japanese sansho (Z. piperitum). Although andaliman is botanically related to these more globally recognized spices, it is distinguished by its bold citrus aroma, mildly numbing effect, and slightly floral bitterness. The plant grows on thorny shrubs that thrive in highland environments, and its small, clustered berries are harvested when mature, then used fresh, dried, or ground into powder for culinary use. What sets andaliman apart from other species in the Zanthoxylum family is its intensely fragrant profile. It emits strong notes of lemongrass, lime peel, and wild herbs, making it a versatile but dominant spice that rarely plays a background role. In North Sumatra, particularly among the Batak people, andaliman is central to local cuisine and features in iconic dishes like arsik and saksang, where it provides the distinctive tang and tongue-tingling sensation that define Batak flavor. Outside of Indonesia, the spice appears in small pockets of traditional cooking in regions of Yunnan, northern Laos, and eastern India, though it is far less widely used or recognized compared to its Chinese or Japanese relatives. In some Himalayan communities, Z. acanthopodium is used medicinally for its antimicrobial and digestive properties, or as a seasoning in foraged herb mixes. Despite its broad native range, andaliman remains a regional and largely foraged spice, not widely cultivated or commercialized. It is relatively delicate, losing much of its aroma and numbing quality if not handled or stored properly, and has thus struggled to find a large export market. However, as global interest in heirloom and indigenous ingredients grows, chefs and spice experts are beginning to appreciate andaliman for its uniqueness. Though similar in effect to Sichuan pepper, it offers a more aromatic and less aggressive profile, suitable for seafood, grilled meats, and aromatic spice blends.Expand

Mala seasoning is a spice blend and flavor profile from China defined by the combined sensations of numbing and heat created through the interaction of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, producing a sharp, tingling mouthfeel, layered spiciness, and a complex aroma supported by ingredients such as garlic, ginger, scallions, fermented bean pastes, and aromatic spices carried in oil or dry blends. The flavor profile developed as chili peppers, introduced to China in the late Ming period, merged with the long-established use of Sichuan pepper in regional cooking, forming a defining taste that aligned with local preservation methods, climate, and cooking practices that favored bold seasoning and oil-based flavor extraction. Preparation centers on gently toasting Sichuan peppercorns to release citrusy numbing compounds, frying dried chilies in oil to extract heat and color, and combining these elements with aromatics and fermented components to create either a pourable chili oil, a spoonable paste, or a dry seasoning powder, with careful temperature control to prevent bitterness and preserve fragrance. Common variations adjust the ratio of numbing to heat, substitute different chili varieties, or incorporate additional spices such as star anise or cassia, while the defining characteristic remains the dual sensory effect rather than a fixed ingredient list. Mala seasoning is used to flavor stir-fries, hot pots, cold dressed meats, noodles, and vegetables, applied during cooking or as a finishing condiment, and it pairs naturally with foods that benefit from fat and texture, such as tofu, beef, lamb, mushrooms, and root vegetables, where the numbing heat balances richness and amplifies savory depth.Expand

Téngjiāo, known in English as rattan pepper or vine pepper, is a spice widely used in Sichuan cuisine, particularly in the mountainous areas of southwestern China. It comes from the same plant family as Sichuan peppercorn but is harvested from a different variety, producing a flavor that is fresher, greener, and sharper than the more familiar red peppercorns. Unlike dishes that rely on heat from chili peppers, those seasoned with téngjiāo emphasize a cooling numbing sensation combined with a citrus-like fragrance, giving them a distinctive place in the spectrum of Sichuan flavors. The use of téngjiāo can be traced back to local practices in Sichuan and neighboring regions, where different peppercorn varieties were prized for their ability to stimulate the palate and balance the richness of fatty meats. Farmers in hilly areas cultivated the green peppercorns for their aromatic oils, which became valued not only in cooking but also in medicinal contexts. Over time, téngjiāo established itself as a seasoning associated with freshness and clarity, often preferred in summer dishes or recipes where lighter, brighter flavors were sought. Preparation in cooking usually involves crushing or lightly toasting the peppercorns to release their essential oils, which are then infused into broths, stir-fries, or sauces. One well-known use is téngjiāo chicken soup, where the pepper lends both fragrance and a numbing brightness to the clear broth. It is also used in cold appetizers, fish dishes, and dipping sauces. In some kitchens, oil is heated with téngjiāo to produce a green peppercorn oil that can be drizzled over finished dishes. Because the spice is potent, it is generally added sparingly and often toward the end of cooking to preserve its delicate aroma. Today, téngjiāo is most often eaten in Sichuan and surrounding provinces, appearing in both homestyle cooking and restaurant dishes. It is enjoyed in soups, stews, stir-fries, and dipping sauces, often paired with chicken, fish, or vegetables.Expand